Papers by Keyword: Optimization

Abstract: Moroccan industry, like most industries around the world, today faces a water scarcity. Water is one of the basic utilities for all kinds of production, especially in the agro-food sector. Morocco, a country of bioclimatic and ecological transition with fragile resources, is threatened with rapid degradation in the event of overexploitation of underground water reserves. Indeed, the evolution of the water supply over the last decade already testifies to the irregularity of the outlook and confirms climate failure. “From 1990 to 2000, the resources in m³ per inhabitant per year fell from 1200 to 950. In 2020 the water resources are only around 600m³ / inhabitant / year, at a time when the demand for water total has reached the ceiling of 20 to 21km³ of water that can be mobilized. The country will drop to the shortage threshold for 500m³ / inhabitant / year around the year 2030".In fact, Morocco has launched programs to save water and review some resource allocations in order to meet growing needs. One of these programs is the launch of 10-95 law. It about the regulation of water discharges by establishing a financing instrument based on “the polluter pays” principle. This law has forced several industries, to install wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) for their water discharges to the extent that they meet the standards defined by Law 10-95. On this work, we will present an analysis of the operation of a wastewater treatment plant in a Moroccan dairy, the issues that have arisen and the solutions that have been provided. The analysis of the influential of the WWTP during the different phases of treatment gave results, which allowed us to optimize the performance of each phase and reduce the cost of running the WWTP.

Abstract: Capacitive deionization is an emerging electrochemical technology employed in water desalination applications. Multiple water desalination technologies include reverse osmosis, multi-stage flash, humidification-dehumidification, and nanofiltration. Capacitive deionization is appreciably increased the desalination efficiency compared to other technologies while promising energy-efficient and cost-effective operation. In the CDI system, the charged ions are extracted from feedwater by applying an electrical voltage across electrodes, in which the charged ions are attracted to the oppositely charged electrodes. This paper demonstrates the concept of capacitive deionization (CDI), the components of CDI cell, working principal, and performance metrics for the CDI system. Furthermore, the paper reviews the state of technology of the CDI cell and the development of the system since the mid-1960, including the concepts of membrane and flow electrode CDI. Finally, a cost analysis framework of CDI, MCDI, and FCDI is demonstrated based on the Levelized cost of water.

Abstract: Reinforced concrete shear walls, which are vertically oriented plate-like elements, are efficient members in controlling the response behavior of buildings against seismic actions. In this research work, the performance of reinforced concrete buildings with shear walls having different shear wall-to-frame stiffness ratios is investigated. The considered buildings were designed in compliance with the requirements of the Algerian seismic code RPA99v2003 and were supposed to be located in regions of high seismicity. Seven 3D finite element models with different shear wall-to-frame stiffness ratios were developed and assessed using the nonlinear static analysis. Engineering Demand Parameters (EDPs) such as lateral displacement, inter-story drift ratio, shear force, and bending moment along the building height were presented. The results clarified that the induced responses can be classified into two major groups: force-based and displacement-based EDPs. Moreover, as the shear wall-to-frame ratio increases, the observed force-based EDPs increase whereas the displacement-based EDPs decrease. From a force point of view, distributing shear walls so that the packet of stiffness is lumped at the center of the building, model G with a stiffness ratio of 6.0906, amplifies the induced forces. This distribution requires more reinforcements and can lead to a conservative design. From a displacement point of view, distributing shear walls so that the packet of stiffness is lumped at the periphery of the building, model C with a stiffness ratio of 1.7879, minimizes the induced shear force and bending moment and produces the lowest values. This represents the optimum case with maximum performance and minimum strength.

Abstract: ASSAB 705 steel is a machinery steel that used in several industries due to its mechanical properties, for components manufacturing. Hardening process is applied to ASSAB 705 to increase mechanical strength thereby increasing hardness. Conversely, an increase in the hardness value will decrease toughness value so that components are easily damaged due to heavy workloads. The optimal combination of hardness and toughness enhances abrasion resistance and maintains component strength against working loads. It is necessary to investigate parameters of hardening process and its effect on the hardness and toughness of ASSAB 705 steel. This study used Design of Experiment with Taguchi method and ANOVA statistical analysis. Hardening parameter with austenite temperature factor, quench media, and tempering temperature, is used to optimize the combination of hardness-toughness value of ASSAB 705 steel. Results of this research show that tempering temperature is the most influential factor on hardness and toughness values. Optimal combination of mechanical strength is obtained at a hardness value of 50.78 HRC (increase of 44.85%) and a toughness value of 1.15 J/mm² (increase of 109.09%). These values ​​were obtained from the hardening method: austenite temperature of 825°C, oil quench medium, and tempering temperature of 180°C. The desirability value for combination of hardening process parameters is 0,682802.

Abstract: Nature always has the ability to offer various solutions in day-to-day life of humans in various fields of engineering and science. The term biomimicry refers to the process of adopting solutions from nature to solve complicated problems that refers to analysing the environment for sustainable solutions. This concept is used in various fields of engineering and science. This concept is emerging now in the field of construction also. Biomimics concept is used in analysing the behaviour of structural elements which forms a symbiosis between the environment and construction. In the field of construction, thin shell structures are lightweight structures that are preferred as roof elements for covering high spans and also gives an aesthetic appearance. In this study, three different shapes like spherical with different rise to span ratios, circular and elliptical are considered. The concept of reflecting the human skull shape into thin shell structures was considered, because the reflection from the environment helps in solving the complicated problems of both engineering and sciences. This study focused on the mesh convergence study for numerical analysis using Ansys 18.1 software. The parameters of the thin shells such as thickness, span and rise were taken from the geometrical characteristics of scanned human skull models in comparison with the standard skull models. From the results, mesh sizes were optimized for the three different shapes considered and also predicted the most efficient model. These results were obtained based on the equivalent stress in comparison with the theoretical stresses of the respective models. This study inspires the naturally available forms in the environment to incorporate it in the field of construction and technology for a sustainable solution.

Abstract: The current research paper is focused on investigating the influence of Laser beam machining process parameters on surface roughness and kerf width of HSLA steel. Taguchi’s L₁₈ orthogonal array is adopted to conduct the machining studies. MOORA method is used to evaluate the suitable combination of the LBM process parameters. The combined effect of machining performance measures is analysed using analysis of variance to identify the significance of the result. Consequently, the influence of the parameters on machining responses were explored. The surface morphology of the machined surface of the optimal set of parameters has been studied.

Abstract: Friction stir welding is now increasingly being applied to joining aluminum alloys and other non-ferrous metals because the process has been established to be more suitable for joining soft metals. Compared with the facilities required for fusion welding, procuring friction stir welding machine is capital intensive and its utilization in the underdeveloped nations is very scanty. In this work, some experimental works were done so as determine the optimized process parameters for friction stir welding of aluminium alloys using an adapted vertical milling machine. The focus is to optimize the friction stir welding of AA1100 using an adapted vertical milling machine so as to obtain high quality weldments in terms of hardness and tensile strength. Friction stir welding of AA1100 was performed within a process window. The process parameters were optimized for improved hardness and tensile strength. The hardness property of the welded joints was measured using Brinnel hardness tester while the tensile strength was measured using Instron universal testing machine. Within the range of parameters utilized in this work, the hardness and tensile strength of the friction stir welded joint of AA1100 ranged between 15.30—35.32 BHN and 48.66 – 99.12 MPa respectively. The highest hardness value of 35.32 BHN was found at optimum parametric setting of 900 rpm rotational speed, 40 mm/min traverse speed and 2^o tilt angle while the highest tensile strength of 99.12 MPa was obtained at optimal processing parameters of 900 rpm rotational speed, 25 mm/min traverse speed and 2^o tilt angle. The ANOVA revealed that rotational speed followed by tilt angle has the most significant effect on the tensile strength of the weldment. The tilt angle and the traverse speed effects were found significant on the hardness of the weldments.

Abstract: This study focused on the optimization of methylene blue removal on a magnetic activated carbon from the carbon-rich agro-industrial residue, sugarcane bagasse, synthesized by microwave method. The adsorption process was assisted by ultrasound. The magnetic sugarcane bagasse activated carbon (MSB) was characterized by FTIR and SEM-EDX. Based on FTIR results, the functional groups found in magnetic sugarcane bagasse activated carbon are O-H, C=C, C-O, and Fe-O. The SEM results show that MSB is porous with a rough surface. In addition, EDX data found the presence of three main elements, namely C, O, and Fe. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Box-Behnken Design was applied to analyze the effects of three parameters, including adsorbent dosage (50-100 mg/L), ultrasonic power (100-200 W), and contact time (30-60 min). The obtained optimum conditions of the adsorption process were the sonication power of 155.65 W, the adsorbent dosage of 89.77 mg/L, and the sonication time of 57,81 minutes. The results indicated that the parameters of adsorbent dosage, ultrasonic power, and contact time influenced the response (qe and methylene blue removal).

Abstract: Single-Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) is a flexible technology that can form a wide range of sheet metal products without the need for using punch and die sets. As a relatively cheap and dieless process, this technology is preferable for small and medium customised production. However, the SPIF technology has drawbacks, such as the geometrical inaccuracy and the thickness uniformity of the shaped part. For the purpose of determining the optimal value for the technological parameters from the experimental results when evaluating the forming ability through the strain angle α during the processing of SUS 304 sheet material by SPIF technology. The article has conducted experiments to collect parameters; and experimental planning to establish a mathematical model, determine the optimal value for the parameters of the machining process such as tool diameter, tool feed and tool running speed.

Abstract: In this research work, was made a study on the effects of turning conditions on incoloy 901 nickel-based superalloy and performed a precision analyzes using the Taguchi L27 orthogonal array. Using the results of variance analysis (ANOVA) and signal-to-noise (S / N) ratio and taking into account the "smaller is better" approach were statistically investigated to establish a correlation amongst the speed of cutting, feed rate and cutting tool with respect to surface quality and cutting forces. KCU10, K313 and KCU25 cemented carpide cutting tool were used in experimental study. The experimental results have revealed the most important factor influencing the cutting force and surface quality was the type of the cutting tool and it’s had a serious effect on both, KCU10 and followed by KCU25 was found better than the other cutting tool. Optimum parameters for the cutting forces were found 0,150 mm/rev., 90 m/min. with KCU10 cutting tool The found findings can help for revealed the optimization of machining parameters and surface characteristics of Incoloy 901 during high speed turning.