A framework analysis approach of an indoor air quality sensor

Killing around 7 million people a year, air pollution is the biggest risk to environmental health in the world. In this paper, we explore the use of structuring knowledge representation in form of a framework approach for an indoor air quality sensor. Applying the main steps to be considered in defining an air quality framework, we discuss each one of them, followed by a particular implementation of the framework in terms of an ontology model to exposure to carbon monoxide and PM10.5 (two of the most encountered pollutants in home life).

Studies on friction behaviour of aluminium AA4032 alloy during forging using ring compression test

In metal forming, friction has a negative effect on the deformation load & energy requirements, homogeneity of metal flow, quality of formed surfaces, etc.; however, its effect can be reduced through the use of proper lubricants. Mostly, in industrial applications, selection of proper lubricant for specific material is challenging and quantification of magnitude of friction at diework piece interface is essential. Hence, for metallic alloys, a realistic friction factor is needed to be known and used at the diework piece interface for better control of deformation process. Thus, this research, generally, aims at experimental investigation of the friction behavior of aluminum AA4032 alloy and selection of suitable lubricant for its effective processing using ring compression test and finite element (FE) simulations. Meanwhile, the effect of metal surface conditions and different lubricants namely palm oil, grease, emulsion oil and dry conditions on the friction behaviour has been evaluated. A commercial FEM software, DEFORM 3D, is used to analyze the flow of metal, determine the geometry changes of the specimen and generate friction calibration curves. The results revealed that the nature of metal surface and lubricating conditions have significantly affected the metal flow pattern, deformation load requirement, induced effective stress and strain, and geometry of the metal. The friction factor at die-work piece is determined for different lubricating conditions. Among lubricants employed, palm oil is found to be suitable and effective for industrial processing of aluminium AA4032 alloy, specifically for forging. The FE simulation results are in a good agreement with the experimental one.

Measuring capabilities of zero-inflated processes

The high-quality processes usually have more count of zeros than are expected under chance variation of its underlying Poisson or other count distribution. Therefore, these processes are usually referred to as zero-inflated processes. The zeroinflated processes are commonly modelled by zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) or zero-inflated negative binomial (ZINB) distribution. In a manufacturing set up, the evaluation of process capability index of a zero-inflated process can be useful in many ways, e.g. i) predicting how well the process will hold the specifications, ii) selecting between competing vendors, and iii) assisting product developers/designers in modifying the process, etc. However, researchers have given very little attentions on this aspect of zero-inflated processes. Only one such attempt is reported in literature. But, it does not always represent the true capabilities of zero-inflated processes, and sometimes it may give very misleading impression about the capability of the concerned process. In this article, the concept of Borges and Ho (2001) is applied to zero-inflated processes and a new approach for computation of process capability index of zero-inflated processes is developed. The proposed method reveals the true capabilities of zero-inflated processes consistently. Application of the proposed approach and its effectiveness are illustrated using two datasets published by past researchers.

Fuzzy algorithm implementation in microcontroller for DC motor control

In industrial automation, motor control technique plays the vital role. Motor consists of inductor or electromagnet. Causing inductor or electromagnet, magnetic inductions are produces which resists any change of motor speed. Hence, according to set point, precise speed control is challenging. However, using various control technique can be controls the speed of DC motor. The aim of the present paper is to implement hardware and control the speed of DC motor using embedded fuzzy logic. Set point have been applied externally and recorded the speed of motor through opto-isolator sensor module. In the hardware of DC motor control keypad, 2x16 LCD, DC motor driver and opto-isolator module are interfaced to PIC microcontroller. The Fuzzy algorithm is embedded in the microcontroller wherein input fuzification signals ‘error (Δe)’ and ‘change in error (e(n))’ and output fuzification signal ‘PWM’. The both of inputs of fuzzy algorithm are varied and record output of fuzzy algorithm which is PWM. Moreover, the hardware implementation has been tested for real time control of DC Motor.

Preloading system with partially penetrating vertical drains in marine soft clays in Egypt: 2D and 3D comparative FE study

A large-scale trial embankment provided with partially penetrating prefabricated vertical drains (PVD) was installed in consolidating marine clay deposits at East-Port said industrial zone project in Egypt. The trial embankment was constructed with a bottom area of 150x150m and a height of 5.5m to evaluate the efficiency of the improvement system and verify the design parameters. An intensive instrumentation system was built-up including shallow settlement indicators, vibrating wire piezometers, extensometer, and inclinometers. Two and three-dimensional finite element analyses (FE) were performed to study the effect of the preloading system provided with partially PVD in consolidating marine clay deposits. FE models were validated and showed good agreement with the field observations in terms of vertical displacement of embankment center, and lateral soil deformation beneath the embankment toe.

Physicochemical characterization of biochars from Eucalyptus maiden Entandrophragma cylindricum (Liboyo), Milicia excelsa (Muvula.) and Ocotea michelsonie (licheche) used in Goma city, DR Congo for water treatment potentials

In recent years, research on biochar as an eco-friendly material and cost-effective means for water treatment, soil amendment and carbon sequestration has gained more attention due to the availability of feedstock, the simplicity of the preparation methods, and their enhanced physico-chemical properties. Given that pyrolysis temperature and resident time amongst other factors have significant effect on biochar’s pollutant removal efficacy, this study focused on the evaluation of some properties of biochars produced by pyrolysis (500 - 600 °C) from Entandrophragma cylindricum (ECB), Eucalyptus maiden (EMB), Milicia excelsa (MEB) and Ocotea michelsonie (OMB) sawdusts for their water treatment potentials by using standardized methods. Biomass generated from wood mill in the city of Goma (DR Congo) is valorised for the first time as potential water purifier. The highest yield was obtained from OMB (36.6%) which was found to be significantly greater that those of ECB and EMB (p<0.05). All the biochars had neutral to weakly alkaline pH (7.10-7.90), very high porosity (92-94%, with EMB having the highest value) and ash content between 9.40 and 18.40%, with the highest value attributed to OMB). Most physical and chemical characteristics of biochars varied significantly due to different wood species. Potential toxic elements were far belowenvironmental threshold values and exchangeable cations were equally detected in the biochars. The obtained biochars are therefore seen as good media for water treatment.

Static analysis of wind turbine blade using 1D FE model

The study presents a unique technique to determine the static response of wind turbine (WT) blade. A 1D Finite element (FE) beam model of WT blade is developed using thin-walled beam theory coupled with PreComp tool used to compute crosssectional stiffness with elastic coupling effects. A realistic 9.2 m long, WT blade is developed using different aerofoils with fourth order polynomial variation for twisting angle of blade span. Three different aerfoil sections NREL S818, NREL S825, and NACA 2412 are employed in the current study. For validation, the results of 1D model developed using MATLAB are compared with that of 3D WT blade model which is analyzed in ANSYS using NuMAD..

Comparison of the supervised machine learning techniques using WPT for the fault diagnosis of cylindrical roller bearing

In this paper, a comparative study of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques for the condition monitoring of the cylindrical roller bearing is presented. For the feature selection, wavelet analysis is applied using the ‘sym2’ as the mother wavelet. Nine features are considered for the training and evaluation of the AI techniques and then effectiveness is compared. Bearing sample data consists of four different conditions as having defective inner race, defective outer race, having defects on roller and a healthy bearing. For the preparation of the sample bearing, laser machine is used for introduction of the micro size defects on the surfaces. Support Vector Machine (SVM), Artificial neural network (ANN), and logistic regression are used with feature ranking method for the data training purpose and their effectiveness of identifying the condition is the major purpose. Feature ranking method is the new way of filtering the right data in right sequence for the data training. In results, Logistic regression found more accurate in comparison with the ANN and SVM for the cylindrical bearing.

Arsenic contamination in India: Causes, effects and treatment methods

Herein the present study focuses on arsenic (As) contamination in groundwater, which plagues a vast section of the population of the world. Even the conservative estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) estimate the number of people plagued by arsenic contaminated drinking water to be around 140-200 million. The Ganga- Brahmaputra fluvial plains in India and Padma-Meghna fluvial plains in Bangladesh are said to be one of the worst groundwater calamities to the humans. The Arsenic levels in drinking water in some of the most populated states in India are disproportionately higher than those defined by WHO guidelines. The paper, thus, delves into the anomaly in permissible limits defined by WHO and regional governments and its consequential effects. It briefly analyses the major sources of Arsenic contamination and its health effects in India. The study also looks closely into the states and districts plagued by the As contamination and explores the prominent treatment methods employed in as removal from the drinking water. Keywords: Arsenic, Adsorption, Geogenic, Arsenopyrite, Oxidation treatment

Performance evaluation of solar parabolic trough driven water purification system

Application of solar energy to purify the water is advancing rapidly since it is an attractive alternative because of its simple technology; non-requirement of skilled labor for maintenance work, low energy consumption and no fuel is required for operating such water purification unit. This paper deals with the performance evaluation of the solar water purification at Mechanical Engineering Department MMMUT Gorakhpur, India. To perform this experiment, parabolic trough of fixed rim angle and length is considered. Based upon rim angle and length other pertinent parameters are calculated and selection of materials for fabrication of the unit is done. After that solar water purifier unit is fabricated. The solar parabolic collector utilizes the concentrating solar power technology to concentrate the solar insolation. The performance of parabolic trough is evaluated by considering the effect of glass cover on the concentrator. Various results are plotted between the temperature of the fluid and time keeping other parameters held fixed. Further a comparative study is performed for solar water purification unit with and without glass cover. The purity of water is measured based on its pH value and total dissolved solid (TDS).