Design of a 3-DOF Parallel Mechanism with Shape Memory Alloy Actuators.

This research is a study on the application of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) as actuators in a 3-DOF parallel manipulator. The objectives of the project include the designing process of the 3-DOF manipulator, developing a control mechanism for the SMA actuators and also performing analysis on the finished prototype. The control strategy chosen is using Arduino programmable microcontroller to produce Pulse Width Modulation signal (PWM) which is the most ideal control strategy for a small scale prototype. The SMA actuator design and dimension is also displayed in the discussion section and the SMA wire selected is Flexinol by Dynalloy Inc. The research covers the designing process, modeling and up until the fabrication process of the 3-DOF parallel manipulator

Study on Effect of Nanosilica Sand Addition on Physical and Mechanical Properties of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE)

Nanoparticles reinforced composite can be considered as a new technology and a good candidate material for research. Since this advanced composite are relatively new, studies need to be done to discover the properties changing in the composite. The aim of this project is to investigate the effect of nanosilica sand addition on physical and mechanical properties of thermoplastic. The thermoplastic that will be used in this research is TITANZEX HI 1100 high density polyethylene while the nanosilica is in the range of 0-100nm in size. The composite materials were manufactured using the compression molding process. Testing shows that addition of nanosilica provides improvement in mechanical properties of HDPE at low nanosilica percentage

Design of a 3-DOF Parallel Mechanism with Shape Memory Alloy Actuators.

This research is a study on the application of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) as actuators in a 3-DOF parallel manipulator. The objectives of the project include the designing process of the 3-DOF manipulator, developing a control mechanism for the SMA actuators and also performing analysis on the finished prototype. The control strategy chosen is using Arduino programmable microcontroller to produce Pulse Width Modulation signal (PWM) which is the most ideal control strategy for a small scale prototype. The SMA actuator design and dimension is also displayed in the discussion section and the SMA wire selected is Flexinol by Dynalloy Inc. The research covers the designing process, modeling and up until the fabrication process of the 3-DOF parallel manipulator

Management Control Systems and Its Effect on Performance

This paper discusses how Management Control Systems is used to control performance in local government owned companies in Indonesia. Performance becomes important and unique in local government owned companies since those companies are not only targeted by profit but they also have responsibilities for social function. This study focuses on performance control in water supply companies as typical local government owned company in Indonesia. Balance Scorecard is chosen as the performance measurement tool in all water supply companies in Indonesia. This research applies quantitative research in order to analyze cause effect relationship between variables by using Multiple Regression Analysis. Data is collected through survey by using questionnaires. The respondents were the managerial team and employees of local government owned companies in Indonesia. The results show that four perspectives of Balance Scorecard are modified into four types of performance i.e. financial, service, operational, and human resource performance. This performance measurement is used to control people in achieving targeted performance. Moreover, this performance measurement becomes an important part of management control systems. This research also discovers that management control systems is effective to influence performance, even when some interventions exist

The impact of board and hotel characteristics on biodiversity reporting: Market diversification as a moderator

Purpose: This study aims to explain how board and hotel characteristics affect biodiversity reporting and to test the moderating effect of market diversification. Design/methodology/approach: The annual reports of 105 hotels were examined for the period between 2016 and 2017 to analyse these hotels’ biodiversity reporting using content analysis. The partial least squares technique was used to test the proposed relationships. Findings: The results show that the number of board members who are also on the corporate social responsibility committee, number of board members who are in environmental organizations, the star rating of the hotel, hotel size and hotel location have significant positive effects on the extent of biodiversity reporting. In addition, market diversification moderates positively the effects of number of board members with environmental experience and number of board members from environmental organizations on the extent of biodiversity reporting. Practical implications: The results of this study will be useful in enabling hotel manager and investors to become knowledgeable about these aspects of boards, which lead to higher biodiversity reporting. This study can also inform policymakers about the types of hotels that are less likely to disclose biodiversity reports and to develop effective enforcement of regulations. Originality/value: These findings extend the literature on biodiversity reporting by exploring the importance of board and hotel characteristics on the extent of biodiversity reporting and testing the moderating effect of market diversification

Assessment of Some Old Earth Dams in Malaysia Through Observation and Computer Simulation

In this study, two earth dams located in Malaysia were studied. The Labong Dam is a non-homogenous earth dam, whilst the Bukit Merah Dam is a homogenous earth dam. The performances of both dams against seepage were studied through the analyses of both observed and simulated phreatic surfaces. Simulations of seepage rate and phreatic surfaces through the dam were conducted by using SEEP/W model. The study showed that the SEEP/W model was able to predict (simulate) both the seepage rates and phreatic surfaces of the homogeneous and non-homogeneous earth dams with a reasonable accuracy. The Absolute Error (AE) between the predicted and observed seepage rates of both dams were found to be 0.03 m3/min to 0.18 m3/min. The average AE in the predicted phreatic surfaces for the maximum and minimum water levels in the reservoir were 0.6 m and 0.38 m for the non-homogeneous dam (Labong Dam), and 0.595 m and 0.75 m for the homogeneous dam (Bukit Merah Dam)

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) derived structure-from-motion photogrammetry point clouds for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) canopy segmentation and height estimation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.The vast size of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations has led to lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being identified as cost effective tools to generate inventories for improved plantation management, with proximal aerial data capable of resolving single palm canopies at potentially, centimetric resolution. If acquired with sufficient overlap, aerial data from UAVs can be processed within structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry workflows to yield volumetric point cloud representations of the scene. Point cloud-derived structural information on individual palms can benefit not only plantation management but is also of great environmental research interest, given the potential to deliver spatially contiguous quantifications of aboveground biomass, from which carbon can be accounted. Using lightweight UAVs we captured data over plantation plots of varying ages (2, 7 and 10 years) at peat soil sites in Sarawak, Malaysia, and we explored the impact of changing spatial resolution and image overlap on spatially variable uncertainties in SfM derived point clouds for the ten year old plot. Point cloud precisions were found to be in the decimetre range (mean of 26.7 31 cm) for a 10 year old plantation plot surveyed at 100 m flight altitude and >75% image overlap. Derived canopy height models were used and evaluated for automated palm identification using local height maxima. Metrics such as maximum canopy height and stem height, derived from segmented single palm point clouds were tested relative to ground validation data. Local maximum identification performed best for palms which were taller than surrounding undergrowth but whose fronds did not overlap significantly (98.2% mapping accuracy for 7 year old plot of 776 palms). Stem heights could be predicted from point cloud derived metrics with root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of 0.27 m (R2= 0.63) for 7 year old and 0.45 m (R2=0.69) for 10 year old palms. It was also found that an acquisition designed to yield the minimal required overlap between images (60%) performed almost as well as higher overlap acquisitions (>75%) for palm identification and basic height metrics which is promising for operational implementations seeking to maximise spatial coverage and minimise processing costs. We conclude that UAV-based SfM can provide reliable data not only for oil palm inventory generation but allows the retrieval of basic structural parameters which may enable per-palm above-ground biomass estimations.European CommissionMarie Skłodowska-Curi

Effect of pressure on density, porosity and flexural strength during cold isostatic press of alumina-ysz chromia cutting too

This study presented the effect of pressure on the density, porosity and flexural strength when cold isostatic press (CIP) was applied to compact the ceramic powders in the form of insert cutting tools. Specific composition of alumina (Al2O3) wt.90%,yittria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) wt.10%, chromium oxide(Cr2O3) wt.0.6% and polyethylene glycol (PEG) wt.0.6% were ball milled and hand pressed to form green body of ceramic inserts. These green body were undergone further compaction inside CIP with pressures variation of 200 MPa, 300 MPa, 400 MPa with 30 seconds and 60 seconds pressuring time. The ceramic composts were then sintered at 1440°C for 9 hours before being assessed with density, porosity, Rockwell hardness (HRC) and bending test. The results show that CIP use with 300 MPa parameters with 60 seconds shows the best mechanical properties with relative density 95.5%, porosity 4.5% and HRC 65.5 hardness. Further assessment of microstructure revealed that the particles size distributed evenly along fracture surface with coarse grain and porosity dominant in the certain area

Architecture as Urban Catalyst: Infographic Design Guideline on Kuala Lumpur Riverfront Revitalisation

In various areas, communities and localities worldwide, a traversing river plays a vital role as the lifeblood of many dwellings and urban areas. Kuala Lumpur's expanding urban spaces indicate a thriving economy. Despite this, the rapid development has led to the construction of many residential and commercial buildings along the river, resulting in pollution from domestic, physical, and chemical waste. This pollution poses a threat to urban waste management, impacting both health and the river's ecosystem. To address this issue, this study endeavours to recommend an updated set of design guidelines for the Dayabumi, Kuala Lumpur riverfront architecture. The recommended guideline will focus on alterations to the river form and build form interventions to achieve the desired results. Through case studies, literature reviews, and observations from developed countries, the study identified best practices for waste management and architectural design. The findings encompass waste management programs and design guidelines covering build form, river form, green coverings, economy injection, and the overall urban environment. By enforcing appropriate regulations and preparing for future waste production, we can protect and revitalize the riverfront at Dayabumi, Kuala Lumpur

Fabrication and machining performance of ceramic cutting tool based on the Al2O3-ZrO2-Cr2O3 compositions

This study presents the cutting tool development of zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) with chromia addition. The process used for its development is solid-state, in which the powders of Alumina (Al2O3), Zirconia (ZrO2) and Chromia (Cr2O3) were processed by a ball mill, com�pacted under a Cold Isostatic Press (CIP) and sintered at a constant temperature of 1400 ◦C with 9h soaking time. The initial study investigated the effect of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a binder, CIP and hardness of Al2O3-ZrO2 mixtures. The percentage composition between Al2O3 and ZrO2 was varied to choose the best for the highest mechanical performances determined by the density, porosity and properties analysis. The cutting tool that possessed the highest hardness and bending strength was selected the Al2O3-ZrO2 mixture was mixed 0.6 wt% Cr2O3 for machining trials within the cutting speed of 200–350m/min and constant feed rate and depth of cut of 0.150mm/rev and 0.5mm, respectively. The results of the ZTA mixed with Cr2O3 and combined with the ratio 80-20-0.6 wt% showed that the addition of 0.6 wt% PEG and a CIP pressure at 300 MPa and 60 s dwell time resulted maximum hardness and bending strength of 71.03 HRc and 856.02 MPa, respectively. The fabricated cutting tool was capable to reach 225 s tool life when machining AISI 1045 at a lower cutting speed of 200 m/min and higher feed rate of 0.150mm/rev