The Design of Mechanisms for Gantry Crane Experimental Rig

This report discusses the background and current research done on the chosen topic, which is design of mechanisms for gantry crane experimental rig. The objective of the project is to come up with a design of mechanisms to drive the gantry cranes motions for an experimental crane rig. The scope of study focused on proposing a design of mechanism for the gantry crane designed for Mechanical Engineering Department of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS based on the limitation of the gantry frame dimension. Gantry cranes are widely used in shipping terminals to handle freight containers. Advances in controlling the crane load sway has been achieved by conducting experiments in laboratory. However, the problem is the Mechanical Department of Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS does not have the gantry crane test rig for experimental purpose. Technique that is going to be used is proposing design of mechanism for the gantry crane by performing analysis on the crane operations. Justification on fundamentals that determine the gantry frame structural rigidity and flexibility due to the load is also being studied. This technique integrates the critical parameters that affect the performance of the driving mechanisms of the gantry crane. The parameters are being identified and manipulated in order to achieve the best driving mechanism. AutoCAD and ANSYS will be used in modeling and analyzing the gantry crane test rig. A gantry crane test rig will be constructed to perform an experiment to test the validity of the model. An enhanced mechanism of gantry cranes operations is essential for further research work, especially on the development of an automatic crane controller

The mechanical performance of sugar palm fibres (Ijuk) reinforced phenolic composites

Sugar palm fibres are one of the natural fibres which have many features and need further study to understand their properties. The aim of this work is to investigate the flexural, compressive and impact properties of sugar palm fibres reinforced phenolic composites. Sugar palm fibres were used as a filler (particle size 150 μm) and with loading of 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 vol.%. The fibres were treated by sea water and then fabricated into composites by hot press technique. Flexural, compressive, and impact tests were carried out as per ASTM D790, ASTM D695-08a, and ASTM D256 standards, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to investigate the morphology and the interfacial bonding of the fibres-matrix in composites. The results show that the mechanical properties of the composites improve with the incorporation of fibres. The composite of 30 vol.% particle loading exhibit optimum values which are 32.23 MPa, 61.66 MPa, and 4.12 kJ/m2 for flexural, compressive, and impact strength, respectively. This was because good compatibility of fibre-matrix bonding. Consequently, sugar palm fibre is one of the prospective fibres and could be used as a potential resource to reinforcement polymer composite

Design and implementation of a five stage pipelining architecture simulator for RiSC-16 instruction set

In modern computing, multitasking is the most favorable aspect. An un-pipelined instruction cycle (fetch-execute cycle) CPU processes instructions one after another increasing duration at lesser speed in completing tasks. With pipelined computer architecture, unprecedented improvement in size and speed are achievable. This work investigates the possibility of a better improvement to computer architecture through understanding the inner workings of instruction pipelining in operating system. A design of a 5 stage pipelined architecture simulator for RiSC-16 processors using Visual Basic programming has been achieved contrary to the common available four stage simulators. The simulator also future two most common pipeline instruction hazards generally missing in most available simulators. Thus, the designed simulator becomes an appropriate tool for understanding the concept of pipelining on a step-by-step visualization based instruction cycle processors hence facilitating a more efficient design in computer architecture. The simulator has been evaluated based on its closeness to real-time pipelined computer architecture and through execution of all 8 basic RiSC-16 instruction set with data dependency and control hazard

Antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of two sea cucumbers, Holothuria edulis Lesson and Stichopus horrens Selenka

Sea cucumbers are marine invertebrates of the phylum of Echinodermata that have been used in Asian traditional medicine since ancient times. This study was conducted to investigate the antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of aqueous and organic extracts from two sea cucumber species, Holothuria edulis Lesson (Holothuriidae) and Stichopus horrens Selenka (Stichopodidae). Antioxidant activities of the extracts were evaluated by DPPH· and β-carotene bleaching assays, while MTT and trypan blue exclusion assays were used to demonstrate the cytotoxic effects of the extracts against two human cancer cell lines, non-small cell lung cancer cells (A549) and esophageal cancer cells (TE1). The results showed that both aqueous and organic extracts of H. edulis were able to scavenge DPH radical (IC50 at 2.04 mg/ml and 8.73 mg/ml, respectively). Aqueous and organic extracts of S. horrens inhibited 79.62% and 46.66% of β-carotene oxidation by linoleate free radical. On the other hand, the organic extract of S. horrens exhibited the highest cytotoxic effects against A549 and TE1 cancer cells giving IC50 at 15.5 and 4.0 μg/ml, respectively. In conclusion, the present study revealed that H. edulis and S. horrens contain promising levels of antioxidant and cytotoxic natural products that might be used for cancer prevention and treatment

Femoral fracture type can be predicted from femoral structure: a finite element study validated by digital volume correlation experiments

Proximal femoral fractures can be categorized into two main types: Neck and intertrochanteric fractures accounting for 53% and 43% of all proximal femoral fractures, respectively. The possibility to predict the type of fracture a specific patient is predisposed to would allow drug and exercise therapies, hip protector design, and prophylactic surgery to be better targeted for this patient rendering fracture preventing strategies more effective. This study hypothesized that the type of fracture is closely related to the patient-specific femoral structure and predictable by finite element (FE) methods. Fourteen femora were DXA scanned, CT scanned, and mechanically tested to fracture. FE-predicted fracture patterns were compared to experimentally observed fracture patterns. Measurements of strain patterns to explain neck and intertrochanteric fracture patterns were performed using a digital volume correlation (DVC) technique and compared to FE-predicted strains and experimentally observed fracture patterns. Although loaded identically, the femora exhibited different fracture types (six neck and eight intertrochanteric fractures). CT-based FE models matched the experimental observations well (86%) demonstrating that the fracture type can be predicted. DVC-measured and FE-predicted strains showed obvious consistency. Neither DXA-based BMD nor any morphologic characteristics such as neck diameter, femoral neck length, or neck shaft angle were associated with fracture type. In conclusion, patient-specific femoral structure correlates with fracture type and FE analyses were able to predict these fracture types. Also, the demonstration of FE and DVC as metrics of the strains in bones may be of substantial clinical value, informing treatment strategies and device selection and design

Natural fiber reinforced composite material for product design: a short review

Natural fibers have attracted great attention from industrial players and researchers for the exploitation of polymer composites because of their "greener" nature and contribution to sustainable practice. Various industries have shifted toward sustainable technology in order to improve the balance between the environment and social and economic concerns. This manuscript aims to provide a brief review of the development of the foremost natural fiber-reinforced polymer composite (NFRPC) product designs and their applications. The first part of the manuscript presents a summary of the background of various natural fibers and their composites in the context of engineering applications. The behaviors of NFPCs vary with fiber type, source, and structure. Several drawbacks of NFPCs, e.g., higher water absorption rate, inferior fire resistance, and lower mechanical properties, have limited their applications. This has necessitated the development of good practice in systematic engineering design in order to attain optimized NRPC products. Product design and manufacturing engineering need to move in a mutually considerate manner in order to produce successful natural fiber-based composite material products. The design process involves concept design, material selection, and finally, the manufacturing of the design. Numerous products have been commercialized using natural fibers, e.g., sports equipment, musical instruments, and electronic products. In the end, this review provides a guideline for the product design process based on natural fibers, which subsequently leads to a sustainable design

A cross-sectional study on the prevalence, knowledge, attitude and practice of alcohol consumption among the population aged 13 years and above in longhouses Johnnie, Langgie and Hamdam, Kampung Sare, Sarikei from 14 February 2009 to 3 April 2009

In Malaysia, prevalence of binge drinking is more than 30% and is more common in rural area. No known available data regarding the prevalence, knowledge, attitude and practice of alcohol consumption among the population aged 13 years and above in Kampung Sare, Sarikei