Abstract: Friction Stir Welding is a solid state welding technique which can be used to produce sound welds between similar and dissimilar materials. Dissimilar welds which include welds between the different series of aluminium alloys, aluminium to magnesium, steel and titanium has been successfully produced by many researchers. This review covers the work conducted in the above mentioned materials and further concludes by showing the need to fully understand the FSW process in order to expand the latter industrially.
Abstract: WikID is a wiki for industrial design engineers. An
important aspect for the viability of a wiki is the loyalty of the user
community to share their information and knowledge by adding this
knowledge to the wiki. For the initiators of a wiki it is therefore
important to use every aspect to stimulate the user community to
actively participate. In this study the focus is on the styling of the
website. The central question is: How could the WikID website be
visually designed to achieve a user experience which will incite the
user to actively participate in the WikID community? After a
literature study on the influencing factors of a website, a new
interface has been designed by applying the rules found, in order to
expand this website-s active user community. An online
questionnaire regarding the old or the new website gave insights in
the opinions of users. As expected, the new website was rated more
positively than the old website. However, the differences are limited.
Abstract: The purpose of the present work was to study the
production and process parameters optimization for the synthesis of
cellulase from Trichoderma viride in solid state fermentation (SSF)
using an agricultural wheat straw as substrates; as fungal conversion
of lignocellulosic biomass for cellulase production is one among the
major increasing demand for various biotechnological applications.
An optimization of process parameters is a necessary step to get
higher yield of product. Several kinetic parameters like pretreatment,
extraction solvent, substrate concentration, initial moisture content,
pH, incubation temperature and inoculum size were optimized for
enhanced production of third most demanded industrially important
cellulase. The maximum cellulase enzyme activity 398.10±2.43
μM/mL/min was achieved when proximally analyzed lignocellulosic
substrate wheat straw inocubated at 2% HCl as pretreatment tool
along with distilled water as extraction solvent, 3% substrate
concentration 40% moisture content with optimum pH 5.5 at 45°C
incubation temperature and 10% inoculum size.
Abstract: This paper proposes a novel hybrid algorithm for feature selection based on a binary ant colony and SVM. The final subset selection is attained through the elimination of the features that produce noise or, are strictly correlated with other already selected features. Our algorithm can improve classification accuracy with a small and appropriate feature subset. Proposed algorithm is easily implemented and because of use of a simple filter in that, its computational complexity is very low. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated through a real Rotary Cement kiln dataset. The results show that our algorithm outperforms existing algorithms.
Abstract: Lately management strategy that put Industrial Design (ID) in its core is recognized more important, as technology and price alone cannot differentiate a product. The needs to shorten the time to develop a product also shorten the development period of ID, and it necessitates the ID process management. This research analyzes the status of integration process of ID and Engineering Design (ED) of office equipment that requires the collaboration of ID and ED to clarify the issues for the efficiency of the development and to propose solutions.
Abstract: Today-s healthcare industries had become more
patient-centric than profession-centric, from which the issues of quality of healthcare and the patient safety are the major concerns in the modern healthcare facilities. An unplanned extubation (UE) may
be detrimental to the patient-s life, and thus is one of the major indexes
of patient safety and healthcare quality. A high UE rate not only
defeated the healthcare quality as well as the patient safety policy but
also the nurses- morality, and job satisfaction. The UE problem in a psychiatric hospital is unique and may be a tough challenge for the
healthcare professionals for the patients were mostly lacking communication capabilities. We reported with this essay a particular
project that was organized to reduce the UE rate from the current 2.3%
to a lower and satisfactory level in the long-term care units of a psychiatric hospital. The project was conducted between March 1st,
2011 and August 31st, 2011. Based on the error information gathered
from varied units of the hospital, the team analyzed the root causes
with possible solutions proposed to the meetings. Four solutions were
then concluded with consensus and launched to the units in question.
The UE rate was now reduced to a level of 0.17%. Experience from
this project, the procedure and the tools adopted would be good reference to other hospitals.
Abstract: Today automobile and aerospace industries realise Laser Beam Welding for a clean and non contact source of heating and fusion for joining of sheets. The welding performance is mainly based on by the laser welding parameters. Some concepts related to Artificial Neural Networks and how can be applied to model weld bead geometry and mechanical properties in terms of equipment parameters are reported in order to evaluate the accuracy and compare it with traditional modeling schemes. This review reveals the output features of Titanium and Aluminium weld bead geometry and mechanical properties such as ultimate tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and reduction of the area of the weld using Artificial Neural Network.
Abstract: Industrial robots play a vital role in automation
however only little effort are taken for the application of robots in
machining work such as Grinding, Cutting, Milling, Drilling,
Polishing etc. Robot parallel manipulators have high stiffness,
rigidity and accuracy, which cannot be provided by conventional
serial robot manipulators. The aim of this paper is to perform the
modeling and the workspace analysis of a 3 DOF Parallel
Manipulator (3 DOF PM). The 3 DOF PM was modeled and
simulated using 'ADAMS'. The concept involved is based on the
transformation of motion from a screw joint to a spherical joint
through a connecting link. This paper work has been planned to
model the Parallel Manipulator (PM) using screw joints for very
accurate positioning. A workspace analysis has been done for the
determination of work volume of the 3 DOF PM. The position of the
spherical joints connected to the moving platform and the
circumferential points of the moving platform were considered for
finding the workspace. After the simulation, the position of the joints
of the moving platform was noted with respect to simulation time and
these points were given as input to the 'MATLAB' for getting the
work envelope. Then 'AUTOCAD' is used for determining the work
volume. The obtained values were compared with analytical
approach by using Pappus-Guldinus Theorem. The analysis had been
dealt by considering the parameters, link length and radius of the
moving platform. From the results it is found that the radius of
moving platform is directly proportional to the work volume for a
constant link length and the link length is also directly proportional
to the work volume, at a constant radius of the moving platform.
Abstract: Although the STL (stereo lithography) file format is
widely used as a de facto industry standard in the rapid prototyping
industry due to its simplicity and ability to tessellation of almost all
surfaces, but there are always some defects and shortcoming in their
usage, which many of them are difficult to correct manually. In
processing the complex models, size of the file and its defects grow
extremely, therefore, correcting STL files become difficult. In this
paper through optimizing the exiting algorithms, size of the files and
memory usage of computers to process them will be reduced. In spite
of type and extent of the errors in STL files, the tail-to-head
searching method and analysis of the nearest distance between tails
and heads techniques were used. As a result STL models sliced
rapidly, and fully closed contours produced effectively and errorless.
Abstract: In industrial scale of Gas to Liquid (GTL) process in
Fischer-Tropsch (FT) synthesis, a part of reactor outlet gases such as
CO2 and CH4 as side reaction products, is usually recycled. In this
study, the influence of CO2 and CH4 on the performance and
selectivity of Co-Ru/Al2O3 catalyst is investigated by injection of
these gases (0-20 vol. % of feed) to the feed stream. The effect of
temperature and feed flow rate, are also inspected. The results show
that low amounts of CO2 in the feed stream, doesn`t change the
catalyst activity significantly but increasing the amount of CO2 (more
than 10 vol. %) cause the CO conversion to decrease and the
selectivity of heavy components to increase. Methane acts as an inert
gas and doesn`t affect the catalyst performance. Increasing feed flow
rate has negative effect on both CO conversion and heavy component
selectivity. By raising the temperature, CO conversion will increase
but there are more volatile components in the product. The effect of
CO2 on the catalyst deactivation is also investigated carefully and a
mechanism is suggested to explain the negative influence of CO2 on
catalyst deactivation.
Abstract: In this research, Forming Limit Diagrams for supertension
sheet metals which are using in automobile industry have
been obtained. The exerted strains to sheet metals have been
measured with four different methods and the errors of each method
have also been represented. These methods have been compared with
together and the most efficient and economic way of extracting of the
exerted strains to sheet metals has been introduced. In this paper total
error and uncertainty of FLD extraction procedures have been
derived. Determination of the measurement uncertainty in extracting
of FLD has a great importance in design and analysis of the sheet
metal forming process.
Abstract: The efficient knowledge management system (KMS)
is one of the important strategies to help firms to achieve sustainable
competitive advantages, but little research has been conducted to
understand what contributes to the KMS success. This study thus set
to investigate the determinants of KMS success in the context of Thai
banking industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted in four
major Thai Banks to test the proposed KMS Success model.
The result of this study shows that KMS use and user satisfaction
relate significantly to the success of KMS, and knowledge quality,
service quality and trust lead to system use, and knowledge quality,
system quality and trust lead to user satisfaction. However, this
research focuses only on system and user-related factors. Future
research thus can extend to study factors such as management support
and organization readiness.
Abstract: The growing outsourcing of logistics services
resulting from the ongoing current in firms of costs
reduction/increased efficiency means that it is becoming more and
more important for the companies doing the outsourcing to carry out
a proper evaluation.
The multiple definitions and measures of logistics service
performance found in research on the topic create a certain degree of
confusion and do not clear the way towards the proper measurement
of their performance. Do a model and a specific set of indicators exist
that can be considered appropriate for measuring the performance of
logistics services outsourcing in industrial environments? Are said
indicators in keeping with the objectives pursued by outsourcing? We
aim to answer these and other research questions in the study we have
initiated in the field within the framework of the international High
Performance Manufacturing (HPM) project of which this paper
forms part.
As the first stage of this research, this paper reviews articles
dealing with the topic published in the last 15 years with the aim of
detecting the models most used to make this measurement and
determining which performance indicators are proposed as part of
said models and which are most used. The first steps are also taken in
determining whether these indicators, financial and operational, cover
the aims that are being pursued when outsourcing logistics services.
The findings show there is a wide variety of both models and
indicators used. This would seem to testify to the need to continue
with our research in order to try to propose a model and a set of
indicators for measuring the performance of logistics services
outsourcing in industrial environments.
Abstract: Company mergers and acquisitions reached their peak
in the twenty-first century. Mergers and acquisitions have become one
of the competitive strategies for external growth. In general, it is
believed that mergers and acquisitions can create synergies. However,
they require complete information technology system and service
integration, especially in the banking industry. Much of the research
has focused on performance evaluation, shareholder equity allocation,
or even the increase of company market value after the merger and
acquisition, whereas few scholars have focused on information system
integration post merger and acquisition. This study indicates the role
of information systems after a merger and acquisition, explaining the
benefits of information system integration using a merger and
acquisition case in the banking industry as an example. In addition, we
discuss factors that affect the performance of information system
integration, and utilize system dynamics to interpret the relationship
among factors that affect information system integration performance
in the banking industry after a merger and acquisition.
Abstract: This paper presents the investigation results of UV
measurement at different level of altitudes and the development of a
new portable instrument for measuring UV. The rapid growth of
industrial sectors in developing countries including Malaysia, brings
not only income to the nation, but also causes pollution in various
forms. Air pollution is one of the significant contributors to global
warming by depleting the Ozone layer, which would reduce the
filtration of UV rays. Long duration of exposure to high to UV rays
has many devastating health effects to mankind directly or indirectly
through destruction of the natural resources. This study aimed to
show correlation between UV and altitudes which indirectly can help
predict Ozone depletion. An instrument had been designed to
measure and monitors the level of UV. The instrument comprises of
two main blocks namely data logger and Graphic User Interface
(GUI). Three sensors were used in the data logger to detect changes
in the temperature, humidity and ultraviolet. The system has
undergone experimental measurement to capture data at two different
conditions; industrial area and high attitude area. The performance of
the instrument showed consistency in the data captured and the
results of the experiment drew a significantly high reading of UV at
high altitudes.
Abstract: Buildings are one of the valuable assets to provide
people with shelters for work, leisure and rest. After years of
attacks by weather, buildings will deteriorate which need proper
maintenance in order to fulfill the requirements and satisfaction of
the users. Poorly managed buildings not just give a negative image
to the city itself, but also pose potential risk hazards to the health
and safety of the general public. As a result, the management of
maintenance projects has played an important role in cities like
Hong Kong where the problem of urban decay has drawn much
attention. However, most research has focused on managing new
construction, and little research effort has been put on maintenance
projects. Given the short duration and more diversified nature of
work, repair and maintenance works are found to be more difficult
to monitor and regulate when compared with new works. Project
participants may face with problems in running maintenance
projects which should be investigated so that proper strategies can
be established. This paper aims to provide a thorough analysis on
the problems of running maintenance projects. A review of
literature on the characteristics of building maintenance projects
was firstly conducted, which forms a solid basis for the empirical
study. Results on the problems and difficulties of running
maintenance projects from the viewpoints of industry practitioners
will also be delivered with a view to formulating effective
strategies for managing maintenance projects successfully.
Abstract: The aim of the study was to determine how different
ripening processes (traditional vs. industrial) influenced the
proteolysis in traditional Serbian dry-fermented sausage Petrovská
klobása. The obtained results indicated more intensive pH decline
(0.7 units after 9 days) in industrially ripened products (I), what had a
positive impact on drying process and proteolytic changes in these
samples. Thus, moisture content in I sausages was lower at each
sampling time, amounting 24.7% at the end of production period
(90 days). Likewise, the process of proteolysis was more pronounced
in I samples, resulting in higher contents of non-protein nitrogen
(NPN) and free amino acids nitrogen (FAAN), as well as in faster
and more intensive degradation of myosin (≈220 kDa), actin (≈45
kDa) and other polypeptides during processing. Consequently, the
appearance and accumulation of several protein fragments were
registered.
Abstract: Contractor selection in Saudi Arabia is very important due to the large construction boom and the contractor role to get over construction risks. The need for investigating contractor selection is due to the following reasons; large number of defaulted or failed projects (18%), large number of disputes attributed to contractor during the project execution stage (almost twofold), the extension of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) into construction industry, and finally the few number of researches. The selection strategy is not perfect and considered as the reason behind irresponsible contractors. As a response, this research was conducted to review the contractor selection strategies as an integral part of a long advanced research to develop a good selection model. Many techniques can be used to form a selection strategy; multi criteria for optimizing decision, prequalification to discover contractor-s responsibility, bidding process for competition, third party guarantee to enhance the selection, and fuzzy techniques for ambiguities and incomplete information.
Abstract: Metal matrix composites (MMC) are generating
extensive interest in diverse fields like defense, aerospace, electronics
and automotive industries. In this present investigation, material
removal rate (MRR) modeling has been carried out using an
axisymmetric model of Al-SiC composite during electrical discharge
machining (EDM). A FEA model of single spark EDM was
developed to calculate the temperature distribution.Further, single
spark model was extended to simulate the second discharge. For
multi-discharge machining material removal was calculated by
calculating the number of pulses. Validation of model has been done
by comparing the experimental results obtained under the same
process parameters with the analytical results. A good agreement was
found between the experimental results and the theoretical value.
Abstract: Tubular process equipment is often damaged in
industrial processes. The damage occurs both on devices working at
high temperatures and also on less exposed devices. In case of sudden
damage of key equipment a shutdown of the whole production unit
and resulting significant economic losses are imminent. This paper
presents a solution of several types of tubular process equipment. The
causes of damage and suggestions of correction actions are discussed
in all cases. Very important part is the analysis of operational
conditions, determination of unfavourable working states decreasing
lifetime of devices and suggestions of correction actions. Lately very
popular numerical methods are used for analysis of the equipment.