Non-destructive Evaluation and Development of a New Wire Rope Tester Using Parallely Magnetized NdFeB Magnet Segments

A new wire rope tester based on principle of magnetic flux leakage is constructed. Two rings of NdFeB are cut in axial direction into 32 equal arc segments such that each arc segment subtends an angle of 22.5° at the centre. These arc segments are then parallely magnetized in magnetizer. A ferromagnetic cylinderical yoke is constructed by hinging two ferromagnetic half cylinders along one axial edge. A fixture consisting of a wooden square base, wooden mandrel, stepped and slotted Aluminium cylinder and Aluminium fillers is made to assemble the NdFeB magnets in a ring on both the ends of the ferromagnetic yoke. A Hall effect sensor is instrumented inside the yoke in the middle at radial distance of 34 mm from the axis of the yoke. A ferromagnetic wire rope with a defect is inserted in the novel wire rope tester. It has been successfully shown by performing Non-destructive testing that whenever a defect in a wire rope passes below the Hall-effect sensor instrumented in the wire rope tester developed in this work, a signal is generated indicating the defect.     

Highly dispersed PVP-supported Ir–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles as high performance catalyst for degradation of metanil yellow

Bimetallic nanoparticles, a new class of materials for catalysis, were intensively investigated. Highly dispersed Ir–Ni bimetallic nanoparticles with varying mole fractions were synthesized by modified polyol reduction method from the solution of iridium trichloride and nickel chloride in ethylene glycol, which acts as both solvent and reducing agent. The particles were characterized for their size, morphology and composition using various techniques like UV–Vis, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and X-ray photo electron spectroscopic (XPS) techniques. The synthesized nanoparticles were in pseudo-spherical morphology and utilized as catalyst for the degradation of dyes. The feasibility of degradation of an azo dye i.e., metanil yellow (MY) in aqueous alkaline medium by hexacynoferrate (III) ions using Ir–Ni bimetals as catalyst, prepared in different molar ratios, was investigated. Results show that Ir–Ni (2:1) bimetals have good catalytic activity and degradation as compared to Ir–Ni (1:2) due to their small size and high stability for the oxidation of MY.     

Synthesis of Chevrel phase $$(\hbox {Cu}_{1.8}\hbox {Mo}_{6}\hbox {S}_{8})$$ in composite with molybdenum carbide for hydrogen evolution reactions

Sustainable hydrogen generation from water electrolysis using renewable energy sources is the most promising pathway for future energy and hydrogen economy. Here, the Chevrel phase \((\hbox {Cu}_{1.8}\hbox {Mo}_{6}\hbox {S}_{8})\) was synthesized in composite with \(\hbox {Mo}_{2}\hbox {C}\) and good hydrogen evolution activity in acidic media has been demonstrated. Bundles of nanowires were formed in the templated synthesis route. The composites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and elemental analysis. Detailed electrochemical analysis reveals that MCS-Cu50 composite exhibits higher hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity with \(71.4\,\hbox {mA}\,\mathrm{cm}^{-2}\) current density at an overpotential of 400 mV. It requires 250 mV overpotential to produce \(10\,\hbox {mA}\,\mathrm{cm}^{-2}\) current density for HER.     

Active vibration control of a beam instrumented with MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposite sensor and PZT-5H actuator,robust to variations in temperature

Microsystem Technologies - Multi walled carbon nano tube (MWCNT)/epoxy nanocomposite strain sensor and piezoelectric actuator pair are used in active vibration control (AVC) of a smart cantilevered...     

3D text segmentation and recognition using leap motion

In this paper, we present a method of Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) through 3D air-writing. Our proposed method includes a natural way of interaction without pen and paper. The online texts are drawn on air by 3D gestures using fingertip within the field of view of a Leap motion sensor. The texts consist of single stroke only. Hence gaps between adjacent words are usually absent. This makes the system different as compared to the conventional 2D writing using pen and paper. We have collected a dataset that comprises with 320 Latin sentences. We have used a heuristic to segment 3D words from sentences. Subsequently, we present a methodology to segment continuous 3D strokes into lines of texts by finding large gaps between the end and start of the lines. This is followed by segmentation of the text lines into words. In the next phase, a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based classifier is used to recognize 3D sequences of segmented words. We have used dynamic as well as simple features for classification. We have recorded an overall accuracy of 80.3 % in word segmentation. Recognition accuracies of 92.73 % and 90.24 % have been recorded when tested with dynamic and simple features, respectively. The results show that the Leap motion device can be a low-cost but useful solution for inputting text naturally as compared to conventional systems. In future, this may be extended such that the system can successfully work on cluttered gestures.     

Productive failure in CSCL groups

This study was designed as a confirmatory study of work on productive failure (Kapur, Cognition and Instruction, 26(3), 379–424, 2008). N = 177, 11th-grade science students were randomly assigned to solve either well- or ill-structured problems in a computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environment without the provision of any external support structures or scaffolds. After group problem solving, all students individually solved well-structured problems followed by ill-structured problems. Compared to groups who solved well-structured problems, groups who solved ill-structured problems expectedly struggled with defining, analyzing, and solving the problems. However, despite failing in their collaborative problem-solving efforts, these students outperformed their counterparts from the well-structured condition on the individual near and far transfer measures subsequently, thereby confirming the productive failure hypothesis. Building on the previous study, additional analyses revealed that neither preexisting differences in prior knowledge nor the variation in group outcomes (quality of solutions produced) seemed to have had any significant effect on individual near and far transfer measures, lending support to the idea that it was the nature of the collaborative process that explained productive failure.

Inferring comprehensible business/ICT alignment rules

We inferred business rules for business/ICT alignment by applying a novel rule induction algorithm on a data set containing rich alignment information polled from 641 organisations in 7 European countries. The alignment rule set was created using AntMiner+, a rule induction technique with a reputation of inducing accurate, comprehensible, and intuitive predictive models from data. Our data set consisted of 18 alignment practices distilled from an analysis of relevant publications and validated by a Delphi panel of experts. The goal of our study was to describe practical guidelines for managers in obtaining better alignment of ICT investments with business requirements. Our obtained rule set showed the multi-disciplinary nature of B/ICT alignment. We discuss implication of the alignment rules for practitioners.     

Studies on the influence of metal oxides on the galvanic characteristics of hot-dip zinc coating

In the present work, hot dip zinc coating incorporated with various composite was developed. The effect of ZnO and V₂O₅ in the galvanizing characteristics of zinc coating was studied with a view to apply the coating for functional application. The pretreatment conditions and bath compositions were fixed based on the available literatures and on the preliminary test results. Different electrochemical techniques were followed to study the corrosion tolerance of the coating. The presence of ZnO had a beneficial influence on the protection span of the coating compared to that of V₂O₅. The presence of composite reinforced inner layer influenced the alloying reaction between Fe and Zn. The surface topography of the coating was also improved due to the metal oxide incorporation.     

Effect of Ag and Li ion irradiation on superconducting Tl2Ca2Ba2Cu3O10 single crystals

The effect of irradiation by 50 MeV Li³⁺ and 200 MeV Ag¹⁵⁺ ions on single crystals of Tl₂Ca₂Ba₂Cu₃O₁₀ (Tl2223) superconductor has been investigated at different fluences. Isothermal magnetization hysteresis loops have been recorded at different temperatures using a SQUID magnetometer and the effect of irradiation on the critical current density, irreversible field, second magnetization peak and pinning force has been studied. Irradiation by 200 MeV Ag¹⁵⁺ ions resulted in increased hysteresis and irreversibility field while no change in second magnetization peak position and critical temperature was observed. A broadening in the hysteresis loop before the second magnetization peak was also observed for the crystals irradiated by Li³⁺ ions. Annealing of irradiated crystals at 500 °C resulted in reduction of point defects created by Li³⁺ ions.