Proceedings of the International Conference on Research and Innovations in Mechanical Engineering

The primary objective of the work is to effectively conduct the stress analysis of a laminated composite beam having rectangular sections. An analytical expression is used to calculate stress at each ply considering both narrow- and wide-beam assumption. The material for composite rectangular beam is AS4/3501–6 carbon/epoxy. Three types of lay-ups, chosen for the synthesis, are described collectively for both narrow- and wide-beam criterion. Beam taken here is simply a supported type along with uniformly distributed load, which is kept same for all cases.

Submarine antenna is used for communication by RF system. It is protected by radomes. Radomes are the electromagnetic (EM) windows that protect microwave subsystems from the environmental effects. Low-observable radomes are usually made of E-glass/epoxy composite due to its low dielectric constant which is necessary not to interfere EM wave transmission characteristics. Aramid fibers have lower dielectric constant and higher strength than those of E-glass fiber. The dielectric strength constant and loss tangent were measured of the E-glass epoxy and aramid epoxy materials. Increasing the performance of antenna depends upon the proper selection of material to withstand under the water applications, composite materials owing to their high strength to weight ratio, high stiffness and better corrosion resistance are potential source for under water applications. ANSYS, a Finite Element software package was used to analyze the problem. The radome design and finite element analysis validation concluded by conducting the pressure test on radome. The modal analysis is also carried out on radome to check for the natural frequency of the radome. So that resonance does not occur if the natural frequency of the radome coincides with the excitation frequency of the submarine.

Two basic oxygen furnaces (converter # 4 and 5) each of 60T capacity are operative in Steel Melting Shop no. 1 of Rourkela Steel Plant. These converters had been provided with lance clamping system. The clamps were consisting of a set of linkages, which used to be actuated through pneumatic cylinders. These clamps subsequently became non-functional, and converters were being operated without lance clamping device. Unclamped lances used to dangle and vibrate, causing impingement of oxygen jet over the refractory. This resulted in poor lining life. Incorporation of conventional design of lance clamp with moving trolley and guide was not feasible due to space constraint. An innovative design of lance clamp has been developed, in which actuation of jaws is effective through motor, gear box, and lead screws. This design is compact and has been accommodated without any problem in the existing available space. Lance clamping device has been commissioned, and it is in regular operation. The design aspects of the lance clamping system have been dealt with in this paper.

The aim of the work is to develop lightweight and cost-effective water-resistant corrugated board for application in packaging industry. A variety of corrugated board is formed by gluing one face of corrugated board with plastic-coated paper, to analyze the performance for strength, water resistance, moisture content, bursting strength, and overall effectiveness as packaging material. In this variety of board, two types of specimen are prepared, i.e., single wall and triple wall.

Modern production system requires a high degree of automation for the feeding and handling of small, individual components, which tends to reduce both the production time and human labour. Mechanized feeders are used to bring components to be fed, from a disorderly state into the required orientation in required quantity for a particular process. Present study has been carried out with regard to the analysis of performance of a Rotary Hook feeder under certain variable factors. For this, the above-mentioned feeder has been developed. A series of experiments were carried out on cylindrical parts, and effect of different input parameters on the feed rate was studied graphically. Experimentation shows that the performance of this feeder depends upon various factors such as part population, number of hooks, speed, part sizes and blind/through-holed parts. However, only the first three parameters have been studied in the present case, and a mathematical model has been formulated. The design of experiments is done using 2

3

full-factorial method. Significance of individual factors as well as their interactions is examined using Design Experts Software. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) method is used to predict proficiency of the model. This model also provides optimized feed rate for appropriate process parameters under given constraints.

Tool path generation is an important step for the machining of the free-form surfaces. The accuracy of machining free-form surfaces greatly depends upon the tool path. A number of algorithms had been proposed by different researchers for the accurate and efficient tool path generation for the machining of the free-form surfaces. The present study is focused on implementation of one of the algorithm that generates tool paths for free-form surfaces based on the accuracy of a desired manufactured part. This algorithm includes two components. First is the forward-step function that determines the maximum distance between two cutter contact points with a given tolerance. The second component is the side-step function which determines the maximum distance between two adjacent tool paths with a given scallop height. These functions are independent of the surface type and are applicable to all continuous parametric surfaces that are twice differentiable. This algorithm reduces cutter contact (CC) points while keeping the given tolerance and scallop height in the tool paths. The algorithm is implemented using the B-spline surface. It is then used to machine a wax component which is compared with the desired surface.

In this paper, response surface method has been implemented for modeling a mechanical spring-mass system. Simulated experiments based results are used for developing a design matrix. The design matrix is then used in conjunction with central composite design method so as to develop the response surface for first natural frequency using regression analysis. Analysis of variance is also performed in order to check for statistic significance of response surface model. Results show that response surface model produced during this work is statistically significant and hence can be used for further model updating related research work.

Unbalancing and misalignment are the most possible causes of machine vibrations. An unbalanced rotor always causes more vibration and generates excessive force in the bearing area and reduces the life of the machine. Understanding and practicing the fundamentals of rotating shaft parameters is the first step in reducing unnecessary vibration, reducing maintenance costs and increasing machine uptime. By the term two planes here, we mean that two rotors are used for the analysis of unbalanced vibrations. If only one rotor is used, then this system is called a single-plane system. In this paper, experimental studies were performed on a 2 rotor dynamic test apparatus to predict the vibration spectrum for rotor unbalance. Two rotor bearings were used in the experiments. The rotor shaft velocities were measured at rotor speed of 30 Hz using an accelerometer and a dual channel vibration analyzer (DCVA) under the balanced (baseline) and unbalanced conditions. The experimental frequency spectrum was also obtained for both baseline and unbalanced condition under different unbalanced forces. The experimental results of balanced and unbalanced rotors are compared at two different rotor locations.

This paper presents experimental testing and evaluation of a prototype magnetorheological (MR) damper. An MR device fills the gap between purely passive and fully active control systems as it offers a reliability of passive systems, and yet it maintains the versatility and adaptability of the fully active devices. The MR devices are categorized as one of the semi-active control systems. Fast response, few moving parts, and low power requirements are one of the major factors that have generated special interest in MR devices. MR dampers are being used for control of vibrations in automobiles, for minimizing damage to civil engineering structures due to seismic motions, etc. In this paper, the basic theory behind the MR dampers and experimental testing is carried out, and its use in vibration control is also studied. For this purpose, an MR damper is fabricated in-house and tested in the newly setup laboratory of the department using an electrodynamic vibration shaker and associated data acquisition system. Its performance is then studied in the form of damping force, etc.

An investigation has been carried out to study the effect of spindle speed and feed rate on thrust force generated in drilling glass fiber-reinforced plastics with natural fillers. An effort has been made to use abundantly available natural fibers, namely coconut coir, rice husk, and wheat husk as fillers along with synthetic glass fibers. The drilling experiments have been extensively conducted at six different levels of feed rate and spindle speed using carbide twist drills of 4 mm. Predictive model has been developed using Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm to predict the thrust force with material, spindle speed, and feed rate being the input parameters and thrust force being the output parameter. The results of the predictive model are in close agreement with the actual values. Coefficient of correlation between predicted and experimental values for training and testing data sets is 0.995 and 0.9849, respectively. The mean percentage error in training and testing is found to be 3.175 % and 5.31 %.

The two-storey industrial building with area of 41,000 sq. ft on each floor was framed structure. The machinery in the building was used for the manufacturing of cotton and synthetic fabric. Concrete of M20 grade and steel of Fe 415 grade were used for construction. A fire incident was occurred for 42–50 h after one year of construction. Visual examination of columns, slabs and beams of ground floor showed cracks on the concrete surface. At many places, concrete had fallen off, and reinforcement was exposed. At few places, colour of concrete had also been changed from its natural grey to reddish brown which indicated that the temperature during fire might had crossed 600 °C. In some of the circular columns, the thickness was reduced by about 25 % and fallen off concrete in between circular columns are a resulted in reducing the thickness of the slab by about 40 %. Due to inadequate circumstances for core extraction at some sections, decision of non-destructive testing like ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), rebound hammer (RH) were used to evaluate the elements. The quality of concrete was assessed by UPV. In situ strength of R.C.C. members, integrity and homogeneity of concrete help to evolve repair/strengthening/rehabilitation measures. Load test was also conducted to ascertain the actual load-carrying capacity of structural members. It was concluded that due to fire and excessive increase in temperature, the column concrete surface gets hardened, causing increase in value of rebound number. Further, results of concrete core test are more reliable when compared with rebound hammer test.

A vast governmental budget is spent annually, worldwide, to face corrosion problems of steel reinforcement in concrete bridges attributable to the extensive use of de-icing salts and is a worldwide durability problem. Corrosion controls the lifetime of a structural system, which has two distinct periods. During the first period, chlorides diffuse through the cover. When sufficient chlorides are formed at the rebars, corrosion initiates. This marks the start of the second period, during which rust with higher volume to bare steel is produced, and this happens mainly when the protective alkaline passive film, formed during the process of cement hydration around rebars, is broken. Several electrochemical methods are suggested in the published literature for the determination of corrosion rate in the rebar. All methods have some positive and negative points in their favour. This paper intends to present a summary of these research studies and outlines various preventive measures, methods of corrosion monitoring and service life prediction models that can be employed to minimize the rate of corrosion.

The present work attempts to investigate tool wear (flank wear) and surface roughness (Ra) during finish hard turning of AISI D3 steel (58HRC) with coated carbide (TiSiN–TiAlN PVD coated) cutting tool. Taguchi L9 (3)3 orthogonal array has been applied for experimental design. Signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio (Lower the best) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) analyses were performed to identify significant parameters influencing tool wear and Ra. The cutting speed and feed were the most significant factor influencing tool wear (flank wear), and feed is the most significant factor influencing Ra. Mathematical models for both response parameters, i.e., tool wear and Ra were obtained through regression analysis. The confirmation experiments carried out at optimal combination of parameters given by Taguchi analysis predicted the response factors with less than 5 % error. In addition to this desirability function module, response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to arrive at the optimal setting of input parameters to minimize tool wear and Ra and to compare this with optimal setting of parameters given by Taguchi analysis. The optimization results provided by desirability function optimization is quite close to the optimal solutions provided by Taguchi analysis.

In order to overcome the need of harder tools required for difficult-to-cut materials, the technology has advanced from traditional finishing processes to precision and ultra-precision processes based on non-traditional techniques. The limitations of traditional finishing processes need to be eliminated. This led to the development of loose abrasives-based finishing processes wherein low mechanical forces are used to finish the surfaces. Magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process is one of the non-traditional finishing processes. The diamond-based sintered magnetic abrasives are used to finish round plate of MMC. The MMC plate is prepared by mixing SiC abrasive and aluminium by stir casting method. Three process parameters (magnetic field density, rotational speed and abrasive/lubricant ratio) are taken as input variables. A well-known design of experiment approach “response surface methodology” is employed for the conduct and analysis of experimental work. The rotational speed taken in this work is bidirectional for ensuring proper dressing of abrasives. The combination of high magnetic flux density, average rotational speed and less lubricant caused better results, and the best surface finish of 1.12 μm is achieved.

The present research paper deals with dry ball burnishing process undertaken to give significant improvements in both surface finish and surface hardness required for most of applications. Aluminum alloy (Al 6061) has been burnished using different burnishing parameters (number of revolution, feed, number of tool passes, and pressure force) with burnishing apparatus. A neuro-fuzzy inference model is generated from the experimental results, and genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to search the optimal solution on the response surfaces modeled by neuro-fuzzy inference system. The absolute average error between the experimental and predicted values from neuro-fuzzy inference model for surface roughness and surface hardness was calculated as 0.05 and 0.18 %. The optimum parameters found by GA in dry ball burnishing are feed 0.157 mm/rev, force 13.91 kg

f

, rotational speed 145.09 rpm with two tool passes having response characteristic i.e., surface roughness 0.815 μm and surface hardness 71.3 HRB.

Wire electrical discharge machining has become an important non-traditional machining process, as it provides an effective solution for producing components made of difficult-to-machine materials such as titanium, zirconium and intricate shapes, which are not possible by conventional machining methods. Due to large number of process parameters and responses, lots of researchers have attempted to optimize the process parameters. This paper reviews the advances in research of WEDM on relation between different process parameters, include pulse-on time, pulse-off time, servo voltage, peak current, dielectric flow rate, wire speed, wire tension on different process responses include material removal rate (MRR), cutting speed (Vc), surface roughness (Ra), and wire wear ratio (WWR) of the wire electrode. Effect of composition of material on the manufacturability of wire EDM has also been reviewed. And at last, wire failure analysis is discussed.

This research intends to find out the effects of filler wire composition on joining properties of SS 202-welded with semi-automatic gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) process. Hardness, tensile strength, surface roughness, and SEM/EDAX analysis of joints were evaluated with respect to different filler wires ER 308L, 316L, and 310. Single-V-butt joints were made on 6-mm-thick plates using semi-automatic GTAW process, while ER 308L exhibited high mechanical properties, and the ER 316L and 310 showed comparative less properties. SEM/EDAX analysis proved that high alloying elements are obtained in the joint made with ER 310, the ER 316L and ER 308L resulted in moderate and low amounts of elements that are responsible for resistance to corrosion and oxidation. It was concluded that ER 316L offered best compromise of mechanical properties and alloying elements from the view point of boiler application.

Electrical Discharge Surface Grinding (EDSG) is much like electrical discharge machining except that the electrode is a rotating metal matrix composite (MMC) tool, processed by reinforcing abrasive particles in a conducting metal matrix by powder metallurgy route. The tool electrode is fed into the work material by a servo-controlled mechanism. The work material is machined and grinded by the combined action of electric sparks (thermal interaction) between the tool electrode and the work material, immersed in a dielectric fluid, and the abrasion (mechanical interaction) due to the abrasives mixed in the matrix. Each spark discharge melts or vaporizes a small amount of metal from the work surface, producing a small crater at the localized spot, followed by grinding by the abrasives, producing a ground surface. This paper focusses on understanding the mechanism of material removal in abrasion-assisted EDSG, for the machining of AISI D2 die steel. The rotary motion imparted to the metal matrix Cu/SiCp tool electrode using rotating spindle assembly mounted on electric discharge machine was employed to study the EDSG technology. Powder metallurgy route was adopted to fabricate the MMC electrode with different proportion of abrasives as SiC in copper powder. During the EDSG operation, the hump of material melted by the EDM is forcibly removed by the grinding/abrasion mechanism from the work surface, which enhances the material removal rate (MRR) of this hybrid process.

In the present research, a tractor part (king pin) was considered for single point machining. Keeping in view the product dimensions and capability of existing machine in the given industry, optimum cutting parameters for minimum energy consumption were recommended by using process window optimization technique. The recommended parameters were depth of cut 2.5 mm, cutting velocity 172 m/min, spindle rpm 1,273, feed rate 0.4 mm/rev, and cutting time 0.52 min resulting in energy consumed per volume of 4.9 Ws/mm

3

. All these parameters were available on existing machine. This enabled the manufacturer to easily upgrade the changes without incurring additional cost like replacement of existing machine by more energy efficient machine like CNC. This method implemented in industry proved that energy consumed per volume of material removed decreased by 12.5 % and production rate increased by 48.5 %. The research therefore presents a simple methodology which can be easily implemented on single point machining process in any industry to obtain optimum parameters not only for minimizing energy consumption but also for increasing production rate and enhancing Green machining.

This research work is aimed at the development of biomedical implant (hip joint) by combination of fused deposition modelling (FDM) and investment casting. Three controllable factors of the investment casting process (namely slurry layer combination, viscosity, dry time of primary coating) were studied at three levels each by Taguchi’s parametric approach, and single-response optimization was conducted to identify the main factors controlling dimensional accuracy (Δd). ABS patterns to be used for investment casting were made with FDM process, and castings were produced using stainless steel at recommended parameters through ceramic shell investment casting process. The results of the study suggest that for Δd, contribution of viscosity of primary dip and dry time of primary coating is 23 and 72 %, respectively.

This paper presents a utility-based Taguchi loss function strategy for the multi-response optimization of wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process. The utility-based Taguchi loss function strategy has been used for the multi-response optimization of WEDM with the use of cryogenically treated wire electrode. The approach utilizes a composite utility function using the Taguchi loss functions of WEDM responses in selecting the optimal parametric settings such that the overall functional utility of the product is maximized. The use of the Taguchi loss functions ensures the process is robust against the random variations. Actual experiments confirm the feasibility of the strategy over a wide range of machining conditions employed in WEDM.

Abrasive flow machining (AFM) is one of the nontraditional finishing processes. In AFM process, tool used for finishing have some special characteristics; it is pliable in nature and is generally known as media. Medium is a key element in the process; it contains a mixture of polymer, abrasives, and processing oil. It has a capability of machining micro-channels, micro-bores, blind holes, and tiny holes due to its flexibility and rheological properties. Facilitating a micro-channel workpiece through proper fixture will be a difficult task. However, in the present paper, a special flexible tooling was designed and fabricated to hold micro-channels. Micro-channels of Si wafers were initially prepared using ultrasonic machining (USM) and further finished using AFM process. A set of 20 experiments were designed using response surface methodology for finishing of micro-channels. Extrusion pressure, wt.% of processing oil, and processing time were taken as varying process parameters. It was observed that the surface finish improved more than 50 %, whereas improvement in material removal was marginal.

Ultrasonic machining technique is best suitable for machining of hard and brittle materials. Miniaturization is the need of hour. Microultrasonic machining is a feasible solution for development of complex shapes at microlevels. This paper presents a simple setup which can be used for 3D micromachining purposes. Further, some key issues have also been discussed in this tool-based micromachining technique.

This paper presents the effects of various parameters of wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM) on material removal rate (MRR) and surface finish during machining of Al/SiC-MMC. The Taguchi method, a powerful tool in the design of experiments, is utilized to optimize the parametric combination of WEDM for effective machining of such composite. The mathematical models for different response characteristics are developed to investigate the influence of cutting parameters during machining. Confirmation test results proved that the developed mathematical models are appropriate for machining of such composite by WEDM.

Fine surface finish is in high demand in modern time, with the development of industry manufacturing technology, in a wide range of industrial applications. Now a days, in medical instruments and aerospace components, fine surface finish is highly desirable. The inner surfaces of workpieces used in critical applications are finished using magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) process. The process principle and the finishing characteristics of MAF of cylindrical pipes using sintered magnetic abrasives are described in this research work. The surface roughness measurements and material removal rate (MRR) measurements resulting from finishing experiments are described in this research work. Response surface methodology (RSM) technique is used for optimization of process parameters for the analysis of surface roughness in terms of percent improvement in surface finish (PISF) and MRR. The obtained maximum PISF was 92 %, and minimum surface roughness was 0.04 μm. The surface was microscopically examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to further study the improvement in surface finish.

Nanofinishing of steel rollers (SUS304) has been done using loosely bonded diamond-based magnetic abrasives prepared by homogeneous mixing of magnetic powder [Fe powder of 300 mesh size (51.4 μm)], abrasive powder [diamond particles of 200 mesh size (74 μm)], and lubricant. A series of experiments have been conducted using in-house fabricated setup. It has been found that magnetic flux density, quantity of magnetic abrasives, rotational speed of workpiece, and percentage of abrasives in magnetic abrasives have significant effect on PISF. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) photographs show that the surface generated by turning on lathe consists of deep scratches (pits and digs). These scratches have been removed by MAF resulting in improved surface finish, but fine scratching marks produced by MAF appear on the surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) micrographs show that valley to peak height is reduced considerably by MAF, and there is no bad effect of MAF on surface of finished workpiece. The surface roughness is reduced to 10 nm Ra as measured by AFM. Diamond-based loosely bonded magnetic abrasives have nanofinishing capability when used in MAF.

With the advancements in various fields such as medical research, space research, robotics, and CNC machines, there is dire need of machining processes, which are capable of providing good surface finish in tight tolerances. Besides this, new materials are being developed to realize the need of present industry. The properties of some of the materials are such that they cannot be machined by conventional or traditional methods. A family of new machining techniques called nonconventional machining processes has been developed. These newly developed processes are helping the industry to attain the required degree of accuracy and surface finish. In contrast to these processes, the conventional machining processes have limited performance and productivity. Nonconventional processes are also capable of machining the hard to machine materials and intricate shapes.

A super-hybrid composite material of natural reinforcement and synthetic reinforcement with metal matrix has been developed. Its mechanical behavior has been studied through compression testing. Effect of addition of synthetic reinforcement has been also observed. Addition of natural reinforcement makes this composite as eco-material. Epoxy resin layers are applied in between metal matrix and reinforcements. Copper is used as metal matrix, bamboo strips as natural reinforcement, and glass fabric as synthetic reinforcement.

Due to low cost and high specific mechanical properties, natural fiber represents a good renewable and biodegradable alternative to the most common synthetic reinforcement such as glass fiber. The study involves fabrication of jute fiber-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE) (50 % virgin + 50 % recycled) composites by injection molding technique. The tensile and flexural properties of the composite specimens with 10, 20, and 30 % jute fibers and compared with similar specimens made of 100 % virgin HDPE and 50–50 mixture of virgin and recycled HDPE. It is observed that the reinforcement of jute fibers into HDPE matrix reduces the tensile strength. The tensile strength of the composite decreases from 3.4 to 24.3 % with the increase in fiber content from 10 to 30 % when compared with specimen made of equal proportion of virgin and recycled HDPE. On the other hand, flexural strength increases with the increase in jute fiber content in the composite. The flexural strength of the composite containing 10 and 30 % jute fibers are higher by about 4 and 8.6 %, respectively, when compared with specimen containing 50–50 mixture of virgin and recycled HDPE.

Polymer concrete composites have been accepted by various manufacturers and widely used as a structural material for machine tools due to their tremendous properties such as compressive stress, flexural strength and damping capacity. In the current scenario, it has been found that many industrial waste materials can be used as aggregates/fillers for polymer concrete (PC) composites. Also by adopting suitable recycling methods, polyester polymer can be obtained from industrial waste and can be suitably used as a binder for the fabrication of the composites.

In this work, the erosion behavior of hardfaced SS310 steel, used for pulverized coal burner nozzle, is studied using Air Jet Erosion Testing Rig. The hardfacing was done with SMAW by varying the molybdenum (Mo) alloying element percentage from 0 to 5 wt.% in hardfacing electrode powder. Microhardness, microstructure, and SEM/EDS analysis was done to analyze the structural uniformity of hardfaced steel samples. It was found that by hardfacing, the elements’ distribution become uniform and the structure of the hardfaced steel become dense and bright. The microhardness of the hardfaced steel was decreased as the Mo content added up to 5 wt.% in electrode powder. The hardfacing shows ductile behavior of erosion at room as well as at 400 °C temperature.

The tribological properties of abrasive-based novel friction materials, viz., Alumina, SiC, and SiO

2

, were characterized for physical and chemical properties. The wear and frictional performance were evaluated under various operating conditions like speed and pressure. Reduced scale prototype was set up to evaluate performance parameters. Worn surface of friction materials was analyzed over SEM to understand the surface wear. Result showed that under the different operating conditions, SiO

2

has higher wear resistance followed by SiC and alumina that had least wear resistance. Apart from this, better friction properties were observed for SiO

2

that was followed by alumina and SiC.

Most of the existing multi-response optimization approaches focus on subjective and practical know-how of the process. As a result, some confusions and uncertainties are introduced in overall decision-making process. In this investigation, an approach based on a utility theory and Taguchi quality loss function (TQLF) has been applied to low-pressure cold spray (LPCS) process to deposit copper coatings, for simultaneous optimization of more than one response characteristics. In the present paper, two potential response parameters, i.e., coating density (CD) and microhardness (MH), have been selected. Utility values based on these response parameters have been analyzed for optimization by using Taguchi approach.

This research work was done with an aim for the modification of wear resistance of hardfaced steel by heat treatment. The proposed material was alloy steel, because of its various applications in manufacturing the rotating parts where large amount of abrasive wear takes place. The manual metal arc welding (MMAW) process was used to deposit the hardfacing layers with two different hardfacing electrodes. Heat treatment was done to further increase the wear resistance of the material. The chemical composition of the samples was determined with the help of the spectrometer. The pin-on-disk apparatus was used for the wear analysis of all the samples. It was seen that hardfacing of the samples improved its hardness and wear resistance, but the heat treatment of the hardfaced samples has further improved the hardness and wear resistance properties.

Friction surfacing is an advanced manufacturing process, which has been successfully developed over the past decade. The process is used for corrosion- and wear-resistant coatings and for reclamation of worn engineering components. The major requirement is for flexibility to enable rapid changes in process parameters in order to develop new applications, with variations in materials and geometries in terms of cost and reliable manner. So, the present work deals with the solid-state coating by friction surfacing process where aluminium is coated over mild steel substrate. The effects of traverse speed on the geometry, interfacial bond characteristics and mechanical properties of coatings are studied. Metallurgical studies were made using optical microscopy; mechanical tests included bend tests and microhardness tests.

The purpose of this research was to examine the surface roughness in turning EN-8d alloy steel using HSS tool of grade M-42. Cryogenic treatment of tool was done, and comparison was made for surface roughness between untreated and cryogenic treated tool (CT). In this research work, central composite face-centered design approach of response surface methodology was applied to study the impact of machining parameters on surface roughness for CT. Mathematical model for surface roughness was developed to achieve optimum selection of machining parameters.

Due to the environmental considerations, cost reduction, and high performance of engineering application, the demand of natural fibers is increasing day by day. Between these natural fibers, the rice husks have been extensively exploited. Therefore, this article overviews the used area of rice husk composites in terms of mechanical, electrical, thermal properties, and coupling agents. For good bonding, coupling agent such as titanate, silane, and zirconate can be used for enhanced mechanical properties. Application of RHPP composite is improving biodegradability, for automobile (interior parts, cabin lining, exterior parts, etc.), electrical (electrical connector, microwave containers, etc.), and food packaging.

Unsaturated polyesters are important matrix resins used for glass fiber-reinforced composites/plastics. The strength of glass fiber-reinforced polyester composite is mainly related to the glass content of the material and the arrangement of glass fibers, but the mechanical properties can be altered by introducing some filler materials in glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. In this paper, an effort is made to study the effect of different % of filler material on mechanical properties of the GFRP. Hand layup process is used for manufacturing the GFRP composite strips for testing. E-type glass fiber chopped strand mat (CSM) is used as reinforced material, unsaturated polyester resin is used for matrix, and calcium carbonate (CaCO

3

) is used as filler material. During manufacturing the specimens, the polyester resin % is kept fixed and effect of filler and glass fiber percentage variation is evaluated in terms of tensile strength, impact strength and toughness variation. In the experiments, the increase in the volume fraction of E-glass fiber CSM increased the material flexural, tensile, and impact strength. The consequences show that appropriate procedures are applied with the proper choices. When the CaCO

3

ratio increases, particles could cluster, and this causes deviation in strength variation curves, but it has also been observed that the finishing of specimen is better in case of higher filler volume fraction.

In the current investigation, cermet coating (Cr

3

C

2

–25NiCr) and ceramic coating (Cr

2

O

3

) were deposited on CF8M steel by detonation gun (D-gun) thermal-spraying process. Subsequently, the slurry erosion behavior of these coated and uncoated specimens was investigated using a high-speed erosion test rig. Slurry collected from an actual hydropower plant was used as the abrasive media; the analysis of eroded specimens was done using SEM and stylus profilometry. Signatures of microcutting in binder phase, fracture of carbide grains on the eroded surface of Cr

3

C

2

–25NiCr coating, grain removals, and fatigue-induced lateral crack chipping were observed on the eroded surface of Cr

2

O

3

coating, while signatures of formation of ploughing, lips, shearing of platelet, formation of crater, and microcutting were observed on the eroded surface of CF8M steel.

Ni–20Cr (metallic powder) was coated on AISI 309 SS steel by shrouded plasma-spray process. Subsequently, the coating was characterized by XRD and SEM analyses. The XRD analysis indicated the formation of γ-Ni phase for the Ni–20Cr coating. The wear behavior of the bare, Ni–20Cr-coated AISI 309 SS steel was investigated according to ASTM standard G99-03 on a pin-on-disk wear test rig. The wear tests were carried out at normal loads of 30 and 50 N with a sliding velocity of 1 m/s. Cumulative wear rate (CWR) and coefficient of friction

$$ (\mu ) $$

(

μ

)

were calculated for these cases. The worn-out surfaces were then examined by SEM analysis. The as-sprayed coating exhibited typical splat morphology. It has been concluded that the plasma-sprayed Ni–20Cr coating can be useful to reduce the wear rate of AISI 309 SS steel. Moreover, coating was found to be adherent to the substrate steel during the wear tests.

Fiber-reinforced plastics have entered into the engineering marketplace few decades ago owing to their excellent mechanical properties and cost-effective high-quality manufacturing. The use of polymer matrix composites for the production of mechanical components such as gears, brakes, cams, bearings and bushes has grown tremendously in the recent years. Therefore, from the theoretical and practical engineering point of view, the study of the wear behavior of polymer matrix composites becomes highly decisive. The present experimental work endeavors at the wear behavior of glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy composites filled with three different natural fillers, such as, rice husk, wheat husk and coconut coir under various sliding conditions. The wear performance analysis of the composites was carried out on pin-on-disk wear test machine under ambient conditions (27 °C and 60 % humidity). The weight loss was measured by applying normal loads of 10, 20 and 30 N under varying sliding speeds of 1, 2 and 3 m/s. The tests were conducted for a constant sliding distance of 1,000 m. The specific wear rate for glass-fiber-reinforced epoxy laminates under dry sliding condition was of the order of 10

−8

mm

3

/N mm. Further, the morphology of the worn surfaces was examined by using scanning electron microscope (SEM) to analyze the wear mechanism of the developed composites.

The growing steel prices have significantly affected the manufacturing expenditure in automobile and household industries, thus making a strong case for substituting steels with materials having lightweight and high-strength to weight ratio. The aluminum and its alloys have outstanding properties such as lightweight, wear, and corrosion resistance that make them suitable in numerous industrial applications. The present research investigation explores the microstructural and mechanical characterization of Al6063 SiC-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs). The MMCs were developed in-house using modified stir casting route. The effect of smaller size SiC reinforcement of 5, 10, and 15 μm has been investigated.

An activated carbon–Nafion composite electrode with dual proton and electron conductivity has been developed, which can be employed for applications for storage of hydrogen electrochemically. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy was used to measure proton conductivity of the composite electrode. The measured dc resistance was used to calculate electron conductivity of the composite electrode. The effect of humidification on proton and electron conductivity of the composite electrode was studied by varying the level of hydration. The activated carbon used was a common form of activated charcoal powder. As a source of proton-conducting medium within the composite, Nafion-117 solution was employed. Electron conductivities in the range of 0.000177–0.019597 S/cm were recorded, while the proton conductivities were in the range of 0.014775–0.042273 S/cm. It was found that the electron conductivity drops with the increased level of hydration, while proton conductivity goes up.

Surface modification techniques are used to enhance the service life of several engineering components by combating wear. Material loss due to wear in various industries is significantly high. Surfacing is a cost-effective and proven method of depositing protective coating. Research is going on over years to reduce the corrosion, erosion, and wear either in the form of using a new corrosion-, erosion-, and wear-resistant material or by improving these properties in the existing material by using surface modification techniques such as hardfacing and surface coating. The economic success of the hardfacing process depends on selective application of hardfacing material and its chemical composition for a particular application. In this paper, an attempt has been made to discuss the various types of surface modification techniques such as hardfacing and surface coating used for combating wear. Surface protection by different hardfacing techniques and surface coatings employed on the substrate surface of material by different methods and their advantages have been discussed.

Steam traps are automatic mechanical valves installed in the steam distribution system (SDS) of various process industries. The steam traps operate to discharge condensate, air, and other impurities that reduce the efficiency of the steam lines. Generally during the maintenance of the SDS, the steam traps are neglected as they are placed in locations which are not easily approachable. But if steam traps are not working properly, they result in huge loss of energy as they are in large quantity in the SDS. With the increasing energy crisis and global warming, there is an urgent need to save each bit of energy and reduce green house gas emissions. The main purpose of the present study is to reduce the energy consumption needed to produce steam by decreasing the losses of the steam traps installed in the SDS. The sight method and temperature measurement method have been employed to detect the losses and working of steam traps. Further, the Masoneilan’s formula has been used to quantify the steam saving from a leaking steam trap. The results of the present research for a typical textile industry show that the annual wastage of steam through leaking steam traps amounts to 450 tonnes. Thus, if the wastage of steam is stopped, this would result in saving of 115 tonnes of rice husk (fuel) which amounts to saving of Rs. 4 Lakhs per annum. Due to this savings, there will be a reduction of 189 tonnes of CO

2

emissions per annum to the environment.

The heat transfer performance of a liquid metal flowing inside a 1-mm channel with different lengths was numerically investigated and compared with water. Inlet velocity of the liquid metal was varied to simulate same inlet velocity and pressure drop conditions as water. Pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient for both fluids were compared for different channel lengths and wall heat flux. It was found that the performance of the fluids is influenced by the heat flux, but is strongly dependent on the channel length-to-diameter ratio and the inlet flow rate used.

Punjab is an agro-rich state. Two crop cycles, namely Rabi and Kharif are followed. Of late, the farmers have been resorting to burning of stubble of the agro residue from wheat and rice. Although the government has put a ban, yet in the absence of economy of scale, the practice continues. This paper is an attempt to find out the agro residue-based mixture which can be a useful source of power generation for one agro-based industry—the paper industry. We have tried to gather information regarding the availability of different agro residues and have tried to project a mixture of residues which would be most efficient in terms of calorific value.

Advances in the field of electronics have resulted in a significant increase in density integration, clock rates, and emerging trend of miniaturization of modern electronics. This resulted in dissipation of high heat flux at the chip level. In order to satisfy the junction temperature requirements in terms of performance and reliability, improvements in cooling technologies are required. The task of maintaining acceptable junction temperature by dissipating the heat from the integrated circuit chips is a significant challenge to thermal engineers. Much work has been done on cooling one hot spot with one heat sink, but there has not been as much investigation into cooling multiple hot spots with a single heat sink. A circuit board with a specific geometry and chip arrangement will be cooled using a liquid-cooled cold plate.

5S is a systematic technique used by organizations, and this comes from five Japanese words: seiri (sort), seiton (set in order), seiso (shine), seiketsu (standardize), and shitsuke (sustain). This system helps to organize a workplace for increasing efficiency and decrease wasting and optimize quality and productivity via monitoring an organized environment. There is a real need for the studies in field of new management systems and their impact on company’s performance. Aim of this paper is to determine the impact of 5S in industrial organizations and identifying the effectiveness of 5S implementation on organizational performance as well. The target organization (Medium size organization) is chosen for implementation. The results of this research obtained from a comparative measurement of organizational performance before and after 5S implementation. The results show that 5S is an effective tool for improvement of organizational performance, work culture, productivity, etc. Consequently, 5S techniques would strongly support the objectives of organization to achieve continuous improvement and also in implementation of total productive maintenance (TPM).

An analytical model is developed to predict road traffic noise for busy roads of Delhi, India. Equivalent continuous sound pressure level,

L

A

eq

T

, is analyzed at eight different busy road locations of Delhi. A multiple linear regression analysis is conducted to predict the single noise metrics

L

A

eq

in terms of traffic flow rate (

Q

), percentage of heavy vehicles (

H

), and average traffic speeds (

V

). The model so developed is validated with actual experimental data. The coefficient of regression for test data set is observed to be 0.74 between predicted and experimental

L

A

eq

values

.

The work thus shows that a validated analytical model can be useful for predicting noise levels and conducting the noise impact assessment studies in Delhi. The accuracy of model so developed can be further enhanced by feeding more real-time data from different locations with varied traffic density.

Primary purpose of this paper is to apply factor analysis on the data collected for sourcing flexibility; second to reduce data collected to a few factors; and third and finally to propose name of factors. A total of 117 responses of questionnaires were collected and analyzed, and a number of key findings emerged. The field is relatively “new” one for supply chain management as consensus is lacking on the definition of the term. Factors loading on sourcing flexibility emphasize to focus on two factors, and the proposed name for the key factors of sourcing flexibility are dynamic capability of the partners and range capability of partners.

Six Sigma is the management approach of achieving major enhancement in the process by implementing DMAIC cycle through elimination of waste. Manufacturing units are implementing such strategies to increase productivity of their manufacturing system processes. The purpose of this paper is to reduce quality rejection by implementing DMAIC approach in a systematic manner on the shop floor of the manufacturing unit of northern India. Results indicated the decrease in quality rejection level from 11,179.87 to 28.69 ppm, which results in net savings of 17. 66 lakhs per year.

Milk is considered as an essential and complete food. Hence, dairy industries are getting more importance nowadays. The profitability of the organization thereby depends not only on efficient processing and product handling, but also on saving of energy as much as possible. The later one bears lot of importance in the present era where energy saving becoming essential not only due to scarcity of natural resources but also for the survival of the humanity. The present study was conducted at one of the premier milk industries of northern India in reference to the thermal energy savings. After the implementation of total quality management tools, it was observed that the cost of heavy petroleum stock (HPS) used as boiler fuel got reduced by 20 % by improving the milk handling per kg of fuel from 39 to 47 kg up to the month of May 2013 resulting into a total amount of Rs. 4,347,972 in 6 months.

The major environmental challenge encountered by metropolitan city today other than air pollution is traffic noise. So urban planning needs methods to aid in designing, planning, and forecasting in order to accommodate the increasing population and increasing traffic noise levels. Since the problem of traffic noise is nonlinear in nature, a model based on backpropagation neural network to counter this problem is suggested and examined. In order to have a clear and distinct insight on the magnitude of this problem, single-noise metrics

L

Aeq

is modeled. It is observed that the model is accurate in predictions and can be employed efficiently to predict traffic noise levels and conduct sensitivity analysis of factors affecting the noise levels. It can serve as an important tool for urban planning and development.

Indian organizations are losing edge to China low-cost manufacturing practices and are facing turbulent marketing conditions. Emulation of Chinese practices is rare possibility because of vibrant Indian democracy. Indians have other avenues and opportunities to learn and apply Six Sigma methodology in their manufacturing endeavors to become resilient and profit making. Tremendous work has been done in lean manufacturing. Lean with Six Sigma amalgamation with customer centricity has great potential. It is evident that significant control on defect rates improves financial condition of the company. It further improves image of the company and enhances status among organization on the attribute of quality parameters. It is proven fact now that defect rates have direct impact on the success or failure of the company. It must be the predisposition of each organization to achieve Six Sigma levels and achieve zero defects. Research work is carried out to reduce the defect rate in an automobile parts manufacturing company of Himachal Pradesh, by implementing DMAIC methodology. It is found that lean with Six Sigma implementation defects is reduced to 0.9 % from 3.6 % with better surface finish by implementing right burnishing process. This is not the end of the story, further improvements are possible to reduce it below 0.25 %.

Recent customer demand for high-variety products has contributed to an increase in product complexity that emphasizes the need for improved scheduling. The scheduling leads to increase in capacity utilization efficiency and hence thereby reducing the time required to complete jobs and consequently increasing the profitability of an organization in present competitive environment. Job shop scheduling is generally considered to be the one of the most significant issues in the planning and operation of a manufacturing system. Job shop scheduling (JSS) with make span criteria is non-polynomial hard. A genetic algorithm has been proposed which generates improved make span time and reduce tardiness, earliness costs for

m

number of identical machines with

n

given number of jobs in Sartaj Industry, Chandigarh. A Java-based program has been developed. The proposed algorithm is found to generate improved results, viz, cost saving for an annum and the total cost reduction.

The importance of quality has been long recognized in the business environment in order to obtain or manufacture higher quality products. In manufacturing environment, quality improves reliability, increases productivity, and customer satisfaction. In order to survive in a competitive market, improving quality and productivity of product or process is a must for any company. Quality control (QC) tools are essential to improve the quality of manufacturing process. These tools are used to solve 95 % of the problems faced by the organizations for improving its effectiveness. A case study has been conducted in an automobile organization using QC Tools. It has been found that the defects of casting components have 9.79 % per month which have been finally reduced to 8.52 % per month by using QC Tools. The net saving due to reduction in casting components rejections has 2.31 lakhs per month and 27.7 lakhs per year.

The heterogeneous features of traffic noise, together with the characteristics of environmental noise, with their great spatial, temporal, and spectral variability makes the matter of modeling and prediction a very complex problem. A need is being felt to develop a traffic noise prediction model suitable for the Indian condition. The present work represents a traffic noise prediction model taking Patiala–Sangrur highway as a representative/demonstrative site. All the measurements of noise levels were made at selected points around the highway at different time on number of days in a staggered manner in order to account for statistical and temporal variations in traffic flow conditions. The noise measurement parameters recorded were traffic volume, i.e., number of vehicles passing through in a particular time period, vehicle speed, and the noise descriptors recorded were the equivalent noise level (L

eq

) and percentile noise level (L

10

). Artificial neural network (ANN) approach has been applied for traffic noise modeling in the present study. After training and testing of the ANN, it was found that the values of correlation coefficient (R) were 0.9486, 0.9577, and 0.9255 for the training, validation, and testing samples, respectively, and the percentage error varied from −0.19 to 0.64 and 0.54 to 0.99 for L

eq

and L

10

. Therefore, a good correlation coefficient and less percentage error between experimental and predicted output obtained is an indication of prediction capability of neural network.

Tire/road interaction noise is a dominant source of noise in almost all types of vehicles running above 50 km/h. Tire/road noise is generated by certain mechanisms such as aerodynamical, mechanical, frictional, or propagational. All these mechanisms depend upon certain operating parameters such as vehicle speed, load on the vehicle, tread pattern type, and road surface. Effects of some of the operating parameters on tire/road noise levels are examined experimentally in this paper. An experimental rig was fabricated, background noise level was measured before taking the measurements, and it was reduced with the help of shielding being done by making a wooden box and a wooden partition having a layer of an absorbing material. Then, the effect of parameters such as vehicle speed, tread pattern design, road surface, and tread wear on tire/road noise was examined. Close proximity method was used for taking the measurements. A-weighted sound pressure level (L

eq

) and 1-1 octave band frequency spectrum measurements were made under the combined effect of different operating parameters, and their effect was studied.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the contributions of just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing initiatives toward building core competencies in Indian manufacturing industry. This paper critically examines the implications of JIT implementation initiatives in Indian manufacturing organizations. The study reveals that organization culture and management commitment, employee’s involvement and workplace organization, and quality improvements of JIT can significantly contribute toward accruing core competencies in the organization.

Today, the production of energy from waste is emerging as a new technology; however, its implementation in healthcare sector is still missing in developing countries, despite of abundance of valuable hospital waste in the urban areas of these countries. This paper analyzed the energy potential of hospital waste generated by healthcare facilities of Moga city. For this study, generation rates from typical city hospitals were collected and selected cotton, bandages, plastic syringe, and glucose bottles as the main source of energy recovery from hospital waste since their quantity is always on larger side. Five samples of each selected waste (cotton, bandages, plastic syringe, and glucose bottles) were collected. The collected samples were tested in laboratory, where proximate analysis and calorific value tests were conducted. The experimentation of selected wastes (cotton, bandages, plastic syringe, and glucose bottles) in laboratory highlighted that plastic syringe has the highest calorific value which was 42,749 kJ/kg, while cotton has the least 15,190 kJ/kg. Glucose bottles have the highest percentage in terms of mass with 46 %, bandages second highest have 16 %, and cotton has the least with 6 %. The total energy that can be produced from these wastes (cotton, bandages, plastic syringe, and glucose bottles) amounts to 9.03 MW/day.

The aim of this paper is to design multi-band and broadband fractal antennas with fractal tree geometry. The antennas are designed with the wire fractal tree structure and optimized to get the desired frequency response. In this design, the fractal antenna is a broadband antenna with the bandwidth of 350 MHz. This antenna is optimized to operate in the range of 2,400–2,750 MHz frequency band with acceptable return loss <−10 dB (VSWR < 2). The antenna design and simulation is performed using SuperNEC software which is based on the method of moments.

Mobile ad hoc networks are characterized by wireless connectivity, continuous changing topology, distributed operations, and ease of deployment. We compare two reactive routing protocols, dynamic source routing (DSR) and ad hoc on-demand distance-vector routing (AODV), and one proactive destination-sequenced distance-vector routing (DSDV) protocol by using Manhattan mobility model. We have analyzed the performance of protocols by varying network load, mobility, and type of traffic (CBR, TCP). A detailed simulation has been done using NS2. We consider packet delivery fraction, routing overhead, normalized routing load (NRL), and end-end delay as metrics for performance analysis of these protocols.