Performance Assessment of Dual-Powered Baking Oven Developed from Locally Sourced Materials

In this study, a dual-powered baking oven (electric and gas) was developed using locally available materials with the aim of investigating the performance of the constructed oven using standard test procedure. The performance of the constructed baking system was assessed by investigating the quantity of heat supplied, gas expended, moisture content and drying rate. The experimental results revealed that more heat is supplied during the baking of bread using electrical part of the system while high moisture content and drying rate was recorded during the roasting of fish using electricity. However, the highest (39.742kJ) and lowest (0.334kJ) heat supplied was obtained in the 15th and 6th minutes respectively during the baking of bread with electricity and gas respectively. Hence, it can be concluded that the use of electricity in baking or roasting is capable of enhancing an efficient and effective baking processe

Multi-response optimisation of machining parameters in turning AISI 304L using different oil-based cutting fluids

Properties of melon seed and beniseed oils which are considered as “environmentally” friendly oils were investigated and the performance evaluation of the formulated beniseed and melon seed oil- based cutting fluids were carried out. American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 304L alloy steel was used as workpiece and tungsten carbide as cutting tool, while commercial mineral oil- based cutting fluid was used as a control experiment. The viscosities of the melon seed oil and beniseed oil- based cutting fluids were 1.53 mm2/s and 0.86mm2/s, while their pH values were 8.2 and 8.7 respectively. The optimal multi-response turning parameters was achieved using cutting speed of 159 rev/min (level 3), feed rate of 0.9 mm/rev (level 3), depth of cut of 1 mm (level 2) and type of cutting fluid of 1.53mm/s (level 3). The ANOVA results show that feed rate has the most significant effect on the surface roughness (92.93%) and cutting temperature (27.51%).Keywords: Cutting fluids; Surface roughness; Temperature; Cutting too

Optimisation of Cooking Time for Two Varieties of Foodstuffs using Single- and Double-Cavity Cooking Pots

The increase in the shortage of firewood due to deforestation, skyrocketing of electricity tariffs and fuel pump prices in recent times have propelled scientists to search for alternative measures of cooking that can reduce electric energy and fuel consumption. Double-cavity cooking pots have emerged in recent times to reduce the prolonged duration arising from the sequential cooking of different foodstuffs/ dishes using a single-cavity pot. However, experimental reports are rarely available to sensitise users about the advantages of using the double-cavity pot. The present work describes a simple and informative experimental report that compares the cooking time for two varieties of foodstuffs (rice and beans) using single- and double-cavity pots. It was found that the average time rate of cooking in the double-cavity pot was 1.33 ◦ C/min less than in the single-cavity pot. The total time taken to concurrently cook equal masses of rice and beans in separate cavities of the double-cavity pot was found to be 9.98 min less than that of the single-cavity pot. The double-cavity pot proved to be economically viable by reducing the cooking time, electric energy, and fuel consumption that arise from the successional cooking of a variety of foodstuffs using the single-cavity pot

Performance assessment of vegetable oil-based cutting fluid developed from palm kernel oil using multi-response optimisation technique

In this work, locally sourced palm kernel oil was characterised and thereafter formulated with the aid of full factorial L1624 design method. The performances of the formulated and mineral cutting fluids were evaluated by examining the material removal rate, cutting temperature and surface roughness using Grey relational analysis (GRA) and Behnken’s design (L1533) design technique. The experimental results obtained indicate that the properties of the palm kernel oil and formulated cutting fluid falls within the preferred range for vegetable-based cutting fluids as reported in literatures. The GRA results showed an optimal turning condition of depth of cut (1.5mm), feed rate (0.3mm/rev) and cutting speed (600rev/min) for palm kernel oil-based cutting fluid while depth of cut (1.5mm), feed rate (0.2mm/rev) and cutting speed (800rev/min) is the optimal condition for mineral oil-based cutting fluid. Also, the chip formation analysis revealed continuous chips which are in conformity with ISO 3685 standards

Microstructure and Thermal Analysis of Brake Pads Developed from Asbestos-Free Materials

This study was conducted on developed asbestos-free brake pad using coconut shell and seashell as fillers. The use of hazardous reinforcement like asbestos fiber in friction materials is being avoided because of its carcinogenic effects. Rule of mixture technique was utilized during sample formulation and a weight percent of 52% filler material, 5% friction modifier, 8% abrasive and 35% binder were utilized for production.  A multi-response optimization technique (grey relational analysis) was used to obtain an optimal process parameter of moulding pressure (14 MPa), moulding temperature (140 ºC), curing time (8 minutes) and heat treatment time (5 hours) for coconut shell-filled brake pad and moulding pressure (14 MPa), moulding temperature (160 ºC), curing time (12 minutes) and heat treatment time (1 hour) for seashell-filled brake pad. Thermal analysis of commercial and optimized samples shows that the commercial brake pads possesses a better thermal stability compared to the optimized formulated brake pad samples with the coconut shell-filled samples showing the least thermal resistance. Also, microstructure analysis of the impact fractured surfaces of the commercial, seashell and coconut shell-filled brake pad was conducted using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that compare the commercial and seashell-filled samples, there were more uniform distribution of the resin in the coconut shell-filled composite leading to an improved bonding and closer inter- packing distance between its constituent particles and the epoxy resin. It was also revealed that the commercial brake pad possessed a higher thermal stability as the components were not noticeably degraded at temperatures at which the coconut shell and the seashell filled brake pads showed appreciable degradation

Effects of process parameters on the properties of brake pad developed from seashell as reinforcement material using grey relational analysis

Over the years, asbestos was used as reinforcement material in brake pads production. However, due to its carcinogenic nature, it has lost its favor and there is need to find an alternative material. In this study, brake pads were produced from locally sourced non-hazardous raw materials using grey relational analysis. The materials used for production include seashell, epoxy resin (binder), graphite (friction modifier) and aluminum oxide (abrasive). Twenty- seven different samples were produced using seashell as reinforcement material by varying the process parameters. Rule of mixture was used for formulation and a weight percent of 52% reinforcement, 35% binder, 8% abrasive and 5% friction modifier were used for production. Grey relational analysis was conducted in order to scale the multi-response performance to a single response. The results indicate that optimum performance can be achieved with 14 MPa molding pressure, 160 °C molding temperature, 12 min curing time and 1 h heat treatment time. Analysis of variance shows that curing time has the least significant effect on the mechanical properties, while curing time of 24.26% and 55.23% has the most significant effect on coefficient of friction and wear rate respectively on the brake pad developed