Journal of Mechanical and Construction Engineering (JMCE)

Risk Management Mediates the Relationship Between Outsourcing and Profitability of Manufacturing Firms

Noah Mwelu — 2023-11-25

Over decades, manufacturing firms are struggling to remain competitive in an intense manufacturing industry. The struggle is due to increasing manufacturing companies dealing in similar or related products. Given the competitive dynamics in the manufac-turing industry, firms are proactively searching for viable strategies to ensure profitabil-ity and survival. Scholars and management have jointly conducted studies to find ami-cable strategies influencing firms’ profitability. Whereas various studies have been con-ducted on profitability, majority of these studies were concerned with strategies directly influencing profitability with little attention on the mediating role of other strategies. Specifically, little is known on mediation studies in manufacturing industry. Despite strategies directly influencing profitability being established, firms’ are in receivership with several kicked out of business indefinitely. This study bridges the gap by consider-ing the mediating role of risk management on outsourcing and profitability of manu-facturing firms. A cross-sectional research design was adopted. Specifically, a partial mediation approach was adopted following Baron and Kenny mediation guidelines. Results from Med-Graph and Sobel tests proved that risk management significantly me-diated the relationship between outsourcing and profitability (Sobel Z-value = 3.441, p = 0.002). Hence, firms are encouraged to embrace mediation strategies in ensuring prof-itability and survival in the competitive environment.

Thermodynamic Analysis of Solar-based Combined Power and Cooling Cogeneration Cycle

Mohd Parvez — 2023-11-25

The performance of a solar-powered Rankine cycle that combines absorption refrig-eration with solar thermal technology is examined in this communication. The re-search finds regions of irreversibility in the system and takes into account fluctuations in direct normal irradiance (DNI). In order to evaluate the cycle's performance at dif-ferent DNI levels ranging from 600 to 1050 W/m², the research does a thermody-namic analysis of the cycle. It also assessed the irreversibility of each cycle's distinct parts, which resulted in potential performance-enhancing actions. Furthermore, the central receiver contributes 31.37% irreversibility to the cycle's exergy distribution, the heliostat contributes 27.4%, and other components like the HRSG, steam turbine, and VARs contribute the rest amounts. Only 25.43% of the cycle's energy production is useable.

Sustainable Foundation System for Alluvial Region

Devesh ojha — 2023-11-25

A structure resting on soil having low bearing capacity and where differential settlement due to erratic nature of soil is expected, raft foundation is recommended to cope-up with mixed or poor ground condition and simultaneously to transfer heavy loads to ground while controlling the differential settlement. The essential task in the analysis of a raft foundation is the determination of the distribution of contact pressure underneath the raft which is a complex function of the rigidity of the superstructure, raft itself and sup-porting soil. The IS: 2950 (Part I)-1981 recommends the analysis based on the assump-tion of liner distribution of contact pressure. In this paper, an attempt has been made to design a raft foundation based on its geotechnical analysis. An extensive survey of re-search works devoted to study the geotechnical parameters affecting the behavior of raft foundation is carried out with detailed experiments raft foundations are increasingly being recognized as an economical and effective foundation system for high rise build-ings. This paper sets out some principles of design for such foundations, including de-sign for the geotechnical ultimate limit state, the structural ultimate limit state, and the serviceability limit state. Attention will be focused on the improvement in the foundation performance due to the raft being in contact with, and embedded within, the soil.

A Novel Method for Validating Addresses Using String Distance Metrics

Dr.H.P. Ghongade Harshvardhan Prabhakar Ghongade — 2023-11-25

Address validation is vital since it confirms the quality and geographical precision of addresses used by organizations that rely on location-dependent and delivery-based services. Suppose addresses need to be thoroughly checked in advance. In that case, there may be difficulties with them, such as missing components or geographical defi-ciencies, which may lead to severe problems with logistics. When doing address valida-tion, discovering missing or incorrect address components is a beneficial aspect in mini-mizing the likelihood of service problems while saving time and money for organiza-tions. When it comes to addressing validation, using statistical metrics like correlation coefficients and measures of central tendency has been discovered to have a significant amount of untapped potential. In order to obtain a normalized score that is based on statistical similarities, the approach that is suggested in this study makes use of a mix-ture of several string-matching metrics. This score may then be used to exclude authen-ticated addresses based on the needed minimum level of similarity, which can be calcu-lated. Experiments have been carried out on a healthcare dataset taken from the actual world to show the efficacy of the suggested method in terms of accuracy and precision.

Floodwater harvesting of the Arghastan River basin of Kandahar in Afghanistan

Abdul Wali Hejran — 2023-11-25

Climate change and population growth are the important factors that place additional pressures on water resources, and generally, predictions indicate that these pressures are increasing continuously, so it is necessary to regulate surface water sources. Afghanistan has a semiarid climate and already received worse effects of climate change; therefore, there is an extremely needed regulation of river flow across the country. Arghastan River is in the southern west parts of the country, thousands of cubic kilometers of water in this river are wasted annually, and drought and floods are the main problems of the residents due to nonmanagement of river flow. The main objective of the study conducted by GIS was to find a dam site along the river for proper water management. A contour map was created for the entire watershed by using 5-meter DEM, that the most suitable site for the dam is at the coordinate of 66°48'34.468"E 31°35'4.512"N, it is possible to build up to 170-meter-high dam. The purpose site of the reservoir has the capacity to store about 1700 million cubic meters of water at an elevation of 170 meters, while the average monthly discharge of the Arghastan River up to the specific point of the investigation is about 38.6 m3/s. Suppose the floodwater of this River basin is harvested. In that case, it will provide the chance for residents to rescue their property from flood hazards during the rainy season, and they will have enough water for irrigation purposes during the summer season.

Research Article Failure Modes and Empirical Relations to Design Piston Pins for IC Engine

Emarti Kumari — 2023-11-25

In this article, authors discussed the various boundary conditions (fully floating, semi floating and stationary) and failure modes (transverse crack and longitudinal crack) of piston pin of IC engine. Moreover, authors given the empirical relations for shear stress, bending stress and ovalization stress to design piston pin for internal combus-tion engines. Furthermore, carried out the force analysis on piston pin and expressed the empirical relations for force analysis of piston pin that will be very useful for de-sign of piston pin for petrol and diesel engines.

Corrosivity Analysis of Groundwater of Ganeshwar Village in Neemkathana Block of Sikar District (Rajasthan) India

Santosh Kumar Verma — 2023-11-25

Corrosion is an important water quality tribulation as it tends to increase some metals in drinking water pipes and fittings, which can also affect the public health. The following items are made from metals like steel, lead and copper or other metals such as: water flowing pipes, storage tanks, solders and pipe fittings etc., and if the water have corro-siveness nature then the metals will be dissolved sometimes in water and these metals creates both problems as aesthetic and health-related in certain cases. The Langelier index (LI), aggressive index (AI), Ryznar index (RI), Puckorius index (PI), and Lar-son-Skold index (LS) are the most common corrosion and scaling indices. The AI is a good scaling index as compared to others and can be used in all parameters. In this study aggressive index (AI) is used. The corrosivity of groundwater of Ganeshwar village of Neemkathana block is taken to evaluate its suitability for human health. For this purpose, groundwater samples were collected during the period of January 2022 to De-cember 2022 from the bore-well of the sampling sites. The physico-chemical parameters like pH, total hardness and total alkalinity were selected and tested as per the norms of BIS (IS 10500: 2012) standard and compared simultaneously. The AI indices reveals that the potable water of borewell of Ganeshwar village did not have corrosivity and does not corrosively damage the storage tank and supply water pipes lines and fittings.

Review of Heat Pipe Heat Exchangers in HVAC and R Systems

Manishkumar Gadle — 2023-11-25

The domain of Waste Heat Recovery is particularly crucial for countries facing energy consumption deficiencies. Stringent environmental regulations act as a catalyst, propelling the evolution of innovative technologies and equipment. Striking a balance between economically viable, technically feasible, and environmentally sound waste heat recovery methods is imperative, extending beyond Air Conditioners to encompass various processes. Swift advancements are required to effectively recover waste heat from diverse processes. HVAC systems, like many engineering systems, generate waste heat that holds the potential for recovery and reuse in alternative applications. This study focuses on exploring noble recovery methods, utilizing hot air reclaimed from the condenser of an HVAC system, determined through mass and energy balance considerations. Numerous experimental and theoretical investigations have been undertaken on High-Performance Heat Exchangers (HPHE) since Akachi first proposed them in 1990. However, due to the intricate interplay of hydrodynamics and thermodynamics, the operational mechanism of HPHE remains highly complex and not entirely elucidated. With high expectations for HPHE applications in the HVAC and Refrigeration (R) sector, this paper undertakes a comprehensive review of its development. It systematically summarizes the latest findings from both experimental and theoretical studies, with a specific focus on the HVAC and R field. Additionally, the paper highlights promising and innovative applications of HPHE. The intention is to furnish a foundational reference for future research endeavors in this evolving field.

Hydrogen is the Future of Energy Security and Sustainability: A Review

Emarti Kumari — 2023-11-25

Human society is highly dependent on energy sources to fulfill its everyday needs. As the human population grows energy consumption increases; but energy sources that fulfill their needs are limited, polluting, and exhausting in nature, so renewable energy sources are the only option to tackle the human population and industrial energy needs. Hy-drogen as a renewable energy source is the best option. Solar and wind energy are in-termittent in nature so they cannot provide continuous energy, so we need some other intermediate source to store this energy for a long time and use this energy when need-ed. Hydrogen has a high gravimetric density. It is highly flammable in nature and burns with blue flame with oxygen. Hydrogen can be used as an energy carrier for intermittent energy sources and their excess electricity production during low demand can be con-verted into green hydrogen using electrolysis and other processes. This hydrogen can be used to produce electricity when solar and wind can’t produce electricity because of bad weather/monsoon season or any other reason, that way it can help in continuous power supply. Produced hydrogen can also be used for secondary hydrogen-based applica-tions like FCEVs, industrial applications, and other need-based applications. In this arti-cle, hydrogen is presented as the fuel of the future and its properties, production tech-niques, and applications are discussed. Literature review has been done in the field of renewable energy sources, hydrogen technologies, and hydrogen as a future fuel. This paper is intended to present hydrogen’s capability as a future fuel and its applications in different fields currently and in the near future.

Numerical Analysis of Piled Raft Foundations in Alluvial soil

Devesh ojha — 2023-11-25

In this age of rapid urbanization, population is rapidly increasing in urban area, therefore a new concept of vertical cities has been introduced in form of high-rise building, and there are many conventional methods for design of foundation systems for high rise buildings. In most of the conventional methods pile foundations have been given preference for high rise buildings, all the loads of the building are transferred to the soil by piles. Some of the pressure of the building can also be transfer by raft directly to the soil by contact pressure which is neglected in most of the conventional designs of pile raft foundation system. But from last decades, optimised way of designing of pile raft foundation system have been started by engineers, in which raft foundation is allowed to transfer some of the total load directly to the ground by contact pressure. This optimised way of designing has made the foundation system more economical and sustainable. This type of foundation system in which some part of the load is transfer by raft and some by piles are called as pile raft foundation system. Soil – structure interaction in this pile raft foundation system is very complex in nature and to study this soil – structure interaction we need some numerical techniques or numerical methods. So, in this paper, we are going to use one of the numerical methods for numerical analysis of pile raft foundation system. There are various factors that influence the behaviour of pile raft foundation, some of the important factor that we are going to see in this paper are raft thickness, pile length, pile spacing and number of piles. All these factors are very important for optimize and economical design of pile raft foundation system. In this paper, numerical analysis has been done by using finite element software that is GEOTECH 3D Foundation to find out the influence of above factors on pile raft foundation system in alluvial soil.