Wide Acceptance In Industry Research Articles

Static and fatigue performance of steel bridge decks strengthened with air-cured UHPC

Adding a thin layer of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) onto the steel deck plate is an effective approach to improve the fatigue performance of orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) through increasing structural stiffness and load-carrying capacity, but a wide industrial acceptance of the approach is hindered by heat curing of UHPC. In this study, air-cured UHPC with low shrinkage was adopted to fabricate the cast-in-situ topping layer for the composite decks. Experiments were carried out to investigate the structural behavior of the composite decks under static and fatigue loading. Experimental results showed that (1) UHPC with relatively high strengths and low shrinkage could be manufactured without any special curing regime; and (2) the composite decks had enough mechanical strengths and fatigue resistance to withstand service loads. Finite element analyses were performed to determine the contribution of air-cured UHPC on the fatigue performance of OSDs. Finally, a hot spot stress reduction factor was introduced to assess the long-term effectiveness of air-cured UHPC in improving the fatigue performance of OSDs. Results suggested that UHPC cracking and the associated degradation in structural stiffness had limited effects on the fatigue behaviors of composite decks.

Systematic scalability analysis for microservices granularity adaptation design decisions

AbstractMicroservices have gained wide recognition and acceptance in software industries as an emerging architectural style for autonomous, scalable and more reliable computing. A critical problem related to microservices is reasoning about the suitable granularity level of a microservice (i.e., when and how to merge or decompose microservices). Although scalability is pronounced as one of the major factors for adoption of microservices, there is a general gap of approaches that systematically analyse the dimensions and metrics, which are important for scalability‐aware granularity adaptation decisions. To the best of our knowledge, the state‐of‐art in reasoning about microservice granularity adaptation is neither: (1) driven by microservice‐specific scalability dimensions and metrics nor (2) follow systematic scalability analysis to make scalability‐aware adaptation decisions. In this article, we address the aforementioned problems using a two‐fold contribution. Firstly, we contribute to a working catalogue of microservice‐specific scalability dimensions and metrics. Secondly, we describe a novel application of scalability goal‐obstacle analysis for the context of reasoning about microservice granularity adaptation. We analyse both contributions by comparing their usage on a hypothetical microservice architecture against ad‐hoc scalability assessment for the same architecture. This analysis shows how both contributions can aid making scalability‐aware granularity adaptation decisions.

Assessing the Capability of Computational Fluid Dynamics Models in Replicating Wind Tunnel Test Results for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge

Despite its wide acceptance in various industries, CFD is considered a secondary option to wind tunnel tests in bridge engineering due to a lack of confidence. To increase confidence and to advance the quality of simulations in bridge aerodynamic studies, this study performed three-dimensional RANS simulations and DESs to assess the bridge deck aerodynamics of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge and demonstrated detailed procedures of the verification and validation of the applied CFD model. The CFD simulations were developed in OpenFOAM, the results of which are compared to prior wind tunnel test results, where general agreements were achieved though differences were also found and analyzed. The CFD model was also applied to study the effect of fascia beams and handrails on the bridge deck aerodynamics, which were neglected in most research to-date. These secondary structures were found to increase drag coefficients and reduce lift and moment coefficients by up to 32%, 94.3%, and 52.2%, respectively, which emphasized the necessity of including these structures in evaluations of the aerodynamic performance of bridges in service. Details of the verification and validation in this study illustrate that CFD simulations can determine close results compared to wind tunnel tests.

Bridging the gap: Perspectives of nanofabrication technologies for application-oriented research

Next to powders, inks, and microelectronics, many technologies that carry the attribute nano in their name are still waiting for their breakthrough and wide acceptance in engineering and industry. At least nanofabrication technologies are the subject of a vivid track in research and development in a variety of scientific fields but yet most of them are mainly invisible in everyday products. This paper aims to describe three inspiring examples of research work in the area of nanopatterning and systems integration at the micro-nano interface to motivate applications with new and unprecedented functionalities. The application examples comprise the fields of bio-inspired computing, optoelectronic sensing, and spectral imaging. First, network-based biocomputing uses biological agents in a nanopatterned fluidic channel system and opens horizons for energy-efficient solutions to complex mathematical problems. Second, nanoelectronic devices based on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have emerged because of the outstanding mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of the CNTs. The adaptivity of nanostructures to the world of biological molecules and other nanoscopic building blocks such as quantum dots and nanoparticles enables novel, even personalized, devices and technical solutions. Third, early-on “nano” fame has been devoted to optical effects—the authors here discuss an advanced integrated micro-opto-mechanical system on a micromirror plate forming a Fabry–Pérot Interferometer.

A Review on Submerged Friction Stir Welding of Light Weight Alloys

Friction stir welding gained wide acceptance in many industries owing to its capability of joining lightweight materials, the subsequent development to Friction stir welding (FSW) was to submerge workpiece in liquids during welding termed as submerged friction stir welding (SFSW) resulted in improving mechanical properties. However, joint efficiency was much dependent on the process parameters. Hence, the present work aimed to consolidate the research works available in underwater friction stir welding (UFSW) primarily focusing on effect of process parameters on weld joint.

Microservice transition and its granularity problem: A systematic mapping study

SummaryMicroservices have gained wide recognition and acceptance in software industries as an emerging architectural style for autonomic, scalable, and more reliable computing. The transition to microservices has been highly motivated by the need for better alignment of technical design decisions with improving value potentials of architectures. Despite microservices' popularity, research still lacks disciplined understanding of transition and consensus on the principles and activities underlying that transition. In this paper, we report on a systematic mapping study that consolidates various views, approaches and activities that commonly assist in the transition to microservices. The study aims to provide a better understanding of the transition; it also contributes a working definition of the transition and technical activities underlying it. We term the transition and technical activities leading to microservice architectures as microservitization. We then shed light on a fundamental problem of microservitization: microservice granularity and reasoning about its adaptation as first‐class entities. This study reviews state‐of‐the‐art and ‐practice related to reasoning about microservice granularity; it reviews modeling approaches, aspects considered, guidelines and processes used to reason about microservice granularity. This study identifies opportunities for future research and development related to reasoning about microservice granularity.

Effect of the Al2O3 powder addition on the metal removal rate and the surface roughness of the electrochemical grinding machining

The integrated electrochemical grinding machining has received wide acceptance in the aircraft turbine industry for the machining of blades, vanes, and honeycomb seal rings. Also, medical devices, instruments and forceps, shells, precision nozzles, instrument coupling, and air rotor motors that produced from stainless steel and new materials have all successfully been accomplished with electrochemical grinding. To improve the metal removal rate and to reduce the surface roughness ( Ra) of the electrochemical grinding at high voltages, an integration between the alumina abrasive jet and the electrochemical grinding machining has been performed. The effect of the Al2O3 abrasive content on the metal removal rate and the Ra of the K110 alloy steel using Everite electrochemical grinding 618 at different voltages, different feed rates, different electrolyte NaCl concentrations, and different depths of the cut were successfully investigated. The results revealed that the abrasive electrochemical grinding was better than the electrochemical grinding results. The maximum effect of the Al2O3 on the metal removal rate was achieved at 5 wt.%. The current density in the machining gap was affected by the addition of the Al2O3, where it was decreased at percentages over 5-wt.% Al2O3. The abrasive electrochemical grinding resulted in lower surface roughness than the electrochemical grinding process.

A comparison study on the mechanical properties of composites based on kenaf and pineapple leaf fibres

The arising trend of using natural fibres in the composite materials has stimulated the continuous exploration of their mechanical properties. The positive environmental behaviours of natural fibres are the driving factor that allows them to gain their wide acceptance in industries. However, the mechanical behaviour of natural fibre-based composites is still not fully explored. In this research study, the mechanical properties of composite materials with different types of natural fibre and various fibre compositions were investigated. The polypropylene-based composite materials were fabricated through hot press compression moulding method using a hydraulic hot press machine. The composites were then subjected to mechanical tests to study the tensile, flexural and impact properties of such materials. The results demonstrated that the tensile strength and flexural strength of pineapple leaf fibre (PALF)-based composites were 7.83% and 54.23% higher than kenaf-based composites at a fibre content of 30 wt%. Moreover, the impact strength of PALF-reinforced composites was 3.08% and 5.56% higher than kenaf fibre-reinforced composites in the flatwise and edgewise impact orientations. Overall, composites with 30 wt% evidenced the top most mechanical properties irrespective of types of plant fibre.

Novel Open Source Python Neutrosophic Package

Neutrosophic sets has gained wide popularity and acceptance in both academia and industry. Different fields have successfully adopted and utilized neutrosophic sets. However, there is no open-source implementation that provides the basic neutrosophic concepts. Open-source is a global movement that enables developers to share their source-code, as researchers do share their research ideas and results. Presented Open-source python neutrosophic package is the first of its kind. It utilizes object oriented concepts. It is based on one of the most popular multiparadigm programming languages that is widely used in different academic and industry fields and activities; namely python. Presented package tends to dissolve the barriers and enable both researchers and developers to adopt neutrosophic sets and theory in research and applications. In this paper, the first Open-source, Object-Oriented, Python based Neutrosophic package is presented. This paper intensively scanned neutrosophic sets research attempting to reach the most widely accepted neutrosophic proofs, and then transforming them into source-code. Presented package implements most of the basic neutrosophic concepts. Presented neutrosophic package presents four different classes: Single Valued Neutrosophic Number, Single Valued Neutrosophic Sets, Interval Valued Neutrosophic Number, and Interval Valued Neutrosophic Sets. Presented package source code, test cases, usage examples, and updated documentation can be found online at https://www.github.com/helghareeb/neutrosophic. Presented neutrosophic package can be easily integrated into research and applications. This is an ongoing work and research, as neutrosophic theory is largely expanding, and there are lots of features to cover.

Laser beam machining of carbon fiber reinforced composites: a review

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites gained wide acceptance in aerospace, automotive and marine industries due to their superior properties. It became the major structural material that substitutes metals in many weight-critical components such as the new A350 and the B787 aircrafts, with composite content to exceed the 50%. Although CFRP structures are manufactured to near-net-shape, edge trimming, drilling, sawing, milling, and grinding operations are unavoidable. Being anisotropic, inhomogeneous and highly abrasive, their conventional machining is normally associated with delamination, fibers pull-out, inadequate surface quality, and tool wear. Other nontraditional processes which include abrasive water jet machining (AWJM), ultrasonic machining (USM), and electrodischarge machining (EDM) offer substitute to the conventional methods. Laser beam machining (LBM) is an emerging technology offering an excellent alternative for machining CFRP composites. This paper reviews the research work carried out in the area of LBM of CFRP materials. It reports the experimental and theoretical studies covering the process accuracy in terms kerf width, kerf depth and edge quality, and the thermal characteristics in terms of heat-affected zone (HAZ). Minimizing the kerf taper, increasing kerf depth, and eliminating the HAZ in the polymer matrix are considered the major obstacles of CFRP industrial applications. Methods of improving the machining productivity by reducing the machining time and increasing the material removal rate (MRR) and kerf depth are reviewed. Several mathematical and statistical modeling and optimization techniques have been critically examined. The concept of specific energy and its impact on HAZ and kerf width is introduced. The relationship between laser type and HAZ is discussed. The current work furthermore outlines the possible trends for future research.

Study of Acoustic Emission Signals During Crack Propagation in Multiscale Nano-Composites

Polymer composites are gaining wide acceptance in industries for their high in-plane specific stiffness and specific strength. The damage these materials undergo are quite unique, and could limit or even prolong their usage on an even wider scale in critical sectors like the wind industry. De-lamination in laminated composites is a serious issue and could be attributed to de-bonding, matrix cracking and fibre rupture. Factors leading to delamination are weak fibre/matrix interface and brittle nature of the resins. Studies have shown that delamination could be controlled to some extend by altering the internal structure of the composites. Addition of nanotubes (CNTs) is one widely accepted method, for it has been shown that they bridge the crack growth. Six specimens classed into two groups-first without nanotubes (1.n, where DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.24.4.20535

Comparison of Mechanical properties of AA6061 reinforced with (SiC/B4C) micro/nano ceramic particle reinforcements

Aluminium alloy (AA) based composites are finding wide acceptance in industries due to high performance efficiencies and superior properties. AA6061 based composites have found wide applicability in aerospace, automobiles and recreational industries. Hybrid metal matrix composites (HMMCs) have proved to have improved performance and excellent adaptability compared to single reinforced composites. In the present study, two compositions of HMMCs were fabricated using conventional stir casting route. AA6061 is used as the matrix material and nano SiC/B4C as reinforcements. Physical properties like density and porosity and mechanical properties like micro hardness, ultimate tensile strength and impact strength of these HMMCs were investigated and compared with single reinforced micro/nano composites. The HMMC was found to have improved mechanical properties. Significant improvement in ductility and porosity was seen when composites were reinforced with nano size reinforcements.

1st Cut Spent Pot Liner-Modified Epoxy Coatings for C-Steel

Aluminum extraction from alumina is conducted in huge electrolytic cells, arranged in ‘pot lines’. These pots have a carbonaceous lining to act as the cathode. After a few years of service, this lining is ‘spent’ and must be replaced. This waste material, called 1stcut Spent Pot Lining (SPL1), is collected in thousands of tons. SPL1 is considered a ‘hazardous’ material by the US Environmental Protection Agency and its European counterpart. Storage, transportation and treatment of SPL1 is a major problem for the aluminum industry. In the most common recycling procedure, SPL1 is treated either thermally or chemically by expensive processes to retrieve the carbon, which is then used as fuel. Alternative uses for this carbon-rich material in other applications are being explored. Epoxy resin is a thermoset polymer coating material which has wide industry acceptance due to its toughness, adhesion, durability, thermal stability, high chemical resistance, low shrinkage and ease of fabrication. However, epoxy coatings suffer from brittleness, a poor resistance to crack propagation especially in presence of UV radiations. It is expected that addition of carbon-based conductive fillers can decrease the susceptibility of epoxy to aggressive UV radiation and thus increase its corrosion protection properties. The objective of this work is to explore the use of SPL1 as an additive in fast-cure epoxy coatings on mild steel substrates and study the thermal and electrical properties of the resulting composite at various concentrations of functionalized and unfunctionalized SPL1. The weathering behavior of these coatings under UV radiation were also investigated. The results showed that the electrochemical corrosion behavior of the coating was significantly improved although some microcracks developed on the surface of the coatings after prolonged exposure to UV radiation. Figure 1

Discussion of Derivability of Local Residual Stress Level from Magnetic Stray Field Measurement

The NDT procedure dubbed ‘metal magnetic memory’ method and the related ISO 24497 standard has found wide industrial acceptance in some countries, mainly in Russia and China. The method has been claimed by some researchers (Roskosz and Bieniek in NDTE Wilson et al. in Sens Actuators A 135:381–387, 2007) as having potential for quantitative determination of local residual stress state in engineering structures, at least for some steel grades. This work presents a critical reexamination of a previous important study by Roskosz and Bieniek, who claimed to have found a direct relationship between local residual equivalent stress levels ranging from 0 to 50 MPa, and the stray field gradients in T/P24 steel sample placed in the Earth’s ambient magnetic field. We reconstruct their experiment in a magnetic finite element simulation, computing stray magnetic field and its tangential gradients along the axis of the sample. Different combinations of remanent induction and relative magnetic permeability levels have been modeled, and the influence of geometrical discontinuity is quantified. In order to validate magnetic finite element methodology, a new experiment is presented, along with its numerical counterpart. The magnetic finite element method allowed to obtain a good quantitative correlation with well-controlled stray field measurements. It is demonstrated, that the residual stress level of order of 50 MPa is not the only factor, on which the stray field measurement depends. The geometrical discontinuity and the remanent induction contribute to a higher extent to the field amplitudes. Consequently we prove, that a bidirectional correlation between the magnetic field gradient and local stress levels cannot be determined because of at least three concurrent inseparable factors on which the measured stray field and its spatial gradient depends.

Software-based optimal PID design with robustness and noise sensitivity constraints

Even though PID control has been available for a long time, there are still no tuning methods including derivative action that have gained wide acceptance in industry. Also, there is still no general consensus for when one should use PID, PI or even I control on a process. The focus of this article is to present a new method for optimal PID control design that automatically picks the best controller type for the process at hand. The proposed PID design procedure uses a software-based method to find controllers with optimal or near optimal load disturbance response subject to robustness and noise sensitivity constraints. It is shown that the optimal controller type depends on maximum allowed noise sensitivity as well as process dynamics. The design procedure thus results in a set of PID, PI and I controllers with different noise filters that the user can switch between to reach an acceptable control signal activity. The software is also used to compare PI and PID control performance with equivalent noise sensitivity and robustness over a large batch of processes representative for the process industry. This can be used to show how much a particular process benefits from using the derivative part.

Experimental Study on Steel to FRP Bonded Lap Joints in Marine Applications

Steel structures coated with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have gained wide acceptance in marine industry due to their high strength-to-weight ratio, good protection from environmental degradation, and impact loads. In this study, adhesive bonding performance of single-lap bonded joints composed of steel coated with FRP has been investigated experimentally for three different surface roughness and two epoxy types. Single-lap bonded joints have been tested under tensile loading. The adhesive bonding performance has been evaluated by calculating the strain energy values. The results reveal that the surface roughness of steel has a significant effect on the bonding performance of steel to FRP combinations and the performance of the resin can be improved by using the primer in an economical way.

H-infinity controller design for pneumatic servosystem: a comparative study

In recent times, pneumatic servosystems have received wide acceptance in industries and other special systems. Current researches focus on improving the disturbance rejection properties of pneumatic servosystems to work well in industrial environment. So far many controllers have been developed to control the system, of which the H∞ controller is found to guarantee robustness and performance. In this paper, design of robust H infinity controller is proposed for pneumatic servo system using different techniques such as mixed sensitivity function, loop shaping design using Glover-McFarlane method and optimal controller design based on solution of Riccati equations and comparative analysis is done with conventional PID controller tuned using Ziegler-Nichols method. Comparison with a well tuned PID controller shows the efficacy of H∞ controller designed using the proposed algorithms.

Densification behaviour of sintered-forged aluminium composite preforms

Powder forging is achieving wide industrial recognition and acceptance as being able to produce high-quality parts in an economical manner. The densification behaviour and forming limits of Al, Al-2WC and Al-2WC-4Fe3C preforms were investigated and is presented in this work. A suitable die-set assembly was used to produce powder performs with initial theoretical density of 83% ± 1% and aspect ratio of 0.5 on a 1-MN hydraulic press. Sintering was carried out in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 590 °C for 60 min. The sintered compacts were subjected to hot upsetting at dry friction condition to obtain different levels of height strain, and the operation was stopped when visible cracks appeared at the free surface. Densification behaviour and forming limits are elucidated by studying the diameter strain, height strain, flow stress and Poisson’s ratio parameters.

Relationship between Installation Torque and Axial Capacities of Helical Piles in Cohesive Soils

AbstractThe empirical relationship between torque measured during installation and pile capacity has gained a wide acceptance in the helical pile industry in the last few decades. This paper presents a theoretical model developed to estimate torsional resistance of cohesive soils to helical pile installation. The proposed torsional resistance model was then used to establish torque factor, Kt, a factor that is widely used in the industry. The results of the study indicated that the Kt factor is a function of the load path (i.e. tension or compression), pile geometry and soil properties. The assessed Kt factors in tension and compression were validated by the results of 74 installation records and full-scale helical pile load tests. A parametric study was also performed to qualitatively assess the relative importance of different parameters that affect the Kt factors.

GUAR GUM: PRESENT STATUS AND APPLICATIONS

Naturally occurring excipients are currently getting prime importance among which the polysaccharides occupy a special positi on because of their easy availability, non - toxic, eco - frien d ly and biodegradable nature. The objecti ve of this review was to explore the excipient profile of Guar gum which is obtained from Cyamopsis tetragonolobus (Linn. Leguminosae). The chief constituent of guar gum is a Gallactomannan which is composed of galactose and mannose in a ratio of 1:2 that provides the main physical phenomenon of gelling or thickening to this gum . The chemistry of this gallactomannan suggested the presence of multiple hydroxyl groups which are proved to be excellent for derivatiz ation by grafting or cross - linking with other polymers to create new chemically modified entity of desired properties. The native as well as guar gum derivatives are found to have therapeutic importance in certain physiological di sorders . Guar gum is used as suspending, emulsifying and stabilizing age nt in the conventional dosage forms. In tablet dosage form it is used as a potential binding and disintegrating agent. The swelling property of guar gum is used for controlling the drug release rate in the novel pharmaceutical dosage forms. By virtue of it s better thickening and stabilizing power accompanied by a sound safety profile, guar gum has acquired a wide acceptance in cosmetics and food industry .