bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Performance Analysis of Composite Leaf Spring Using Computer Aided Engineering
Authors: Melvin Savio S. , Somasundaram D. , Vijaya Rajan V.
Published: August 2015

Automobile industries have shown more interest for the replacement of conventional steel leaf spring with that of the composite leaf spring due to its high strength to weight ratio. The objective of the work is to carry out computer aided design and analysis of composite (Glass fiber reinforced plastic) leaf spring and conventional steel leaf spring by considering certain parameters like stress, deflection and strain energy with similar design considerations and loading conditions. The material of the conventional leaf spring is 65Si7 and composite leaf spring is S2-Glass\Epoxy. The CAD model of the leaf spring is modeled in Pro-E and the numerical analysis is carried out using finite element analysis, ANSYS 14. Stress, deflection and strain energy results of both steel and composite leaf spring are obtained and compared. The result shows that the composite leaf spring has maximum strain energy than conventional steel leaf spring and weight of the composite leaf spring is nearly reduced up to 85% compared with steel material.
Effect of Nano Aluminum Oxide Fillers on the Properties of FRP Polymer Matrix Composites
Authors: Seshanandan G. , Ravindran Dhandapani , Sornakumar T.
Published: August 2015

Fiber reinforced plastics are composite materials made of polymer matrix reinforced with fibers. Fiber reinforced plastics find increased applications in automotive, marine, aerospace and construction industries. The objective of the present work is to study the effect of nano aluminum oxide fillers on the properties of glass fiber reinforced plastics. The glass fiber reinforced plastic specimens were manufactured with glass fiber chopped strand mat, polyester resin and nano aluminum oxide fillers by the hand layup technique. The nano aluminum oxide fillers are incorporated in different weight ratios in the fiber reinforced plastics and the mechanical properties were evaluated.
Numerical Studies on Convergent Tube-in-Tube Heat Exchanger
Authors: Thangaswami M. Ajai , Arjun S.R. , Easwar M.K. , Suresh Mariappan
Published: August 2015

HHeat exchangers have been used since the start of industrialisation, and since then have been modified in a plethora of complex and intricate ways to suit the needs of the corresponding application, but in this paper a simple modification on the existing design has been investigated numerically, which has proven to be effective. A standard tube-in-tube heat exchanger has been modified such that the external tube tapers (converges) to a smaller diameter. The inner tube carries the cold working fluid which absorbs the heat energy carried by the fluid in the outer tube. A numerical simulation has been carried out, taking into account the mass flow rate, fluid temperatures, heat transfer etc., which are governed by fundamental heat transfer equations. The results of the simulation are used to analyse the effect of this modification (convergent tube) on the efficiency of the heat exchanger, which has been found to increase significantly along with the rate of heat transfer.
Ex Situ Development of Y-Ti-O Nano Clusters
Authors: Anandan B. , Gopalakannan S.
Published: August 2015

A high density nanoscale clusters of Y–Ti–O exhibit superior creep strength and potential for high resistance to radiation damage. X-Ray Diffraction is used to determine the formation of the complex nanoclusters (NCs). The formation of Y2TiO5 NCs takes place during heat treatment of mechanically milled (MM) titanium and Yttria, and also it forms the mixture of Y2Ti2O5 and Y2Ti2O7 NCs during the high temperature soaking of MM iron, MM titanium and yttria. The microstructure of the hot consolidated mixture of MM iron, MM titanium and yttria were obtained through scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The back scattered electron mode is used to show the contrast between different elements in the microstructure. The increase in soaking temperature increases the size of the nanocluster, which decrease the volume fraction and number densities. A large population of nanoclusters precipitates during the heat treatment at high soaking temperature.
Effect of Fibre Volume Fraction on Mechanical Properties of FRTP Laminates Produced by Film Stacking Method
Authors: Parvatham R. , Chandrasekaran K. , Malhotra S.K.
Published: August 2015

Fiber Reinforced Plastics are now being used in all fields of industry as well as for consumer durables. In the present work, FRP laminates of glass/PP fabricated by film stacking method are studied for various mechanical properties. The glass/PP laminate of required thickness (3-4 mm) is fabricated by stacking a number of FRTP prepregs in the mould and applying heat and pressure in compression moulding press. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis, tensile, flexural and izod impact tests were performed on FRTP laminates. From DMA test, the following viscoelastic properties of GF/PP laminate were observed. (i) The storage modulus increases with increasing fibre volume fraction. (ii) The loss factor decreases with increase in volume fraction. Tensile strength and flexural strength values increase with increase in fibre volume fraction. Impact strength decreases with increase in fibre volume fraction. The results of the present study will be useful in determining the end use applications of FRTP laminates in industry.
Tribological Characteristics of Al6061-TiC Composite Synthesized by In Situ Technique
Authors: Pradeep Kumar G.S. , Keshavamurthy R. , Ramesh C.S. , Channabasappa B.H.
Published: August 2015

Al6061-TiC in-situ composite was developed using hexafluorotitanate salt and graphite powder. Microstructure studies, hardness and dry sliding friction and wear behavior were investigated for both base alloy and in-situ composite. Friction and wear tests were performed at the normal load and sliding speeds in the range 20-100N and 0.314-1.57m/s respectively. For a given TiC content, coefficient of friction was lower than base alloy for all the loads and sliding speeds. A tremendous improvement in the wear resistance of the composite was found when compared with base alloy.
Impact of Tool Inserts in High Speed Machining of GFRP Composite Material
Authors: Anand K. , Siddharth M.V. , Sekar K.S. Vijay , Suresh Kumar S.
Published: August 2015

Composite materials are in-homogenous, anisotropic and cause high tool wear at high cutting speeds in machining. Industrial practices worldwide reveal a need to use high speed machining to achieve the desired material removal rate, surface finish and to reduce cost cutting. In this research work, impact of turning glass fibre reinforced polymer tube with two contrasting turning tool inserts such as titanium aluminium nitride and tungsten carbide have been analysed. The turning was conducted at low to high cutting conditions up to spindle speeds of 2000 rpm and feed rate of 0.446mm/rev. The cutting force, feed force were acquired with a strain gauge based dynamometer, the chip cross section was observed using scanning electron microscopy and the temperature was sensed with a infra red thermo sensor. The advanced titanium aluminium nitride insert shows better machining characteristics across cutting speeds.
Friction Stir Welding of the Aluminum Matrix Composite - A Literature Review
Authors: Reddi Prasad K. , Mahamani Arumugam
Published: August 2015

Aluminium matrix composites have received the attention of numerous researchers, because of its attractive properties like high strength, good thermal conductivity and more strength to weight ratio. Application of the conventional welding processes for aluminium matrix composites, facilitates the formation of undesirable phase at the welded region, which limits the wide spread application. The objective of this paper is to review the literatures belonging to the friction stir welding of the composites and explore the challenges associated to maximize joint efficiency. The major contribution of this paper is to study the issue of welding of ex-situ and in-situ composites, various process parameters, properties of joint and post weld heat treatment process to improve the joint efficiency. This literature review provides some research gaps in the friction stir welding of composites.
Experimental Analysis of Different Packed Bed Catalysts for Lean NOx Traps (LNT)
Authors: Kumaran P. , Mohanamurugan S. , Shankar P. , Vijay R. , Narayanan R.
Published: August 2015

In LNT Catalysts, oxidizing agents are added for reducing the levels of NOxemission. In the current work three sets of LNT catalysts were prepared by dipping them in three independent solutions containing i) Barium nitrate, ii) Copper nitrate + Silver nitrate, iii) Copper nitrate + Ferric nitrate + Barium nitrate. These three catalysts were then tested in dual-cylinder four-stroke Simpson 217 DI Diesel engine coupled to electrical dynamometer with wire wound resistance loading device. LNT process was studied and performance of the various chemicals used to reduce the NOx emission under various load conditions in lean burn engine was evaluated. 60% NOx conversion was obtained for LNT catalyst coated with barium + copper +ferric nitrate.
Spray Characteristics of Diesel and Biodiesel Fuels for Various Injection Timings under Non Evaporating Conditions
Authors: Raghu P. , Nallusamy N. , Kasivisvanathan Pitchandi
Published: August 2015

Fuel spray and atomization characteristics play a vital role in the performance of internal combustion engines. Petroleum fuels are expected to be depleted within a few decades, finding alternative fuels that are economically viable to replace the petroleum fuel has attracted much research attention. In this work spray characteristics such as spray tip penetration, spray cone angle and spray area were investigated for Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME), Jatropha oil methyl ester (JOME) and diesel fuel. The KOME and JOME sprays were characterized and compared with diesel sprays at different injection timings. The macroscopic spray properties were acquired from the images captured by a high speed video camera employing shadowgraphic and image processing techniques in a spray chamber. The experimental results showed that biodiesel fuels had different features compared with diesel fuel after start of injection (ASOI). Longer spray tip penetration, larger spray area and smaller spray cone angle were observed for biodiesel (JOME, KOME) due to its higher density and viscosity than that of diesel fuel.
Experimental Studies on the Performance of C.I Engine with Fish Oil Methyl Ester as Fuel for Various Blends of Diesel and LPG
Authors: Hariprasad Tarigonda , Meenakshi Reddy R. , Mallikarjuna Rao P.
Published: August 2015

Fossil fuels are exhausting quickly because of incremental utilization rate due to increase population and essential comforts on par with civilization. In this connection, the conventional fuels especially petrol and diesel for internal combustion engines, are getting exhausted at an alarming rate. In order to plan for survival of technology in future it is necessary to plan for alternate fuels. Further, these fossil fuels cause serious environmental problems as they release toxic gases into the atmosphere at high temperatures and concentrations. The predicted global energy consumption is increasing at faster rate. In view of this and many other related issues, these fuels will have to be replaced completely or partially by less harmful alternative, eco-friendly and renewable source fuels for the internal combustion engines. Hence, throughout the world, lot of research work is in progress pertaining to suitability and feasibility of alternative fuels. Biodiesel is one of the promising sources of energy to mitigate both the serious problems of the society viz., depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution.
In the present work, experiments are carried out on a Single cylinder diesel engine which is commonly used in agricultural sector. Experiments are conducted by fuelling the diesel engine with bio-diesel with LPG through inlet manifold. The engine is properly modified to operate under dual fuel operation using LPG through inlet manifold as fuel along FME as ignition source. The brake thermal efficiency of FME with LPG (2LPM) blend is increased at an average of 5% when compared to the pure diesel fuel. HC emissions of FME with LPG (2LPM) blend are reduced by about at an average of 21% when compared to the pure diesel fuel. CO emissions of FME with LPG (2LPM) blends are reduced at an average of 33.6% when compared to the pure diesel fuel. NOx emissions of FME with LPG (2LPM) blend are reduced at an average of 4.4% when compared to the pure diesel fuel. Smoke opacity of FME with LPG (2LPM) blend is reduced at an average of 10% when compared to the pure diesel fuel.
Performance and Emission Evaluation of a Compression Ignition Engine Using Agitated Diesel Fuel
Authors: Jayakishan B. , Prakash R. , Kumarrathinam K. , Christopher D.
Published: August 2015

Enhancing the efficiency of normal diesel cycle and gasoline cycle is gaining more importance because of depleting fossil fuel resources and other environmental issues. In normal operation the efficiency of diesel cycle is about 37 - 44%. So diesel cycle efficiency should be increased or otherwise it should be replaced with alternate fuels. Increasing the efficiency of the cycle leads to lower fuel consumption and other economic benefits. Thermal efficiency of the diesel mainly depends on compression ratio and combustion parameters such as injection timing, injection pressure and ignition delay period. Thermal efficiency also depends on fuel properties such as viscosity, density and cetane number (CN). This paper discuss about the performance evaluation of diesel fuel in a CI engine when the fuel properties are pre-enhanced by crystal agitation. In this experiment different size (Micro and Nano) SiO2 crystals are used with commercial diesel fuel in the storage tank and the performance and emission test are conducted. Results of these samples are compared with neat diesel fuel performance.
Influence of Engine Speed on Mixing and Emission Characteristics of Multiple-Injection Common Rail Direct Injection Diesel Engine
Authors: Rajkumar S. , Sudarshan G.
Published: August 2015

Increase in engine speed increases the in-cylinder turbulence and hence the rate of mixing. However, it is difficult to directly measure the mixing rate and relating its effect on emissions. Hence, in this paper, the comparison of mixing rate at different engine speeds are demonstrated with a multi-zone phenomenological model which has been developed and validated on a wide range of engine operating conditions. The mixing rate is evaluated using a standard quasi-dimensional k-ε formulation. The quantitative predictions of mixing rates at different engine speed substantiate the cause of soot emission reduction at higher engine speed.
Zero-Dimensional Analysis of Combustion in a Multiple-Injection CRDI Engine Using Wiebe Law
Authors: Sudarshan G. , Rajkumar S.
Published: August 2015

Common rail direct injection system (CRDI) offers the potential to achieve optimal combustion and emission characteristics. An empirical analysis of engine combustion process incorporating Wiebe type burn rate law approach is useful not only in understanding the combustion characteristics of a CRDI engine but also aids in diagnosis and control of the combustion process wherever required from the performance and emission standpoint. This paper presents a methodology for applying the burn rate law for common rail direct injection diesel engines adopted with split injection by using Wiebe’s correlation. The analysis reveals that while the empirical constant ‘m’ (shape factor) for both pilot and main injections is independent of engine load and seems to be affected by engine speed only, the constant ‘a’ (efficiency parameter) seems to be influenced by the engine speed, load and injection conditions. A correlation for these empirical constants with the respective parameters of dependence can be formulated which can be used to analyze the effect of change in engine operating conditions on combustion characteristics without conducting engine experiments.
Innovative Passive Flame Ameliorator for a Diffusion Flame Burner Using Chevrons
Authors: Alaguraja A. , Balaji S. , Sandeep Inti , Karthikeyan M. , Somasundaram S.
Published: August 2015

Diffusion flame burners are mainly used in industries over premixed flame burners for safety considerations. But the combustion process in a diffusion flame is not complete and the flame is usually in bright yellow in colour in contrast to the premixed flame which gives a bluish flame. To improve the combustion process in a diffusion flame burner a novel approach, using chevrons has been carried out. The chevrons are found to reduce the aero-acoustic noise in the exhaust jets of aircraft engines by allowing better mixing of the exhaust gas with the ambient air. The similar concept is used here where the tips of the burners are cut in the form of chevrons. Experimental investigations are carried out on burners with three and four chevrons in addition to a standard burner using LPG as the fuel. The results indicate that with the introduction of chevrons the diffusion flame becomes more compact. The premixed region, in the diffusion flame, where the air and fuel is mixed well is found to increase by nearly 100 % with the usage of chevrons, indicating better mixing of fuel and air. The results also indicate that increasing the number of chevrons from three to four does not show much variation. Further experiments are to be carried out to determine the improved fuel consumption with the usage of chevrons.
Performance Study of Preheated Mustard Oil Methyl Ester on Naturally Aspirated CI Engine
Authors: Venkata Ramanan M. , Yuvarajan D.
Published: August 2015

Many studies have confirmed that the use of transesterifed vegetable oil as a fuel in diesel engine has resulted in lesser efficiency and inferior combustion rate when compared with petroleum diesel. Of late research works are being carried out to discover the surplus information on effective utilization of vegetable oil in CI engine as a promising alternative fuel. The present work was aimed to investigate the effect of preheating the transesterified oil just before entering fuel injection system thereby making its physical and chemical properties much closer to diesel fuel. In the present work neat mustard oil methyl ester was preheated to 90°c (MO90) and used in single cylinder, four stroke, naturally aspirated, direct injection compression ignition engine and compared with un heated mustard oil methyl ester (MO) at ambient temperature and petroleum diesel. The effects of fuel preheating on engine performance with mustard oil were clarified. Experiments were conducted with MO90 (Mustard oil methyl ester preheated to 90° C) and MO (Mustard oil methyl ester) and are compared with conventional diesel. The experimental analysis revealed that the BTE (brake thermal efficiency) of an engine was lower and BSFC (brake specific fuel consumption) was higher with unheated mustard oil methyl ester as compared to diesel fuel. However, increase in BTE and reduction in BSFC was observed with increase fuel inlet temperature of methyl ester to 90°C. Thus by preheating the mustard oil methyl ester during the fuel injection can be a good alternate fuel for CI engines in near future.
Analysis of Bio-Oil Produced by Co-Pyrolysis of Mahua Seed and Polystyrene
Authors: Pradhan Debalaxmi , Singh R.K.
Published: August 2015

TheProduction of biofuel from biomass sources is believed to reduce the reliance of fossil fuel and its cost. This investigation was aimed to produce and characterize the bio-oil obtained from co-pyrolysis. Two different feed stocks were used for co-pyrolysis; one is Mahua seed (MS) and the other one is Polystyrene (PS). The effect in addition of plastic to biomass in pyrolysis process were investigated on the yield and quality of products. Experiments were conducted in a semi-batch pyrolysis reactor under various parameters of temperature, heating rate and blending ratio. The results indicated that a temperature of 525 °C, and blend ratio of 1:1is maximumwith a heating rate of 20 °C/min. The yield of bio-oil obtained from the co-pyrolysis was found to be approximately 71%, which was higher about 22% than that of yield obtained from pyrolysis of Mahua seed (MS) alone. Further the bio-oil was characterized using different spectroscopic and chromatographic analyses. The analysis of the results for characterization of bio-oil indicated that the synergetic effect increased the bio-oil yield and its quality.
Performance and Emission Studies of Biodiesel Fuelled Diesel Engines: A Review
Authors: Tamilselvan P. , Vignesh K. , Nallusamy N.
Published: August 2015

As the decreasing availability of the fossil fuel is rising day by day, the search of alternate fuel that can be used as a substitute to the conventional fuels is rising rapidly. Especially, the exhaust gas emission by using fossil fuel insists on exploring the available sources of biofuel to provide an eco-friendly environment compared to that of fossil fuels. India depends mainly on imported fuels due to lack of fossil fuel reserves and it has a great impact on the economy. Biodiesel is one of the best available resources that has come to the forefront recently. Recent studies and research have made it possible to extract biodiesel at economical costs and quantities. The blend of biodiesel with fossil diesel has many benefits like reduction in emissions, lower engine wear, reduction in engine oil consumption and comparable thermal efficiency with diesel. It is also found that low fuel consumption and increase in thermal efficiency of engines for biodiesel fuels having higher calorific values than diesel. This paper reviews the performance and emission characteristics of various biodiesel fuels used in CI engine as alternate fuel. This study is based on the reports of biodiesel fuel published by different researchers.
Effect of Various Injection Pressures on Spray Characteristics of Karanja Oil Methyl Ester (KOME) and Diesel in a DI Diesel Engine
Authors: Prakash Vaibhav , Ramanujam B. Praveen , Nivedan C. Sanjeev , Nallusamy N. , Raghu P.
Published: August 2015

The performance and emissions from diesel engines are greatly influenced by the degree of atomization of the fuel spray. The characteristics of the spray affect the physics of formation of the air-fuel mixture. They depend on density and viscosity of fuel, injection pressure, pressure and temperature of fuel. The spray structure is primarily dependent on the fuel injection pressure. This study involves the carrying out of experimental investigations on biodiesel and diesel fuel sprays in a DI diesel engine for different injection pressures. The spray cone angle and spray tip penetration length are studied experimentally. Using spray visualization system and image processing techniques, the experimental data is obtained. The fuels used are Karanja oil methyl ester (KOME) and diesel. The experimental results show that, as the injection pressure increases, the spray cone angle decreases for KOME and similar trends are observed with diesel. In addition, spray penetration length increases with increase in injection pressure and the value of the same was slightly higher for KOME than that of diesel. The results also reveal similarities in spray characteristics of both the test fuels.
A Modified Maximum Power Point Tracking Control for Bi-Directional Z-Source DC-DC Converter Based Solar Electric Vehicle
Authors: Shajith Ali U.
Published: August 2015

A solar electric vehicle is powered by photovoltaic arrays which allow for direct conversion of solar energy into electrical energy. Since space and weight are very limited with any vehicle, it is desired that the maximum possible amount of energy be obtained from the employed photovoltaic arrays. Every photovoltaic array has an optimum operating point, called the maximum power point (MPP), which varies depending on cell temperature and solar insolation level. This paper is focussed to find the mechanism best suited for employment in a moving vehicle to optimally track this point of maximum efficiency under rapid variation of solar insolation and adjust the operating point of the photovoltaic array accordingly. An integral part of any modern day electric vehicle is power electronic circuits comprising DC-DC converters for conversion and conditioning of electrical power. Recently, Z-source DC-DC converters show promising outcomes when integrated with photovoltaic array compared to conventional DC-DC converters. They provide larger range of output dc voltage, improve reliability and can reduce in-rush and harmonic current. A bi-directional Z-source DC-DC converter with a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technique suitable for electric vehicle applications is developed to incur high electric power from photovoltaic array. The photovoltaic array output voltage is controlled and the maximum power point tracking is attained by controlling the duty cycle. The well known incremental conductance MPPT algorithm is modified by measuring the power in the middle of the sampling interval to prevent the bewilderedness during rapidly changing insolation condition. Computer simulation and experimental results are provided to establish the performance of the proposed system.
A Novel Control Scheme for Power Factor Improvement in Modified Bridgeless Boost Converter
Authors: Annamalai Tamizhselvan , Rajini V.
Published: August 2015

In Green Energy technologies like wind energy conversion systems and Domestic applications like SMPS and UPS systems, the input voltage amplitude and input frequency are time varying in nature. Fast-Escalating and extremely challenging high efficiency requirements for AC-DC power supplies for notebooks, desktop computers are to minimize the power losses (Conduction losses). In the conventional rectifiers power losses are more and power factor is poor resulting in loss of efficiency. Normally, the bridgeless topologies, also referred to as dual boost power factor correction (PFC) rectifiers, may reduce the conduction losses by reducing the number of semi-conductor components in the line current path. Power supply units have to make the load compatible with the source. The presence of non-linear load results in poor power factor operation and produces harmonic components in the line. So PFC techniques are necessary to meet harmonic regulations and standards such as IEC 61000-3-2 and IEEE 519. A modified bridgeless topology may be used for such applications. A novel switching controller is developed that regulates the input resistance to a desired value. Hence input power factor is unity and also the total harmonic distortion is controlled to a tolerable limit. In the proposed model, the modified bridgeless boost converter is activated in to a pure resistance mode. Finally the performance of the modified bridgeless boost converter is compared with the existing basic bridgeless boost converter.
Analysis of Controllers for Photovoltaic Fed Brushless DC Motor Based Water Pumping System
Authors: Pandikumar M. , Ramaprabha R. , Muthu Ranganath
Published: August 2015

The paper proposes a comparative analysis of brushless DC (BLDC) motor based photovoltaic (PV) water pumping system with two different controllers namely the proportional-integral (PI) and the fuzzy. The controllers are designed such that the maximum power is extracted from the PV source with the incremental conductance (INC) algorithm. The controlled output is given to the boost converter, which acts as the maximum power point tracker (MPPT). It is followed by the three-phase inverter supplying the BLDC drive system. The constant speed operation is achieved via the spacevector pulsewidth modulation (SVPWM) technique in order to obtain constant throughput from the centrifugal pump. The performance of the system is analyzedwithMatLab/Simulink.It is shown that the fuzzy control provides better response then the PI control.
Improvement in Energy Harvest of Solar Photovoltaic Systems under Partial Shaded Conditions
Authors: Malathy S. , Ramaprabha R.
Published: August 2015

Partial shading is the major contributing factor for reduced energy harvest in building integrated or rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems. The architecture of the PV array is altered dynamically in accordance with shade intensity to alleviate the impact of partial shading. However, this technique demands more number of sensors, switches and a sophisticated control algorithm. In small urban residential installations, the shade is often caused by trees and structures in the same or nearby buildings and is inevitable due to space limitations. The shape and intensity of the shade does not vary rapidly in these cases and hence dynamic reconfiguration is not necessary. The paper addresses the issue by proposing a simple tailored architecture to enhance the output under shaded conditions without using additional sensors and switches. The location of the panels in an array is predetermined in the proposed work in such a way that the shade is evenly distributed all over the array. This reduces the mismatch losses and enhances the output. For utility purposes, asymmetric multilevel inverter controlled by FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) is employed and the results are presented.
Comparison of DC-DC Converters for Photo-Voltaic Application
Authors: Chilambarasan M. , Ramesh Babu M. , Jones Basil T.
Published: August 2015

Electricity demand is a major concern in the world today. To meet this demand, a number of natural sources are used for electricity production. The produced electrical energy from these natural sources will be given to consumers after going through a lot of conversion stages. So losses mostly occur in these conversion stages. In this paper the four existing converters CUK, SEPIC, Self-lift CUK and Self-lift SEPIC performances are separately compared and analyzed with each other. The voltage-lift (VL) technique is a popular method that is widely applied in electronic circuit design. This technique overcomes the effects of parasitic elements and increases the output voltage effectively along with high power efficiency and high power density with a simple structure. The operating principles of these converters are discussed and Simulation results are provided to verify and compare the feasibility of each systemwith solar photo-voltaic panel incorporated maximum power point tracking (MPPT).
A Novel Skewed Linear Switched Reluctance Motor – Analysis and Design
Authors: Ganesh Sampath V. , Elavarasan R. , Lenin N.C. , Arumugam R.
Published: August 2015

High starting force with reduced volume and mass are the primary importance in most of the linear transportation applications. This paper presents a novel tilted Linear Switched Reluctance Motor (LSRM) with reduced mass, volume, force ripple and improved force profile. Three Dimensional (3-D) finite element analyses are carried out on the proposed design to estimate the performance the motor. A thorough comparison has been made between the basic and the proposed structures. Experimental results reveal that, the proposed design is well suited for high starting force applications.
Comparative Studies of PCM Based TES System Using Different PCMs
Authors: Meenakshi Reddy R. , Krishna Reddy K. , Siva Reddy E. , Hariprasad T.
Published: August 2015

The purpose of thermal energy storage systems (TES) is to store the heat energy supplied to it for a considerable time period and give the energy back when ever need arise. On many of occasions, part of the heat energy of various systems is unutilized. If this excess heat energy be stored in such systems as TESS, utilization of energy improves. If the use of such systems is widespread, fuel is conserved and national economy is saved.Different materials can be used in TESS to store heat energy and in the present work two such materials, which are popular phase change materials (PCM) namely (a) Paraffin (b) Stearic acid are used and subsequently the performance of the TESS is studied. The PCMs are used in the form of spherical capsules made up of high density poly ethylene (HDPE) of diameter 58 mm. Charging time and amount of heat energy recovered are studied for the two PCMs mentioned above and compared. Though paraffin as PCM gives little better heat energy recovery, performance of both the materials are almost the same. Hence as the cost of stearic acid is less when compared to paraffin on economical grounds and on ease of availability basis stearic acid has advantages over paraffin.
Regeneration Using C-Dump Fed Switched Reluctance Generator
Authors: Jensen Fernando , Kalpathi Ramani
Published: August 2015

The regeneration modes of switched reluctance machines are examined in this paper. The conversion of mechanical energy to electrical energy is aided by the stator excitation which is used to provide the air-gap flux and recover the energy from a prime-mover making it suitable for electric/hybrid vehicles. The operation of a C-Dump converter in the generation mode is analyzed and the energy recovery mechanism is illustrated using MATLAB simulations. The braking profile on the prime mover is also examined for multiphase excitation with various currents. The excitation reference is the control variable that is dynamically adjusted to achieve control in the braking mode. A control law is derived to achieve a target speed in the braking mode.
Damage Detection in Laminated Composite Beams, Plates and Shells Using Dynamic Analysis
Authors: Mahendran G. , Kesavan Chandrasekaran , Malhotra S.K.
Published: August 2015

Vibration-based technique to detect damage in laminated composite beams, rectangular plates and cylindrical shells is presented in this paper.A parameter called damage indicator calculated based on mode shape curvature isused in this studyto detect the location and size of small damages accurately in laminated composite structures. Through numerical analysis of laminated compositecantilevered beam, plate and cylindrical shell models with edge crack as damage, the absolute change inthe damage indicator is localized in the region of damage. Thechange in damage indicatorincreases withincreasing size of damage. Thisinformationis obtained by considering two cases of damage sizes (case-1 and case-2)in the structures. Finite element methodbased commercial analysis package ANSYSis used to obtain thenormalized displacement mode shapesof the three models both for intact and damaged states and then the damage indicator is calculated from the mode shapes data.The numerical analysis to detect damage is followed by validation by experimental modal testing.
On-Line Monitoring the Hard Turning Using Distribution Parameters of Acoustic Emission Signal
Authors: Bhaskaran J.
Published: August 2015

In hard turning, tool wear of cutting tool crossing the limit is highly undesirable because it adversely affects the surface finish. Hence continuous, online tool wear monitoring during the process is essential. The analysis of Acoustic Emission (AE) signal generated during conventional machining has been studied by many investigators for understanding the process of metal cutting and tool wear phenomena. In this experimental study on hard turning, the skew and kurtosis parameters of root mean square values of AE signal (AERMS) have been used for online monitoring of a Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) tool wear.
Flaw Quantification in Colmonoy Overlays Using Immersion Ultrasonic Testing
Authors: Santhosh S. , Rajkumar K. , Menaka M. , Venkataraman B.
Published: August 2015

Corrosion, wear and galling resistance under high temperature service conditions are highly essential in nuclear components such as grid plate and diverse safety rod drive mechanism. In order to protect the components from these worst service conditions, hard facing alloys like colmonoy are overlaid on the nuclear components using plasma transfer arc and Gas Tungsten Arc Deposition techniques. Typical defects that occurred during deposition include lack of bonding between substrate and overlay, cracks and porosities. Hence the characterization of such defects is highly essential before using it for the intended application. Conventionally radiography, liquid penetrant testing and ultrasonic testing are used. Radiography cannot detect debonds which are parallel to the surface of the specimen. Though liquid penetrant testing is used for detecting surface cracks, ultrasonic testing could be effectively used in order to characterize highly planar defects which are parallel to the surface. This paper highlights the successful application of immersion ultrasonic testing for characterization of colmonoy overlays. The sample consisted of Colmonoy coating (4-5 mm) on a 316 LN substrate. Ultrasonic examination was carried out using the Immersion Ultrasonic flaw detector. Typical A scans of good region and debonded regions were considered and compared in order to predict the actual location of the defect. In addition B and C scans were also considered for exact characterisation of the defects. Results clearly indicated the superior defect detectability by the use of immersion ultrasonic testing on colmonoy overlays.
Conductivity Modulation in Polymer Electrolytes and their Composites due to Ion-Beam Irradiation
Authors: Singh Divya , Bhattacharya B. , Virk Hardev Singh
Published: August 2015

Polymers are a class of materials widely used in different fields of applications. With imminent applications of polymers, the study of radiation induced changes in polymers has become an obvious scientific demand. The bombardment by ion beam radiations has become one of the most promising techniques in present day polymer research. When the polymers are irradiated, a variety of physical and chemical changes takes place due to energy deposition of the radiation in the polymer matrix. Scissoring, cross-linking, recombination, radical decomposition, etc. are some of the interesting changes that are obvious in polymers. The modification in polymer properties by irradiation depends mainly on the nature of radiation and the type of polymer used.Polymer electrolytes are obtained by modifying polymers by doping, complexing, or other chemical processes. In general, they suffer from low conductivity due to high crystallinity of the matrix. The effect of radiation on polymer electrolyte is expected to alter their crystalline nature vis-a-vis electrical properties. This review article shall elaborate modifications in the physical and chemical properties of polymer electrolytes and their composites. The variations in properties have been explored on PEO based polymer electrolyte and correlated with the parameters responsible for such changes. Also a comparison with different types of the polymers irradiated with a wide range of ion beams has been established.
Ion Beam Induced Modifications of Biocompatible Polymer
Authors: Abdul-Kader A.M. , Turos Andrzej
Published: August 2015

Ion beam bombardment has shown great potential for improving the surface properties of polymers. In this paper, the ion beam-polymer interaction mechanisms are briefly discussed. The main objective of this research was to study the effects of H-ion beam on physico-chemical properties of Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) as it is frequently used in biomedical applications. UHMWPE was bombarded with 65 keV H-ions to fluences ranging from 1x1014–2x1016 ions/cm2. Changes of surface layer composition produced by ion bombardment of UHMWPE samples were studied. The hydrogen release and oxygen uptake induced by ion beam bombardment were determined by Nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) using the 1H(15N, αγ)12C and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), respectively. Tribological and hardness properties at the polymer near surface region were studied by means of friction coefficient and micro-hardness testers, respectively. Wettability of the bombarded surfaces was determined by measuring the contact angle for distilled water. The obtained results showed that the ion bombardment induced hydrogen release increases with the increasing ion fluence. An important effect observed, was the rapid oxidation of samples, which occurs after exposure of bombarded samples to air. These effects resulted in important modifications of the surface properties of bombarded material such as change of friction coefficient, hardness and improved wettability.
Application of Pelletron Accelerator to Study High Total Dose Radiation Effects on Semiconductor Devices
Authors: Gnana Prakash A.P. , Pushpa N.
Published: August 2015

Silicon bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), Silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs) and metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) devices are the key components of BiCMOS integrated circuits. The semiconductor devices need to withstand very high total doses (100’s of Mrad) for reliable operation of electronic circuits for 8-10 years of LHC operation. The study of radiation tolerance of semiconductor devices up to 100 Mrad of total dose takes longer time with conventional60Co gamma, proton and electron irradiation facilities and the effects due to these radiations are well understood. Hence it is important to study the effects of heavy ion irradiation on various semiconductor devices. The irradiation time decreases with increasing linear energy transfer (LET) of incident radiation and LET increases with atomic number of the impinging ions. But it is essential to understand the mechanism of energy transfer by different heavy ions in semiconductor devices. Therefore, here we give an overview of different heavy ion interactions with Si BJTs, MOSFETs and SiGe HBTs by primarily focusing on the electrical characteristics of these devices before and after ion irradiation. We show that the irradiation time needed to reach very high total dose can be reduced by using Pelletron accelerator facilities instead of conventional irradiation facilities.
Structural Investigations of Gamma-Irradiated PbO Glasses
Authors: Singh D. , Mudahar G.S. , Thind K.S. , Virk Hardev Singh
Published: August 2015

The effects of gamma radiations on the optical, physical and structural properties of zinc lead borate xZnO-2xPbO-(1-3x)B2O3 and zinc lead borosilicate xZnO-2xPbO-1/2(1-3x)B2O3-1/2(1-3x)SiO2 glasses have been investigated. Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier Transmission Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopic techniques have been used to compare the properties of samples before and after gamma irradiation by a dose of 2.5 kGy. The variation of density, optical band gap (Eg), IR absorption bands and glass transition temperature (Tg) indicates that the structure of glasses changes due to irradiation. The radiation induced changes created by-ray in the optical, physical and thermal parameters in both the prepared series of glasses have been discussed for their possible application as radiation shielding material.
Damage Detection of AA2124/SiC Metal Matrix Composites Using Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry
Authors: Rutecka Agnieszka , Grzywna Paweł , Dietrich Lech
Published: August 2015

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) with aluminium alloy AA2124 matrix reinforced with 17 and 25% of SiC were investigated. Symmetric tension-compression fatigue tests at ambient temperature and tensile creep tests at elevated temperature were carried out. Specimens were subjected to fatigue or creep loading conditions. Tests were stopped after given number of cycles or strain values respectively. Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry (ESPI) was used in order to detect damage under fatigue and creep conditions. Strain fields were observed on specimens’ surfaces to localise strain concentrations that would indicate areas of damage development.
Deformation Based Fatigue Damage Accumulation Model
Authors: Socha Grzegorz , Dietrich Lech
Published: August 2015

This paper reports results of fatigue testing performed under fully reversible, load controlled uniaxial tension-compression. For this scheme of loading definition of relative damage indicator and cumulative damage indicator parameter was given and changes of such parameters during the life of the material were shown for two grades of steel. Simple damage criterion proposed by Johnson [6] was modified to define damage indicator parameter. Definitions of damage parameters based on proposed damage indicator and damage indicator parameter were also given. Damage curves showing changes of damage parameter as the function of the life fraction were shown to illustrate progress of damage during the life of the material.
Experimental Study on Mechanical Properties of Polyethylene HDPE in Conditions of Hydraulic Impact Simulation
Authors: Imiełowski Szymon , Kodura Apoloniusz , Glinicka Aniela , Ajdukiewicz Cezary
Published: August 2015

Experimental research on mechanical properties of hardened polyethylene HDPE, is developed in the paper. The conditions of hydraulic impact simulation, caused by sudden opening or closing of the valve or by working pomp were adopted in the model. The created in such conditions shock wave moves at a high speed causing additional dangerous dynamic loadings, which lead to faster pipe wear process. The aim of this study is to determine Young's modulus of the pipe material in the cyclic load conditions. The assumed amplitude and frequency of the applied load relates to variation of the impact wave pressure also the speed of the disturbances propagation are taken from experimental measurement of the real water hammer. The measured Young's modulus is higher than that obtained from a static tensile test. The presented study arises from the need to verify the actual value of pipe material mechanical properties, i.e. longitudinal stiffness, for designing of hydraulic pipes under conditions of water hammer.
Effect of a Notch on Impact Resistance of the Epidian 57/Z1 Epoxy Material after "Thermal Shock"
Authors: Kłonica Mariusz , Kuczmaszewski Józef , Samborski Sylwester
Published: August 2015

Adhesive bonding is increasingly being applied as structural joining technique in highly reliable machines and appliances operating in the circumstances of variable thermomechanical loads.The manufactured specimens of the Epidian 57/Z-1 epoxy material had been subjected to cyclic thermal loading, with respect to a defined program, in a thermal shock chamber within a temperature range of ‑40°C to +60°C for 200 cycles. The accepted temperature range was typical for machinery maintenance, including the aircraft.The aim of the research was first of all determination of thermal load (fatigue), as well as the presence of notch effect on the resistance to fracture.A significant measure of the adhesive bonds quality is the repeatability of the strength examination results, both in the summary and long lasting tests. It is often more important criterion for the adhesive joint selection than higher strength of the joints using the particular adhesive.The obtained results of the conducted research have been elaborated statistically with respect to the appropriate scientific standards.
Experimental-Numerical Study of Manufacture Induced 3D Rail Residual Stress
Authors: Magiera Jacek
Published: August 2015

The purpose of this research was to investigate the changing patterns of the 3D rail residual stress as it accumulates on different portions of the rail manufacturing process. These patterns are of interest for manufacturers and railroad companies but also could serve as initial fields for various further numerical analyses of actual residual stress states in rails, wear and crack formation/development. Examined were four rail samples taken directly from manufacturing: 1. an air cooled rail; 2. an air cooled and roller straightened rail; 3. a head hardened rail; 4. a head hardened and roller straightened rail. An advanced experimental-numerical hybrid technique was developed and applied to perform all the required data reduction tasks. It comprises of an sectioning scheme called as the transverse/oblique slicing (T/O-S) technique and of a physically reasonable data reduction/smoothing procedure called as the global method (GM). Destructive experimental examinations were performed with the neutron diffraction method on thin rail slices at atomic reactor facility of US DOC, NIST Center for Neutron Research in Gaithersburg, MD. In the paper presented and discussed are results of the performed analyses.