Effect of Pin Geometry and Orientation on Friction and Wear Behavior of Nickel-Coated EN8 Steel Pin and Al6061 Alloy Disc Pair

Most mechanical systems (in particular, gear transmission system) undergo relative motion which results in increased friction phenomenon (friction coefficient, stresses, and wear rate) and thereby results in loss of efficiency. Mechanical parts undergo relative motion in different geometry configurations and orientations that induce a different state of stress as a result of friction. Till date, attempts are being made to minimize the friction with full sphere pin geometry configuration. The present work focused to reduce the frictional and wear rate, and experiments are conducted with tribo-pairs. i.e., nickel-coated pin surface slide against Al6061 alloy disc. The friction studies are carried out at different loads and geometries of pin surfaces (sphere and hemisphere configured at different orientations such as full sphere and hemisphere configured at 0°, 45°, and 90°) to induce different stress states with reference to sliding directions. Change in the geometry of EN8 pin material and their orientation with reference to sliding direction resulted in a different state of stress. The resulting stress levels were examined under the scanning electron microscope, which revealed the mechanisms of adhesion, abrasion, and extrusion. At a lower magnitude of orientation and load, the extent of asperity breaking lessens and material removal from pin surface decreases. Abrasion wear mechanism was observed corresponding to full sphere configuration on Al 6061 disc, whereas adhesive wear mechanisms are seen with hemisphere pins. The amount of aluminum transfer on pin surface with a hemisphere pin is comparatively more than that of full sphere configuration. At a lower magnitude of state of stress, the mechanism of sliding was dominated by the adhesion effect. At a higher level of state of stress, the mechanism of sliding was dominated by abrasion and extrusion.

The effects of printing directions on the compression behavior of the Re-entrant structure produced by 3D printing technology

In this work, a re-entrant structure having a negative Poisson’s ratio (NPRs) was designed and produced with polylactic acid (PLA) using 3D printing technology. A series of samples was prepared with the different printing directions, namely, printed following (PF) the structure orientation, at 0[Formula: see text] (PZ) and at 90[Formula: see text] (PN). Results showed that the printing direction plays a crucial role in determining the mechanical properties of the printed meta-materials. In particular, PF specimens achieved the highest energy absorption at break, which is [Formula: see text]2 times as high as PZ or PN samples. The PF specimens also showed the highest stiffness under compression. However, the Poisson’s ratio was less sensitive to the changes in printing directions. The measured Poisson’s ratios for PF, PZ and PN samples are −1.68, −1.87 and −1.70, respectively. Based on the experimental results, the effects of the printing direction and the geometry configuration of the structure on the deformation behavior of the printed meta-material were further discussed.

An Optimal Geometry Configuration Algorithm of Hybrid Semi-Passive Location System Based on Mayfly Optimization Algorithm

In view of the demand of location awareness in a special complex environment, for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) airborne multi base-station semi-passive positioning system, the hybrid positioning solutions and optimized site layout in the positioning system can effectively improve the positioning accuracy for a specific region. In this paper, the geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) formula of a time difference of arrival (TDOA) and angles of arrival (AOA) hybrid location algorithm is deduced. Mayfly optimization algorithm (MOA) which is a new swarm intelligence optimization algorithm is introduced, and a method to find the optimal station of the UAV airborne multiple base station’s semi-passive positioning system using MOA is proposed. The simulation and analysis of the optimization of the different number of base stations, compared with other station layout methods, such as particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA), and artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm. MOA is less likely to fall into local optimum, and the error of regional target positioning is reduced. By simulating the deployment of four base stations and five base stations in various situations, MOA can achieve a better deployment effect. The dynamic station configuration capability of the multi-station semi-passive positioning system has been improved with the UAV.

Borehole Thermal Analysis for a Closed Loop Vertical U-Tube DX Ground Heat Exchanger

The borehole geometry configuration and its sizing represent great challenges to the thermal equipment designer in the field of geothermal energy source. The present work represents a piece in that direction to avoid elaborate mathematical and computation schemes constraints for the preliminary design of the U-tube ground heat exchanger operates under a steady-state condition. A correlation was built for the prediction of the borehole thermal resistance. The U-tube diameter, leg spacing, borehole diameter, and the offset configuration with respect to the center of the borehole were introduced in the present correlation. An equivalent tube formula and borehole configuration were postulated to possess the same grout volume as the original loop. A variety of geometrical configurations were tested at different U-tube and borehole sizes. The predicted total thermal resistance of the borehole was implemented into the thermal design of the (DX) ground condenser to sizing the borehole U-tube heat exchanger. A hypothetical cooling unit of (1) ton of refrigeration that circulates R410A refrigerant was chosen for the verification of the present model outcomes. The predicted thermal resistance revealed an excellent agreement with other previously published work in this category.

A Method for Comparing the Fatigue Performance of Forged AZ80 Magnesium

A closed die forging process was developed to successfully forge an automotive suspension component from AZ80 Mg at a variety of different forging temperatures (300 °C, 450 °C). The properties of the forged component were compared and contrasted with other research works on forged AZ80 Mg at both an intermediate forging and full-scale component forging level. The monotonic response, as well as the stress and strain-controlled fatigue behaviours, were characterized for the forged materials. Stress, strain and energy-based fatigue data were used as a basis for comparison of the durability performance. The effects of the starting material, forging temperature, forging geometry/configuration were all studied and aided in developing a deeper understanding of the process-structure-properties relationship. In general, there is a larger improvement in the material properties due to forging with cast base material as the microstructural modification which enhances both the strength and ductility is more pronounced. In general, the optimum fatigue properties were achieved by using extruded base-material and forging using a closed-die process at higher strain rates and lower temperatures. The merits and drawbacks of various fatigue damage parameters (FDP’s) were investigated for predicting the fatigue behaviour of die-forged AZ80 Mg components, of those investigated, strain energy density (SED) proved to be the most robust method of comparison.

The combined impacts of leg geometry configuration and multi-staging on the exergetic performance of thermoelectric modules in a solar thermoelectric generator

The performance of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) can be improved either by the adoption of multi-stage or tapered leg configuration. So far, a hybrid device that simultaneously uses both multi-staging and tapered leg geometry to improve its performance has not been conceived. Thus, we present a thermodynamic modelling and optimization of a two-stage TEG with tapered leg geometries using ANSYS 2020 R2 software. The optimized parameters include the leg height, area, concentrated solar radiation and external load resistance. Firstly, the X-leg TEG only improves the performance of the trapezoidal leg TEG below a leg height of 3 mm. Beyond 3 mm, the performance of both TEGs become very similar. Long thermoelectric legs provide higher efficiencies, while short legs generate maximum power densities. To obtain maximum efficiencies, the initial leg height of the thermoelectric legs, 1.62 mm, is increased by 517.28%, while the initial leg area, 1.96 mm2, is decreased by 64.29%. Also, the proposed two-stage TEG with tapered legs (trapezoidal and X-legs) improves the exergetic efficiency of the base case, single-stage rectangular leg TEG, by 16.7%. Furthermore, the use of tapered leg TEGs; in single and multi-stage arrangements, reduces the exergy conversion index of conventional rectangular leg TEGs by 1.89% and 0.98%, respectively. Finally, the use of tapered legs and multi-stage configurations increases the thermodynamic irreversibilities of conventional rectangular leg TEGs, thus, reducing their thermodynamic stability.

Experimental study on drilling characteristics of the hybrid sisal–jute fibre epoxy composites

Natural fibre composites have received worldwide attention due to their good mechanical properties, lightweight and low density. Due to these advantages, the natural fibre composites have been used in various engineering applications. Drilling is one of the most frequent machining operations performed on hybrid sisal–jute polymer composites, to assemble the numerous structural components by using mechanical joining process. Furthermore, the machining of fibre reinforced composite material has attracted several researchers because of its non-homogeneous and anisotropic structure. The present research work concerns with the experimental studies on the drilling process of hybrid sisal–jute epoxy composite, using three different types of drill geometry (twist drill, step drill and core drill). The significance of the current work aims to reveal the effect of drill geometry configuration and drilling parameters in terms of drilling-induced force and damages (delamination and surface roughness) for the drilling of hybrid natural fibre composites. Drilling forces, drilling-induced damages and hole quality attributes were experimentally investigated for different drill geometries. The delamination and surface roughness type damages are revealed by microscopic analysis with the help of scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results show that twist drill is best suited for the hole- and force-induced damages.

Design And Analysis of CFD Geometry Configuration Canted Winglet Toward Aerodynamic Characteristic on Wing Profil of The UAV LSU-05

The wing is part of an aircraft or UAV which has a function as a major component of producing lift, therefore if a problem occurs such as a vortex at the end of the wing it will affect its performance capability. This study aims to determine the condition of the airflow, the value of induced drag, and the selection of the design of the wingtip devices on the wing profile of the UAV LSU-05. The method used is numerical or computational methods with CFD-based software to predict the aerodynamic characteristics and phenomenon of airflow around the wing with wingtip devices and without it. The model used in this study is a half-wing LSU-05 with NACA 4415 made with CATIA V5R20 software and the simulation uses ANSYS CFX 17.1. Based on the previous simulation results, it was found that the application of the canted winglet geometry to the wing profile of the UAV LSU-05 affects the coefficient lift (CL)/coefficient drag (CD) value and induced drag. Whereas the coefficient lift (CL)/coefficient drag (CD) value before using the canted winglet was 18.904 after application, increased to 21.616, this causes the induced drag value to change inversely with the coefficient lift (CL)/coefficient drag (CD) value where the value before the application was 30.4181 N to 29.0566 N.Keywords: Canted Winglet, CFD, Wing

Clinical Phase I/II Study: Local Disease Control and Survival in Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer Treated with Electrochemotherapy

Objective. To assess local disease control rates (LDCR) and overall survival (OS) in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) treated with electrochemotherapy (ECT). Methods. Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin was performed in 25 LAPC patients who underwent baseline Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and/or Computed Tomography (CT) and Position Emission Tomography (PET) scans before ECT and 1 and 6 months post ECT. LDCR were assessed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST 1.1) and Choi criteria. Needle electrodes with fixed linear (N-30-4B) or fixed hexagonal configurations (N-30-HG or I-40-HG or H-30-ST) or variable geometry (VGD1230 or VGD1240) (IGEA S.p.A., Carpi, Italy) were used to apply electric pulses. Pain evaluation was performed pre-ECT, after 1 month and after 6 months with ECT. Overall survival estimates were calculated by means of a Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results. At 1 month after ECT, 76% of patients were in partial response (PR) and 20% in stable disease (SD). Six months after ECT, 44.0% patients were still in PR and 12.0% in SD. A LDCR of 56.0% was reached six months after ECT: 13 patients treated with fixed geometry had a LDCR of 46.1%, while for the 12 patients treated with variable geometry, the LDCR was 66.7%. The overall survival median value was 11.5 months: for patients treated with fixed geometry the OS was 6 months, while for patients treated with variable geometry it was 12 months. Electrochemotherapy was well-tolerated and abdominal pain was rapidly resolved. Conclusions. Electrochemotherapy obtained good results in terms of LDCR and OS in LAPC. Multiple needle insertion in a variable geometry configuration optimized by pre-treatment planning determined an increase in LDCR and OS compared to a fixed geometry configuration.