Department Of Mechanical Engineering Research Articles

Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems’ Optimisation. A Review and Extended Comparison of the Most-Used Software Tools

To help stakeholders plan, research, and develop Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES), the elaboration of numerous modelling techniques and software simulation tools has been reported. The thorough analysis of these undoubtedly complex systems is strongly correlated with the efficient utilisation of the potential of renewable energy and the meticulous development of pertinent designs. In this context, various optimisation constraints/targets have also been utilised. This specific work initially carries out a thorough review of the modelling techniques and simulation software developed in an attempt to define a commonly accepted categorisation methodology for the various existing HRES simulation methods. Moreover, the widely utilised optimisation targets are analysed in detail. Finally, it identifies the sensitivity of two commercial software tools (HOMER Pro and iHOGA) by examining nine case studies based on different wind and solar potential combinations. The results obtained by the two commercial tools are compared with the ESA Microgrid Simulator, a software developed by the Soft Energy Applications and Environmental Protection Laboratory of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of West Attica. The evaluation of the results, based on the diversification of the renewable energy potential used as input, has led to an in-depth assessment of the deviances detected in the software tools selected.

Preface

2021 2nd International Conference on Mechanical Automation and Computer Engineering Youqiang Xing1,Tianhua Jiang2 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, China 2School of Information and Electrical Engineering, Ludong University, ChinaE-mail: xiws@seu.edu.cn, tianlaing@ldu.edu.cn2021 2nd International Conference on Mechanical Automation and Computer Engineering were successfully held online from 26th to 28th October 2021, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. The conference was jointly organized and sponsored by Shaanxi Juxing Exhibition Co., Ltd and Juneng Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. Called by Dr. Youqiang Xing from Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University and researcher Tianhua Jiang from the School of Information and Electrical Engineering, Ludong University, the conference invited scholars and experts in the fields of Mechanical Automation and Computer Engineering from various universities to participate in the review and guidance of this conference. The conference focuses on the latest research fields such as “Mechanical Automation” and “Computer Engineering”, and aims to provide an international cooperation and exchange platform for experts, scholars and business managers in the fields of Mechanical Automation and Computer Engineering application to share their research achievements, discuss the key challenges and research directions of the development of this field, and jointly promote the industrialization cooperation and continuous innovation of international academic achievements. This collection of Proceedings compiles oral and paper presentations submitted by the authors and scrutinized by the Special Committee.The conference was scheduled to be held on October 26-28, 2021 at Hampton by Hilton Nanchang Honggutan Hotel, Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. In view of travel restrictions and indoor activities related to COVID-19, we were forced to move the conference online. Attendees were notified one month in advance that the on-site conference was changed to an online conference, and the time and order of the conference were determined. The online conference was held on the video conferencing software Tencent Meeting. The video conference was held on the original date, but due to the large number of attendees, we extended the meeting for 3 days. Due to the wide coverage of this conference and the large number of attendees, we divided the conference into main venue and sub-venue. The opening ceremony was held in the main venue and a speech was delivered by the invited speaker. After the main venue, we divided the invited 63 authors into 2 groups. Each author spoke for about 10-15 minutes on detailed material in the slides, with the same amount of time set aside for questions and discussion. The format of questioning and discussion was that after each author’s introduction, the conference chairman and committee members asked and answered questions. At least one attendee could ask questions that will be answered by the speaker. This conference has brought together many excellent works and the latest ideas and concepts. New ideas have been provided in the fields of information technology and mechanical engineering applications. For this, we have set up three awards, which were won by six authors. Due to the large number of attendees and the instability of the video conference software, we edited and retained part of the conference speech pictures and videos after the video conference. We put some screenshots of the conference on the official website for display.List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee, Editorial Committee, Invited Speakers, Organizing Institutions are available in this pdf.

Preface

The 2021 5th International Conference on Electrical, Mechanical and Computer Engineering (ICEMCE 2021) was held during October 29-31, 2021 as a virtual conference due to the growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19), and in order to protect the well-being of our attendees, partners, and staff as our number one priority.The ICEMCE 2021 is organized by Xijing University and the focus of the conference is to establish an effective platform for institutions and industries to share ideas and to present the works of scientists, engineers, educators and students from all over the world. The organizing committee of conference is pleased to invite prospective authors to submit their original manuscripts to ICEMCE 2021. All papers, both invited and contributed, will be reviewed by two or three experts from the TC.This scientific event brings together more than 100 national and international researchers in Electrical, Mechanical and Computer Engineering. On top of the local participants coming from different national universities, international participants are also registered from different countries. During the conference, the conference model was divided into three sessions, including oral presentations, keynote speeches, and online Q&A discussion. In the first part, some scholars, whose submissions were selected as the excellent papers, were given about 5-10 minutes to perform their oral presentations one by one. Then in the second part, keynote speakers were each allocated 30-45 minutes to hold their speeches.In the second part, we invited three professors as our keynote speakers. Assoc. Prof. Lei Deng, our first keynote speaker, from School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. His research interests include thermal conversion and utilization of biomass, combustion of fossil fuels and pollutant emission control, boiler and heat exchanger design, and comprehensive utilization of low-grade heat energy. Assoc. Prof. Xiaojun Shi, from School of Mechanical Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. His research interests include thermal optimization of electromechanical systems and intelligent robot control. The finale keynote speaker, Assoc. Prof. Zhenpeng Qin, from Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas, USA. His mainly research area: Nanomaterials, Neuroscience, Point-of-Care Diagnostics. Their insightful speeches had triggered heated discussion in the third session of the conference. Every participant praised this conference for disseminating useful and insightful knowledge.The proceedings are a compilation of the accepted papers and represent an interesting outcome of the conference. Topics include but are not limited to the following areas: Electromagnetism and photonics, Smart grid, Electric energy processing, Instruments and meters and more related topics. All the papers have been through rigorous review and process to meet the requirements of international publication standard.We would like to acknowledge all of those who supported ICEMCE 2021. The help and contribution of each individual and institution was instrumental in the success of the conference. In particular, we would like to thank the organizing committee for its valuable inputs in shaping the conference program and reviewing the submitted papers.The Committee of ICEMCE 2021List of Committee member is available in this pdf.

Adopting the SWOT analysis in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Technology as a basis for preparing strategic plans to improve the educational process in accordance with the vision of national programmatic and institutional accreditation.

يتم تقديم تحليل حديث لنقاط القوة والضعف والفرص والتهديدات (SWOT) والتطور اللاحق للخطة الإستراتيجية لقسم الهندسة الميكانيكية في ا لجامعة التكنولوجية. يعتمد تحليل (SWOT) على التقييم الداخلي الذاتي وعدد من الاستبيانات التي أجريت لتحديد وجهات نظر لمختلف الفئات )ملحق 1 (. يتم تطوير الاهداف الاستراتيجية إلى استراتيجيات وأعمال لمعالجة نقاط الضعف والتهديدات من خلال الاستفادة الفعالة من نقاط القوة والفرص. ويجري حاليًا تطوير خطة تشغيلية تتضمن إجراءات محددة، وجدولًا زمنيًا للأنشطة ذات الصلة، والمسؤولين عن تنفيذها، والموارد المطلوبة، بالإضافة إلى مقاييس النجاح لتحديد مستوى الإنجاز .

Issues of long-term durability of paper – Labest Papier

Abstract. In the project “Labest Papier – Langzeitbeständigkeit von Papier” (Labest Paper – Long-term durability of paper), the suitability of paper to serve as a permanently undamaged information carrier for at least 500 years is to be assessed by the Department of Paper Manufacturing and Mechanical Process Engineering (PMV) for the Federal Office for the Safety of Nuclear Waste Disposal (BASE). The ageing mechanisms of paper are known, as are countermeasures. This leads to standards and recommendations for the use of paper for documents. DIN EN ISO 9706 (2010) is the main proponent of the direction that longevity can be ensured solely via the composition of the paper and the initial situation at the beginning of ageing. DIN 6738 (2007), on the other hand, takes as its basis the approach of assessing the physical ageing of the paper based on artificial ageing and the strength losses observed in the process. Other standards vary the approaches somewhat or mix them in part, for which the lecture presents a comparison table. The usability of a document depends on two essential factors. Firstly, the residual strength after an ageing process must be high enough for the document to be usable. Secondly, the information written on it must still be legible or at least recognisable. The limits of the possibilities for dealing with damage that has already occurred are almost only set by complete destruction. Otherwise, forensic means can restore the information in a document, at least in part, with the appropriate investment of time and money. The lecture provides examples, such as the reprocessing of shredded Stasi files. Even the loss of knowledge of writing and language need not be a final obstacle, as the decipherment of hieroglyphics proves. The costs of measures to deal with damage depend individually on the condition of the documents and on the objectives in dealing with the damage. Prevention is an effective means of avoiding damage and costs in the first place. Paper is an information carrier well known for over 2000 years and has already proven its suitability for storing long-term information. Despite the fact that an intactness in the sense of being completely untouched is never given, paper has the advantage of a long migration time and that no reading or decoding device is necessary compared to modern information storage media, such as digital media or microfilm. Which grade of paper will ultimately meet the demands, however, depends on the overall consideration of the availability of the grade, the expected damage and the possibilities and costs of handling it. There is still a need for research, especially with respect to the assessment of the effect of printing inks and auxiliaries used in paper production on the longevity as well as the classification of recycled paper. An extensive measurement program is investigating this during the current project. After the project is accomplished, BASE will be able to decide in which way the already existing types of papers including marking can be preserved for as long as necessary and how the state-of-the-art optimised system “paper ink” must be prepared to ensure long-term durability. The paper is based on two working stage reports, AP1 (Schaffrath, 2020) and AP2 (Schaffrath, 2021).

How Students, in an Air Conditioning and Heating Course, Assess the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the ABET Student Learning Outcomes

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced almost all universities in the world to switch from face-to-face to an online teaching format. In response to this sudden transition, the Mechanical Engineering department at the Al-Zaytoonah University in Jordan had to adapt to this change within two weeks in mid-March 2020. In addition, the department had to comply with the strict ABET accreditation regulations, among which is the indirect assessment of each course by the students each semester. They judge to what degree ABET-mandated student learning outcomes (SO) are actually met in any course designated to deliver the outcomes. Another ABET accreditation regulation is direct assessment, which is conducted by the instructor and relies on an instructor’s own evaluation of tasks designated for certain student learning outcomes. The aim of this study is to determine if, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students’ assessments changed significantly, in accordance with the ABET mandate, by using statistical analyses of students’ responses on an online completed survey. An independent samples t-test was used to evaluate the statistical importance of the observed differences. The SO coverage rates were quite high during the pandemic, although, generally, somewhat lower than their pre-pandemic equivalents. In this study, the Air Conditioning and Heating (ACH) course was selected to compare direct and indirect student learning outcomes before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, our findings revealed a positive effect on SO performance during the COVID-19 pandemic and due to e-learning teaching.

Preface

2021 International Conference on Information Technology and Mechanical Engineering Youqiang Xing1, Shuanghua Yang2 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University, China 2Engineering College, Southern University of Science and Technology, ChinaE-mail: xiws@seu.edu.cn, shay@sustech.edu.cn2021 International Conference on Information Technology and Mechanical Engineering were successfully held online from 29th to 30th April 2021, Hangzhou, China. The conference was jointly organized and sponsored by Shaanxi Juxing Exhibition Co., Ltd and Juneng Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. Called by Dr. Youqiang Xing from Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University and researcher Shuanghua Yang from the Engineering College, Southern University of Science and Technology, the conference invited scholars and experts in the fields of information technology and mechanical engineering from various universities to participate in the review and guidance of this conference. The conference focuses on the latest research fields such as “information technology” and “mechanical engineering”, and aims to provide an international cooperation and exchange platform for experts, scholars and business managers in the fields of information technology and mechanical engineering application to share their research achievements, discuss the key challenges and research directions of the development of this field, and jointly promote the industrialization cooperation and continuous innovation of international academic achievements. This collection of Proceedings compiles oral and paper presentations submitted by the authors and scrutinized by the Special Committee.The conference was scheduled to be held on April 29-30, 2021 at Marco Polo Holiday Hotel, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. In view of travel restrictions and indoor activities related to COVID-19, we were forced to move the conference online. Attendees were notified one month in advance that the on-site conference was changed to an online conference, and the time and order of the conference were determined. The online conference was held on the video conferencing software Tencent Meeting. The video conference was held on the original date, but due to the large number of attendees, we extended the Meeting for 2 days. Due to the wide coverage of this conference and the large number of attendees, we divided the conference into main venue and sub-venue. The opening ceremony was held in the main venue and a speech was delivered by the invited speaker. After the main venue, we divided the invited 154 authors into 3 groups. Each author spoke for about 10-15 minutes on detailed material in the slides, with the same amount of time set aside for questions and discussion. The format of questioning and discussion was that after each author’s introduction, the conference chairman and committee members asked and answered questions. At least one attendee could ask questions that will be answered by the speaker. This conference has brought together many excellent works and the latest ideas and concepts. New ideas have been provided in the fields of information technology and mechanical engineering applications. For this, we have set up three awards, which were won by six authors. Due to the large number of attendees and the instability of the video conference software, we edited and retained part of the conference speech pictures and videos after the video conference. We put some screenshots of the conference on the official website for display.Although most attendees expressed regret that we had not been able to have the informal face-to-face discussions that usually take place between conferences, the virtual conferences had been surprisingly successful.The organizing and editorial committee of the ITME2021 hopes you enjoy the reading of this volume of the JPCS. Besides, we wish to thank all authors and participants for providing their valuable contributions for this proceeding as well as the reviewers for their constructive recommendations and criticism aiding to improve the presented articles. Likewise, we are confident that this issue will serve as a reference for experts, scholars and enterprise managers in the fields of the information technology and mechanical engineering.List of Photos, Organizing Committee are available in this pdf.

Mission net-zero America: The nation-building path to a prosperous, net-zero emissions economy

Jesse D. Jenkins is an assistant professor at Princeton University in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. He is a macro-scale energy systems engineer with a focus on the rapidly evolving electricity sector and leads the Princeton ZERO Lab, which focuses on improving and applying optimization-based energy systems models to evaluate low-carbon energy technologies and generate insights to guide policy and planning decisions. Jesse earned a PhD and SM from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was previously a postdoctoral environmental fellow at Harvard University. Erin N. Mayfield is an assistant professor at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College focusing her research on sustainable-systems engineering and public policy. She develops and applies multi-objective computational models that integrate techno-economic, environmental, and social equity objectives to inform energy and industrial infrastructure transitions. Prior to her academic research career, her work with other organizations included regulatory assessments of environmental rule-makings, hazardous waste remediation in environmental justice communities, and ecosystem services valuation related to petrochemical and pesticide contamination. Erin has a PhD in engineering and public policy from Carnegie Mellon University and was previously a postdoctoral scholar at Princeton University. Eric Larson is a senior research engineer at Princeton University leading the Energy Systems Analysis Group in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. He holds courtesy appointments with the High Meadows Environmental Institute and the Center for Policy Research on Energy and the Environment in the School of Public and International Affairs. His research, intersecting engineering, environmental science, economics, and public policy, aims to identify sustainable, engineering-based solutions to major energy-related problems and to help inform public and private decision-making in the U.S. and elsewhere. Eric has a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota. Stephen Pacala is the Frederick D. Petrie professor in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University and director of the Princeton Carbon Mitigation Initiative. His research interests are in the design and testing of mathematical models to investigate interactions between greenhouse gases, climate, and the biosphere and to predict their effects on local and global ecosystems. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Steve has a PhD in biology from Stanford University. Chris Greig is the Theodora D. and William H. Walton III senior research scientist in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment at Princeton University. His research interests lie in energy transitions, economics, and policy; capital project investment decision-making and implementation; and carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Chris has a PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Queensland and is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering. His academic career was preceded by 25 years in senior project and executive roles in the resources and energy sectors.

Preface

Third Conference of Computational Methods & Ocean Technology and Second Conference of Oil and Gas Technology (COTech & OGTech 2021) November 25 - 27, 2021, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway and Russian State Gubkin University of Oil and Gas, Moscow, RussiaThis conference is organized as a joint event of the COTech (Computational Methods & Ocean Technology) and OGTech (Oil and Gas Technology) conferences. The COTech conference started as part of the research and dissemination activities of the Program Area for research "COTech - Computational methods in Offshore Technology" at Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Stavanger (UiS). This Program Area for Research was founded in 2015 with seven professors, four associate professors, two adjunct professors and five research (PhD) students from the Department of Mechanical and Structural Engineering and Materials Science (IMBM), whose expertise and competence lies primarily within use of computational methods such as finite element methods, boundary and volume element methods, computational fluid dynamics and the like in marine and subsea technology, marine operations, design and analysis of mechanical systems, integrity and reliability of offshore structures and mechanical systems, renewable energy and wind engineering. In the ocean-related engineering area in particular, numerical computation approach is nowadays not only serving as a means to cultivate and realize innovative ideas, but also it is becoming the primary choice to solve complex engineering problems for the harsh and unfriendly environment in the Arctic.List of Conference Organizing Committee, Topic Area Coordinators and Track Chairs, Invited Keynote Speakers, Technical Committee Members and Reviewers are available in this pdf.

Additively Manufactured Carbon-Fiber Composite Electrodes for Structural Batteries and Grid Storage

Additively-Manufactured Electroactive Carbon-fiber/Phenolic Anodes for Structural Batteries and Grid Storage Craig Milroy, Tim Phillips, Joseph Beaman (Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, Austin).This presentation describes the electrochemical energy-storage properties of additively -manufactured anodes fabricated from carbon fibers and an electroactive phenolic resin, and demonstrates their utility for three important energy-storage applications:(1) additively-manufactured batteries(2) grid storage(3) structural batteriesPhenolic polymer resins are polymerized by reacting phenols with formaldehyde, and are used in a broad range of applications such as coatings, adhesives, and molded products. Although phenolic resins are technically thermosets, the melting point of most phenolics is lower than their cure (crosslinking) temperature; as a result, many phenolics are melt-processable and may therefore be used as thermoplastic binders for indirect selective laser sintering (SLS) additive manufacturing (AM) processes.Although the uncured phenolic compound is soft and melts at low temperature, the cured polymer has excellent strength/hardness, thermal stability, and chemical resistance/imperviousness. As such, phenolic resins are frequently used in building materials, and are therefore an excellent choice for structural battery applications.In addition, the phenol monomer that forms the basis of phenolic resins is an aromatic molecule with delocalized non-bonding electrons, which allows the hydroxyl moiety on the phenol to undergo reversible hydroxyl/quinine redox conversion. In addition, the polymerization process of phenolic monomers creates methylene bridges between phenol molecules, which preserves the electroactivity of the phenol molecule in its polymerized form. These properties have led to many reports of phenols as “natural” energy storage materials, since there are numerous biological sources of phenolic compounds.We observed the electroactivity of the cured phenolic (GP 5520) when using it as a thermoplastic binder in an indirect SLS fabrication process to produce additively-manufactured graphite anodes. To unambiguously measure the electroactivity of the cured phenolic, we fabricated electrodes by mixing phenolic powder in solid or dissolved form with non-electroactive conductive carbon fibers. The electrodes were fabricated via SLS and then cured to affix the electroactive phenol to the carbon fibers, which provided mechanical strength and served as a current collector for charge injection/extraction . The Figure depicts representative voltage profiles during galvanostatic discharge/charge testing of an SLS-fabricated composite electrode containing carbon fibers and phenolic, and indicates that the material is predisposed to function well as an anode, since the discharge occurs exclusively in a relatively narrow potential range below 1.0 V relative to the Li / Li+ equilibrium potential.The Figure also presents lgalvanostatic cycle performance of the SLS-fabricated electrodes at different rates. As expected, electrodes that were discharged at lower current density produced higher capacity. However, all electrodes exhibited a gradual maturation of capacity that is commonly observed in other electroactive polymers such as polypyrrole and polyanaline. The total number of cycles required to reach stable capacity was inversely proportional to the current density. Overall, the electrodes displayed consistent cycle performance once their discharge capacity stabilized; therefore, to address the observed electrode maturation process, and to definitively evaluate the rate-dependent cycle performance, we utilized rate-capability testing, beginning with low current for a few cycles at the beginning of each cell test, followed by a traditional rate-capability ladder to assess the dependence of capacity on previous cycling history. As shown in the Figure, these tests found that the electrodes produced 200 mAh/g of phenolic at 15 mA/g , and 100 mAh/g phenolic at 75 mA/g. Figure 1

Superior Li Metal Anodes By Molecular Layer Deposition of Lithicones

Superior Li Metal Anodes by Molecular Layer Deposition of Lithicones Xiangbo Meng*1, Kah Chun Lau*2, Xiaoxiao Han1, Hua Zhou3 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA 2 Department of Physics and Astronomy, Californica State University Northridge, CA 91330, USA 3 Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA* Corresponding author: xbmeng@uark.edu; kahchun.lau@csun.eduInterfaces, located between an electrode (either a cathode or an anode) and an electrolyte, are one of the most important components of rechargeable batteries. They are often determinant to batteries’ performance. In pursuing next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and beyond, atomic layer deposition (ALD) has emerged and been identified as an important tool to accurately constitute their interfaces of LIBs and beyond at the atomic scale in the past decade.1-7 ALD features its unparalleled capabilities enabling coatings conformally and uniformly at moderate temperatures. It can be performed on either battery powders or prefabricated electrodes. Complementary to inorganic coatings by ALD, polymeric coatings can be deposited by an analogous technique, molecular layer deposition (MLD),8 and recently have been investigated. Having similar merits of ALD, MLD can constitute battery interfaces with flexible polymeric films at the molecular level. In this work, we developed three new lithium-containing polymers, lithicones, using MLD. Particularly, we revealed that the MLD LiGL (GL = glycerol) is very promising as a protective coating over lithium metal anodes. The LiGL-protected lithium metal anodes could achieve superior cyclability over 6,000 cycles without having any sign of failure at 5 mA/cm2 and 1 mAh/cm2. Our experiments and density function theory calculations disclosed that the LiGL lithicone is exceptional in its properties. This work paves a new avenue for developing safety-reliable high-performance lithium metal anodes.

David Blackstock and the University of Rochester

This presentation provides perspective on David T. Blackstock at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Dr. Blackstock’s interactions with the University of Rochester began early in his academic career. In the early 1960’s, he was an associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Rochester for several years. Beginning in 1970, he moved to The University of Texas at Austin for his long academic career with the Applied Research Laboratories and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Then in 1987, enabled through collaborations with Dr. Edwin L. Carstensen, Dr. Blackstock returned to Rochester to spend his summers at the University of Rochester. That same year, he became a visiting member of the Rochester Center for Biomedical Ultrasound directed by Dr. Carstensen. Dr. Blackstock continued to spend summers at the University of Rochester for several decades. Summers with Dr. Blackstock were filled with engaging scientific discussions, research collaborations, and interactions with many students and faculty in various departments. During the summer, he regularly taught his Fundamentals of Acoustics course and, during select years, his Nonlinear Acoustics course. Dr. Blackstock’s longtime engagement with the University of Rochester greatly impacted the careers and lives of many students and faculty.

Bridging cultures with acoustical materials research

This talk will provide a short overview and insights associated with the education and early career of the author over the past two decades and how his experiences with different cultures, both social and professional, has influenced scientific advancements. This will include a short overview of formal education in both the United States and France and professional growth as a researcher at the Applied Research Laboratories at The University of Texas at Austin (UT) and then as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UT. The talk will highlight research done in each context and how those experiences have improved outcomes in scientific and personal contexts.

IGrasp Robotic Prosthetic Hand

We are living in an era in which technology is shaping the world at an incredible speed. In this wake, the Bionics laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Moratuwa is doing inspiring research to improve the quality of life of differently-abled people. The latest product of this effort emerged as the iGrasp Hand, a robotic prosthetic hand that can mimic the grasping patterns of a human hand.

Pengaruh waktu operasi dan daya mesin diesel dongfeng r175 berbahan bakar oli bekas terhadap emisi CO, CO2, HC, dan opasitas

The Production Laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Riau University, has modified the diesel engine used as a used oil-fueled generator, but the problem is that the emission feasibility test has not been carried out. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between the operating time and power of the diesel engine as a generator with the amount of emissions produced. This research was conducted by direct measurement of the emission produced by a diesel engine using a gas analyzer, by operating the diesel engine for 30 minutes and measuring emissions every 5 minutes. This study also varied the power load, starting at idle, 700 W, 1000 W, and a maximum power of 2000 W. The calorific value of used lubricant was tested using a bomb calorimeter are 50.445 kJ/kg . The results obtained are that the highest level of CO emission is 0.45%, the highest level of CO2 emission is 8.6%, the highest level of HC emission is 41 ppm, and the highest level of opacity is 70%. e

Design and Implementation of a Vacuum Forming Machine

Abstract The purpose of this work is to present the design of a laboratory scale vacuum forming machine, which can be used for the processing of thermoplastic sheets. The designed machine can process an A4 format plastic sheet. An important consideration in the design process was to follow a cost-effective approach. The vacuum forming instrument is made for educational purposes in the framework of a final project for the Polymer Technology Laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Sapientia EMTE University in Târgu Mureș. The structure and the operation of the machine is similar to that found in the industry. However, the cost of production is significantly lower. The main components of the machine include the frame, heater, vacuum pump and the clamping device.

Developing Workshop Safety Management Skills for Kyambogo University Mechanical Production Engineering Students in Uganda

Effective workshop management skills are vital for the occupational safety of the students, lecturers, instructors, support staff, or technicians who use mechanical production or manufacturing workshops at universities. The main purpose of the paper is to examine the status of the undergraduate university students’ skills practice in safety management in the engineering educational workshops assess the common occupational hazards and risks in the workshops, and explain the prospects of promoting occupational safety standards. The paper was informed by a recent study that was done in Kyambogo University, Uganda with a focus on employable skills outputs. The paper objectives were to identify the safety measures to be used in skills practice, design precautionary signs for skills practice, implement safety measures for skills practice in the department of mechanical production Engineering. In the study, a descriptive research design was used, where both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The total number of respondents who participated in the study was 30. The respondents included the head of the department, lecturers, students, technicians from the Mechanical Production Engineering Department of Kyambogo University. Data were collected from respondents through the use of questionnaires and interview guides. Data were analyzed and presented using tables and then descriptions were done using percentages. The findings revealed the following occupational hazards and risks, physical hazard, ergonomic hazards, chemical hazards, psychological hazards, and biological hazards. The study also revealed that accidents always occurred in the department of mechanical and production workshops. The major causes of the accidents were due to lack of knowledge or skills, safety policy gears, carelessness, safety protective wears, proper storage of materials, and instructions’ manuals or guidelines. In addition, there are problems of lack of modern tools, digital technology, good supervision, adequate space, and awareness of the ICT led safety systems. The cost-cutting strategies for workshop safety management were warning signs, alerts, and clear labels, use of protective gear, providing first aid kits, vocationalised training, and awareness campaigns on occupation safety. There is a need for routine monitoring, renovations, replacing obsolete machines, safety tags, fire drills, industry-university benchmarking, or industrial placements

Energy rationalization for an educational building in Egypt: Towards a zero energy building

Buildings have been consuming energy and resources at an ever-increasing rate worldwide. Given the rising living standard, population growth and global warming, energy saving techniques have been recently adopted in the framework of high performance buildings, also known as near zero-energy buildings. This is particularly true for Egypt since over the past decade, the energy consumption has witnessed an unprecedented increase particularly for the buildings sector whose share in the electricity consumption can reach 66%–74%. Hence, it is timely for Egypt to upgrade its building construction code by mandating energy rationalization. This work investigates the effects of applying energy rationalization for a non-residential building in Egypt. As a case study, the Mechanical Engineering Department building at the Faculty of Engineering Campus of Ain Shams University, was modelled using EnergyPlus as a typical educational building. A number of retrofitting strategies and energy saving techniques have been assessed and compared to reach an optimized building envelope with minimum energy needs (energy rationalization). Retrofitting the building walls resulted in a significant contribution to the energy saving (>20%). Combining various building envelope retrofitting strategies dropped the building energy consumption by more than (>36%). Furthermore, using energy efficient measures by upgrading the mechanical HVAC systems used to condition the retrofitted building led to energy savings of more than 50% and a drop in the system capacity by more than 65%. Subsequently, a solar PV system is sized to cover these rationalized energy needs with a payback period of 4–5 years, thus transforming the sample building with annual energy use intensity (EUI) of ∼ 230 kWh/m2 into a near zero-energy building with an EUI of ∼106 kWh/m2.

Preface

Dr.A. DevarajuDr.D. Palanisamy, Editor(s) International Conference on Advanced Materials & Modern Manufacturing ICAMMM 2021 We are pleased to bring before you the proceedings of the International Conference on Advanced Materials and Modern Manufacturing (ICAMMM 2021) which was scheduled during 26th to 28th March 2021.The ICAMMM 2021 is organized by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Adhi college of Engineering and Technology, Tamil Nadu, India.The conference aims to bring together the researchers, faculty, students and industrial professionals from all over the world to share their research findings, experience and to discuss the emerging issues facing in different spheres of Mechanical Engineering.List of Patron(s), Co-Patron, Convener(s), Organizing Committee, National Technical Advisory Committee, International Advisory Committee, List of Reviewers are available in this pdf.

Peer review declaration

All papers published in this volume of IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering have been peer 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: We have adopted double – blind peer review process for ICMMEE. Initially, the editorial team has gone through the submitted papers and based on the research area, experts from relevant field were identified and sent for review. Before, sending the full papers to reviewing, detailed guidelines were provided to the reviewers. • Conference submission management system: Google forms & icmmee@gmail.comWe have created Google forms for every step right from the registration to submission of final version of the full paper. We have also provided a dedicated e-mail for communication • Number of submissions received: 190We have received a total of 190 abstracts. Among the submitted abstracts, 124 were accepted for presentation and among them, 55 authors have submitted full papers and were sent for the peer review process. We completed review process and accepted 39 papers to publish as proceedings in IOP: Materials Science and Engineering. • Number of submissions sent for review: 55 • Number of submissions accepted: 39 • Acceptance Rate (Number of Submissions Accepted / Number of Submissions Received X 100): 70 % • Average number of reviews per paper: 3 • Total number of reviewers involved: 41 • Any additional info on review process: In addition to the reviewer’s assessment, all the papers were also reviewed by at least one of the editors form the editorial board. The editor comments were also provided to the authors to revise the papers.All the papers were also verified for English corrections and language quality with the help of faculty from Department of English, Bapatla Engineering College. The authors have provided suggestions to improve the language quality of the papers and requested to incorporate the corrections while submitting the revision.The form provided to the reviewers to complete the review process of ICMMEE is herewith attached. • Contact person for queries: Dr. B. Ratna Sunil Convener, ICMMEE 2021 Editor, Proceedings of ICMMEE 2021 Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Bapatla Engineering College, Bapatla 522101, Andhra Pradesh, India e-mail: bratnasunil@becbapatla.ac.in, phone: +91 9677119819