Bindu, C S; Dr. Beena, K S(Cochin University of Science and Technology, January 16, 2012)
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Abstract:
The increase in traffic growth and maintenance expenditures demands the urgent need for building better, long-lasting, and more efficient roads preventing or minimizing bituminous pavement distresses. Many of the principal distresses in pavements initiate or increase in severity due to the presence of water. In Kerala highways, where traditional dense graded mixtures are used for the surface courses, major distress is due to moisture induced damages. The Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) mixtures provide a durable surface course. Proven field performance of test track at Delhi recommends Stone Matrix Asphalt as a right choice to sustain severe climatic
and heavy traffic conditions. But the concept of SMA in India is not so popularized and its application is very limited mainly due to the lack of proper specifications.
This research is an attempt to study the influence of additives on the
characteristics of SMA mixtures and to propose an ideal surface course for the pavements. The additives used for this investigation are coir, sisal, banana fibres (natural fibres), waste plastics (waste material) and polypropylene (polymer). A preliminary investigation is conducted to characterize the materials used in this study. Marshall test is conducted for optimizing the SMA mixtures (Control mixture-without additives and Stabilized mixtures with additives). Indirect tensile strength tests, compression strength tests, triaxial strength tests and drain down sensitivity tests are conducted to study the engineering properties of stabilized mixtures. The comparison of the performance of all stabilized mixtures with the control mixture and among themselves are carried out. A statistical analysis (SPSS package Ver.16) is performed to establish the findings of this study
Description:
School of Engineering, Cochin
University of Science and Technology
Josephkunju,Paul C; Dr.Sreejith,P S(Cochin University of Science & Technology, September , 2008)
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Abstract:
The thesis presented here unveils an experimental study of the hydrodynamic
characteristics of swirling fluidized bed viz. pressure drop across the distributor and the
bed, minimum fluidizing velocity, bed behaviour and angle of air injection. In swirling
fluidized bed the air is admitted to the bed at an angle 'Ѳ' to the horizontal. The vertical
component of the velocity v sin Ѳ causes fluidization and the horizontal component
v cos Ѳ contributes to swirl motion of the bed material.The study was conducted using spherical particles having sizes 3.2 mm, 5.5 mm & 7.4
mm as the bed materials. Each of these particles was made from high density
polyethylene, nylon and acetal having relative densities of 0.93, 1.05 and 1.47
respectively.The experiments were conducted using conidour type distributors having four rows of
slits. Altogether four distributors having angles of air injection (Φ)- 0°, 5°, 10° & 15°
were designed and fabricated for the study. The total number of slits in each distributor
was 144. The area of opening was 6220 mm2 making the percentage area of opening to
9.17. But the percentage useful area of opening of the distributor was 96.The experiments on the variation of distributor pressure drop with superficial velocity
revealed that the distributor pressure drop decreases with angle of air injection.
Investigations related to bed hydrodynamics were conducted using 2.5 kg of bed
material. The bed pressure drop measurements were made along the radial direction of
the distributor at distances of 60 mm, 90 mm, 120 mm & 150 mm from the centre of
the distributor. It was noticed that after attaining minimum fluidizing velocity, the bed pressure drop increases along the radial direction of the distributor. But at a radial
distance of 90 mm from the distributor centre, after attaining minimum fluidizing
velocity the bed pressure drop remains almost constant. It was also observed that the
bed pressure drop varies inversely with particle size as well as particle density.An attempt was made to determine the effect of various parameters on minimum
fluidizing velocity. It was noticed that the minimum fluidizing velocity varies directly
with angle of air injection (Φ), particle size and particle density.The study on the bed behaviour showed that the superficial velocity required for
initiating various bed phenomena (such as swirl motion and separation of particles from
the cone at the centre) increase with increase in particle size as well as particle density.
It was also observed that the particle size and particle density directly influence the
superficial velocity required for various regimes of bed behaviour such as linear
variation of bed pressure drop, constant bed pressure drop and sudden increase or
decrease in bed pressure drop.Experiments were also performed to study the effect of angle of air injection (Φ). It was
noticed that the bed pressure drop decreases with angle of air injection. It was also
noticed that the angle of air injection directly influence the superficial velocity required
for initiating various bed phenomena as well as the various regimes of bed behaviour.
Description:
Division of Mechanical Engineering,
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Biju Augustine, P; Dr.Bhasi, M; Dr.Madhu, G(Cochin University Of Science And Technology, May 6, 2013)
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Abstract:
Production Planning and Control (PPC) systems have grown and changed
because of the developments in planning tools and models as well as the use of
computers and information systems in this area. Though so much is available in
research journals, practice of PPC is lagging behind and does not use much from
published research. The practices of PPC in SMEs lag behind because of many reasons, which need to be explored This research work deals with the effect of identified variables such as forecasting, planning and control methods adopted, demographics of the key person, standardization practices followed, effect of training, learning and IT usage on firm performance. A model and framework has been developed based on literature. Empirical testing of the model has been done after collecting data using a questionnaire schedule administered among the selected respondents from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India. Final data included 382 responses. Hypotheses linking SME performance with the use of forecasting, planning and controlling were formed and tested. Exploratory factor analysis was used for data reduction and for identifying the factor structure. High and low performing firms were classified using a Logistic Regression model. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to study the structural relationship between firm performance and dependent variables.
Description:
School Of Engineering
Cochin University Of Science And Technology
Biju Augustine; Dr Bhasi, M; Dr Madhu, G(Cochin University of Science and Technology, May 6, 2013)
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Abstract:
Production Planning and Control (PPC) systems have grown and changed
because of the developments in planning tools and models as well as the use of
computers and information systems in this area. Though so much is available in
research journals, practice of PPC is lagging behind and does not use much from
published research. The practices of PPC in SMEs lag behind because of many reasons,
which need to be explored.
This research work deals with the effect of identified variables such as
forecasting, planning and control methods adopted, demographics of the key person,
standardization practices followed, effect of training, learning and IT usage on firm
performance. A model and framework has been developed based on literature.
Empirical testing of the model has been done after collecting data using a
questionnaire schedule administered among the selected respondents from Small and
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in India. Final data included 382 responses. Hypotheses
linking SME performance with the use of forecasting, planning and controlling were
formed and tested. Exploratory factor analysis was used for data reduction and for
identifying the factor structure. High and low performing firms were classified using a
Logistic Regression model. A confirmatory factor analysis was used to study the
structural relationship between firm performance and dependent variables.
Bindhu, B K; Dr.Madhu, G(Cochin University of Science And Technology, December 21, 2013)
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Abstract:
Effective solids-liquid separation is the basic concept of any
wastewater treatment system. Biological treatment methods involve
microorganisms for the treatment of wastewater. Conventional activated
sludge process (ASP) poses the problem of poor settleability and hence
require a large footprint. Biogranulation is an effective biotechnological
process which can overcome the drawbacks of conventional ASP to a great
extent. Aerobic granulation represents an innovative cell immobilization
strategy in biological wastewater treatment. Aerobic granules are selfimmobilized
microbial aggregates that are cultivated in sequencing batch
reactors (SBRs). Aerobic granules have several advantages over
conventional activated sludge flocs such as a dense and compact microbial
structure, good settleability and high biomass retention.
For cells in a culture to aggregate, a number of conditions have to be
satisfied. Hence aerobic granulation is affected by many operating
parameters. The organic loading rate (OLR) helps to enrich different
bacterial species and to influence the size and settling ability of granules.
Hence, OLR was argued as an influencing parameter by helping to enrich
different bacterial species and to influence the size and settling ability of
granules. Hydrodynamic shear force, caused by aeration and measured as
superficial upflow air velocity (SUAV), has a strong influence and hence it
is used to control the granulation process. Settling time (ST) and volume
exchange ratio (VER) are also two key influencing factors, which can be
considered as selection pressures responsible for aerobic granulation based
on the concept of minimal settling velocity. Hence, these four parameters -
OLR, SUAV, ST and VER- were selected as major influencing parametersfor the present study. Influence of these four parameters on aerobic
granulation was investigated in this work
Description:
Division of Safety and Fire Engineering
School of Engineering
Cochin University of Science and Technology
In this modern complex world, stress at work is found to be
increasingly a common feature in day to day life. For the same reason, job
stress is one of the active areas in occupational health and safety research for
over last four decades and is continuing to attract researchers in academia and
industry. Job stress in process industries is of concern due to its influence on
process safety, and worker‘s safety and health. Safety in process (chemical and
nuclear material) industry is of paramount importance, especially in a thickly
populated country like India. Stress at job is the main vector in inducing work
related musculoskeletal disorders which in turn can affect the worker health
and safety in process industries. In view of the above, the process industries
should try to minimize the job stress in workers to ensure a safe and healthy
working climate for the industry and the worker. This research is mainly aimed
at assessing the influence of job stress in inducing work related musculoskeletal
disorders in chemical process industries in India
Description:
School of Engineering
Cochin University of Science and Technology
Pramod, V R; Dr. Jagathy Raj, V P(Cochin University of Science and Technology, June , 2007)
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Abstract:
This thesis presents the methodology of linking Total Productive
Maintenance (TPM) and Quality Function Deployment (QFD). The Synergic
power ofTPM and QFD led to the formation of a new maintenance model named
Maintenance Quality Function Deployment (MQFD). This model was found so
powerful that, it could overcome the drawbacks of TPM, by taking care of
customer voices. Those voices of customers are used to develop the house of
quality. The outputs of house of quality, which are in the form of technical
languages, are submitted to the top management for making strategic decisions.
The technical languages, which are concerned with enhancing maintenance
quality, are strategically directed by the top management towards their adoption
of eight TPM pillars. The TPM characteristics developed through the
development of eight pillars are fed into the production system, where their
implementation is focused towards increasing the values of the maintenance
quality parameters, namely overall equipment efficiency (GEE), mean time
between failures (MTBF), mean time to repair (MTIR), performance quality,
availability and mean down time (MDT). The outputs from production system
are required to be reflected in the form of business values namely improved
maintenance quality, increased profit, upgraded core competence, and enhanced
goodwill. A unique feature of the MQFD model is that it is not necessary to
change or dismantle the existing process ofdeveloping house ofquality and TPM
projects, which may already be under practice in the company concerned. Thus,
the MQFD model enables the tactical marriage between QFD and TPM.First, the literature was reviewed. The results of this review indicated that
no activities had so far been reported on integrating QFD in TPM and vice versa.
During the second phase, a survey was conducted in six companies in which
TPM had been implemented. The objective of this survey was to locate any
traces of QFD implementation in TPM programme being implemented in these
companies. This survey results indicated that no effort on integrating QFD in
TPM had been made in these companies. After completing these two phases of
activities, the MQFD model was designed. The details of this work are presented
in this research work. Followed by this, the explorative studies on implementing
this MQFD model in real time environments were conducted. In addition to that,
an empirical study was carried out to examine the receptivity of MQFD model
among the practitioners and multifarious organizational cultures. Finally, a
sensitivity analysis was conducted to find the hierarchy of various factors
influencing MQFD in a company. Throughout the research work, the theory and
practice of MQFD were juxtaposed by presenting and publishing papers among
scholarly communities and conducting case studies in real time scenario.
Description:
School of Engineering,Cochin University of Science and Technology