Engineering Reports最新文献

{"title":"Significance of addition of carbon nanotubes and fly ash on the wear and frictional performance of aluminum metal matrix composites","authors":"Udaya Devadiga, Peter Fernandes, A. Buradi, Addisu Frinjo Emma","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12865","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12865","url":null,"abstract":"In order to improve the wear and frictional behavior of the aluminum metal matrix composites, carbon nanotube, and fly ash were added as reinforcements. Powder metallurgy technique was used to fabricate the hybrid metal matrix composites. Experimentations were carried out using pin on disc type wear test rig. The analyzed experimental results showed that, in comparison to the pure aluminum and mono reinforcement combination, the wear loss and coefficient of friction of hybrid metal matrix composites were greatly reduced. It was noted that compared to pure aluminum wear loss was decreased to 89.58%, 86.97%, 83.3% by adding 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 wt% carbon nanotube (CNT), respectively. By the addition of 4, 8 and 16 wt% FA to pure Al wear loss was decreased to 83.85%, 89.58%, and 78.12%, respectively. It was also noted that compared to Al/8 wt% FA mono reinforced composites, wear loss was decreased to 77%, 71.26%, and 53.22% with the addition of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 wt% CNT, respectively. With the addition of 4, 8, 16 wt% FA, wear loss decreased to 81%, 88%, and 75% over Al/0.25 wt% CNT composites, respectively. The microstructural study of the worn‐out surfaces revealed low abrasive and adhesive wear by the presence of carbon nanotubes and fly ash in aluminum metal matrix. The reinforcing mechanisms of the wear and frictional properties were also discussed.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"14 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139838472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A proposal of teaching operational research in online contexts: An experience with SageMath in Brazil","authors":"Georgia de Souza Assumpção, Carolina Maia dos Santos, Daniele de Lima Campello, Leonardo Silva de Lima, Alexandre de Carvalho Castro","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12863","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12863","url":null,"abstract":"The paper analyzes how to improve the teaching of Operational Research, focusing on distance learning courses where professors and students are separated through space and time. This case study was done in a public Industrial Engineering undergraduate course, and the work structure is divided into three main parts: an exploratory‐descriptive documentary analysis, application of free software, and evaluation of learning. The authors showed the feasibility of using the SageMath tool in the teaching‐learning process. The study revealed the importance of developing alternative solutions to educational realities marked by economic and financial constraints, where structure teaching with free software is a ruling factor once Engineering education is not a similar global event everywhere. Distance learning is a phenomenon that has been growing over the last 20 years in Brazil, but this was one of the first experiences with the use of SageMath. So, it can serve as a reference for countries with socioeconomic conditions similar to Brazil. Also, this case study can help other professors to enhance their teaching in a distance learning context even in scarcity scenarios of educational resources. The software implementation would be justified in part of the groups studied.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"123 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139780897","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Propionic acid production by Propionibacterium acidipropionici CDBB‐B‐1981 from enzymatic hydrolysates of Agave bagasse pretreated by steam explosion","authors":"Veronica Duran‐Cruz, Sergio Hernández, I. Ortíz","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12858","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12858","url":null,"abstract":"The biochemical pathway for propionic acid (PA) production is an interesting alternative that can include the utilization of biomass as feedstock. This study evaluated the utilization of Agave bagasse (AB), a lignocellulosic residue, to produce PA by Propionibacterium acidipropinici in batch systems (125 mL‐hermetic bottles and 1000 mL‐bioreactor). The process included a steam explosion pretreatment at 142°C for 15 min and enzymatic hydrolysis, where solid loading (2.75% and 5% in pretreatment and 2.5%, 3.75%, and 5% in enzymatic hydrolysis) was evaluated. Furthermore, the enzymatic concentrations of 18.3 filter paper unit (FPU)/gAB (1×) of Cellic® CTec2 and 1.5× and 3× were tested. The yields of total carbohydrates (TC) obtained at the two solid loadings tested in the pretreatment were statistically similar, but the 3x enzymatic concentration enhanced the yields of TC, glucose, and xylose (0.23 ± 0.01, 0.15 ± 0.01 and 0.03 ± 0.01 g/gAB, respectively). The hydrolysates obtained under these conditions were evaluated as carbon sources for PA production, obtaining a productivity of 0.069 ± 0.006 g/L h and a yield product/substrate of 0.44 gPA/gTC. The control of pH in the culture reduced the fermentation time in the bioreactor by 52% compared with the hermetic bottles without pH control. The potential of hydrolysates as carbon sources for PA production was evidenced, as approximately 50% of the initial carbon was converted to this product. The observed yield product/substrate was similar to those reported from hydrolysates of diverse biomass types, pretreatments, or enzymatic cocktails and the same or related microorganisms. However, the system studied has advantages, such as not requiring the addition of chemical or detoxification stage, and lower temperature and time compared to other pretreatments.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"5 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139781797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A defect location method for power cable based on Burg power spectral","authors":"Zhirong Tang, Kaihua Zhou, Yun Li, P. Meng","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12859","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12859","url":null,"abstract":"The frequency‐domain reflection (FDR) has been demonstrated to be a trustworthy technique in solving the defect location of power cable by field experiments. However, the location spectrum of the FDR requires manual window smoothing and can be disturbed by spurious peaks. Aiming at these shortcomings of FDR, a new method of cable defect location based on Burg power spectral (BPS) is introduced in this paper. The idea of this method is to use linear difference variance to fit the distribution of reflection coefficient spectrum and build an auto‐regressive (AR) model. The Burg algorithm is employed to estimate the coefficients model and calculate the power distribution of the AR model. Then, the cable defects will be located by BPS with high precision and resolution. In this method, the fast Fourier transform (FFT) with windowed function is replaced by an AR model without windowed function. This suppressed the impact of spurious peaks or spectrum leakage in FFT on the localization defects, and the localization resolution is higher. Finally, we validate the feasibility and effectiveness of BPS through experiments conducted on a 500 m laboratory cable and a 9.6 km submarine cable.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"12 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139853716","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orientation‐dependent mechanical responses in molybdenum‐rhenium alloys evaluated via micro‐pillars","authors":"Hailong Xu, Li Huang, Wen Zhang, Jing Liang, Xuanqiao Gao, Jianfeng Li","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12829","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12829","url":null,"abstract":"Textures in molybdenum‐rhenium (Mo‐Re) alloys are inevitable during thermal fabrication. [110] and [100] are common orientations in Mo‐Re alloys and effect mechanical responses. However, orientation dependence of mechanical responses in Mo‐Re alloys is not quite clear yet. To clarity this problem, micro‐pillar compression tests are conducted in grains with orientation [100] and [110] separately. Orientation‐dependent compressive properties are found in Mo‐14Re and Mo‐42Re (wt.%), but are not found in Mo and Mo‐5Re, which may be attributed to activated multi‐slip planes as increased Re. Solid solution effect of Re not only relies on orientations, but also on Re contents. Softening effect occurs in both [100] and [110] Mo‐5Re. while, strong strengthening effect happens in [110] Mo‐14Re and Mo‐42Re. Our research clarifies that Mo‐Re alloys with [110] orientation/texture could be preferred to obtain good strengthening effect.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"412 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139860198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) for validating causal relationships in system dynamics models","authors":"Muhammad Shalahuddin, W. Sunindyo, Mohammad Ridwan Effendi, K. Surendro","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12855","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12855","url":null,"abstract":"Modelers often create diverse system dynamics models for the same issue, depending on their viewpoints, which can decrease stakeholder assurance. Validating system dynamics may enhance stakeholder confidence. This study suggests using fuzzy‐set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) as a technique based on a set theory approach to validate the causal connections between entities in causal loop diagram (CLD) models. This case study analyzed the issue of Indonesian mobile network operators with limited sample data, utilizing the fsQCA method to test causal connections between entities in the CLD model that require validation. Following the creation of the CLD model through the system dynamics methodology, fsQCA was employed to enhance the previously formed model. The fsQCA method fuses qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) with fuzzy set theory, permitting partial membership, and can identify causal links among entities in the CLD model. It assists in testing causal relationships using limited sample data and boosts stakeholder confidence in the CLD model.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"2008 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139807189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An elitist whale optimization algorithm with the nonlinear parameter: Algorithm and application","authors":"Yajing Zhang, Guoxu Zhang","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12857","url":null,"abstract":"To address the problem that the whale optimization algorithm tends to fall into the local optimum and fails to maintain a balance between exploration and exploitation, an elitist whale optimization algorithm with the nonlinear parameter (EWOANP) is proposed in this paper. An elitist strategy based on the random Cauchy mutation is used in the shrinking encircling mechanism to increase the chance of escaping the local optimum. Cleverly, the strategy is to generate mutation solutions based on the random Cauchy mutation, after which the better population is selected to proceed to the next iteration. Then, a nonlinear parameter is used in the logarithmic spiral mechanism to balance exploration and exploitation. Various numerical optimization experiments are performed based on the IEEE CEC2020 benchmark suite and compared with eleven other algorithms. The results show that EWOANP outperforms most competitors in numerical optimization. Finally, the backpropagation neural network is optimized by EWOANP to build a prediction model for the sulfur content in the molten iron. The experimental results based on production data indicate that the proposed prediction model has a relatively small fluctuation in errors. Compared to the other seven competitors, the proposed model has a better prediction performance with and =0.916619.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139867114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Indoor air quality in Kazakh households: Evaluating PM2.5 levels generated by cooking activities","authors":"F. Karaca, Mert Guney, A. Agibayeva, Nurlan Otesh, M. Kulimbet, Natalya Glushkova, Yuefang Chang, Akira Sekikawa, K. Davletov","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12845","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12845","url":null,"abstract":"The present study introduces a concentration estimation model for indoor inhalable fine particles (PM2.5) during cooking activities in typical Kazakh houses, which are generally poorly ventilated with high emission levels. The aim of the present work is to identify factors influencing PM2.5 concentrations during cooking and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the build‐up and reduction of PM2.5 concentrations. These are achieved through a methodology that combines PM2.5 sampling, monitoring, and modeling to predict household PM2.5 levels and estimate daily concentrations. Specifically, USEPA's IAQX v1.1 was employed to simulate the one‐zone concept (kitchen) for concentrations related to cooking activities in several households. The results reveal that PM2.5 concentrations varied between 13 and 266 μg/m3 during cooking activities. Factors such as kitchen size, air exchange characteristics, and the type of food and cooking style were identified as important, influencing the observed concentrations. The model accurately captured concentration trends (R > 0.9). However, certain predictions tended to overestimate the measurements, attributing to inaccuracies in selecting air exchange and emission rates. Cooking activities contributed to household air pollutant (HAP) PM2.5 levels ranging from 9% to 94%. Notably, during the non‐heating period of the year (corresponding to the warmer half of the year), the impact of cooking became more significant and was identified as a major contributor to indoor PM2.5 concentrations. Conversely, during the heating period (i.e., the colder part of the year), outdoor PM levels and household ventilation practices played primary roles in regulating indoor air concentrations. This present study presents one of the initial efforts to assess household air pollutants in Central Asia, providing foundation and insights into the indoor air quality of Kazakh houses, where the understanding of indoor air quality remains limited. Future research recommendations include developing advanced models that account for individual activity patterns and specific house types for improved accuracy and representativeness.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"26 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139869015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Autopilot control unmanned aerial vehicle system for sewage defect detection using deep learning","authors":"B. Pandey, Digvijay Pandey, S. K. Sahani","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12852","url":null,"abstract":"This work proposes the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an autopilot to identify the defects present in municipal sewerage pipes. The framework also includes an effective autopilot control mechanism that can direct the flight path of a UAV within a sewer line. Both of these breakthroughs have been addressed throughout this work. The UAV's camera proved useful throughout a sewage inspection, providing important contextual data that helped analyze the sewerage line's internal condition. A plethora of information useful for understanding the sewerage line's inner functioning and extracting interior visual details can be obtained from camera‐recorded sewerage imagery if a defect is present. In the case of sewerage inspections, nevertheless, the impact of a false negative is significantly higher than that of a false positive. One of the trickiest parts of the procedure is identifying defective sewerage pipelines and false negatives. In order to get rid of the false negative outcome or false positive outcome, a guided image filter (GIF) is implemented in this proposed method during the pre‐processing stage. Afterwards, the algorithms Gabor transform (GT) and stroke width transform (SWT) were used to obtain the features of the UAV‐captured surveillance image. The UAV camera's sewerage image is then classified as “defective” or “not defective” using the obtained features by a Weighted Naive Bayes Classifier (WNBC). Next, images of the sewerage lines captured by the UAV are analyzed using speed‐up robust features (SURF) and deep learning to identify different types of defects. As a result, the proposed methodology achieved more favorable outcomes than prior existing approaches in terms of the following metrics: mean PSNR (71.854), mean MSE (0.0618), mean RMSE (0.2485), mean SSIM (98.71%), mean accuracy (98.372), mean specificity (97.837%), mean precision (93.296%), mean recall (94.255%), mean F1‐score (93.773%), and mean processing time (35.43 min).","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"39 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140488599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"EPPTA: Efficient partially observable reinforcement learning agent for penetration testing applications","authors":"Zegang Li, Qian Zhang, Guangwen Yang","doi":"10.1002/eng2.12818","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/eng2.12818","url":null,"abstract":"In recent years, penetration testing (pen‐testing) has emerged as a crucial process for evaluating the security level of network infrastructures by simulating real‐world cyber‐attacks. Automating pen‐testing through reinforcement learning (RL) facilitates more frequent assessments, minimizes human effort, and enhances scalability. However, real‐world pen‐testing tasks often involve incomplete knowledge of the target network system. Effectively managing the intrinsic uncertainties via partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) constitutes a persistent challenge within the realm of pen‐testing. Furthermore, RL agents are compelled to formulate intricate strategies to contend with the challenges posed by partially observable environments, thereby engendering augmented computational and temporal expenditures. To address these issues, this study introduces EPPTA (efficient POMDP‐driven penetration testing agent), an agent built on an asynchronous RL framework, designed for conducting pen‐testing tasks within partially observable environments. We incorporate an implicit belief module in EPPTA, grounded on the belief update formula of the traditional POMDP model, which represents the agent's probabilistic estimation of the current environment state. Furthermore, by integrating the algorithm with the high‐performance RL framework, sample factory, EPPTA significantly reduces convergence time compared to existing pen‐testing methods, resulting in an approximately 20‐fold acceleration. Empirical results across various pen‐testing scenarios validate EPPTA's superior task reward performance and enhanced scalability, providing substantial support for efficient and advanced evaluation of network infrastructure security.","PeriodicalId":11735,"journal":{"name":"Engineering Reports","volume":"62 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138999089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}