A method to synthesize a five-bar slider mechanism with variable topology is suggested. Synthesis is carried out in two phases for function generation. In Phase I, synthesis is carried out for three finitely separated positions. In Phase II, it is carried outfor two finitely separated positions. A dyadic complex number method is used to write the equations of motion. The method is simple, general and has an increased accuracy over graphical techniques. An application of the five-bar slider mechanism with variable topology is illustrated.

Green sand casting is treated as the most versatile casting process due to their excellent design flexibility that offer complex shapes and ability to reclaim silica sand. The modern foundries are looking for alternate moulding materials to partially replace the high cost silica sand. Cow dung is a naturally available eco-friendly binding as well as additive material and is used to partially replace the silica sand. Improper choice of the combination of moulding sand variables, such as degree of ramming, percentage of cow dung, percentage of clay, and percent of water will affect the moulding sand properties and thereby quality of casting. In the present work, Taguchi method is employed to plan and conduct experiments. Pareto analysis of variance is performed to know the contribution of variables on the moulding sand properties (i.e. compression strength, permeability, loss-on-ignition). Taguchi DEAR method is used to determine the single optimal levels of input factors that enhances the performances of all the sand mould properties. Percent of clay and cow-dung found to be the most dominating factor towards all the sand mould properties.

The paper presents a mechanism consisting of nine revolute and one gear joints. A planar eight link gear mechanism having two degrees of freedom is considered for synthesis using variable topology method operating in two phases for the task of motion generation. Complex number method is presented as an ideal tool for synthesizing the linkage. Seven link gear mechanism is considered as a portion of eight link gear mechanism in each phase and illustrated with an example. These seven link gear mechanism portions of eight link gear mechanism are designed for two finitely separated positions. Variable topology method focuses on a non-iterative and simplified way of mechanism synthesis.

This paper illustrates the implementation of python programming in the field of kinematics and helps the planners to visualize the working nature of the synthesized mechanism. In the present context, the authors have considered eight link gear variable topology mechanism in this paper which is synthesized using a complex number approach. This synthesized mechanism is studied using MATLAB programming and the various positions obtained are taken into the consideration for python programming. These advanced tools create an insight among the design engineers on the working nature of the mechanism. The operating condition of the synthesized eight link gear variable topology mechanism in two different phases is analyzed using python programming. This shows the mechanism operating condition in two different phases and validates the output obtained with the help of visualization results in mechanism orientation.

C lay bonded and chemical bonded sand moulds are commonly used in modern foundries for casting metal parts. Chemical based sand moulds will offer excellent design flexibility for the production of intricate shape parts. However, chemical binders will release the toxic gases that pollute the environment and cause serious threat to human health [1]. Furthermore, the strong and hard moulds obtained by chemical-based sand results in a poor collapsibility, which causes crack or hot tear casting defects [2, 3]. Therefore, modern foundries tend to use green