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Article
Publication date: 31 January 2023

Luciana Paula Reis, June Marques Fernandes, Sergio Evangelista Silva and Carlos Augusto de Carvalho Andreosi

This article aims to introduce a guide to improving hospital bed setup by combining lean technical practices (LTPs), such as kaizen and value stream mapping (VSM) and lean social…

260

Abstract

Purpose

This article aims to introduce a guide to improving hospital bed setup by combining lean technical practices (LTPs), such as kaizen and value stream mapping (VSM) and lean social practices (LSPs), such as employee empowerment.

Design/methodology/approach

Action research approach was employed to analyze the process of reconfiguration of bed setup management in a Brazilian public hospital.

Findings

The study introduces three contributions: (1) presents the use of VSM focused specifically on bed setup, while the current literature presents studies mainly focused on patient flow management, (2) combines the use of LSPs and LTPs in the context of bed management, expanding current studies that are focused either on mathematical models or on social and human aspects of work, (3) introduces a practical guide based on six steps that combine LSPs and LSPs to improve bed setup management.

Research limitations/implications

The research focused on the analysis of patient beds. Surgical beds, delivery, emergency care and intensive care unit (ICU) were not considered in this study. In addition, the process indicators analyzed after the implementation of the improvements did not contemplate the moment of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this research focused on the implementation of the improvement in the context of only one Brazilian public hospital.

Practical implications

The combined use of LSPs and LTPs can generate considerable gains in bed setup efficiency and consequently increase the capacity of a hospital to admit new patients, without the ampliation of the physical space and workforce.

Social implications

The improvement of bed setup has an important social character, whereas it can generate important social benefits such as the improvement of the admission service to patients, reducing the waiting time, reducing hospitalization costs and improving the hospital capacity without additional physical resources. All these results are crucial for populations, their countries and regions.

Originality/value

While the current literature on bed management is more focused on formal models or pure human and social perspectives, this article brings these two perspectives together in a single, holistic framework. As a result, this article points out that the complex bed management problem can be efficiently solved by combining LSPs and LTPs to present theoretical and practical contributions to the important social problem of hospital bed management.

Details

Journal of Health Organization and Management, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2023

Lucilla Coelho de Almeida, Joao Americo Aguirre Oliveira Junior and Jian Su

This paper aims to present a novel approach for computing particle temperatures in simulations coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) to…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present a novel approach for computing particle temperatures in simulations coupling computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) to predict flow and heat transfer in fluidized beds of thermally thick spherical particles.

Design/methodology/approach

An improved lumped formulation based on Hermite-type approximations for integrals to relate surface temperature to average temperature and surface heat flux is used to overcome the limitations of classical lumped models. The model is validated through comparisons with analytical solutions for a convectively cooled sphere and experimental data for a fixed particle bed. The coupled CFD-DEM model is then applied to simulate a Geldart D bubbling fluidized bed, comparing the results to those obtained using the classical lumped model.

Findings

The validation cases demonstrate that ignoring internal thermal resistance can significantly impact the temperature in cases where the Biot number is greater than 0.1. The results for the fixed bed case clearly demonstrate that the proposed method yields significantly improved outcomes compared to the classical model. The fluidized bed results show that surface temperature can deviate considerably from the average temperature, underscoring the importance of accurately accounting for surface temperature in convective heat transfer predictions and surface processes.

Originality/value

The proposed approach offers a physically more consistent simulation without imposing a significant increase in computational cost. The improved lumped formulation can be easily and inexpensively integrated into a typical DEM solver workflow to predict heat transfer for spherical particles, with important implications for various industrial applications.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 33 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 December 2021

J. Norberto Pires, Amin S. Azar, Filipe Nogueira, Carlos Ye Zhu, Ricardo Branco and Trayana Tankova

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly evolving manufacturing process, which refers to a set of technologies that add materials layer-by-layer to create functional components…

Abstract

Purpose

Additive manufacturing (AM) is a rapidly evolving manufacturing process, which refers to a set of technologies that add materials layer-by-layer to create functional components. AM technologies have received an enormous attention from both academia and industry, and they are being successfully used in various applications, such as rapid prototyping, tooling, direct manufacturing and repair, among others. AM does not necessarily imply building parts, as it also refers to innovation in materials, system and part designs, novel combination of properties and interplay between systems and materials. The most exciting features of AM are related to the development of radically new systems and materials that can be used in advanced products with the aim of reducing costs, manufacturing difficulties, weight, waste and energy consumption. It is essential to develop an advanced production system that assists the user through the process, from the computer-aided design model to functional components. The challenges faced in the research and development and operational phase of producing those parts include requiring the capacity to simulate and observe the building process and, more importantly, being able to introduce the production changes in a real-time fashion. This paper aims to review the role of robotics in various AM technologies to underline its importance, followed by an introduction of a novel and intelligent system for directed energy deposition (DED) technology.

Design/methodology/approach

AM presents intrinsic advantages when compared to the conventional processes. Nevertheless, its industrial integration remains as a challenge due to equipment and process complexities. DED technologies are among the most sophisticated concepts that have the potential of transforming the current material processing practices.

Findings

The objective of this paper is identifying the fundamental features of an intelligent DED platform, capable of handling the science and operational aspects of the advanced AM applications. Consequently, we introduce and discuss a novel robotic AM system, designed for processing metals and alloys such as aluminium alloys, high-strength steels, stainless steels, titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, nickel-based superalloys and other metallic alloys for various applications. A few demonstrators are presented and briefly discussed, to present the usefulness of the introduced system and underlying concept. The main design objective of the presented intelligent robotic AM system is to implement a design-and-produce strategy. This means that the system should allow the user to focus on the knowledge-based tasks, e.g. the tasks of designing the part, material selection, simulating the deposition process and anticipating the metallurgical properties of the final part, as the rest would be handled automatically.

Research limitations/implications

This paper reviews a few AM technologies, where robotics is a central part of the process, such as vat photopolymerization, material jetting, binder jetting, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, DED and sheet lamination. This paper aims to influence the development of robot-based AM systems for industrial applications such as part production, automotive, medical, aerospace and defence sectors.

Originality/value

The presented intelligent system is an original development that is designed and built by the co-authors J. Norberto Pires, Amin S. Azar and Trayana Tankova.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 49 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 5 June 2023

Sonali A. Deshmukh, Praveen Barmavatu, Mihir Kumar Das, Bukke Kiran Naik, Vineet Singh Sikarwar, Alety Shivakrishna, Radhamanohar Aepuru and Rathod Subash

This study has covered many types of solar-powered air-conditioning systems that may be used as an alternative to traditional electrically powered air-conditioning systems in…

Abstract

This study has covered many types of solar-powered air-conditioning systems that may be used as an alternative to traditional electrically powered air-conditioning systems in order to reduce energy usage. Solar adsorption air cooling is a great alternative to traditional vapor compression air-conditioning. Solar adsorption has several advantages over traditional vapor-compression systems, including being a green cooling technology which uses solar energy to drive the cycle, using pure water as an eco-friendly HFC-free refrigerant, and being mechanically simple with only the magnetic valves as moving parts. Several advancements and breakthroughs have been developed in the area of solar adsorption air-conditioners during the previous decade. However, further study is required before this technology can be put into practise. As a result, this book chapter highlights current research that adds to the understanding of solar adsorption air-conditioning technologies, with a focus on practical research. These systems have the potential to become the next iteration of air-conditioning systems, with the benefit of lowering energy usage while using plentiful solar energy supplies to supply the cooling demand.

Article
Publication date: 20 November 2020

S. Madhu and M. Balasubramanian

The purpose of this study is for solving many issues in production that includes processing of complex-shaped profile, machining of high-strength materials, good surface finish…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is for solving many issues in production that includes processing of complex-shaped profile, machining of high-strength materials, good surface finish with high-level precision and minimization of waste. Among the various advanced machining processes, abrasive jet machining (AJM) is one of the non-traditional machining techniques used for various applications such as polishing, deburring and hole making. Hence, an overview of the investigations done on carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) and glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GRFP) composites becomes important.

Design/methodology/approach

Discussion on various approaches to AJM, the effect of process parameters on the glass fiber and carbon fiber polymeric composites are presented. Kerf characteristics, surface roughness and various nozzle design were also discussed.

Findings

It was observed that abrasive jet pressure, stand-off distance, traverse rate, abrasive size, nozzle diameter, angle of attack are the significant process parameters which affect the machining time, material removal rate, top kerf, bottom kerf and kerf angle. When the particle size is maximum, the increased kinetic energy of the particle improves the penetration depth on the CFRP surface. As the abrasive jet pressure is increased, the cutting process is enabled without severe jet deflection which in turn minimizes the waviness pattern, resulting in a decrease of the surface roughness.

Research limitations/implications

The review is limited to glass fiber and carbon fiber polymeric composites.

Practical implications

In many applications, the use of composite has gained wide acceptance. Hence, machining of the composite need for the study also has gained wide acceptance.

Social implications

The usage of composites reduces the usage of very costly materials of high density. The cost of the material also comes down.

Originality/value

This paper is a comprehensive review of machining composite with abrasive jet. The paper covers in detail about machining of only GFRP and CFRP composites with various nozzle designs, unlike many studies which has focused widely on general AJM of various materials.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1986

Joyce‐Loebl's Alan Robinson, technical director, and Peter Hage, industrial systems manager, talk to Jack Hollingum about a low cost ‘vision engine’ for handling and assembly and…

Abstract

Joyce‐Loebl's Alan Robinson, technical director, and Peter Hage, industrial systems manager, talk to Jack Hollingum about a low cost ‘vision engine’ for handling and assembly and a related Esprit project.

Details

Sensor Review, vol. 6 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0260-2288

Article
Publication date: 20 September 2022

Lalit Narendra Patil, Hrishikesh P. Khairnar and S.G. Bhirud

Electric vehicles are well known for a silent and smooth drive; however, their presence on the road is difficult to identify for road users who may be subjected to certain…

Abstract

Purpose

Electric vehicles are well known for a silent and smooth drive; however, their presence on the road is difficult to identify for road users who may be subjected to certain incidences. Although electric vehicles are free from exhaust emission gases, the wear particles coming out from disc brakes are still unresolved issues. Therefore, the purpose of the present paper is to introduce a smart eco-friendly braking system that uses signal processing and integrated technologies to eventually build a comprehensive driver assistance system.

Design/methodology/approach

The parameters obstacle identification, driver drowsiness, driver alcohol situation and heart rate were all taken into account. A contactless brake blending system has been designed while upgrading a rapid response. The implemented state flow rule-based decision strategy validated with the outcomes of a novel experimental setup.

Findings

The drowsiness state of drivers was successfully identified for the proposed control map and set up vindicated with the improvement in stopping time, atmospheric environment and increase in vehicle active safety regime.

Originality/value

The present study adopted a unique approach and obtained a brake blending system for improved braking performance as well as overall safety enhancement with rapid control of the vehicle.

Details

World Journal of Engineering, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1708-5284

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 April 2019

S. Rajendra Prasad, K. Ravindranath K. Ravindranath and M.L.S. Devakumar M.L.S. Devakumar

The choice of best machining parameters is an extremely basic factor in handling of any machined parts. The purpose of this paper is to exhibit a multi-objective optimization…

Abstract

Purpose

The choice of best machining parameters is an extremely basic factor in handling of any machined parts. The purpose of this paper is to exhibit a multi-objective optimization technique; in view of weighted aggregate sum product assessment (WASPAS) technique toward upgrade the machining parameters in modified air abrasive jet machining (MAAJM) process: injecting pressure, stand-off distance (SOD), and abrasive mesh size measure with 100 rpm rotatable worktable on Nickel 233 alloy material. Three conflicting destinations, material removal rate (MRR), surface roughness (SR) and taper angles (Ta), respectively, are considered at the same time. The proposed procedure uses WASPAS, which is the examination of parametric optimization of the abrasive jet machining (AJM) process. The results was used any scopes of reactions in MAAJM process is the ideal setting of parameters are resolved through investigations represented. There is wide utilization of Nickel 233 in aviation enterprises; machining information on producing a hole utilizing MAAJM for the first time is given in this work, which will be helpful different industries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper exhibits a multi-objective optimization technique; in view of WASPAS technique toward upgrade the machining parameters in MAAJM process: injecting pressure, SOD, and abrasive mesh size measure with 100 rpm rotatable worktable on Nickel 233 alloy material.

Findings

As an outcome of using the tool in any ranges of responses in the AJM process, the optimal setting of parameters is determined through experiments illustrated. The machining data of generating a hole using AJM are studied for the first time in this work, which will be useful for aerospace industries, where Nickel 233 is used broadly.

Originality/value

A new material in unconventional machining process and also a multi-objective optimization technique are adopted.

Details

Multidiscipline Modeling in Materials and Structures, vol. 15 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1573-6105

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 October 2015

S. Ramakrishna Velamuri, Priya Anant and Vasantha Kumar

We study three private hospital organizations in India that were set up to deliver affordable high quality, services to the poor. Their distinctive feature is that they have…

Abstract

We study three private hospital organizations in India that were set up to deliver affordable high quality, services to the poor. Their distinctive feature is that they have successfully balanced two apparently contradictory logics: financial (doing well) and social (doing good) through business model innovations. By analyzing abundant primary and secondary data, we document in detail the key features of their business models – customer identification, customer engagement, value chain and linkages, and monetization – and document how they contribute to the organizations’ ability to deliver high quality healthcare at very low prices. We analyze the impact of these organizations, both direct and indirect, on the healthcare delivery landscape in India. We show that while their direct impact is significant, their indirect impact could potentially transform healthcare delivery in India and in other developing countries.

Details

Business Models and Modelling
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78560-462-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 March 2021

Martin Christopher Mapley, Geoff Tansley, Jo P. Pauls, Shaun D. Gregory and Andrew Busch

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have been developed to rapidly produce custom designs from a multitude of materials. Bonded permanent magnets (PMs) have been produced via…

Abstract

Purpose

Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques have been developed to rapidly produce custom designs from a multitude of materials. Bonded permanent magnets (PMs) have been produced via several AM techniques to allow for rapid manufacture of complex geometries. These magnets, however, tend to suffer from lower residual induction than the industry standard of injection moulding primarily due to the lower packing density of the magnetic particles and secondly due to the feedstock consisting of neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) powder with isotropic magnetic properties. As there is no compaction during most AM processes, increasing the packing density is very difficult and therefore the purpose of this study was to increase the magnetic properties of the PMs without increasing the part density.

Design/methodology/approach

Accordingly, this research investigates the use of anisotropic NdFeB feedstock coupled with an in-situ alignment fixture into an AM process known as selective laser sintering (SLS) to increase the magnetic properties of AM magnets. A Helmholtz coil array was added to an SLS machine and used to expose each powder layer during part fabrication to a near-uniform magnetic field of 20.4 mT prior to consolidation by the laser.

Findings

Permeagraph measurements of the parts showed that the alignment field introduced residual induction anisotropy of up to 46.4 ± 2.2% when measured in directions parallel and perpendicular to the alignment field. X-ray diffraction measurements also demonstrated a convergence of the orientation of the crystals when the magnets were processed in the presence of the alignment field.

Originality/value

A novel active alignment fixture for SLS was introduced and was experimentally shown to induce anisotropy in bonded PMs. Thus demonstrating a new method for the enhancement in energy density of PMs produced via AM methods.

1 – 10 of over 1000