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The purpose of this paper is to design an improved parallel regenerative braking system (IPRBS) for electric vehicles (EVs) that increases energy recovery with a constant brake pedal feel (BPF).

The conventional hydro-mechanical braking system is redesigned by incorporating a reversing linear solenoid (RLS) and allowed to work in parallel with a regenerative brake. A braking algorithm is proposed, and correspondingly, a control system is designed for the IPRBS for its proper functioning, and a mathematical model is formulated considering vehicle drive during braking. The effectiveness of IPRBS is studied by analyzing two aspects of regenerative braking (BPF and regenerative efficiency) and the impact of regenerative braking contribution to range extension and energy consumption reduction under European Union Urban Driving Cycle (ECE).

IPRBS is found to maintain a constant BPF in terms of deceleration rate vs pedal displacement during the entire braking period irrespective of speed change and deceleration rate. The regenerative ratio of IPRBS is found to be high compared with conventional parallel regenerative braking, but it is quite the same at high deceleration.

A constant BPF is achieved by introducing an RLS between the input pushrod and booster input rod with appropriate controller design. Comparative analysis of energy regenerated under different regenerative conditions establishes the originality of IPRBS. An average contribution ratio to energy consumption reduction and driving range extension of IPRBS in ECE are obtained as 18.38 and 22.76, respectively.

The paper aims to identify a suitable generic brake force distribution ratio (β) corresponding to optimal brake design attributes in a diminutive driving range, where road conditions do not exhibit excessive variations. This will intend for an appropriate allocation of brake force distribution (BFD) to provide dynamic stability to the vehicle during braking.

Two techniques are presented (with and without wheel slip) to satisfy both brake stability and performance while accommodating variations in load sharing and road friction coefficient. Based on parametric optimization of the design variables of hydraulic brake using evolutionary algorithm, taking into account both the laden and unladen circumstances simultaneously, this research develops an improved model for computing and simulating the BFD applied to commercial and passenger vehicles.

The optimal parameter values defining the braking system have been identified, resulting in effective β = 0.695 which enhances the brake forces at respective axles. Nominal slip of 3.42% is achieved with maximum deceleration of 5.72 m/s² maintaining directional stability during braking. The results obtained from both the methodologies are juxtaposed and assessed governing the vehicle stability in straight line motion to prevent wheel lock.

Optimization results establish the practicality, efficacy and applicability of the proposed approaches. The findings provide valuable insights for the design and optimization of hydraulic drum brake systems in modern automobiles, which can lead to safer and more efficient braking systems.

The COVID-19 has had a diversified and dynamic impact on the food and agricultural sector, particularly in the agri-food value chain. Although a good number of articles were published in various countries and continents covering various aspects of the impact of COVID-19 on the agri-food value chain, no significant studies were found related to the mapping of published literature to know about the scenario and current trend research. The study aims to perform a systematic review and bibliographic mapping in the agri-food value chain to provide insights into the same.

Articles included in the Scopus database from January 1, 2020 to July 10, 2021 are considered. After initial screening and inclusion criteria, 41 articles have been selected to perform a systematic review which is published in the agri-food value chain. In addition to this, by considering the growth of the online food market, systematic mapping with the application of bibliometric analysis is performed to know the trend of the publications. Co-occurrence analysis with VOS viewer software version 1.6.16 is used for making network maps and supports the visualization of these maps.

The synthesis of the findings reveals that four broad themes recur in the articles: namely, food security and crisis during the pandemic, food price fluctuations, the impact of COVID-19 and disruption in the agri-food value chain and resilience strategies to strengthen the value chain. Alongside, the synthesis of the findings, this study describes the geographical coverage, methodologies used, sector/industry-specific context of the articles and scope of future research. In co-occurrence analysis with keywords, four clusters are identified related to the online food market and are categorized as “COVID-19 and Online food delivery services,” “Consumer satisfaction to online food delivery services,” “Food delivery system” and “Demographic impact on online food market.”

The study considers only the article from the Scopus database and article published between January 1, 2020 and July 10, 2021. Future studies are encouraged related to impact analysis studies of resilient strategies suggested by various authors by considering multiple databases.

This study will be beneficial for scholars and policymakers to know what is trending in the agri-food value chain and policymakers can implement various resilience strategies as discussed to mitigate the impact. The future research scope highlighted in this paper will encourage scholars and academicians to explore this area and will provide in-depth understanding.