Computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) and the principle of business control

In response to the increasing international competitiveness, many manufacturing businesses are rethinking their management strategies and philosophies towards achieving a computer integrated environment. The explosive growth in Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMI) has resulted in the formation of functional "Islands of Automation" such as Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM), Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) and Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRPII). This has resulted in an environment which has focussed areas of excellence and poor overall efficiency, co-ordination and control. The main role of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) is to integrate these islands of automation and develop a totally integrated and controlled environment. However, the various perceptions of CIM, although developing, remain focussed on a very narrow integration scope and have consequently resulted in mere linked islands of automation with little improvement in overall co-ordination and control. This thesis, that is the research described within, develops and examines a more holistic view of CIM, which is based on the integration of various business elements. One particular business element, namely control, has been shown to have a multi-facetted and underpinning relationship with the CIM philosophy. This relationship impacts various CIM system design aspects including the CIM business analysis and modelling technique, the specification of systems integration requirements, the CIM system architectural form and the degree of business redesign. The research findings show that fundamental changes to CIM system design are required; these are incorporated in a generic CIM design methodology. The affect and influence of this holistic view of CIM on a manufacturing business has been evaluated through various industrial case study applications. Based on the evidence obtained, it has been concluded that this holistic, control based approach to CIM can provide a greatly improved means of achieving a totally integrated and controlled business environment. This generic CIM methodology will therefore make a significant contribution to the planning, modelling, design and development of future CIM systems.

A principled approach to interactive hierarchical non-linear visualization of high-dimensional data

Hierarchical visualization systems are desirable because a single two-dimensional visualization plot may not be sufficient to capture all of the interesting aspects of complex high-dimensional data sets. We extend an existing locally linear hierarchical visualization system PhiVis [1] in several directions: bf(1) we allow for em non-linear projection manifolds (the basic building block is the Generative Topographic Mapping -- GTM), bf(2) we introduce a general formulation of hierarchical probabilistic models consisting of local probabilistic models organized in a hierarchical tree, bf(3) we describe folding patterns of low-dimensional projection manifold in high-dimensional data space by computing and visualizing the manifold's local directional curvatures. Quantities such as magnification factors [3] and directional curvatures are helpful for understanding the layout of the nonlinear projection manifold in the data space and for further refinement of the hierarchical visualization plot. Like PhiVis, our system is statistically principled and is built interactively in a top-down fashion using the EM algorithm. We demonstrate the visualization system principle of the approach on a complex 12-dimensional data set and mention possible applications in the pharmaceutical industry.

Development and evaluation of a non-destructive adhesion test

The object of this work was to further develop the idea introduced by Muaddi et al (1981) which enables some of the disadvantages of earlier destructive adhesion test methods to be overcome. The test is non-destructive in nature but it does need to be calibrated against a destructive method. Adhesion is determined by measuring the effect of plating on internal friction. This is achieved by determining the damping of vibrations of a resonating specimen before and after plating. The level of adhesion was considered by the above authors to influence the degree of damping. In the major portion of the research work the electrodeposited metal was Watt's nickel, which is ductile in nature and is therefore suitable for peel adhesion testing. The base metals chosen were aluminium alloys S1C and HE9 as it is relatively easy to produce varying levels of adhesion between the substrate and electrodeposited coating by choosing the appropriate process sequence. S1C alloy is the commercially pure aluminium and was used to produce good adhesion. HE9 aluminium alloy is a more difficult to plate alloy and was chosen to produce poorer adhesion. The "Modal Testing" method used for studying vibrations was investigated as a possible means of evaluating adhesion but was not successful and so research was concentrated on the "Q" meter. The method based on the use of a "Q" meter involves the principle of exciting vibrations in a sample, interrupting the driving signal and counting the number of oscillations of the freely decaying vibrations between two known preselected amplitudes of oscillations. It was not possible to reconstruct a working instrument using Muaddi's thesis (1982) as it had either a serious error or the information was incomplete. Hence a modified "Q" meter had to be designed and constructed but it was then difficult to resonate non-magnetic materials, such as aluminium, therefore, a comparison before and after plating could not be made. A new "Q" meter was then developed based on an Impulse Technique. A regulated miniature hammer was used to excite the test piece at the fundamental mode instead of an electronic hammer and test pieces were supported at the two predetermined nodal points using nylon threads. This instrument developed was not very successful at detecting changes due to good and poor pretreatments given before plating, however, it was more sensitive to changes at the surface such as room temperature oxidation. Statistical analysis of test results from untreated aluminium alloys show that the instrument is not always consistent, the variation was even bigger when readings were taken on different days. Although aluminium is said to form protective oxides at room temperature there was evidence that the aluminium surface changes continuously due to film formation, growth and breakdown. Nickel plated and zinc alloy immersion coated samples also showed variation in Q with time. In order to prove that the variations in Q were mainly due to surface oxidation, aluminium samples were lacquered and anodised Such treatments enveloped the active surfaces reacting with the environment and the Q variation with time was almost eliminated especially after hard anodising. This instrument detected major differences between different untreated aluminium substrates.Also Q values decreased progressively as coating thicknesses were increased. This instrument was also able to detect changes in Q due to heat-treatment of aluminium alloys.

Experimental and theoretical characterisation of tunable fibre gratings

This thesis presents details on both theoretical and experimental aspects of UV written fibre gratings. The main body of the thesis deals with the design, fabrication and testing of telecommunication optical fibre grating devices, but also an accurate theoretical analysis of intra-core fibre gratings is presented. Since more than a decade, fibre gratings have been extensively used in the telecommunication field (as filters, dispersion compensators, and add/drop multiplexers for instance). Gratings for telecommunication should conform to very high fabrication standards as the presence of any imperfection raises the noise level in the transmission system compromising its ability of transmitting intelligible sequence of bits to the receiver. Strong side lobes suppression and high and sharp reflection profile are then necessary characteristics. A fundamental part of the theoretical and experimental work reported in this thesis is about apodisation. The physical principle of apodisation is introduced and a number of apodisation techniques, experimental results and numerical optimisation of the shading functions and all the practical parameters involved in the fabrication are detailed. The measurement of chromatic dispersion in fibres and FBGs is detailed and an estimation of its accuracy is given. An overview on the possible methods that can be implemented for the fabrication of tunable fibre gratings is given before detailing a new dispersion compensator device based on the action of a distributed strain onto a linearly chirped FBG. It is shown that tuning of second and third order dispersion of the grating can be obtained by the use of a specially designed multipoint bending rig. Experiments on the recompression of optical pulses travelling long distances are detailed for 10 Gb/s and 40 Gb/s. The characterisation of a new kind of double section LPG fabricated on a metal-clad coated fibre is reported. The fabrication of the device is made easier by directly writing the grating through the metal coating. This device may be used to overcome the recoating problems associated with standard LPGs written in step-index fibre. Also, it can be used as a sensor for simultaneous measurements of temperature and surrounding medium refractive index.

Sonically induced narrowing of the NMR spectra of solids and other novel NMR techniques

A typical liquid state NMR spectrum is composed of a number of discrete absorptions which can be readily interpreted to yield detailed information about the chemical environment of the nuclei found within the sample. The same cannot be said about the spectra of solid samples. For these the absorptions are typically broad, featureless and yield little information directly. This situation may be further exacerbated by the characteristically long T1 values of nuclei bound within a solid lattice which, consequently, require long inter-sequence delays that necessitate lengthy experiments. This work attempts to address both of these inherent problems. Classically, the resolution of the broad-line spectra of solids into discrete resonances has been achieved by imparting to the sample coherent rotation about specific axes in relation to the polarising magnetic field, as implemented in the magic-angle spinning (MAS) [1], dynamic angle spinning (DAS) [2] and double rotation (DOR) [3] NMR experiments. Recently, an alternative method, sonically induced narrowing of the NMR spectra of solids (SINNMR) [4], has been reported which yields the same well resolved solid-state spectra as the classic solid-state NMR experiments, but which achieves the resolution of the broad-line spectra through the promotion of incoherent motion in a suspension of solid particles. The first part of this work examines SINNMR and, in particular, concentrates on ultrasonically induced evaluation, a phenomenon which is thought to be essential to the incoherent averaging mechanism. The second part of this work extends the principle of incoherent motion, implicit in SINNMR, to a new genre of particulate systems, air fluidized beds, and examines the feasibility of such systems to provide well resolved solid state NMR spectra. Samples of trisodium phosphate dodecahydrate and of aluminium granules are examined using the new method with partially resolved spectra being reported in the case of the latter.

Deformations of the pneumatic tyre

A mathematical model is developed for the general pneumatic tyre. The model will permit the investigations of tyre deformations produced by arbitrary external loading, and will enable estimates to be made of the distributions of applied and reactive forces. The principle of Finite Elements is used to idealise the composite tyre structure, each element consisting of a triangle of double curvature with varying thickness. Large deflections of' the structure are accomodated by the use of an iterative sequence of small incremental steps, each of' which obeys the laws of linear mechanics. The theoretical results are found to compare favourably with the experimental test data obtained from two different types of ttye construction. However, limitations in the discretisation process has prohibited accurate assessments to be made of stress distributions in the regions of high stress gradients ..

Development of plasmid dna formulations for application as microspheric dna vaccines

The advent of DNA vaccines has heralded a new technology allowing the design and elicitation of immune responses more adequate for a wider range of pathogens. The formulation of these vaccines into the desired dosage forms extends their capability in terms of stability, routes of administration and efficacy. This thesis describes an investigation into the fabrication of plasmid DNA, the active principle of DNA vaccines, into microspheres, based on the tenet of an increased cellular uptake of microparticulate matter by phagocytic cells. The formulation of plasmid DNA into microspheres using two methods, is presented. Formulation of microspheric plasmid DNA using the double emulsion solvent evaporation method and a spray-drying method was explored. The former approach involves formation of a double emulsion, by homogenisation. This method produced microspheres of uniform size and smooth morphology, but had a detrimental effect on the formulated DNA. The spray-drying method resulted in microspheres with an improved preservation of DNA stability. The use of polyethylenimine (PEI) and stearylamine (SA) as agents in the microspheric formulation of plasmid DNA is a novel approach to DNA vaccine design. Using these molecules as model positively-charged agents, their influence on the characteristics of the microspheric formulations was investigated. PEI improved the entrapment efficiency of the plasmid DNA in microspheres, and has minimal effect on either the surface charge, morphology or size distribution of the formulations. Stearylamine effected an increase in the entrapment efficiency and stability of the plasmid DNA and its effect on the micropshere morphology was dependent on the method of preparation. The differences in the effects of the two molecules on microsphere formulations may be attributable to their dissimilar physico-chemical properties. PEI is water-soluble and highly-branched, while SA is hydrophobic and amphipathic. The positive charge of both molecules is imparted by amine functional groups. Preliminary data on the in vivo application of formulated DNA vaccine, using hepatitis B plasmid, showed superior humoral responses to the formulated antigen, compared with free (unformulated) antigen.

The Mechanics of the drawing of polygonal sections from round at elevated temperature

Economic factors such as the rise in cost of raw materials, labour and power, are compelling manufacturers of cold-drawn polygonal sections, to seek new production routes which will enable the expansion in the varieties of metals used and the inclusion of difficult-to-draw materials. One such method generating considerable industrial interest is the drawing of polygonal sections from round at elevated temperature. The technique of drawing mild steel, medium carbon steel and boron steel wire into octagonal, hexagonal and square sections from round at up to 850 deg C and 50% reduction of area in one pass has been established. The main objective was to provide a basic understanding of the process, with particular emphasis being placed on modelling using both experimental and theoretical considerations. Elevated temperature stress-strain data was obtained using a modified torsion testing machine. Data were used in the upper bound solution derived and solved numerically to predict drawing stress strain, strain-rate, temperature and flow stress distribution in the deforming zone for a range of variables. The success of this warm working process will, of course, depend on the use of a satisfactory elevated temperature lubricant, an efficient cooling system, a suitable tool material having good wear and thermal shock resistance and an efficient die profile design which incorporates the principle of least work. The merits and demerits of die materials such as tungsten carbide, chromium carbide, Syalon and Stellite are discussed, principally from the standpoint of minimising drawing force and die wear. Generally, the experimental and theoretical results were in good agreement, the drawing stress could be predicted within close limits and the process proved to be technically feasible. Finite element analysis has been carried out on the various die geometries and die materials, to gain a greater understanding of the behaviour of these dies under the process of elevated temperature drawing, and to establish the temperature distribution and thermal distortion in the deforming zone, thus establishing the optimum die design and die material for the process. It is now possible to predict, for the materials already tested, (i) the optimum drawing temperature range, (ii) the maximum possible reduction of area per pass, (iii) the optimum drawing die profiles and die materials, (iv) the most efficient lubricant in terms of reducing the drawing force and die wear.

Fatigue of commercial aluminium alloys

Fatigue crack propagation has been observed for a number of commercial aluminium alloys. Comparable data was obtained for a variety of crack and specimen geometries over a range of crack lengths for a given alloy. Where crack propagation only was of interest the initiation event has been excluded by pre-cracking the specimen using a fin of material adjacent to the crack face. By this method a controlled defect size is introduced in to the specimen. By modification of the D.C. potential drop method it has been shown possible to measure the growth of cracking from 0.12mm by this method. Crack growth from defects greater than 0.6mm have been shown to give conventional crack propagation deduced by principle of similitude. Fatigue fracture surface analysis has been conducted for cracking from both free surfaces and from blunt notches. A `quasi cleavage' feature has been identified and is shown to be prominent when the fatigue stress intensity range is below 10 MNm-3/2.

Application of space-charge electrostatic precipitator for collection of oil mist from pyrolysis gases

A novel electrostatic precipitator CAROLA® is developed for collection of fine oil mists. It operates on the principle of unipolar particle charging in the corona discharge and particle precipitation under the field of space charge. The pilot precipitator was tested at different gas temperatures. It is shown that the increase of gas temperature changes the characteristics of the corona discharge and particle size distribution, especially for droplets sub-micron droplets. The CAROLA® precipitator was used for collection of oil mist from pyrolysis gases at the HALOCLEAN® plant. The flow rate of biomass in the HALOCLEAN® plant was 15-30 kg/h. The particle mass concentration in the raw gas was over 100 g/Nm. The operation voltage of the precipitator was 10-12 kV and corona current up to 0,1 mA. Single stage electrostatic precipitator ensured mass collection efficiency 97-99,5% for pyrolysis oil mist.

A study of the properties and applications of electrostatic charged particle oscillators

This investigation originated from work by Dr. A.H. McIlraith of the National Physical Laboratory who, in 1966, described a new type of charged particle oscillator. This makes use of two equal cylindrical electrodes to constrain the particles in such a way that they follow extremely long oscillatory paths between the electrodes under the influence of an electrostatic field alone. The object of this work has been to study the principle of the oscillator in detail and to investigate its properties and applications. Any device which is capable of creating long electron trajectories has potential application in the field of ultra high vacuum technology. It was therefore considered that a critical review of the problems associated with the production and measurement of ultra high vacuum was relevant in the initial stages of the work. The oscillator has been applied with a considerable degree of success as a high energy electrostatic ion source. This offers several advantages over existing ion sources. It can be operated at much lower pressures without the need of a magnetic field. The oscillator principle has also been applied as a thermionic ionization gauge and has been compared with other ionization gauges to pressures as low as 5 x 10- 11 torr.. This new gauge exhibited a number of advantages over most of the existing gauges. Finally the oscillator has been used in an evaporation ion pump and has exhibited fairly high pumping speeds for argon gas relative to those for nitrogen. This investigation supports the original work of Dr. A.H. McIlraith and shows that his proposed oscillator has considerable potential in the fields of vacuum technology and electron physics.

Undermining patient and public engagement and limiting its impact:the consequences of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 on collective patient and public involvement

Patient and public involvement has been at the heart of UK health policy for more than two decades. This commitment to putting patients at the heart of the British National Health Service (NHS) has become a central principle helping to ensure equity, patient safety and effectiveness in the health system. The recent Health and Social Care Act 2012 is the most significant reform of the NHS since its foundation in 1948. More radically, this legislation undermines the principle of patient and public involvement, public accountability and returns the power for prioritisation of health services to an unaccountable medical elite. This legislation marks a sea-change in the approach to patient and public involvement in the UK and signals a shift in the commitment of the UK government to patient-centred care. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Simulation and experimental analysis of a brushless electrically excited synchronous machine with a hybrid rotor

Electrically excited synchronous machines with brushes and slip rings are popular but hardly used in inflammable and explosive environments. This paper proposes a new brushless electrically excited synchronous motor with a hybrid rotor. It eliminates the use of brushes and slip rings so as to improve the reliability and cost-effectiveness of the traction drive. The proposed motor is characterized with two sets of stator windings with two different pole numbers to provide excitation and drive torque independently. This paper introduces the structure and operating principle of the machine, followed by the analysis of the air-gap magnetic field using the finite-element method. The influence of the excitation winding's pole number on the coupling capability is studied and the operating characteristics of the machine are simulated. These are further examined by the experimental tests on a 16 kW prototype motor. The machine is proved to have good static and dynamic performance, which meets the stringent requirements for traction applications.

The framework of the virtual laser tracker - A systematic approach to the assessment of error sources and uncertainty in laser tracker measurement

Laser trackers have been widely used in many industries to meet increasingly high accuracy requirements. In laser tracker measurement, it is complex and difficult to perform an accurate error analysis and uncertainty evaluation. This paper firstly reviews the working principle of single beam laser trackers and state-of- The- Art of key technologies from both industrial and academic efforts, followed by a comprehensive analysis of uncertainty sources. A generic laser tracker modelling method is formulated and the framework of the virtual tracker is proposed. The VLS can be used for measurement planning, measurement accuracy optimization and uncertainty evaluation. The completed virtual laser tracking system should take all the uncertainty sources affecting coordinate measurement into consideration and establish an uncertainty model which will behave in an identical way to the real system. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.