Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) is a private university located in&nbsp;Tamil Nadu, India. Founded in 1984, as Vellore Engineering College, the institution offers 20 undergraduate, 34 postgraduate, four integrated and four research programs. It has campuses in Vellore, Amravati, Bhopal and Chennai.

VIT is one of the top ranked private universities in India according to NIRF, THE and QS Rankings.&nbsp;Govt. of India has recognized&nbsp;VIT, Vellore as an&nbsp;Institution of Eminence. This has allowed VIT to take independent quality initiatives and move up in world ranking.

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VIT University

Nickel-based alloys like Inconel 718 occupy a large share in the aerospace industry because of superior mechanical properties. However, Inconel 718 is categorized as a difficult to machine material. Ultrasonic assisted grinding (UAG), a hybrid grinding process has captured the attention of researchers for grinding of Inconel 718 due its inherent capability in overcoming several problems associated with processing difficult to grind (DTG) materials. Lubrication machining is used for hard to machine materials and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) is a sustainable method employed to overcome machining problems in such materials. In this context, this work aims to examine UAG of Inconel 718 under different lubrication conditions. Optimization of UAG is necessary in identifying the best parameter combination depending on the process capability of a given machine tool. For this, experimentation using Taguchi L18 orthogonal array parameter design and optimization based on Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) have been performed. The optimization has been performed using grinding forces (tangential force, Ft) and average roughness parameter (Ra) as the output parameters. Additionally, regression models have been developed to enable the prediction of response variables. To determine the factor contribution on output response ANOVA table and S N ratio analysis have been performed on the Grey Relational Grade (GRG). The statistical analysis has revealed feed has the maximum impact on Ra and cutting velocity has the least effect. Similarly, for Ft depth of cut has the maximum effect and cutting velocity has minimum effect. Confirmation experiments reveal that the regression models were able to make accurate predictions under the test conditions. © 2021 Author(s).

Department of Manufacturing Engineering

School of Mechanical Engineering

Vellore Campus

World University root node

AIP Conference Proceedings

Optimisation of ultrasonic assisted grinding of inconel 718 using grey relational analysis

The objective of the research is to develop a lightweight yet stiff, 2 piston fixed brake caliper which can be used in formula student race car. To make a race car, its components need to be lighter. To stop a car with minimum stopping distance, it needs to have a sophisticated braking system with well-designed components. The designing of the caliper is carried out on the Altair Inspire software. The topology optimisation algorithm is used to minimise the weight of the caliper without compromising the stiffness. The structural analysis is also carried out on the Altair Inspire. The caliper is also tested for fatigue failure using Ansys. © 2020SAE International. All Rights Reserved.

SAE Technical Papers

Topology optimisation of brake caliper

Ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding (UAG) has proven to lower the forces and improve the ground surface quality while shaping difficult to grind materials such as ceramics. A systematic study of UAG of alumina ceramic using a metal bonded diamond grinding wheel has been performed here. Taguchi's L18 array based experimentation has been performed to study the effect of UAG parameters. During UAG, the vibration amplitudes of 6 and 12 microns have been used and the frequency has been kept at 20 kHz. From these experiments, optimum parameters for UAG have been identified using Grey relational analysis. Mathematical models generated using regression analysis have been found to correlate the experimental data with good accuracy. A comparison of the grinding forces and roughness of the surfaces generated in dry and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) conditions in both conventional grinding and optimal condition in UAG has been performed to identify the beneficial effects of providing vibration to the workpiece. The surface quality has been evaluated using 3D roughness data, 3D plots and SEM images of the ground surface. By examining nature of the ground surface and kurtosis (Sku) values of the surface profile, it has been concluded that UAG reduces brittle fracture and facilitates material removal by ductile mode for alumina. The desired condition of least machining forces and highest surface quality has been achieved during the combination of UAG and MQL. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.

Fulltext

Materials Research Express

Grinding characteristics during ultrasonic vibration assisted grinding of alumina ceramic in selected dry and MQL conditions

A Formula Student race car is a car designed and manufactured for speed, performance, and competition. For a car to have high speed and performance, their parts also need to be lighter with being able to sustain the dynamically occurring stresses. Effective braking is a crucial factor which determines the performance of the car. This paper focuses on designing a brake caliper on the basis of calculations done with respect to a Formula Student race car, selecting a material which is of low density but with higher strength which can be easily manufactured with low cost and analyzing the design. Further, the manufactured part is also tested statically to ensure proper working before being tested on an actual formula student race car. The caliper is again tested dynamically, where the caliper is mounted on rear wheels of the car. To ensure proper working, brake pressure sensors are being mounted which also helps to validate the calculations. The computer-aided design model is created in Solidworks 2017 and is analyzed for the factor of safety, stress, and deformation is ANSYS workbench 16.2. © 2019 SAE International. All Rights Reserved.

VIT Unitversity

SAE Technical Paper Series

Design and Testing of Custom Brake Caliper of a Formula Student Race Car

Aluminium 7075 being the workhorse of the Aluminum series has a wide range of applications in industries like aerospace, automotive, transport, etc. due to its high strength to density ratio, light weight and good corrosion resistance. It has been observed that it is difficult to weld the 7075 alloy using Tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding metal inert gas (MIG) welding or any other conventional method as it encounters solidification and recrystallization problems like cracking and porosity which hamper the weld strength. Hence, in this paper we have attempted to weld the 7075 alloy using friction stir welding, a solid state welding process that does not involve the melting of the sample and hence avoids problems related to solidification of the weld. The weld strength of the same is tested by applying tensile test, hardness test and microstructure analysis. The aforementioned tests are applied on the 7075 alloy welded by autogenous TIG welding and the weld strength of the two welding methods is compared © 2019 Elsevier Ltd.

Materials Today: Proceedings

Comparative Study of Weld Characteristics of Friction Stir Welded Joints on Aluminium 7075 with Autogenous TIG

About 10% of the world’s workforce is directly dependent on agriculture for income and about 99% of food consumed by humans comes from farming. Agriculture is highly climate dependent and with global warming and rapidly changing weather it has become necessary to closely monitor the environment of growing crops for maximizing output as well as increasing food security while minimizing resource usage. In this study, we developed a low cost system which will monitor the temperature, humidity, light intensity and soil moisture of crops and send it to an online server for storage and analysis, based on this data the system can control actuators to control the growth parameters. The three tier system architecture consists of sensors and actuators on the lower level followed by an 8-bit AVR microcontroller which is used for data acquisition and processing topped by an ESP8266 Wi-Fi module which communicates with the internet server. The system uses relay to control actuators such as pumps to irrigate the fields; online weather data is used to optimize the irrigation cycles. The prototyped system was subject to several tests, the experimental results express the systems reliability and accuracy which accentuate its feasibility in real-world applications.

Department of Control and Automation

School of Electrical Engineering

Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Internet of Things based Wireless Plant Sensor for Smart Farming

Extensive research has gone into enhancing the thermal efficiency of heat pipes using conventional fluids for over a decade. The enhanced thermal properties of heat pipes using nanofluids has also been researched upon by various researchers over the past few years. The study shows that the thermal characteristics of the heat pipe are enhanced using nanofluids in comparison to conventional working fluids. This paper summarizes our research on the thermal effect of four different nanofluids in heat pipe and identifies the possibility of nanofluid that can be successfully used to improve thermal efficiency of heat pipes. © IAEME Publication.

International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Technology

Theoretical investigation on the effect of nanofluids on heat transfer characteristics in a heat pipe

Petroleum coke, a byproduct of the oil refining process is used as a source of energy given its high carbon content. The high ignition temperature and low volatile matter of petcoke poses combustion problems in a FBC boiler. This is sought to be mitigated by cofiring of biomass with coke. Biomass blends of 15% and 30% by weight of rice straw by weight have been used in this study. This paper presents the initial findings of a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) done on petroleum coke and rice straw blends to evaluate their combustion characteristics. It is observed that the ignition time and temperature has been lowered and the reactivity of petcoke has increased resulting in better combustion characteristics in the presence of rice straw. The boiler thermal efficiency has also improved due to cofiring. © 2017 IEEE.

TENCON 2017 - 2017 IEEE Region 10 Conference

Evaluation of combustion performance of petroleum coke/rice straw blends for cofiring in a FBC boiler

Choroidal Melanoma is a type of eye tumor found in the Choroidal tissue. Tumor has a very high metabolic activity which raises the temperature of the tissues in its surrounding. The heat generated by tumor would tend to increase the temperature on the corneal surface of eye. This resulting thermal asymmetry and increase in temperature maybe used in the detection of tumor. The proposed method aims to find out the variation in temperature distribution on cornea's surface due to the presence of tumor. A 3D eye model had been developed for this study. Tumors of various sizes are introduced at different locations in the eye model. The effects on the corneal temperature with reference to a normal eye have been studied. The results indicate that the presence of tumors T2, T3 (maximum in size) can be detected by the proposed method, whereas the temperature variation in the corneal surface produced by T1 tumor (least in size) is not significant enough to be detected. This analysis proved that thermal imaging of the human eye is a promising method in the detection of Choroidal melanoma compared to the existing diagnostic techniques. © 2006-2017 Asian Research Publishing Network (ARPN).

ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences

Fem modelling of human eye for investigating the thermal effects of tumor on the ocular surface temperature

The developed method presents a new concept for replacing the conventionally used stethoscope with a smart stethoscope. The real time acquisitions of heart and lung sound are initially discussed in the first phase. The second phase extends towards filtering and signal analyzing algorithm implementation. The last phase differentiates the heart rate and lung sound from the resulting waveform. The processed signals measure heart rate and display the real time lung sound signal that can be visually compared with the sound samples of respiratory diseases for its diagnosis. This user-friendly, cost efficient device is thus developed to assist the doctors for arriving in accurate results and conclusions. Since less medical attendant is required, the device could be a home care appliance that can help all age groups in detection of heart and lung diseases. A Low Cost, Home Care Smart Stethoscope For Diagnosis of Respiratory Diseases and Heart Rate Measurement. © IAEME Publication.