Heavy Engineering Industry Research Articles

An Analysis of Critical Processes and Employee Challenges at Velmurugan Heavy Engineering Industries (VHEI) Private Limited, Thanjavur

This study investigates the critical processes and challenges faced by employees at Velmurugan Heavy Engineering Pvt. Ltd., located in Sengipatti, Thanjavur. The aim is to identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations to enhance employee performance and organizational effectiveness. Employing a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative methods, data were collected extensively through surveys, interviews, and observations from a representative sample across departments and hierarchical levels. The findings highlight critical areas such as project management, quality control, communication channels, and performance evaluation. While the organization demonstrates competence in these areas, gaps exist, particularly in streamlined communication and efficient project management. The study also uncovers challenges including unclear role expectations, limited professional development opportunities, inadequate work-life balance, and insufficient recognition and rewards. Recommendations are offered to strengthen communication channels, enhance project management practices, implement employee development programs, promote work-life balance initiatives, and establish a robust recognition and rewards system. Addressing these challenges and implementing recommended strategies has led to improved employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall organizational performance. This study provides valuable insights for Velmurugan Heavy Engineering Pvt. Ltd. to cultivate a positive work environment and foster a highly engaged workforce, contributing to sustainable growth and success

Participation of Construction Professionals in the Environmental Impact Assessment of Heavy Engineering Projects

Synergy and collaboration among various experts and stakeholders, including construction professionals, play a crucial role in reducing the negative environmental impacts of heavy engineering projects. While the heavy engineering industry significantly contributes to national economies, it also poses a threat to the environment through air, land, and water pollution. Therefore, the influence of multidisciplinary experts should be prioritized. However, there are significant challenges to be addressed in this regard, particularly concerning construction professionals. Hence, this paper extensively discusses the stakeholders involved in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of heavy engineering projects and their participation. A well-structured questionnaire was distributed to construction professionals in the study area, including architects, builders, engineers, estate surveyors, quantity surveyors, and urban and regional planners. Convenience sampling techniques were used to select these professionals. Additionally, six heavy engineering projects were purposively selected as case studies. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to analyze the retrieved data. The study concluded that architects, urban and regional planners, engineers, and quantity surveyors are the construction professionals most commonly involved in the EIA of heavy engineering projects. However, their level of involvement was found to be low. This study is crucial at a time when construction professionals are expanding their horizons beyond building projects alone to align with global trends. It is essential for construction professionals, government agencies, professional bodies, and private organizations to prioritize the outcomes of this study by promoting increased participation and improving awareness and knowledge among construction stakeholders regarding their roles and required skills for effective participation. This could lead to job creation, diversification, and improved environmental impacts of heavy engineering projects, particularly in developing countries. Given the global experience of climate change, multidisciplinary involvement and synergy between different experts and stakeholders in heavy engineering projects are vital for mitigating negative environmental impacts on air, land, and water. Addressing this issue will not only enhance the inclusivity of construction professionals in the journey to achieving Net-zero emissions but also ensure the effectiveness of heavy engineering projects, especially in the global south. While the findings of this research are valuable, there are limitations due to the lack of access to qualitative information from some intended interview respondents. Despite these limitations, the study identifies a knowledge gap that can be explored in developing countries, particularly in Africa, to improve the participation of construction experts in the EIA of heavy engineering projects. The study adopts an empirical approach to map out research focus on environmental sustainability for construction professionals in the heavy engineering industry - an aspect of sustainable development that has not received considerable attention in recent studies on sustainability.

Advancing Manganese Content Prediction in Submerged Arc Welded Metal: Development of a Multi-Zone Model via the Calphad Technique

Manganese is a vital element in determining the mechanical properties of submerged arc welded metal. To ensure a reliable weld, the equilibrium model has been used for decades to predict and control the manganese content, particularly when MnO-bearing fluxes are applied. However, the equilibrium model only considers chemical interactions within the weld pool zone, leading to significant inaccuracies. To address this limitation, we propose a multi-zone model that accounts for all of the essential reaction zones in the submerged arc process via the Calphad technique. The model’s accuracy is verified by predicting the manganese content, the flux oxygen potential, and the neutral point location for the typical MnO-bearing fluxes covering acidic, neutral, and basic fluxes. The results indicate that the multi-zone model offers superior accuracy compared to the equilibrium model, which neglects significant oxygen improvement and alloy evaporation in the droplet zone. Further analysis of thermodynamic data reveals that the multi-zone model provides a more representative depiction of the variation trends in oxygen and manganese contents during the submerged arc welding process compared to the equilibrium model. Furthermore, this model can be utilized in the optimization of the submerged arc welding process, leading to improved quality and efficiency in heavy engineering industries. This study may provide an improved method for predicting the manganese content in welded C-Mn steel and deepen the understanding of manganese transfer mechanisms during the submerged arc welding process.

Improved RUL Predictions of Aero- Engines by Hyper-Parameter Optimization of LSTM Neural Network Models.

Abstract: In the industry domains such as transportation, power generation and heavy engineering industries utilize complex machinery, as their working principles are very complex and it is very difficult to predict their exact life and operational availability due to difficulties involved in their operations. PHM- Prognostics and health management is one such domain which supports in the management of this machinery also known as assets for continuous monitoring for their best utilization and maximum efficiency. For any machine, the current health of the system can be determined by operational and raw sensor data. This data can also be utilized for the prediction of remaining useful life (RUL) of the system provided a reliable prediction model is available. It is always be challenging to determine the remaining useful life of complex machines such as turbofan jet engines from the knowledge of the data available from operating conditions and sensor data. An HPT LSTM- advanced hyper parameter tuned LSTM- Long Short Term Memory neural network model is developed to accurately determine the remaining useful life of the turbojet fan engines. To test this predictive model, a NASA developed database CMAPSS- Commercial Modular Aero Propulsion System Simulation is used. The performance of this HPT LSTM is found to be much improved as compared to reference machine learning algorithms such as simple linear regression and Lagged Multi- Layer Perceptron Models

A comprehensive review on recent developments in materials and technological parameters for plasma transferred arc hardfacing process

Critical equipments of process and heavy engineering industries are prone to significant wear due to intense service conditions. Uneven and uncontrolled wear causes significant changes in dimensional and geometrical accuracies of the part surfaces, which adversely affect the parts’ functionality and service life of these parts. Shorter service life of these equipments and subsequent replacement of the same is one of the serious economic concerns. Hardfacing or hardsurfacing is comparatively an advanced metal deposition technology to deposit a hard and complex metal substrate layer on simple and softer base material surface. This process is gaining popularity at commercial level due to its unique capabilities to develop superior wear, corrosion, and impact resistance properties on worn out parts and offer huge economic advantage as substitute to costly replacement. The primarily aim of this study is to present a comprehensive review of the work done on the probable candidates for deposition materials, and summarize the influence of various process parameters on hard-faced surface characteristics. The critical issues like dilution, debonding, and residual stresses have been discussed for multi-layered hardfacing for iron-, nickel-, and cobalt-based hardfacing materials. The secondary aim of this study is to address practical issues such as selection of proper combination of base-substrate material, to understand the response characteristics of ‘plasma transferred arc hardfacing (PTAHF)’ process to minimize the de-bonding, dilution, and residual stresses and finally to improve quality of hardfacing practice.

Current Practices and Concepts in Marine Occupational Health and Heavy Engineering Industry in China - A Review

China is a fast-expanding nation, and the last 30 years have seen enormous social and economic transformations. The effect of these changes was severe, which has been reviewed in this article. The article explains that these changes have led to a meteoric increase in occupational disease cases. For example, the health of those who work on ships is vulnerable to various risks. Security in the workplace should be provided to all workers as a fundamental decency. Poor working conditions, particularly in developing countries, remain, notwithstanding the widespread adoption of fundamental safety procedures. The quality of occupational hygiene and safety at a given workplace significantly affects the health of its employees. Many employees now face traditional and emerging dangers on the job due to recent developments in industrialisation, technology and globalisation. For instance, the manufacturing industry exposes workers to various health hazards. This article also explains that people from many walks of life are affected by issues related to occupational health. Safety on the job is still in a very precarious position in China. The writer has further explained China’s maritime and heavy engineering industries in this article, examining their function, current trends and potential future obstacles. Occupational safety plans in China, which now rely heavily on technological solutions, must expand to include business and government-level stakeholders in preparing for and raising awareness of issues related to workers' health on the job in the future. Keywords: Heavy engineering industry; occupational health challenges; marine; China

Lean manufacturing in fabrication industry: literature review and framework proposal

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report a review of various perspectives of lean in heavy engineering and fabrication industries and to propose a framework.Design/methodology/approachLean manufacturing (LM) earlier known as Toyota Production System (TPS) was mainly used by automobile industries where the operations occur in sequence and the adoption of LM was easier. When it comes to heavy engineering industries, the concept of lean can be adopted in a versatile operating environment to have more advantages by waste elimination thereby having higher profit. Thus, an effort is made to consolidate various lean perspectives, namely, barriers, principles, tools and performance measures and a framework was proposed on how various lean perspectives can be adopted in a systematic way.FindingsA comprehensive analysis of lean from various perspectives from viewpoint of the fabrication industry are done and the review is presented. Also, the framework linking barriers, principles, tools and performance measures is being contributed as an outcome of the review.Originality/valueThe review of lean from various perspectives for the fabrication industry and the development of a framework is the original contribution of the authors.

Role, Trends, and Challenges of Occupational Health in China’s Marine and Heavy Engineering Industry

The past 30 years have witnessed dramatic social and economic shifts in China, a rapidly developing country. However, these shifts have resulted in an explosion of work-related illnesses. For instance, workers on ships face a wide range of potential dangers to their health. As a basic human right, a secure workplace is expected of all employees. However, despite the widespread adoption of basic safety precautions, poor working conditions persist, especially in underdeveloped nations. Workers’ health is largely determined by the level of occupational health and safety provided in each workplace. The rapid industrialization, technological innovation, and globalization over the past few years have created complex work environments that expose workers to classic and novel occupational hazards. For instance, manufacturing involves a broad spectrum of chemical, physical, and psychological risks. Problems with occupational health also affect people on all levels of society. The state, management, company, and worker each have duties to provide a safe workplace through medical, engineering, and legislative measures. In China, the general condition of occupational health remains critical. This paper will further discuss the role, trends and challenges within China’s marine and heavy engineering industry. In the future, the technology-dominated strategies to occupational safety in China should start involving people at the company and administrative levels in occupational health planning and in promoting occupational health education and awareness. Keywords: heavy engineering industry; occupational health challenges; marine; China

Automatic Digitization of Engineering Diagrams using Intelligent Algorithms

At present usage of computational intelligence became the ultimate need of the heavy engineering industries. Digitization can be achieved in these sectors by scanning the hard copy images. When older documents are digitized are not of very high fidelity and therefore the accuracy, reliability of the estimates of components such as equipment and materials after digitization are remarkably low since (Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams) P&IDs come in various shapes and sizes, with varying levels of quality along with myriad smaller challenges such as low resolution of images, high intra project diagram variation along with no standardization in the engineering sector for diagram representation to name a few, digitizing P&IDs remains a challenging problem. In this study an end to end pipeline is proposed for automatically digitizing engineering diagrams which would involve automatic recognition, classification and extraction of diagram components from images and scans of engineering drawings such as P&IDs and automatically generating digitized drawings automatically from this obtained data. This would be done using image processing algorithms such as template matching, canny edge detection and the sliding window method. Then the lines would be obtained from the P&ID using canny edge detection and sliding window approach, the text would be recognized using an aspect ratio calculation. Finally, all the extracted components of the P&ID are associated with the closest texts present and the components mapped to each other. By the way of using such pipelines as proposed the diagrams are consistently of high quality, other smaller problems such as mis-spelling and valuable time churn are solved or minimized to large extent and paving the way for application of big data technologies such as machine learning analytics on these diagrams resulting in further efficiencies in operational processes.

A case study on value stream mapping in a heavy engineering industry

A case study on value stream mapping in a heavy engineering industry

A Case Study on Value Stream Mapping in a Heavy Engineering Industry

Value stream mapping (VSM) is one of the primary tools of lean manufacturing facilitating workplace organisation, improved quality, process optimisation and so on. The purpose of this article is to...

The study of the strength of materials printed using additive technology and comparing their properties with the data obtained using the CAE-system

The paper presents the results of an experimental study of bending tests of the samples printed by means of additive technology according to various schemes for filling cells and constructing a frame of plates, as well as their positioning on the printer table. It has been found that to increase the strength of the printed material during bending, it is advisable to create mesh layers with large strength properties in the layers of the parts that are opposite to the applied force, since it is the lower layer that undergoes stretchig, while the upper layer is compressed. This conclusion opens up the possibility of creating 3D-printed samples with variable strength properties in certain directions. Test samples were created with the formation of the borders consisting of 1, 2, 3 and 4 threads. The analysis of the experimental data makes it possible to note that the samples having 3 and 4 threads are similar in their strength characteristics. That suggests that for optimal industrial use it is enough to create structures with 2, 3 threads of the boundary shell. The scientific substantiation of the reason for the difference in the strength parameters of the printed material depending on its internal structure and positioning on the printer table was further developed. Based on the results of this work, we can conclude that modelling the strength properties of objects created by 3D-printing is possible, provided that the enterprise creates a library of the correction factors obtained based on the analysis of statistical information. In Ukraine, additive technologies are not yet the subject of the first choice. Therefore, the development at the Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology of the Priazovsky State Technical University and the manufacture on a 3D-printer of the «Lubricating» Gear part of a cylindrical gearbox is a pioneering solution in the heavy engineering industry. The obtained Implementation Act is the result of the first stage of promising work, for the continuation of which both production stands and engineering training, which includes the widespread use of CAE-systems, are necessary. It should be noted that even high-level, generally accessible CAE-systems do not yet have separate applications for working with the parts created using additive technology, which creates the need to create user-developed macros for this purpose

Methodology of Technical Re-Equipment and Modernization of Furnace Structures and Operating Modes

Presently, the furnace stock of the ferrous metallurgy and heavy engineering industry comprises approximately 55%–60% of units with service life over 30–50 years. Considering that constructing new furnaces requires significant financial investments and reduces production over a long period, the technical re-equipment and modernization of units in accordance with modern requirements have become widely adopted. This paper presents an appropriate methodology for the technical re-equipment and modernization, one that enables reducing time and achieving the optimal result with the lowest cost.

Transforming Indian Engineering Industries through Industry 4.0: An Integrative Conceptual Analysis

The recent innovations in both industrialisation and informatisation technologies have culminated into a new generation of manufacturing paradigm. This manufacturing innovation promises mass customization due to flexibility in manufacturing, improved product quality and safety, new productivity levels, creation of smart products and services. Industry 4.0 is gradually making its presence felt in Indian Industries. Indian Engineering Industries being the largest segment in the Industry, holds immense potential if it embraces Industry 4.0. This research conceptually examines the effect of Industry 4.0 on Indian Engineering Industries on both the heavy and light engineering industries. ABCD framework is used to investigate the effect of Industry 4.0 in these Industries. The study finds that Indian engineering industry can be transformed to produce smart products and services, by the application of Industry 4.0. This is the first study to evaluate the effect of Industry 4.0 on Indian Engineering Industries. It also contributes to the theoretical need for evaluating the effects of Industry 4.0 in the developing world.

Study on effectiveness of interventional measures in BBS using personality traits

Behavioural-based safety (BBS) is a powerful tool that industries are integrating into their health and safety management system to reduce workplace accidents. This study examines the relationship between big five personality traits (openness, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism) and interventional measures (training, rewards, penalty, supervisors feedback, and co-workers observation and feedback) by conducting a survey using two questionnaires among 200 employees belonging to heavy engineering industries in Kerala, a state in the southern part of India. The reliability and unidimensionality of all the scales were found acceptable. Results after regression analysis show supervisor feedback as the most effective intervention for behaviour change in individuals showing both high agreeableness and conscientiousness. Training is beneficial for individuals with openness and rewards are effective for those with extraversion. These findings provide valuable guidance for researchers and practitioners for identifying the mechanisms to design an effective interventional strategy for an organization’s BBS program based on worker’s personality traits.

Transforming Indian Engineering Industries through Industry 4.0: An Integrative Conceptual Analysis

The recent innovations in both industrialization and informatisation technologies have culminated into a new generation of manufacturing paradigm. This manufacturing innovation promises mass customization due to flexibility in manufacturing, improved product quality and safety, new productivity levels, creation of smart products and services. Industry 4.0 is gradually making its presence felt in Indian Industries. Indian Engineering Industries being the largest segment in the Industry, holds immense potential if it embraces Industry 4.0. This research conceptually examines the effect of Industry 4.0 on Indian Engineering Industries on both the heavy and light engineering industries. ABCD framework is used to investigate the effect of Industry 4.0 in these Industries. The study finds that Indian engineering industry can be transformed to produce smart products and services, by the application of Industry 4.0. This is the first study to evaluate the effect of Industry 4.0 on Indian Engineering Industries. It also contributes to the theoretical need for evaluating the effects of Industry 4.0 in the developing world.

Consumer Potential of the East Asian Region: Contemporary Trends and Opportunities for Russia

The article aims at assessing consumer potential of the East Asian region in the context of diversification of economic growth sources and its transition to consumption-led economic growth model. Favorable social, demographic and economic trends, as well as demand-stimulating policies, implemented by governments and monetary authorities of the most of regional economies, entail a rapid increase in the private consumption contribution to economic growth, lead to a gradual transformation of the commodity structure of consumption, and import demand, which opens up new opportunities for exporters from the third countries, including Russia. The analysis made it possible to make a number of practical conclusions. Given consumer potential and mutual trade dynamics, China and Vietnam, to a lesser extent Malaysia, are of the greatest interest to Russia, while Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines’ potential can be implemented in medium-term perspective (5-10 years). Russian mining, agricultural and heavy engineering industries (mainly, aircraft, space and power engineering) can become the key beneficiaries of the growing consumer potential in East Asia.

The technique of designing high-power CNC lathes for enterprises of the heavy engineering industry

Proposed is the method of heavy machine tools constructions’ structural-parametric synthesis based on their components processing parameters statistical study. The process of designing high-power metal cutting equipment that most completely meets the customer’s essential requirements consists in developing its technological structure in the form of a functional-structural model with the main technological parameters (accuracy class, size of working space, necessary power parameters, cutting modes) substantiation.

The technique of designing high-power CNC lathes for enterprises of the heavy engineering industry

The technique of designing high-power CNC lathes for enterprises of the heavy engineering industry

Authentic leadership and creativity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop and test a conceptual model which explains whether and how authentic leadership, through psychological meaningfulness, safety and work engagement, influences employee creativity. The authors delineate two pathways from authentic leadership to work engagement, which in turn foster creativity. The first pathway illuminates how authentic leadership generates psychological meaningfulness which enhances work engagement and creativity subsequently, while the second elucidates the indirect impact of authentic leadership on creativity via psychological safety and work engagement.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 300 employees working in heavy engineering and automobile industry in India. Regression analysis was used to analyze data with the help of SPSS 24. Serial mediation effects were tested with the help of bootstrapping procedures using SPSS process macro (Hayes, 2013).FindingsPsychological meaningfulness and work engagement were found to mediate the relationship of authentic leadership with creativity both independently and in series. Psychological safety failed to transfer the effect of authentic leadership on both work engagement and creativity.Practical implicationsOrganizations may reap the benefits of a creative and engaged workforce by selecting, nurturing and developing authentic leaders.Originality/valueThe study contributes to theory building in the area of authentic leadership by enriching the understanding of the processes carrying the effect of authentic leadership on desirable workplace outcomes. In doing so, the study also explicates the less understood nature of relationship between leadership and creativity.