Jose Antonio Travieso Rodriguez

New PSA high concentration solar furnace SF40

A new solar furnace has been designed and built at Plataforma Solar de Almeria. In this work, its main components such as heliostat, concentrator, attenuator and test table, and the method used to align them are described. Other equipment like the auxiliary systems necessary for the solar operation, vacuum chamber and gas system are outlined too. Finally, the thermal characteristics of the focus were measured during a test campaign, where different planes along the optical axis were scanned with a radiometer, and the peak flux was obtained and is presented in the last section of this report.

Characterization of cutting parameters in the minimum quantity lubricant (MQL) machining process of a gearbox

This paper aims to find the key process parameters for machining different parts of an automobile gearbox, commissioned by a company that needs to replace with the MQL lubrication system their current machining process based on cutting fluids. It particularly focuses on the definition of appropriate cutting parameters for machining under the MQL condition through a statistical method of Design of Experiments (DOE). Using a combination of recommended parameters, significant improvements in the surface roughness of different machined parts are shown. Production costs are also reduced by decreasing expenses on lubricants and by optimizing the cycle time reached under the new cutting conditions, what would help the implementing company to increase its profits and adapt to a modern sustainability-demanding production industry.