Methodology for optimization of pouring variables using bottom pour for low masses of SS304 (<300 kg) in investment casting process (case study)

Bottom pour ladles with stopper rod systems are commonly used in the metal casting industry. However, stopper rod bottom-pouring systems have not yet been developed for the lower thermal masses of alloys typically used in the investment casting industry. Large thermal masses used with bottom pour systems are typically limited for ladles larger than 700 kg and to certain alloys with higher fluidity and longer solidification time like cast iron, aluminum alloys etc. In this study, bottom pour ladle designs and low thermal mass refractory systems have been developed and evaluated in production investment foundry trials with 300 kg pouring ladle. The ladles system and pouring practices used will be described along with the results from the pouring trials for SS304 that represents typical alloys used in Investment casting industries. Optimization of the variables used in an experimentation using Genetic algorithm is also explained.     

综合改进奇异谱分解和奇异值分解的齿轮故障特征提取方法

针对齿轮故障特征微弱，在强背景噪声下难以有效提取的问题，提出了一种改进奇异谱分解（ISSD）结合奇异值分解（SVD）的齿轮故障特征提取方法。针对奇异谱分解（SSD）算法中模态参数需凭经验选取的缺陷，基于散布熵优化算法对SSD算法进行了改进，在得到既定的一组奇异谱分量的基础上，根据峭度值最大准则筛选出了最佳奇异谱分量并进行了SVD处理，采用奇异值能量标准谱自适应地确定了信号重构阶数以还原信号和提高降噪效果。最后对信号进行包络解调以提取齿轮故障特征，将所提方法运用到仿真信号和齿轮实测信号中，并同传统包络谱、SSD包络谱以及经验模态分解结合SVD(EMD-SVD)方法进行了对比分析，结果表明，所提方法的降噪和特征提取效果更佳，能够更加有效地实现齿轮故障的判别。     

大螺距连续螺旋折流板换热器制造工艺研究

针对大螺距连续螺旋折流板螺旋升角大、成型困难的问题，分析了连续螺旋板成型的基本原理，提出了螺旋导向+热成型+周向力的成型方案，设计制造了连续螺旋折流板压制成型模具，压制过程中通过模具转动得到了一个完整周期的连续螺旋折流板；分析了大螺距连续螺旋折流板钻孔加工的难点，提出了采用数控加工中心铣削加工的方案。通过合理的刀具选择和装夹设计加工出了连续螺旋折流板，解决了大螺距螺旋面管孔加工问题，为大螺距连续螺旋折流板的成型及加工提供了借鉴。     

Hybrid self-inertia weight adaptive particle swarm optimisation with local search using C4.5 decision tree classifier for feature selection problems

ABSTRACT

Feature selection is an important task to improve the classifier’s accuracy and to decrease the problem size. A number of methodologies have been presented for feature selection problems using metaheuristic algorithms. In this paper, an improved self-adaptive inertia weight particle swarm optimisation with local search and combined with C4.5 classifiers for feature selection algorithm is proposed. In this proposed algorithm, the gradient base local search with its capacity of helping to explore the feature space and an improved self-adaptive inertia weight particle swarm optimisation with its ability to converge a best global solution in the search space. Experimental results have verified that the SIW-APSO-LS performed well compared with other state of art feature selection techniques on a suit of 16 standard data sets.     

Stiffness improvement of swirl gripper based on gap height and force estimation

The swirl gripper is an electrically activated noncontact handling device that uses swirling airflow to generate a lifting force. This force can be used to pick up a workpiece placed underneath the swirl gripper without any contact. It is applicable, for example, on a semiconductor wafer production line, where contact must be avoided during the handling and moving of a workpiece to minimize damage. When a workpiece levitates underneath a swirl gripper, the gap height between them is critical for safe handling. Therefore, in this study, we develop a theoretical model of the swirl gripper, based on which a method to estimate the levitation gap height by detecting pressure at two points is proposed. Experiments indicate that the estimated gap height can track changes in actual gap height accurately in real time, when the gap height is relatively small and the inertia of airflow in the gap is negligible. In addition, the force between the gripper and workpiece can also be estimated using the detected pressure. As a result, a desired relationship between the force and gap height can be achieved by adjusting the rotating speed of the fan according to the real-time estimated force and gap height using a microcontroller. The control system was experimentally verified using a desired linear relationship. Because the stiffness of the force decreases with increasing gap height for a constant gripper fan rotating speed, the linear relationship between the force and gap height, which means a constant stiffness, is expected to enhance handling stability of workpieces.     

Arabic sign language intelligent translator

ABSTRACT

Arabic sign language (ArSL) is method of communication between deaf communities in Arab countries; therefore, the development of systemsthat can recognize the gestures provides a means for the Deaf to easily integrate into society. In this research we implemented a computational structurefor an intelligent interpreter that automatically recognizes the isolated dynamic gestures. The proposed system recognizes and translates gesturesperformed with one or both hands. It comprises five subsystems, building dataset, video processing, feature extraction, mapping between ArSL and Arabictext, and text generation. To apply the system, 100-signs of ArSL was used, which was applied on 1500 video files. It's were divided into five classes:alphabet, numbers, "prepositions, pronouns and question words", Arabic life expressions, and "nouns and verbs". The evaluation indicated that thesystem automatically recognizes and translates isolated dynamic ArSL gestures by highly accurate manner. The results showed that the system accuracy is 95.8%.     

Food recognition using neural network classifier and multiple hypotheses image segmentation

ABSTRACT

This paper proposes the multiple-hypotheses image segmentation and feed-forward neural network classifier for food recognition to improve the performance. Initially, the food or meal image is given as input. Then, the segmentation is applied to identify the regions, where a particular food item is located using salient region detection, multi-scale segmentation, and fast rejection. Then, the features of every food item are extracted by the global feature and local feature extraction. After the features are obtained, the classification is performed for each segmented region using a feed-forward neural network model. Finally, the calorie value is computed with the aid of (i) food volume and (ii) calorie and nutrition measure based on mass value. The experimental results and performance evaluation are validated. The outcome of the proposed method attains 0.947 for Macro Average Accuracy (MAA) and 0.959 for Standard Accuracy (SA), which provides better classification performance.     

Estimation of the Stress-Strength Reliability for Exponentiated Pareto Distribution Using Median and Ranked Set Sampling Methods

In reliability analysis, the stress-strength model is often used to describe the life of a component which has a random strength (X) and is subjected to a random stress (Y). In this paper, we considered the problem of estimating the reliability R=P [Y<X] when the distributions of both stress and strength are independent and follow exponentiated Pareto distribution. The maximum likelihood estimator of the stress strength reliability is calculated under simple random sample, ranked set sampling and median ranked set sampling methods. Four different reliability estimators under median ranked set sampling are derived. Two estimators are obtained when both strength and stress have an odd or an even set size. The two other estimators are obtained when the strength has an odd size and the stress has an even set size and vice versa. The performances of the suggested estimators are compared with their competitors under simple random sample via a simulation study. The simulation study revealed that the stress strength reliability estimates based on ranked set sampling and median ranked set sampling are more efficient than their competitors via simple random sample. In general, the stress strength reliability estimates based on median ranked set sampling are smaller than the corresponding estimates under ranked set sampling and simple random sample methods.     

Generalized Marshall Olkin Inverse Lindley Distribution with Applications

In this article, a new generalization of the inverse Lindley distribution is introduced based on Marshall-Olkin family of distributions. We call the new distribution, the generalized Marshall-Olkin inverse Lindley distribution which offers more flexibility for modeling lifetime data. The new distribution includes the inverse Lindley and the Marshall-Olkin inverse Lindley as special distributions. Essential properties of the generalized Marshall-Olkin inverse Lindley distribution are discussed and investigated including, quantile function, ordinary moments, incomplete moments, moments of residual and stochastic ordering. Maximum likelihood method of estimation is considered under complete, Type-I censoring and Type-II censoring. Maximum likelihood estimators as well as approximate confidence intervals of the population parameters are discussed. A comprehensive simulation study is done to assess the performance of estimates based on their biases and mean square errors. The notability of the generalized Marshall-Olkin inverse Lindley model is clarified by means of two real data sets. The results showed the fact that the generalized Marshall-Olkin inverse Lindley model can produce better fits than power Lindley, extended Lindley, alpha power transmuted Lindley, alpha power extended exponential and Lindley distributions.     

MOOC Learner’s Final Grade Prediction Based on an Improved Random Forests Method

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has become a popular way of online learning used across the world by millions of people. Meanwhile, a vast amount of information has been collected from the MOOC learners and institutions. Based on the educational data, a lot of researches have been investigated for the prediction of the MOOC learner’s final grade. However, there are still two problems in this research field. The first problem is how to select the most proper features to improve the prediction accuracy, and the second problem is how to use or modify the data mining algorithms for a better analysis of the MOOC data. In order to solve these two problems, an improved random forests method is proposed in this paper. First, a hybrid indicator is defined to measure the importance of the features, and a rule is further established for the feature selection; then, a Clustering-Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) is embedded into the traditional random forests algorithm to solve the class imbalance problem. In experiment part, we verify the performance of the proposed method by using the Canvas Network Person-Course (CNPC) dataset. Furthermore, four well-known prediction methods have been applied for comparison, where the superiority of our method has been proved.