Faculty Of Mechanical Engineering Research Articles

CREATION, MANAGEMENT, AND USE OF A DATABASE FOR THE MAINTENANCE PROCESS OF PRODUCTION EQUIPMENT IN AN INDUSTRIAL COMPANY

The paper presents the creation of a database of motion norms to support the maintenance management system in an industrial production company, implemented by a team from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, VSB - Technical University of Ostrava. This database is intended for filling and optimal use of maintenance modules of ERP systems and for use in the processes of preparation of maintenance and service orders. The article focuses on the methodology of creation, characteristics, use and availability of this database and its application in industrial practice.

Freshmen: Incentive to Participate in Research Activities in Laboratories at The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of UFPA

Objective: This work aims to analyze the impacts of the participation of freshmen of the Mechanical Engineering course of the Federal University of Pará in research projects and in the preparation of scientific articles. This approach seeks to encourage the insertion of these students in laboratory activities, promoting their academic and scientific development since the beginning of the course. Theoretical Framework: Entry to university brings many challenges. Therefore, the practice of activities that inhibit academic evasion are beneficial for the scientific environment and labor market, by acting in the development of new professionals. Method: Freshmen of the Mechanical Engineering course were invited to experimental activities in order to encourage them to research and inclusion in academia, acting in the production of scientific articles for the Brazilian Symposium for the Progress of Science (SBPC)for its 75th Annual Meeting of 2023. Results and Discussion: Initially 22 students participated in the project, however only 5 remained until the end, resulting in 5 work submissions. In addition, it was verified the insertion of a portion of the students who gave up the project in other laboratories of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Research Implications: Affirmative actions that promote student integration are beneficial, providing opportunities for teamwork, knowledge sharing and appreciation of inclusion in the academic environment. Originality/Value: This type of incentive has a significant impact on the academic and professional life of the students involved, favoring curricular complementation for those who wish to follow postgraduate courses, or in the engineering job market.

Enhancing Furniture Manufacturing with 3D Scanning

Product design and manufacturing leverage 3D scanning for various applications. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of 3D scanning in furniture production by surveying the literature and showcasing four real-world case studies. The literature review reveals that 3D data acquired from real-world objects have applications in research, rapid prototyping, restoration, and preservation of antique furniture, optimizing CNC machining processes, and measuring furniture components for quality control. The case study descriptions demonstrated the circumstances, rationale, and methodology for 3D scanning. All the case studies analyzed stem from the collaboration between the Laboratory for Product Development and Design at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sarajevo and various furniture production enterprises from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The conclusions highlight that 3D scanning in the furniture sector is advantageous for developing computer-aided design models from early-stage design prototypes, validating the dimensional accuracy of manufactured components by comparing with CAD models, safeguarding and reconstructing vintage furniture, and remanufacturing formerly produced goods that lack complete technical records (reverse engineering).

Preface

EUROTHERM 20249th European Thermal Sciences ConferenceBled, Slovenia, June 10 - 13, 2024This Conference Volume contains the papers presented at the Ninth European Thermal Sciences Conference (EUROTHERM 2024) held at Bled, Slovenia, from June 10 - 13, 2024, and accepted for proceedings published in the IOP Journal of Physics: Conference Series.The conference was chaired by Prof Božidar Šarler, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Slovenia, and co-chaired by Prof Laura Vanoli, Department of Engineering, Parthenope University of Naples, Italy.List of Editors, Scientific Advisory Board and Organising Committee are available in this Pdf.

Peer Review Statement

All papers published in this volume have been reviewed through processes administered by the Editors. Reviews were conducted by expert referees to the professional and scientific standards expected of a proceedings journal published by IOP Publishing. • Type of peer review: Single Anonymous • Conference submission management system: Morressier • Number of submissions received: 251 • Number of submissions sent for review: 253 • Number of submissions accepted: 243 • Acceptance Rate (Submissions Accepted / Submissions Received × 100): 96.8 • Average number of reviews per paper: 1.01 • Total number of reviewers involved: 55 • Contact person for queries: Name: Božidar Šarler Email: bozidar.sarler@fs.uni-lj.si Affiliation: University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia

Utilization of Immersive Virtual Reality as an Interactive Method of Assignment Presentation

Virtual reality is a technology with many possible uses and ways to improve various processes, including the presentation of results. This paper deals with the utilization of virtual reality as a tool for assignment presentation. During the classes of manufacturing and assembly systems design, the conventional form of presentation was replaced with immersive virtual reality, where the students would present their work while wearing the virtual reality headset and walking around the 3D model of their design. The main goal was to test whether this approach had a positive impact on the students’ motivation and engagement in the presentation creation and presenting itself. To test this approach, a small case study took place at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Žilina. In conclusion, the overall responses to this experiment were positive; the majority of the students felt more comfortable while presenting and more motivated to put more effort into their preparation. Wearing a virtual reality headset caused the students not to have to directly face the audience, giving them more confidence while presenting. Additionally, the novelty of the virtual reality technology made the students more engaged in showing their work. There is a plan to integrate the virtual reality presentation as the stable part of this assignment.

Fatigue crack growth simulation by extended finite element method: A review of case studies

AbstractNumerical simulation of fatigue crack growth (FCG) is presented, based on the application of the extended finite element method (XFEM). Couple of case studies are presented, as a review of recent experience of the Belgrade school of XFEM simulations, established at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Case studies comprised Charpy specimen with initial crack at the notch tip, oil rig pipe with an axial surface crack, pressure vessels with a crack at the welded joint with connecting pipe, turbine shaft with a crack at the transition radius, optimization of a wing spar in respect to FCG, the effect of mesh size on fatigue life estimation of a stringer panel, fatigue life estimation of wing‐to‐fuselage connecting lug, geometry effect on fatigue life of orthopedic plates and fatigue life of hip implant. Based on these case studies, XFEM is discussed in respect to its accuracy and efficiency. It is concluded that XFEM is a versatile tool for simulation of FCG, providing an excellent option for precise and reliable fatigue life of a cracked component.

DETERMINATION OF DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF 3D PRINTED G3SI1 STEEL

Taylor anvil test is one of the dynamic test method used to determine the dependences of strain rate, strain and temperature on flow stress. This method can be used to determine the stress and strain at any point in the specimen at different temperatures and strain rates. The paper deals with the description of the Taylor anvil test experiment for G3Si1 welding wire. The experiment was carried out in the laboratory of high strain rates at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Brno University of Technology. ANSYS Explicit dynamics software was used to simulate the material behaviour during the test. The Johnson-Cook constitutive relation was used to describe the material behaviour. The simulation results were compared with the experiment.

Knowledge base for fatigue life evaluation of bodyworks of buses, trolley-buses, and battery-buses

Over the last thirty years, Research and Testing Institute Pilsen (former SKODA RESEARCH) has been developing a complex methodology of computational and experimental investigation of strength and fatigue life of bodyworks of road vehicles for mass passenger transport (buses, trolleybuses, currently battery electro-buses). The methodology continues to be developed in cooperation with the Regional Technological Institute, which is a research center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. Research and development are carried out in cooperation with various domestic and foreign manufacturers of city road vehicles. The amount of collected results already allows the creation of a knowledge base for the quantitative evaluation of the fatigue strength of newly developed bodyworks.

ADVANCED AUTOMATIC SYSTEM FOR REMOTE CONTROL IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

The purpose of this work is to design and implement a cascade control system of the level with the flow rate, with remote supervision, in an industrial type installation, located in the Laboratory of Measurement Techniques, Department of Automation, Computers and Electronics, within the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering. The operating parameters of the installation are as follows: suction pressure: 0 – 2 bar; discharge pressure: 0 -10 bar; water flow: 0-30 m3/h; transported liquid: water. The automation system is structured on three hierarchical levels: level 1: the instrumentation mounted on the installation (transducers, signaling devices, etc.); level 2: includes the TGA System; level 3: constitutes the upper hierarchical level and includes the HMI (Human Machine Interface). The TGA system is a computerized system that ensures the monitoring, command and control functions of all the stand's component elements. It contains a programmable logic controller PLC 1214 – Siemens, which communicates via an Ethernet IP network with an operator interface and with the network of the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, which allows remote control of the installation. It also includes the protection system in case of failure, which involves stopping the rotating equipment, isolating the pipes by closing the control valve and alarming the operators. The HMI (Human Machine Interface) interface presents 3 options on the start page, from where the operator can select which application he wants to test: flow control loop application; level adjustment loop application; cascade adjustment loop application. The HMI equipment integrates SCADA functions, database update, evolution curves of analog quantities, sound and monitor alarm system, keyboard command, periodic records, event records, alarm records and technological schemes at the human-machine interface. The entire software is made in an open architecture, recommended by ISO norms. The PLC communicates in the network by adopting the protocol TCP/IP. An executable program used for the real-time application program was developed.

Linguistic Contribution of Games to Terminology Acquisition

Undoubtedly, teaching and learning are two elements of the educational process that require continuous updates to keep alive and encourage students' attention, interest, involvement, and independence. To learn a language, communication is the main means of achieving the goal. In a class there is a wide variety of student typologies, therefore, the task arises to select methodologies and techniques that ensure satisfactory activation of students and achievement of the main objectives of the teaching and learning process.
 Coming up with techniques or activities that ensure inclusiveness is a challenge, but games ca be classified as a common denominator for a large part of students, bearing in mind that the most effective approach, especially in foreign language learning, is the communicative approach.
 In the study undertaken at the Polytechnic University of Tirana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, it was concluded that the games used throughout the semester had a fruitful result in the acquisition of terminology by students. The study is quantitative and qualitative. For data collection, a test and a questionnaire were used. In addition to the effectiveness in achieving the objectives of the learning process, overall students had a very positive approach towards games because according to them they experienced pleasure interacting with each other in a harmonious context, and on the other hand they learned about and from their colleagues whenever activities (games) were implemented in the classroom, they were motivated to express themselves a lot. However, it was noticed that games should not surpass a certain limit. While implementing “Role Play”, students’ interest throughout the semester vanished, which means that the implementation of certain games in the classroom should be balanced. In the main, games’ contribution to terminology learning was not only on the educational, and linguistic aspects but also on the social aspects of students.

Analysis of the factors affecting student dropout at the University of Miskolc

Our research is linked to the strategy for higher education in Hungary, which sets out a clear expectation to reduce the number of university dropouts. The first step towards achieving these goals is to explore and describe the phenomena and the context of university dropouts. According to a number of studies, the first year is crucial for the success of students in obtaining a degree. Significant failure to earn the number of credits set out in the recommended curricula implies a serious risk of dropout. Our research sought to find out how previous studies, in particular secondary school attainment, the student's residence, and its level of infrastructure development as well as the student's sex influence the number of credits earned in the first two semesters. Our analysis was carried out using data from students studying at the Faculty of Economics and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Informatics at the University of Miskolc, broken down by fields of study.

Preface

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE The 8th International Conference of Computational Methods in Engineering Science (CMES’2023), held on November 23rd-25th, 2023 in Puławy, Poland, is organized by the Polish Society for the Promotion of Knowledge, the Lublin University of Technology (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Faculty of Management, and Faculty of Environmental Engineering), and the Polish Air Force University (Faculty of Aviation).The conference is an excellent opportunity to present and learn how computational methods can be applied in scientific disciplines like mechanical, materials, and civil engineering, management, environmental engineering, mining and energy, computer engineering, and innovative products launched by companies. The interdisciplinary nature of the conference facilitates knowledge sharing among Polish and foreign research centers that represent different engineering and technical sciences disciplines. This edition creates opportunities for plenary sessions and presentations of companies that solve engineering problems with modern computational methods and tools. TOPICS • Analysis of engineering processes• Application of computer programs in technology• Artificial and computational intelligence• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)• Computer simulations of processes and phenomena• Finite Element Method (FEM)• Material properties and structure research methods• Production engineering and quality control• Technology management in energy acquisition processesList of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

The measurement of the influence of the adhesion loss on the dynamic load of the drive reaction rod on the roller rig

The dynamic behaviour and dynamic phenomena in traction drives of railway vehicle has been studied for decades. Generally, in these days the motivation for this research is to look for answers related with service problems, which has been risen, e.g. an overloading of mechanical components as wheelsets or an intention to improve control systems of traction drives of railway vehicles. This problematic has also motivated the research at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague. Nowadays it is also usual, that the main research tool has been a simulation based on a mathematical model of a railway vehicle or its specific components, as testing on real vehicles is very demanding regarding costs. However, there is an alternative – a roller rig. At the CTU in Prague there has been modernized the second roller rig for purposes of measurement regarding the torsion dynamics research, to support PhD students for their theses and possibly to extend the education for students oriented on the railway vehicle’s design. This contribution brings results of measurements just from the problematics of torsion oscillations and dynamics. Specifically, further presented measurements are on the loss of the adhesion in the contact of the wheelset and rollers, as the substitution for the railway, its impact on the reaction rod overloading and study of the axle load influence on the transition phenomena.

Laser-based Metal Additive Manufacturing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

Laser-based Metal Additive Manufacturing at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana

Preface

The International Conference on Applications and Design in Mechanical Engineering 2023 (ICADME 2023) was held on 4th and 5th September 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ICADME 2023 was organized by the Mechanical Engineering Programme, under the purview of Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Perlis.The ICADME 2023 aims to provide a platform for participants from diverse field of Mechanical Engineering backgrounds to exchange ideas and findings to promote cooperation, networking as well as knowledge sharing in both engineering practice and research in higher education. The conference includes the fields of i) Material Science & Engineering, ii) Design & Manufacturing, iii) Energy & Thermofluids, iv) Robotics, Automation & Control System as well as v) Biomechanics. The conference received 37 papers from Malaysia and other countries over the world. After a rigorous peer-review process, 28 papers were accepted. The accepted papers that focused on theory, applications, design and experimental studies relevant to mechanical engineering fields were invited to present in this conference.We want to express our gratitude to all reviewers, both local and international, for their time and effort in reviewing the papers. Their feedbacks to the authors have been excellent and useful to ensure the high quality of papers for the conference. Our sincere thanks also go to all sponsors for their generosity. Last but not least, we would like to thank the organizing committee members for their hard work, cooperation and insights in ensuring the success of this conference.List of Editors are available in the pdf.

Mental health status and coping strategies during COVID-19 pandemic among university students in Central Serbia

BackgroundThe objective of this research was to evaluate the occurrence of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as the level of life contentment and coping mechanisms employed by college students amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsA total of 588 students of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Higher School of Medicine, Kraljevo, University of Kragujevac, Central Serbia, participated in an online cross-sectional survey in the period September–October 2022. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) was used to measure the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The Coping Questionnaire—a shorter version (Brief Cope Inventories) assesses the coping strategies a person uses in stressful situations, and the 5-item Life Satisfaction Scale is used to examine the level of life satisfaction.ResultsThe symptoms of depression were reported by 34.9%, of anxiety by 47.1% and of stress by 44.2%. The type of faculty (p = 0.001), and place of residence (p = 0.036) correlated with depression, gender with anxiety (p = 0.001) and stress (p = 0.015). In terms of coping mechanisms, the most frequently mentioned strategies, based on average scores, were acceptance (5.76), positive interpretation (5.55), humor (5.46).ConclusionThe adverse impact of COVID-19 was a risk factor for depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. A negative correlation exists between the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, and the overall life satisfaction of university students. Offering the necessary assistance through psychological interventions and effective coping techniques is crucial in ensuring the optimal mental health of university students.

Teaching Engineering Graphics through Digital Presentations for Engineering Students

Abstract: All new students at the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, take an Engineering Graphics course in the first semester. The subject is divided into two sections: Technical Drawing and Descriptive Geometry. To teach lectures, professors use didactic equipment such as LCD projectors and drawing on the table. Assistants demonstrate exercises by drawing mechanical parts in the table. In 2014, teachers began using digital presentations with animations in their lectures. They contain developed presentations using PowerPoint software with stepby- step animations of mechanical parts. The paper examines the effectiveness of this methodology from both the student and teacher perspectives. The study is based on a survey of students, teachers’ experiences, and a comparison of exam results. The analysis discusses the methodology's effectiveness, presentation quality, knowledge gained, ease of learning, impact on exam pass rate, and other benefits.The following are some key findings from this paper: students accept and favor this teaching methodology; it is more effective than hand drawing; it has a significant impact on exam pass rates; and it is simple to understand the lectures. Teachers like this methodology because it allows for step-by-step explanation with animations; repeating options; presentations are created only once, easy corrections, developing many examples of mechanical parts with less effort, and students can easily access them. The paper contributes to a new teaching methodology for students in their first year of Engineering studies, Bachelor level, in the subject of Engineering Graphics. Keywords: Engineering graphics, Teaching methodology, Digital presentations, Animations, Higher education, Teaching survey.

Preface

Over the last 5 years, MEIE has been held in various locations, including Hangzhou (2018 & 2019), online conferences (2020 & 2022), and hybrid event in Kunming (2021), attracted participants from 14 countries and regions including Sweden, Canada, the United States, Australia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea…The Sixth International Conference on Mechanical, Electric and Industrial Engineering (MEIE 2023) was co-organized by China Institute for Quality Research (Shanghai Jiao Tong University) and Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics, Ningbo University, which was held successfully during May 23-25, 2023 in Sanya, China. This event attracted about 70 participants from all over the world, and addressed both basic research and the societal/industrial-technological needs within mechanical, electric and industrial engineering.Conference program was divided into 3 sessions: keynote speeches, oral presentations and poster presentations. We are honored to invite 3 experts to give the impressive lectures. Following the keynote speakers, there were 20 oral presenters and 13 poster presenters. During these sessions, presenters shared their latest achievements. Audiences were actively participated as well.The accepted papers have been through rigorous peer review to meet the requirements of international publication standards. Many thanks to the authors for their valuable contributions and to the attendees for their active participation. We would like to express our gratitude to the reviewers, who provided constructive criticism and stimulating comments and suggestions to the authors. We are grateful to the organizers, technical program committee for their precious time and advice, as well as internationally renowned scientists who acted as keynote speakers at the conference.Finally, our sincere gratitude goes also to the IOP Publishing editors and managers for their helpful cooperation during the preparation of the conference proceedings.On behalf of the Organizing Committee of MEIE 2023.List of Technical Program Committee are available in this pdf.

Retrofit of a standard split-type air conditioner into an air-to-water heat pump

In the context of the rising prices of energy and especially of natural gas, the interest in heat pumps has grown steadily over the last period, as they are a very convenient alternative to low and medium power thermal plants. Although the price of heat pumps has dropped a lot recently, these systems are still very expensive compared to the wall-mounted natural gas fuelled power plants found in the vast majority of residential buildings in Romania. In this context, the authors proposed the conversion of an inverter type air conditioner into an air-water heat pump with minimal costs, maintaining and even improving the global performance of the system. The newly made heat pump was tested at variable regimes in the Cogeneration Trigeneration Laboratory of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of Iasi. The external unit was inserted into a climatic chamber capable of simulating variable climatic conditions for any region in Europe. Later, the same heat pump was tested in real operating conditions, being inserted in the heating circuit of a medium-sized house in the Iasi area. Its operation was then monitored during an entire winter season, being instrumented to measure the energetic balance and determine the coefficient of performance (COP) continuously throughout the season, in accordance with the weather conditions and also to measure the seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP).