Effect of gamma irradiation on the optical properties of CR-39 polymer

The UV-Visible absorption spectra of virgin and gamma irradiated (20–800 kGy) CR-39 polymer have been deduced by using Shimadzu Double beam Double Monochromator UV-Visible Spectrophotometer (UV-2550). The existence of the peaks, their shifting and broadening as a result of gamma irradiation has been discussed. Finally the indirect and direct band gap in virgin and gamma irradiated CR-39 has been determined. The values of indirect band gap have been found to be lower than the corresponding values of direct band gap.     

A VLSI architecture for a half-edge-based corner detector

Corner detection is a low-level feature detection operator that is of great use in image processing applications, for example, optical flow and structure from motion by image correspondence. The detection of corners is a computationally intensive operation. Past implementations of corner detection techniques have been restricted to software. In this paper we propose an efficient very large-scale integration (VLSI) architecture for detection of corners in images. The corner detection technique is based on the half-edge concept and the first directional derivative of Gaussian. Apart from the location of the corner points, the algorithm also computes the corner orientation and the corner angle and outputs the edge map of the image. The symmetrical properties of the masks are utilized to reduce the number of convolutions effectively, from eight to two. Therefore, the number of multiplications required per pixel is reduced from 1800 to 392. Thus, the proposed architecture yields a speed-up factor of 4.6 over conventional convolution architectures. The architecture uses the principles of pipelining and parallelism and can be implemented in VLSI.     

A Convenient Synthesis of Some Coumarin Derivatives Using SnCl2 · 2H2O as Catalyst

Some substituted coumarins have been synthesized by von-Pechmann condensation using SnCl₂ · 2H₂O (10 mol %) as catalyst in ethanolic medium. The reactions are simple, easy in handling and environmentally benign.     

Recent advances in isotropic conductive adhesives for electronics packaging applications

Isotropic conductive adhesives (ICAs) have recently received a lot of focus and attention from the researchers in electronics industry as a potential substitute to lead-bearing solders. Numerous studies have shown that ICAs possess many advantages over conventional soldering such as environmental friendliness, finer pitch printing, lower temperature processing and more flexible and simpler processing. However, complete replacement of soldering by ICAs is yet not possible owing to several limitations of ICAs which are mainly related to reliability aspects like limited impact resistance, unstable contact resistance, low adhesion and conductivity etc. Continued efforts for last 15 years have resulted in development of ICAs with improved properties. This review article is aimed at providing a better understanding of ICAs, their principles, performance and significant research and development work addressing the technological utility of ICAs.     

Effect of process parameters on impact strength of Al-7% Si alloy castings produced by VAEPC process

The castings produced by the evaporative pattern casting (EPC) process have blow holes. The blow holes in EPC castings are because of the non-escape of the gas produced as a result of burning of polystyrene pattern in the sand mold. To overcome the problem of blow holes, the EPC process is combined with the vacuum (V)- process. The vacuum applied to EPC mold draws the decomposed gases and improves the casting quality produced by the EPC process. The developed hybrid process has been termed as the vacuum assisted evaporative pattern casting (VAEPC) process. The objective of this paper to investigates the effect of process parameters, i.e, degree of vacuum, pouring temperature, grainfineness number, amplitude of vibration and time of vibration on the impact strength of Al-7% Si alloy castings in VAEPC process. In order to evaluate the effect of selected process parameters, the response surface methodology (RSM) is used to formulate a mathematical model which correlates the independent process parameters with the desired impact strength. The central composite rotatable design has been used to conduct the experiments. The results indicate that the impact strength decreases with increases in the grainfineness number and pouring temperature. Whereas, it has an inverse relationship with amplitude of vibration, time of vibration and degree of vacuum. The best value of impact strength (2.34 N/mm²) has been obtained at 400 mm Hg degree of vacuum imposed, 650°C as pouring temperature, 60 as sand grainfineness number, 460 μm as amplitude of vibration, and 70 s as time of vibration.     

Lean philosophy: implementation in a forging company

This research addresses the implementation of lean philosophy in a forging company with a focus on radial forging production flow lines. Here, the prime motive is to evolve and test several strategies to eliminate waste on the shop floor. In this research, a systematic approach is suggested for the implementation of lean principles. This paper describes an application of value stream mapping (VSM). Consequently, the present and future states of value stream maps are constructed to improve the production process by identifying waste and its sources. Furthermore, Taguchi’s method of design of experiments is pursued here to minimize the forging defects produced due to imperfect operating conditions. A noticeable reduction in set-up time and work-in-process (WIP) inventory level is substantiated. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of managerial implications and the future scope of research.