Production of near net shape thin strips using vertical twin roll casting method has been studied. In a typical VTRC process, the simultaneous action of solidification and rolling makes the process quite attractive as well as complicated. An industrially popular alloy A356 has been chosen for the VTRC processing. It is challenging to identify VTRC processing parameters for the alloy to produce thin strips because of its freezing range and complex composition. In the present work processing parameters of VTRC like roll speed, roll gap, melt superheat and the interface convective heat transfer coefficient have been investigated through modelling of the process. The mathematical model was developed which simultaneously solves the heat transfer, fluid flow and solidification, using commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4. VTRC sheets of alloy A356 were produced in an experimental set up and attempts were made to correlate the microstructures of VTRC A356 alloy to that predicted from the numerical studies to validate the model.
In the present time, advanced high strength steel (AHSS) has secured a dominant place in the automobile sector due to its high strength and good toughness along with the reduced weight of car body which results in increased fuel efficiency, controlled emission of greenhouse gases and increased passengers’ safety. In the present study, four new advanced high strength steels (AHSS) have been developed using three different processing routes, i.e., thermomechanical controlled processing (TMCP), quenching treatment (QT), and quenching & tempering (Q&T) processes, respectively. The current steels have achieved a better combination of the high level of strength with reasonable ductility in case of TMCP as compared to the other processing conditions. The achievable ultrahigh strength is primarily attributed to mixed microstructure comprising lower bainite and lath martensite as well as grain refinement and precipitation hardening.
This article presents a case study of a large wedge failure. It took place during excavation of the last bench of storage cavern with an approximate dimension of 80 m long having a depth of 8 m. The adopted intervention followed a structured approach, which included immediate rock support, geotechnical and geological investigations in the failure zone and design modifications. Back analyses of the failure zone were also carried out to assess design parameters with observed geological conditions. Re assessment in the failure zone was carried out using modified design parameters, which included shorter benches, rock support installation schemes such as longer rock bolts, reinforced ribs of shotcrete and reduced construction advances. Geotechnical monitoring in and around failure zone were carried out for recording any alarming movements in the rock mass. Initially, geotechnical monitoring was carried out in the recently excavated zone of the cavern on a daily basis. Based on continuous monitoring data for at least one week, the frequency of subsequent monitoring can be decided. In most cases the deformation of rock mass was considerably less than the alarming values which were calculated based on detailed design for different rock classes. The paper discusses the failure, investigation, cause, assessment and remedial measures to complete the construction of cavern.
The aim of the paper was to analyse relations between power in professional work and in close sexual relationships. Power in professional work was analysed with respect to the managerial position, the number of subordinates and salary. Power in close sexual relationships was determined on the basis of a sense of reinforcement of power as a sexual motivation, a propensity for sexual domination, the sense of power in relations with a partner in a close relationship, sexual assertiveness, realization of one’s own sexual phantasies and inclination to initiate sexual activity. The research was carried out on a group of 205 participants in which 100 of respondents occupied managerial positions at work and 105 were subordinates. The following tools were used: the Sense of Power Scale (Anderson, John, & Keltner, 2012), the Multidimensional Sexuality Questionnaire (Snell, Fisher, & Walters, 1993), the AMORE scale (Hill & Preston, 1996), the Need for Power and Influence Questionnaire (Bennett, 1988) and a data sheet. The results showed that power in the workplace was correlated a more frequent initiation of sexual activity, greater assertiveness in sexual matters, more frequent realisation of one’s own phantasies and an increased propensity for sexual domination.
Frequency regulation is in a first line of preference for an interconnected power system. Presence of nonlinearities in the generation systems further raises the complexity level of the problem. In this scenario, this article presents a robust Automatic Generation Control (AGC) mechanism to maintain the frequency and tie-line power of the power system to their nominal values. A Coefficient Diagram Method (CDM) based AGC mechanism including an AC/DC tie-line and Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) has been developed and the performance in handling the frequency regulation has been analyzed. The nonlinearities such as Governor Dead-Band (GDB) and Generation Rate Constraint (GRC) are included in the system to analyze the proposed AGC scheme in a more realistic approach. The AC/DC tie-line and UPFC which are included in the proposed AGC scheme provides an immense strength to handle the active power variation as-well-as frequency regulation. To develop a more effective AGC scheme, the parameters of an AC/DC tie-line and UPFC are optimized by successful implementation of the Fruit Fly Optimization Algorithm (FOA). The justification of the proposed AGC scheme has been carried out through a step by step verification such as justifying the CDM based controller, effectiveness of the proposed scheme and robustness of the system against parameters variation. The CDM based controller has been compared with the conventional controllers to elevate the effectiveness and the supremacy of the proposed AGC scheme has been examined by comparing with previously published work. The design and simulation of the work has been carried out by the MATLAB/Simulink® tool box.
The microscale deformation behaviour of the Al-4.5Cu-2Mg alloy has been studied to understand the influence of various processing routes and conditions, i.e. the gravity casting with and without grain refiner, the rheocast process and the strain induced melt activation (SIMA) process. The micromechanics based simulations have been carried out on the optical microstructures of the alloy by 2D representative volume elements (RVEs) employing two different boundary conditions. Microstructural morphology, such as the grain size, the shape and the volume fraction of α-Al and binary eutectic phases have a significant effect on the stress and strain distribution and the plastic strain localization of the alloy. It is found that the stress and strain distribution became more uniform with increasing the globularity of the α-Al grain and the α-Al phase volume fraction. The simulated RVEs also reveals that the eutectic phase carries more load, but least ductility with respect to the α-Al phase. The SIMA processed alloy contains more uniform stress distribution with less stress localization which ensures better mechanical property than the gravity cast, grain refined and rheocast alloy.
We studied the thermophilous grass Bromus erectus in Central Europe to determine its pattern of population genetic structure and genetic diversity, using ISSR-PCR fingerprinting to analyze 200 individuals from 37 populations. We found three genetic groups with a clear geographic structure, based on a Bayesian approach. The first group occurred west and south of the Alps, the second east and north of the Alps, and the third was formed by four genetically depauperated populations in Germany. The populations from Germany formed a subset of the Bohemian-Moravian populations, with one private allele. Two differentiation centers, one in the Atlantic- Mediterranean and the second in the Pannonian-Balkan area, were recognized by species distribution modeling. The geographic distribution of the genetic groups coincides with the syntaxonomic split of the Festuco-Brometea class into the Festucetalia valesiaceae and Brometalia erecti orders. We found a statistically significant decrease in mean ISSR bands per individual from south to north, and to a lesser extent from the east to west. The former was explained by Holocene long-distance migrations from southern refugia, the latter by the difference in the gradient of anthropopression. We hypothesize a cryptic northern shelter of the species in Central Europe in the putative Moravian-Bohemian refugium.
In manufacturing industries, the selection of machine parameters is a very complicated task in a time-bound manner. The process parameters play a primary role in confirming the quality, low cost of manufacturing, high productivity, and provide the source for sustainable machining. This paper explores the milling behavior of MWCNT/epoxy nanocomposites to attain the parametric conditions having lower surface roughness (Ra) and higher materials removal rate (MRR). Milling is considered as an indispensable process employed to acquire highly accurate and precise slots. Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is very trendy among the nature-stimulated metaheuristic method used for the optimization of varying constraints. This article uses the non-dominated PSO algorithm to optimize the milling parameters, namely, MWCNT weight% (Wt.), spindle speed (N), feed rate (F), and depth of cut (D). The first setting confirmatory test demonstrates the value of Ra and MRR that are found as 1:62 μm and 5.69 mm3/min, respectively and for the second set, the obtained values of Ra and MRR are 3.74 μm and 22.83 mm3/min respectively. The Pareto set allows the manufacturer to determine the optimal setting depending on their application need. The outcomes of the proposed algorithm offer new criteria to control the milling parameters for high efficiency.
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