bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Agriculture Cloud System based Emphatic Data Analysis and Crop Yield Prediction Using Hybrid Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Naga Swetha D. , Balaji Savadam
Published: October 2021

In agricultural nations, such as India, where agriculture leads more to India’s Economic growth, it plays a significant part. The prediction of the crop is one of the main tasks in agriculture. Crop prediction methods are employed by detecting different soil parameters and factors connected to the atmosphere for predicting the appropriate crop. The unstable climate exposes farmers to danger in the environment. Therefore the correct history data must be maintained is essential. The data stored may be evaluated to predict agricultural production. In a cloud server, experts analyze sensed data, land type, land, climate, and farmers’ economies with a prediction effect. The method forecasts the use of artificial intelligence algorithms for appropriate crops and fertilizers. A crucial strategy for handling numerous challenges connected to agriculture is the domain of artificial intelligence with its high-quality learning capacity. Technologies to help farmers find better solutions around the world are being created. To benefit from the parallel computational and storage management of huge data sets, the agricultural community must establish an architectural design that would enable the identification of new statistical structures to extract valuable information from data structures. These processes assist to explore the field and different challenges and effectively respond to certain challenges. In the improved integration of diverse data collection types from multiple sources, artificial intelligence offers attractive computing and analytical methods. The main principle of AI and systemic approaches to understanding its use in agriculture are presented in this paper. It also addresses several algorithms for artificial intelligence which may be used to create models to deal with various agricultural problems.
Study on Flexural Behaviour of High-Performance Concrete Beam Strengthened with Polyolefin Fibres
Authors: Yuvashri B. , Sattainathan Sharma A. , Suganya Devi K.
Published: October 2021

This paper investigates the flexural behavior of high-performance concrete beams strengthened with polyolefin fibers. In the recent development in concrete technology, high-performance concrete is designed to give materials, exposure conditions, and applicable requirements of cost, better service life, and durability. The replacement of cement by adding the mineral admixture and chemical admixture to the concrete increases its strength and durability properties. To improve the strength and ductility of High-performance concrete, fibers are added to the concrete. This study focused on the effect of polyolefin fibers on the mechanical and flexural performance of high-performance concrete. Two types of polyolefin fibers at various percentages of 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3% volume fraction of high-performance concrete. The flexural beams were cast and tested under two-point loading. The addition of fibers increases the first crack load, ultimate load capacity, and ductility. Polyolefin micro and macro fiber performance reinforced high-performance concrete beams compared with experimental and analytical investigation carried out using ANSYS software.
Intelligent model for reservoir operation through data mining-A Case study
Authors: Ramani Bai Gopinath V , Mohan S , Kangadharan G , Chun Kit A , Varadarajan P
Published: October 2021

Classical discrete mathematics could not model complex and uncertain systems effectively. These discrete mathematical equations can be replaced by a method of fuzzy logic systems wherein the operational laws are expressed in linguistic terms. Fuzzy logic means it is the form of knowledge acquisition to be suitable for notions that cannot be defined as precisely as discrete mathematics would do. But it depends upon their context, knowledge acquisition to enable the computerized devices to think like humans. The Matlab was employed to develop the operation model of the Vaigai reservoir which is in South India. Fuzzy logic control was successfully found to be a logical way for mapping between input and output variables of the operation of a reservoir. The objective of the study was to capture the experience gained over past years of operation of the Vaigai system so that the experiential knowledge was made available to the operator for assisting him inefficient management of the reservoir. The data mining helped to develop an improved database for heuristic models such as the non-crisp model for deriving an effective monthly operational policy for Vaigai reservoir.
Role of Machine Learning in Software Project Management
Authors: Mamatha R. , Suma K.G.
Published: October 2021

Monitoring and control project work is both critical and challenging. The greatest asset of any organization is its human resource that ensures the success to achieve the goals and objectives of the company. Managers have to manage and organize the team to enhance productivity. The effective human resource enables their employees to contribute effectively and achieve desired growth of an organization. The assignment of role to a process depends on the skills and competence of an individual. If these details of an individual are known to the manager, then it will an added point to him while assigning a new task. It is observed from the previous study that managers spend a lot of time in allocation which is performed according to the experts experience rather than following some specific criteria which lead to inefficient utilization of the resource available, so if a model is developed and trained using machine learning algorithms to handle this routine task so that the manager can spend time in other developmental activities rather than spending time on routine tasks.
Design and fabrication of drainage cleaning equipment
Authors: Kalyanakumar S. , Praveen R. , Shaji Arun , Diwakar
Published: October 2021

Water could also be variety one necessity of humans and each one residing beings. There is a number of water on the earth but it sincerely is not suitable for human use. Clean water is extra important and is used for a couple of purposes. The impurities observed in water can purpose dangerous diseases. Impurities in drainage water are often like empty bottles, polythene bags, papers etc. House drains empty themselves into the foremost drains which run beneath the foremost streets and beneath many lanes. Solid topics which is perhaps created thru human or animal activities, and which is perhaps disposed of due to the reality they’ll be dangerous or useless are mentioned as sturdy waste. Most of the sturdy wastes, like paper, plastic containers, bottles, cans, or even used motors and virtual gadgets aren’t biodegradable, this suggests that they’re not getting lessened through inorganic or herbal processes. Thus, after they collect they purpose a hazard to people. Decaying wastes moreover enchantment to have circle of relatives pests and convey about metropolis areas becoming unhealthy, dirty and unsightly places to be dwelling in. Moreover, it moreover motives damage to terrestrial organisms on the equal time as moreover reducing the uses of the land for specific extra useful purposes. Therefore, this problem goals immediately remedial measures. These impurities observed in drainage water can purpose blockage or the system.
Stability and second-order lateral stiffness of embedded piles with generalized end-boundary conditions on non-homogeneous soil
Authors: Vega-Posada Carlos A. , Higuita-Villa Jeisson A. , Saldarriaga-Molina Julio C.
Published: October 2021

This paper presents a simplified analytical method to conduct elastic stability and second-order lateral sti˙ness analysis of piles embedded in a two-parameter elastic soil. This work is an extension to a work recently presented by the first author, but here, the emphasis is given to study the e˙ect of end-boundary conditions and soil non-homogeneity on the pile’s buckling load and lateral sti˙ness. The proposed formulation includes the e˙ect of i) semi-rigid connections and lateral transverse springs at the ends of the pile, ii) an external transverse load acting along the pile, iii) soil non-homogeneity, and iv) the second-parameter of the elastic soil. The influence of the modulus of subgrade reaction, degrees of non-homogeneity, and intermediate end-boundary conditions on the pile response are investigated via a parametric study. The proposed solution can be employed to perform either lateral deformation or elastic buckling analysis.
Ceramic metal composite approach for the advanced Hadfield steel
Authors: El-Fawakhry Mohamed Kamal , Salem Islam , El-Amir Ahmed A.M. , Mattar Taha M.
Published: October 2021

This work is aiming at attaining the highest wear abrasion resistance of Hadfield steel, through using ceramic metal matrix approach. The metal matrix composite structure was attained through using honey comb method. Then, microstructure observations, wear abrasion resistance of the metal matrix composite structure were well tracked by using optical microscope, SEM, XRD, and wear test. Comparing with the reference Hadfield steel, it was found that wear abrasion resistance has been multiplied through using ceramic metal matrix composite structure, adding to the great enhancement of strain hardening property. These results refer to the possibility of using this new technique for producing the crusher components to be applied under severe mining conditions.
Numerical study on the thermal performance of high-temperature latent heat packed-bed with a rectangular heat storage unit
Authors: Wang F Q , Xu J , Dong Y , Shi X H , Han H
Published: October 2021

As one of the most effective methods of thermal energy storage, packed-bed (PB) systems using phase change material (PCM) as heat storage media have been vigorously developed. To obtain the thermal performance of brick structure heat storage unit (HSU) in high-temperature latent heat PB, a 3-D PBsystem based on Navier-Stokes equations for heat transfer fluid, phase change model for PCM, and surface-to-surface (S2S) radiation model is established. The idea of changing the geometric structure of the brick HSU is proposed to improve the thermal performance of PB system. The influence of three-dimensional size of carbonate-based composite PCM with brick structure on the thermal performance of high-temperature PB is studied systematically. The numerical analyses show that the influence of three-dimensional size of brick-type HSU in different directions on the thermal performance of the PB system is independent. And the system has a higher energy efficiency (66.5%) and lower heat loss when the width and height of HSU are around 25 mm. The research results can guide the optimization of high-temperature composite PCM PB system.
Application of Fiber Bragg Grating Sensor System for Simulation Detection of the Heart Rate
Authors: Saktioto T , Fadilla F D , Soerbakti Y , Irawan D , Okfalisa
Published: October 2021

Fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is also widely used to detect the heart because it can be received in the form of pressure that results in changes in strain. FBG was chosen because it has a high sensitivity to strain. Heart rate detection can be done in several ways such as using a telescope, but using FBG has a high degree of accuracy and is sensitive to strain. Heart detection is still developing because of the serious problem with human life behavior so that efforts are needed to find other ways to more easily detect the heart. Currently, heart detection can be done without having to go to the hospital, such as by using a cellphone, watch, and others. This study aims to design and measure changes in the output power of FBG and to analyze the effect of strain change on FBG by loudspeaker vibration. The Bragg wavelengths used are 1310 nm and 1550 nm with a power of 1 mW as a diode laser source and the output is measured by an optical power meter. The highest change in output power at a wavelength of 1310 nm Bragg is equal to 0.471 μW, while at a wavelength of 1550 nm it is equal to 0.032 μW. The highest shift of the Bragg wavelength is at the Bragg 1310 nm wavelength, which is 0.598 nm, while the Bragg wavelength of 1550 nm is 0.552 nm. The highest change in strain was at 1310 nm Bragg wavelength valued at 576.186 με, while at 1550 nm Bragg wavelength was 432.113 με. This shows that the response at the Bragg wavelength of 1310 nm is more sensitive than the Bragg wavelength of 1550 nm.
Smart Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA) Competencies During COVID-19: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis using SEM Approach
Authors: Yudiatmaja Wayu Eko , Salomo Roy Valiant , Prasojo Eko
Published: October 2021

Public sector organisations have changed to be online offices and services while the COVID-19 outbreak attacked. The transformations also shift not only the paradigm but also the working methods of public sectors into an online system requiring a capacity to use smart technologies, artificial intelligence, robotics, and algorithms (STARA). Nevertheless, the research on the issue is still rare. This paper bridging the gap by analysing a confirmatory factor of STARA competencies of public employees during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia. We tested twelve items that relied on STARA competencies. The research used a survey method on 305 public servants in the Province of Special Region of Jakarta. A structural equation modelling (SEM) was utilised to assess the data. An SEM analysis suggests that the twelve indicators are valid and reliable in predicting STARA competencies' constructs. Our findings may be used by the subsequent researchers in examining STARA competencies.
Application of The Nearest Neighbor Algorithm for Classification of Online Taxibike Sentiments In Indonesia In The Google Playstore Application
Authors: Setyorini Sindhy Genjang , Mustakim
Published: October 2021

Google playstore is an official platform that provides applications to services, and not only that, user can perform assessments and reviews after using the Google playstore. One of the applications and services provided by Google playstore is online transportation. There's a couple of online transports available but at this time's research just scanned the official transport account of gojek and grab online. The data used in this study were application review data and service review data from the two online transportations which are processed using the K-Nearest Neighbor and Improved K-Nearest Neighbor algorithms by comparing the accuracy values. An experiment was conducted to divide the data with 5 K on the K-Fold Cross-Validation. The results of the comparison of the KNN application data were that Grab had a higher accuracy of 77.77% compared to Gojek which had an accuracy value of 66.24%. In terms of the Data Services using the IKNN algorithm, Grab had a higher accuracy value of 78.23% while Gojek had an accuracy value of 48.19%. Meanwhile, from the time complexity of the process, the IK-NN algorithm is better than the K-NN.
Effects of The Addition of Complexing Agents on Curcumin Stability Using Accelerated Shelf Life Testing
Authors: Pranata Alvin , Surya Reggie
Published: October 2021

Curcumin as a natural colorant product from turmeric used in food industry has low stability. Curcumin is easily oxidized due to light, oxygen, or high temperature. One of the methods that can be used to increase its stability is by complexation process using metal ions. The aim of this research are to determine product shelf life and the best complexing agent to increase curcumin stability. In this research there were three complexing agent used to form curcumin complex. Then, the stability of products are measured through curcumin concentration parameter and based on its shelf life using Accelerated Shelf Life Testing (ASLT) method. The results stated that curcumin-Zn complex exerted the highest stability against control and other complexing agent, hence the shelf life was projected to increase by 10-15 days at 35°C compared to untreated liquid curcumin. Conversely curcumin-Fe complex demonstrated the lowest shelf life due to the role of Fe as a potential oxidizing agent.
Development of 3D Physics Learning Media using Augmented Reality for First-year Junior High School Students
Authors: Azhar  , Herfana Poppy , Nasir Muhammad , Irawan Dedi , Islami Nur
Published: October 2021

This study aims to produce 3D physics learning media in Indonesian first-year Junior High Schools (SMP/MTs) using Augmented Reality (AR). This research development uses the ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluate) model. The development stage was carried out at the Physics Education Laboratory of the FKIP University of Riau and the implementation stage was carried out on 30 first-year students of SMPN 30 Pekanbaru. The 3D learning media validation sheet instrument by using AR consists of four assessment aspects, namely; (1) design aspects, (2) pedagogical aspects, (3) content aspects, and (4) technical aspects. Validation was carried out by six validators consisting of 2 material experts, 2 media experts, and 2 physics teachers. The results of six-validator assessment provide an average for each aspect as follows; (1) the design aspect has an average of 4.43 which is categorized as very valid, (2) the pedagogical aspect has an average of 4.42 very valid categories, (3) the content aspect has an average of 4.38 very valid categories, and (4) the technical aspect has an average of 4.51 which is also categorized as very valid. Overall the average validity for the four aspects of the assessment is 4.43 very valid categories. After the 3D physics learning media was developed, it was then declared feasible by the experts, the implementation phase of 3D physics learning media or small-scale trials on students was carried out to see the students' responses to 3D physics learning media. The student response test was carried out using a student response questionnaire containing 10 statements consisting of 6 aspects of assessment. The results of the students' responses at the implementation stage showed that 67% of the 30 students thought that 3D learning media using AR was very good for use in the learning process. Then 33% of 30 students think that 3D learning media using AR is good for use in the learning process. Certainly the 3D physics learning media product is suitable for use in the physics learning process in Junior High Schools.
Hydroxyapatite Coating On 316L Stainless Steel Using Dip Coating Technique
Authors: Fadli Ahmad , Kristin Fransisca , Arini Putri , Wisrayeti  , Yenti Silvia Reni , Irianty Rozanna Sri
Published: October 2021

316L stainless steel is one of the metal biomaterials used in implant applications because it has excellent mechanical strength. To improve the biocompatibility and activity of metals, a coating on metal surfaces is required. 316L stainless steel is coated with hydroxyapatite using a dip coating technique. Firstly, the suspension was prepared by mixing 10 grams of hydroxyapatite, 1 gram of sago starch, with distilled water with certain weight which was then stirred at a speed of 250 rpm for 20 hours. The substrate then dipped 1 time with dipping time for 20 seconds. Coating hydroxyapatite was sintered at temperatures of 600°C, 700°C and 800°C for 1 hour. The results show that the thickness of the hydroxyapatite layer on the substrate has decreased with increasing amount of distilled water used. However, the thickness of the layer increases with increasing sintering temperature. The best value of shear strength was obtained in the addition of 16 grams of distilled water with sintering temperature of 800°C which is 11.78 MPa. Furthermore, the coating attached to all substrates is hydroxyapatite with an average composition of 99.37% as evidenced by the results of XRD analysis.
Comparison of Efficiency of Activated Carbon Between Coffee Grounds, Soybean Straw and Tea Leaves
Authors: Dulyaseree Paweena , Mahasae Firdaus , Hayeekueji Nufateehah , Yordsri Visittapong
Published: October 2021

Efficiency of activated carbons (ACs) between coffee ground, leaves soybean straw and tea leaves were investigated. All three types of waste can be found widely in the local area. The synthesis of ACs consists of 2 parts. Firstly, preparation of coffee grounds, tea leaves and soybean straw were dried at 100 °C for 24 h, and then carbonized at 560 °C. Second part, the activated carbon was activated with 1 molar of nitric acid (HNO3) and after that was activated by 1 molar of potassium hydroxide (KOH), washed with DI water to neutralize and dried at 100 °C. Their surface morphology and functional group of the ACs were characterized. The morphology of soybean straw shows the high porosity and increase in oxygenated functional group, implies that easy allow water to seep into surface. These results suggest that can be use filtrate material for filtration system.
The Preliminary Studies on the Tremendous Degradation Rate of Methylene Blue with Cu-doped α-MnO2 Photocatalyst Under UV Light Irradation
Authors: Anggraini Riska , Siregar Siti Saidah , Awaluddin Amir , Linggawati Amilia
Published: October 2021

Dye contaminations have severe impacts to environment (air, soils, plants, water) due to their adverse effects. Most dyes are toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic and resistant to bio-degradation. Photocatalysis-based advanced oxidation process (AOP) has been considered as the most effective and efficient way to treat this recalcitrant compounds. Manganese oxides are ubiquitous and environmentally friendly in natural environments and can act as semiconducting materials. Tunnel structure of manganese oxide such as α-MnO2 (cryptomelane) has been widely studied for broad applications as Fenton-based AOP. Catalytic efficiency of α-MnO2 could be further increased by doping α-MnO2 with a metal ion like the Cu ion. Although the synthesis and catalytic activity of Cu-α-MnO2 have been reported by previous studies, its photocatalytic performance using this one-pot-sol-gel approach for MB degradation has never been reported previously. Herein, Cu-doped α-MnO2 was synthesized by one-pot sol-gel method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), BET surface area and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The AAS results suggested the presence of Cu ions in α-MnO2 since the increase in doping Cu resulted in the corresponding increase in Cu content in the α-MnO2. The BET surface area indicated that the doping 10% Cu in α-MnO2 led to about two fold increase in suface area compared to undoped α-MnO2. The photo catalytic performance of Cu-α-MnO2 via UV light irradiation for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) was significantly higher that that of undoped α-MnO2 and was associated with the increased in surface area of Cu-α-MnO2 over undoped α-MnO2. The maximum degradation of MB was 97.9, 98.3, 98.7 and 99.5% achieved using α-MnO2, 1% Cu-α-MnO2, 5% Cu-α-MnO2, and 10% Cu-α MnO2 and 10% Cu-α-MnO2.
MQ-2 Gas Sensor using Micro Controller Arduino Uno for LPG Leakage with Short Message Service as a Media Information
Authors: Sohibun  , Daruwati I , Hatika R G , Mardiansyah D
Published: October 2021

This research was to detect leakage of liquified petroleum gas (LPG) gas automatically. Design of this device consists of a gas detection sensors LPG MQ-2, which serves to detect the levels of LPG in the air, the sensor signal analog is converted to digital by the ADC and processed by a microcontroller Arduino Uno to command activation of the buzzer and SMS (short message service), sensor system is also capable of displaying a LPG gas concentration detected by the LCD in ppm. The study was conducted at three different space conditions of the open, semi-open and closed, based on the distance detection and characterization. The analysis of the data obtained, that the tool to work optimally at a distance of 3 cm closer to the source of the leak tool then the maximum LPG gas leak detection tools. Based on the characterization of the sensor that is an accuracy of 1 V to 2.6 V and repeatability error of the three conditions of the room is < 10%, so that the tool is expected to cope with and anticipate the risk of accidents due to leakage of LPG gas early and real time.
Physical Modelling for the Analysis of Wave Characteristics on Tropical Peat Coast
Authors: Sutikno Sigit , Ziaulhaq Ilham , Rinaldi  , Yamamoto Koichi
Published: October 2021

Coastal erosion problems have been occurring continuously during at least the last 30 years along the coast of eastern Sumatra, particularly in the north part of Bengkalis Island that facing directly the Malacca Strait. In the extreme case, the coastal setback on Bengkalis Island has reached 30 m/year. The transport and deposition of peat material in the tropical coastal area is a unique phenomenon that has apparently never been explored until nowadays. Most studies have focused on the transport and deposition dynamics of sediment of cohesive and sandy material. It is therefore very important to understand the wave characteristics on tropical peat coast in order to countermeasure the problems triggered by this degradative process. The purpose of this research is to develop a physical modelling to understand the wave characteristics on tropical peat coast. Two important parameters such as wave reflection and dissipation were analysed using wave channel and artificial beach in laboratory. The artificial beach was simulated using peat, permeable, and impermeable material with 15° and 90° beach slope. The results showed that the reflection and the dissipation coefficient at peat coast tend to close with the impermeable coast both for 15° and 90° slope.
Utilization of Pozzolanic Material to Improve the Mechanical Properties of Crumb Rubber Concrete as Rigid Pavement – A Review
Authors: Abdurrahman H , Rizaldi N , Wijaya M F , Olivia M , Wibisono G
Published: October 2021

Over the last few decades, waste tires have piled to an explicitly large number, posing a serious environmental threat in the worldwide. By reusing waste tires in concrete mixes in the form of crumb rubber, it was reported that crumb rubber improved concrete energy absorption, delayed the deformation time, and prevented sudden failure, which could enhance the rigid pavement performance. However, crumb rubber tends to reduce concrete strength primarily because of a lack of bonding between the smooth rubber surfaces and cement paste, resulting in a tiny gap in the concrete ITZ. The decrease in strength caused by crumb rubber can be solved by utilizing pozzolanic materials such as nano-silica, fly ash, and rice husk ash as additive materials or partial replacement of cement to improve the concrete pore structure through pozzolanic reaction and to enhance the adhesion between crumb rubber and cement. It was shown that pozzolanic materials, as mentioned above, managed to improve the strength of crumb rubber concrete with nano-silica showed the best effectiveness compared to fly ash and rice husk ash in creating high-strength crumb rubber concrete for application as a rigid pavement material.
A review of automatic solar tracking systems
Authors: Mohamad A , Mhamdi H , Amin NAM , Izham M , Aziz NA , Chionh SY
Published: October 2021

Solar tracking systems which can track the Sun movement can increase the power generation rate by maximizing the surface area of the solar panels that are exposed to the sunlight. By utilizing a solar tracker, the number of solar panels needed to generate the same amount of electrical energy will be significantly lower. In general, solar tracking systems are classified as single-axis solar tracking systems and dual-axis solar tracking systems. Several researchers had conducted both simulation and experimental work to compare and evaluate the performance of solar tracking systems against static solar panels systems, as well as between different solar tracking system mechanisms. General agreements among the researchers are that the performance of solar tracking systems is always exceeding that of static solar panels. Some researchers also conducted studies on how the weather conditions affect the performance of solar panels, and they concluded that the systems with tracking mechanisms are more resilient toward a variation of weather conditions.
Low Velocity Impact Behaviour Analysis of Different Fibre Stacking Sequences of Glass Fibre Reinforcement Composite.
Authors: Wong Jing Wen , Tan Chye Lih , Azaman M D , Azmi A I , Ming Ming Irina Wong
Published: October 2021

Furthering understanding the damage deformation behaviour involved in the impact test of Fibre-reinforced composite material is important in designing for the structural components. Thus, this study presents the damage effect of different stacking sequence of glass fibre reinforce polymer (FRP) composite on low-velocity impact test (LVI). The glass FRP composites were fabricated using vacuum-assisted resin transfer moulding process, which is capable of producing constant thickness with high volume fractions of composite laminates as compared to the traditional wet hand lay-up method. The physical and impact properties were determined according to the ASTM D7137 standards. It was found that, bi-axial glass FRP composite can afford the energy until 90J and without the post perforation occurred, which mean that from the LVI test, the architecture weave of bi-axial glass FRP composite was showed high performance as compared to the unidirectional glass FRP composite. Lastly, component failures such as resin cracking, fibre breakage, fractured knit, fibre buckling, and delamination were also highlighted in this paper.
Structural and mechanical characterisation of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) from Pennisetum Purpureum reinforced with polylactic acid (PLA)
Authors: Revati R. , Anas W. A. W.M. A. , Abdul Majid M. S. , Ridzuan M. J. M. , Tahir M. F. M.
Published: October 2021

This study aims to develop a composite scaffold based on polylactic acid reinforced with cellulose nanofibers from Pennisetum purpureum (PLA/CNF). The composite scaffolds were prepared via solvent casting and particulate leaching technique; sodium chloride (NaCl) was used as the porogen material. The influence of CNF on PLA is investigated; scaffolds were fabricated with different content of CNF (5%, 10% and 15%). The prepared composite scaffold was characterised using porosity measurements, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the compression strength and modulus were also evaluated in this study. The PLA/CNF scaffolds were highly porous with porosity higher than 80%. It was also shown that the porosity had a slight decrease with increasing CNF contents due to the compact arrangement of CNF within the scaffolds. Compression strength and modulus also show an increase in value as the CNF content increases. The results also show that introducing CNF to the PLA matrix can be considered beneficial for cartilage regeneration, cell attachment, and extracellular matrix (ECM) production.
Performance study of hydroxyapatite cow bone based polysulfone mixed matrix membrane: Effect of hydroxyapatite morphology
Authors: Suhaida Rasman Siti Nor , Jamalludin Mohd Riduan , Kamarudin Suraya Najieha , Hubadillah Siti Khadijah , Budiman Pauzan Mohammad Arif , Dzarfan Othman Mohd Hafiz
Published: October 2021

In this work, polysulfone (PSf)/hydroxyapatite (HAp) ultrafiltration mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were prepared for wastewater treatment by using phase inversion method. The effect of hydroxyapatite (HAp) dispersion on the PSf/PVP membrane surface were investigated. Characterizations were done to observe the distribution of HAp on the membrane surface by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The XRD analysis showed the crystallinity of the HAp derived from cow bone. The dispersion of HAp in polymer matrix is a promising materials that can change the structure of the PSf membrane.
Investigating and improving Boeing aircraft composite panel industrial painting issues by designing smart robotic precision painting system
Authors: Hassan M A S M , Shahriman A B , Razlan Z M , Kamarrudin N S , Hashim M S M , Khairunizam W K N , Harun A , Ibrahim I , Faizi M K , Fadzilla M A , Rahman M F A , Hamid N M F N A , Manaf A A , Rani M F H
Published: October 2021

Aerospace Composites Malaysia (ACM) Sdn Bhd produces one of the aircraft components, which is an aircraft composite panel. Currently, the painting of the composite aircraft panel is manually conducted by the high skilled human operator. However, there are several issues of manual painting, which are the precision of the thickness specifications, uneven spray, dust-free, microbubble, colour appearance, and contour of the aircraft composite panel. Consequently, these issues contribute to the aircraft aerodynamic performances, productivity, and index time of the aircraft composite panel’s production. Thus, the main objectives are to investigate the human painting mimicking robot incorporated with the existing painting environment. The proposed environment becomes smart precision painting systems. In conclusion, the proposed prototype will overcome the quality issue of aircraft composite panel painting faced by Boeing worldwide aircraft industries. Furthermore, the proposed prototype will increase productivity and contribute to the maintaining of the aircraft’s aerodynamic performance.
Analysis and Evaluation of Optimized Lower Limb Prosthetic Device
Authors: Khan S F , Noor Z N M , Abdul Rani A M
Published: October 2021

Transtibial prosthetic devices or below-knee prosthetic devices are used as assistive devices in replacing the part of the leg below the knee joint in case of amputation. The different builds in amputees require the need for the accessibility to custom-made lucrative prosthetic devices in order to reintegrate the amputees into society. The goal of this study is to design a personalized transtibial prosthetic device that closely mimics the human gait by the use of topology optimization. Additive manufacturing is used to reduce the fabrication time of a traditional transtibial prosthetic device. The creation of the transtibial prosthetic device model is through computer-aided drawing (CAD) and afterwards simulated using ANSYS for the comparison and contrasting of the optimized design. The materials used in the design of the transtibial prosthetic device are polypropylene and titanium alloy. Simulation works reveal that there is a 12.8% reduction in the minimum equivalent (von-Mises) stress and a 51.29% reduction in the minimum equivalent elastic strain of the benchmark socket, and titanium alloy is the superior material in the fabrication of prosthetic foot as it greatly reduced the total deformation, equivalent (von-Mises) stress and equivalent elastic strain of the SACH foot as compared to polypropylene in the initial contact, midstance and the push-off phases of the gait cycle. Topology optimization of both the socket and foot models reduced the stiffness and density of material volume up to 60%. Voronoi pattern developed on the socket and foot models mirrors the reduction done on material volume by topology optimization.
Numerical Study of Blade Roughness Effect on Cavitation in Centrifugal Pumps
Authors: Bishtawi Basel Al , Scribano Gianfranco , Tran Manh-Vu
Published: October 2021

Cavitation is classified as an undesirable complex multiphase phenomenon due to its negative effects on the structural and flow behaviours of hydraulic machineries, specifically centrifugal pumps. Typically, the pump’s cavitation performance tends to vary due to a multitude of factors, one of which is the impeller blade roughness. In this study, a numerical analysis is conducted, using ANSYS Fluent 20.1, to evaluate the relationship between the impeller blade roughness and the cavitation performance of an ISO 80-50-250 centrifugal pump operating at different pressures and flow rates. The operating conditions include net positive suction head (NPSH) values set at 20, 7.25, 5.71, 2.58, 1.1 m along with outlet mass flow rates of 40, 50, 60 m3/h while the blade roughness height value is changed to 1, 20, 80 μm. The SST k-ω turbulence model, along with the Zwart-Gerber-Belamri cavitation model is used. The results showed that the pressure head increased by approximately 1.64%, 1.55%, and 1.90% at flow rates of 40, 50, and 60 m3/h when the roughness height was increased from 0 μm to 80 μm. However, the increase in roughness improved cavitation inception simultaneously. Meanwhile, the blade suction-side witnessed a delay in cavitation formation, as it shifted downstream towards the trailing edge from its initial point of formation at the blade passage.
Design optimization of exhaust manifold’s length for Spark Ignition (SI) engine through CFD analysis on low-end rpm using Taguchi’s Method
Authors: Murali R , Shahriman A B , Razlan Z M , Ahmad W K W , Azizul A I , Rojan M A , Ma’arof M I N , Radzuan M A , Hassan M A S M , Ibrahim Z
Published: October 2021

The exhaust system especially the exhaust manifold is an important factor that affects the performance of any SI engine. The most influential boundary condition in the exhaust manifold is backpressure where it is defined as the difference between maximum pressure in the exhaust system and the atmospheric pressure. Higher backpressure was documented to reduce the overall performance of an IC engine and increases its fuel consumption based on previous studies. Even though backpressure could not be removed entirely from the exhaust system, it could be reduced the maximize the engine’s performance. This study aimed to reduce the backpressure in the exhaust manifold of the 115cc SI engine by optimizing its lengths (by taking consideration of the impact of bending angles) through Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis and Taguchi’s method. From the results, it was found that the bending angles are more dominant in reducing the backpressure even after the lengths are optimized. It was found that the optimal length configuration reduces the backpressure by 13.56%. Therefore, the outcome of this study shows that the optimal length configuration offers lower backpressure which significantly reduces the harmful impacts on the engine’s performance.
Effect of Cold Forging on Wear Resistance of High Carbon Steel for Dolomite Hammer Mill
Authors: Marthini V. , Nabilah S.A.W. , Afendi Mohd , Majid Mariam , Syafiq W.M.
Published: October 2021

Hammer mill machine widely use during the process of material reduction in the dolomite industry. The dolomite stone is crushed to the desired shape by the repeated impact of the hammer or crusher. However, since the dolomite stone is milled inside the grinding machine with the help of crusher, it is still challenging because of variety of problem such as the crusher for dolomite hammer mill needs to be changed frequently and no exact data to predict the time taken for the crusher to start wear and how long the crusher can be used before crusher become to wear. In this study, the authors attempt to investigate the effect of cold forging on the wear resistance of high carbon steel for dolomite hammer mill. Specimens of the high carbon steel were prepared for the purpose of this study as per ASTM D695. Cold forging process was conducted using the smith forging method at targeted 3% cold work. Rockwell hardness tester was used to measure the hardness of the specimen. The prototype of the hammer mill machine was used to measure the wear rate to mimic the working principle of the actual hammer mill machine used in the dolomite mining industry. The microstructural analysis was done using a digital metallurgical microscope. The hardness was found to increase from 28.20 HRA to 29.74 HRA for the high carbon steel after conducting the cold forging process. The cold forging process can help to improve the mechanical properties of the material by improving the strength of the material. Moreover, the wear rate of high carbon steel was found to decrease with an increase in hardness. The cold forging process is found to have a significant effect on the hardness and wear rate of high carbon steel. The result obtained in this study is comparable with the previously reported study.
Investigation of Physical Properties on HA/nGO Coating Magnesium Alloy
Authors: Nursyifa H H , Nooraizedfiza Z , Rafizah A M , Hajar M I
Published: October 2021

AZ91D magnesium alloys have been referred to as a revolutionary material for biomedical applications, particularly in orthopaedics as a bone implant material. This is attributable to the good strength and strong biocompatibility of magnesium and its alloys with bone tissue relative to other metallic alloys. The rapid degradation of pure magnesium has, sadly, reduced its therapeutic use. As a consequence, the efficacy of hydroxyapatite (HA) and graphene oxide (GO) in corrosion resistance has demonstrated tremendous potential to improve its defensive properties in order to address this vulnerability. AZ91D alloy has been coated with HA/GO by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) at a specific concentration and voltage, with varying treatment times. Surface roughness, elemental composition analysis and surface morphology analysis were tested at different treatment time. The sample enduring 15 min of treatment time was found to have the greatest resistance to corrosion due to its surface morphology and the importance of surface roughness was within the range of recommended roughness for a biomedical implant.
Numerical modeling of thermal field during friction stir welding using tool with polygonal pin profile
Authors: Stephen Leon J , Essadiqi Elhachmi , Lakshmanan T , Ravi Rajesh , Selvaraj M
Published: October 2021

Friction stir welding produces better joint strength comparing with other conventional fusion welding techniques as the complete metal joining operation is executed in solid state itself. Even though the quality of weld is comparatively good, this joining technique has its own disadvantages. Improper material flow along the weld line may result in weld defects. Usage of polygonal pin geometry in tool pin rather than using conventional cylindrical pin geometry enhances flow of plasticized metal under the tool shoulder in the stir zone. Major problem associated with polygonal shaped tool pin is poor tool life. Yield strength of material under the tool shoulder creates opposing force for the movement of tool pin, which is submerged inside the workpiece for the entire joining process. Uneven stress distribution along the outer surface of the polygonal tool pin shape leads to premature tool failure. As the strength of material is a temperature dependent property, the heat input during the process has to be optimised with respect to the geometrical shape of the tool pin to improve tool life without compromising the weld quality a lot. In this paper, the variation in thermal field based on the geometrical shape of the tool pin was analysed using MATLAB based on the moving coordinate system. Rosenthal equation was used to estimate variation the peak temperature and temperature distribution with respect to pin shape in the view of optimising thermal environment towards better weld quality.
Effect of ternary fuel blends on performance and emission characteristics of single cylinder diesel engine
Authors: Vinodkumar V , Karthikeyan A
Published: October 2021

The higher alcohol such as hexanol was added at various concentrations with diesel in this current research work while retaining the neem biodiesel at 20% concentration to form the ternary fuel blend. In a single cylinder diesel engine, three distinct ternary blends (B20HB10, B20HB20, B20HB30) were taken and all the blends were tested and the results were contrasted with a binary blend (D80:B20, namely B20) and pure diesel fuel. The experiment showed that when the alcohol concentration rises from 10 % to 30 % because of the decrease in calorific value, the brake thermal efficiency decreases slightly. In addition, owing to the availability of intrinsic oxygen in it, all the ternary blend contributes to a decrease in HC and CO emissions, which leads to more complete combustion. It was also found that there was a substantial reduction in NOx emissions for all ternary blend due to the high latent heat of vaporization.
Study of Cerium Silica as a catalyst in CI engine fuelled with plastic oil blend
Authors: Balaji G , Suriya M , Vigneshwar M , Shapthagiri Saandeep
Published: October 2021

Emissions from automobiles cause major damage to the environment NOx is one of those gases responsible for enhancing the greenhouse effect. To overcome these sorts, most vehicles are employed with catalytic converter. Cerium silica is used as a catalytic material to reduce the emissions from the CI engine. Two methods such as impregnation and co-precursor are employed in the preparation of ceria silica. Ceria silica is molded into solid by adding TMOS [Tetra methyl orthosilicate], Absolute ethanol, DI water, Propylene oxide, and cerium salt. The mould used in the exhaust gas as a catalytic material after-treatment system. The study is done to reduce various exhaust emissions. The engine that is employed is a 5.2kW single cylinder CI engine. Plastic oil blend is used in this process to run the engine which is being produced by pyrolysis process from waste plastic materials.
Study On Performance and Emission Characteristics of VCR Diesel Engine Fuelled with Palm Fatty Acid Distillate Biodiesel
Authors: Rajesh K , Aravindhan N , Manimaran B , Elavarasan D , Dinesh Kumar L , Mohan Kumar T
Published: October 2021

This work consider the use of PFAD oil for the production of renewable and environment friendly biodiesel fuel as an alternative to conventional diesel. Test quantities of PFAD oil biodiesel were produced through transesterification reaction, 20% methanol (vol% PFAD oil), 0.8% (wt%) potassium hydroxide catalyst at 60oC reaction temperature and 90 min reaction time. The PFAD oil biodiesel produced was subsequently blended with petroleum diesel and characterized as alternative diesel fuel through ASTM standard fuel test. Variable Compression Ratio (VCR) engine test rig was used to determine the effect of compression Ratio (CR) on the performance and emission characteristics of the test fuel. Test were carried out at compression ratios of 16:1, 17:1, and 18:1 at different load. The performance parameters like Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE), Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) and Exhaust gas temperature (EGT) were studied. At higher compression ratio the increase in BTE is observed for PFAD20 blend when compared to diesel. BSFC of biodiesel blend is higher at all compression ratios due to lower heating value of the fuel. However the biodiesel exhibited lower emission at CR 18 compared to neat diesel except NOx. The NOx is increased due to higher compression and better combustion characteristics of the biodiesel blend. Thus B20 blend at CR18 can be effectively used in diesel engine with better performance and reduced emissions.
Novel designs of cavity receiver for a solar parabolic dish concentrator
Authors: Issa Obada Omar , Thirunavukkarasu V , Sudhakar P
Published: October 2021

To enhance the performance of a parabolic dish concentrator, it must achieve the maximum thermal performance of the receiver. Hence the optimization of the receiver performance will play an essential role in optimizing the system of solar parabolic dish concentrator. Lot of studies investigated many configurations and designs for receivers and compared the performance among them. Study of new and novel designs will enrich this field of study and pave the road to reach optimal receiver. The objective of this study is to develop the existing design further towards the best design. Cavity receivers, especially conical receivers are known for high thermal efficiency. This study investigate four designs of conical receivers, three of them are novel designs using Ansys Fluent software. The investigated receivers are helical conical, pentagon conical, rectangular conical, and triangle conical respectively in the order of their performance. At 300 K the thermal performance of the best receiver which is helical conical is 66.68%, and the optical efficiency are 89.2%.