Applied Sciences最新文献

{"title":"Development of a Simulation Model to Improve the Functioning of Production Processes Using the FlexSim Tool","authors":"Wojciech Lewicki, M. Niekurzak, Jacek Wróbel","doi":"10.3390/app14166957","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166957","url":null,"abstract":"One of the goals of Industry 4.0 is to increase the transparency of the value chain through modern tools in production processes. This article aims to discuss the possibility of increasing the efficiency of a production system by modernizing it with the use of computer modelling tools. This article describes a method for the simulation modelling of a selected production system using the specialized FlexSim 2023 software in a 3D environment. The results and benefits of the practical application of the object-oriented modelling are presented, as well as the possibilities of collecting simulation data used to optimize production processes. The analyses were conducted at a selected production plant in a case study. The research assessed the effectiveness of the existing system and determined the impact of process changes in the event of the introduction of a new design solution. The simulation identified bottlenecks in the material flow. The basis for creating the simulation model was the analysis of the technological process. A simulation model for a real situation was created, and a simulation model was designed to identify and indicate a solution to eliminate the detection of the bottleneck. The problem area identified using visualization in the technological process slowed down the entire production process and contributed to time and economic losses. Thus, the authors confirmed the thesis that the simulation modelling of production systems using the FlexSim program can help eliminate bottlenecks and increase the efficiency of human resource use. At the same time, the use of this tool can lead to increased efficiency, reduced costs and improved sustainability and other performance indicators important for modern production environments as part of the promoted Industry 4.0 idea. A noticeable result of these changes was an increase in production from about 80–90 units. In addition, it was noticed that the condition of the machines preceding the stand changed.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"16 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141925906","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":"Advancing Quality Assessment in Vertical Field: Scoring Calculation for Text Inputs to Large Language Models","authors":"Jun-Kai Yi, Yi-Fan Yao","doi":"10.3390/app14166955","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166955","url":null,"abstract":"With the advent of Transformer-based generative AI, there has been a surge in research focused on large-scale generative language models, especially in natural language processing applications. Moreover, these models have demonstrated immense potential across various vertical fields, ranging from education and history to mathematics, medicine, information processing, and cybersecurity. In research on AI applications in Chinese, it has been found that the quality of text generated by generative AI has become a central focus of attention. However, research on the quality of input text still remains an overlooked priority. Consequently, based on the vectorization comparison of vertical field lexicons and text structure analysis, proposes three input indicators D1, D2, and D3 that affect the quality of generation. Based on this, we studied a text quality evaluation algorithm called VFS (Vertical Field Score) and designed an output evaluation metric named V-L (Vertical-Length). Our experiments indicate that higher-scoring input texts enable generative AI to produce more effective outputs. This enhancement aids users, particularly in leveraging generative AI for question-answering in specific vertical fields, thereby improving response effectiveness and accuracy.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"43 21","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141929398","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":"Modern Dimensional Analysis Model Laws Used to Model Additive Manufacturing Processes","authors":"Zsolt Asztalos, I. Száva, M. Scutaru, Sorin Vlase, B. Gálfi, Száva Renáta-Ildikó, G. Popa","doi":"10.3390/app14166965","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166965","url":null,"abstract":"By means of its facilities, AM brings several advantages in comparison with the classical manufacturing technologies. Nowadays, there are a huge number of unexplored directions, which assure AM will become a very powerful manufacturing process in the next period, with an undoubted low cost and reduced material consumption, as well as optimal stiffness and competitiveness technology. Between the unexplored (or less-explored) directions, one has to mention the dimensional methods’ involvement in gaining an optimal, highly competitive final product. This means that instead of the real structural element, named the prototype, the engineers will perform high-accuracy tests on the attached reduced-scale models, whose experimental results are extended to the prototype by means of the deduced model law (ML). The authors, based on their previous theoretical research as well as experimental investigations, offer a new approach, which is less implemented in AM technologies. Based on the obtained results, these dimensional methods are very promising, especially the last one, the so-called Modern Dimensional Analysis (MDA), conceived by Thomas Szirtes and described in the following paper. Starting with the nowadays-applied dimensional methods’ critical analysis, the authors will present evidence for the advantages of MDA, especially on the polymer-based AM technology. They will prove that MDA represents a very promising, as well as easy approach, which through its implementation can offer a higher competitiveness for AM technologies. As an illustration of the advantages of MDA, the authors conceived several MDA approaches for a given structural element’s case (a cantilever beam, with an internal-ribbed structure loaded at its free end by means of a vertical concentrated load), which, through their high accuracy in experimental-validated MLs, offer very good accuracy in model–prototype correlation. The deviations between the effective measured values of the displacements on the prototypes and those predicted, based on the values of the measurements on the models assigned to the prototypes by the validated MLs, were 1.06, 1.60, and 2.35%, respectively. In the authors’ opinion, MDA can represent a starting point for conceiving a highly competitive product with an optimal filling, as well as the deposition of layers using AM technologies. Based on the authors’ best knowledge, up to this moment, it seems that this engineering area does not fully apply the advantages of MDA, only in few limited cases, analyzed in the following.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"14 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927427","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":"Structural Design and Static Stiffness Optimization of Magnetorheological Suspension for Automotive Engine","authors":"Zhi Rao, Lingfeng Tang, Yifang Shi","doi":"10.3390/app14166975","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166975","url":null,"abstract":"In light of the limitation that passive suspension can only provide vibration isolation within a specific range, a magnetorheological suspension in extrusion mode was developed. The reliability of structural parameters was ensured through theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, building upon traditional hydraulic suspension. A model linking static stiffness to the diameter of the upper extrusion plate, as well as the heights of the upper and lower liquid chambers, was established using Simulink as an evaluation index. The static stiffness performance of the magnetorheological suspension was then optimized using this model. Results indicate that while meeting the static stiffness requirements, the optimized Magnetorheological Suspension demonstrated a 29.22% increase in static stiffness (approximately 57.71 N/mm) compared to its previous state, validating the effectiveness of stiffness optimization for this system.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"12 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141925600","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":"Proposal of a Design Procedure for Steel Frames with Viscoelastic Dampers","authors":"M. Bosco, Andrea Floridia, Pier Paolo Rossi","doi":"10.3390/app14166937","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166937","url":null,"abstract":"The effectiveness of viscoelastic dampers as passive control devices has been demonstrated in the past through both experimental and numerical investigations. Based on the Modal Strain Energy Method, some authors have also proposed design procedures to size the viscoelastic dampers assuming a fist-mode behavior of the structure. However, even if the damped structure is governed by the first mode of vibration, viscoelastic dampers are sensitive to the frequencies of the upper modes and transmit unexpected internal forces to braces. This paper aims to develop a simple design procedure for steel moment-resisting frames equipped with viscoelastic dampers considering the effects of the higher modes of vibrations on the internal forces transmitted from the dampers to the braces. In the perspective of a designer-oriented study, the seismic demand is evaluated through simple analytical tools, such as the lateral force method or the response spectrum analysis. The design procedure is applied to a set of steel moment-resisting frames considering two levels of seismic hazard and two types of soil. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed procedure is verified through nonlinear dynamic analysis. Based on the results, it is found that the proposed design procedure ensures the control of the story drift below prefixed limits and to predict accurately the internal forces that arise in the braces.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"75 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141926688","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":"Optimizing Porous Concrete Using Granite Stone-Crushing Waste: Composition, Strength, and Density Analysis","authors":"Leonid Dvorkin, O. Bordiuzhenko, T. Tracz, K. Mróz","doi":"10.3390/app14166934","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166934","url":null,"abstract":"This study examines the utilization of granite stone-crushing waste in the production of porous concrete, with a particular emphasis on the influence of aggregate composition and cement paste layer thickness on the material’s strength and density. Two types of aggregates were employed in this study: granite crushing screenings and granite crushed stone. The impact of aggregate grain size on the properties of porous concrete properties was investigated, and it was found that the use of granite screenings (2.5–5 mm) resulted in superior concrete characteristics compared to granite crushed stone (5–10 mm). This study puts forward a method for optimizing the composition of porous concrete to achieve an optimal balance of compressive strength and density. A method for the design of porous concrete was proposed, incorporating experimental results and the dependencies of strength on the water/cement ratio (W/C). Equations were developed to predict concrete strength based on W/C and cement paste layer thicknesses (CPLTs). The method provides preliminary mix proportions, which should be validated and adjusted for the final design. The findings demonstrate the potential for utilizing stone-crushing waste to produce environmentally sustainable and high-quality porous concrete.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"26 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141926406","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":"Identification, Evaluation, and Influencing Factors of Soundscapes in Public Open Spaces in High-Density Residential Areas","authors":"Zeyu Xu, Ming Yang, Lei Yu","doi":"10.3390/app14166946","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166946","url":null,"abstract":"Public open spaces make crucial contributions to the livability of communities and promote physical and mental health. Soundscapes play an important role in the overall physical comfort of public open spaces. However, owing to insufficient studies of high-density situations, soundscapes are ignored in public open spaces in high-density residential areas. This paper presents a case study of a soundscape in the overseas Chinese town (OCT) of Shenzhen, China. Through in situ observation, four distinct soundscapes were easily identified by performing soundscape conceptualization according to the ISO. In terms of the four identified soundscape areas, subjective evaluations of acoustic comfort and annoyance and their influencing factors were thoroughly explored. The results reveal that the natural soundscape had the best evaluations, whereas the artificial one did not have the worst result. It is interesting to note that acoustic factors do not always significantly influence a soundscape’s evaluation. A non-acoustic factor such as the spatial function may play a role as it is related to the context of an individual perceiving an acoustic environment. This study provides first-hand empirical evidence for understanding soundscapes and the influencing factors present in high-density residential public open spaces. The results provide useful knowledge for enhancing soundscape quality in such spaces.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"42 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927074","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":"Experimental Study on the Water Absorption, Compaction Effect, and Pull-Out Bearing Characteristics of Water-Absorbing and Compaction Anchoring Bolts","authors":"Xin Ren, Tianhu He, Feng Yue, Pengfei He","doi":"10.3390/app14166960","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166960","url":null,"abstract":"In response to a series of engineering disasters encountered during the excavation and support construction of loess tunnels, considering the issues of water enrichment in surrounding rock induced by excavation disturbance and system bolt failure, drawing on the concepts of lime pile composite foundation and composite bearing arch, and based on the principle of the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) that fully mobilizes and leverages the self-supporting capacity of surrounding rock, this study comprehensively considers the wetting and stress adjustment processes of the surrounding rock after excavation disturbance in loess tunnels. By adopting the technical principle of “water absorption and densification of shallow surrounding rock, suspension and anchoring of deep surrounding rock, and composite arch bearing”, a new type of water-absorbing, densifying, and anchoring bolt was developed that can reduce the water content of surrounding rock while enhancing its resistance. To further investigate the water absorption, densification effect, and pull-out bearing characteristics of this new bolt, laboratory model tests were conducted, examining the temperature, pore water pressure, densification stress of the soil around the bolt, as well as the physical properties of the soil in the consolidation zone. The test results indicate that a cylindrical heat source forms around the water-absorbing, densifying, and anchoring bolt, significantly inducing the thermal consolidation of the surrounding soil. The variations in temperature, pore water pressure, and densification stress of the soil around the bolt truly reflect the qualitative patterns of hydro-thermal–mechanical changes during the water absorption, curing, and exothermic reaction processes. The water absorption and densification segment of the bolt effectively enhances the density of the soil in the water absorption, densification, and consolidation zone, improving soil strength parameters. Compared to traditional mortar-bonded bolts, the water-absorbing, densifying, and anchoring bolt exhibits a greater pull-out bearing capacity. The research findings provide important guidance for the theoretical design and engineering application of this new type of bolt.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"6 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927556","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":"Behavior and Reliable Design Methods of Axial Compressed Dune Sand Concrete-Filled Circular Steel Tube Columns","authors":"Said Ikram Sadat, F. Ding, Maolong Wang, Fei Lyu, Khalid Akhunzada, Hongchang Xu, Baoye Hui","doi":"10.3390/app14166939","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166939","url":null,"abstract":"An innovative composite structural element, the dune sand concrete-filled circular steel tube (DS-CFCST) column combines the mechanical performance of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns with the environmental and economic benefits of dune sand (DS) concrete. However, current experimental investigations into DS-CFCST columns’ axial compressive behavior are limited. This study conducts a numerical analysis to examine the effects of varying DS replacement ratios and the influence of confinement on DS-CFCST stub columns. Finite element (FE) analysis reveals that DS-CFCST stub columns exhibit reduced ultimate bearing capacity compared to CFST columns, primarily due to weakened confinement effects at higher DS replacement ratios. A parametric study investigated the impacts of various design parameters on the ultimate axial bearing capacity of DS-CFCST stub columns. A practical design formula, based on equilibrium principles and the FE model, was developed. This formula simplifies the prediction of the ultimate load-bearing capacity of DS-CFCST stub columns using the superposition method. Its accuracy was validated by comparing it with experimental data and FE results. Lastly, a reliability analysis was performed, showing the DS-CFCST columns’ reliability index sensitivity to variations in concrete strength, steel yield strength, steel content ratio, load effect ratio, load combination factor, and DS replacement ratio.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927559","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":"Vortex Characterization and Parametric Study of Miniature Vortex Generators and Their Near-Field Boundary Layer Effects","authors":"Gilles De Baets, A. Szabó, P. T. Nagy, G. Paál, M. Vanierschot","doi":"10.3390/app14166966","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/app14166966","url":null,"abstract":"Delaying the onset of laminar-turbulent transition is an attractive method in reducing skin friction drag, especially on streamlined bodies where Tollmien–Schlichting instabilities are the dominating mechanism for transition. Miniature Vortex Generators (MVGs) offer an effective approach to attenuate these instabilities by generating counter-rotating vortex pairs. They are placed in pairs within an array and resemble small-winglet-type elements. The conventional methodology involves adjusting the MVG parameters and conducting computationally expensive DNS and/or downstream stability analyses to assess their effectiveness. However, analyzing the vortex parameters of MVG-generated vortices can potentially guide a more targeted approach to modifying the MVG parameters and identifying the critical factors for transition delay. Therefore, this study investigates the changes in three primary MVG parameters, namely inner distance, periodicity, and height, and utilizes computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) analysis to create a dataset that examines the characteristics of the generated counter-rotating vortex pairs and their potential in drag reduction. The objective is to establish correlations among these parameters and their influence on delaying transition. The results show that there is an optimal ratio between the MVG height and boundary layer thickness. Higher MVGs cause a decrease in the vortex radius and an increase in the amount of circulation, raising the likeliness of bypass transition. The derived correlations between the different MVG parameters show that the vortex radius is the most critical one and is hence an important parameter in the drag reduction potential.","PeriodicalId":502388,"journal":{"name":"Applied Sciences","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141927875","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}