Applied Mechanics and Materials Vol. 760

Abstract: This paper presents the novel design of a double hook manufactured with advanced composite materials and nanomaterials. For the preparation of the composite materials an epoxy resin was used while the fiber reinforcement was in the form of hybrid aramid/carbon twill fabric. The nanoparticles were silica nanospheres dispersed in the epoxy matrix. The nanospheres were in the form of a colloidal silica-sol and they were added in the epoxy resin so to form a carefully prepared masterbatch. A series of tensile and fracture toughness tests were performed in order to evaluate the effect of the nanosilica concentration as well as the strength of the hybrid aramid/carbon composites. Upon the design and the manufacture of the innovative geometry of the double hook, comparative uniaxial tensile tests were performed. The results proved that the use of the silica nanoparticles significantly increase the strength of the hook, while affect considerably its tensile fracture behavior.

Abstract: The tools used for collaborative product design is based on PLM solutions, integrating BOM, CAD, CAE, CAPP, CAM and PDM software. The PLM platforms are distributed in virtual project team of partners. Currently, the integrated collaborative and distributed product design and manufacture can be supported by the cloud technology, given advances in Cloud Computing. The objective of our research is to develop an infrastructure for integrated collaborative and distributed product design and manufacturing, including software applications, CNC machine tools, additive manufacturing machines etc., dispersed in different universities labs for students’ education.

Abstract: Different works on the functional design and functional vocabularies area have been accomplished. The function has become the key element of the design process of a product and many researchers have focussed their work on developing functional taxonomies which can be used as a basis for functional design. One of the main disadvantages on the research performed in this domain is that a clear correlation between proposed functions and a product part or structure cannot be shown. This paper presents a new configuration of a functional taxonomy which can be easier correlated with the structure of the product, as an input of a knowledge database for supporting engineering design activity, as well a structure of the database system and a preview of its content.

Abstract: The wide variety of customers’ needs as well as the rapid change of these, increasingly requires the transition from mass produced products to customized product manufacturing that meet the individual needs of clients with consequence for the products design process. This paper present the core ideas of the mass customized and unique products design process, tools that can be used by designers in product design process and not least a customized design methodology intended to be used in order to design customized products. The design methodology for customized products emphasizes on action that must be taken, tools that can be used and results of each design steps.

Abstract: The individual needs of customers as well as the wide variety of environments and scenarios in which the products are used, have influences on product structure and configuration as well as in their design. These influences increase the degree of product customization especially for highly complex products with precise destination, unique or manufactured in very small series. This paper presents a case study on a cabin of an electric power generation turbine in order to identify the actions taken, tools used by the designers in the design process, co-design aspect of the product and the possibility to develop a method for customized products design.

Abstract: Nature is effectively a significantly large laboratory which offers opportunities for inspirations to all sciences. Some commercial implementations of nature-based mimicking, includes smart system controls, robotic sensors and artificial muscles. From the conceptual side, product design uses a different approach in nature-based methodology. It uses similarities based on the geometrical form or/and the functionality. The proposed Conceptual Product Design (CPD) framework supports and highlights the necessity of a nature-based design to all product industries. A good example is the fashion industry, which offers great opportunities for innovative and sustainable design based on nature.

Abstract: This Design Structure Matrix is a method and a tool used to capture, analyze and optimize iterations in the design process. It has been widely used over the past two decades by researchers from both academia and industry. DSM is well suited to identify iterations in the design process. Many heuristics were developed to deal with DSM in order to reduce the number of iterations by rescheduling the tasks of the design process. These heuristics are based on a process called partitioning. These heuristics give generally an approached solution but not the optimal one. In this paper we introduce a new algorithm in order to get the exact solution of the partitioning process using linear programming.

Abstract: Tolerance design plays a very important in any manufacturing process because this activity directly influences products cost and quality. In design activity the designer solve the quality problems selecting tight tolerances for components but this generates cost increasing. The practical problem is to assure the high quality characteristics using the maximum tolerances for components that influence them. The paper’s aim is to find optimal parameters setting which assure the desire value of quality characteristics using the DoE (Design of Experiments), and to find a mathematical model and a respective quality characteristic function of the parameters that it was influenced. Using the mathematical function, by imposing the desired tolerance for quality characteristic, it will be allocated the optimal tolerance for components. This tolerance allocation will be verified using Monte-Carlo method.

Abstract: In dental microsurgery, different dental instruments are used for teeth microsurgery and related diseases. The dental instruments materials are very different, e.g., plastics, stainless steel, titanium alloy, cobalt chrome alloys, diamond powders. The dental instruments materials must be nontoxic for the human body, with good corrosion resistance, mechanical strength and aging resistance, as well a high degree of cleanliness to allow sterilization in good conditions. Few representative dental microsurgery instruments, as well as relevant characteristics of some specific materials are presented.