67 research outputs found
Rethinking one`s own culture
African people reflecting on their own situation will frequently
find themselves in a dilemma to identify with western and traditional values.
A case study of the Burji (Ethiopia and Kenya) examplifies this. First a
description is given of the Burji actively dealing with their problems, trying
among other things to keep Burjiness alive. Then in presenting a semiotic
model it is shown how the phenomenon of their changing group identity
(which is not grasped by theories of ethnic group or ethnicity) can be
analyzed. The model presented may be useful for analyzing similar cases
in the Third World
Ecocultural Control of Natural Energy Resources in Southern Ethiopia
Dealing with resource problems, energy balance and sustainable climate protection have emerged as subjects of public interest. Indigenous knowledge and concepts, however, are seldom dealt with by western scientists. On the basis of exemplary cases from south-western Ethiopia the interdependence of technical, social and symbolic knowledge and experiences is demonstrated, from which a model can be derived. With the help of the model it can be shown, how, under certain cultural conditions, through controlled mastery of vital resources, a symbiotic relationship between humans and their environment can be developed which does not endanger the particular habitat. The decisive factor in this case is an ethos that places man in a context of space and time which goes beyond his own lifetime and provides a link to past and future generations. Counterexamples show the fragile character of the presented system of relationships
Development of a fabric winding system for the automated manufacture of prefabricated wind turbine blade roots
In the rapidly expanding wind energy market, manufacturing processes of composite components must be continually improved to keep up with high demand and increasing part size. This research focuses on improving the offline production of the root section of wind turbine blades. In this research, a system is developed and tested to replace the two-part manual layup of the prefabricated root with an automated fabric winding machine. The system is designed to wind a limited number of long, stitched plies semi-helically around a male mold at a lower cost and higher quality than current processes. A prototype machine is created that pulls two types of Non-Crimp Fabric from supply rolls onto a rotating mandrel that matches the interior surface of a scaled down blade root. The prototype system proves Non-Crimp Fabric plies can be wound and a male mold can be used as a suitable replacement for a female mold by creating several successful prototype root sections. Process times and labor costs between the current manual layup and the winding method are also compared and show a significant reduction in glass layup, further proving the feasibility of the new system
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