Department of Mechanical Engineering

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IIT Jodhpur

World University root node

Projectable interactive surface using microsoft kinect v2: Recovering information from coarse data to detect touch

Microfluidic devices are highly commonplace in the field of biomedical technology, point of care diagnostics and chemical analysis. The rapid and low cost manufacturing of these devices have always been a challenge. CO2 laser micromachining has played an important role in micro-machining of devices at a scale similar to the microfluidic devices although it renders the machined surfaces with high surface roughness. The chapter reports an initiative to do process optimization of laser micromachining technique for producing smooth machined surfaces in the micro scale devices. The chapter discusses the impact of process parameters like raster speed, laser power, print resolution etc. and its optimization using two target functions of dimensional precision and surface roughness on micro-channels made in PMMA (Poly methyl metha acrylate) substrates. The laser machined PMMA samples are analyzed using 3D-profilometry and Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) for surface quality and dimensional precision. To investigate optimum process parameters of CO2 laser for fabricating the micro-channel on PMMA with dimensional accuracy and good surface quality, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression analysis is conducted. It is found that optimum surface roughness of this process is around 7.1 µm at the optimum value of the process parameters 7.5 mm/s (50 % of maximum machine limit) raster speed, 17.9 W (51 % of maximum machine limit) laser power and 1200 DPI (100 % of maximum machine limit) printing resolution. The static contact angle of the micro-machined surface has also been observed for analyzing the amenability of these channels to flow of water like fluids for micro-fluidic applications. The chapter also covers a review of work done by various researchers in which they developed different methodology for successful manufacturing of microfluidic devices by employing CO2 laser micromachining. © 2015, Springer India.

Topics in Mining, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering

Studies on CO2 Laser Micromachining on PMMA to Fabricate Micro Channel for Microfluidic Applications

Stair Climbing is a key functionality desired for robots deployed in Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) scenarios. A novel compliant modular robot was proposed earlier to climb steep and big obstacles. This work extends the functionality of this robot to ascend and descend stairs of dimensions that are also typical of an urban setting. Stair Climbing is realized by equipping the robot's link joints with optimally designed passive spring pairs that resist clockwise and counter clockwise moments generated by the ground during the climbing motion. This 3-module robot is only propelled by wheel actuators. Desirable stair climbing configurations are estimated a-priori and used to obtain the optimal stiffness for springs. Extensive numerical simulation results over different stair configurations are shown. The numerical simulations are corroborated by experimentation using the prototype and its performance is tabulated for different types of surfaces. © 2015 IEEE.

IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems

Stair Climbing using a compliant modular robot

SAKSHAR: An Image-projective Desktop Varnamala Trainer (IDVT) for Interactive Learning of Alphabets

Metal-matrix composites are widely used in shipping, aerospace, automotive, and nuclear applications. Research attempts have been made in the past to reduce the cost of processing of composites, decrease the weight of the composites, and increase the desired performance characteristics. In this research article, an attempt has been made in using red mud obtained as an industrial waste during the production of aluminum from bauxite ore. This article discusses the novel findings of the experimental study on the dry sliding wear behavior of aluminum alloy 6061-based composites reinforced individually with red mud, SiC, and Al2O3. The microstructural characterization of the composites provides the further insight into the structure—wear behavior of the processed composites. © 2015, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society.

Wear Behavior of Aluminum Alloy 6061-Based Composites Reinforced with SiC, Al2O3, and Red Mud: A Comparative Study

In this work, we report an effective water filtration system based on the photocatalytic performance of semiconducting dense nano-brushes under natural sunlight. During thin-film photocatalysis, which is usually performed by a deposited layer of photocatalyst, a stagnant boundary layer is created near the catalyst which adversely affects the rate of adsorption because of diffusional restrictions. One strategy that may be used is to disrupt this laminar boundary layer by creating a super-dense nanostructure near the surface of the catalyst. Furthermore, it is useful to fabricate a structured filter element for the passage of water with the use of nanostructures protruding out of the surface. Herein, dye remediation is performed by solar means. This remediation was initially limited to a lower efficiency because of diffusional restrictions but has now become a fast process due to microhole incorporation in the filter materials with protruding dense nanostructures. Theoretical analysis predicts that there is an optimal film thickness that yields the maximum adsorption and also a highly nonlinear behaviour of diffusivity with respect to the fraction adsorbed. The effect of increased surface area due to microholes on the fraction adsorbed is also investigated and it is found that there is an optimum value of hole diameter for maximum adsorption. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2015.

Fulltext

RSC Advances

Solar light based degradation of organic pollutants using ZnO nanobrushes for water filtration

The adsorption of non-specific biomolecules onto solid supports creates problems of sample loss and reduction in the sensitivity and performance of sensors used for in vitro diagnostics in food and health monitoring. In an effort to develop bioactive surfaces that resist non-specific biomolecules adsorption, the surfaces are generally functionalized with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) or oligo(ethylene glycol) which effectively drives away the non-specific biomolecules and enhances their bioactivity. In this work we have reviewed selective strategies for surface functionalization with hydrophilic polymers so that bioactive molecules can be preferentially attached to these surfaces to develop protein-specific and protein-resistant antifouling bioactive surfaces. Adhesion strategies responsible for antifouling over polymeric substrates and their effects on improved, efficient and reproducible electrophoretic separation of biomolecules over solid surfaces have been reviewed. © 2015 Scrivener Publishing LLC.

Reviews of Adhesion and Adhesives

Surface functionalization to mitigate fouling of biodevices: A critical review

ZnO nanostructures have been heavily explored for a variety of sensing properties and of late a major emphasis by researchers has been to find applications for ZnO materials in the domain of photo-catalysis. ZnO nanoparticles have been found as a better alternative to other materials for removing organic dyes from polluted water and the abolition of several hazardous materials etc. In this work we have developed ultra-dense high aspect ratio ZnO nano-forest like structures and explored their potential as photo-catalysts. The films formulated are superhydrophobic (contact angle ∼ 154°) in nature and have been evaluated as containing a high density of oxygen defects in the crystalline state of the ZnO (as validated through photoluminescence measurements). The samples were found to possess enhanced photo-catalytic properties, as measured through a dye degradation process using an UV-Vis spectrophotometer. These photo-catalytic properties may be due to the high defect density and also the enhanced area of the interactive surface as one goes from nano-particles to nano-rod like structures. The paper gives an insight into highly unique carpeted nano-wire bundles of ZnO and offers immense utility to the realization of high efficiency remediation filters. © 2015 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Superhydrophobic polymethylsilsesquioxane pinned one dimensional ZnO nanostructures for water remediation through photo-catalysis

Abstract: Empirical stochastic multi-variable models for prediction of treatment efficiency of wetlands are presented in this article. Wetlands of seven different shapes are visualized using tracer studies. Two different variants of experiments are carried out. Numerous flow rate variations are performed keeping surface area of the wetland constant. The experiment is also carried out with a variation in volume of the wetland which helps to study the effect of flow height on the hydrodynamics within the wetland. A multi-variable model for treatment efficiency in terms of change in tracer concentration as a function of shape, volumetric height of water within the wetland, time, and mass flow rate is considered. Further, another set of experiments is performed studying the treatment efficiency in terms of electro-kinetic parameters. This involves measuring the pH, turbidity, temperature, electrical conductivity, total dissolved salts at inlet and outlet and residence time with varying flow rate, and height of water for the seven different wetland models under study. The electro-kinetic parameters changes due to difference in concentration of the tracer dye which simulates impurities. In this case, treatment efficiency is expressed as a function of the above-discussed electro-kinetic variables, time variation, water height, as well as variation in the mass flow rate. The stochastic multi-parameter models, thus, empirically derived in the above two cases have high coefficient of determination. The models thus derived may be used as a tool for quick analysis of treatment efficiency of any shape and size of a three-dimensional wetland. © 2014 Balaban Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Desalination and Water Treatment

Multi-variable approach to determine treatment efficiency of wetland: size effect and electro-kinetic effects

The nonlinear behavior of a rotating system with large elastic deformation subjected to harmonically varying ground disturbance has been investigated numerically. The Euler-Bernoulli beam theorem has been adopted in order to derive the partial differential equation governing the dynamics characteristics of the rotating system using extended Hamilton’s principle. Method of multiple scales has been selected in approximately finding the nonlinear dynamic characteristics of the system for possible resonance conditions. The effect of nonlinearities and other variations in the values of different parameters like amplitude of external excitation, position of disk along the span, and mass of the disk on the system performance has been investigated. The outcome from the present work will furnish a proper guidance to the designers in the vicinity of the limitation and safe range of operational speed of rotor shaft under the variation of other control parameters. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.