Mechanical Engineering

The present research paper examines the factors which a company must consider while implementing Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) practices. Three companies from Indian “Food and Beverage” (F&B) sector are examined in their approach to be more sustainable. The research method employed is comparative case study analysis. Semi-structured interviews are held with two relevant managers from each company. Top-management support is crucial for effectively working GSCM practices. Employee involvement is recognized as crucial element of GSCM. An environmental friendly company culture is beneficial and should be derived from the companies’ environmental vision and mission. Collaborations with suppliers are perceived to be productive and essential to develop innovative products.

The utilization of liquid fuels such as biodiesel produced from various sources by trans_esterification process represents one of the most promising options for the use of conventional fossil fuels. The properties such as aniline point, density, fire point, flash point, viscosity, Cloud point and Pour point were found out for bio fuels. The same characteristics study was also carried out for the DF. Tests carried out to evaluate the performance, emission, and combustion characteristics diesel engine fuelled with 10%, 30%, 50% and 70% of alternative fuel (oil) Neem, Madhuca, Jatropa, Diesel, Laurel blended with diesel fuel (DF).

The study has been done on the basis of questionnaire survey in the twenty-degree engineering colleges from West Bengal and foreign countries by random selection, ten colleges from each to measure the current or baseline performance level. The feedback for this questionnaire survey has been considered independently for service providers such as administrators, faculties, other supporting staff as well as students who receive these services and are direct customers. A total of 2168 persons have been surveyed from the 20 colleges. The baseline or current performance level of the colleges has been assessed based on the sigma level through quantification of the survey questionnaire consisting of eight enablers. Each enabler contains several questions or drivers. A seven-point scale has been designed for each driver ranging from “Unsatisfactory” to “Outstanding”.

In this study, the experiment was conducted using a diesel engine single cylinder four-stroke direct injection, air-cooled. Used in the experiment are four types of fuel: pure diesel, mixture of methanol and diesel by methanol 8% -16% and 24%, three levels of speeds 1500, 2000 and 2500 rpm .we studied in this research The engine performance parameters which included, thermal efficiency, brake specific fuel consumption, noise level ,friction power.

The cutting forces required for machining of a material are important factors in production design that need to be evaluated carefully for newly developed materials. The cutting forces directly influence the power requirement of the machine tool, tool deflection and tool wear, among other things. In this study a computational model will be developed for prediction of cutting forces in end milling of metal matrix composites. Modeling of cutting forces in milling involves evaluation of chip load, instantaneous shear angle, strain rate and temperature dependent shear stress. The computational model will be validated against experimental data from measurements of cutting forces during end milling of composites under different conditions. The validated model will then be used to conduct a parametric study on the influence of feed rate (f), depth of cutting (a), cutting speed (v), and other cutting parameters on the cutting forces generated during the end milling of composites.

Since the inception industrial revolution, a continuous attempt is being made to recover and minimize the waste heat. With the time various waste heat recovery system is developed. In the present research paper an exhaustive review on heat pipe is done. Various aspects and application is described and the view of authors is presented here. Further, the wide application of heat pipe to recover waste heat from the exhaust of IC engine id discussed and salient conclusion is drawn which indicates that, a wide scope is available for further research on heat pipe and especially in the relation of IC engine exhaust heat recovery system.

A numerical model has been formulated to simulate the capillary tube in split air conditioners of 1 and 2 TR capacities under high outdoor air temperatures. The outdoor air temperature was varied from 35 to 55°C with 5 °C increments. Three environment friendly refrigerants were used as alternatives to R22. They are R290, R407C and R410A. Finite difference method has been adopted in conjunction with EES software. This model is capable of predicting pressure, temperature, quality, velocity and viscosity distributions through the capillary tube for all refrigerants. The geometrical parameters and input conditions to the capillary tube model are extracted from experimental data. These include inner diameter, mass flow rate, surface roughness, temperature and pressure of the subcooled liquid refrigerant.The results show that the capillary choking length increases with increasing outdoor air temperature. Results of the simulation show that R290 needs more capillary length than the other refrigerants investigated, whereas R410A needs less capillary tube length.

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the influence of cutting parameters of wire cut Electrical Discharge Machining (Wire-EDM) during the machining of Inconel825.Demand for better surface finish has been increasing recently for super alloys. The low rigidity and high material removal rate of Inconel alloys offers a challenging task in obtaining a better surface finish. The analysis of surface characteristics like surface roughness of Inconel-825 is carried out and an excellent machined finish can be obtained by setting the machining parameters at optimum level. Experimentation has been done by using Taguchi’s L18 (21x37) orthogonal array under different conditions of parameters. The response of surface roughness is considered for improving the machining efficiency. Optimal combinations of parameters were obtained by this method. The confirmation experiment shows, the significant improvement in surface finish (1.36µm) was obtained. Multiple linear regression model have been developed relating the process parameters and machining performance indicates the suitability of the proposed model in predicting surface roughness. The regression analysis are used to predict the error between actual and regression values of surface roughness in Wire EDM process. Experimental results demonstrate that the machining model is suitable and the Taguchi’s method satisfies the practical requirements.

This review describes the concept of Sustainable Development with emphasis on company’s approaches towards improving environmental performance and the effect of environmental legislation on the company’s performance. A proactive approach towards improving environmental performance often leads to improvement in company’s performance because resources are optimally utilised, and there is diversification in business activities through the creation of vital products from waste. Other benefits include excellent public image, reduction in the cost of landfill or landfill tax, avoidance of environmental fines, and availability of sufficient time to plan for the possible changes in the future. Environmental Management Systems and Life Cycle Analysis/Assessment of products are some of the fundamental measures required to take a proactive approach towards improving environmental performance and company’s performance. With various evidence obtained from some multinational corporations, this review confirms that the benefits of a proactive approach towards improving environmental performance of any organisation outweighs its cost.

Seats are one of the most important components of automotives. In recent years, customer expectations for automotive comfort are increasing, and the development of seats that cause little fatigue, even for long distance driving, has been required. Automotive manufacturers recognize comfort as one of the major selling point, as it is thought to play an important role for buyers as well. This literature review incorporates previous studies related to automotive seating comfort and discomfort. It summarizes key literature related to seating design and criteria and reviews comfort issues in automotive seating. The aim of this paper is to describe the measurement methods that are used to improve the physiological comfort of automotive driver’s seat. The paper has 3 sections. First, we explain the nature of sitting comfort and discomfort. Secondly, we describe the subjective and objective measurement methods that are used to evaluate the automotive seat. Thirdly, we propose a methodology for the development of comfortable driver’s seats.