Effects of the adjustable ring-mode laser on intermetallic formation and mechanical properties of steel to aluminium laser welded lap joints

Research has confirmed a positive effect of laser beam shaping on controlling weld profiles and keyhole stabilisation, with significant reductions of porosity in weldments. However, few attempts with scattered results have studied the impact of laser beam shaping on intermetallic phase formation. This paper implements the adjustable-ring mode (ARM) laser and studies the impact of the core/ring power ratio to explore the impact on intermetallic phase formation and mechanical properties during remote laser welding of IF steel to 1050 aluminium. It was found that in conduction mode, the core/ring power ratio of 0.2 provided a larger surface area for bonding at the weld interface, and this was translated through the maximum lap-shear strength of 97.6 N/mm2 (joint efficiency 71%). Furthermore, this significantly reduced the Fe2Al5 intermetallic compound (IMC) thickness by 62% and total IMC thickness by 40% in contrast to a core-dominant beam (power ratio greater than one). In keyhole mode, cracking and lower lap-shear strengths were observed compared to the conduction mode. Notably, with a core/ring power ratio of 0.5 a significant grain refinement in the steel side of the weld was observed

A Framework for Structural Modelling of an Rfid-Enabled Intelligent Distributed Manufacturing Control System

A modern manufacturing facility typically contains several distributed control systems, such as machining stations, assembly stations, and material handling and storage systems. Integrating Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology into these control systems provides a basis for monitoring and configuring their components in real-time. With the right structural modelling, it is then possible to evaluate designs and translate them into new operational applications almost immediately. This paper proposes an architecture for the structural modelling of an intelligent distributed control system for a manufacturing facility, by utilising RFID technology. Emphasis is placed on a requirements analysis of the manufacturing system, the design of RFID-enabled intelligent distributed control systems using Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams, and the use of efficient algorithms and tools for the implementation of these systems.WoSScopu

Effect of ethanolic leaf extract of Pinus eldarica on inhibiting the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger in corn biomass under in vitro conditions

This experiment was conducted as completely randomized design (CRD) with factorial arrangement (4×3) including three levels of extract and four incubation times (10, 20, 30 and 40 days) to evaluate the effect of alcoholic extract of pine tree leaves under in vitro conditions to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus Niger on the biomass of wet corn. Pine tree leaves were collected in autumn and their extract prepared using ethanol and used at concentrations of 0, 1 and 2 percent. Mass commercial corn was purchased from the factory. Ten grams of corn were mixed with 90 ml of saline solution and stirred several times, then serially diluted and the volume of 0.1 ml was placed on the culture medium.  The samples were incubated at 25oC for one week and the growth of fungi were checked every 24 hours from the second day of incubation. The fungus colonies were counted visually. The results indicated that 1 and 2% of pine leaf extract effectively reduced the number of fungi colonies at days 10 and 20 of incubation and the growth of fungi were completely inhibited on days 30 and 40 of incubation. The results were similar for both species of fungi. According to the results, pine leaf extract at the level of 1% is recommended for inhibition of fungi growth

Towards Pharma 4.0 in clinical trials: a future-orientated perspective

Pharma 4.0, a technology ecosystem in drug development analogous to Industry 4.0 in healthcare, is transforming the traditional approach to drug discovery and development, aligning product quality with less time to market, and creating intelligent stakeholder networks through effective collaborations. The wide range of potential Pharma 4.0 networks have produced several conceptualizations, which have led to a lack of clarity and definition. The main emphasis of this paper is on the clinical trial stage of drug development in the Pharma 4.0 era. It highlights the merged computerized technologies that are currently used in clinical research, and proposes a framework for integrating Pharma 4.0 technologies. The impact of and barriers to employing the proposed framework are discussed, highlighting its potential and some future research applications

Solar energy status in the world: a comprehensive review

The utilization of renewable energy as a future energy resource is drawing significant attention worldwide. The contribution of solar energy (including concentrating solar power (CSP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) power) to global electricity production, as one form of renewable energy sources, is generally still low, at 3.6%. However, it has firmly established itself among other renewable energy technologies, comprising nearly 31% of the total installed renewable energy capacity in 2022, making it the second most installed renewable energy resource behind hydropower energy. The present review study, through a detailed and systematic literature survey, summarizes the world solar energy status along with the published solar energy potential assessment articles for 235 countries and territories as the first step toward developing solar energy in these regions. A comparison of the solar power status among countries and territories has been provided, considering their concentrated solar power and PV installed capacities for each continent. Although there has been a significant increase of approximately 22% in global solar energy installed capacity between 2021 and 2022, the literature survey reveals that clear gaps still exist in the field of solar energy. In the next three decades, the solar PV field can advance to become the second prominent generation source by constructing more solar farms, allowing countries to generate approximately 25% of the world's total electricity needs by 2050

Tensile Properties of Friction Stir Welds of AA 7020 Aluminum Alloy

In this investigation, response surface methodology was used to predict and optimize the tensile properties of friction stir welded AA 7020 aluminum alloy. Tensile properties, microstructural features and fractography of the joints were measured and investigated using tensile test, optical and scanning electron microscopes, respectively. In addition, the influences of friction stir welding parameters on tensile properties of the joints were examined thoroughly. The results revealed that with increasing the heat input, the tensile strength of the joints increased up to a maximum value and then decreased, where the elongation of the joints increased continuously. Moreover, the optimal condition to obtain a maximum of tensile strength was 1,055\ua0rpm, 97\ua0mm/min and 7.4\ua0kN, where as for tensile elongation was 1,320\ua0rpm, 72\ua0mm/min and 7\ua0kN