R. Pramod

Investigation of mechanical properties of aluminium reinforced glass fibre polymer composites

This paper presents the recent work about reinforcing E-glass into Aluminium foil to attain high strength to weight ratio. Aluminium is corrosion resistant, light in weight and ductile, also when alloyed through other metals deliver the greater strengths as desirable for high-tech applications. The density of pure Aluminium is 2.7 g⁄cm3. Electrical grade glass formally known as E-glass, is by far the most used fiber in reinforced plastic composites. It is a high strength material with light weight compared to steel and corrosive resistant. The matrix and reinforcement is bonded with a resin, named Araldite Ly556, which has density at 25 °C, 1.15-1.20 g⁄cm3. Thus gives a good binding structure. In the present work, Aluminium, E-Glass and Epoxy are combined to fabricate a laminate by Hand-Lay process. Hand-lay is the oldest and simplest method used for producing reinforced plastic laminates. The fabricated metal matrix composites are tested for their mechanical properties. The metal laminate is found to ren...

Design and development of nautilus whorl-wind turbine

Our life is directly related to energy and its consumption, and the issues of energy research are extremely important and highly sensitive. Scientists and researchers attempt to accelerate solutions for wind energy generation, design parameters under the influence of novel policies adopted for energy management and the concerns for global warming and climate change. The objective of this study is to design a small wind turbine that is optimized for the constraints that come with residential use. The study is aimed at designing a wind turbine for tapping the low speed wind in urban locations. The design process includes the selection of the wind turbine type and the determination of the blade airfoil, finding the maximum drag model and manufacturing of the turbine economically. In this study, the Nautilus turbine is modeled, simulated and the characteristic curves are plotted. The cutting in wind speed for the turbine is around 1m/s. The turbine rotates in a range of 20 rpm to 500 rpm at wind speeds 1m/s t...

Experimental investigations on Carbon-Nomex T410 reinforced polymer matrix composite for enhanced mechanical and tribological properties

Carbon and Nomex have various uses in many applications individually and a combination of these fibres results in enhancement of their properties in the laminate which has many uses in various applications. Nomex is used where high tensile strength and flexure along with good resistance to wear is needed and Carbon is generally used for low weight-high strength and high temperature applications. Thus, combining these two into a single laminate might result in a composite which can be used in applications where high strength with low weight and good wear resistance is needed. The present work focuses on such a combination to determine the required properties.Carbon and Nomex have various uses in many applications individually and a combination of these fibres results in enhancement of their properties in the laminate which has many uses in various applications. Nomex is used where high tensile strength and flexure along with good resistance to wear is needed and Carbon is generally used for low weight-high strength and high temperature applications. Thus, combining these two into a single laminate might result in a composite which can be used in applications where high strength with low weight and good wear resistance is needed. The present work focuses on such a combination to determine the required properties.

Artificial Neural Networks for the Prediction of Wear Properties of Al6061-TiO2 Composites

The exceptional performance of composite materials in comparison with the monolithic materials have been extensively studied by researchers. Among the metal matrix composites Aluminium matrix based composites have displayed superior mechanical properties. The aluminium 6061 alloy has been used in aeronautical and automotive components, but their resistance against the wear is poor. To enhance the wear properties, Titanium dioxide (TiO2) particulates have been used as reinforcements. In the present investigation Back propagation (BP) technique has been adopted for Artificial Neural Network [ANN] modelling. The wear experimentations were carried out on a pin-on-disc wear monitoring apparatus. For conduction of wear tests ASTM G99 was adopted. Experimental design was carried out using Taguchi L27 orthogonal array. The sliding distance, weight percentage of the reinforcement material and applied load have a substantial influence on the height damage due to wear of the Al6061 and Al6061-TiO2 filled composites. The Al6061 with 3 wt% TiO2 composite displayed an excellent wear resistance in comparison with other composites investigated. A non-linear relationship between density, applied load, weight percentage of reinforcement, sliding distance and height decrease due to wear has been established using an artificial neural network. A good agreement has been observed between experimental and ANN model predicted results.

Finite Element Model Development for Structural Integrity of Shafts with Circumferential and Arbitrary Oriented Cracks

Tubular drive shafts are subjected to combined axial tension, torsional moment and bending moment. The structural integrity of the driveshaft is investigated by evaluating the change in strength, stiffness and the life of the driveshaft with the change in the crack length. A review of driveshaft failure analysis case histories identifies circumferential crack and arbitrarily oriented cracks to be critical. The singular stress field around a crack tip in a general shell structure is characterized by mixed mode membrane and bending stress intensity factors. Accurate determination of these stress intensity factors (less than 1%) are carried out by a subprogram named as 3MBSIF. The validation of Finite element model using ABAQUS and post processing subprogram 3MBSIF together is carried out using benchmarks, a set of standard test problems with known target solutions. Further SIFs are derived for cylindrical shell and the driveshaft under the action of bending moment. To quantify the change in the compliance of cylindrical shell and the driveshaft with change in crack lengths is studied by performing Modal Analysis. It was observed that the variation in frequency is higher for smaller crack angles.

Modal Analysis of Annular Plate with Crack and its Effect on Natural Frequency

The study of the dynamic behavior of annular plates with circumferential cracks can find many applications in several machine components such as flywheels, clutch plates, compact discs etc. A crack on a structural member introduces a local increase of flexibility in that region then; this affects the static and dynamic characteristics. The effects of cracks on the dynamic characteristics of structures, especially on the natural frequencies and modes, were extensively studied. In this study, the natural frequencies of annular plates with circumferential cracks are investigated by using finite element method. The cracks were non-propagating and open. The annular plate with different cracks was subjected to different boundary conditions and final variation in the natural frequency was obtained, which was compared with the theoretical frequency and the change in the natural frequency was studied. The results of this study with improved elements are compared with the theoretical results in the literature. It is observed that the location and the number of cracks have various effects on the natural frequencies related to the vibration modes.

Influence of WC Particulate Reinforcement on the Mechanical Properties and Sliding Wear of Al6061 Alloys

The research community has acknowledged the superiority of composite material properties in comparison to conventional materials. Aluminum Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) sought over other conventional materials in the fields of automotive, sports, aerospace and marine applications due to their admirable improved properties. These materials are of much interest to the researchers from few decades. In this paper, the investigational results of the sliding and mechanical properties of Al6061–WC metal matrix composites are presented. The Al6061 composites containing 0–3 wt% WC were dispersed in the base matrix in steps of 1 and fabricated by powder metallurgy technique. The experimental results revealed that with an increase in WC content there was an increase in the density of the composites and these values are in sync with the theoretical values determined by the rule of mixtures. The tensile strength and hardness of the Al6061–WC composites are directly related to weight percentage of WC and an increase was observed with a decrease in ductility was observed.Wear properties increased, compared to as-cast Al6061 with an increase in WC content in the matrix.

Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma of Posterior Maxilla: Report of a Case with Brief Literature Review

Mesenchymal chondrosarcomas (MCs) are infrequent, slow-growing malignant tumors of head and neck region affecting both bone and soft tissues. It represents approximately 1% of all chondrosarcomas. They usually occur in the middle aged individuals, but rarely seen in young patients. It is commonly found in the ribs and jaws. Involvement of the jaws is evident in 22-27% of cases of MC. Most commonly, MCs are painless and occurs in the anterior portion of maxilla. Maxillofacial MCs are aggressive, has a tendency for recurrence and late metastasis to lung, bone, and lymph nodes, and is associated with an overall poor prognosis. Histopathologically, it is characterized by a biphasic pattern consisting of areas of hyaline cartilage mixed with small cell malignancy. Very few case reports involving the posterior maxillary region has been reported. This article reports a rare case of MC along with a review of the pertinent literature.