The role of manufacturing techniques in enterprises producing heating devices in the context of sustainable development

Manufacturing techniques are concerned with quality, cost, productivity and sustainability. With today's environmental awareness and the pressure of the sustainability requirements, existing manufacturing techniques of heating devices are evolving into the redesign manufacturing unit processes to increase overall sustainability. Also, these techniques need a measurement method to assess processes-related sustainability performance indicators. The purpose of this paper is to stress the role of manufacturing techniques: welding, cleaning and painting in the manufacture of heating appliances (solid fuel fired boilers used renewable energy sources) in terms of incorporating into the field the concept of sustainable development. It then focuses on the environmental, technical, economical and social impact of sustainable technologies and argues for the need to ensure that the concept is being applied to the manufacture of heating devices. In this paper, author tries to propose a unified, standard scientific factory-level methodology to evaluate the influence of manufacturing techniques on the sustainability of enterprises producing heating devices. The proposed methodology in the terms of the case study is a comprehensive answer to the question of to what extent the improvements in those techniques influence the sustainable development of the enterprises. An industrial case study demonstrates that the proposed improvements can effectively influence the sustainability of enterprise. The results of this assessment can be applied to broad industry sectors, and can lead to the accepted measures and practices

Metallization of ceramic materials based on the kinetic energy of detonation waves

The paper presents an innovatory low-energy detonation-spraying method suitable for the metallization of ceramic materials, in which the energy necessary for joining the metallic coating with the ceramic is delivered in a mechanical way. In the proposed method, the metallic particles, shot from the spraying gun, impinge onto the ceramic substrate with a high velocity, and their kinetic energy is transformed into heat delivered in a specified portion directly to the region of the metal/ceramic joint being formed. The stress distribution and the temperature field at the coating/substrate interface were analyzed also numerically with the aim to optimize the metallization process parameters so as to stimulate the formation of the coating/ceramic joint and, at the same time, to control the region of heat dissipation, the temperature, and the stress state induced in the joint

Properties of sintered Al2O3-Cr composites depending on the method of preparation of the powder mixture

Continuous progress in modern science and industry depends on the availability of new effective devices and materials. New generation materials should be characterized by a specified combination of properties which sometimes exclude one another. Al2O3-Cr composites belong to this group of materials. This study is concerned with the effect of the method of preparation of the starting powders upon the properties of sintered Al2O3-Cr composites. The composites were produced using powder mixtures with various volumetric shares of the starting powders (from 25 to 75vol.%). The mixtures were prepared by conventional mechanical mixing in a ball-mill or by mechanical alloying in a high-energy mill of the attritor type. It has been found that with mechanically alloyed powders the Al2O3-Cr composites have better bending strength, hardness and frictional wear resistance

Sintering AL2O3-CR composites made from micro-and Nan powders

This paper presents the results of studies on sintering Al2O3-Cr composites of different chemical compositions (from 25 to 75 vol.% of each component). The factor analyzed was the influence of time (from 15 to 60 min) temperature (from 1200-1600°C), pressure (0.5 and 30 MPa) and powder graining (for Al2O3 powders-80nm or 1μm) on the density of sinters obtained. It was found that Nan powder composites are characterized by a higher density (by about 1-2%) than the micro powder composite, the remaining conditions of the process intact. Using the pressure of 30MPa allows obtaining of a definite sintering degree at a temperature of about 200°C lower than at a pressure of 0.5 MPa

Metallization of ceramic materials based on the kinetic energy of detonation waves

The paper presents an innovatory low-energy detonation-spraying method suitable for the metallization of ceramic materials, in which the energy necessary for joining the metallic coating with the ceramic is delivered in a mechanical way. In the proposed method, the metallic particles, shot from the spraying gun, impinge onto the ceramic substrate with a high velocity, and their kinetic energy is transformed into heat delivered in a specified portion directly to the region of the metal/ceramic joint being formed. The stress distribution and the temperature field at the coating/substrate interface were analyzed also numerically with the aim to optimize the metallization process parameters so as to stimulate the formation of the coating/ceramic joint and, at the same time, to control the region of heat dissipation, the temperature, and the stress state induced in the joint

Towards development of a prototype high-temperature latent heat storage unit as an element of a RES-based energy system (part 1)

This paper presents briefly the state of the art literature review with respect to research in the field of latent heat storage systems as elements of heat only, power only or combined heat and power (CHP) plants utilizing renewable energy sources (RES) for residential applications. Next, a paper introduces initial research carried out in IMP PAN in Gdańsk, Poland, aimed at development of a prototype latent heat storage unit. Identification of the suggested application for the storage unit in a given system is presented. The first stage of development of a prototype heat storage unit, namely a process of PCM pre-selection is discussed

Towards development of a prototype high-temperature latent heat storage unit as an element of a RES-based energy system (part 1)

This paper presents briefly the state of the art literature review with respect to research in the field of latent heat storage systems as elements of heat only, power only or combined heat and power (CHP) plants utilizing renewable energy sources (RES) for residential applications. Next, a paper introduces initial research carried out in IMP PAN in Gdańsk, Poland, aimed at development of a prototype latent heat storage unit. Identification of the suggested application for the storage unit in a given system is presented. The first stage of development of a prototype heat storage unit, namely a process of PCM pre-selection is discussed

Ultrasonic-vibration assisted arc-welding of aluminum alloys

The structure and hardness of the surface-welds and fusion-welds made on a 2017A aluminum alloy waveguide using the MIG and TIG methods with and without the participation of ultrasonic vibrations were examined. Cross-sections of the fusions and surface-welds thus obtained were observed in a microscope and the hardness distributions were determined. The aim of the study was to analyze the effects of the ultrasonic vibrations applied to the melted metal pool by a vibrating substrate which in our experiments was a waveguide. The interactions of the ultrasonic vibrations with the molten metal during its solidification and also with the heat-affected zone were examined at various phases of the vibration wave. The ultrasonic vibrations affected the structure of a weld. These changes are strongly depended on the wave phase

Utilizing the energy of kinetic friction for the metallization of ceramics

The paper is concerned with the metallization of ceramic materials using the friction-welding method in which the mechanism of the formation of a joint involves the kinetic energy of friction. The friction energy is directly transformed into heat and delivered in a specified amount precisely to the joint being formed between the metallic layer and the substrate material. The paper describes the ceramic metallization process, which has been developed by the present authors based on the friction-welding method. The stress and temperature fields induced in the joint during the metallization process were determined using the finite element method with the aim to optimize the process parameters. The results were verified experimentally. The structures of the metallic coatings thus obtained were examined and the results are discussed in the paper