Composite laminates are being widely used in engineering industry primarily due to their high strength-to-weight ratio. Considerable research has been carried out to understand the static and dynamic behaviour of laminated composite plates. There is much demand for developing efficient finite element codes which can predict the dynamic responses of laminated structures at affordable computational cost. In this paper a nine node isoparametric plate bending element has been used for free vibration analysis of laminated composite plate. The first-order shear deformation theory (FSDT) has been incorporated in the element formulation. Composite plates with different side-to-thickness ratio (a/h), ply orientations and number of layers have been analysed. Based on comparison with literature data, we propose that the present formulation is capable of yielding highly accurate results. Laminated composites with central cutouts are also studied. Novel data is reported for skew laminated composites. It is found that the natural frequency increases with the increase in skew angle (α) and decreases with increase in aspect ratio (b/a) and thickness (h).
Green composites shaped by mixture of biodegradable polymers and natural fibers have spellbound massive interest in current years due to their environmentally valuable properties and also to decrease our dependency on the non-renewable resources. Due to the environmental advantages and light weight of natural fibers, an increasing quantity of natural fibers has been used to replace synthetic fibers composites. Coir fiber poly-lactic acid (PLA)/ poly-propylene (PP) resin reinforced polymeric composites have been developed with 90o orientation. The composition of PLA and PP for resin preparation is taken in the ratio 95:05 whereas for the composite, resins and coir fiber in 80:20. The compression molding technique is applied and then the tests are carried out. Mechanical tests (Impact and Hardness), Micro structural analysis (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Optical Imaging) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry are conducted. According to the investigational verification, the new biodegradable composite shows significant results on par with synthetic/ man made composites and the advantages of using bio-composites has been indicated with simplicity.
Indian Textile industry is unique in many ways. It is the second largest employer and depends heavily on the largest employer -agriculture. It has been successful in automating most of its operations. So, instead of employing unskilled labor, it is now looking for skilled labor and facing significant challenges in finding them -even though the national unemployment has been hovering at around 9 %. The situation demanded a different approach such as setting up textile training courses in a remote area where employment is a larger issue and working closely with the industry to develop highly employable graduates. The paper describes a successful case study of setting up a four year diploma course in close collaboration with the industry in a remote town of Shirpur in North Maharashtra (India). That required a team of faculty that could inspire confidence in the industry personnel and adopting progressive educational methods such as active learning and mentoring. The school was started in 2007 and has produced 200 diploma holders with cent percent placement. This is far above similar other institutes. These students from rural and semi-rural area are fetching salaries that are higher than even graduate engineers. Thus the experiment has succeeded in its twin objectives of rural development and workforce development for one of the most critical industry of the country.
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