Industry 4.0 and sustainability: Towards conceptualization and theory

Both Industry 4.0 and sustainability have gained momentum in the academic, managerial and policy debate. Despite the relevance of the topics, the relation between Industry 4.0 and sustainability \u2013 revealed by many authors \u2013 is still unclear; literature is fragmented. This paper seeks to overcome this limit by developing a systematic literature review of 117 peer-reviewed journal articles. After descriptive and content analyses, the work presents a conceptualization and theoretical framework. The paper contributes to both theory and practice by advancing current understanding of Industry 4.0 and sustainability, especially the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies on sustainability practices and performance

A fluid-structure solver for confined microcapsule flows

We present a fluid-structure coupling method designed to study capsules flowing in a confined environment. The fluid solver is based on the Finite Volume Method and is coupled to a Finite Elements solid solver using the Immersed Boundary Method. We study the relaxation of a spherical capsule, initially deformed into an ellipsoid, and released in a square cross-section channel within a quiescent fluid environment. We perform a convergence study in order to validate the numerical method and consider the effect of the inertial forces on the capsule relaxation

Robust flux error estimation of an unfitted Nitsche method for high-contrast interface problems

We prove an optimal error estimate for the flux variable for a stabilized unfitted Nitsche finite element method applied to an elliptic interface problem with discontinuous constant coefficients. Our result shows explicitly that this error estimate is totally independent of the diffusion coefficients

Unravelling competing microscopic interactions at a phase boundary: A single-crystal study of the metastable antiferromagnetic pyrochlore Yb₂Ge₂O₇

We report inelastic neutron scattering measurements from our newly synthesized single crystals of the structurally metastable antiferromagnetic pyrochlore Yb2Ge2O7. We determine the four symmetry-allowed nearest-neighbor anisotropic exchange parameters via fits to linear spin wave theory supplemented by fits of the high-temperature specific heat using the numerical linked-cluster expansion method. The exchange parameters so determined are strongly correlated to the values determined for the g-tensor components, as previously noted for the related Yb pyrochlore Yb2Ge2O7. To address this issue we directly determined the g tensor from electron paramagnetic resonance of 1% Yb-doped Lu2Ge2O7, thus enabling an unambiguous determination of the exchange parameters. Our results show that Yb2Ge2O7 resides extremely close to the classical phase boundary between an antiferromagnetic Gamma(5) phase and a splayed ferromagnet phase. By juxtaposing our results with recent ones on Yb2Ge2O7, our work illustrates that the Yb pyrochlore oxides represent ideal systems for studying quantum magnets in close proximity to classical phase boundaries