Study on characterization of Furcraea foetida new natural fiber as composite reinforcement for lightweight applications

The exploration of new natural fibers in the field of polymer composites can contribute to increase the invention of natural reinforcements and expand their use in possible applications. In the present work, the physico-chemical, thermal, tensile and morphological properties of Furcraea foetida (FF) fiber are presented for the first time. Chemical analysis results shows that FF has relatively higher cellulose (68.35%) with lower hemicelluloses (11.46%) and lignin (12.32%). Structural analysis of FF was conducted by Fourier transform infrared and 13C (CP-MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis evidenced that FF has crystallinity index of 52.6% with crystalline size of 28.36 nmThe surface morphology of FF was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray micro analyzer (EDX) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) reveals thermal constancy of the fiber upto 320.5 °C with the kinetic activation energy of 66.64 kJ/mol, which can be used as reinforcements in thermoplastic green composite whose working temperatures is below 300 °C. The FF results were compared with those of other natural fibers, and indicated as a suitable alternative source for composite manufacture

A scattering and repulsive swarm intelligence algorithm for solving global optimization problems

The firefly algorithm (FA), as a metaheuristic search method, is useful for solving diverse optimization problems. However, it is challenging to use FA in tackling high dimensional optimization problems, and the random movement of FA has a high likelihood to be trapped in local optima. In this research, we propose three improved algorithms, i.e., Repulsive Firefly Algorithm (RFA), Scattering Repulsive Firefly Algorithm (SRFA), and Enhanced SRFA (ESRFA), to mitigate the premature convergence problem of the original FA model. RFA adopts a repulsive force strategy to accelerate fireflies (i.e. solutions) to move away from unpromising search regions, in order to reach global optimality in fewer iterations. SRFA employs a scattering mechanism along with the repulsive force strategy to divert weak neighbouring solutions to new search regions, in order to increase global exploration. Motivated by the survival tactics of hawk-moths, ESRFA incorporates a hovering-driven attractiveness operation, an exploration-driven evading mechanism, and a learning scheme based on the historical best experience in the neighbourhood to further enhance SRFA. Standard and CEC2014 benchmark optimization functions are used for evaluation of the proposed FA-based models. The empirical results indicate that ESRFA, SRFA and RFA significantly outperform the original FA model, a number of state-of-the-art FA variants, and other swarm-based algorithms, which include Simulated Annealing, Cuckoo Search, Particle Swarm, Bat Swarm, Dragonfly, and Ant-Lion Optimization, in diverse challenging benchmark functions

Investigation of Fiber-Based Bag Filter Coated with Metal Oxides for Dust Adsorption

The production of cement increases every year, which leads to the emission of dust/gas/ particulate matter. The emission of unfiltered dust would create a significant environmental impact. Hence, it is the responsibility of industries to control the emission of dust. Air filters and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) play a significant role in controlling pollutants. Synthetic filter media which are dangerous to our environment are widely used in most industries. The disposal of synthetic filters is an arduous task as the biodegradability of synthetic materials is poor. Hence, it is essential to develop an eco-friendly air filter material. In this paper, a new type of bag filter was designed by using natural sisal fiber as filtering media. The biodegradability of sisal fiber is better than the synthetic polyester media and also sisal fiber is less expensive. The natural fibers were coated with zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles to improve the dust adsorption rate. Various tests were conducted as per standards to validate the performance of the filler media. The results were impressive. Hence, the proposed sisal fiber-based filter media can be used in cement industries for dust adsorption to minimize the environmental impact

Improved cuckoo search algorithm for hybrid flow shop scheduling problems to minimize makespan

The multistage hybrid flow shop (HFS) scheduling problems are considered in this paper. Hybrid flowshop scheduling problems were proved to be NP-hard. A recently developed cuckoo search (CS) metaheuristic algorithm is presented in this paper to minimize the makespan for the HFS scheduling problems. A constructive heuristic called NEH heuristic is incorporated with the initial solutions to obtain the optimal or near optimal solutions rapidly in the improved cuckoo search (ICS) algorithm. The proposed algorithm is validated with the data from a leading furniture manufacturing company. Computational results show that the ICS algorithm outperforms many other metaheuristics

Investigation of Fiber-Based Bag Filter Coated with Metal Oxides for Dust Adsorption

The production of cement increases every year, which leads to the emission of dust/gas/ particulate matter. The emission of unfiltered dust would create a significant environmental impact. Hence, it is the responsibility of industries to control the emission of dust. Air filters and electrostatic precipitators (ESP) play a significant role in controlling pollutants. Synthetic filter media which are dangerous to our environment are widely used in most industries. The disposal of synthetic filters is an arduous task as the biodegradability of synthetic materials is poor. Hence, it is essential to develop an eco-friendly air filter material. In this paper, a new type of bag filter was designed by using natural sisal fiber as filtering media. The biodegradability of sisal fiber is better than the synthetic polyester media and also sisal fiber is less expensive. The natural fibers were coated with zinc oxide and iron oxide nanoparticles to improve the dust adsorption rate. Various tests were conducted as per standards to validate the performance of the filler media. The results were impressive. Hence, the proposed sisal fiber-based filter media can be used in cement industries for dust adsorption to minimize the environmental impact

Corn and rice starch-based bio-plastics as alternative packaging materials

Due to the negative environmental impacts of synthetic plastics, the development of biodegradable plastics for both industrial and commercial applications is essential today. Researchers have developed various starch-based composites for different applications. The present work investigates the corn and rice starch-based bioplastics for packaging applications. Various samples of bioplastics are produced, with different compositions of corn and rice starch, glycerol, citric acid, and gelatin. The tensile properties were improved after adding rice starch. However, water absorption and water solubility were reduced. On the basis of these results, the best sample was analyzed for thickness testing, biodegradability properties, SEM, hydrophilicity, thermogravimetric analysis, and sealing properties of bioplastic. The results show the suitability of rice and corn-based thermoplastic starch for packaging applications

Development of Eco-Friendly Cutting Fluid for Machining of AISI 1010 Steel in Automotive Industry

In spite of better performance, the disposal of used petroleum-based cutting fluids threatens our environment. Thus, it is essential to develop eco-friendly cutting fluids for performing machining operations in industries. The main contribution of this paper is to develop an eco-friendly cutting fluid for the plain turning of AISI 1010 steel which is used in the automotive industry. In the present work, boric acid (H3BO3) was mixed with the neem seed. Neem seed oil is easily available in many countries including India. The effectiveness of the proposed cutting fluid was evaluated by conducting different tests as per the standards. The mean biodegradability value of the developed cutting fluid is 97% which is better than other cutting fluids. The average cutting force required by the proposed cutting fluid is only 127.2 N which is much less than the cutting force requirements of dry machining and conventional cutting fluids. The average surface roughness of the machined component using the proposed cutting fluid is 122.9 µm. The mean flank wear of the tool is only 289 µm. The flash point of the proposed cutting fluids is more than 250 °C which is better than the conventional cutting fluids. The fire point of the neem oil-based cutting fluids is 300 °C. The results of the stability test and the microhardness test revealed the effectiveness of the proposed cutting fluids. The results obtained in this work are superior to several other cutting fluids reported in the existing literature. Hence, it is suggested to replace the existing petroleum-based metal cutting fluid with this eco-friendly cutting fluid in the automotive industry in Hosur, India