Experimental and Finite Element Studies of a Soft Robot Finger Material - a Contact Mechanics Approach

A robot is a machine, especially a programmable one, which is capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, emulating certain human movements and functions. Robotic applications are used worldwide to improve quality and to meet production requirements. In this paper, a study has been made to develop a robot finger material which enables a soft contact and withstands a high temperature. Two materials, the VitonR and the silicone rubber are investigated. Experimental studies on these two materials are conducted to estimate their tensile strength and hardness. Other parameters such as contact width and percent elongation are also determined. The finite element software "ABAQUS" is used for the determination of the Von-Mises stress, contact pressure and contact width at different depths of indentation. In the robot finger design, the properties of the VitonR rubber are observed to be superior to those of the silicone rubber material

TESTING OF THREE-FUEL MIXTURE IN A FOUR-STROKE SINGLE CYLINDER DIRECT INJECTION DIESEL ENGINE

This paper deals with non-petroleum renewable and non-polluting fuels. The performance study has been carried out for three-fuel mixture in an Internal Combustion engine. The three-fuel mixture consist of diesel, turpentine blend and acetylene gas. Acetylene gas is produced from lime stone (CaCO3) and turpentine oil is obtained from pine trees. The performance of the three-fuel mixture has been analyzed experimentally in a single cylinder direct injection and compression ignition engine with diesel and turpentine blend as primary fuel and acetylene as secondary gaseous fuel i.e., diesel and turpentine blend (40% turpentine(40T) and 60% diesel) were considered for the study. The results have shown that the blend and the acetylene gas flow rate of 3 liters per minute (through a gas flow meter) offer higher brake thermal efficiency by between 1% and 3% than the fuel of the baseline diesel operation

Design and analysis of quad-acting reciprocating pump: A novel approach

Reciprocating pumps are those in which the oscillating motion of pistons, plungers or membranes causes a fluid to move. The discharge of a single-acting reciprocating pump is low compared with a double-acting one for the same input power. In this respect an attempt has been made to increase the discharge by making some modifications in the double-acting pump with the same input power. Two additional pistons have been placed vertically and adjacently to the main cylinder. The fluid flow analysis of four quad-acting reciprocating pump has been performed in ANSYS FLUENT V12. The various parameters such as mass flow rate of fluid flow, velocity of the fluid flow, volume of the fluid flow and force of the fluid flow have been considered in this paper. These parameters have been studied for each cylinder in an outlet to determine the performance of the pump. The results show that, using the same input power used for the double-acting reciprocating pump, the total discharge of fluid of the four-acting pump has been increased

Performance Analysis of Leaf Spring by Contact Mechanics Approach Based on the Nature of Material Properties

In an automotive system, a curved leaf spring is used for the purpose of suspension and for reducing the transient vibration of the system. Composite materials are widely used in automobile industries as a replacement for steel to reduce the weight and to increase the strength of an automotive system. In this study, various materials have been considered for an analysis based on the Young modulus-to-yield strength ratio. The study has been carried out by considering the material properties. The contact analysis is performed with a curved beam of three leaves which is an equivalent to a semi-elliptical leaf spring used for an automotive suspension system. A comparison between analytical and simulation results shows that the material properties, such as the Young modulus and the yield strength, are very important in the design and development of a composite leaf spring. The composite material is compared with other materials, with the former showing good suspension function and better reliability

Mechanical, thermal, and morphological behaviour studies on coconut shell and palm kernel filler biocomposite

In the present work, the composite materials were prepared from coconut shell powder, palm kernel powder, and epoxy resin. The addition of coconut shell powder was considered when preparing the composite samples, and mechanical properties such as tensile strength, hardness, impact, bending strength, physical behavior water absorption, as well as morphological tests, were conducted using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope, and Thermogravimetric Analysis for both the prepared composite material boards and chipboard.  The minimal variation of tensile stress and percentage of elongation between the 50 % coconut shell powder composite material and the wooden chipboard material is 4,44 MPa and 1,00 %, respectively, according to the findings of experimental tests.The lowest compressive stress and hardness variations between coconut shell powder composite material and wooden chipboard are found to be 0,14 MPa and 3,2 MPa, respectively. It is determined that the composite materials made from waste shell powders and epoxy resin are suitable for applications such as panel boards, automotive interior dashboards, roof sheets, and doors

Design and analysis of quad-acting reciprocating pump: A novel approach

Reciprocating pumps are those in which the oscillating motion of pistons, plungers or membranes causes a fluid to move. The discharge of a single-acting reciprocating pump is low compared with a double-acting one for the same input power. In this respect an attempt has been made to increase the discharge by making some modifications in the double-acting pump with the same input power. Two additional pistons have been placed vertically and adjacently to the main cylinder. The fluid flow analysis of four quad-acting reciprocating pump has been performed in ANSYS FLUENT V12. The various parameters such as mass flow rate of fluid flow, velocity of the fluid flow, volume of the fluid flow and force of the fluid flow have been considered in this paper. These parameters have been studied for each cylinder in an outlet to determine the performance of the pump. The results show that, using the same input power used for the double-acting reciprocating pump, the total discharge of fluid of the four-acting pump has been increased