Designing Energy Efficient Strategies Using Markov Decision Process for Crowd-Sensing Applications

Mobile Networks and Applications - In mobile crowd-sensing, smartphone users take part in sensing and then share the data to the server (cloud) and get an incentive. These data can be utilized for...     

Electron-beam-initiated grafting of triallyl cyanurate onto polyethylene: Structure and properties

Electron-beam (EB)-initiated grafting of triallyl cyanurate (TAC) onto polyethylene (PE) has been carried out over a range of radiation dose (2–20 Mrad) and concentrations of TAC (0.5–3 parts by weight). The grafting level, as determined from IR spectroscopy, is maximum at a 10 Mrad radiation does using 1 part TAC. With increasing TAC level at a 15 Mrad dose, the grafting level is higher only after 1.5 parts TAC. The gel content increases with radiation dose in the initial stages. X-ray studies indicate two peaks at 10.6–10.8° and 11.7–11.9° and the corresponding interplaner distances of 4.15 and 3.80 Å. With increase in radiation dose or TAC level, the crystallinity decreases in the initial stage and then increases. It shows a decreasing trend again at higher radiation dose. The interplanar distance or the interchain distance of the modified polymer does not change. However, the crystallite size increases initially and then decreases. The tensile properties are relatively insensitive to the variation of radiation dose because of the interplay of various factors. The dielectric loss, tan δ, shows a maximum at a 10 Mrad dose and minimum at 5 and 15 Mrad due to changes of polarity and the carrier mobility. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Effect of reaction parameters on the structure and properties of acrylic rubber/silica hybrid nanocomposites prepared by sol‐gel technique

The effects of a few reaction parameters, namely, type of solvents, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)‐to‐water mole ratio, and temperature of gelation at constant concentration of TEOS (45 wt %) and pH of 1.5 were investigated for acrylic rubber/silica hybrid nanocomposites prepared by sol‐gel technique. Infrared spectroscopic studies indicated the maximum silica generation within the system when tetrahydrofuran was used as the solvent for the sol‐gel reaction. The distribution of the silica particles (average dimension 100 nm) forming a network type of structure within the composite was confirmed by scanning electron microscopic studies (SEM). The other solvents studied here produced a lower amount of silica because of either high polarity of the solvents (methyl ethyl ketone and dimethyl formamide) or their limited miscibility with water (for ethyl acetate). An increase in the proportion of water caused silica agglomeration. Energy dispersive X‐ray analysis (EDAX) silicon mapping also demonstrated the existence of agglomerated silica structures at high TEOS‐to‐water mole ratio (>2). Higher temperature for gelation of the composites caused the aggregation of silica particles. The uncured composites containing nanolevel (<90 nm) dispersion of silica particles demonstrated slightly higher storage modulus, lower value of tan δ_max, and higher glass transition temperature compared to the composites with silica particles of a larger dimension (>2 μm). Improvement in tensile strength and modulus was observed in the uncrosslinked as well as in the crosslinked state (cured by a mixed crosslinking system of hexamethylenediamine carbamate and ammonium benzoate). However, the extent of improvement in strength and modulus for the nanocomposites was higher (247 and 57%, respectively) compared to the microcomposite (150 and 27%, respectively) in the cured state. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 1418–1429, 2005     

Influence of curative,filler, compatibilizer,domain size,and blend ratio on the dynamic mechanical properties of silicone–EPDM blends

Dynamic property measurements show two loss tangent peaks for silicone rubber at about ?95°C and ?20°C, and one peak for EPDM at about ?30°C. DSC studies confirm that the first loss tangent peak of silicone rubber is caused by its glass transition and the other is caused by crystalline melting of silicone. Measurements with blends reveal the individual characters of the components in the blends. Large differences in the solubility parameter between them also explains the incompatible nature. The effects of curative, blend ratio, and ageing are found on the glass-transition temperature and also on the storage modulus and loss tangent. Although filler does not change the glass-transition temperature, it changes the dynamic properties. Silane-grafted EPR shows an optimum concentration as a compatibiliser, resulting in improved mechanical properties of the blends. The domain size of the blends also reduces with the introduction of the compatibilizer. Imposition of restriction on the domains by partial curing during mixing results in materials with higher storage modulus. The morphology study indicates an interpenetrating network structure for these restricted domain blends. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dry and minimum quantity lubrication drilling of cast magnesium alloy (AM60)

Dry and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) drilling of cast magnesium alloy AM60 used in the manufacturing of lightweight automotive components have been studied. The maximum and average torque and thrust forces measured during drilling using distilled water (H₂O-MQL) and a fatty acid-based MQL fluid (FA-MQL), both supplied at the rate of 10 ml/h, were compared with those generated during flooded (mineral oil) drilling. Tool life during dry drilling was inadequately short, due to excessive magnesium transfer and adhesion to the (HSS steel) drill causing drill failure in less than 80 holes. The use of MQL reduced magnesium adhesion and built-up edge formation, resulting in an increase in tool life as well as reductions in both average torque and thrust forces—prompting a performance similar to that of flooded drilling. The maximum temperature generated in the workpiece during MQL drilling was lower than that observed in dry drilling, and comparable to flooded condition. The mechanical properties of the material adjacent to drilled holes, as evaluated through plastic strain and hardness measurements near the holes, revealed a notable softening in the case of dry drilling, but not for MQL drilling. MQL drilling provided a stable drilling performance, which was evident from the uniform torque and force patterns throughout the drilling cycles and also resulted in desirable machining characteristics, including a smooth hole surface and short chip segments.     

Tapping of Al–Si alloys with diamond-like carbon coated tools and minimum quantity lubrication

The deep hole drilling and tapping of automotive powertrain components made of hypoeutectic Al–Si alloys are of considerable importance. This work investigates the dry and minimum quantity lubricated (MQL) tapping of Al–6.5%Si (319 Al) alloys as alternatives to conventional flooded tapping. Two types of tests were done in comparison with flooded tapping. In the first set dry tapping experiments were performed using diamond-like carbon (DLC) coated and uncoated HSS taps. HSS-dry tapping caused immediate tool failure within less than 20 holes due to aluminum adhesion, resulting in high forward and backward torques. DLC-dry tapping improved tool life considerably and exhibited small torques. The second set of tapping experiments used MQL and only uncoated HSS taps. The use of MQL at the rate of 80 ml/h produced similar average torques to flooded tapping, and a high thread quality was observed. DLC coatings’ low COFs against 319 Al limited the temperature increase during DLC-dry tapping to 75 °C. The low COF of DLC against aluminum was responsible for preventing built-up edge (BUE) formation and thus, instrumental in improving thread quality. The use of MQL reduced the tapping temperature to 55 °C. The mechanical properties of the material adjacent to tapped holes, evaluated using hardness measurements, revealed a notable softening in the case of HSS-dry tapping, but not for MQL tapping. The presence of sulphur and phosphorus-based additives in MQL fluids proved beneficial in preventing aluminum adhesion.     

Improved tire tread compounds using functionalized styrene butadiene rubber-silica filler/hybrid filler systems

Automotive industry is currently looking for an eco-friendly tire with low rolling resistance coefficient (RRc), better traction, wear resistance, and fatigue properties. Presently, solution styrene-butadiene rubber (SSBR)-silica systems are pursued for balancing between traction and RRc. However, the interaction between SSBR and silica is not enough to give satisfactory results. Functionalized-SSBR (FSSBR) leads to better rubber-silica interaction due to introduction of polar groups in the polymer chain. The present study investigates the influence of FSSBR, highly dispersible (HD) silica, and its hybrid filler systems with organically modified nanoclay (ONC) and exfoliated graphene nanoplatelet (xGnP). Both M_H, and Δtorque were higher for the FSSBR-HD silica compound (S1) with the lowest change in storage modulus (∆G') value, due to higher polymer-filler interaction. S1 exhibited 16% ice traction and 12% wet traction improvement with 29% lower rolling resistance over SSBR-silica compound. S1 showed the best wet traction rating and wear resistance. Replacing small portion of silica by ONC and xGnP improved the properties further. At 5 phr of nanofiller, TEM images revealed well-dispersed nanofillers in the FSSBR matrix. The xGnP compound showed the least crack growth. For both the cases, abradability decreased with higher nanofiller amount, due to better reinforcement of the rubber.     

Predictive,Miniature Co‐Extrusion of Multilayered Glass Fiber‐Optic Preforms

A miniature co‐extrusion technique, to produce a concentric multilayered glass fiber‐optic preform of ~3 mm diameter, is modeled and experimentally demonstrated. A three‐dimensional, incompressible, noncavitating, and nonisothermal Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model, similar to one developed in our previous work, is used to predict the dimensions of an alternating four‐layer glass stack feed required to produce the desired layer dimensions in a multilayered‐glass preform extrudate, using a miniaturized and thus more economical co‐extrusion. Strong agreement in the cross‐sectional geometrical proportions of the simulated and experimentally obtained preform supports the prowess of the predictive modeling. Nevertheless, some small deviations between the simulated and experimentally obtained dimensions indicate topics for future rheological study. Performing the co‐extrusion process under vacuum helps to minimize the inter‐layer defects in the multi‐layered fiber‐optic preform. The miniature co‐extrusion potentially removes the need for a postextrusion draw‐down prior to fiber drawing, avoiding devitrification issues possible in non‐oxide novel glass compositions.     

Effect of ground fluororubber vulcanizate powder on the properties of fluororubber compound

Fluororubber vulcanizate powder (FVP) obtained from fluororubber based on tetrafluoroethylene/propylene/vinylidene fluoride terpolymer by mechanical grinding exists in a highly aggregated chain‐like structure. X‐ray photoelectron spectros‐copy (XPS) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy studies show that there are no chemical change on the rubber surface following mechanical grinding of the fluororubber vulcanizate after heat aging at 200°C for 10 days. The incorporation of FVP as a filler in the fluororubber compound results in a marginal increase of Mooney viscosity, Mooney scorch time and shear viscosity. While tensile strength, modulus and hardness marginally increase on addition of FVP into the fluororubber compound, tear strength decreases. Rhemetric studies show that FVP alone is susceptible to further crosslinking in the presence of a curing agent. Dynamic mechanical spectra reveal that the glass to rubber transition temperature shifts higher by the addition of FVP into the fluororubber compounds. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images show uniform dispersion of FVP particles into the rubber matrix.     

Study of reinforcement mechanism and structural elucidation of expanded graphite-carbon black hybrid filler-SBR nanocomposites through comprehensive analysis of mechanical properties and small angle X-ray data

Use of hybrid fillers as a reinforcing agent for polymers is found to be critical step toward developing a high-performance composite material. However, limited know-how on the nature of interaction of the hybrid fillers with the polymer chains resulted in a major impediment toward large-scale transmissibility of such a technology. Herein, we report about a strategy, wherein the polymer composite (free of curatives), comprising of hybrid filler and its gel was leveraged to effectively understand the physics involved toward reinforcement. Styrene-butadiene random copolymer as the matrix, and combination of expanded graphite and carbon black (N220) as the model hybrid filler were selected. The hybrid filler containing composite (SG22) demonstrated significant improvement in terms of the physico-mechanical properties such as tensile strength, modulus and so forth compared to the neat carbon black-filled system (S22). Stress-relaxation studies indicated that SG22 registered minimal decay in the force with time compared to S22. SG22 demonstrated a gel fraction of 68 ± 1% while 56 ± 1% was noted for S22. Further, rheometric studies like strain sweep, frequency sweep, complex viscosity of the gel fragments indicated the formation of fractal network of the hybrid fillers inside the polymer matrix. Small angle X-ray studies corroborated the crucial role played by the expanded graphite sheets in determining the microstructure of the composite owing to their lubrication effect and segregation of carbon black agglomerates by cutting through their sharp edges resulting in a well-distributed filler network.