International Journal of Technology and Innovation

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  2 (2) pp. 075-079, February, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Nozzle type, angle and pressure effects on spray volumetric spread of broadcasting and banding application

Jose Salvador Estrada

Department of Thermo fluid, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 17 January, 2014

Abstract 

The ultimate goal of agricultural spraying application system is to put the correct amount of pesticides, in the correct place, at the correct time to reduce the pest to a level below the economic threshold in order to improve agricultural production. A spray patternator was fabricated for the selection of a suitable nozzle to have uniform distribution of the spray liquid. Experiments were conducted on a spray patternator through two types of spray nozzles (even flat fan nozzle TPE for banding application and standard flat fan nozzle TP for broadcasting application). Spray distribution was determined and compared by using single nozzle, at a height of 0.5 m under laboratory conditions. In addition, this paper examined the effect of spray fan angles 65 and 80° and liquid pressures 200 and 300 kPa on the spray distribution. The best distribution of the spray application was obtained by using banding nozzles, whereas the broadcasting nozzle gave an uneven spray distribution with a high peak just below the nozzle centre and taper off towards the edges of the spray pattern. For the two nozzle types tested, results revealed that increasing nozzle angle and pressure reduce the value of the coefficient of variation CV%.

Key words: Static spray distribution, nozzle, patternator, coefficient of variation (CV).

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  2 (2) pp. 068-074, February, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

A Study of a variety of cooking fuel alternatives towards sustainable energy utilization in Malawi

*Mizengo E. Ahmed, Salim Mkapa and Bernard Nyerere

Department of Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, The Open University of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam,Tanzania.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 6 January, 2014

Abstract

In Malawi, nearly all (95% rural and 55% urban) households depend on firewood and charcoal for cooking. Consequently, domestic cooking is contributing to unsustainable exploitation of forests which result into various adverse socioeconomic and environmental effects. On the other hand, recent scholarship has shown that cooking using other energy sources such as electricity, biogas, ethanol/gelfuel, liquefied petroleum gas, kerosene and jatropha oil is viable. The objective of this study was to find out if the available energy alternatives would be sustainably viable for cooking in Malawi. A sustainability analysis of the potential cooking fuels was conducted. It was found that a combination of electricity, ethanol/gelfuel, biogas, solar, and wood fuel (firewood and charcoal) from sustainably managed sources and use of energy efficient wood fuel stoves can provide sustainable energy for cooking in Malawi with wood fuel remaining dominant in the supply mix.

Key words: Sustainable energy, wood fuel, household energy, cooking, Malawi.

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  2 (1) pp. 060-067, January, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Upgrading of inactive vehicle suspension structure for ride comfort improvement with different speeds based on design of experiment (DOE) method

Ismaili Saadi Satrapi

Department of Automotive Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University of Shiraz, Shiraz, Iran.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 22 December, 2013

Abstract 

This paper reported on an investigation to determine the spring and damper settings that ensured optimal ride comfort of vehicle in different speeds using design of experiment method (DOE). The extent to which the ride comfort optimal suspension settings vary for roads of different roughness and varying speeds and the levels of ride comfort that can be achieved, were addressed. Optimization was performed with the DOE method on a 7 DOF modeled in MATLAB software for speeds ranging from 60 to 90 km/h. Results indicated that optimization of suspension settings using the road and specified range of speed also improved the ride comfort on the same road at the different speeds. These settings also improved ride comfort for other roads at the optimization speed and other speeds, although not as much as when optimization has been done for the particular road. For improved ride comfort, damping generally has to be lower than the standard (compromised) setting, the rear spring as soft as possible and the front spring ranging from as soft as possible to stiffer depending on road and speed conditions. Ride comfort was most sensitive to a change in rear spring stiffness.

Key words: Ride comfort, optimization, design of experiment (DOE), suspension, road condition, spring and damper.

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  2 (1) pp. 055-059, January, 2014.  © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Fixed examination of mono leaf spring with special composite materials

*Prakash E. J, Chittaranjan Gobind Singh and Akshay Mitra

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India.

E-mail: [email protected] 

Accepted 18 December, 2013

Abstract 

In the present scenario, composites are widely used in most of the industries in place of steel, due to low weight to strength ratio. In automobile industry, one can think of replacing parts with composites. The aim of this paper is to suggest the best composite material for design and fabrication of complete mono composite leaf spring. A single leaf with variable thickness and variable width for constant cross sectional area of different composite materials, with similar mechanical and geometrical properties to the multi leaf spring, were modeled and analyzed. The finite element results using ANSYS software showing stresses and deflections were verified with analytical results. The design constraints were stresses and displacement. Compared to the steel spring, the composite spring has stresses and deflection that are much lower, and the spring weight is nearly 78% lower.

Key words: Leaf spring, composite, steel spring.

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  2 (1) pp. 050-054, January, 2014. © International Scholars Journals

Review

An evaluation of interior cooling extension using baffles

*Prakash E. J, Chittaranjan Gobind Singh and Akshay Mitra

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 3 December, 2013

Abstract 

Heat transfer augmentation techniques refer to different methods used to increase rate of heat transfer without affecting much overall performance of the system. These techniques are used in heat exchangers. Like ribs, jet impingement and other passive heat transfer enhancement methods, insertion of baffle in a cooling system has been used for various types of industrial applications such as internal cooling systems of gas turbine blades, electronic cooling devices, shell and tube type heat exchangers, thermal regenerators and labyrinth seals for turbo-machines. These techniques broadly are of three types namely: passive, active and compound techniques. This paper reviews the internal cooling augmentation using different type of baffles.

Key words: Heat transfer augmentation technique, baffles, active method, passive method, compound method.

International Research Journal of Mechanical Engineering Vol.  1 (2) pp. 046-049, December, 2013. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Study on roll forming of aluminum alloy tubes

*Prakash E. J, Chittaranjan Gobind Singh and Akshay Mitra

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 28 November, 2013

Abstract 

Aluminum alloys are widely used in engineering structures and components, where light-weight and corrosion resistance are required. The roll forming process is successfully used for materials that are difficult to form by other conventional methods because of spring back, as this process achieves plastic deformation without spring back. In addition, the roll forming improves the mechanical properties of the material, especially, its hardness, and also increases the corrosion rate. In this study, an experimental investigation on roll compression forming of an aluminum alloy AA6101 tube is presented. Aluminum alloy tubes with an outer diameter of 40 mm and wall thickness of 2 mm, with a nominal tensile strength of 214 MPa, were compressed using a roll forming machine that developed pressures up to 150 kg/cm². It was found that a maximum of 15.5% reduction in the outer diameter without failure was achieved during roll forming at a pressure of 42 kg/cm². The post forming hardness, corrosion rate, micro structure and deformed grain size were also studied.

Key words: Roll forming, aluminum alloy, hardness, micro structure, corrosion rate.