Fluid coupling is also known as hydraulic coupling is a hydrodynamic device which is used to transfer rotational power from one shaft to another by the use of transmission fluid. It is used in automotive transmission system, marine propulsion system and in industries for power transmission. It is used as an alternative for the mechanical clutch.

It was discovered by Dr. Hermann Fottinger. He patented his discovery of fluid coupling and torque converter in the year 1950.

It consists of three main components

1. Housing:It is also known as the shell. It has oil-tight seal around the drive shaft. It also protects the impeller and turbine from outside damage.
2. Impeller or pump:It is a turbine which is connected to the input shaft and called as impeller. It is also known as pump because it acts as a centrifugal pump.
3. Turbine: It is connected to the output shaft to which the rotational power is to be transmitted.

Working of Fluid Coupling

1. As the prime mover moves, it rotates the impeller of the coupling. The impeller acts as a centrifugal pump and throws the fluid outward and directs it towards the turbine blade.
2. As the high moving fluid strikes the turbine blades, it also starts rotating, after striking on the blades, the direction of the fluid is changed and it is directed towards the impeller again. The blades of turbine are designed in such a way that it can easily change the direction of the fluid. It is the changing of direction of the fluid that makes the turbine to rotate.
3. As the impeller speed increases, the speed of the turbine also increases. After sometime the speed of both impeller and turbine becomes equal. In this way power is transmitted from one shaft to another by the use of fluid coupling.
4. In same way torque converter works but the difference is that it has stator placed in between impeller and turbine for torque multiplication.

Application

• It is used in automotive industries for the transmission of power from the engine to the wheel as alternative of clutch.
• It is used in marine propulsion systems.
• It is used in various industries for the power transmission.

*Source- https://www.mechanicalbooster.com/2017/06/fluid-coupling.html

Advances in Welding / Joining Process

NanoFoil Joining :

Many joining processes could be performed more effectively and with less damage to surrounding delicate microstructures if a localized and controllable heat source could be placed exactly where required—in the joint itself.

It appears that an innovative material capable of doing just that—NanoFoil—has been developed from long academic research (Livermore Labs) and industrial (RNT) development. It now is being introduced for high-temperature brazing or soldering critical heat management components in electronic applications. Other uses currently are in development for military and space applications.

At the heart of the method is a foil that comprises hundreds of alternate layers of aluminum and nickel, each layer a few nanometers thick. The foil is obtained by vacuum deposition using physical vapor techniques, such as magnetron sputtering and EB evaporation.

When the foil is ignited by one of several means, it develops an exothermal self-propagating reaction at controlled speed and temperature, depending on its exact makeup. This precisely localized heat source can be used for joining applications, in a way similar to other, long-known thermite reactions.

If the foil is sandwiched tightly between preplaced solder or brazing alloy layers deposited on the surfaces of metallic or ceramic elements to be joined together, the localized heat completely melts the filler metals and completes the joining process without heating the adjacent delicate structures.

Although this process seems limited at present to high-tech, demanding applications because of the high cost of the foil, industrial welding of more common material can be envisioned, if the correct forging temperature can be provided locally and a suitable upset pressure cycle can be applied.

Hybrid Laser-Arc Welding :

It may seem misleading to characterize hybrid laser-arc welding (HLAW) as innovative, since the original idea—essentially combining two well-known and -established unrelated processes, laser beam welding and gas metal arc welding—was first proposed almost 30 years ago.

In fact HLAW already has achieved resounding successes in many areas as a demonstrated, mature, and robust welding process. However, it is not yet an off-the-shelf technique. Note: At least one manufacturer does offer a hybrid laser welding head. However, before adopting this equipment, fabricators should investigate if it compares favorably with standard processes in terms of productivity, quality, and economy.

For each potential industrial hybrid laser-arc welding application, a specific procedure with optimized hardware and control capability has to be developed and tested, quality has to be assessed, and the economic advantage has to be validated.

It appears that the feasibility study alone is a major and costly project, and probably is the main deterrent to a larger acceptance. Researching and planning this solution for specific applications may seem daunting to all but established and resourceful industrial operations.

Another reason likely to limit a larger acceptance is that the high number of parameters to control to manage the combined processes is more feasible for a research institute’s capabilities than a manufacturer’s.

As stated in the conference paper “Recent progress and innovative solutions for laser-arc hybrid welding” by Dirk Petring and Christian Fuhrmann, “In spite of the simplicity of the basic idea of hybrid welding, the technical rules of arranging laser and arc in a proper way are quite complex, and their understanding is indispensable, if the full benefit of hybrid is to be realized.”

An overview HLAW for shipbuilding was presented in the article “Shipyard uses laser-GMAW hybrid welding to achieve one-sided welding” on thefabricator.com in 2003.

The benefits of HLAW exceed the advantages laser welding and GMAW offer individually. These benefits are:

• Welding from one side
• Increased tolerance to small but variable gap in joint fit-up
• Increased penetration
• Reduced filler metal
• Higher welding speed                                            
• Higher productivity
• Lower net heat input
• Reduced distortion
• Improved microstructure and properties
• Improved weld quality and process reliability

Hempcrete or Hemplime is bio-composite material, a mixture of hemp hurds (shives) and lime (possibly including natural hydraulic lime, sand, pozzolans) used as a material for construction and insulation. It is marketed under names like Hempcrete, Canobiote, Canosmose, and Isochanvre.

 Hempcrete is easier to work with than traditional lime mixes and acts as an insulator and moisture regulator. It lacks the brittleness of concrete and consequently does not need expansion joints. The result is a lightweight insulating material ideal for most climates as it combines insulation and thermal mass.

Hempcrete has been used in France since the early 1990’s to construct non-weight bearing insulating infill walls, as hempcrete does not have the requisite strength for constructing foundation and is instead supported by the frame. France continues to be an avid user of hempcrete; it is growing in popularity annually.

Like other plant products, hemp absorbs CO₂ from the atmosphere as it grows, retaining the carbon and releasing the oxygen. Theoretically 165 kg of carbon can be absorbed and locked up by 1 m³ of hempcrete wall during manufacture

The typical compressive strength is around 1 MPa, around 1/20 that of residential grade concrete. It is a low density material and resistant to crack under movement thus making it highly suitable for use in earthquake-prone areas.

Artificial Intelligence – Overview

Since the invention of computers or machines, their capability to perform various tasks went on growing exponentially. Humans have developed the power of computer systems in terms of their diverse working domains, their increasing speed, and reducing size with respect to time.

A branch of Computer Science named Artificial Intelligence pursues creating the computers or machines as intelligent as human beings.

What is Artificial Intelligence?

According to the father of Artificial Intelligence, John McCarthy, it is “The science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs”.

Artificial Intelligence is a way of making a computer, a computer-controlled robot, or a software think intelligently, in the similar manner the intelligent humans think.

AI is accomplished by studying how human brain thinks, and how humans learn, decide, and work while trying to solve a problem, and then using the outcomes of this study as a basis of developing intelligent software and systems.

Philosophy of AI

While exploiting the power of the computer systems, the curiosity of human, lead him to wonder, “Can a machine think and behave like humans do?”

Thus, the development of AI started with the intention of creating similar intelligence in machines that we find and regard high in humans.

Goals of AI

• To Create Expert Systems − The systems which exhibit intelligent behavior, learn, demonstrate, explain, and advice its users.
• To Implement Human Intelligence in Machines − Creating systems that understand, think, learn, and behave like humans.

What Contributes to AI?

Artificial intelligence is a science and technology based on disciplines such as Computer Science, Biology, Psychology, Linguistics, Mathematics, and Engineering. A major thrust of AI is in the development of computer functions associated with human intelligence, such as reasoning, learning, and problem solving.

Out of the following areas, one or multiple areas can contribute to build an intelligent system.

Programming Without and With AI

The programming without and with AI is different in following ways −

What is AI Technique?

In the real world, the knowledge has some unwelcomed properties −

• Its volume is huge, next to unimaginable.
• It is not well-organized or well-formatted.
• It keeps changing constantly.

AI Technique is a manner to organize and use the knowledge efficiently in such a way that −

• It should be perceivable by the people who provide it.
• It should be easily modifiable to correct errors.
• It should be useful in many situations though it is incomplete or inaccurate.

AI techniques elevate the speed of execution of the complex program it is equipped with.

Applications of AI

AI has been dominant in various fields such as −

• Gaming − AI plays crucial role in strategic games such as chess, poker, tic-tac-toe, etc., where machine can think of large number of possible positions based on heuristic knowledge.
• Natural Language Processing − It is possible to interact with the computer that understands natural language spoken by humans.
• Expert Systems − There are some applications which integrate machine, software, and special information to impart reasoning and advising. They provide explanation and advice to the users.
• Vision Systems − These systems understand, interpret, and comprehend visual input on the computer. For example,
  • A spying aeroplane takes photographs, which are used to figure out spatial information or map of the areas.
  • Doctors use clinical expert system to diagnose the patient.
  • Police use computer software that can recognize the face of criminal with the stored portrait made by forensic artist.
• Speech Recognition − Some intelligent systems are capable of hearing and comprehending the language in terms of sentences and their meanings while a human talks to it. It can handle different accents, slang words, noise in the background, change in human’s noise due to cold, etc.
• Handwriting Recognition − The handwriting recognition software reads the text written on paper by a pen or on screen by a stylus. It can recognize the shapes of the letters and convert it into editable text.
• Intelligent Robots − Robots are able to perform the tasks given by a human. They have sensors to detect physical data from the real world such as light, heat, temperature, movement, sound, bump, and pressure. They have efficient processors, multiple sensors and huge memory, to exhibit intelligence. In addition, they are capable of learning from their mistakes and they can adapt to the new environment.

History of AI

Here is the history of AI during 20th century −

Virtual Reality (VR) literally makes it possible to experience anything, anywhere, anytime. It is the most immersive type of reality technology and can convince the human brain that it is somewhere it is really not. Head mounted displays are used with headphones and hand controllers to provide a fully immersive experience. 

Virtual reality (also called Virtual Realities or VR) is best understood by first defining what it aims to achieve – total immersion.

Total immersion means that the sensory experience feels so real, that we forget it is a virtual-artificial environment and begin to interact with it as we would naturally in the real world. In a virtual reality environment, a completely synthetic world may or may not mimic the properties of a real-world environment. This means that the virtual reality environment may simulate an everyday setting or may exceed the bounds of physical reality by creating a world in which the physical laws governing gravity, time and material properties no longer hold (e.g. shooting space aliens on a foreign gravity-less planet).

How Does Virtual Reality Work?

In order for the human brain to accept an artificial, virtual environment as real, it has to not only look real, but also feel real. Looking real can be achieved by wearing a head-mounted display (HMD) that displays a recreated life size, 3D virtual environment without the boundaries usually seen on TV or a computer screen. Feeling real can be achieved through handheld input devices such as motion trackers that base interactivity on the user’s movements. By stimulating many of the same senses one would use to navigate in the real world, virtual reality environments are feeling increasingly more like the natural world. Below, we explore some of the key components to behind this system.

Key Components in a Virtual Reality System

1. PC ( Personal Computer)/Console/Smartphone
2. Head-Mounted Display
3. Input Devices

How Virtual Reality Headsets Work (Inside)

Inside of each virtual reality head-mounted display (HMD) is a series of sensors, individual eye displays, lenses, and display screen(s), among other various components. The Ifixit Oculus Rift teardown offers an excellent step-by-step teardown and look inside of one of the most popular virtual reality headsets. Below we explore some of the key components inside of a virtual reality headset.

Prof. Aruna Verma
Assist Professor
Computer Dept.

With informative blog posts like this it is easy to see why Dhole Patil College of Engineering is the best engineering college in Pune.

GFRG is a viable and tested method to construct economical homes

GFRG (Glass fiber reinforced gypsum) is an Australian technology which will save construction cost 20-30%.This have been used by Australians since 1990’s only as walls.

Professors from IIT Madras made research and found out this technology can be used for all structural elements such as walls,floors and roofs in a building.They have built a 2 storey model house in IIT campus 2013 which was completed in 30 days for 6.5 lakhs/flat.

What is GFRG and how is it better than conventional building?

GFRG stands for Glass fiber reinforced gypsum.These panels are manufactured using phosphogypsum which is a waste material from fertilizer industry and glass fiber used as a reinforcement. GFRG panel image is shown below.

GFRG is of 12 m in length and 3 m in height.The hollow cavities inside the panel is filled with concrete to provide more strength to the panel.Every third cavity is filled with concrete and reinforced with steel.Other cavities can be filled with waste material such as Quarry dust or fly ash depending on the local availability to make them more economic and Eco-friendly.

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is a vast messaging network used by banks and other financial institutions to quickly, accurately, and securely send and receive information such as money transfer instructions. Every day, nearly 10,000 SWIFT member institutions send approximately 24 million messages on the network.

Brussels-based SWIFT was formed in 1973 by a group of seven banks, and it went live four years later. It replaced Telex, the then existing system used to send financial messages, which was prone to human error. Under SWIFT, the automated messages in standard format drastically reduced the room for error.

Now, SWIFT is trusted by over 11,000 financial institutions—banks, brokerages, mutual fund firms, and securities dealers—in more than 200 countries.

What is SWIFT? How It Works?

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. It is a messaging network that financial institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a standardized system of codes.  

Each financial organization a unique code that has either eight characters or 11 characters. The code is called interchangeably the bank identifier code (BIC), SWIFT code, SWIFT ID, or ISO 9362 code. If a customer wants to transfer money from the home branch to an international account, both the bank account details and the SWIFT code of the recipient’s home branch are required to authorize the transaction.

To understand how the code is assigned, let’s take an example of Italian bank UniCredit Banca, headquartered in Milan. It has the 8-character SWIFT code UNCRITMM.

• First four characters: the institute code (UNCR for UniCredit Banca)
• Next two characters: the country code (IT for the country Italy)
• Next two characters: the location/city code (MM for Milan)
• Last three characters: optional, but organizations use it to assign codes to individual branches. (The UniCredit Banca branch in Venice may use the code UNCRITMMZZZ.)

In 1972, the crew of Apollo 17 captured what has become one of the most iconic images of the Earth: the Blue Marble. Biochemist Gregory Petsko described the image as “perfectly representing the human condition of living on an island in the universe.” Many researchers now credit the image as marking the beginning of environmental activism in the U.S.

U-boot is basically recycled polypropylene materials that can be used as a framework to design and create lighter slabs and rafts foundation in RCC structures. The use of U-boot components permit the construction of specific mushroom slabs; the mushroom forms a part of the final slab thickness. The U-boot component remains dipped into the concrete casting. Thus, a grid of orthogonal beam, superiorly and inferiorly closed by plane slab of different heights, is obtained without executing two distinct concrete casting, and this implies saving of concrete and reinforcement.

Keywords: Saving concrete and reinforcement, good stability to slab member.

Prof. Sameer Chambulwar
Civil Dept

The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is a vast messaging network used by banks and other financial institutions to quickly, accurately, and securely send and receive information such as money transfer instructions.    Every day, nearly 10,000 SWIFT member institutions send approximately 24 million messages on the network.

Brussels-based SWIFT was formed in 1973 by a group of seven banks, and it went live four years later. It replaced Telex, the then existing system used to send financial messages, which was prone to human error. Under SWIFT, the automated messages in standard format drastically reduced the room for error.

Now, SWIFT is trusted by over 11,000 financial institutions—banks, brokerages, mutual fund firms, and securities dealers—in more than 200 countries.

What is SWIFT? How It Works?

SWIFT stands for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. It is a messaging network that financial institutions use to securely transmit information and instructions through a standardized system of codes.  

Each financial organization a unique code that has either eight characters or 11 characters. The code is called interchangeably the bank identifier code (BIC), SWIFT code, SWIFT ID, or ISO 9362 code. If a customer wants to transfer money from the home branch to an international account, both the bank account details and the SWIFT code of the recipient’s home branch are required to authorize the transaction.

 To understand how the code is assigned, let’s take an example of Italian bank UniCredit Banca, headquartered in Milan. It has the 8-character SWIFT code UNCRITMM.

• First four characters: the institute code (UNCR for UniCredit Banca)
• Next two characters: the country code (IT for the country Italy)
• Next two characters: the location/city code (MM for Milan)
• Last three characters: optional, but organizations use it to assign codes to individual branches. (The UniCredit Banca branch in Venice may use the code UNCRITMMZZZ.)

(Aruna Verma)
Asst. Professor
Computer Engineering  Dept.