Potential Applications of a Novel Ballast Water Pretreatment Device: Grinding Device

To investigate the removal efficiency of the grinding device (GD) as a potential replacement for the pretreatment filtration device of ballast water, solid grinding and viability experiment were conducted according to a treatment flow rate of 5 tons (Pilot test, PT), and 200 tons (Full-scale test, FST) per h. The solid grinding effect was observed in the particle size of ≥25 μm. Under the high-turbidity conditions (>300 mg L−1), no change in pressure (0.98 kgf/cm2) or stoppage in the GD were observed. The removal efficiency of the GD for >100 μm organism was determined to be 100% in both PT and FST, whereas the removal efficiency was determined to be 93% and 87% in the PT and FST, respectively, for the <100 μm organism. There was no statistically significant change in the removal efficiency stored within 2 h after passing through the GD, while the removal efficiency was determined to be ≥99% in the sample stored for 120 h. Future study is necessary to determine the additional removal efficiency according to the storage period after passing through the GD, but the GD might be utilized as the pretreatment device for the ballast water management system.

HIEQLab, a facility to support multi-domain human-centered research on building performance and environmental quality

Researches on building performances and environmental quality can be performed through different approaches, including dynamic numerical simulations, in-field studies, full scale test facilities and living labs. Researches performed through full scale test facilities allow carrying out studies under controlled realistic conditions, directly involving the final users. Such approach can significantly improve the scientific research on energy efficient and healthy buildings by fostering a synergistic and user-centered innovation process. Within this context, at Politecnico di Torino, the TEBE group (Technology, Energy, Building and Environment) has designed and is realizing a full-scale facility, aimed at implementing researches on building Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and energy performance. The facility will enable multi-domain studies, including thermal, air quality, acoustic and lighting aspects, involving the final user in the research process. The paper describes the features of the facility and the challenges it was conceived to face.

Development Of A Biaxial Testing Apparatus

<div>Material testing is a crucial part of engineering design and development, especially in aerospace engineering as it is more cost effective to test an element or component than doing a full-scale test on the completed part. Typically, uniaxial testing is carried out to characterize a material,</div><div>which is adequate for finding the properties of the material. However, these kinds of tests are inadequate for simulating the real-world loading that a component may experience in its life cycle. Therefore, this project’s goal was to develop a low-cost biaxial testing apparatus using off-the-shelf components, including the Arduino Uno microcontroller (“Arduino”), stepper motors (“motors”), and load cell. This report outlines the development of the software required to</div><div>operate the motors and read output value of the load cell. The Arduino code used to control the motors was developed using open-source code available on GitHub and the Stepper library, which contains the required functions for controlling the motors. The Arduino code can be used</div><div>to determine the strain rate of up to 11 𝑚𝑚/𝑚𝑖𝑛, as well as the type of loading (tension or compression) along each axis. </div>

Development Of A Biaxial Testing Apparatus

<div>Material testing is a crucial part of engineering design and development, especially in aerospace engineering as it is more cost effective to test an element or component than doing a full-scale test on the completed part. Typically, uniaxial testing is carried out to characterize a material,</div><div>which is adequate for finding the properties of the material. However, these kinds of tests are inadequate for simulating the real-world loading that a component may experience in its life cycle. Therefore, this project’s goal was to develop a low-cost biaxial testing apparatus using off-the-shelf components, including the Arduino Uno microcontroller (“Arduino”), stepper motors (“motors”), and load cell. This report outlines the development of the software required to</div><div>operate the motors and read output value of the load cell. The Arduino code used to control the motors was developed using open-source code available on GitHub and the Stepper library, which contains the required functions for controlling the motors. The Arduino code can be used</div><div>to determine the strain rate of up to 11 𝑚𝑚/𝑚𝑖𝑛, as well as the type of loading (tension or compression) along each axis. </div>