Innovations in Mechanical Engineering

Metallic additive manufacturing is a trending topic of manufacturing, being nowadays intensively investigated due to its innumerous advantages, such as design freedom. Some challenges remain, namely the need to perform post-processing operations of the parts towards improved surface finishing, which in some cases may involve machining operations. In addition, in some industries, the compatibility of additively manufactured inserts is assured by machining operations. Therefore, understanding the machinability of additively manufactured materials leads to timely research. This paper presents research on metal cutting supported by orthogonal cutting operations, aiming at investigating the machinability of the additively manufactured 18Ni300 maraging steel. Material build direction and tool rake angle were investigated. In addition, conventional material was tested for comparison purposes. Cutting loads, specific cutting pressure, shear angle, friction and chip geometry are evaluated according to Merchant theory. Despite the higher flow stress and anisotropic behaviour of the additively manufactured steel, their specific cutting pressure is lesser influenced by the metallurgical condition than the geometric effect of the cutting tool (rake angle).

Dynamic industrial data growth necessitates the development of several new concepts of these data analysis that will allow to select not only the right data, but also to apply appropriate methods in order to extract knowledge from them. For this purpose, the possible use of decision trees as a decision support tool for a machining process data analysis was discussed in this article. With the use of the generated decision rules, we identify parameters that affect the state of a blade (blunt, sharp). In consequence that makes it possible to predict its future state at specific values of the identified parameters. Decision trees enable the analyses of the importance of each variable for the dependent variable. This makes it possible to analyse how each individual parameter and the relationships between them affect the condition of a cutter blade. The results of variables importance for a decision tree analysis can be used to determine the most important input variables, while rejecting those which do not affect the condition of a cutter blade. The study offers some promising results. It is confirmed by the achieved prediction model quality indicators.

The electro discharge machining is a promising production technique allowing to overcome the limits of standard drilling process especially in case of small and deep holes production in tough materials. A drawback of the EDM technique is the necessity to find optimal machining conditions depending on materials and dimensions of the workpiece and the electrode. Even in case of an optimal set of machining parameters, the machining process still shows instability mainly related to the flushing and debris removal mechanism. The aim of this study is to find how the machining flushing level, the machining feed rate, and the machining process stability relate to the machined hole’s depth for a combination of the sinking process with a hollow electrode with inner flushing. We machined out series of holes that show that inner flushing increases the machining depth compared to machining with no electrode inner flushing. Experiments also showed the machining feed rate increases with a decreasing dielectric oil flushing pressure. There was not found any limit in the hole depth up to the depth of 48 mm in stainless steel, even for a low-level flushing corresponding to dropping of individual drops at the electrode tip. It was found that decreasing of the flushing pressure increases the standard deviation of the feed rate measured along the hole machining depth. There was also found an effect of strong drop of the feed rate in a small hole depth related to the increases of the machining area caused by workpiece inner peak formation inside the hollow electrode.

The results of experimental researches of the tribological properties of D – Gun coatings from powder of alloy VK8 (WC-8%Co) are given. The main studies were carried out under conditions of ring – on – ring test without lubrication (dry friction). For testing in conditions of ring – on – ring test the device for metal – cutting machine tools is developed. Coatings were spraying on steel samples immediately after turning without jet – abrasive preparation of surfaces for spraying. The influence of the sliding velocity on friction coefficient, comparative wear resistance and temperature of friction pairs are studied. All friction pairs are characterized by a decrease of friction coefficient and an increase of temperature in friction zone with increasing of sliding velocity. It is shown that in the range of sliding velocities from 0,104 to 0,6 m/s there is a more intensive decrease of friction coefficient and with a further increase of sliding velocity its rate decreases and at 3,14 m/s reaches 0,145. In studied range of sliding velocities, when use steel samples as counterbody, the friction coefficient has smaller values.

Carbon nanotube reinforced aluminum matrix composites are considered a promising solution for applications that require high specific mechanical properties. Even though there are numerous methods for their manufacturing, these are frequently based on powder metallurgy approaches, limiting the fabrication of components with significant volumes and complex shapes. Casting, as a manufacturing technique, is regarded as the most appropriate route to obtain complex-shaped components with a relative high microstructural quality. These techniques to obtain Al-CNT cast components is still challenging due to the agglomeration, lack of dispersion, reduced bonding and density of the CNTs in Al. To address these issues, CNTs are usually pre-processed by ball-milling with Al powder to promote bonding and disperse the reinforcement, however, these techniques are not really beneficial to casting approaches due to the increase of Al2O3 content that do not disperse within the Al alloy melts. This study proposes the use of Al spheres (~1 mm) in these ball milling techniques to prevent significant plastic deformation, the formation of Al flakes and the increase in Al2O3 content. It is shown that CNTs may be dispersed and bonded to the Al sphere surfaces. Results suggest that this is a promising novel technique to allow a successful implementation of casting-based routes to fabricate high-volume and complex-shaped Al-CNT components.

Conducting accurate reliability estimation plays an important role for solid lubricated bearings, because they are widely used in highly reliable space applications. This paper proposes a general Wiener process to describe the degradation process for solid lubricated bearings. The performance indicator for solid lubricated bearings is a fusion indicator from several time domain statistics of vibration signal during operation. Mahalanobis Distance (MD) is utilized to fuse these time-domain statistics indicators into one indicator representing the degradation process. Two different time scale functions in drift term and fluctuation term of Wiener process are used to capture the nonlinearity characteristics of degradation process. Bayesian MCMC method is used to estimate all the unknown parameters in the proposed degradation model. Degradation data from experiment is used to validate the model. Results show that general Wiener process degradation model is fit well for the degradation data.

The thermostable polyurethane is a material used in the modeling sector and is currently replacing structural parts in control models of the automobile and aeronautics sector, for its ease of machining, in addition to providing good mechanical properties. In this work a robotic machining of a commercial polyurethane material type Necuron® 651 has been experienced.Robotic machining offers a wide possibility of machining and modeling materials with the advantage of increasing the accessibility to pieces, compared to conventional machining centers of three or more axes. Machining has been carried out with a system consisting of a ABB® 6640-235 robot with a Peroni® high speed head and ABB rotary table. The disadvantage of robotic machining, caused by the lack of rigidity of the robot’s morphology, are macro and micro-dimensional errors. Simple geometries with high speed steel tools have been made. The CAM programming has been obtained with the Software Powermill® of the company DELCAM, taking into account two types of strategies for limiting the freedom degree of the robot, to verify geometric results. Finally it has been measured and analyzed the surface generated by interferometer autofocus Alicona and has been measured the geometry of the samples in a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The results show that both micro and macro errors are significantly reduced by making fixed one of the seven axes of the robotic system.

The paper shows own study on a hand exoskeleton described from environmental point of view: starting from constraints caused by patient-tailored therapy and healthy/disordered human biomechanics through possible problems associated with material engineering (mechanical properties, biocompatibility, etc.) and their compensation by exoskeleton’ designers to material and technological limitations associated with recycling. The purpose of this article is to investigate how current opportunities in this area are being used, including reverse engineering as a part of the concept of the disabled person’s hand exoskeleton. There is no doubt that more research is needed for a more complete understanding3D printers emission, exposure, as far as effectiveness of indicators in real occupational conditions. But our solution can significantly improve situation concerning influence of the pollution and reuse of the materials. What more potential for harmful secondary changes from exposure to emission from certain additive manufacturing processes may influence further shape of the 3D printing within Industry 4.0 concept.

The major efforts in the space industry have the aim of finding ways to reduce the overall costs of developing and launching a spacecraft (S/C). In the current paper, structural optimization proves to be a possible answer for respecting the most decisive elements like mass reduction and minimum lead time, which translates into cost saving. This paper aims to present an end to end process of a topological optimized structure of a reusable re-entry vehicle section, manufactured using conventional methods. The structural optimization is performed trough advanced commercial of the shelf (COTS) software tool. The results are presented as a mass comparison, ease of manufacturing, and other criteria’s that are further presented in the paper.

Distributed manufacturing systems have become consensus, particularly networked manufacturing systems (NMS) owing to its flexible and adaptable nature in response to customized requirements. Highlighting of functions in NMS and their integration with recent key enabling technologies i.e., Artificial intelligence, Machine learning, Internet of Things, Block chain technology, and Agent-based techniques, etc. are of utmost importance to identify problems and increase its efficiency. Hence, besides the above-mentioned approaches, this paper surveyed and analysed various articles systematically related to networked manufacturing in the context of knowledge creation and information, security, interoperability, and reliability. To identify the most related papers, the search has been conducted with Web of Science and Scopus databases. Subsequently, after evaluation 30 most related papers were selected and analyzed that further extended by identifying the issues and gaps in the existing empirical knowledge. Finally, the paper presents a roadmap for future research directions and developments.

In this work we show how concepts and methods from actuarial risk theory can be applied to risk analysis in industry. Risk analysis consists in identifying, quantifying and classifying or ordering risks. In the proposed methodology, the risks identified in industrial setting, are modeled by loss random variables. The loss random variables are used to calculate the expected loss, the loss variance and exceedance probabilities permitting risk quantification. In order to classify and order risks, besides measures of uncertainty, risk measures, such as Value-at Risk and Tail-Value-at-Risk (or Expected Shortfall) are determined and, together with risk quantification, the risk levels are analysed. To exemplify this methodology, a case study for risk analysis and classification of occupational accidents in the furniture industry was carried out.

The manual assembly processes and the dynamic industrial environment usually requires fast adjustments between work teams and workstations to accomplish customers’ needs. Sometimes, activities are scheduled without considering occupational health of work teams. Those occurrences can compromise work conditions and employee’s health. Thus, the specific objective of this study was to develop a mathematical programming model, to permit monitoring the exposure to occupational risks of workers teams. The mathematical model proposed was validated through solutions generated via the CPLEX® optimization software and OPL language, which was applied in an assembly line of bicycle handlebar where 6 employees produce 800 units per day. First, the results for the original scenario were generated considering the people all the time in the same workstation. The solution was achieved in 12 ms and provided as solution OF = 26153. Then, to allow a deeper perception about the importance of monitoring people exposure at the shop floor, limits of subjection were established. The assignments between work teams and workstations were generated considering those limits. An admissible solution OF = 17888 with the potential to ensure the same output of bicycle handlebar was found in 14 ms. It is expected that the balanced employees’ exposure to the work conditions may contribute to minimize occupational diseases, increase the active aging and ensure future healthy generations, in different manual assembly processes.

Six-Sigma, a data-driven methodology, employed to improve the process in terms of Defect reduction or process optimization. In this paper, an experimental study is presented optimizing the cutting parameters while machining of shoulder bolt in a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) turning machine to reduce the cycle time. This study identifies, the effects of cutting speed, feed rate and dwell time on Thread rolling diameter (TRD) in CNC turning machine that was experimentally investigated. The experimentation plan is designed using six sigma D-M-A-I-C methodology, and the subsequent statistical analysis has been done using Minitab-16 software. Shainin based variable search tool has been used to investigate the design parameters that contribute to the reduction of the cycle time and factorial plots are employed to determine the contribution of important parameters. Later, the optimal values for the best cutting conditions are proposed for industrial production using the formulated mathematical model. Finally, this paper documents the analysis and tasks performed that reduced cycle time which resulted in increased productivity and also in annual savings.

The research was focused on quasi-static tests of adhesive bonds based on modified epoxy resin by adding filler in microparticle form reached by treatment from seed pressing process Jatropha Curcas L. The service life and mechanical properties (the tensile strength and elongation at break) of adhesive bond were evaluated for quasi-static test by exposure to 1000 cycles with loading 5–30% (165–989 N) and 5–70% (165–2307 N) of adhesive bond static tensile strength without modification. The results of hybrid adhesive bonds (with filler) did not prove significant increase in adhesive bond tensile strength but proved an increase in the fatigue strength of adhesive bonds. Research results proved that the service life of adhesive bond decreased at loading 70% of adhesive bond static tensile strength, i.e. 100 to 400 cycles according to filler concentration.

The increasing need to innovate to keep or create competitive advantage and the difficulty in retaining resources that enable innovation, force companies to look for partnerships. Partnering with the appropriate and leading R&D (Research and Development) institutions is critical to be able to innovate. One of the first challenges that emerges when building a collaboration is the selection of organizations to form the consortium. Technology foresight might be an interesting process to start building such partnership, as it helps identify technology opportunities and the entities that lead technology development.This paper uses case research to study the creation and use of a technology foresight process to build new R&D collaborations, while identifying of technology development opportunities. Findings from the case study led to the identification of how the technology foresight process was used to create a new R&D collaboration in the company under study, while identifying what motivated such collaboration and how it was managed. Furthermore, important characteristics of the team responsible for that process and of the process management are highlighted.

This paper presents numerical results for crashworthiness parameters of thin-walled structures with different section and trigger geometries. The improvement potential of the introduction of configurable crush triggers is analyzed. The main objective is to absorb impact energy in a progressive and controlled manner with higher efficiency and moderate peak loads. In the studied implementation different alternatives for trigger geometry and section design are proposed. The application is studied recurring to numerical simulation of representative octagonal geometries. The introduction of a complex section design suitable for extrusion manufacturing process allowed for significant improvements in specific absorbed energy. The ability to tailor peak loads was validated for the original octagonal geometry allowing for a peak load reduction of approximately 20%.

A large influence on the accuracy and quality of the surface being machined is shown by the temperature processes occurring in the cutting zone at finishing operations, especially such as grinding. Despite a liquid coolant is used to reduce the temperature in a cutting zone, it could become an additional heat source and influence on heating of the grinding machine. To avoid the ingress of heated cutting fluids on the machine parts, devices are used that create an air curtain. The simultaneous effect of flows of cutting fluids and air jets cause a change in heat transfer processes occurring in the cutting zone. The changes of the heat transfer coefficient along the contact line of the grinding wheel and the workpiece are considered in the paper. The phenomenon of overlapping sections of the contact zone of the grinding wheel and the workpiece, that occurs because of the recesses in the coolant under the action of an air jet from both sides is uncovered. It’s determined that the overlap pattern largely depends on the input air pressure and the size of the annular gap between the workpiece and the inner surface of the end elements of the coolant supply device. Construction measures that make it possible to minimize the length of the overlapping sections by air currents are proposed.

The aim of this work is to analyze the importance of the selection of materials in the development of products. As such, this work can provide an important contribution to the field of development of product design.A questionnaire was sent to professional designers. 29 responses were validated, this being the sample of our study. An application model of the guidelines to support the product designer in the selection of materials was developed. The relationship of parameters related to the model are presented. Thus, the selection of materials is considered of extreme importance for the designers. Several aspects influence it, including, among others, the conditions of service, the nature of the mechanical efforts, the availability of the materials, the cost of the materials, the safety, the ease of manufacture and assembly, the previous experience, the cycle product life. All this, looking for a better use of the products, capable of providing an improvement in the standard of living of the people. Furthermore, they can also create emotional connections with future users. For this, it is necessary the materials classification in simple and definitive categories. But it is a complex work, due to the amount and also, the diversity of options of materials available in the market able to materialize the ideas of the designers. Hence, the survey results are very important for professionals who need to select materials. The authors intend to extend this study to more professionals, to improve the results, through a more significant sample.

Atherosclerosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the arterial wall that progressively reduces the lumen size because of plaque formation. To understand this pathological process, several hemodynamic studies have been carried out, either experimentally or numerically. However, experimental studies have played an important role to validate numerical results. Recent advances in computer-aided design (CAD), medical imaging, and 3D printing technologies have provided a rapid and cost-efficient method to produce physical biomodels for flow visualization. As a manufacturing process, 3D printing techniques have attracted significant attention due to the low cost and potential to rapidly fabricate biomodels to perform flow hemodynamic studies.In the present work, a study was performed using biomodels manufactured by 3D printing that mimic both healthy and stenotic coronary arteries with different degrees of stenosis (0%, 50% and 70%). Firstly, it was evaluated the influence of the printing resolution on flow visualization, and the results showed that, when comparing to 150 μm, the 100 μm resolution biomodel was the most adequate for performing the proposed experimental studies, presenting an arithmetic average roughness of 7.24 μm. Secondly, the effect of stenosis severity on velocity and flow behavior was studied. It was concluded that as the severity of stenosis increases, the velocity at the stenosis throat also increases. In addition to this, it was also observed a recirculation zone downstream the stenosis, when the diameter was reduced to 70%.

This article describes the application of the optimization methodology of a complex technical system using the K-310-240 turbine as an example based on a block hierarchical approach. The methodology for optimizing the flow part of powerful steam turbines has been developed taking into account operating conditions. The complex hierarchical structure of the optimization task is implemented in CAD “Turboagregat”, which is based on the principles of a single integrated information space by adding new optimization objects. To organize effective information exchange, the process of optimal design is implemented using recursive bypass of optimization levels. Application of the methodology for solving a two-level multi-parameter and two-criteria optimization problem allowed us to find the optimal combination of 55 design parameters of the K-310-240 turbine, while increasing the absolute efficiency by 0.83% and the turbine power by 6.179 MW (~1.87%) regarding the prototype. By calculation, the mutual influence of turbine objects on its optimal characteristics was identified and evaluated.

Despite Mass Customization being already well known and quite studied in the literature, the interest in this productive approach has not been exhausted. This happens due to the continuous evolution of the paradigm based on technological evolution and on the increasing heterogeneity of the consumer profile. In fact, in the fashion industry and specifically in the footwear sector, there is a continuous interest in approaches that answer to commercial pretensions of the brands/industry, to consumers differentiation needs and to requirements of sustainability. Thus, Collaborative Mass Customization of Footwear (CMCF) is a solution to be considered by business strategy evaluators, such as managers, marketers and designers. The objective of the present study is to define the principles for a more holistic methodology to assist the development of CMCF, based on a literature review. As results, a proposal of a CMCF model and framework are presented. It is aimed to contribute to the theoretical reflection of the Co-design applied to the Mass Customization of footwear.

The classical combinatorial problem of scheduling is extensively studied and arises in several economic domains. However, there are few studies in the automobile sector, particularly in scheduling vehicle repair tasks and using real instances. This paper intends to contribute to fill this gap, focusing on the scheduling of the repairs of the mechanical section of a Portuguese firm in the automobile sector. A mathematical model is presented that will assist the shop manager on the scheduling of the repairs, taking into account: the mechanics and other resources that are available, the mechanical interventions to be performed on each vehicle and its expected processing time. The aim is to reduce the time of inactivity of the vehicles between interventions, as well as, the downtime of mechanics, and therefore improve productivity. The results, from real instances extracted from the data provided by the firm, show that the interventions are scheduled in a suitable form, and there is a reduction of the downtimes.

This work is part of the project “23 Design Methodology”, which describes the design process applied to creating two-dimensional polygonal artefacts for the construction of three-dimensional forms to support scenographic spaces and presents a design method applied to the educational activity. If, on the one hand, the design process and the design of the artefact are related. On the other hand, to justify its normative position regarding the design process, a design methodology was used that considered the versatility of the projected artefact. Several polygonal forms were explored as an enhancement of the research process. After obtaining the artefact’s final design, a workshop was prepared for students of the product design degree at the University of Minho. In this sense, the students, based on the presented work methodology, idealized and prepared a scenographic space for the show “Piano Caos”, organized by the Educational Service – Casa da Música. The project developed by the students approaches the design process suggested by the authors, based on (i) selected artefact; (ii) articulation between usage and language; finally, (iii) the combination of artefacts in the scenic space.

The paper shows a new procedure for the identification of the variable composition of the reaction mixture, namely determination of reaction kinetics of the chemical reaction in batch or semi-batch reactor. This procedure is based on the measurement of temperature profiles directly in the chemical reactor and makes it possible to respond to possible changes in the reactant’s composition without the need for the reaction kinetics laboratory determination. This can be very advantageous, for example, in the case of recycling processes, where the quality of raw materials can vary considerably and thus there may be problems with the unsatisfactory setting of the controller for such process. Chemical batch or semi-batch reactors behave as a non-linear system in terms of control and therefore require advanced control techniques mostly. This method can also help to detect poor quality raw materials during common processes. The derivation of this method is shown and a model example of a chemical semi-batch reactor is mentioned. The issue of reaction kinetics and its influence on chemical reactors control is also discussed.

In a world where consumers are increasingly more aware of the issues on Sustainability, this scientific article presents a partial stage of the PhD research that exposes an investigation that led to the development of a new textile product for recycling clean solid waste from the wool industry. Even at an early stage, the prototypes that were achieved have a high potential, as an innovative and sustainable propose of product. The research development includes scientific methods such as Case Study, Field Research and laboratory prototyping (experimental research issue). For the study, a local and important Wool Textile Industry was chosen, for analysis, diagnostic and confirmation of the Literature Review, focusing on the industrial textile clean wastes that most express the production bottleneck. At the end, the article foresees the next steps of the research, in order to improve and characterize the product, enhancing the possibilities of sustainable aspects on it.

This paper aims to understand the development of innovation clusters and hotspots of cutting-edge research in Biotechnology across the world, clusters understood as segments of an innovation system, gathering research institutes, universities, startups, enterprises and funding actors; and hotspots defined as clusters focused on frontier R&D, with economic high potential. The choice of Biotech as study object embeds the special characteristics of this branch of science: long term research with high uncertainty of results, huge funding and few marketable products. The analysis is based on 18 selected tendencies pointed by European Commission as Radical Innovation Breakthroughs and the frequency of these tendencies in several patent databases, focused on which countries are the main applicants since 2005. As a sub product we observed the change, in the studied range of time, of the main axis of Biotech innovation beyond USA, Europe and Japan. The analytical approach is based on literature review and quantitative screening of patent bases.

In the last years, cork-based composites proved to be able to provide new solutions for different areas like footwear or aerospace. Some of these products are the result of a combination of cork granulates with different materials - like thermosets or thermoplastics -, and its manufacture involves a thermal process. In order to simulate the manufacturing process of these types of composites, a new methodology was applied. A material composed of cork and a thermoplastic served as a case study. A model for the prediction of a cork composite mixture properties and a simulation methodology was developed to study the variation of temperature during the moulding process of cork composites. Density, thermal conductivity, and specific heat were determined based on the composite formulation and the properties of cork and the agglutinant agent, through the development of two theoretical models. The results obtained by both models were very similar. The assumptions, boundary conditions, finite volume and finite element methods formulations used for analyses are also presented.

Surface mount technology, usually on the context of Pick-up and Placement, is used on printed circuit boards assembling. In this paper, some aspects and physical parameters related with the pick-up and placement process are analysed in detail throughout the entire work sequence, such as the different variants of these same components among the various suppliers under study. In this process, there are problems of rejection and quality. The aim of this work is to identify and analyse these types of components, as well as their differences and possible causes for their misplacement on the printed circuit boards. Measurements and analyses were performed in lab tests and the study focused more on the capacitors’ assembling details. Experimental tests were carried out on the production line in order to obtain conclusive results regarding the study of nozzles and placement of components. Finally, it was concluded that nozzles 907 present a good behaviour in resistors and nozzles 925 present a good behaviour in capacitors.

Heating ventilating and air-conditioning systems which equip our buildings/rooms represent noise sources unfavorable affecting the people decent living and working conditions. Usually, silencers are used to reduce the annoying sound from these systems. They are lined with different materials and they have various geometries in order to satisfy the consumer needs, in terms of acoustic comfort. Sound absorption and sound transmission loss characterize the materials acoustic properties, but it is not mandatory that a good absorbent material to be also an efficient one from transmission loss (attenuation) point of view. Our paper is focused on an acoustic study of different materials lining three commercial silencers of same geometry and size. We have recorded the sound data according to standards: ISO 10534-1:1998 for the sound absorption coefficient and ISO 7235:2009 for the transmission loss rating. Third octave analysis with LabView soft is used to process the sound information and then the two parameters values are calculated. The acoustic characteristics of the tested materials are discussed and features that recommend them to be used as lining materials for silencers are highlighted.

The modern approach to the mechanical design involves advanced simulation tools that may be used in combination to the other approaches to get realistic results. In order to analyze this aspect, this paper aims to investigate the interaction between solid and soft objects involved in dynamic simulation. In the paper, we focus the attention on the mechanics of grasping considering a standard two-finger gripper interacting with a soft ball. The proposed research has a practical outcome related to the manipulation of delicate or soft objects, like horticulture products in winter house. More broad applications cover aspects of prosthetic hands, in which mechanical elements (poly-articular fingers) and soft elements (fingertips) have to be combined and co-simulated in grasping rigid and soft objects. In order to perform the task, a co-simulation approach is used. In this paper, we present preliminary results of the co-simulation between Adams and Marc software applied to a case of study.

The process of giving proper value to heritage and traditions can be carried out through fashion. Following this line of thought, this project integrates Colombian and Italian know-hows related to handmade weaving in order to re-innovate and add value to the work of the cotton weavers of Corpolienzo in Charalá (Santander, Colombia), a group of women who have dedicated themselves to rescue the textile tradition of their region. The research followed a methodology of five steps: (1) Discover; (2) Analysis and research; (3) Learn and explore; (4) Share and create; (5) Develop. The result of the project was Chalala, a womenswear collection inspired by the appreciation of craftsmanship by exploring the combination of traditional knowledge with contemporary design and the promotion of slow and premeditated processes to obtain high-quality pieces with a sophisticated aesthetic and a refined elegance.

Maintenance management and the existence of maintenance management systems are fundamental challenges for companies subject to the increased competitiveness imposed by modern societies. This type of management is complex, requiring systematic approaches where it is essential to coordinate the different interdisciplinary aspects of maintenance in public and/ or private organisations. It is crucial to seek continuous improvements and balance their benefit and cost to maximise the positive contribution of maintenance to overall profitability and sustainable expansion.This article presents a study on improving management systems and computerisation of a private organisation’s maintenance activities. This company is within the market segment of service provision in the area of laboratory testing. In this area, there is a lack of studies regarding maintenance management. The Maintenance Management proposal developed in this work integrated the company’s Management Systems focused on the Quality Management vision. LEAN philosophy was used for the diagnosis and identification of existing problems. And a management model was developed to allow the company to improve maintenance activities, maintenance management and control it, thus increasing its efficiency and effectiveness. The Maintenance Management proposal is based on the Computerized Maintenance Management System. With this study, it was concluded that no sudden changes should be introduced in order to obtain results as soon as possible. The changes should be gradual, planned, programmed, and controlled to test, evaluate and validate the proposed solutions to be implemented.

This paper presents the concepts of a Textile Yarn Unwinding and Winding System for application in the textile industry. Considering that textile industry market is constantly growing, this work aims to develop a system of unwinding and winding of textile yarn that will later be applied to a system of verification of the quality of the textile yarn through image processing. The article first presents the methodology used for prototype development. It then presents the relevant concepts and mathematical model for the development of a system that allows unwinding and winding the textile yarn as well as adequate yarn tension control. It is also shown and explained a 3D model for the developed prototype. Furthermore, a proposal for the validation criteria of the prototype system is included. Finally, the relevant variables for the prototype’s main functions are identified, the system’s feasibility is discussed, and the added value of this prototype is highlighted.

This paper presents an intelligent system capable of dispensing pills after the programming of the daily doses by the user. This system has been studied and designed for elderly people and their caregiver. In order to add value to the product, the equipment has an improved recharge system and user interface. Thus, it uses trays, and each one of them takes a different type of medication, taking advantage of an easy-to-use touch screen for the programming of the doses, a buzzer for sound signaling and employing a weight sensor to detect the presence of the collection cup. Alongside that, the equipment has a communication system to warn the caregiver if the patient hasn’t taken their pills, if it is necessary to reload the trays or even if the patient forgot to put back the cup.

The damping systems design is a fundamental feature in a crutch because it decreases the forces in the upper members of the users and consequently reduces the chance of eventual injuries coming up. However, the damping system present in the currently marketable crutches cause discomfort to their users. Thus, the main object of this project was to develop a new damping system approach in order to minimize the problem previously stated.Initially, a study of the existing crutches was carried out and then, a biomechanical characterization of the gait assisted by crutches was performed. Considering the results of the gait analysis and the morphology of the crutch, a hydraulic damping system was scaled and designed in the Inventor software for a specific target audience which was settled to include children between the ages of 5 and 10. This target audience was selected because usually, children don’t have the required strength to effectively operate with this kind of devices and they adapt more easily to new ones.

The paper presents studies on a prototype of a virtual mirror application, intended to aid the design process of individualized orthopedic supplies, such as limb orthoses or prostheses. The application is a part of an automated design and manufacturing system, relying on 3D scanning and 3D printing for manufacturing of supplies adjusted to specific patients. The application itself is divided into two parts: the configurator and the mirror. The paper presents briefly a concept, a prototype application based on Kinect sensor and studies on a small group of patients, as well as results of a survey study. Certain inaccuracies of Kinect sensor were detected in the tests, preventing smooth user experience with the mirror. However, the presented approach was viewed in a favorable way by the test group – the concept of a virtual mirror is a promising solution that should be utilized in the design process of individualized orthopedic supplies. On the basis of observations and surveys, recommendations for future development were formulated.

Staplers are tools that commonly use staples to perforate and join sheets of paper or fabric. The staple, first, punches the paper or fabric and then folds in contact with a solid surface of an anvil. This work aims to develop an optimized rigid anvil to reduce the maximum force required during staple folding for stapling between 2 and 25 sheets of paper. A commercial stapler is used as a case study. Force curves for stapling 0 to 25 sheets of paper in intervals of 5 sheets were measured for this stapler and the maximum forces are always found to occur during the folding of the staple legs. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) models were developed and fitted to real results to be used in an optimization job of the anvil groove profile. An asymmetric anvil is proposed capable of stapling between 2 and 25 sheets of paper in good conditions and indicates that an asymmetric anvil has potential to reduce maximum forces during folding. Results show a reduction of 32% on maximum force for stapling 25 sheets when compared with the commercial stapler anvil and maximum forces are only 8% higher than the maximum forces for paper punching. For fewer sheets the reduction in maximum force lessens and stapling 2 sheets of paper with the proposed anvil results in an increase of 23% in maximum force. However, the maximum forces are still less the less sheets are stapler, therefore, the proposed anvil reduces the overall maximum forces required for the entire system.

The increased demand for biomass to produce bioenergy is arousing prices and land-use concurrence. These conflicts may be solved by producing dedicated crops for energy on surplus land that cannot be used for food, feed, nature conservation, or urbanization, reducing the indirect land-use change (ILUC) problems. This work aims to evaluate the environmental and socio-economic impact of switchgrass production in heavy metals contaminated soils. To determine ecological, social and economic sustainability, different categories were studied: energy balance, gases emission, land use, biological and landscape diversity, cost savings/losses, costs of CO2 abatement, consumers/producer’s acceptance and potential employment creation. Overall results suggest that switchgrass production in heavy metals contaminated soils has positive aspects and others less positive over switchgrass production in non-contaminated soils. The productivity loss in Cu and Zn contaminated soils reduces the energy, costs, and greenhouse savings but may contribute to improve the biological and landscape diversity and the soil and waters quality. In Pb and Cd contaminated soils, there was no adverse effect on the productivity, and after that, no effects on the environmental and socio-economic aspects, compared to non-contaminated soils. Yet, in Cr contaminated soils, the toxicity affected the switchgrass significantly, and no productivity was observed.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic involved in increased hand hygiene to prevent virus transmission. There are a lot of hand hygiene products available on the market but if are frequently used they may alter skin barrier integrity and function. This aspect can be important in daily living activities that involve gripping, feeling and manipulating objects. In this paper the authors studied the influence of the frequently hand disinfection on the friction behavior of the finger skin. Commercially available alcohol-based hand sanitisers were used to perform repeated skin disinfection and the coefficient of friction (COF) was measured on three healthy subjects by using a steel cylinder laterally sliding on the finger tip skin. The preliminary results showed that for all test subjects the coefficient of friction significantly decrease, up to 50%, when frequently hand sanitisers are used compared to daily “dry” skin condition.

The results of experimental research of the adhesion strength of D-Gun sprayed coatings based on tungsten and chromium carbides are presented. The basic structural and technological factors that affecting the adhesion strength of coatings are systematized. It is proved that the adhesion strength of D-Gun sprayed coatings depends on combination of materials in system «coating-basic material», roughness of sprayed surface, composition, dispersion and method of powder manufacturing, etc. It is shown that D-Gun spraying due to high velocity of sprayed particles increases the role of mechanical activation of contacting materials and makes it possible to obtain coatings with high adhesion strength with reduction of requirements for preparation of spraying surface. As known ideas about mechanisms of adhesion allow to obtain only qualitative estimates of adhesion strength of D-Gun sprayed coatings, therefore, the development of models that take into account a set of structural and technological factors affecting the adhesion strength is required.

Ships can navigate several months on sea. Maintenance and supply are the base for ship successful navigation and mission. Every type of equipment should have a maintenance plan. If it is a corrective maintenance plan, some risks are inherent. This study pursues a Management Maintenance System considering minimal costs, where the best equipment availability and performance is the objective. For this work, an air compressor was chosen as study case from a ship and considered three study stages. The first stage consisted of the definition of evaluation criteria and its meaningfulness. The data treatment from the first stage can provide enough information to define the second stage’s maintenance methodology decision. Also, the decision-making itself based on the process is the third stage. The development of decision-making methodology for maintenance management was based on a Fuzzy method considering a Risk-Based Maintenance on ship equipment.

The intelligent insoles have pressure and inertial sensors integrated to a set of software systems, for analysis and visualization of the collected information, as well as for the application of machine learning algorithms, in order to analyze the distributions of the plantar pressure and the parameters of the march. The objective of this article is to evaluate how the intelligent insoles can be used for gait parameter analysis, which includes the following parameters: stride duration, cadence, stride length and gait speed. It is an integrative review of articles published in the last five years in the bases: SciELO, PubMed and Lilacs, with a final sample of 7 articles. The research data showed that there are several models of intelligent insole prototypes, with different sensor and software systems, and all were effective in evaluating the gait. However, the research of Zhao et al. 2020 obtained better results, due to the design of the validation study in comparison with another intelligent insole already commercialized and for presenting a software system and interface that was more effective to analyze and display diverse gait parameters.

Microtopography of the working surfaces subjected on rolling contact can be realized by various manufacturing technologies (lapping, polishing, turning, grinding, etc.). The aim of this work is to point out the impact of the initial surface asperities on running-in phenomenon, geometry of active surface and rolling contacts durability. At first, the article exhibit the experimental tests carried out by using the two discs AMSLER machine with proper samples for pure rolling motion. The microtopography of the working surfaces have been measured before and after tests. Secondly, a numerical study is presented for the samples used on the two discs AMSLER machine, where the measured topography data and loading conditions are used as input data in the analysis model. The last part of the article exhibit a numerical investigation for the rolling bearing CARB C2318 where the modified rating life have been computed with methodology given by ISO 16281.