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This paper aims to address the coating and compound analysis of diamond-like carbon (DLC) on steel, to understand the frictional behavior in tribological gear systems presented in paper Part I. Here, the Ti and Zr modified DLC coating architectures are analyzed regarding their chemical, mechanical and thermophysical properties. The results represent a systematic analysis of the thermal insulating effect in tribological contact of DLC coated gears.

The approach was to evaluate the effect of the substitution of Zr through Ti at the reference coating ZrCg to TiCg and the effect on thermophysical properties. Furthermore, the influence of different carbon and hydrogen contents on the coating and compound properties was analyzed. Therefore, different discrete Ti or Zr containing DLC coatings were deposited on an industrial coating machine. Thereby the understanding of the microstructure and chemical composition of the reference coatings is increased.

Results prove comparable mechanical properties of metal modified DLC independent of differences in chemical compositions. Moreover, the compound adhesion between TiC_g/16MnCr5E was improved compared to ZrC_g/16MnCr5E. The effect of hydrogen content Ψ and carbon content x_c on the thermophysical properties is limited by Ψ = 18 at.% and x_c = 90 at.%.

The findings of the combined papers Part I and II show a high potential for industrial application of DLC on gears. Based on the results DLC coatings and gears can be tailored to each other.

Systematic analysis of DLC coatings were conducted to evaluate the effect of titanium, carbon and hydrogen on thermophysical properties.

This paper aims to address the influence of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings on the frictional power loss of spur gears. It shows potentials for friction and bulk temperature reduction in industrial use. From a scientific point of view, the thermal insulation effect on fluid friction is addressed, which lowers viscosity in the gear contact due to increasing contact temperature.

Thermal insulation effect is analyzed in detail by means of the heat balance and micro thermal network of thermal elastohydrodynamic lubrication contacts. Preliminary results at a twin-disk test rig are summarized to categorize friction and bulk temperature reduction by DLC coatings. Based on experiments at a gear efficiency test rig, the frictional power losses and bulk temperatures of DLC-coated gears are investigated, whereby load, speed, oil temperature and coatings are varied.

Experimental investigations at the gear efficiency test rig showed friction and bulk temperature reduction for all operating conditions of DLC-coated gears compared to uncoated gears. This effect was most pronounced for high load and high speed. A reduction of the mean gear coefficient of friction on average 25% and maximum 55% was found. A maximum reduction of bulk temperature of 15% was observed.

DLC-coated gears show a high potential for reducing friction and improving load-carrying capacity. However, the industrial implementation is restrained by the limited durability of coatings on gear flanks. Therefore, a further and overall consideration of key durability factors such as substrate material, pretreatment, coating parameters and gear geometry is necessary.

Thermal insulation effect of DLC coatings was shown by theoretical analyses and experimental investigations at model test rigs. Although trial tests on gears were conducted in literature, this study proves the friction reduction by DLC-coated gears for the first time systematically in terms of various operating conditions and coatings.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-07-2020-0257/

Reviews the use of robotics for deburring transmission housings at ZF in Saarbrucken, Germany. Outlines a fully automated cell which has been installed for deburring and washing housings in preparation for assembly. Describes how compliant tools are used to maintain the quality of the deburred surface.

The purpose of this paper is to present an analytical expression for the characteristic impedance of a microstrip line in presence of a dielectric cover.

Assuming a quasi-TEM propagation mode, a rigorous conformal mapping based on the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation is employed to derive the equivalent capacitance model, which can then be applied to derive a closed analytical expression for the effective permittivity and the characteristic impedance of the line.

Such a formulation is not limited to the case of a single cover layer, but an arbitrary number of electric overlays can be considered as well. Comparisons with published numerical results and full-wave simulations in the case of a single cover layer have been also performed to test the validity of the proposed approach.

The new analytical formula for the characteristic impedance of a microstrip line with a single dielectric cover shows better performances compared to the one of closed formulas already presented in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework of visual-tactile interplay and consumer responses in brand, product and servicescape contexts.

This paper performs a literature review of visual-tactile interplay by reviewing prior research in marketing and psychology.

The review reveals that visual-tactile interplay provokes various consumer responses depending on whether brands, products or servicescapes are used. The paper develops a comprehensive conceptual framework mapping out visual-tactile interplay and the relationship with consumers’ cognition, emotions and behaviors.

A conceptual model was developed with a novel view on how visual and tactile cues can together influence consumer responses.

This paper shows how visual-tactile interplay is successful in brand, product and servicescape contexts and provides practical insight for firms into how to provoke consumers’ cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses.

This paper contributes to existing literature by developing a conceptual framework and model of visual-tactile interplay and consumer responses by drawing on research in marketing and psychology.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a solution strategy for both accurate and efficient simulation of nonlinear magnetostatic problems in thin structures using higher order finite element methods. Special interest is put in the investigation of the step-lap joints of transformer cores, with a focus on the spatial resolution of the field quantities.

The usage of hierarchical finite elements of higher order makes it possible to adapt the local accuracy in different spatial directions in thin steel sheets. Due to explicit representation of gradients in the basis functions, a simple Schwarz-type block preconditioner with a conjugate gradient solver can efficiently solve the arising algebraic system. By adapting the block size automatically according to the aspect ratio, deterioration of convergence in case of thin elements can be prevented. The resulting Newton scheme is accelerated utilizing the hierarchical splitting in a two-level scheme, where an initial guess is computed on a coarse sub-space.

Compared to an isotropic choice of polynomial order for the basis functions, significant runtime and memory can be saved in the simulation of thin structures without losing accuracy. The iterative solution scheme proves to be robust with respect to the polynomial order, even for aspect ratios of 1:1000 and anisotropies in two directions. An additional saving in runtime and Newton iterations can be achieved by solving the nonlinear problem initially on the lowest order basis functions only and projecting the solution to the complete space as starting value, analogous to a full multigrid scheme.

Within the presented solution strategy, especially the anisotropic block preconditioner and the accelerated Newton scheme based on the two-level splitting constitute a novel contribution. They provide building blocks, which can be utilized for other types of magnetic field problems like transient nonlinear problems or hysteresis modeling as well.

Examines the fifthteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the fourteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

Examines the thirteenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

The paper aims to understand how the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) influenced public employees' perception of smart working and how this approach was used during the pandemic. The authors asked about smart working's positive and negative aspects and how these changed during the pandemic.

The authors explored the strengths and weaknesses of smart working before and after COVID-19. The authors interviewed 27 Italian public employees who had experienced smart working before the pandemic. The questions and discussion aimed to broadly explore the strengths and weaknesses of smart working and smart working's impact on working performance, work relationships and work–life balance (WLB).

Smart working had a widespread and positive impact on organizational flexibility. Smart working improved the response and resilience of Italian public organizations to the pandemic. However, some critical factors emerged, such as the right to disconnect and the impact on WLB.

The authors suggest that the pandemic exposed the need for public administrations to consolidate work flexibility practices, such as smart working, by paying more attention to the impact of these practices on the whole organization and human resources management (HRM) policies and practices.

This study makes an important contribution to the literature on the public sector by discussing the positive and negative aspects of smart working. The study also provides managerial and policy implications of the use of smart working in public administrations.