No abstract

This research focuses on the definition and application of a characterization methodology to determine the characteristics of fused deposition modeling 3D printing materials. Commercial short fiber reinforced and unreinforced polyethylene terephthalate glycol parts were tested achieving comparison terms. The presented methodology is composed of three classes: thermal analysis, mechanical testing, and material morphology. Filament was tensile tested with specially developed setup for determining the mechanical properties of raw materials. Standardized flexural and tensile samples were printed 100% dense in both materials and tested. Differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the thermal properties of both materials do not change with successive heating cycles. Thermogravimetric analysis allowed to understand the thermal stability of materials and quantify the amount of fiber in the matrix. Tensile tests indicated that the addition of fibers increases the Young’s modulus by 70.10% but there is lesser withstanding of stress by 28.21%. Flexural tests exhibited an increase in flexural modulus of 191.38% and 5.14% in flexural strength for the reinforced polyethylene terephthalate glycol, due to the presence of fiber. Microscopic analysis revealed a 12% of void spots and fiber alignment accordingly to the deposition path.

Summary This study provides innovative information on the simultaneous use of Limousin oak and chestnut wood in the ageing of wine brandy. Ageing was performed in 650‐L wooden barrels and in 3000‐L stainless steel tanks with staves over a 2‐year period. Effect of both kinds of wood in the brandy features depended on the ageing technology. Stainless steel tanks with staves originated lower enrichment of the brandy in dry extract (0.89 vs. 1.25 g L−1), total phenolics (22.33 vs. 29.40) and low molecular weight extractable compounds (119.83 vs. 231.65 mg L−1), but promoted a faster evolution of the analytical colour (lower L*, higher C*, a* and b*) and sensory colour (topaz and greenish vs. golden). The aroma and flavour profiles of the brandy were not significantly influenced by the ageing technology. Therefore, it is a promising option for both ageing technologies because it ensures the quality of brandy, together with a lower cost of the wood and exemption of the blending operation.

2015),"Design and experimental study of a new thrown robot based on flexible structure", Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:368933 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology and the results on the design and development of an autonomous, golf ball picking robot, for driving ranges. Design/methodology/approach -The strategy followed to develop a commercial product is presented, based on prior identification requirements, which consist of picking up golf balls on a driving range in a safe and efficient way. Findings -A fully working prototype robot has been developed. It uses two driving wheels and a third cast wheel, and pushes a standard gang which collects the balls from the ground. A hybrid information system was implemented in order to provide a statistically relevant prediction of golf balls location, to optimize the path the robot has to follow in order to reduce time and cost. Autonomous navigation was developed and tested on a simulation environment. Research limitations/implications -Preliminary results showed that the new path planning algorithm Twin-RRT * is able to form closed loop trajectories and improve the result over time. Kinematic constraints were already taken into account on the algorithm. This sampling based algorithm has potential usage in solving other TPP (Travelling Purchaser Problem) related problems. Practical implications -The prototype feasibility is being tested in real driving ranges. It has autonomy of up to 8 h per day. It is capable of collecting up to 1,200 balls in one single journey. It weighs 130 kg and is capable of climbing slopes of up to 228. The maximum speed is 8 km/h and the robot takes 140 min to completely sweep a 25,000 m 2 field at 7.2 km/h (2 m/s) average speed. Social implications -There are about 30,000 golf practice fields, of which 18,000 are located in the USA and Canada. In some countries the golf industry represents more than 15 per cent of tourism GNP. In a typical practice field, about 10,000 balls have to be picked up every day. Originality/value -An important contribution of this paper is the algorithm for path planning in ord...