Automated Design of Elevator Systems: Experimenting with Constraint-Based Approaches

System configuration and design is a well-established topic in AI. While many successful applications exists, there are still areas of manufacturing where AI techniques find little or no application. We focus on one such area, namely building and installation of elevator systems, for which we are developing an automated design and configuration tool. The questions that we address in this paper are: (i) What are the best ways to encode some subtasks of elevator design into constraint-based representations? (ii) What are the best tools available to solve the encodings? We contribute an empirical analysis to address these questions in our domain of interest, as well as the complete set of benchmarks to foster further researc

Effect of the Austempering Process on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 27MnCrB5-2 Steel

AbstractThe effect of austempering parameters on the microstructure and mechanical properties of 27MnCrB5-2 steel has been investigated by means of: dilatometric, microstructural and fractographic analyses; tensile and Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact tests at room temperature and a low temperature.Microstructural analyses showed that upper bainite developed at a higher austempering temperature, while a mixed bainitic-martensitic microstructure formed at lower temperatures, with a different amount of bainite and martensite and a different size of bainite sheaf depending on the temperature. Tensile tests highlighted superior yield and tensile strengths (≈30%) for the mixed microstructure, with respect to both fully bainitic and Q&T microstructures, with only a low reduction in elongation to failure (≈10%). Impact tests confirmed that mixed microstructures have higher impact properties, at both room temperature and a low temperature

Studio del trattamento termico su componenti in Fe-Ni-C ottenuti da MIM

Nel presente lavoro si è studiato il trattamento termico di un acciaio al Ni (FN0805) utilizzato nellaproduzione di componenti per Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) che devono garantire una certa resistenzameccanica. La polvere utilizzata contiene 8%wt. Ni e 0,5%wt.C ed ha una buona temprabilità. Dopo un ciclostandard da MIM la microstruttura è infatti costituita da martensite e isole di perlite molto fine mista a bainitee le proprietà a trazione sono uno sforzo di snervamento di 960MPa, uno sforzo a rottura di circa 1900 MPacon un allungamento del 2,9%.Una opportuna scelta della velocità di raffreddamento permette di ottenere campioni completamentemartensitici che possono poi essere sottoposti ad un trattamento termico di rinvenimento per migliorarneulteriormente le caratteristiche meccaniche

HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT AND ROAD COLLISIONS WITH UNGULATES. A RISK ANALYSIS AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS IN TRENTINO, ITALY

This study investigates wildlife vehicle collisions with wild ungulates in the Italian Autonomous Province of Trento (PAT) located in the Eastern Italian Alps with a consistent anthropic population and pervasive summer and winter tourism. Both the populations of wild ungulates and vehicular traffic are increasing as well as road collisions leading to animals killed, vehicles damaged and human injuries and fatalities. The purpose of this work was to use FOSS4G to identify the road sections with a high number of collisions and then propose and design practical engineering solutions tailored to each of these hotspots. QGIS 3.16.6, GRASS 7.8.5 and GRASS 8.2 were used to standardize the data set, process georeferenced road collision with ungulates registered by local authorities, perform the hotspot analysis and the final maps. Field surveys were carried out to investigate the local morphology at each hotspot and once the more appropriate practical solutions were chosen, a specific detailed project was proposed including its costs. A cost benefit analysis comparing the cost of the infrastructures with the cost of roadkills shows that the infrastructures are effective in reducing the costs in the medium-long term. The construction of the five proposed infrastructures would reduce deer investments by 6% (about 250 collisions avoided in five years). Such solutions should be more numerous and widely distributed in order to have a greater impact. This FOSS4G procedure can be replicated elsewhere to plan the position of crossing structures, and for application to EU funds, thus mitigating Human-wildlife conflicts (HWC)

Strength of Protection for Geographical Indications: Promotion Incentives and Welfare Effects

We address the question of how the strength of protection for geographical indications (GIs) affects the GI industry\u27s promotion incentives, equilibrium market outcomes, and the distribution of welfare. Geographical indication producers engage in informative advertising by associating their true quality premium (relative to a substitute product) with a specific label emphasizing the GI\u27s geographic origin. The extent to which the names/words of the GI label can be used and/or imitated by competing products—which depends on the strength of GI protection—determines how informative the GI promotion messages can be. Consumers’ heterogeneous preferences (vis-à-vis the GI quality premium) are modeled in a vertically differentiated framework. Both the GI industry and the substitute product industry are assumed to be competitive (with free entry). The model is calibrated and solved for alternative parameter values. Results show that producers of the GI and of the lower-quality substitute good have divergent interests: GI producers are better off with full protection, whereas the substitute good\u27s producers prefer intermediate levels of protection (but they never prefer zero protection because they benefit indirectly if the GI producers’ incentives to promote are preserved). For consumers and aggregate welfare, the preferred level of protection depends on the model\u27s parameters, with an intermediate level of protection being optimal in many circumstances

Eficacia de haloxifop-r-metil con distintos coadyuvantes

En Argentina se han confirmado trece biotipos de malezas resistentes a glifosato, ocho son gramíneas y para su control se recomiendan herbicidas como haloxifop-R-metil con el agregado de aceite mineral. En el mercado se ofrecen otros aditivos para sustituir el aceite mineral que tendrían igual o mayor efectividad y menores costos. El objetivo de este trabajo fue evaluar la eficacia de haloxifop-R-metil con diferentes coadyuvantes (aceite mineral, nonilfenol etoxilado, ésteres metílicos de aceites vegetales, alcohol lineal etoxilado y alcohol oxo polioxietilenado) sobre avena 40 días después de la siembra. Se determinó la eficacia mediante la evaluación de la senescencia y peso seco de las plantas. La mejor acción herbicida de haloxifop-R-metil fue con el agregado de aceite mineral.In Argentina, thirteen biotypes of glyphosate-resistant weeds have been confirmed, eight of the-se are grasses. To control grassy weeds herbicides such as haloxifop-R-methyl with the addition of mineral oil is recommended. Other additives to replace the mineral oil are currently offered in the market with equal or greater eficcacy and lower costs. The aim of this work was to evaluate the eficcacy of haloxifop-R-methyl with different adjuvants (mineral oils, ethoxylated nonylphenol, methyl esters of vegetable oil, ethoxylated linear alcohol and oxo polyoxyethylenated alcohol), applied in oats 40 days after sowing. Eficcacy was determined by senescence and dry weight of the plants. The best herbicide action of haloxifop-R-methyl was with the use of mineral oil as an additive.EEA ReconquistaFil: Sanchez, P. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Sanidad Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Lutz, Alejandra. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Sanidad Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Magliano, M. Florencia. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Sanidad Vegetal; ArgentinaFil: Menapace, Pablo Conrado. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Reconquista; ArgentinaFil: Scotta, Roberto. Universidad Nacional del Litoral. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Cátedra de Sanidad Vegetal; Argentin

MRF Applications: On the Road to Making Large-Aperture Ultraviolet Laser Resistant Continuous Phase Plates for High-Power Lasers

Over the past two years we have developed MRF tools and procedures to manufacture large-aperture (430 X 430 mm) continuous phase plates (CPPs) that are capable of operating in the infrared portion (1053 nm) of high-power laser systems. This is accomplished by polishing prescribed patterns of continuously varying topographical features onto finished plano optics using MRF imprinting techniques. We have been successful in making, testing, and using large-aperture CPPs whose topography possesses spatial periods as low as 4 mm and surface peak-to-valleys as high as 8.6 {micro}m. Combining this application of MRF technology with advanced MRF finishing techniques that focus on ultraviolet laser damage resistance makes it potentially feasible to manufacture large-aperture CPPs that can operate in the ultraviolet (351 nm) without sustaining laser-induced damage. In this paper, we will discuss the CPP manufacturing process and the results of 351-nm/3-nsec equivalent laser performance experiments conducted on large-aperture CPPs manufactured using advanced MRF protocols

Laser damage initiation and growth of antireflection coated S-FAP crystal surfaces prepared by pitch lap and magnetorheological finishing

Antireflection (AR) coatings typically damage at the interface between the substrate and coating. Therefore the substrate finishing technology can have an impact on the laser resistance of the coating. For this study, AR coatings were deposited on Yb:S-FAP [Yb{sup 3+}:Sr{sub 5}(PO{sub 4}){sub 3}F] crystals that received a final polish by both conventional pitch lap finishing as well as magnetorheological finishing (MRF). SEM images of the damage morphology reveals laser damage originates at scratches and at substrate coating interfacial absorbing defects. Previous damage stability tests on multilayer mirror coatings and bare surfaces revealed damage growth can occur at fluences below the initiation fluence. The results from this study suggest the opposite trend for AR coatings. Investigation of unstable HR and uncoated surface damage morphologies reveals significant radial cracking that is not apparent with AR damage due to AR delamination from the coated surface with few apparent cracks at the damage boundary. Damage stability tests show that coated Yb:S-FAP crystals can operate at 1057 nm at fluences around 20 J/cm{sup 2} at 10 ns; almost twice the initiation damage threshold