Development and Implementation of Novel Bristle Tool for Surface Treatment of Metallic Components

Despite advances in paints and coatings technology, protective coatings are prone to eventual corrosion, degradation and/or failure. Consequently, a corrosive layer will develop that can undermine the performance and integrity of structural components. Therefore, both the corrosive layer and defunct coating must be periodically removed, and an acceptable level of surface cleanliness and texture must be obtained prior to the reapplication of new paint. Currently, an array of processes and equipment are used for efficiently cleaning and conditioning metallic surfaces, such as grit blasting, needle guns, and a variety of non-woven and coated abrasive tools. This research investigates the method termed the bristle blasting process. The process utilizes a specially designed rotary bristle tool, which is dynamically tuned to a power tool spindle that operates at approximately 2,500 rpm. The present research suggests that the repeated collision of hardened bristle tips with a corroded steel surface results in both the removal of a friable corrosive layer and simultaneous exposure of fresh subsurface material. Surfaces generated by the bristle blast process are shown to mimic the visual cleanliness and anchor profile that is characteristic of grit blasting processes. One particular application evaluated during this research was offshore pipeline refurbishment and pre-treatment of weld seams prior to the application of protective coatings. Comparative analysis was done with conventional methods of surface treatment on the basis of visual cleanliness, surface profile generation and coating adhesion strength. The results obtained suggest that this novel technology performs better than the existing conventional power tool methods and is on an equal par with grit blasting methods. Moreover, the bristle blasting process is eco-friendly and does not use or generate hazardous waste, thereby providing a green approach to corrosion removal and surface preparation of steel components

God's Own Blacksmiths: working with Keralan blacksmiths to investigate microstructural analysis

The skills and techniques of past metal smiths are gauged through the analysis of the microstructures of artifacts using standard metallography. Little or no work has been carried out to test or verify microstructural observations through ethnographic and experimental re-enactment of techniques. This study will offer a way to establish the veracity of this approach to studying iron objects and will draw on direct practical engagement with remnant Keralan blacksmithing communities. In addition, controlled experimental re-enactment, deconstruction of techniques and comparative microstructural analysis will be carried out. How local agricultural tools are forged and what makes up the smithing toolkit will be assessed as well as how each forging space is utilized. This research aims to conduct the study using a range of methods that includes experimental re-enactment in a manner that assesses their applicability to other regions and periods

Laser Surface Engineering of composite titanium diboride coating on steel : synthesis and characterization

The aim of the present study was to identify and develop an unique combination of coating technique and material, which could target its properties similar to that of an ideal coating . In the present study, Nd:YAG laser was used as a tool to deposit ultrahard TiB2 ceramic on AISI 1010 steel within a fixed envelope of processing parameters such as laser power and traverse speed. The thrust of the present study is on the material properties and behavior of the TiB2 coating within the fixed envelope of these processing parameters. A uniform, continuous and crack free coating with metallurgically sound interface is obtained. Coating is “composite” in nature, comprising TiB2 particles and the Fe from steel trapped in the laser melt zone. Such coating has been evaluated for various properties such as mechanical (hardness, elastic modulus,interfacial energy, fracture toughness and fracture morphology), chemical and structural(x-ray diffraction, SEM, TEM and HRTEM) and high temperature oxidation and corrosion properties. Coating is hard and tough in nature. A semi-quantitative model has been developed to estimate the elastic modulus of TiB2 coating using nanoindentation technique. It also has been concluded that TiB2 coating has a high interfacial energy suggesting a stronger and adherent interface. Composite TiB2 coating has a significant oxidation resistance up to 800°C. Also, it has shown improved high temperature corrosion resistance against liquid aluminum. Such features contribute significantly towards the goal of achieving an ideal coating

Production Engineering and Management

It is our pleasure to introduce the 8th edition of the International Conference on Production Engineering and anagement (PEM), an event that is the result of the joint effort of the OWL University of Applied Sciences and the University of Trieste. The conference has been established as an annual meeting under the Double Degree Master Program “Production Engineering and Management” by the two partner universities. This year the conference is hosted at the university campus in Lemgo, Germany. The main goal of the conference is to offer students, researchers and professionals in Germany, Italy and abroad, an opportunity to meet and exchange information, discuss experiences, specific practices and technical solutions for planning, design, and management of manufacturing and service systems and processes. As always, the conference is a platform aimed at presenting research projects, introducing young academics to the tradition of symposiums and promoting the exchange of ideas between the industry and the academy. This year’s special focus is on Supply Chain Design and Management in the context of Industry 4.0, which are currently major topics of discussion among experts and professionals. In fact, the features and problems of Industry 4.0 have been widely discussed in the last editions of the PEM conference, in which sustainability and efficiency also emerged as key factors. With the further study and development of Direct Digital Manufacturing technologies in connection with new Management Practices and Supply Chain Designs, the 8th edition of the PEM conference aims to offer new and interesting scientific contributions. The conference program includes 25 speeches organized in seven sessions. Two are specifically dedicated to “Direct Digital Manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0”. The other sessions are covering areas of great interest and importance to the participants of the conference, which are related to the main focus: “Supply Chai n Design and Management”, “Industrial Engineering and Lean Management”, “Wood Processing Technologies and Furniture Production”, and “Management Practices and Methodologies”. The proceedings of the conference include the articles submitted and accepted after a careful double-blind refereeing process

NASA Tech Briefs, November 1990

Topics: New Product Ideas; NASA TU Services; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery; Fabrication Technology; Mathematics and Information Sciences

Towards a Conceptual Design of an Intelligent Material Transport Based on Machine Learning and Axiomatic Design Theory

Reliable and efficient material transport is one of the basic requirements that affect productivity in sheet metal industry. This paper presents a methodology for conceptual design of intelligent material transport using mobile robot, based on axiomatic design theory, graph theory and artificial intelligence. Developed control algorithm was implemented and tested on the mobile robot system Khepera II within the laboratory model of manufacturing environment. Matlab© software package was used for manufacturing process simulation, implementation of search algorithms and neural network training. Experimental results clearly show that intelligent mobile robot can learn and predict optimal material transport flows thanks to the use of artificial neural networks. Achieved positioning error of mobile robot indicates that conceptual design approach can be used for material transport and handling tasks in intelligent manufacturing systems

Friction Force Microscopy of Deep Drawing Made Surfaces

Aim of this paper is to contribute to micro-tribology understanding and friction in micro-scale interpretation in case of metal beverage production, particularly the deep drawing process of cans. In order to bridging the gap between engineering and trial-and-error principles, an experimental AFM-based micro-tribological approach is adopted. For that purpose, the can’s surfaces are imaged with atomic force microscopy (AFM) and the frictional force signal is measured with frictional force microscopy (FFM). In both techniques, the sample surface is scanned with a stylus attached to a cantilever. Vertical motion of the cantilever is recorded in AFM and horizontal motion is recorded in FFM. The presented work evaluates friction over a micro-scale on various samples gathered from cylindrical, bottom and round parts of cans, made of same the material but with different deep drawing process parameters. The main idea is to link the experimental observation with the manufacturing process. Results presented here can advance the knowledge in order to comprehend the tribological phenomena at the contact scales, too small for conventional tribology

Towards a Conceptual Design of an Intelligent Material Transport Based on Machine Learning and Axiomatic Design Theory

Reliable and efficient material transport is one of the basic requirements that affect productivity in sheet metal industry. This paper presents a methodology for conceptual design of intelligent material transport using mobile robot, based on axiomatic design theory, graph theory and artificial intelligence. Developed control algorithm was implemented and tested on the mobile robot system Khepera II within the laboratory model of manufacturing environment. Matlab© software package was used for manufacturing process simulation, implementation of search algorithms and neural network training. Experimental results clearly show that intelligent mobile robot can learn and predict optimal material transport flows thanks to the use of artificial neural networks. Achieved positioning error of mobile robot indicates that conceptual design approach can be used for material transport and handling tasks in intelligent manufacturing systems

Archaeometric Investigation for Provenance Studies about Copper Metallurgy in the Phoenician and Punic Cultures

The doctoral thesis regards an innovative method based on an elaboration of chemical-physical data in terms of statistics and georeferencing of copper-based alloys artefacts in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions which underwent the influence of Phoenician-Punic cultures. Fundamental aim of the research is the localization of areas where this influence is evidenced by the presence of artefacts which characteristics can be attributable to Phoenician and Punic presence. The chronological range considered is mostly between the Late Bronze Age (LBA) and the Early and Middle Iron Age (EIA- MIA), even if more ancient and more recent periods have been considered for coparison. The study of Phoenician-Punic archaeological sites, trade routes and the type of bronze processing have been considered broadly throughout the Mediterranean Basin and surrounding areas (but also atlantic and continental areas), leading to the production of databases containing information on archaeological settlements, mines and ore basins, and compositional data coming from literature or obtained from the analyses of bronze artefacts (SEM-EDS and EDXRF analyses), managed through an unprecedented application of Geographic Information System (GIS tool). So the GIS application includes data coming from archaeometric analytical sessions and from analogous researches published on specialised literature, carried out on samples of different typologies. The collected databases were elaborated on the basis of statistics-mathematic methods, in particular Principal Component Analysis (PCA), while frequency distributions and Box-Whisker diagrams have been used for the study of smaller datasets. The production of manufactures (small size metal statuary), connected to religious worship, were addressed in Alentejo, Portugal (Evora and Alcacer do Sal) and in Sardinia, Italy (Cagliari and Sassari). The mining and the production of slags and semi-finished products have been examined for Moroccan area (especially in Meknes Region) while metal artefacts of Roman period from Volubilis archaeological settlement have been analysed in the light of a probable technological conservatism between Punics and Romans. The production of bronze Punic coins was deepened for a private collection (Collection M. Viola) and through the study of Punic and neo-Punic finds in France, Belgium and in lesser extent in Northern continental Europe areas. The results have been interpreted with a unique perspective, so as to allow a new vision on the Phoenician presence an bronze production in the areas where they settled. Further result is the elaboration of a useful tool for the archaeological research that is reproducible in several fields, even different from the ancient metallurgy studies

Production Engineering and Management

It is our pleasure to introduce the seventh edition of the International Conference on Production Engineering and Management (PEM), an event that is the result of the joint effort of the University of Trieste and the Ostwestfalen- Lippe University of Applied Sciences. The conference has been established as an annual meeting under the Double Degree Master Program “Production Engineering and Management” by the two partner universities. This year the conference is hosted at the university campus in Pordenone. The main goal of the conference is to offer students, researchers and professionals in Germany, Italy and abroad, an opportunity to meet and exchange information, discuss experience, specific practices and technical solutions for planning, design and management of manufacturing and service systems and processes. As always, the conference is a platform aimed at presenting research projects, introducing young academics to the tradition of symposiums and promoting the exchange of ideas between the industry and the academy. This year’s special focus is on industry sustainability, which is currently a major topic of discussion among experts and professionals. Sustainability can be considered as a requirement for any modern production processes and systems, and also has to be embedded in the context of Industry 4.0. In fact, the features and problems of industry 4.0 have been widely discussed in the last editions of the PEM conference, in which efficiency and waste reduction emerged as key factors. The study and development of the connections between future industry and sustainability is therefore critical, as highlighted in the recent “German Sustainable Development Strategy and the 2030 Agenda”. Accordingly, the seventh edition of the PEM conference aims to offer a contribution to the debate. The conference program includes 25 speeches organized in six sessions. Three are specifically dedicated to “Direct Digital Manufacturing in the context of Industry 4.0” and “Technology and Business for Circular Economy and Sustainable Production”. The other sessions are covering areas of great interest and importance to the participants of the conference, which are related to the main focus: “Innovative Management Techniques and Methodologies”, “Industrial Engineering and Lean Management” and “Wood Processing Technologies and Furniture Production”. The proceedings of the conference include the articles submitted and accepted after a careful double-blind refereeing process