Table of Content

25 September 2016, Volume 4 Issue 3

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A holistic decision support tool for remanufacturing: end-of-life (EOL) strategy planning

S. S. Yang, N. Nasr, S. K. Ong, A. Y. C. Nee

2016, 4(3):  189-201.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0149-2

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Remanufacturing is a key enabler for sustainable production due to its effectiveness in closing the loop on material flows, extending product life cycle and reducing production waste and emission. In this paper, a holistic decision support tool to facilitate the product end-of-life (EOL) strategy planning, specifically using remanufacturing as a key strategy is presented. The proposed model incorporates checklist methods to evaluate the viability of conducting remanufacturing for a product and its components. An optimization model for determining the Pareto set of optimal EOL strategies that correspond to maximum economic profit and minimum environmental impact is presented. Since determination of this Pareto set via enumeration of all EOL strategies is prohibitively time-consuming, even for a product with a small number of components, genetic algorithm (GA), specifically NSGA-II has been utilized to achieve rapid calculation of the set of optimum EOL strategies. This NSGA-II method permits extensive sensitivity analysis to understand thoroughly the impact of situational variables, such as reverse logistic cost, technology and replacement part availability, etc., on the EOL decision making, i.e., Pareto front, and thus leading to improved strategy planning and better productdesign. The case study involving EOL treatment of two types of desktop phones is described to illustrate the utility of the proposed methodology.

Optimizing machining parameters of wire-EDM process to cut Al7075/SiCp composites using an integrated statistical approach

Thella Babu Rao

2016, 4(3):  202-216.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0148-3

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Metal matrix composites (MMCs) as advanced materials, while producing the components with high dimensional accuracy and intricate shapes, are more complex and cost effective for machining than conventional alloys. It is due to the presence of discontinuously distributed hard ceramic with the MMCs and involvement of a large number of machining control variables. However, determination of optimal machining conditions helps the process engineer to make the process efficient and effective. In the present investigation a novel hybrid multi-response optimization approach is proposed to derive the economic machining conditions for MMCs. This hybrid approach integrates the concepts of grey relational analysis (GRA), principal component analysis (PCA) and Taguchi method (TM) to derive the optimal machining conditions. The machining experiments are planned to machine Al7075/SiCp MMCs using wire-electrical discharge machining (WEDM) process. SiC particulate size and its weight percentage are explicitly considered here as the process variables along with the WEDM input variables. The derived optimal process responses are confirmed by the experimental validation tests and the results showed satisfactory. The practical possibility of the derived optimal machining conditions is also analyzed and presented using scanning electron microscope examinations. According to the growing industrial need of making high performance, low cost components, this investigation provide a simple and sequential approach to enhance the WEDM performance while machining MMCs.

Surface roughness measurement and analysis of mechanical parts based on digital holography

Wen-jing Zhou, Ke-qin Peng, Ying-jie Yu

2016, 4(3):  217-224.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0146-5

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We measure the surface roughness of the mechanical parts based on digital holography. A digital offaxis hologram recording setup for reflective samples is built. Firstly, the height reconstruction error 2.3% of the setup is calibrated by using the quartz step height standard (VLSISHS-880QC). Then, the standard scribed-line model and the grinding roughness specimen are selected as the test samples and their surface roughness are 0.095 6 μm and 0.025 3 μm, with errors 6.3%, 0.9%, respectively. The results are in good agreement with the given roughness parameters. At last, we also analyze the window effect of the filter on the roughness measurement value based on digital holography. In conclusion, the paper demonstrated effectively that the digital holography could provide the surface feature for the roughness measurement with high accuracy.

Turning of aluminum metal matrix composites: influence of the reinforcement and the cutting condition on the surface layer of the workpiece

Jan C. Aurich, Marco Zimmermann, Stefan Schindler, Paul Steinmann

2016, 4(3):  225-236.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0152-7

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Aluminum metal matrix composites (Al-MMCs) are difficult to machine. The reinforcement of aluminum using ceramic particles accelerates tool wear. Moreover, demanded machining accuracies or properties of the surface layer are difficult to achieve. In the present study, the effect of silicon carbide reinforcement particles on the surface layer of the workpiece was investigated using multiple cutting conditions for dry turning. Three differently reinforced Al-MMCs regarding the volume percentage (17% and 30%) and the particle size (0.6 μm and 3 μm) and their non-reinforced matrix were considered as the workpiece materials. The reinforcement and the cutting condition affect the results of turning. A greater particle volume percent improves the surface roughness and decreases the tensile stress in the surface. The smaller particle size caused a lower tensile stress in the surface. A general effect of the particle size on the workpiece roughness can not be concluded. The most important cutting parameter for the surface layer of the workpiece is the feed. Greater feeds decrease the tensile stress in the surface, but deteriorate the surface quality.

Hybrid fuzzy-grey-Taguchi based multi weld quality optimization of Al/Cu dissimilar friction stir welded joints

Prakash KumarSahu, Kanchan Kumari, Sukhomay Pal, Surjya K. Pal

2016, 4(3):  237-247.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0151-8

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Nowadays aluminum alloys substitute copper in various applications for weight reduction and cost savings. This paper presents fuzzy-grey Taguchi technique for optimization of friction stir welding condition with seven weld quality attributes of dissimilar Al/Cu joints with the minimum number of experiments for effective productivity and product quality. Taguchi's L₁₆ orthogonal array was used to conduct the experiments. Fuzzy inference system was adapted to convert the multi quality characteristics into an equivalent single quality parameter which was optimized by Taguchi approach. Four parameters namely, rotational speed of the tool, welding speed, plunging depth and tool pin offset were varied in four levels for investigating the effects on the process output like tensile strength, compressive strength, percentage of elongation, bending angle, weld bead thickness and average hardness at the nugget zone. The hardness profile is consistent with the variation of the structure within the nugget zone (NZ). Confirmation experiment was conducted using predicted optimum parameter setting and it showed that the proposed approach could efficiently optimize weld quality parameters. The microstructural analyses were also performed for all the zones of the joints at both Al and Cu sides. It revealed the finer grain size at the NZ compared to the base material due to dynamic recrystallization.

Experimental evaluation of blanking and piercing of PVC based composite and hybrid laminates

Vahid Zal, Hassan Moslemi Naeini, Ahmad Reza Bahramian, Behnam Abbaszadeh

2016, 4(3):  248-256.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0147-4

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Blanking is one of the high speed processes to produce flat products from sheets economically. In order to expand this process to new materials, the blanking of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)/fiberglass thermoplastic composite laminates and composite/aluminum hybrid laminates was investigated. The laminates were produced by the film stacking procedure and then blanked by circular die and punches. The blanking process was done in two levels of clearance including 4% and 8% of the laminates thickness, two levels of punch speed including 40 mm/min and 200 mm/min and at two levels of temperature (room temperature and 80℃) for both composite and hybrid laminates. The effects of the parameters on the maximum blanking force, cutting energy, and quality and precision of sheared edges were studied. Cutting mechanism for blanking in different conditions was explained. It was concluded that at room temperature, blanked composite and hybrid laminates had a high quality of sheared edges but at elevated temperature, although the maximum blanking force was reduced, the quality of sheared edge was reduced significantly.

A differentiated approach for justification of advanced manufacturing technologies

Natalia Iakymenko, Erlend Alfnes, Maria Kollberg Thomassen

2016, 4(3):  257-267.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0150-9

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European companies rely on advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs) in order to succeed in an environment of high labour costs, increasing competition and rising customer expectations. AMT implementation is often a high-risk investment. Many companies experience a misalignment between the installed functionality and production needs. There is a need for decision support in order to take into account all possible advantages and disadvantages of the technology implementation, and ensure that the technology meets the requirements of the production processes. In this article, a differentiated technology justification approach is introduced. The approach suggests a combination of strategic, financial and risk justification methods. The recommended number and type of methods depend on the integration level of the technical system under consideration, ranging from stand-alone machines to large and integrated production systems. The approach was developed based on a literature review and a case study. The application of the approach was presented in a case where several types of pipe bending technology were evaluated.

Research on deformation characteristics of JCOE forming in large diameter welding pipe

Li-Feng Fan, Jia-Xin Yan, Ying Gao, Jian-Bin Yun

2016, 4(3):  268-277.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0154-5

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In the present work, the JCOE forming is investigated using the finite element (FE) method. A twodimensional FE model is established for the plane strain condition by FE code ABAQUS, and the FE model is validated by experiments. The aim of this research is to investigate forming quality states in the JCOE forming process; in particular, the effects of technological parameters on forming quality are evaluated. Taking the JCOE forming process of X80 steel φ1 219 mm×22 mm×12 000 mm welding pipe for instance, the deformation characteristics of JCOE forming are analyzed, in which the geometry of the formed pipe, residual stress distributions and effects of process parameters on JCOE forming quality can be obtained. Thus, the presented results of this research provide an effective approach to improve welding pipe forming quality.

Experimental measurement of acoustically induced surface vibration with different soil conditions

Zi-Yang Song, Yan-Li Zhang, Chi Wang, Wen-Wen Xu, Wei Ding

2016, 4(3):  278-285.  doi:10.1007/s40436-016-0153-6

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Experimental measurement is performed to investigate the acoustically induced surface vibration with different soil conditions. Using the method of scanning detection and analyzing the three-dimensional (3D) characteristic diagram of surface vibration, the influence of soil properties, such as porosity and humidity, upon the signal of acoustically induced surface vibration is measured. The experimental results show that the surface vibration reduces with the decrease of soil porosity and reduces a little with the increase of soil humidity; and with a big plastic landmine buried, the surface vibration enhances significantly. It indicates that the signal of acoustically induced surface vibration mainly depends on soil porosity and mechanical effect of buried objects.