Engineering Design Approach Research Articles

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A WEARABLE TELEREHABILITATION SYSTEM FOR SEGMENTAL RESPIRATORY

In this study, it was aimed to support the patients to segmental breathing exercises in people with respiratory system disorders; easy to use, allowing for individual use. It is aimed to design a device integrated with telerehabilitation in accordance with engineering design and rehabilitation engineering design approaches. Within the scope of conceptual design, a list of requirements for the design was created. Functional structures and solution principles of the device were determined. Design variants were created and were evaluated. Structures of the final solution variant and 3D drawings of the design were created. Our design has effective and appropriate equipment that can increase the respiratory capacity of patients and contribute to rehabilitation in the home environment thanks to telerehabilitation application.

Carbon matrix NiFeP/C nanoparticles anchored on Ti3C2Tx nanosheets as heterostructure high-performance anode for lithium-ion batteries

Engineered micro-nano heterogeneous architectures for transition metal phosphide (TMPs) anode materials in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) provide multifunctional active components. These components synergistically interact to address pivotal challenges of pronounced volume expansion and sluggish reaction kinetics within the electrode. Consequently, this engineering design approach significantly enhances the overall battery performance. In this study, a self-assembled approach is employed to integrate hybridized NiFe-PBA nanocubes with two-dimensional (2D) monolayer MXene (Ti3C2Tx), producing a heterostructured NiFeP/C@Ti3C2Tx composite. In this meticulously engineered architecture, the interface between the outer MXene layer and NiFeP embedded within the carbon matrix exhibits several distinct superiorities, such as rapid interfacial ion migration, multidirectional migration pathways, and strong spatial adaptability. The resulting non-uniform phase structure effectively mitigates electrode expansion and enhances electronic conductivity. Consequently, the NiFeP/C@Ti3C2Tx-15 composite demonstrates distinct performance advantages over NiFeP/C without MXene. The composite achieves a specific capacity of 689.4 mAh g⁻¹ at 200 mA g⁻¹ over 300 cycles, double that of NiFeP/C. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations validate the electronic conductivity facilitated by the heterointerface between MXene and NiFeP, substantiating the strategic significance of the heterostructure in advancing high-performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Hardware Development and Evaluation of Multihop Cluster-Based Agricultural IoT Based on Bluetooth Low-Energy and LoRa Communication Technologies.

In this paper, we present the development and evaluation of a contextually relevant, cost-effective, multihop cluster-based agricultural Internet of Things (MCA-IoT) network. This network utilizes commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) and LoRa communication technologies, along with the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ (RPi 3 B+), to address the challenges of climate change-induced global food insecurity in smart farming applications. Employing the lean engineering design approach, we initially implemented a centralized cluster-based agricultural IoT (CA-IoT) hardware testbed incorporating BLE, RPi 3 B+, STEMMA soil moisture sensors, UM25 m, and LoPy low-power Wi-Fi modules. This system was subsequently adapted and refined to assess the performance of the MCA-IoT network. This study offers a comprehensive reference on the novel, location-independent MCA-IoT technology, including detailed design and deployment insights for the agricultural IoT (Agri-IoT) community. The proposed solution demonstrated favorable performance in indoor and outdoor environments, particularly in water-stressed regions of Northern Ghana. Performance evaluations revealed that the MCA-IoT technology is easy to deploy and manage by users with limited expertise, is location-independent, robust, energy-efficient for battery operation, and scalable in terms of task and size, thereby providing a versatile range of measurements for future applications. Our results further demonstrated that the most effective approach to utilizing existing IoT-based communication technologies within a typical farming context in sub-Saharan Africa is to integrate them.

Packaging design for ginger leather candy in a small medium enterprise : a design thinking approach

Abstract A small medium enterprise is developing a new marketable ginger product differentiation. The proposed product will be made in the form of ginger candy. The ginger candy design was developed in order to find Products need to be made of suitable packaging and packaging labels so that the product can be marketed. This project aims to produce packaging designs that have the ability to protect products from producer to consumers. The method used is engineering design approach which includes the stages of exploration, problem verification, ideation, prototipe development, and prototipe validation. The new ginger product produced is in the form of soft ginger candy, namely ginger leather candy. The results of the design applied to the ginger leather candy product are using PP plastic material which is sealed with an impulse sealer tool as primary packaging, with secondary packaging pouch with zip-lock aluminum foil. On the front of the secondary packaging is affixed with a label displaying product information in accordance with the BPOM label rules.

Probabilistic design and optimization of thermal protection system with variable thickness based on non-uniform aerodynamic heating

Thermal Protection System (TPS) is a critical component of space vehicles to protect them from damage by extreme aerothermal heating conditions. The uncertainty of the aerothermal heating conditions, including approaching velocities, atmospheric density, pressure, etc., significantly affects the aerothermal heating imposed on the TPS, vastly changing the initial design conditions. In this study, we developed a new uncertainty quantitative (UQ) analysis method to comprehensively consider all the uncertainty of TPS materials, structures, and aerothermal heating conditions. To address the challenges of a massive amount of input and determined optimization parameters, we first induced the response surface method and Monte Carlo algorithm to produce a large number of analysis samples for Probabilistic Design. Then, the key affecting factors, not all the input design parameters, were chosen for optimization with sequential optimization and reliability assessment (SORA) strategy by a sensitivity analysis. With such improvements, the optimization for UQ analysis becomes practical. We used this new UQ method to analyze the effects of uncertainty of the aerothermal heating conditions on the thermal protection layer. A variable thickness design is proposed to adapt the non-uniform aerothermal heating conditions for the TPS. The results show that significant light-weighting can be achieved without the reliability penalty. The optimized structure also reduces internal temperature gradients and facilitates a more uniform temperature field distribution for the TPS. This study provides a new UQ engineering design approach for the system with many designed parameters.

Ginger Leather Candy Formulation at CV Sari Sehat Bogor

Abstract CV Sari Sehat is an SME that produces herbal products such as instant powdered drinks, simplicial, and powdered tea. CV Sari Sehat wants to increase the value of its red ginger commodities through innovation. Currently, the processed red ginger products offered by CV Sari Sehat are only instant drink powder and tea powder, which is why they are seeking to develop new processed red ginger products. Product development is to be carried out by making red ginger jelly candy in the form of thin layers, namely Ginger Leather Candy (GLC). The development process will follow an engineering design approach. This method’s phases include exploration, problem definition, ideation, prototype development, and validation. The best formulation for the GLC product contains ingredients such as water, red ginger extract, pectin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn sugar syrup, citric acid, and icing sugar as product coatings. Chemical testing shows that GLC has a moisture content of 15.2%, ash content of 1.5%, sucrose of 46.42%, and reducing sugar of 10.94%. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of this GLC product is categorized as weak, with an antioxidant activity value of 177.059 μg/ml and an inhibition zone of 2 mm. However, the organoleptic test results indicate that consumers like this GLC product, with an overall average level of consumer liking of 3.95/5.

Flipflopi: Circular economy design inspiration from a recycled plastic sailing dhow

Flipflopi is an East African organisation with a mission to end single use plastic, driving this agenda using circular economy principles applied to the design and build of fully recycled plastic sailing dhows from their boatyard in Lamu Kenya. Flipflopi has achieved measurable global impact by showcasing the world’s first ocean going recycled sailing boat, Ndogo, a 9 metre long, lateen rigged dhow which has sailed the East African coastline and across Lake Victoria. Flipflopi is now aiming to build a much larger ocean-going dhow, named Kubwa, which presents further technical challenges from a marine design perspective. To meet these challenges. Flipflopi are utilising a combination of generational heritage boatbuilding expertise in Lamu; specific design experience from building and sailing Ndogo; technological progress driven by other recycled plastic projects; and more formalised naval architecture and engineering design approaches. This paper introduces the context within which Flipflopi is centred, the links to circular economy design principles and the specific design challenges from working with recycled plastic as a boatbuilding material.

Strategy to systematically design and deploy the ITER plasma control system: A system engineering and model-based design approach

The paper details the process of developing the ITER Plasma Control System (PCS), that is, how to design and deploy it systematically, in the most efficient and effective manner. The integrated nature of the ITER PCS, with its multitude of coupled control functions, and its long-term development, calls for a different approach than the design and short-term deployment of individual controllers. It requires, in the first place, a flexible implementation strategy and system architecture that allows system re-configuration and optimization throughout its development. Secondly, a model-based system engineering approach is carried out, for the complete PCS development, i.e. both its design and deployment. It requires clear definitions for both the PCS role and its functionality, as well as definitions of the design and deployment process itself. The design and deployment process is shown to allow tracing the relationships of the many individual design and deployment aspects, such as system requirements, assumed operation use-cases and response models, and eventually verification and functional validation of the system design. The functional validation will make use of a dedicated PCS simulation platform that includes the description of the control function design as well as plant, actuator and sensor models that enable the simulation of these functions. By establishing a clear understanding of the interconnected steps involved in designing, implementing, commissioning, and operating the system, a more systematic approach is achieved. This ensures the completion of a comprehensive design that can be deployed efficiently, hence preventing the loss of precious operational time needed to debug and retune control functions and more importantly avoiding tokamak discharge disruptions.

Bond strength between recycled aggregate concrete and rebar: Interpretable machine learning modeling approach for performance estimation and engineering design

Recycled aggregate concrete has a large potential for application as a sustainable building material. To assist in guiding the engineering design of this low-carbon material, the complex relationship between its bond strength to the rebar and various design parameters was modeled. Comparative studies of multiple machine learning methods have shown that the extreme random tree model demonstrates outstanding performance with root mean square error of 1.982, mean absolute error of 1.202 and coefficient of determination of 0.954. To determine the role of design parameters in performance prediction, importance analysis and sensitivity analyses for parameters were used to explore the complex relationship in the model. The results indicated that rebar type, water-cement ratio, anchorage length, and compressive strength are crucial factors affecting the bond strength between recycled aggregate concrete and rebar. In addition, to further demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of machine learning models, explicit models in some specifications were used for comparative analysis. Due to variability in influencing factors, limited test data, and variability in material properties, the explicit models have limited accuracy for bond strength between recycled aggregate concrete and rebar. Therefore, the interpretable modeling approach can provide an accurate estimate of the bond strength between recycled concrete aggregates and rebar and guide the engineering design of this structure.

Experimental and phenomenological investigations on the strain rate sensitivity of rigid PVC foams at strain rates of 0.005 s−1 to 600 s−1

Polymeric foams are often subjected to high strain rates in various industrial applications, especially the transportation sector, and experience significant deformations. An in-depth comprehension of the dynamic mechanical characteristics of polymeric foam is essential for devising effective engineering design approaches. Previous studies have extensively utilized Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) apparatuses to test polymeric foams dynamically; however, these studies faced technical limitations in specimen size, preventing compliance with the ASTM D1621 standard test method for rigid cellular plastics. A customized pneumatic apparatus equipped with a massive impacting bullet and sacrificial excess energy absorbing system was employed to complete the mechanical material characterization of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) foams, following the ASTM D1621 standard, to address previous technical limitations. PVC foams with six different nominal densities were subjected to strain rates ranging from 0.005 s−1 to 600 s−1. Loading was conducted parallel and perpendicular to the foam rise direction to investigate dynamic anisotropic material characteristics. A comparison of tests conducted at strain rates of 0.005 s−1 and 400 s−1 revealed an average increase of 35.1 % in the plateau stress. The phenomenological Nagy model was combined with a nonlinear Avalle relationship and revised with a new term, supported by findings from the present study, to characterize the complete stress/strain response, for the range of strain rates considered in this research. The calibrated model exhibited an average error of 1.7 % in the predicted plateau stress. The results indicated that testing under a single dynamic strain rate was sufficient to characterize the rate sensitivity of the PVC foam in the dynamic regime. Furthermore, the influence of relative density on the foam rate sensitivity was quantified, revealing a plateau in the strength enhancing effect of density at a nominal relative density of 0.125.

Fatigue life improvement mechanisms of CFRP/Al hybrid joints – Load sharing study using a digital image correlation technique

In comparison with an adhesive joint, a hybrid joint often provides a more effective and reliable way to meet heightened safety requirements in engineering like FAA AC 20-107B. Nevertheless, its fatigue failure characterization, life improvement mechanism and engineering design approach have been understudied as compared to the static loading condition. This study aims to characterize the failure mechanisms by use of the digital image correlation (DIC) technique for elucidating the load sharing phenomenon of hybrid joints in the course of fatigue failure. In the study, bonded, riveted and hybrid joints were tested under static and fatigue loading conditions. To explore different mechanical behaviors of hybrid joints, two types of adhesives with an evident difference in modulus were selected to fabricate the joints. The fatigue life of an adhesive layer and that of the hybrid joint were investigated respectively to explore the means for life improvement. It is shown that the fatigue life of the hybrid joint can be significantly improved as a result of load sharing by rivets. The improvement of the fatigue life could reach 5 to 13 folders for the hybrid joint due to the load sharing, whereas its improvement ratio was only 1–2 times when the adhesive and the rivet were used independently. By considering the overlap area as an effective region for design of rivet group, an optimal stiffness can be obtained for the hybrid joint. This study identifies two completely different fatigue failure processes for hybrid joints and illustrates the improvement mechanisms of fatigue life, thereby providing a useful guidance for optimal design of hybrid joints.

Evaluation of the mechanical performance of chairs without fasteners constructed of wood–based panels

According to the literature review, limited studies were performed related to the production of "without fastener and ready to assemble (RTA)" furniture made of wood-based panel materials with Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines and the evaluation of their strength. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cyclic loading performance of different types of RTA chairs without fastener which produced with CNC machines by using engineering design approach and product engineering methods including performance tests. In the production of chairs, 18 mm thick oriented strand board, medium density fiberboard and Oriental beech plywood were utilized as wood-based panels. Within the scope of the study, 4 different chair types without fasteners were designed and produced, and performance tests were carried out in 3 different loading directions (front to back, back to front and side thrust) with cyclic stepped increasing loading method according to the principles of American Library Association specification. Totally, 108 real size chairs without fastener were prepared and tested. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the chairs produced from Oriental beech plywood gave the best performances, while the chairs produced from medium density fiberboard gave performance values close to Oriental beech plywood, except for the side thrust test. However, the mechanical performance values of the chairs constructed of oriented strand board were very low. In conclusion, it could be said that the chairs constructed of Oriental beech plywood and medium density fiberboard without fastener have been found to have sufficient mechanical performance.

Engineering design approaches and a comparative study of topology optimization tools

Engineering design approaches and a comparative study of topology optimization tools

Studies on Betterutilization of Jute (Corchorus olitorius) Plants Harvested for Seeds in South India-Development of a Novelmethod and Machine: Part-I

Background: No study has been conducted on how to utilize or minimize the agro-waste produced from the jute seed crop of dryland farming in the areas of Bapatla, Palnadu, and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh state until now. This agro-waste is essentially a wasted natural fibre resource. This fibrous plant's processing waste is huge in terms of quantity. It is a mix of broken hurd, cut pieces of fibre, and crushed seedpods of a post-vegetative jute plant. It will be a great advantage to the farmer community if fibre is managed to be separated prior to seed extraction. This is only possible if the fibre source (the main stem) and the seed source (the branches) are separated. Based on this, the current study aimed to: (i) extract and test fibre for quality; and (ii) develop a novel method and an ergonomic machine to facilitate feasible fibre extraction without damaging seedpods. Methods: In the present study, fibre has been extracted in small qualities from post-vegetative phase jute plants and tested according to Bureau of Indian standards (IS 7032 (1986) and IS 271 (2003)) to assess the fibre quality. Engineering design approach has been followed to develop the novel machine for the separation of the source of the fibre and source of seeds. Results: Results showed that usable fibres for the textile industry could be extracted from post-vegetative jute plants, and that the separation of the sources of fibre and seed could be facilitated with the use of developed machinery and methodology.

Implementation of Joint Funded ICT Infrastructure Projects for Digital Acceleration and Youth Empowerment. The Case of NRF-Kibabii University

Kibabii University is the 23rd Public University in Kenya and is committed to high quality teaching, research, and extension services to create value to her stakeholders. The University considers Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as its flagship programmes and purposes to be a Computing Research and Innovation Centre (CRIC) /hub in East and Central Africa. The vision of the University is to be a global University for Research, Innovation and Technology. To achieve this, it requires improved ICT infrastructure to enhance digital acceleration and empowerment of the Youth. High Performance Computing facility was required to enable students and researchers perform simulation and modelling. Other facilities required were: mobile computing, digital forensics, CISCO professional laboratory, and video conferencing and data centre. To achieve this the University required funding beyond its normal capitation. To raise the additional funding the University responded to a call for Funding by National Research Fund. After approval and disbursement of the funds the implementation of the Project was initiated. An engineering design approach was adopted. This paper highlights some of technical issues that were faced during the Implementation of the projects. The project was successfully implemented and Commissioned by the joint team. It awaits fully exploitation for benefits of job creation and youth empowerment

Improvement of Wind-Induced Responses of Twin Towers Using Modal Substructure Method with Link Bridges

A new wind-resistant design optimization method for twin towers by utilizing link bridges, named as the Modal Substructure (MSS) method, is proposed. The MSS method combines the benefits of engineering design approaches and theoretical analysis methods to achieve efficient wind-induced vibration control tailored to specific twin tower projects. The method involves three main steps: (1) establishing control objectives based on the wind-induced response characteristics of the twin towers, (2) determining control strategies by analyzing the modal acceleration characteristics of the twin towers, and (3) performing parameter optimization of the link bridge, including assessing the damping ratio, mass ratio, and frequency ratio of the bridge. By applying the MSS method, optimal configurations for the link bridge can be identified, leading to effective vibration reduction effects. The wind-induced responses of the twin towers exhibit three distinct types: predominance of out-of-phase response, predominance of in-phase response, and equal importance of in-phase and out-of-phase responses. Each response type necessitates the implementation of specific control strategies. We propose a two-section link bridge design approach: the upper section functions as a tuned mass damper to effectively control the in-phase response, while the lower section is designed as a “stiffness + damping component” to reduce the out-of-phase response.

System engineering design approach and virtual assessment of a new charging arm concept for LHC robotic TIM

System engineering (SE) methods and principles are nowadays widely adopted in the product development processes, especially in the industrial sector, where saving production time and costs are primary goals. This work describes an application of a particular SE methodology, the V-model-based design, in which the system development lifecycle is divided on the basis of a graphical V-shaped scheme, called V-model. Following this approach, a new concept of charging arm for Robotic Train Inspection Monorail (TIM) of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire) has been developed. The current charging arm version is affected by several issues and limits that have led to the necessity of a new solution. Starting from the first stages of functional requirements (FRs) definition and decomposition (left side of the “V”), a new concept has been implemented, in order to be tested for its verification and validation (right side of the “V”). As part of the principles of SE, the process has been based on virtual models of the product and on virtual simulations of its operation, rather than on the realization of time-consuming and expensive physical models and tests, even if a final physical prototype has also been built and some physical operative tests have also been carried out on it. These tests have showed that the new product appears to fulfill each one of its FRs and overcome the limits imposed by the previous version. The future commissioning and operative tests in the real operating condition and location shall definitely validate the new product.

The Design, Education and Evolution of a Robotic Baby

Inspired by Alan Turing's idea of a child machine, in this article, we introduce the formal definition of a robotic baby, an integrated system with minimal world knowledge at birth, capable of learning incrementally and interactively, and adapting to the world. Within the definition, fundamental capabilities and system characteristics of the robotic baby are identified and presented as the system-level requirements. As a minimal viable prototype, the <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Baby</i> architecture is proposed with a systems engineering design approach to satisfy the system-level requirements, which has been verified and validated with simulations and experiments on a robotic system. We demonstrate the capabilities of the robotic baby in natural language acquisition and semantic parsing in English and Chinese, as well as in natural language grounding, natural language reinforcement learning, natural language programming, and system introspection for explainability. The education and evolution of the robotic baby are illustrated with real-world robotic demonstrations. Inspired by the genetic inheritance in human beings, knowledge inheritance in robotic babies and its benefits regarding evolution are discussed.

A computational iterative design method for bend-twist deformation in composite ship propeller blades for thrusters

Abstract This study investigates the feasibility of utilising common composite material layup techniques in ship propeller blade design to achieve an automatic pitch adjustment through bending-induced twist deformation. A comprehensive design approach, including various reinforcement materials and arrangements, was employed to attain the desired foil pitching, while minimising other undesirable deformation modes. The design process involved iterative computational analysis using finite element analysis and a deformation mode analysis based on foil shape parameters. The research showed that the proposed design approach effectively found options to improve the desired foil parameter pitch, while minimising undesirable deformation modes such as blade deflection and foil shape change. Furthermore, the proposed blade design was tested in thruster steering operational conditions and was found to have a pitch change well matched, potentially countering some changes in fluid flow. When compared to Kumar and Wurm’s design, which only focused on the angular orientation of glass reinforcement, the proposed design was found to outperform the twisting by achieving the same twist for a blade half the length. This study provides valuable insights into the utilisation of composite materials in ship propeller design and highlights the potential for further improvement through a composite engineering design approach.

A comparison of three stem approaches to the teaching and learning of science topics: Students’ knowledge and scientific creativity

The main objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three STEM approaches in implementing STEM activities in lower secondary school students based on knowledge and scientific creativity. A pre-posttest experimental design was adapted. Six classes with almost similar learning conditions were randomly selected and each class was assigned as a group, in which two groups followed the Stand–alone engineering design approach, two adopted the 5E-EDP approach, and two classes used the Jigsaw learning approach. The data were collected from the tests before and after the experiments and were statistically analyzed. The findings revealed that these three approaches enhanced the students’ gains in both knowledge and scientific creativity. Despite the overall progress, there existed a statistical difference among these models in their effects on the students’ knowledge and scientific creativity. While 5E-EDP and Jigsaw learning approach were proven to make substantial progress in these factors, the Stand-alone engineering design scored less significance. The study also showed that there was a statistical difference between the Stand-alone engineering design approach and Jigsaw learning approach. The respective second approach formed a foundation for better performance of the students’ knowledge and scientific creativity compared to the first one. Each approachhas its own value in enhancing students’ knowledge and scientific creativity. The result of this study could be a hint for STEM educators to apply appropriate methods in similar contexts to boost achievements.