Showing papers by "Kongu Engineering College published in 2016"

Fabrication and hemocompatibility assessment of novel polyurethane-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey and Carica papaya extract for the management of burn injuries.

Abstract: Management of burn injury is an onerous clinical task since it requires continuous monitoring and extensive usage of specialized facilities. Despite rapid improvizations and investments in burn management, >30% of victims hospitalized each year face severe morbidity and mortality. Excessive loss of body fluids, accumulation of exudate, and the development of septic shock are reported to be the main reasons for morbidity in burn victims. To assist burn wound management, a novel polyurethane (PU)-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey (HN) and Carica papaya (PA) fruit extract was fabricated using a one-step electrospinning technique. The developed dressing material had a mean fiber diameter of 190±19.93 nm with pore sizes of 4-50 µm to support effective infiltration of nutrients and gas exchange. The successful blending of HN- and PA-based active biomolecules in PU was inferred through changes in surface chemistry. The blend subsequently increased the wettability (14%) and surface energy (24%) of the novel dressing. Ultimately, the presence of hydrophilic biomolecules and high porosity enhanced the water absorption ability of the PU-HN-PA nanofiber samples to 761.67% from 285.13% in PU. Furthermore, the ability of the bio-nanofibrous dressing to support specific protein adsorption (45%), delay thrombus formation, and reduce hemolysis demonstrated its nontoxic and compatible nature with the host tissues. In summary, the excellent physicochemical and hemocompatible properties of the developed PU-HN-PA dressing exhibit its potential in reducing the clinical complications associated with the treatment of burn injuries.

Optimization of Foaming Properties and Foam Mat Drying of Muskmelon Using Soy Protein

Abstract: The effect of concentration of soy protein isolate (SPI), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and whipping time on foaming properties of muskmelon pulp was investigated. Box–Behnken design of experiments was used to optimize the foaming process. The optimum conditions for foaming process were found to be 8.71% of SPI concentration, 0.54% of CMC concentration and a whipping time of 5.7 min. The muskmelon foamed at optimum conditions was dried using hot air dryer at 50, 60 and 70C. The drying rate was found to be high at 70C. The effective moisture diffusivity of foamed muskmelon pulp was determined and compared with the unfoamed muskmelon pulp. The powder properties such as density, color, water absorption index, solubility index, Hausner ratio and Carr index were also determined for muskmelon. Practical Applications Fruit juice powders have been considered as economically viable over their liquid counterparts because it has improved shelf life, low volume/weight, less space volume required for storage, simpler handling and transportation. Among various drying processes, the foam mat drying process has be successfully used for the production of fruit powders because of rapid drying at lower temperature, retention of high nutrition, easy reconstitution characteristics and its cost-effectiveness. This foam mat drying process is much cheaper than freeze and spray drying for the production of fruit powders. The muskmelon powders find application in snacks, beverages, ice creams and bakery industries for production of many food products, and it is also used as a starter for the preparation of instant foods and pastes.

Effect of Pretreatment Methods on Properties of Natural Fiber Composites: A Review:

Abstract: India as a tropical agricultural country has great potential to develop and use fiber derived from agricultural waste. Natural fibers are an important by-product of extraction process and they can ...

Effect of NaOH Treatment on Properties of Phoenix Sp. Fiber

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of an alkali treatment on physical, chemical, mechanical, and morphological properties of Phoenix Sp. fibers. The use of natural fibers as reinforcement in polymer composites requires a deep investigation to understand their behavior and which treatment is more appropriate to improve the quality of the untreated material. For this reason, fibers were extracted from the petioles of the Phoenix Sp. plant and they were treated with NaOH solution in different weight concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%). The mechanical behavior was investigated through tensile test on single fiber at different gauge length (20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, and 60 mm). Chemical and physical analysis were performed to define the material properties. In particular, density analysis of untreated and treated fibers, optical analysis to measure the diameter of the fibers, moisture content evaluation, and a chemical composition analysis were carried out through standard methods. The ...

Multivariate statistical analysis and optimization of ultrasound-assisted extraction of natural pigments from waste red beet stalks

Abstract: In this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of natural pigment extraction from waste red beet stalks were optimized under four factors (extraction temperature, ultrasonic power, extraction time and solid-liquid ratio) by using three level Box-Behnken response surface design. Extraction temperature, ultrasonic power and solid-liquid ratio were significantly influenced the extraction yield of pigments. Extraction temperature of 53 °C, ultrasonic power of 89 w, extraction time of 35 min and SL ratio of 1:19 g/ml was identified as the optimal condition. Under this condition, the actual yield of (betacyanin of 1.28 ± 0.02 and betaxanthin of 5.31 ± 0.09 mg/g) pigments was well correlated with predicted values (betacyanin was 1.29 mg/g and betaxanthin was 5.32 mg/g).

Characterization of Phoenix sp. natural fiber as potential reinforcement of polymer composites

Abstract: The present work deals with the identification of a new natural fiber from the Phoenix sp. plant and their characteristics were studied for preparing the fiber-reinforced polymer composites. This fiber was extracted by simple manual peeling process. Physico-chemical and mechanical properties are studied according to the standards. The morphology of the fiber was studied by using scanning electron microscopy. X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are used to identify the crystallinity index and chemical groups present in the fiber, respectively. The fiber has an average diameter of 577 µm and density of 1.2576 g/cc. The cellulose, lignin, wax, ash, and moisture contents present in the fiber are 76.13%, 4.29%, 0.32%, 19.69%, and 10.47%, respectively. The crystallinity index was 57%. The Griffith model was used to obtain the average values of diameter and tensile properties of Phoenix sp. fiber. The maximum tensile strength and Young’s modulus were around 348.95 MPa and 7.62 GPa, resp...

A new approach for ranking of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers using a centroid concept

Abstract: Ranking of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers is a difficult task. Many methods have been proposed for ranking of intuitionistic fuzzy numbers. In this paper we have ranked both trapezoidal intuitionistic fuzzy numbers and triangular intuitionistic fuzzy numbers using the centroid concept. Some of the properties of the ranking function have been studied. Also, comparative examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Development of solar photovoltaic inverter with reduced harmonic distortions suitable for Indian sub-continent

Abstract: In this paper, the power quality improvement techniques with respect to various modulation algorithms for the solar Photovoltaic (PV) inverter are reviewed. In power quality, harmonics are an important concern in all the utility sectors. The factors that contribute the harmonic distortion on distribution systems include increased application of capacitors and non-linear devices. In order to improve the power quality and also to maintain stable power supply performance, an inverter topology with harmonic reduction techniques is required. The design and development of solar Photovoltaic inverter suitable for the Indian sub-continent is proposed and reviewed in terms of survey, simulation and experimental results. The proposed multi-stage inverter provides the advantage of reduced harmonic distortions and suitable for standalone and grid connected systems. The reduction of harmonics is governed by proper switching sequences required for the inverter switches. Modified multicarrier modulation techniques are developed in a single chip controller. A 3 kWp solar PV plant with multistage inverter system is implemented and as per the results, the quality of power is increased and achieved the desired output voltage inspite of variations in the solar PV.

The Role of Self-Efficacy and Social Support in Improving Life Satisfaction

Abstract: . This paper analyzes the relationship between self-efficacy, work support, family support, and life satisfaction and it also explores the mediating role of work-to-family enrichment and family-to-work enrichment. The participants (n = 568) were from different occupational groups including high technology organizations, hospitals, schools, factories, and government. The correlation analyses and structural equation modeling were performed to explore the relationship existing between the variables. It is found that there exists a positive relationship between self-efficacy, social support, and life satisfaction. Work family enrichment partially mediates the relationship between the studied antecedents and consequences. The work indicates that organizations need to consider ways to not only reduce conflict, but also increase enrichment, which will drive the main outcome variable of overall life satisfaction of the employees.

Multiresponse Optimization of FSW Parameters for Cast AA7075/SiCp Composite

Abstract: Al/SiC-reinforced metal matrix composite is widely used in weight-sensitive applications such as portable and integrated circuit devices. The presence of SiC particles in aluminum alloys enhances material properties like thermal conductivity, density, and tensile strength. Reinforced aluminum matrix composite can be welded by friction stir welding (FSW) process. This investigation mainly focuses on optimizing the welding parameters of friction stir welded AA7075 with SiC reinforcement particle. The welding parameters considered are spindle speed, travelling speed, downward force, and percentage of SiC added to AA7075. The experiments are designed using response surface methodology (RSM). The responses considered are ultimate tensile strength and percentage elongation. Regression models are developed for the single responses and the results are analyzed using analysis of variance. Fuzzy grey relational analysis approach is then used to optimize the FS welding parameters by considering multiresponses. Highe...

A Survey on current key issues and status in cryptography

Abstract: Internet applications are increased and growing at very fast. Owing towards the technological development, secured way of data transmission over the internet is becoming a questioning task. Intruders hack the data and use it for their beneficial purpose. To avoid these undesirable acts, cryptography is used to ensure security of the covert and secure message. Although encrypted data is difficult to decipher, it is relatively easy to detect. Strong encryption algorithms and proper key management techniques for the systems will helps in achieving confidentiality, authentication and integrity of data. In this research work various encryption (symmetric and asymmetric) algorithms have been studied. Literature Survey has been carried out for cryptography by incorporating key papers related to data encryption based on performance metrics (Security and Time constraints). From this, the observation and future work has been identified.

Characterization of novel Passiflora foetida natural fibers for paper board industry

Abstract: In the current scenario, the paperboard industries are experimenting the reinforcement of their products with various natural fibers. Based on affordability, low weight, biodegradability and recycl...

Data Aggregation in Wireless Sensor Network Using Shuffled Frog Algorithm

Abstract: Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is made of numerous autonomous sensors forming a wireless network and cooperating with one another to transmit sensed data to a base station. With the advent of biomedical sensors, healthcare application for monitoring of vital body signs of patients is developing rapidly wherein all sensors cooperatively send data to the central server. The network routing protocols aims to reduce energy consumption and prolonging network life. Clustering is an important method to prolong network life in WSNs. It involves sensor nodes grouping into clusters and selecting Cluster Heads (CHs). Cluster Heads aggregate data its group and forward accumulated data to base station resulting in a higher energy spend. A big WSN challenge is selecting suitable CHs as they dissipate more energy compared to regular nodes in the network. A popular clustering protocol, LEACH offsets this by probabilistically rotating CHs role among nodes. Nevertheless, network performance may not be optimal if the CHs are not selected appropriately. This paper presents a shuffled frog meta-heuristic algorithm for CHs selection. The proposed method chooses CH based on energy remaining in the nodes. Simulation results shows the proposed technique to outperform LEACH and Genetic Algorithm based methods in terms of Quality of Service.

Remote monitoring and control of pressure and flow in oil pipelines transport system using PLC based controller

Abstract: One of the major sources for the petroleum products is obtained from the seas (offshore and onshore). Here the major problem faced by the worker is maintaining the required pressure and flow till the extreme ends. In this paper, the parameters such as pressure and flow are maintained constantly by implementing control valves depends on the different pressure and flow rate of the transmitting pipe and these parameters are monitored and controlled using HMI screen. Hence the automation in pipeline transportation system is an important research area. In order to fulfill the above requirement, there is a continuing need for research on improved forms of control. Hence PLC (Programmable Logical Controller) is used to automatically regulate the flow and pressure of the petroleum product by controlling the percentage of opening of the control valves. The required set point for pressure and flow are obtained by implementing a suitable controller that regulates the pressure range and flow rate in the long transmitting concrete pipes. For this, a PLC based controller is developed and their closed loop response is identified and the simulation is carried out to ensure the performance of the controller.

Identification of Tamil ancient characters and information retrieval from temple epigraphy using image zoning

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to develop a system that involves character recognition and information retrieval of Brahmi, Vattezhuthu and Grantha letters from temple epigraphy and their conversion to the present Tamil digital text format. Though many researchers have implemented various algorithms and techniques for character recognition in different languages, Ancient letter conversion still poses a big challenge. Because Image recognition technology has reached near-perfection when it comes to scanning English and other language text. But optical character recognition (OCR) software capable of digitizing printed Tamil text with high levels of accuracy is still elusive. Only a few people are familiar with the ancient characters and make attempts to convert them into written documents manually. If this continues, all the precious information given by our forefathers will not be known to the future generations. The proposed system overcomes such a situation by converting all the ancient characters from inscriptions and palm manuscripts into Tamil digital text format. After converting into the Tamil digital text, the words will not be correct spelling. Because the ancient words are Etymological word, the meaning is not known. So this modal approach is to solve these types of problem and convert the Tamil digital text with meaning.

Design of PSO based I-PD Controller and PID Controller for a Spherical Tank System

Abstract: Objective: The objective is to design PSO based I-PD Controller and PID Controller for a nonlinear system. The nonlinear system selected is Interacting Spherical Tank System. Methods: Controlling of a nonlinear system is an important process. The PID Controller and PSO based I-PD controller are designed for the non linear systems selected and the error values are calculated. The comparison of performance between these two controllers is done and result is produced. Findings: From the simulation result it is inferred that PSO based I-PD controller gives smooth response when compared to PID controller whereas error indices are less in PID controller. Applications: The spherical Tank is widely used in petrochemical industries, paper making industry, water treatment industries.

A proficient heuristic for selecting friends in social Internet of Things

Abstract: Internet of things (IOT) has a large number of smart objects which automatically interacts with each other through various communication protocols. They also cooperate with their neighbors to reach common goals. As the number of devices on the internet increases, the searching for right device which would provide the desired service becomes essential. Social networking concepts are incorporated into Internet of Things called Social Internet of Things (SIOT). Smart objects can find the desired services through its friends in a decentralized manner using only local information. In this work, a heuristic for efficient selection of friends is proposed to improve the overall network navigability. An analysis is also performed based on giant component, local clustering coefficient, average path length and average degree of connections.

Cationic Dyes Sequestration from Aqueous Phase Using Biosurfactant Based Reverse Micelles

Abstract: Several conventional methods are employed to remove cationic dyes from waste water. A novel technique based on liquid/liquid extraction using reverse micelles is proposed whereby recovery of solvent and reuse of dye is possible. Single component batch experimental studies were carried out using two dyes, namely Basic red 9 (BR9) and basic violet 3 (BV3). Glycolipids produced naturally using Pseudozyma antarctica from soybean oil medium were used as surfactant. Extraction efficiency of single component system of each dye was investigated by using amyl alcohol as solvent and sulphuric acid as carrier. The process parameters such as dye concentration, sulphuric acid concentration and surfactant concentration on the extraction efficiency were optimized using Box-Behnken design. The optimum conditions were calculated by using Derringer’s desirably.

HSDA: hybrid communication for secure data aggregation in wireless sensor network

Abstract: The rapid development of wireless sensor networks motivates the researchers and industries to implement large scale wireless sensor network in highly sensitive applications. Since the data aggregation is the major functionality of the wireless sensor network, the network implementation should avoid data aggregation issues like energy, collision, delay and security. As sensor nodes are deployed in hostile environments, the security of the sensitive information such as authenticity, confidentiality and integrity should be considered. To provide a unique solution that resolve the security and energy issues, this paper proposes a hybrid secure data aggregation (HSDA) to provide high secure data aggregation in an energy efficient way. HSDA implements an end to end symmetric key cryptography for secure authentication using shared public key and it uses hop by hop asymmetric key cryptography with the private keys of each node for data integrity and confidentiality. The proposed model performs the private key generation and encryption at the leaf node to reduce the communication and computation overhead of the sensor nodes. The proposed energy efficient way for achieving the secure data aggregation is proved through simulation results. Compared with existing models, the proposed model provides a new solution that resolves energy as well as security issues in data aggregation.

Experimental study on frictional characteristics of tungsten carbide versus carbon as mechanical seals under dry and eco-friendly lubrications

Abstract: Lubrication reduces the friction between the interfaces of sliding surfaces in the mechanical seals that operate for extended period of time. Due to environmental issues caused by mineral oil-based lubricants, the use of organic based vegetable oils had increased worldwide due to the nontoxic and biodegradable characteristics. In this work an experimental study was carried out by employing a seal pair of tungsten carbide and resin impregnated carbon mechanical seals, its frictional behaviour was studied under the eco-friendly lubricant from the class of vegetable oils — soybean oil and canola oil with an eco-friendly solid lubricant i.e. boric acid powder. An experimental setup was designed and fabricated to study the frictional characteristics of the seal for varying normal load and constant speed. The friction characteristics was studied under unlubricated conditions, independent paraffin oil, soybean oil, canola oil lubricating modes and finally 1 wt.%, 3 wt.% and 5 wt.% of boric acid powder mixed individually with soybean and canola oil. After all running-in test of all lubricating conditions, 5 wt.% of boric acid powder mixed with soybean oil had contributed a hybrid tribofilm and resulted in the lowest friction coefficient value in the range of 0.06–0.07.

Designing of PID Controllers for pH Neutralization Process

Abstract: Objective: To design PID controller with different tuning methods for pH Neutralization process. Methods: Controlling of pH in neutral region is an important process as small change in input gives the huge change in the output. The PID controller is designed using three different tuning methods like Marlin method, Smith et al. method and Branica et al. method. The performance analysis is done for PID controllers in Acid, Neutral and Base region by keeping set point in 5, 7 and 12. Findings: From the simulation result it is found that Branica et al. method is better when compared to the other two methods. Applications/Improvements: pH Neutralization process is more important in waste water treatment, pharmaceuticals, food production etc.

Equilibrium and kinetic studies for the adsorption of Basic Red 29 from aqueous solutions using activated carbon and conducting polymer composite

Abstract: The paper deals with the study on application of activated carbon (Cordia sebestena activated carbon (CSAC)) and polypyrrole polymer composite prepared from the precursor fruit of the gardening plant material Cordia sebestena for the removal of cationic dye (basic dye namely Basic Red 29 (BR29)) from aqueous solutions. Adsorption experiments are carried out using batch system in order to do equilibrium adsorption isotherm, kinetics and thermodynamic studies. It is found that chemical modification of plant wastes like sawdust coated with polypyrrole called polypyrrole polymer composite is an efficient adsorbent for the removal of cationic dye BR29 from aqueous solutions when compared to activated carbon (CSAC).

Information extraction and text mining of Ancient Vattezhuthu characters in historical documents using image zoning

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to develop a system that involves character recognition of Brahmi, Grantha and Vattezuthu characters from palm manuscripts of historical Tamil ancient documents, analyzed the text and machine translated the present Tamil digital text format. Though many researchers have implemented various algorithms and techniques for character recognition in different languages, ancient characters conversion still poses a big challenge. Because image recognition technology has reached near-perfection when it comes to scanning English and other language text. But optical character recognition (OCR) software capable of digitizing printed Tamil text with high levels of accuracy is still elusive. Only a few people are familiar with the ancient characters and make attempts to convert them into written documents manually. The proposed system overcomes such a situation by converting all the ancient historical documents from inscriptions and palm manuscripts into Tamil digital text format. It converts the digital text format using Tamil unicode. Our algorithm comprises different stages: i) image preprocessing, ii) feature extraction, iii) character recognition and iv) digital text conversion. The first phase conversion accuracy of the Brahmi script rate of our algorithm is 91.57% using the neural network and image zoning method. The second phase of the Vattezhuthu character set is to be implemented. Conversion accuracy of Vattezhuthu is 89.75%.

Fabrication of Nanocomposites of SnO 2 and MgAl 2 O 4 for Gas Sensing Applications

Abstract: Simple solid-state and sol–gel routes have been used to synthesize nanocomposites of tin oxide and magnesium aluminate at calcination temperature of 900 K for gas sensing applications. The effects of the surface structure of magnesium aluminate on the gas response for different concentrations of tin oxide addition were investigated for potential use in gas sensors. (SnO2)x doped in small amounts x into magnesium aluminate resulted in three nanocomposite samples MAS0.25, MAS0.50, and MAS0.75 for x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75, respectively, plus MgAl2O4 (MA) for x = 0. The response to different pressures of gases such as oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ethanol (C2H5OH) was quantitatively analyzed for all samples at different operating temperatures. The temperature was varied linearly by increasing the supply to a heating pad mounted below the sensor sample, regardless of the gas pressure inside the chamber. All the sample materials showed good response at different gas pressures (1 bar to 2 bar) and operating temperatures (300 K to 600 K). It was noted that the composite samples showed enhanced and fast response to gases, at both lower and higher operating temperatures, with detection of even the smallest change in gas pressure.