Performance of Cylindrical Parabolic Collector with Automated Tracking System

Parabolic solar collector collects the radiant energy emitted from the sun and focuses it at a point. Parabolic trough collectors are the low cost implementation of concentrated solar power technology that focuses incident sun light on to a tube filled with a heat transfer fluid. However, the basic problem with the cylindrical parabolic collector without tracking was the solar collector does not move with the orientation of sun. Development of automatic tracking system for cylindrical parabolic collectors will increase solar collection as well as efficiency of devices. The main aim of this paper is to design, fabricate and analyze the performance of parabolic collector with automated tracking system. The automated tracking mechanism is used to receive the maximum possible energy of solar radiation as it tracks the path of sun. The performance of the parabolic trough collector is experimentally investigated with the water circulated as heat transfer fluid. The collector efficiency will be noted.     

Effect of embedment length of untreated natural fibres on the bond behaviour in cement mortar

The present investigation is focused on studying the effects of various matrices with 1:3, 1:4 and 1:5 mortars and fibre types of sisal and coir on the bond behavior at various ages of curing, i.e., 24 h, 3 d, 7 d and 28 d. The other parameters included in the investigation are water/cement (w/c) ratio, sand gradation and embedment length of fibres. In addition, the type of failure of sisal and coir fibres for different mixes of mortars at various curing ages is also reported. From the results, it is seen that the bond strength is improving with respect to age of curing in case of sisal fibres, but decreases in case of coir fibres. The failure of fibres due to fibre fracture is observed in sisal fibres and fibre pullout is observed in coir fibres. The other varying parameters such as mortar mixes, sand gradation, w/c ratio and embedded length also showed significant effect on bond behaviour of sisal and coir fibre with the cement mortar mixes.     

Click chemistry approach for fabricating PVA/gelatin nanofibers for the differentiation of ADSCs to keratinocytes

Every year, millions of people suffer from dermal wounds caused by heat, fire, chemicals, electricity, ultraviolet radiation or disease. Tissue engineering and nanotechnology have enabled the engineering of nanostructured materials to meet the current challenges in skin treatments owing to such rising occurrences of accidental damages, skin diseases and defects. The abundance and accessibility of adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) may prove to be novel cell therapeutics for skin regeneration. The nanofibrous PVA/gelatin/azide scaffolds were then fabricated by electrospinning using water as solvent and allowed to undergo click reaction. The scaffolds were characterized by SEM, contact angle and FTIR. The cell–scaffold interactions were analyzed by cell proliferation and the results observed that the rate of cell proliferation was significantly increased (P ≤ 0.05) on PVA/gelatin/azide scaffolds compared to PVA/gelatin nanofibers. In the present study, manipulating the biochemical cues by the addition of an induction medium, in combination with environmental and physical factors of the culture substrate by functionalizing with click moieties, we were able to drive ADSCs into epidermal lineage with the development of epidermis-like structures, was further confirmed by the expression of early and intermediate epidermal differentiation markers like keratin and filaggrin. This study not only provides an insight into the design of a site-specific niche-like microenvironment for stem cell lineage commitment, but also sheds light on the therapeutic application of an alternative cell source—ADSCs, for wound healing and skin tissue reconstitution.     

High temperature stability of 2.25Cr-1Mo steel during creep

The creep rapture behaviour of 2.25Cr—1Mo steel in air and in a salt mixture was studied. The salt coating, which can form a liquid phase at the test temperatures, increased the creep rate and reduced the rupture life of the material. The coating reduced the available cross-section of the material by removing the surface layers, thereby resulting in a reduction of the rupture life. Cross-sections of coated samples showed an outer oxide layer comprising oxide of the metal and precipitates of sulphide at the metal/oxide interface. This subsurface penetration of the corrodants was responsible for the early failure of the coated samples. This is typical of hot corrosion mechanisms. The formation of various carbides like M₂₃C₆ and M₆C, as observed by transmission electron microscopy, during creep reduced the creep strength of the material both in air and in the coated state. Increasing temperature enhanced the formation of these carbides with a consequent decrease in creep strength. Applied stress did not seem to play much of a role in the degree of carbide precipitation.     

Magnetohydrodynamic Slip Flow and Heat Transfer in a Porous Medium over a Stretching Cylinder: Homotopy Analysis Method

This study considers magnetohydrodynamic flow and heat transfer outside a hollow stretching cylinder immersed in a fluid saturated porous medium of sparse distribution of particles with high permeability. Partial slip boundary conditions for the velocity and temperature fields are assumed at the stretching surface of the cylinder. Using similarity transformations, the nonlinear partial differential equations governing the flow and heat transfer are converted into nonlinear ordinary differential equations which are then solved by the homotopy analysis method. The effects of the pertinent parameters on the velocity and temperature profiles are investigated and discussed graphically.     

Acoustic emission analysis for tool wear monitoring in face milling

Monitoring the condition of the cutting tool in any machining operation is very important since it will affect the workpiece quality and an unexpected tool failure may damage the tool, workpiece and sometimes the machine tool itself. Advanced manufacturing demands an optimal machining process. Many problems that affect optimization are related to the diminished machine performance caused by worn out tools. One of the most promising tool monitoring techniques is based on the analysis of Acoustic Emission (AE) signals. The generation of the AE signals directly in the cutting zone makes them very sensitive to changes in the cutting process. Various approaches have been taken to monitor progressive tool wear, tool breakage, failure and chip segmentation while supervising these AE signals. In this paper, AE analysis is applied for tool wear monitoring in face milling operations. Experiments have been conducted on En-8 steel using uncoated carbide inserts in the cutter. The studies have been carried out with one, two and three inserts in the cutter under given cutting conditions. The AE signal analysis was carried out by considering signal parameters such as ring down count and RMS voltage. The results show that AE can be effectively used to monitor tool wear in face milling operation.     

Integrating carbon market uncertainties into a sustainable manufacturing investment decision: a Bayesian NPV approach

Net present value (NPV) is a widely used technique in capital budgeting. In this paper, we develop a Bayesian NPV framework using a Gibbs sampler. This approach allows decision-makers to integrate their knowledge, past experience, and uncertain and volatile cash flows from carbon emissions credits into decisions dealing with energy efficient, sustainable manufacturing equipment. The results indicate NPV is highly dependent on the nature of volatility and uncertainty of the cash flows. Without inclusion of this information through the Bayesian framework results, NPV becomes overstated, and thus it may provide biased guidance for the investment. The results developed in this paper further show that the frequency of very high and low cash flows and to a lesser degree their variability adversely impacts NPV. The results may also explain reasons for the economic phenomenon known as the energy efficiency gap.     

Economic in-line inspection sampling strategy with learning effects

This paper presents an innovative approach to a wafer inspection strategy that incorporates learning dynamics in semiconductor manufacturing factories. Using the data from fabrication lines (fabs) we demonstrate algorithms for computing the sampling strategy in terms of the percentage of wafers to sample for a process in different phases of a product life cycle. The average selling price and wafer starts per weeks are considered in the model. The paper provides an optimal solution methodology and concludes that the learning benefits of quality control activities may achieve the most cost-effective operations.     

Multiferroic BiFeO3 Thin Films Buffered by a SrRuO3 Layer

Multiferroic BiFeO₃ thin films of huge polarization have been successfully realized by using SrRuO₃ as a buffer layer on a Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrate. They consist of a single perovskite phase and are nearly randomly orientated, where the SrRuO₃ buffer layer lowers the crystallization temperature and improves the crystallinity of BiFeO₃. With increasing deposition temperature during magnetron sputtering, they undergo an apparent grain growth and reduction in surface roughness. The multiferroic thin films deposited on the SrRuO₃-buffered Pt/TiO₂/SiO₂/Si substrate at higher temperatures show much improved polarization and reduced coercive field, together with a lowered leakage current. A huge remnant polarization (2 P _r) of 150 μC/cm² and a coercive field (2 E _c) of 780 kV/cm were measured for the BiFeO₃ film deposited at 650°C.