Experimental Leakage Analysis for Push Fit Elastomeric Steel Pipe Spigot and Socket Joint

Pipes have been used for many centuries for transporting fluids. Steel is one of the most versatile materials for pipe walls, as it is ductile yet has a high tensile strength. Steel pipes are made in lengths of up to 10m and jointed on site. Several pipes need to be joined to form a piping system. The type of joint to use on a pipeline will depend on the type of pipe materials, strength and flexibility requirement, cost, water tightness and the facilities available on site. Currently used joints for large diameter steel pipes are welded sleeve (i.e. spigot and socket), mechanical, flanged and butt welded joints. This research is carried out to investigate the capability of the elastomeric ring as a seal for large diameter steel pipe joint. A pair of spigot and socket pipe with a mean outer diameter of 668 mm is being used in this project. A socket pipe which has groove for elastomer location has an inner diameter of 690.2 mm while spigot pipe which has tapered part having outer diameter of 654 mm at its end. An elastomeric lip seal of dual hardness which is having 702 mm outer diameter is also being used in this work. The technique of push-fit method has yet to be introduced as an alternative joining method for larger steel pipes to quicken and ease the process. An experimental test rig is designed and fabricated to test the performance of the joint as in working environment. Two type of tests are conducted - pressure test and leakage test. The findings indicated that the water pressure inside the pipe is 0.625 MN/m2, lower than the contact pressure exist at the top and bottom surfaces of elastomer that are 28.541 MN/m2 and 23.758 MN/m2 respectively. The results of pressure test shows that no leaking occurs along the test including the extension of 10 minutes after full pressure test has been attained. The leakage test is also success as no water is added/pumped to maintain the pressure of 4.17 bar for a period of 24 hours

Factors inflencing the level of adoption in electronic commerce among SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute heavily to economic growth, social structure and employment as well as regional and local development. Consequently, they have become a significant sector of the economy. The lack of e-commerce (EC) research on SMEs in developing countries is challenging because the findings of previous EC studies on SMEs of developed countries cannot be freely generalized to the context of SMEs of developing countries. To help SMEs, in particular those in developing countries, with EC adoption, this research investigates the factors within the Technological Organizational Environmental (TOE) framework that affect the decision to adopt EC as well as the adoption and non-adoption of different EC tools. Furthermore the current research attempted to investigate the level of EC adoption in SMEs. A questionnaire-based survey using a quantitative approach is conducted. Two hundred thirty five manufacturing SMEs were selected as respondents in this work. The findings showed that seven out of ten factors have significant positive relationships with EC adoption, which were buyer/supplier pressure, support from technology vendors, perceived compatibility, CEO innovativeness, perceived relative advantage, competition and information intensity. Moreover, results showed that 57.02 percent of SMEs adopted EC

A Review of haptic feedback in virtual reality for manufacturing industry

This paper discusses the application of haptic feedback in Virtual Reality to enhance user performance in manufacturing industry. Haptic interfaces have the potential to enhance communication and interaction via the computer enabling affective expressive interpersonal communication and enriching interaction by haptic feedback. The aim of this study was to investigate and develop a better understanding of using haptic feedback in manufacturing

State of the art of haptic feedback in virtual reality in manufacturing

This paper discusses the application of haptic feedback in Virtual Reality to enhance user performance in manufacturing. Haptic interfaces have the potential to enhance communication and interaction via the computer enabling affective expressive interpersonal communication and enriching interaction by haptic feedback. The aim of this study was to investigate and develop a better understanding of using haptic feedback in manufacturing

Simulation of car bumper material using finite element analysis.

Bumper is one of the main parts which are used as protection for passengers from front and rear collision. The aim of this study was to analyze and study the structure and material employed for car bumper in one of the national car manufacturer. In this study, the most important variables like material, structures, shapes and impact conditions are studied for analysis of the bumper beam in order to improve the crashworthiness during collision. The simulation of a bumper is characterized by impact modelling using Abaqus 6.9 according to the speed that is 13.3 m sec-1 (48 km h-1) given in order to analyse the results. This speed is according to regulations of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, FMVSS 208- Occupant Crash Protection whereby the purpose and scope of this standard specifies requirements to afford impact protection for passengers. In this research, the three types of material were selected that are relevant to be applied to the front bumper beam. The materials consist of Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), Glass Mat Thermoplastics (GMT) and Sheet Molding Compound (SMC). These materials were studied by impact modelling to determine the kinetic energy, potential energy and strain energy. The selected materials are compared to each other to find the best material with highest material strength and structure. Simulation using Finite Element Analysis software, which is ABAQUS was conducted. The results showed that a modified SMC bumper can reduce the impact of collision with higher performance and was suggested to replace GMT and EPP. The duration taken for SMC to deflect the impact was the shortest compared to GMT and EPP The findings also showed that EPP cannot totally absorb the energy and reduce the impact of collision

A review of the negotiation protocol for agent based manufacturing system control

An investigation in traditional approach to manufacturing system control based on centralized or hierarchical control structures presents good characteristics in terms of productivity due to its inherent optimization capabilities. However, it does not possess the dynamic and adaptive response to change which is currently the key to competitiveness in global market. Agent-based manufacturing system control fits into this gap left by the traditional approach and it is potentially beneficial due to the need for automated decision-making, reaction to disturbances and the parallel computation. This paper reviews the negotiation protocol in agent based manufacturing systems control and also explore negotiation mechanisms. While there are other interesting artificial intelligence techniques that have already been employed in manufacturing system controls for more than two decades, however, recent developments in multi-agent technique will bring new and interesting possibilities

Multimodal feedback cues on manual lifting in virtual environments

Improper manipulation of real-world objects increases the risk of developing work- related back injuries. In an effort to reduce such a risk and encourage appropriate lifting and moving methods, a Virtual Environment (VE) was employed. Virtual simulations can be used for ergonomic analysis. In this work, the VEs made use of multiple feedback techniques to allow a person to estimate the forces acting on their lower back. A person's head and hand movements were tracked in real-time whilst manipulating an object. A NIOSH lifting equation was used to calculate and determine the Lifting Index whereby the results were conveyed in real time. Visual display feedback techniques were designed and the effect of cues to enhance user performance was experimentally evaluated. The feedback cues provide the user with information about the forces acting on their lower back as they perform manual lifting tasks in VEs. Four different methods were compared and contrasted: No Feedback, Text, Colour and Combined Colour and Text. This work also investigated various types of auditory feedback technique to support object manipulation in VEs. Auditory feedback has been demonstrated to convey information in computer applications effectively, but little work has been reported on the efficacy of such techniques, particularly for ergonomic design. Four different methods were compared and contrasted: No Feedback, White-noise, Pitch and Tempo. A combined Audio-Visual (AV) technique was also examined by mixing both senses. The effect of Tactile Augmentation was also examined. Three different weights (real) were used and the results obtained by experiment were compared with the experiment using virtual weights in order to evaluate whether or not the presence of a real weighted object enhanced people's sense of realism. The goals of this study were to explore various senses of feedback technique (visual, auditory and tactile), compare the performance characteristics of each technique and understand their relative advantages and drawbacks.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Multimodal feedback cues on manual lifting in virtual environments

Improper manipulation of real-world objects increases the risk of developing work- related back injuries. In an effort to reduce such a risk and encourage appropriate lifting and moving methods, a Virtual Environment (VE) was employed. Virtual simulations can be used for ergonomic analysis. In this work, the VEs made use of multiple feedback techniques to allow a person to estimate the forces acting on their lower back. A person's head and hand movements were tracked in real-time whilst manipulating an object. A NIOSH lifting equation was used to calculate and determine the Lifting Index whereby the results were conveyed in real time. Visual display feedback techniques were designed and the effect of cues to enhance user performance was experimentally evaluated. The feedback cues provide the user with information about the forces acting on their lower back as they perform manual lifting tasks in VEs. Four different methods were compared and contrasted: No Feedback, Text, Colour and Combined Colour and Text. This work also investigated various types of auditory feedback technique to support object manipulation in VEs. Auditory feedback has been demonstrated to convey information in computer applications effectively, but little work has been reported on the efficacy of such techniques, particularly for ergonomic design. Four different methods were compared and contrasted: No Feedback, White-noise, Pitch and Tempo. A combined Audio-Visual (AV) technique was also examined by mixing both senses. The effect of Tactile Augmentation was also examined. Three different weights (real) were used and the results obtained by experiment were compared with the experiment using virtual weights in order to evaluate whether or not the presence of a real weighted object enhanced people's sense of realism. The goals of this study were to explore various senses of feedback technique (visual, auditory and tactile), compare the performance characteristics of each technique and understand their relative advantages and drawbacks

Virtual reality adoption capability in Malaysian automotive manufacturing industry

Virtual reality and three-dimensional modelling technologies are mainly used in industry in many aspects. The automotive industry is considered as the initial group that uses virtual reality technologies. However, without adopting advanced technology, the automotive industry cannot compete with its global competition. In this study, six automotive companies in Malaysia were selected as case study to verify the virtual reality adoption capability. A total number of 240 questionnaires were distributed among the six car companies in Malaysia and 153 people responded to the questionnaires. For analysing, Pearson chi-square test was conducted followed by frequency analysis on the respondents’ answers. The analysis showed that 54% of industry respondents have stated that existing technology is not enough while 83.7% of them showed tendency towards adoption and improvement with new technology in which virtual reality was found as the best option that can be adopted to different sections of automotive manufacturing industry. The results also revealed that manufacturing, designing, ‘planning and research’ and engineering departments are the appropriate areas for implementing virtual reality technology