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International Review of Mechanical Engineering - January 2008 - Papers

 

   

 

 

International Review of Mechanical Engineering - Papers

go to top    Abductive Approach using Fuzzy Petri Nets for Industrial System Diagnosis
        by A. Ghernaout, A. Liazid, A. Benamar, N. Zerhouni

 

Abstract - In an industrial decentralization context of control and migration of intelligence downwards, mechanical equipments with more and more electronics and automations have been developed given the so called mechatronic systems. However this rapid progression of new technology has contributed to increase the systems complexity and decrease the mastering. The industrial diagnosis associated at a precocious detection of degradations have a key role in quality mastering, availability improve and productivity of the production tool.
The industrial diagnosis methods are divided in two categories: diagnosis methods with formal model of the equipment and diagnosis methods without equipment model. The formal mathematical models of industrial equipments are often with uncertainties and difficult to built.
This paper proposes a method based explanatory model which is best suited to model the cause-effect relationships essential for the industrial diagnosis. We adapt a novel tool of assistance to diagnosis based on the fuzzy Petri nets (FPN). An industrial application concludes this work.

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Keywords: Industrial diagnosis, artificial intelligence, fuzzy Petri nets, explanatory model, fault tree, FMEA.

 


 

go to top    Effects of Tool Modularity and Learning of Manufacturing on the Machining Costs of a Molding Tool
 
        by M. T. Kainusalmi, R. S. Kinisjärvi, J. P. Varis

 

Abstract - Businesses have an increasing need to introduce new products onto the market at a more and more rapid cycle. Consequently, modularity has become quite a common feature in a number of product lines. Modularity enables the production of a wide range of products with a relatively small number of modules that are independent of each other. With an extensive product range, a company can better respond to the needs of a diverse customer base. A company can gain an edge by preparing a competitive strategy which helps it stand out from its competitors. Modularity provides excellent possibilities for applying any strategy, be it built on cost leadership or unique products as the source of competitive edge.
In this case study, an integrated sheet metal molding tool was redesigned mainly because its structure limits end product variation and its purchase price is high. The aim of the study was to develop a very simple molding tool with low manufacturing costs which, with only minor changes, can manufacture a variety of end products. As an outcome, a modular molding tool with a completely new structure was developed. It allows the manufacture of different end products merely by changing a few shape-giving parts. In addition to end product flexibility, modularity results in significantly lower costs than integrated solutions. The asking price of an integrated molding tool for a new product amounts to approximately € 12 000, whereas, according to a learning curve based manufacturing cost analysis, those of a modular tool add up to less than half of that, approximately € 5 800.

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Keywords: Molding tool, modular, learning curve, costs.

 


 

go to top    Bullwhip Effect: A Brief Review

        by S. Kumar, A. Haleem

 

Abstract - This paper deals with an extensive literature review on bullwhip effect in the current scenario. Bullwhip effect has become an important area of research in supply chain management. A literature review to understand process of bullwhip effect, its sources and measures along with risk associated with, have been undertaken. Procedures for reducing bullwhip effect have been also discussed in a supply chain configuration for collaboration. Bullwhip effect will be an important parameter towards the success of retail houses. In order to deal with the issue different sources of bullwhip effect are being identified. These sources are demand signal processing, rationing game, order batching and price fluctuation. Technique for benchmarking this effect is also being explored.
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Keywords: Bullwhip effect, Supply Chain Management, Demand signal Processing, Rationing game, Order Batching.

 


 

go to top    Impact of Wheel Ageing on Rail Corrugation in Curve: A Parametric Study

        by C. Collette, R. Bastaits

 

Abstract - This paper investigates the impact of the wheel profile aging on the development of rail corrugation. The test case considered for the study is a curved track section from the Brussels metro network (STIB). Rail corrugation is evaluated using a multi-body model of the vehicle and the track. The effect of wheel diameter and shape of the profile are evaluated for the test case considered using the multi-body model.

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Keywords: Railway wheel profile, Multi-body model, Stability, Rail corrugation.

 


 

go to top    Automatic Determination of Operations Number for the Conventional Machining of a Surface

        by A. Noureddine, A. Benamar

 

Abstract - According to the machining quality and the desired state of surface, the realization of a surface by machining will need one, two or three operations, called direct finishing, rough machining/finishing, rough machining/semi finishing/finishing.
The determination of the number of operations to apply in order to obtain a surface in conformity with the required specifications by the technical drawing obeys to a specified number of rules wich we will make explicit in order to deduce a method. This method can be modeled into an algorithm to develop an application allowing the calculation of the number of operations.
We are interested by the parts that are following Iso-quality dimensioning rules on conventional machines. This work seems useful in Algeria because machining of mechanical parts is very important with conventional machine-tools.

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Keywords: Machining quality, roughness, machined surface, tolerance interval, machining elementary operation, passes number.

 


 

go to top    Effect of Diamond Ball Burnishing on Surface Characteristics and Fatigue Strength of XC55 Steel
        by H. Hamadache, A. Amirat, K. Chaoui

 

Abstract - Investigation on the effect of surface quality of lathe machined down XC55 steel work piece on the fatigue strength has been carried out. The mechanical surface treatment was achieved by elastic-plastic cold working in the near-surface region through a ball burnishing finishing operation. The results showed improvement in surface roughness (Ra) from 1.49 µm to 0.45 µm and increase in hardness (Hv) from 300.8 to 537.35. These were in good agreement with results predicted from a mathematical model based on full factorial experiment method.
The fatigue strength of pieces subjected to ball burnishing revealed 40% and 30% high resistance then those pieces that have respectively undergone lathe turning and grinding. This was due to compressive residual stresses that the burnishing process generated on the outer surfaces.

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Keywords: Machining; Ball burnishing; Roughness; Hardness; Residual stresses; Fatigue strength.

 


 

go to top    Data Mining Techniques and Singular Spectrum Analysis for Tool Condition Monitoring in Metal Cutting

        by B. Kilundu, P. Dehombreux

 

Abstract - This paper explores the use of data mining techniques for tool condition monitoring in metal cutting. Pseudo-local Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) is performed on vibration signals measured on the toolholder. This is coupled to a pass-band filter to allow definition and extraction of features which are very sensitive to tool wear. These features are defined, in some frequency bands, from sums of Fourier coefficients of reconstructed and residual signals obtained by SSA. Rates of recognition of wear are very good and exceed 80 %. This study highlights two important aspects: strong relevance of information in high frequency vibration components and benefits of the combination of SSA and pass-band filtering to get rid of useless components (noise).

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Keywords: Data mining, vibration signal, singular spectrum analysis, tool condition monitoring.

 


 

go to top    Damage Mechanism of a Sandwich Material Tested Under Static and Cyclic Loadings in a Three Points Bending Experiment

        by S. Ellagoune, L. Fatmi, A. Rouili

 

Abstract - This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation on the damage mechanism of a sandwich material, tested under static and cyclic loading conditions in a three points bending test. Four loading levels were considered for different number of loading cycles and rates of loading. The samples were tested using a Universal machine (Zwick Roelle) allowing a loading capacity of 5 kN, monitored by a computer. The main results obtained show that for the three loading rates investigated, increasing the cyclic loading level causes a decrease in the deformation energy of the sandwich material. This observation was confirmed by the evolution of the damage mechanism related to the number of cycles applied to the sample. When analyzed by means of the optical microscope, the damage and failure mechanisms were found to be linked to the delaminating of the Core-thickness and failure of the fibers.

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Keywords: Sandwich material, cyclic loading, 3 points bending test, damage mechanism.

 


 

go to top    Influence of Internal Gears Rim Thickness and Design on Gearmesh Stiffness
        by M. R. Letaief, F. Chaari, M. Haddar

 

Abstract - In this paper, a finite elements model of a gear system composed of external and internal gear is developed. The gearmesh stiffness which is the main excitation source of the system is computed for various cases of the internal gear design. The rim thickness, the shape and the fixing mode are varied. It is shown that this design affects considerably the evolution of the gearmesh stiffness which will certainly affect the dynamic behaviour of the internal gear system.

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Keywords: Gearmesh stiffness, Internal gear, Rim shape, Rim fixing.

 


 

go to top    Morpholological Investigations in the Wear of Carbide Inserts in Milling
        by M. Benghersallah, L. Boulanouar, A. Devillez, S. Dominiak, D. Dudzinski

 

Abstract - This study is based on the examination of the morphology of the wear of the P35 metal carbide inserts and the carbide inserts with simple coating lay down TiN. The analysis was carried out initially by an exploration of the plates by white light interferometric microscope to white light. A second examination of the plates is carried out by the scanning electronic microscope with sweeping. The interferometric examination enabled us to evaluate with a very high degree of accuracy the depth of wear in the substrate composing materials of cut. It also allowed us to evaluate the thickness of the layer of the coating. The examination on the SEM consists in investigating wear and studying its morphology and identifying the chemical composition of the substrate used for the manufacture of the plates. The obtained results will be used to describe the nature of wear and the mechanism of its formation.

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Keywords: Carbide inserts, Coatings chock, Wear, White light Interferometry, Milling.

 


 

go to top    The Relationship between Auxetic and Negative Stiffness Materials Behavior. Part I. Theory
        by V. Chiroiu, L. Munteanu, D. Dumitriu

 

Abstract - The purpose of the paper is to study the relationship between the behavior of auxetic and negative stiffness materials. These materials are modeled as chiral Cosserat media. The classical mechanics fails when describes the behavior of auxetic and negative stiffness materials, because these materials exhibit chiral effects and non-affine deformations. A new architecture for a cellular elastic solid with a chess board structure composed from auxetic materials of positive and negative stiffness, is proposed. The characterization of the cellular solid with the calculation of material constants will be presented in the forthcoming paper.

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Keywords: Auxetic material, Negative Poisson’ratio, Negative stiffness material, Chess board structure.

 


 

go to top    Transport and Contact between Rigid Bodies to Simulate the Jam Formation in Urban Flows
        by S. Hadji, H. Naceur

 

Abstract - This study deals with simulation of interaction of bodies in urban flow when the bodies are assimilate to have a rectangular shape. A Galerkin type finite element discretization with velocity field richer than pressure field is employed to obtain the fluid discretized non-linear relations. The particles displacements are computed by using a rigid-body motion method and a collision strategy is developed to handle cases in which bodies touch.

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Keywords: 2D horizontal flow, Saint-Venant; Finite element, Particles, Interaction, Collision.

 


 

go to top    On the Characteristic Paths of Unsteady Incompressible Flows with Artificial Compressibility
        by K. Zamzamian, S. E. Razavi

 

Abstract - In this paper the characteristics of unsteady two-dimensional incompressible flows are obtained along with artificial compressibility. At first, the characteristic relations for one-dimensional flow are derived in a routinely manner. Then, they are extended for the two-dimensional case based on a novel approach. Mach cone and conoid passing from a point in an incompressible flow, paths of information propagation and corresponding Riemann variables are extracted using consistency and compatibility relations. It was found that the directions of pseudo acoustic waves within the incompressible flow are functions of artificial compressibility parameter which also shows the subsonic nature of flow. Unlike the compressible flow equations, the cross-section of Mach conoid with x-y plane is an ellipse having major and minor diameters parallel to coordinate axis. The domain of dependence of a point is formed by waves which propagate tangent to the Mach cone. Information propagation directions and velocities are all functions of artificial compressibility parameter.
Finally, this paper leads to following concepts:
a) Physical interpretation of pseudo-wave propagation in two-dimensional unsteady incompressible flow.
b) The influence of artificial compressibility parameter on characteristic paths of incompressible flows equations.
c) Feasibility of numerical flux design based on genuinely two-dimensional characteristics of incompressible flow equations without any simplifying assumption such as using one-dimensional characteristics relations for two-dimensional flows.
Overally, the newly obtained characteristic equations can be used as information propagation patterns for multi-dimensional incompressible flows.

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Keywords: Incompressible flow, Artificial compressibility, Two-dimensional characteristics, Mach conoid, Riemann variables, Wave angle.

 


 

go to top    Accurate Temperature Control Using Heat Pipes
        by T. Kaya, D. Mishkinis

 

Abstract - The precise temperature control of heat generating instruments under varying heat loads and sink conditions is a highly challenging task in designing thermal control systems. For space missions with very narrow temperature range requirements, this task is further complicated. In this paper, accurate temperature control methods using two-phase heat exchange devices, heat pipes and loop heat pipes, are investigated. The temperature control methods with a flight heritage and at the development phase are both reviewed. Design guidelines are recommended to help selecting the optimum thermal control method. Due to the limited power available in space missions, the control heater power is considered as the main driving requirement. The other parameters taken into account include: passive operation, reliability, mass, complexity, and temperature stability.

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Keywords: Heat Pipes, Loop Heat Pipes, Temperature Control, Two-phase Heat Transfer.

 


 

go to top   Assessment of Jet-wake Flow Structures Induced by Three-dimensional Hub Wall Contouring
        by N. Rochuon, I. Trébinjac, P. Kulisa, G. Billonnet

 

Abstract - An analysis of particular flow features induced by three-dimensional wall modification of a high-pressure centrifugal compressor impeller is presented. Referring to a first axisymmetric hub geometry previously studied, a second impeller was designed in order to reduce the effects of the jet-wake flow structure that develops in the curved part of the impeller and propagates downstream, up to the diffuser inlet. In this configuration, the hub radius rises from main-blade pressure side to next main-blade suction side.
The analysis of the flow fields is based on results of steady three-dimensional simulations. An entropy augmentation very close to the shroud produced a decrease in impeller performances while the diffuser performances remain the same. The analysis of the three-dimensional flow field shows a reduction in vortical structures from the high meridional curvature region up the impeller exit, leading to a cutback of the jet-wake structure.

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Keywords: Centrifugal compressor, Wall contouring, Numerical simulation, Turbomachinery.

 


 

go to top   A Beam FiniteElement Based on the Explicit Finite Element Method
        by L. T. Tenek

 

Abstract - The present article presents a new three-dimensional beam finite element, the element EB6, based on explicit theory [4]-[6]. To the element is assigned a set of modes. A diagonal Modal elemental stiffness matrix is formed which through a series of matrix transformations relates to the local and global coordinate systems. An initial load due to temperature is derived, as well as the elemental mass matrix and the geometric stiffness. All quantities are explicitly defined. The element is used to study a number of beam, arc, and frame structures. Computational aspects of the element are also provided.

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Keywords: Explicit FEM, beam element, modes, stress wave pattern, computing.

 


 

go to top   An Explicit Quadrilateral Shell Element
        by L. T. Tenek

 

Abstract - The present study introduces a 4-node quadrilateral shell element (which is called EQ7) for the analysis of plates and shells. The element is a flat element with 6 degrees of freedom at each node; three displacements and three rotations. It is based on the Explicit Finite Element Method. All quantities, matrices, etc., are explicitly derived. We apply to the shell element a number of modes and besides the Modal Stiffness Matrix we introduce the Modal Mass Matrix and the Modal Geometric Matrix. We employ also an iterative scheme for the solution of the linear system of equations. Numerical simulations are provided. Stress Wave Patterns are found in deforming plates and shells. Because all quantities are explicitly derived, the theory and method is suited for efficient computer implementation.

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Keywords: Shell element, modes, modal matrices, stress wave patterns.

 


 

go to top   Optimization of Vibration Frequencies of Rotors via Rayleigh-Ritz Method and Genetic Algorithms
        by J. L. Marcelin

 

Abstract - This paper deals with the optimization of vibration frequencies of rotors using Rayleigh-Ritz function approximations in computationally intensive genetic design, in the dynamic field. The research strategy consists in substituting an approximate response from a Rayleigh-Ritz method for finite element calculations in the optimization process (genetic algorithm). It is demonstrated that using GAs with the Rayleigh-Ritz method is a very attractive and powerful response for such a problem, that is when the objective function has no derivatives and when several optimal solutions simultaneously exist.

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Keywords: Optimization of rotors, Rayleigh-Ritz, Genetic Algorithm.

 


 

go to top   Application of Virtual Reality in Improvement and Optimization of Bump Steering Response of McPherson Suspension Mechanism
        by H. Habibi, K. H. Shirazi

 

Abstract - In the present work the bump-steering characteristics of front suspension system is optimized using the kinematic modelling in the three-dimensional virtual space. The virtual space is prepared by the engineering software namely Visual Nastran (VN). The bump-steering is defined as uncontrollable changes in the steering angle of steered wheels due to the bumping. This uncontrollable rotational motion of the wheels not only affects the dynamic stability of the vehicle but also it can be a source of tire wearing and shimmy. Although due to the three-dimensional nature of the suspension mechanism it cannot be completely suppressed. In this paper, the special career to simulate of the three-dimensional linkage of McPherson-strut mechanism for bumping maneuver in software medium is briefly explained. Then a 3D kinematic analysis utilizing vectorial mathematics is developed so after determination of kinematic behavior of mechanism in bumping situation it would be able to check the reliability of built suspension mechanism in VN space for performing the optimization process. Using the prepared model a study for minimizing the steering errors including deviation of camber, caster and steering angles due to the bumping of the front wheel versus the dimensional properties of the mechanism is accomplished. To achieve the best steering performances, the optimum length and angle of the mechanism’s members are obtained. It is shown that for synthesis, design, improvement and optimization of such three-dimensional linkages, the virtual reality can be applied as a fast and reliable tool.

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Keywords: Bump steering, McPherson-strut, Optimization, Steering angle, Visual Nastran.

 


 

go to top   Numerical Simulation of Solidification Processes in Continuous Casting. Influence of Casting Speed
        by M. Belahouel, R. Boumedmed

 

Abstract - In the continuous casting process, the mould region is a key tool to improve steel cleanliness; however its major role is the setting of cast product form and to ensure a formation of a sufficiently thick solidified shell to contain the molten metal at the exit of mold. In recent years, many mathematical models for continuous casting have been developed Most of the models, presented in literature can only be used for simulation of steady state casting using a finite element or finite difference methods. In this paper, two dimensional numerical prediction of slab solidification in the continuous casting is presented. Numerical prediction is based on the commercial finite volume software FLUENT (6.2). On the basis of numerical results, it is possible to calculate temperature field distribution in mould region, temperature profiles and the thickness of solidified shell. Thereafter, to predict the impact of casting speed on slab continuous casting.

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Keywords: Continuous casting; Numerical model; Heat transfer and solidification; Casting speed.

 


 

go to top   Biomimetic Actuation and Control of an Anthropomorphic Finger
        by Konstantinos Andrianesis, Anthony Tzes, Efthymios Kolyvas, Yannis Koveos

 

Abstract - One of the primary issues in the development of compact and lightweight anthropomorphic devices is closed related to the utilized actuators and their capability to operate in a muscle-like, biomimetic way. Novel, smart material based, high powered actuators such as Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) prove to be competent to serve this purpose. In this article, a lightweight anthropomorphic finger actuated by SMAs is presented. The finger prototype is patterned after human anatomy and consists of three pin joints allowing flexion-extension movements. Flexion movements in each active joint are achieved via the contraction of thin integral SMA wires, while antagonistic force for extension movements is provided by standard coil springs. Open and closed loop control tests are conducted using direct visual sensory information as feedback and classical decoupled PID/PD controllers providing satisfactory system responses. The experimental results show in practice the alloys’ potential encouraging future works with this type of technology.

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Keywords: Anthropomorphic Finger, Image Processing, NiTi actuators, Shape Memory Alloys.

 


 


 
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