Critical design factors on performance of car jack lifting operations

Car jack is an equipped accessory package in every units of car sold to customer that used to uplift the cars while replacing tires during an emergency or repair. The automotive manufacturers are actively conducting their Product Improvement Campaign and the objective of the campaign is to improve the quality of product sold to the customers. The current jack design has a possibility of failure during its operations. The customer satisfaction point of view will be converted to engineering characteristic to acquire the concept of design and input into new design proposal and at the same time eliminate the possibility of failure of the current design. The research is conducted to improve the current jack design on its performance in lifting operations. The scope of research is to identify the critical zone in jack design structure that possibly causing the failure during its operations. To optimize the existing design, it is proposed some modification on the jack structure with a minimum weight increment but improve the design structural strength. The failure root cause analysis, reliability test and Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis have been used to identify the specific critical area in the structure and resolve them by proposing the new improved jack design. The current car jack sample in market is used as an industrial sample for design analysis to find the target area for further improvement. From the analysis, we can know the critical design factors in the current car jack design and the required design improvement to enhance its performance in lifting operations

Recent progress of rice husk reinforced polymer composites: a review

Recently, because of the rising population, carbon overloading, and environmental distress, human beings have needed to increase awareness and responsibility for the reduction of agricultural waste. The utilization of agricultural waste as a filler material in reinforced polymers is a fascinating discovery. This review paper attempts to study the physical, mechanical, and thermal behavior of rice husk (RH) as a fiber for reinforcing various synthetic polymers, based on recent studies, conducted between 2017 and 2021. It also highlights that advanced modification techniques could further improve the performance of composites by tailoring the physical and chemical substances of the fiber or matrix. The thermal properties, including flame-retardance and thermal behavior, are also discussed. The characteristics of the fiber-matrix interaction between RH and the polymer matrix provide essential insights into the future-ready applications of this agricultural waste fiber. The way forward in researching RH polymer composites is finally reviewed

Dynamic mechanical properties of natural fiber reinforced hybrid polymer composites: a review

The concerning waste management issue of natural fibers and the downsides of synthetic fibers have governed natural fibers' utilization as reinforcements in composites. Incorporating a single type of reinforcing fiber does not inevitably produce composites that meet exceptional quality standards, particularly in dynamic mechanical properties. Various studies have demonstrated excellent properties of natural fiber reinforced hybrid composites. Accordingly, this paper aims to review research related to natural fiber reinforced hybrid composites that emphasize the dynamic mechanical properties. A summary for each type of hybrid composites, including thermoset and thermoplastic polymers, biopolymers, nanocomposites, and bionanocomposites was provided. The variables of relevance in this overview are the loss modulus, storage modulus, damping factor, and glass transition temperature. Overall, the reviewed works revealed that lignocellulosic fibers are extensively used to reinforce composites. Nearly all hybridization of multiple reinforcing fibers had synergistic influences on the hybrid composites' dynamic mechanical properties. However, there are several cases whereby the addition of hybrid reinforcing particles leads to a detrimental effect on the composites’ quality. There is a limitless possibility for further improvements of natural fiber reinforced hybrid composites