Geographical names reflect a complex intermingling of language, culture, history, and economics. The disappearance of names for small physiographical features, known only to small local communities, is driven in part by changes in economic activity – a process that may be observed in the micro-toponymy of the Hutsul region in Ukraine
Recent developments in automation and technology have revolutionized the way products are made. It is directly seen in the evolution of part miniaturization in the sectors such as aerospace, electronics, biomedicine and medical implants. Micromachining is a promising technology to fulfill the need of miniaturization. A review has been done on the micromachining processes such as micro electric discharge machining (micro-EDM) and wire EDM (WEDM), micro electrochemical machining (micro-ECM). Recent literature were studied and categorized in terms of materials, process parameters, performances, product manufactured, and miniature product generation. Starting with brief introduction to micromachining, classifications and applications, technical aspects of discussions from the literature have been presented on key factors such as parameters and the response variables. Important aspects of recast layer, heat effected zone, micro-hardness, micro cracks, residual stress, etc., have been given. A special focus is given to the status of the research on microgear manufacturing. Comparison has been made between other conventional process suitable for micro-gear manufacturing and WEDM. The miniature gear machined by WEDM shows the defect-free microstructure, better surface finish, thin recast layer and improved gear quality parameters such as profile and pitch. Finally, the research gaps and future research directions have been presented.
Main energy conversion machinery used and to be used in cogeneration systems are schematically described. Some assets of the distributed generation are pointed out and small-scale cogeneration systems designed for energy units of distributed cogeneration are described.
In the small scale, turbines and bearings are a source of specific problems connected with securing stable rotor operation. Accepted has been two kinds of high speed micro-turbines of electric power about 3 KW with multistage axial and radial rotors supported on foil bearings. A concept which becomes more and more attractive takes into account a low-boiling agent, which is normally used in the thermal cycle of the micro-turbine, as the lubricating liquid in the bearings (so-called ORC based systems). Of some importance is the operation of these machines at a low noise emission level, sine being parts of the household equipment they could disturb the calm of the residents. The scope of the present article is limited to the discussion of dynamic characteristics of the selected design. The properties of the rotor combined with slide bearings (foil bearings in this particular case) were taken under investigation. A combination of this type is a certain novelty since a typical modal analysis of such objects refers to a rotor itself. Analysing the dynamic state of the "home" power plants requires qualitatively novel research tools.
The economics of an ORC system is strictly linked to thermodynamic properties of the working fluid. A bad choice of working fluid could lead to a less efficient and expensive plant/generation unit. Some selection criteria have been put forward by various authors, incorporating thermodynamic properties, provided in literature but these do not have a general character. In the paper a simple analysis has been carried out which resulted in development of thermodynamic criteria for selection of an appropriate working fluid for subcritical and supercritical cycles. The postulated criteria are expressed in terms of non-dimensional numbers, which are characteristic for different fluids. The efficiency of the cycle is in a close relation to these numbers. The criteria are suitable for initial fluid selection. Such criteria should be used with other ones related to environmental impact, economy, system size, etc. Examples of such criteria have been also presented which may be helpful in rating of heat exchangers, which takes into account both heat transfer and flow resistance of the working fluid.
Mesoscale flows of liquid are of great importance for various nano- and biotechnology applications. Continuum model do not properly capture the physical phenomena related to the diffusion effects, such as Brownian motion. Molecular approach on the other hand, is computationally too expensive to provide information relevant for engineering applications. Hence, the need for a mesoscale approach is apparent. In recent years many mesoscale models have been developed, particularly to study flows of gas. However, mesoscale behaviour of liquid substantially differs from that of gas. This paper presents a numerical study of micro-liquids phenomena by a Voronoi Dissipative Particle Dynamics method. The method has its origin from the material science field and is one of very few numerical techniques which can describe correctly molecular diffusion processes in mesoscale liquids. This paper proves that correct prediction of molecular diffusion effects plays predominant role on the correct prediction of behaviour of immersed structures in the mesoscopic flow.
The process of synchronization of synchronous generators and power electronic converters with the power grid may take on quite different forms. This is due to their specific principles of operation and essential differences in energy conversion process. However, since synchronous generators and power converter often operate in the same utility network, coherent rules should be defined for them. Therefore, this paper aims at a formulation of the uniform and consistent interpretation of synchronization with the power grid for both types of aforementioned units. The author starts from the classic interpretation of synchronization for synchronous generators and power electronic converters, considered as micro-generators, specifies their mathematical and numerical models and then performs simulation tests. Selected synchronization algorithms are described in detail. Simulation tests are used for analysis of the elaboration of outcomes. The results of simulation tests are handled to formulate a uniform interpretation of synchronization for the micro-generation systems considered. Based on the results obtained, appropriate parallels are built between the two systems being compared. It is shown that the synchronization processes are identical regardless of the micro-generation unit considered. Nonetheless, they differ significantly due to their properties in transient states. Inverter systems have higher dynamics but their disadvantage lies in the relatively high sensitivity to disturbances and the complex selection process of the synchronization algorithm.
The article presents the problem of micro-apartments. The issue is presented in a cross-sectional view, covering both the historical overview and current trends. The problem has been discussed against the background of demographic factors that justify the trend of minimizing living space. In addition to spatial issues, the paper presents the social and psychological issues related to small-scale inhabitation, as well as legal frames concerning minimal size of the flats.
The micro-Particle Image Velocimetry (micro-PIV) was used to measure flow velocities in micro-channels
in two passive micromixers: a microfluidic Venturi mixer and a microfluidic spiral mixer, both preceded
by standard “Y” micromixers. The micro-devices were made of borosilicate glass, with micro-engineering
techniques dedicated to micro-PIV measurements. The obtained velocity profiles show differences in the
flow structure in both cases. The micro-PIV enables understanding the micro-flow phenomena and can help
to increase reproducibility of micromixers in mass production.
Evolution of many high technologies such as microelectronics, microsystem technology and nanotechnology involves design, application and testing of technical structures, whose size is being decreased continuously. Scanning probe microscopes (SPM) are therefore increasingly used as diagnostic and measurement instruments. Consequently the demand for standardized calibration routines for this kind of equipment rises. Up to now, there has been no in generally accepted guideline on how to perform SPM calibration procedure. In this article we discuss calibration scheme and focus on several critical aspects of SPM characterization e.g. the determination of the static and dynamic physical properties of the cantilever, the influence factors which need to be considered when plotting a scheme for the calibration of the force and displacement sensitivity.
Heat flow in heterogeneous media with complex microstructure follows tortuous path and therefore determination of temperature distribution in them is a challenging task. Two-scales, micro-macro model of heat conduction with phase change in such media was considered in the paper. A relation between temperature distribution on the microscopic level, i.e., on the level of details of microstructure, and the temperature distribution on the macroscopic level, i.e., on the level where the properties were homogenized and treated as effective, was derived. The expansion applied to this relation allowed to obtain its more simplified, approximate form corresponding to separation of micro- and macro-scales. Then the validity of this model was checked by performing calculations for 2D microstructure of a composite made of two constituents. The range of application of the proposed micro-macro model was considered in transient states of heat conduction both for the case when the phase change in the material is present and when it is absent. Variation of the effective thermal conductivity with time was considered and a criterion was found for which application of the considered model is justified.
Biosensors are a crucial part of most of bioanalytical diagnostic devices and systems. Due to semiconductor technologies, a great progress in diminution of costs and miniaturisation as well as an increased reliability of these devices was achieved. Application of
molecular and biological techniques in the detection process has contributed to a real increase in sensitivity, selectivity, the detection limit and the number of analytes to be detected. Different transducers of chemical parameters into electrical output signals are applied in these devices. Electrochemical principles, both potentiometric and amperometric, are opted for due to their simplicity of application and extremely low costs of such biosensors. Ion sensitive field effect transistors (ISFETs) may be easily integrated into the required electronics, resulting in their miniaturisation. Further miniaturisation may be attained by development of miniaturised total analytical systems (uTAS). To ensure competitive parameters of these biosensors, optimal methods of immobilisation of biochemical receptors (ionophores, enzymes, antibodies, etc.) should be developed. A review of the work by the authors related to these problems is presented in the article.
The paper presents a numerical study on the heat transfer and pressure drop, related to flow in pipes with helical micro-fins. For all tested geometries, one applied a constant wall heat flux and fully developed 3D turbulent flow conditions. The influence of the angle of micro fins (referred to the tube axis) on thermal-flow characteristics were tested. The value of this angle was varied – with a step of 10 degrees – from 0 to 90 degrees (representing grooves parallel and perpendicular to the axis, respectively). Before numerical investigation, the pipe with helical angle of 30 degree was tested on an experimental stand. The results obtained from experiment and numerical simulations were compared and presented on the charts. As an effect of the numerical simulations, the friction factor f and Nusselt number characteristics was determined for the range of Re=104/1.6x106. The analysis of the results showed high, irregular influence of the helical angle on thermal characteristics and pressure drops. Additionally, the ratios: f/fplain, Nu/Nuplainand efficiency indexes (Nu/Nuplain)/( f/fplain) as a function of the Reynolds number for every helical angle were shown on the charts.
Heavy metal ions (e.g. cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, arsenic, lead, zinc) have significantly serious side effects on the human health. They can bind with proteins and enzymes, altering their activity, increasing neurotoxicity, generating reactive oxygen species (ROS), promote cellular stress and resulting in their damage. Furthermore, the size, shape and type of metal are important for considering nano- or microtoxicity. It then becomes clear that the levels of these metals in drinking water are an important issue. Herein, a new micro-mechanical sensor is proposed to detect and measure these hazardous metals. The sensor consists of a micro-beam inside a micro-container. The surface of the beam is coated with a specific protein that may bind heavy metals. The mass adsorbed is measured using the resonant frequency shift of the micro-beam. This frequency shift due to the admissible mass (which is considered acceptable for drinking water based on the World Health Organization (WHO) standard) of manganese (Mn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) is investigated for the first, second and third mode, respectively. Additionally, the effects of micro-beam off-center positions inside the micro-container and the mass location are investigated.
Metal matrix composites (MMC) are finding application in many fields such as aerospace and automobile industries. This is due to their advantages such as light weight and low cost. Among all the available non-traditional machining processes, wire electric discharge machining (WEDM) is found to be a suitable method for producing complex or intricate shapes in composite materials. In this study, an aluminum metal matrix composite (AMMC) with 6% and 8% weight (wt) fraction of Al2O3 is prepared through the stir casting process. The fabricated AMMC specimen is machined using WEDM, considering various process parameters such as wt % of reinforcement, gap voltage (Vg), peak current (IP) wire tension (WT) and dielectric pressure (Pd). Output responses such as the machining rate (MR) and surface roughness (Ra) of the slots are analyzed by conducting L18 mixed orthogonal array (OA) experiments. The experiments are analyzed using techniques for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the analyses, the optimum combination of process parameters for better MR and Ra is as follows: wt % = 6 gm, Vg = 53 V, Ip = 8 A, WT = 11 g, Pd = 13 bar. The optimum level of process parameters for MR and Ra are 1.5 mm/min and 3.648 µm, respectively. Based on ANOVA, the peak current is found to have a significant influence on MR and Ra. Moreover, based on a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image, the presence of micro-ridges, reinforcement, micro-craters, micro-cracks, recast layers and oxide formation are all analyzed on the surface being machined.
Straw-fired batch boilers, due to their relatively simple structure and low operating costs, are an excellent source of heat for a wide range of applications. A concept prototype of a cogeneration system with a straw-fired batch boiler was developed. The basic assumptions were based on the principles of the Rankine Cycle and the Organic Rankine Cycle systems with certain design modifications. Using the prototype design of a system that collects high-temperature heat from the boiler, studies were performed. The studies involved an analysis of the flue gas temperature distribution in the area of the oil exchanger, a comparison of the instantaneous power of the boiler’s water and oil circuits for different modes of operation, as well as an analysis of the flue gas. In the proposed system configuration where the electricity production supplements heat generation, the power in the oil circuit may be maintained at a constant level of approx. 20-30 kW. This is possible provided that an automatic fuel supply system is applied. Assuming that the efficiency of the electricity generation system is not less than 10%, it will be possible to generate 2-3 kW of electricity. This value will be sufficient, for an on-site operation of the boiler.
The aim of this work is to develop a numerical model capable of predicting the grain density in the Mg-based matrix phase of an AZ91/SiC composite, as a function of the total mass fraction of the embedded SiC particles. Based on earlier work in a range of alloy systems, we assume an exponential relationship between the grain density and the maximum supercooling during solidification. Analysis of data from cast samples with different thicknesses, and mass fractions of added SiCp, permits conclusions to be drawn on the role of SiCp in increasing grain density. By fitting the data, an empirical nucleation law is derived that can be used in a micro model. Numerical simulation based on the model can predict the grain density of magnesium alloys containing SiC particles, using the mass fraction of the particles as inputs. These predictions are compared with measured data.
In this study, Taguchi method is used to find out the effect of micro alloying elements like vanadium, niobium and titanium on the
hardness and tensile strength of the normalized cast steel. Based on this method, plan of experiments were made by using orthogonal
arrays to acquire the data on hardness and tensile strength. The signal to noise ratio and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are used to
investigate the effect of these micro alloying elements on these two mechanical properties of the micro alloyed normalized cast steel. The
results indicated that in the micro alloyed normalized cast steel both these properties increases when compared to non-micro-alloyed
normalized cast steel. The effect of niobium addition was found to be significantly higher to obtain higher hardness and tensile strength
when compared to other micro alloying elements. The maximum hardness of 200HV and the maximum tensile strength of 780 N/mm2
were obtained in 0.05%Nb addition micro alloyed normalized cast steel. Micro-alloyed with niobium normalized cast steel have the finest
and uniform microstructure and fine pearlite colonies distributed uniformly in the ferrite. The optimum condition to obtain higher hardness
and tensile strength were determined. The results were verified with experiments.
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