Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1921

A novel approach for wear assessment of plastic gears using image processing

by Mahmoud G. Elkasrawi, Marah A. Elsiedy, Hesham A. Hegazi

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 801 Views, 505 PDF Downloads

Plastic gears offer numerous advantages, poised to increasingly supplant metal gears across various applications. Notably, they boast silent operation, resistance to corrosion, and lightweight properties which make them ideal for wind turbine systems. Moreover, the expanding array of plastic materials, including eco-plastics and their natural fibre composites, underscores the imperative for ongoing research into plastic gears and their composites. Addressing existing challenges is pivotal to fully harnessing their potential in sustainable development efforts. The wear of plastic gears is an important factor in plastic gear design and optimization. This paper primarily examines wear assessment in polypropylene (PP) gears by proposing and implementing a novel approach to measure the amount of wear on gear tooth profile using an image processing technique. By subjecting plastic gears to wear experimentation and employing direct image processing methods, the percentage of damage can be accurately evaluated. These percentages were 0.2% and 2.5% for 2 and 5 hours respectively. This underscores the boundless possibilities of integrating image processing techniques into the assessment of plastic gears, paving the way for deeper exploration and optimization of polymer materials for plastic gear manufacturing.

Open Access

Perspective

Article ID: 1950

Parametric optimization and determination in machining processes by means of probabilistic multi-objective optimization

by Maosheng Zheng, Jie Yu

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 968 Views, 51 PDF Downloads

In the present article, it attempts to present the determination of optimal parameters of machining processes by means of probabilistic multi-objective optimization (PMOO), in which the optimal objectives (attributes) are fundamentally divided into beneficial type and unbeneficial type, moreover all attributes of both beneficial type and unbeneficial type are evaluated separately with equivalent manner to get their partial preferable probability. Finally, the total preferable probability of each alternative is obtained by the product of all partial preferable probabilities, which is the unique and decisive representative of the alternative to join the competitive optimization, the optimum alternative is with the highest total preferable probability. An example of parametric optimization and determination of aerospace component with Electro Chemical Machining (ECM) is taken to illuminate the procedure. In the case of ECM, the current, voltage, and feed rate are as the optimal parameters to be investigated, while Material Removal Rate (MRR), and Surface Roughness (SR) are the optimal objective responses to be measured. The experimental runs were designed using an L 27 Taguchi orthogonal array. In the assessment of PMOO for ECM, the objective MRR belongs to the beneficial attribute, and the objective SR is as the unbeneficial attribute. The novelty of this work is to reflect the simultaneity and the irreplacement of optimization of objectives MRR and SR in the optimal system. The evaluated results reveal that the optimized experimental scheme is the alternative 8, which is with the optimal responses of MRR of 280.112 g/min and SR of 0.45 mm, the corresponding optimum experimental parameters are voltage of 12 V, electrolyte flow rate of 12 m/s and tool feed rate of 0.4 mm/min, respectively. The achievement of the present article indicates the validity of the corresponding approach and algorithm.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1405

Finite element structural analysis of simply supported solid and stiffened plates: A comparative study

by Shabla K., Chitaranjan Pany

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.3, No.1, 2025; 684 Views, 464 PDF Downloads

A structure’s form and shape influence how it behaves when loaded. This was achieved by contrasting the stiffened plate’s performance with that of a solid plate made of the same material and volume. The results have demonstrated that bending stress in stiffened plates is decreased when a solid plate of the same material and volume is transformed into a stiffened plate. Because stiffened plates have a higher strength to weight ratio than solid plates, this supports the recommendation of stiffened plates for a variety of technical applications. In order to determine the impact of stiffener orientation on bending stress reduction in stiffened plates, additional investigations were carried out on a number of plates. An investigation was carried out to determine the ideal stiffener angle in a stiffened plate that could offer the least amount of stress. The current work offers insightful information about particular stiffened plate design characteristics that can be used in a variety of engineering contexts.

Open Access

Review

Article ID: 1746

The development of machine vision and its applications in different industries: A review

by Lili Zhang, Xiaowei Jia, Qing Chang, Xin Liu, Zhicheng Zhang, Yanghao Cao, Junjie Liu, Yizhao Yang

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.2, No.2, 2024; 3294 Views, 3042 PDF Downloads

In recent years, the development of machine vision research is rapid in several areas. In order to promote the better development of machine vision research, it is necessary to clarify its development and application direction. At present, there are few reviews on the application direction of machine vision. This paper sorts out the application of machine vision in various fields, and summarizes the current application status of machine vision from four main functions: recognition, measurement, classification and detection. This paper mainly introduces the improvement of different algorithms of machine vision and its application in medical, agriculture, manufacturing and other industries, providing guidance for the selection of machine vision research direction.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1752

Influence of the new wavy teat liner “Stimulor StressLess” on milk yield performance and its quality in dairy cows: Results of a field study

by Shehadeh Kaskous, Khaled Al-Najjar, Michael W. Pfaffl

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.2, No.2, 2024; 4811 Views, 4471 PDF Downloads

The ideal milking system meets the physiological needs of dairy cows to increase milk yield, achieve better milk quality and maintain healthy udders. Therefore, the settings of the milking machine and the properties of the teat cup liners are very important on dairy farms. The aim of the present study was to test a new teat cup liner “Stimulor StressLess” (SSL) in two commercial dairy farms and to investigate its influence on daily milk production and quality having different experimental settings. For this purpose, 40 dairy cows of different breeds in Tirol, Austria (farm 1) were investigated for 6 months, where 3 months represent the control phase (Gr 1) and milked with conventional teat liners, and the second 3 months phase (Gr 2) was the experimental phase and milked with SSL teat cup liners. On the second farm 90 dairy cows of Simmental breed in Baden-Württemberg, Germany (farm 2) were examined for one year equally divided in the first 6 months of control phase and second 6 months of treatment phase. All cows on both farms had the same stage of lactation and lactation number. During the study period, the daily milk production of each cow was recorded and milk samples were collected to determine the ingredients. The results showed that higher daily milk production and better milk quality were observed after using the new SSL teat cup liner in the existing milking machines. However, the use of the new teat cup liner SSL was more efficient in the longer treatment in farm 2 than in farm 1. In addition, after the use of the new SSL teat cup liner, the udders remained healthy throughout the study period, showing lower somatic cell counts (SCC). It can be concluded that high milk yield and better milk quality can be achieved by using SSL teat cup liners, as they are adapted to all teat shapes and dimensions.

Open Access

Article

Article ID: 1561

Ocean current turbine power take-off design using fluid dynamics and towing tank experiments

by Setare Sadeqi, Shahab Rouhi, Nikolaos I. Xiros, Erdem Aktosun, Lothar Birk, Juliette Ioup, Miguel Trejos

Mechanical Engineering Advances, Vol.2, No.2, 2024; 4551 Views, 1430 PDF Downloads

This study investigates the performance and power generation capabilities of a small-scale hydrokinetic turbine by comparing numerical simulations with experimental measurements. The key difference between the two models comes from the initial numerical analysis which focused only on the permanent magnet DC motor (PMDC) motor’s parameters and did not account for the gear-head reduction that leads to discrepancies in current and torque predictions, especially at lower input voltages. In practice, friction losses within the gear-head increased the required current and torque, highlighting inefficiencies in the motor gear-head system. A modified experimental setup incorporated a magnetic coupling to address leakage issues and enhance system reliability. While the magnetic coupling resulted in a slight reduction in speed, current, and torque, it improved the overall integrity of the system which is essential for marine applications. The comparison between experimental results and Blade Element Momentum (BEM) simulations showed good agreement at lower speeds, but the simulations under-predicted power at higher speeds, likely due to the model’s limitations in capturing complex hydrodynamic phenomena. This shows the need for comprehensive analysis, integrating both numerical and experimental approaches to optimize turbine performance. Future research will focus on refining experimental methodologies and further improving turbine design and efficiency for hydrokinetic energy systems.