Metal Production Industry Research Articles

Optimisation of Springback Predicted by Experimental and Numerical Approach by Using Response Surface Methodology

Bending has significant importance in the sheet metal product industry. Moreover, the springback of sheet metal should be taken into consideration in order to produce bent sheet metal parts within acceptable tolerance limits and to solve geometrical variation for the control of manufacturing process. Nowadays, the importance of this problem increases because of the use of sheet-metal parts with high mechanical characteristics (High Strength Low Alloy steel). This work describes robust methods of predicting springback of parts in 3D modelling subjected to bending and unbending deformations. Also the effects of tool geometry in the final shape after springback are discussed. The first part of this paper presents the laboratory experiments in wiping die bending, in which the influence of process variables, such as die shoulder radius, punch-die clearance, punch nose radius and materials properties were discussed. The second part summarises the finite element analysis by using ABAQUS software and compares these results with some experimental data. It appeared that the final results of the FEM simulation are in good agreement with the experimental ones. An optimisation methodology based on the use of experimental design method and response surface technique is proposed in the third part of this paper. That makes it possible to obtain the optimum values of clearance between the punch and the die and the optimum die radius which can reduce the springback without cracking and damage of product.

Growth pattern and the industrial development of the lagos region, nigeria

This paper examines the nature, growth and spatial pattern of industries within the Lagos Region. Industrial activities in this region grew progressively over the year from mere brickwork, palm oil mills, printing press, soap factory, and metal container factory to capital intensive manufacturing. Indeed, the number of industrial establishments increased from 122 in 1962 to 637 in 1993. Lagos developed into Nigeria's leading industrial center; especially following the expansion in its service and administrative sectors. Whereas, chemicals and pharmaceutical; and basic metal, iron and steel and fabricated metal products industry groups dominate in industrial scene, wood and wood products (including furniture); and non-metallic mineral products are rare. The spatial pattern shows that industrial establishments vary amongst the industrial estates/areas, and also among the industry groups. Ikeja/Ogballsheri industrial estate/area dominates the industrial scene.

非鉄製錬スラグの現状と課題

A large quantity of slag containing various harmful and heavy metal impurities is generated in non-ferrous metal production industry every year. In order to achieve sustainable development of the industry in Japan during the 21st century, prompt measures should be taken to deal with the ever-increasing quantities of slags. To resolve the slag issues, great efforts have been made to develop their new applications and usage. As a part of the activity of the "Committee for the Investigation Research on Development of Innovative Non-Ferrous Metals Smelting Technologies in the 21st Century", the current situation and problems on this matter are reviewed focusing on slags generated in copper, lead, zinc, and ferronickel production.

Large Shareholders and Banks: Who monitors and how?

Using a sample of Japanese firms in the chemical industry, we show that concentrated shareholding is associated with lower expenditure on activities with scope for managerial private benefits. We interpret this as evidence of a hitherto undocumented form of monitoring by large shareholders. We examine whether such monitoring is also performed by banks and other creditors. The results in the metal product industry are roughly similar, but we find no evidence of this type of monitoring in the Japanese electronics industry, and suggest a number of explanations.

A Study of Growth, Marginal Productivities, MRS, Factor and Elasticity of Substitution in Small Metal Product Industry

A Study of Growth, Marginal Productivities, MRS, Factor and Elasticity of Substitution in Small Metal Product Industry

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Industrial Wastewater Samples in Toronto, Ontario

Abstract The occurrence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) such as bisphenol A (BPA), 4-tert-octylphenol (OP), nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPEO) in wastewater generated in the Toronto area has been studied. In all, 97 samples from 40 facilities in ten different industry classes have been collected and analyzed. Widely divergent concentrations have been observed in these samples. They ranged from <0.01 to 195 µg/L for OP, from <0.1 to 253 µg/L for NP, from <2 to 117,570 µg/L for NPEO, and from <0.01 to 149 µg/L for BPA. The results show that the concentrations of NP and NPEO in these samples generally exceeded City of Toronto By-law (No. 457-2000) limits. The results also suggest that detergents based on NPEO are still extensively used by the commercial laundries, and also by the textile products and clothing industries. These facilities, together with several sources in the chemical and chemical products industries and the fabricated metal products industries are believed to be the major sources of NP and NPEO input into the sewer system in Toronto. In addition to the two facilities in the chemicals and chemical products sector, several commercial laundries also had significant on-site releases of BPA. Except for those collected from three facilities in the chemicals and chemical products industries, the levels of OP in these samples were generally low. Many industries in the Toronto area would have to take drastic actions to reduce releases of NPEO and NP if full compliance with the most recent City By-law regarding wastewater quality were to be achieved.

非鉄金属製錬におけるダイオキシン類問題と技術課題

Since emissions of DXN's from incinerators of municipal waste has been one of the serious problems in recent Japan, new regulations have been decided and will be started from next year. The new regulations cover the emissions not only from incinerators but from some processes in metal production industries. Most processes covered by the new regulation in metal production industries are working in metal recycling which is supporting recycling society in Japan. Inventory of DXN's emissions in non-ferrous metal industries were investigated and some technical problems were pointed out in the present review to show urgent scientific and technical research problems.

Encapsulating Knowledge: The Direct Reading Spectrometer

The direct reading emission spectrometer was developed during the1940s. By substituting photo-multiplier tubes and electronics forphotographic film spectrograms, the interpretation of special lineswith a densitometer was avoided. Instead, the instrument providedthe desired information concerning percentage concentration ofelements of interest directly on a dial. Such instruments `de-skill' the job of making such measurements. They do this by encapsulatingin the instrument the skills previously employed by the analyst,by `skilling' the instrument. This paper presents a history of thedevelopment of the Dow Chemical/Baird Associates direct reader. Thishistory is used to argue for a materialist conception of knowledge.The instrument is a material form of knowledge, knowledge of aspectsof spectroscopy, analytical spectrochemistry, electronics, instrumentdesign and construction, and metal production industry economics.

Managing human behaviour in the airline industry

Devotes the entire journal issue to managing human behaviour in US industries, with examples drawn from the airline industry, trading industry, publishing industry, metal products industry, motor vehicle and parts industry, information technology industry, food industry, the airline industry in a turbulent environment, the automotive sales industry, and specialist retailing industry. Outlines the main features of each industry and the environment in which it is operating. Provides examples, insights and quotes from Chief Executive Officers, managers and employees on their organization’s recipe for success. Mentions the effect technology has had in some industries. Talks about skilled and semi‐skilled workers, worker empowerment and the formation of teams. Addresses also the issue of change and the training that is required to deal with it in different industry sectors. Discusses remuneration packages and incentives offered to motivate employees. Notes the importance of customers in the face of increased competition. Extracts from each industry sector the various human resource practices that companies employ to manage their employees effectively ‐ revealing that there is a wide diversity in approach and what is right for one industry sector would not work in another. Offers some advice for managers, but, overall, fails to summarize what constitutes effective means of managing human behaviour.

Encapsulating Knowledge: The Direct Reading Spectrometer

The direct reading emission spectrometer was developed during the1940s. By substituting photo-multiplier tubes and electronics forphotographic film spectrograms, the interpretation of special lineswith a densitometer was avoided. Instead, the instrument providedthe desired information concerning percentage concentration ofelements of interest directly on a dial. Such instruments `de-skill' the job of making such measurements. They do this by encapsulatingin the instrument the skills previously employed by the analyst,by `skilling' the instrument. This paper presents a history of thedevelopment of the Dow Chemical/Baird Associates direct reader. Thishistory is used to argue for a materialist conception of knowledge.The instrument is a material form of knowledge, knowledge of aspectsof spectroscopy, analytical spectrochemistry, electronics, instrumentdesign and construction, and metal production industry economics.

Contributions and Channels of Interindustry R&D Spillovers: An Estimation for Japanese High-tech Industries

This paper estimates the contributions of R&D spillovers to four high-tech industries in Japan—general machinery, electrical machinery, transportation machinery and chemicals—by estimating the trans-log cost and share functions that include the R&D stock variables of own and spillover-source industries. The candidates for spillover- source industries are selected on the basis of large R&D flow or R&D proximity. The R&D flow measures the spillover embodied in purchased intermediate goods using input–output coefficients. The R&D proximity measures the extent of similarity between a pair of industries of the distribution of R&D expenditures across research fields, and is expected to show the likelihood of spillover at the R&D stage. The results suggest that electrical machinery benefited from R&D in the chemical industry, through the purchase of intermediate goods, whereas general machinery and transportation machinery benefited from R&D in the metal products industry, through R&D proximity. There was no evidence of the chemical industry benefiting from R&D spillovers. These results clearly imply that the contributions and the channels of R&D spillovers are diverse, casting doubt on earlier studies that used weighted sums of R&D expenditures (or their stocks) of other industries as aggregate spillover variables.

Regional Productivity and Technological Change in the 1980's. The Manufacturing Sector in Denmark

Abstract Danish Journal of Geography 96: 70–80, 1996. This paper deals with regional productivity and strategies of technological change in the manufacturing sector, especially concerning the Copenhagen Metropolitan Area. The development is explained within the framework of the French Regulationist School using the metal product industry as a case. The anatomy of spatial industrial development in Denmark is examined by examining the movements in labour, gross domestic product at factor cost, capital stock, labour and capital productivity and the capital-labour ratio is used as an indicator of technological change. The major argument is that technological change does not advance to productivity gains because of difficulties in adopting and implementing technological change into firms and society.

Energy crises and change of technology

AbstractA production model is formulated for the Finnish metal product and machinery industry for studying energy crises‐related structural changes. Two models are estimated: a partial static equilibrium model, where capital is treated as a fixed input in the short run, and a dynamic model, where adjustment costs of the capital input are taken into account. Alternative hypotheses of structural change are formulated as gradual parameter shifts. The results show that some of the energy‐related parameters have changed over time. Also the contributions of parameter changes and variations in the average values of the variables on the changes in the energy demand elasticities are studied. The most important effect is the strengthening of the energy‐saving bias in technical change.

Factor Substitution and Factor Demand in Indian Modern Small Enterprise: A Case Study of Metal Products

This study analyses the possibilities for substitution of labour for other factors namely capital and materials in the modern small scale sector. This is in the light of the notion that small enterprises face a lower labour cost in Telation to other factors like capital. A study of metal products industries shows that they are not employment generators in the sense of substituting labour for other inputs. In other words, cheap labour does not guarantee more/increased employment. There is also a need for firms to have easy access to capital at cheaper interest rates. The result also imply a need for more meaningful policy relating industry-specific factor prices rather than a general one covering all industries.

The application of high temperature equilibrium diagrams to the metal production industry

Electrode potential/temperature diagrams may give an overall view of the conditions of stability and metastability of all substances which may occur in a given chemical or electrochemical system. They may be useful for teaching research and technical control in many fields; ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy and electrometallurgy, industrial chemistry, electrolysis, batteries and fuel cells, corrosion, electrodeposition, catalysis, geology. etc. Examples are given for the systems OH, OHFe, OC, OZn, OCZn, OSi and OCSi, and relate notably to: 1. (1) the corrosion of iron in high temperature water; 2. (2) the thermal production of zinc; and 3. (3) the thermal production of silicon. Information is given concerning a research programme which is presently under way, towards the preparation of a series of “Atlases of Chemical and Electrochemical Equilibria in the Presence of a Gaseous Phase”. These atlases would relate to the oxides, hydrides, carbides, chlorides, fluorides, sulphides, and to the hydrates, carbonates and sulphates of all elements of the periodic table.

Measuring regional efficiency: A method tested on the fabricated metal products industry in Sweden, 1973–1975

This paper presents a method of measuring the efficiency of regions as production environments of manufacturing industries. The approach is a rather general view of the firm in a market economy. The functions which the firms must perform are discussed. From that, hypotheses are made regarding the elements of the environment which should constitute the regional production milieu and thus influence the efficiency of the firms. By way of factor analysis the original variables are reduced to seven regional factors, which are put into productivity functions where their parameters are estimated. From those parameters indexes of regional efficiency are calculated.

Production program planning in the metal products industry using linear optimization

A classical example of the Linear Optimization (Linear Programming, LP) is the Planning of Production Program (PPP). But there are unfavourable conditions in the metal products industry: The products are composed of a lot of parts and groups which exist very often in various combinations and/or which can form cross-linked assemblies of prefabricated machine parts. Most of the matrices have approx. 50 % non-zero elements and rectangular shape with a large number of columns. The feasible basic solutions are to be increased by organizational and computing means. To decrease the number of variables the products are comprehended to groups of products.

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