Effects of Casting Size on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Spheroidal and Compacted Graphite Cast Irons: Experimental Results and Comparison with International Standards

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of casting size (10-210 mm) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of spheroidal (SGI) and compacted (CGI) graphite cast irons. A comparison of the experimental mechanical data with those specified by ISO standards is presented and discussed. The study highlighted that the microstructure and mechanical properties of SGI (also known as ductile or nodular cast iron) are more sensitive to casting size than CGI (also known as vermicular graphite cast irons). In particular, in both types of cast iron, hardness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength decreased, with increasing casting size, by 27% in SGI and 17% in CGI. Elongation to failure showed, instead, an opposite trend, decreasing from 5 to 3% in CGI, while increasing from 5 to 11% in SGI. These results were related to different microstructures, the ferritic fraction being more sensitive to the casting size in SGI than CGI. Degeneration of spheroidal graphite was observed at casting size above 120 mm. The microstructural similarities between degenerated SGI and CGI suggested the proposal of a unified empirical constitutional law relating the most important microstructural parameters to the ultimate tensile strength. An outstanding result was also the finding that standard specifications underestimated the mechanical properties of both cast irons (in particular SGI) and, moreover, did not take into account their variation with casting size, at thicknesses over 60 mm.     

Real-time OHT Dispatching Mechanism for the Interbay Automated Material Handling System with Shortcuts and Bypasses

As a key to improve the performance of the interbay automated material handling system (AMHS) in 300 mm semiconductor wafer fabrication system, the real-time overhead hoist transport (OHT) dispatching problem has received much attention. This problem is first formulated as a special form of assignment problem and it is proved that more than one solution will be obtained by Hungarian algorithm simultaneously. Through proposing and strictly proving two propositions related to the characteristics of these solutions, a modified Hungarian algorithm is designed to distinguish these solutions. Finally, a new real-time OHT dispatching method is carefully designed by implementing the solution obtained by the modified Hungarian algorithm. The experimental results of discrete event simulations show that, compared with conventional Hungarian algorithm dispatching method, the proposed dispatching method that chooses the solution with the maximum variance respectively reduces on average 4 s of the average waiting time and average lead time of wafer lots, and its performance is rather stable in multiple different scenarios of the interbay AMHS with different quantities of shortcuts. This research provides an efficient real-time OHT dispatching mechanism for the interbay AMHS with shortcuts and bypasses.     

Corrosion inhibition behaviour of thiourea derivatives in acid media against mild steel deterioration: An overview

This paper summarizes the inhibitor activity of various reported thiourea derivatives in acid media used against the deterioration of mild steel. Acid solutions have been extensively employed in manufacturing and many industrial processes for pickling and removal of undesirable scale. Mild steel is highly susceptible to corrosion in such aggressive acid media. The additives such as inhibitors are widely employed in those cases to reduce the extent of corrosion as much as possible. The survey of literature on organic inhibitors clearly indicates the potential usage of thiourea derivatives as inhibitors of mild steel corrosion. The influence of physical-chemical properties on the inhibition activity of thiourea derivatives has been discussed. This information is highly useful for different industrial applications where good performing inhibitors are being required for protecting mild steel from aggressive acid media.     

Modeling of friction-stir butt-welds and its application in automotive bumper impact performance Part 2. Impact modeling and bumper crash performance

Ever increasing requirements regarding vehicle safety have led to rapid developments in various joining process. Among FSW widely used for Aluminum alloy welded structure of car body because of their remarkable performance in welding. For a better understanding of this performance, it is necessary to determine the behavior of butt weld in service conditions. In earlier phase of this study, thermo mechanical simulations and analysis are performed to understand the thermal behavior in the FSW weld zones. The developed models are correlated against published experimental results in terms of temperature profile of the weld zone. The objectives of the second part of this work is to develop and demonstrate an FE model of bumper and crash box assembly that would improve on the current modeling techniques for the mechanical response of welds in structural problems.     

Formation and Height of the Interconnected Fractures Zone after Extraction of Thick Coal Seams with Weak Overburden in Western China

Formation of a zone of interconnected fractures during coal mining is a key factor in mine flooding. Coal mines in western China are characterized by thick coal seams with mechanically weak overburden. In situ studies including drill core analysis, drilling fluid loss measurement, and borehole video monitoring were used at the working face 101 in Shaanxi Jinjitan coal mine to explore the maximum height of the interconnected fractures zone (IFZ). Also, tests on a scaled physical model and numerical simulation based on the drilling data were used to study the formation of the fractured zone. By considering data from other mines with similar mining conditions, a logarithmic relationship was found between the maximum height of the IFZ and the thickness of coal excavation. The maximum height of the IFZ was found to be 27 times the thickness of the excavated coal seam, which is far more than in coal mining areas in eastern China. Also, the IFZ in overlying strata of the study area was arch-shaped, not saddle-shaped, as had been observed in previous studies.     

Do natural amenities influence undergraduate student migration decisions?

The primary objective of this paper is to examine the influence of natural amenities on student migration decisions using institution-level data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. We surpass the scope of previous studies focused on natural amenities, which rely on a limited selection of state-level measures, by matching interpolated weather station- and county-level climate data to each post-secondary institution. Results suggest that students consider natural amenities in their migration to college decision and, in a number of cases, preferences for natural amenities vary based on origin state amenity conditions. Nonetheless, migration decisions are dominated by origin state educational opportunities and by proximity of the student’s origin state to the state of college attendance.     

Optimized state estimation by application of machine learning

The requirements concerning the technical availability as part of the overall equipment effectiveness increase constantly in production nowadays. Unplanned downtimes have to be prevented via efficient methods. Predictive, condition-based maintenance represents a valuable approach for fulfilling these demands, but precise models for state estimation are missing. From the manufacturers’ point of view the challenge consists in wear models with the capability of specifying the correct component’s state as well as providing reliable failure forecasts. Unfortunately, nowadays creation of wear models is based on specific stress tests or design of experiments from the manufacturer. The integration of the production phase or even data feedback and user knowledge does not take place. New potential is promised by cross-cutting technologies from ICT like cloud technologies—in general virtual platform concepts—or approaches of machine learning as enabling technologies. The objective of this paper is to adopt existing algorithms to the new application of condition monitoring in order to evaluate the applicability for automated training of robust wear models. In that context the most commonly used algorithms are described and the reader gets an impression what challenges have to be met when dealing with machine learning. A selection of about ten algorithms with 45 variants is evaluated for four different features within a packaging machine. In the outlook the embedding of the trained model in a cloud architecture is presented.     

Elemental mercury removal from syngas at high-temperature using activated char pyrolyzed from biomass and lignite

Activated char obtained by the co-pyrolysis of a mixture of lignite and biomass impregnated with ZnCl₂ solution was found to be effective for the high-temperature capture of mercury from syngas. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Hg-thermal programmed desorption as well as Brunauer- Emmett-Teller analysis. The results show that activated char exhibits a large surface area as well as abundant micropores and C-Cl, C=O, and COOH functional groups. During the chemisorption of mercury, gaseous Hg⁰ is first oxidized by C-Cl to HgCl₂; HgCl₂ which acts as the intermediate product then reacts with the C=O and COOH functional groups on the surface of activated char to generate Hg-OM. At high adsorption temperatures, Hg-OM on the adsorbent surface can further decompose and generate HgO. The C-Cl group is important for the first oxidation step of gaseous Hg⁰, and the formation of HgCl₂ is the rate-determining step for the entire process of adsorption.     

Optimization of line configuration and balancing for flexible machining lines

Line configuration and balancing is to select the type of line and allot a given set of operations as well as machines to a sequence of workstations to realize high-efficiency production. Most of the current researches for machining line configuration and balancing problems are related to dedicated transfer lines with dedicated machine workstations. With growing trends towards great product variety and fluctuations in market demand, dedicated transfer lines are being replaced with flexible machining line composed of identical CNC machines. This paper deals with the line configuration and balancing problem for flexible machining lines. The objective is to assign operations to workstations and find the sequence of execution, specify the number of machines in each workstation while minimizing the line cycle time and total number of machines. This problem is subject to precedence, clustering, accessibility and capacity constraints among the features, operations, setups and workstations. The mathematical model and heuristic algorithm based on feature group strategy and polychromatic sets theory are presented to find an optimal solution. The feature group strategy and polychromatic sets theory are used to establish constraint model. A heuristic operations sequencing and assignment algorithm is given. An industrial case study is carried out, and multiple optimal solutions in different line configurations are obtained. The case studying results show that the solutions with shorter cycle time and higher line balancing rate demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. This research proposes a heuristic line configuration and balancing algorithm based on feature group strategy and polychromatic sets theory which is able to provide better solutions while achieving an improvement in computing time.