Educational Assistance Through Modeling in Tsukuba University of Technology-Professional Education for the Hearing or Visually Impaired

The National University Corporation Tsukuba University of Technology（NTUT） is the only institute of higher education for the hearing and the visually impaired in Japan. In our university, hearing or visually impaired students are studying to be technicians after they graduate, toward social independence. From previous experience of higher education for students with disabilities, effects are increased when modeling is used by the teachers involved in professional education. In the Mechanical Engineering Course, we are using modeling, to match the drawing and shape for beginning students. It includes support for enhancing one＇s view, and how to draw out the ability of mechanical engineering students for the basics. For students to study Mechanical Design and Drawing, Modeling of Gear Pump, Jack and Globe Valve are easily shown through drawings and the operation of each mechanism through sample drawings in the textbook. It is possible to make an opportunity to think about the machine mechanism. It will be shown by students＇ works. The assembling of the model triggers the need for form accuracy by making a function, and improves the quality of learning. It is possible that a three-dimensional molding machine can be produced through experiential learning by the model, and modeling with the dimension numerical data. Moreover, it is also embodied in a three-dimensional modeling which results in the image processing programming created. Confirming the improvement of the program through the shape with the quality. In the Department of Synthetic Design, students have chances to realize and self-evaluate from the design of the lamp shade with a complicated shape. In the Faculty of Health Science from Department of Health, high quality teaching of visually-impaired students through the use of bone model teaching materials has become possible in the medical-related courses.

Optimization on the Conversion of Bamboo Shoot Shell to Levulinic Acid with Environmentally Benign Acidic Ionic Liquid and Response Surface Analysis

Levulinic acid(LA) has been identified as a promising green,biomass derived platform chemical.Response surface analysis(RSA) with a four-factor-five-level central composite design(CCD) was applied to optimize the hydrolysis conditions for the conversion of bamboo(Phyllostachys Praecox f.preveynalis) shoot shell(BSS) to LA catalyzed with ionic liquid [C4mim]HSO4.The effects of four main reaction parameters including temperature,time,C[C4mim]HSO4(initial [C4mim]HSO4 concentration) and XBSS(initial BSS intake) on the hydrolysis reaction for yield of LA were analyzed.A quadratic equation model for yield of LA was established and fitted to the data with an R2 of 0.9868,and effects of main factors and their corresponding relationships were obtained with RSA.Model validation and results of CCD showed good correspondence between actual and predicted values.The analysis of variance(ANOVA) of the results indicated that the yield of LA in the range studied was significantly(P<0.05) affected by the four factors.The optimized reaction conditions were as follows:temperature of 145 ℃,time of 103.8 min,C[C4mim]HSO4 of 0.9 mol.L-1 and XBSS of 2.04%(by mass),respectively.A high yield [(71±0.41)%(by mol),triplicate experiment] was obtained at the optimum conditions of temperature of 145 ℃,time of 104 min,C[C4mim]HSO4 of 0.9 mol.L-1 and XBSS of 2%(by mass),which obtained from the real experiments,concurred with the model prediction [73.8%(by mol) based on available C6 sugars in BSS or 17.9%(by mass) based on the mass of BSS],indicating that the model was adequate for the hydrolysis process.

Combined Recycling of White Rice Husk Ash as Cement Replacement and Metal Furnace Slag as Coarse-Aggregate Replacement to Produce Self-Consolidating Concrete

According to empirical evidence,high levels of energy and considerable amounts of natural resources are used in the production of concrete.Given the context,this study explores self-consolidating concrete(SCC)that includes rice husk ash(RHA)and metal furnace slag(MFS)as an alternative to cement and the natural aggregates in standard SCC mixes.In this study,mixture designs are investigated with 20 wt.%of RHA,10–30 wt.%of MFS and water-to-powder material ratios of 0.30 and 0.40.Based on the findings regarding the fresh-state,hardened-state,and durability properties of the resulting SCC mixes,it is evident that the use of RHA and MFS can significantly improve the properties of concrete.The highest compressive strength was achieved for SCC with 20 wt.%RHA and 10 wt.%MFS.This outcome should be used as a basis for further investigations into the production of concrete materials that are both high-performance and sustainable.

Design, Modeling and Analysis of Implementing a Multilayer Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting Mechanism in the Vehicle Suspension

This paper deals with the design, modeling and analysis of implementing a Multilayer Piezoelectric Vibration Energy Harvesting (ML PZT VEH) Mechanism in the vehicle suspension. The principle of work of the proposed ML PZT VEH mechanism is reducing the relative motion of the suspension, amplifying the applied force to the PZT by a specific design of mechanism and combining a single layer PZT into multilayer PZT to increase the produced electricity. To maintain the performance of suspension as the original suspension, the ML PZT VEH mechanism is mounted in series with the spring of the suspension. The proposed ML PZT VEH mechanism and its implementation to the vehicle suspension were mathematically modeled. Responses of the vehicle before and after implementing ML PZT VEH mechanism were simulated. The results show the proposed mechanism can produce output voltage of 2.75 and power of 7.17 times bigger than direct mounting to the vehicle suspension. And the simulation result shows that mounting ML PZT VEH mechanism in series with the spring of the vehicle suspension does not change the performance of suspension.

Dielectric Permittivity of Various Cement-Based Materials during the First 24 Hours Hydration

The dielectric permittivity of cementitious materials during 24 hours hydration period at a frequency of 2.45 GHz using a network analyzer with open-ended probe technique was measured. Influences of water-to-cementitious ratios, cement types, pozzolans and aggregate types are taken into consideration. The results show that dielectric permittivity is strongly affected by initial water-to-cementitious ratio and the rate of hydration reaction which can be changed by fineness of cement (Types 1 and 3), pozzolan materials and aggregates (river sand with/without crushed limestone rock). Dielectric permittivity is relatively high and remains constant during the dormant period, after that it decreases rapidly when the hydration reaction resumes and continues to decrease during the acceleratory period.

Impacts of Electrical Line Losses Comprising Mul-ti-Distributed Generation in Distribution System

This paper proposes to study the impacts of electrical line losses due to the connection of distributed generators (DG) to 22kV distribution system of Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). Data of geographic information systems (GIS) including the distance of distribution line and location of load being key parameter of PEA is simulated using digital simulation and electrical network calculation program (DIgSILENT) to analyze power loss of the distribution system. In addition, the capacity and location of DG installed into the distribution system is considered. The results are shown that, when DG is installed close to the substation, the electrical line losses are reduced. However, if DG capacity becomes larger and the distance between DG and load is longer, the electrical line losses tend to increase. The results of this paper can be used to create the suitability and fairness of the fee for both DG and utility.

Oil Streak Visualisation of Fluid Flow Over Single D-Type Cylinder

An experimental study on the effect of cut angle on circular cylinders to the drag force is performed. Six cylinders were cut at different angles and the air flow impinges perpendicular to the cut surface of the cylinder. The cut angles applied include: 0°, 30°, 45°, 53°, 55°, and 75°. The shear layer visualisation on the surface of cylinder was conducted as well. Drag force was measured using a wind tunnel force balance and the wind speed was set so that a corresponding Rey-nolds number of 5.3 × 104 was achieved. Visualisation was carried out by covering the cylinder with paper wetted by mixture of oil and titanium dioxide powder. Experimental results show that drag force has similar trend to that of previous experiment results. The minimum drag coefficient is attained at the cut angle of 53°. From oil streak visualisation the streamlines pattern of the flow over the cylinder could be reconstructed.

Computational modelling and simulation to mitigate the risk of daylight exposure in tropical museum buildings

In museum design and operation,daylight is typically discouraged due to high risk of damaging the display objects.However,past studies in high-latitude regions have shown the possibility to apply daylight in museums,so long as it is carefully planned,and the display objects are not from the category of high responsive materials.In the tropical region,the influence of daylighting on light exposure on museum objects is still unknown.This study therefore aims to assess and mitigate the impact of annual daylight exposure on objects with low responsive materials in a tropical daylit museum building.Annual daylight modelling and simulation are performed to achieve the objective,followed with Morris sensitivity analysis and Mahalanobis distance classifier to optimise the outcome.It is found that either WWR or glazing transmissivity gives the greatest influence on the performance indicators.Based on the proposed optimisation algorithm,it is possible to determine the optimum solutions satisfying the performance indicators target,for a certain opening type.Overall,the contribution of this study is the proposed computational modelling and simulation methods to mitigate the exposure risk while optimising daylight as a renewable energy source.

Experiment and simulation to determine the optimum orientation of building-integrated photovoltaic on tropical building façades considering annual daylight performance and energy yield

Building-Integrated Photovoltaic(BIPV)on vertical façades is a potential PV application in today’s buildings.The performance of BIPV on façades is significantly influenced by the façade orientation.For tropical cities,the optimum façade orientation,in terms of maximum energy yield and daylight performance,cannot be simply determined,due to relatively symmetrical sun path throughout the day.This study therefore aims to determine the optimum orientation for BIPV on tropical building façades.To achieve the objective,experiment,modelling,and computational simulation are conducted to evaluate the BIPV energy yield and to predict the indoor daylight performance in a scale-model building with a 105Wp monocrystalline silicon PV,facing each cardinal orienta-tion in Bandung,Indonesia.The South orientation yields practically zero ASE_(1000,250),providing the best annual daylight performance,and yielding the most desirable value in four out of five daylight metrics.The greatest annual energy yield is at the North orientation,providing 179-186 kWh(95%prediction interval)per year,but with larger uncertainty compared to that at the South,due to direct sunlight occurrence.Based on three different objective functions,the South orientation is considered optimum for placing the BIPV panel on the prototype façade in the location.

Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon Films from Palmyra Sugar

A simple,highly reproducible,and environmentally friendly method is a considered approach in generating renewable energy materials.Here,hydrogenated amorphous carbon(a-C)films have been successfully prepared from palmyra liquid sugar,employing spin-coating and spraying methods.Compared with the former method,the latter shows a significance in producing a better homogeneity in particle size and film thickness.The obtained films have a thickness of approximately 1000 to 100 nm and contain an sp^(2) hexagonal structure(~70%)and sp^(3) tetrahedral configuration(~30%)of carbons.The introduction of boron(B)and nitrogen(N)as dopants has created the local structural modification of bonding,inducing a slight change of electrical conductivity,electronic energy bandgap,and optical transparency near-infrared region.The obtained α-C film features a“green”semiconducting material.

Redesign Facility Layout with a Kaizen Approach in Testing Laboratory at Balai Pengujian&Sertifikat Mutu Barang Makassar

In trading activities,especially exports in the food commodities sector,several documents must be made and completed by exporters,such as Certificate of Quality,Test-Certificate,and Chemical Analysis.Balai Pengujian&Sertifikasi Mutu Barang Makassar is a government agency operating in South Celebes that tests the quality of various agricultural and plantation commodities.From year to year,demand for testing services has increased along with the number of exports.So,testing activities have changed in terms of facility layout requirements resulting in overwhelmed in carrying out the testing process.Test rooms are not connected based on the current testing flow causing the tester’s ineffective work patterns.This study aims to redesign the layout of the facilities in the testing laboratory with the Kaizen approach to support the smooth testing process.The results of this study indicate that the proposed floor area uses a 150% allowance so the calculation requires a floor area of 42.52 m^(2).After that,an analysis of the proximity of the facilities is carried out by making ARC(Activity Relationship Chart)and ARD(Activity Relationship Diagram).Based on ARD,a template is made for the layout of testing laboratory facilities.This study applies Kaizen theory with the 5S concept to obtain a neater design,namely Seiri and Seiton in the refreshment laboratory and weighing room,Seiso on testing equipment in all testing laboratory rooms,Seiketsu and Shitsuke applied to all rooms in the testing laboratory.

Polygon formation of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots with double-level-control collision avoidance scheme

This paper considers a polygon formation control of multiple robots with nonholonomic constraintsenclosing a goal target and double-level-control collision avoidance scheme. Doublelevel-control scheme consisted of upper-level and lower-level controls are proposed for trajectorygeneration and tracking control of multi-robot systems. Both upper-level and lower-levelcontrols operate collision avoidance mechanisms based on potential functions. The proposedcontrol scheme guarantees that the group of robots are kept in the polygon formation and drivento a goal, while avoiding collisions during the travel. Moreover, the designed interaction betweenthe upper- and lower-level controls guarantees that the mobile robots are not trapped in localminima or deadlock case. Experiments of the formation of three-robots are conducted to showthe performance of the mobile robots in accomplishing a polygon formation while achieving thegoal without any collision and no local minima.

A new approach of CO_(2)separation by applying rapid expansion of supercritical CO_(2)rich natural gas

The previous methods for CO_(2)separation from CO_(2)rich natural gas led to expensive production costs.This work was implemented to overcome the problems utilizing a new approach economically.The cooling and rapid expansion processes were integrated for the CO_(2)separation from CO_(2)rich natural gas on the supercritical condition.The experimental apparatus was newly constructed to perform the experiments,and the results were simulated using a various equation of state.The result reveals that the inlet temperature of supercritical expansion diminished the outlet temperature and the gas condensed easily.The simulation indicated that the 70%CO_(2)in natural gas was condensed easier than 45%CO_(2).We found that the outlet temperature of
42C and the vapor fraction of 0.69 was attained at the CO_(2)composition of 70%.Besides,the pressure drop change influences the vapor fraction at various CO_(2)compositions.The vapor fraction under supercritical diminished significantly compared with the nonsupercritical condition.The expansion coefficient determined utilizing the equation of state escalates by the enhancement of expansion inlet temperature based on CO_(2)composition in natural gas.The acid gas equation of state was the perfect equation to estimate the expansion coefficient with the absolute average error of 4.83%.This work suggests that the CO_(2)separation from CO_(2)rich natural gas with the cooling and rapid expansion method promotes the new approach to overcome the disadvantages of previous methods.

Comparison of the morphology and structure of W03 nanomaterials synthesized by a sol-gel method followed by calcination^or hydrothermal treatment

Tungsten （VI） oxide （WO3） nanomaterials were synthesized by a sol-gel method using WC16 and C2HsOH as precursors followed by calcination or hydrothermal treatment. X-Ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and high resolution transmission electron microscopy （HRTEM） equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDX） were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the materials. There were significant differences between the WO3 materials that were calcinated and those that were subjected to a hydrothermal process. The XRD results revealed that calcination temperatures of 300℃and 400℃ gave hexagonal structures and temperatures of 500℃ and 600℃ gave monoclinic structures. The SEM images showed that an increase in calcination temperature led to a decrease in the WO3 powder particle size. The TEM analysis showed that several nanoparticles agglomerated to form bigger clusters. The hydrothermal process produced hexagonal structures for holding times of 12, 16, and 20 h and monoclinic structures for a holding time of 24 h. The SEM results showed transparent rectangular panicles which according to the TEM results originated from the aggregation of several nanotubes.

Graphene-and Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes-Coated Tapered Plastic Optical Fiber for Detection of Lard Adulteration in Olive Oil

A rapid and high-performance sensor for lard adulterant in edible oil was developed using the tapered plastic optical fiber(POF)coated with graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.The coating material was deposited onto a tapered POF with a taper waist diameter and a taper length of 0.45 mm and 1 cm,respectively.The addition of the coating material was used to increase the sensitivity and selectivity coefficient of the tapered POF toward the lard substance.The sensing mechanism is based on a simultaneous interaction of lard substance and an evanescent wave of tapered POF with the coating layers.The results showed that graphene coating on the tapered POF increased the selectivity coefficient of the tapered POF towards lard substance from 33.54 to 324.19,and it gave a sensitivity of 0.427 dBm/%.In comparison,multi-walled carbon nanotubes coating increased the selectivity coefficient to 71.65 and increased its sensitivity to 1.189 dBm/%.Thus,the proposed configuration of the tapered POF with the coating material offered a simple configuration for a rapid,high sensitivity and selectivity detection of lard adulterant in edible oils.

Synthesis and photoswitching properties of azobenzene liquid crystals with a pentafluorobenzene terminal

The fluorine-substituted benzoate ester rod-shaped liquid crystals containing an azobenzene side chain linked with terminal double bonds were synthesized and characterized.The mesophase and photoswitching properties were determined by polarizing optical microscopy（POM）,differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and UV-visible spectrometry.The rod-shaped compound 4a having an odd number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chains exhibits nematic phase and SmA type phase whereas compound 4b having an even number of carbon atoms showed only nematic phase.Both fluorinecontaining compounds 4c and 4d showed only SmA type phases.The photoswitching properties of these compounds showed a rate of trans to cis isomerization ranging 19-20 s,whereas reverse process took around 230 min in solution.These materials may be ideal in the field of optically rewritable applications where both on and off rates should be crucial.

Erosive wear properties of ZA-27 alloy-based nanocomposites: Influence of type, amount, and size of nanoparticle reinforcements

Metal matrix nanocomposites(MMnCs)comprise a metal matrix filled with nanosized reinforcements with physical and mechanical properties that are very different from those of the matrix.In ZA-27 alloy-based nanocomposites,the metal matrix provides ductility and toughness,while usually used ceramic reinforcements give high strength and hardness.Tested ZA-27 alloy-based nanocomposites,reinforced with different types(Si C and Al2O3),amounts(0.2 wt.%,0.3 wt.%,and 0.5 wt.%)and sizes(25 nm,50 nm,and 100 nm)of nanoparticles were produced through the compocasting process with mechanical alloying pre-processing(ball milling).It was previously shown that the presence of nanoparticles in ZA-27 alloy-based nanocomposites led to the formation of a finer structure in the nanocomposites matrix and an improvement in the basic mechanical properties(hardness and compressive yield strength)through the enhanced dislocation density strengthening mechanism.Solid particle erosive wear testing demonstrated that these improvements were followed with an increase in the erosive wear resistance of tested nanocomposites,as well.Additionally,by analyzing the influences of type,amount,and size of nanoparticles on the erosive wear resistance of nanocomposites,it was demonstrated that there is an optimal amount of nanoparticles,which in our case is 0.3 wt.%,and that the presence of SiC nanoparticles and smaller nanoparticles in nanocomposites had more beneficial influence on erosive wear resistance.