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Article
Publication date: 10 November 2023

Kabiru Oyetunde, Rea Prouska and Aidan McKearney

This paper examines the circumstantial state of mediated work to develop a conceptual framework exemplifying the determinants of voice of workers in triangular employment…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper examines the circumstantial state of mediated work to develop a conceptual framework exemplifying the determinants of voice of workers in triangular employment relationships. These workers are in work context involving two or more firms – agency/platform and clients/client firms.

Design/methodology/approach

Paralleling employee voice research in the triangular employment relationship context, the authors theorised the influencing forces at four levels to propose 12 distinct antecedents of triangular workers' voice. External level (2) – legal employer ambiguity and legal regulation and protection; employment context level (3) – availability and presence, assignment duration and autonomy; firm level (3) – institutional complexity, cost and control and governance structure conflicts; individual level (4) – perceived relative equity, voice skill, self-identity and transition opportunity.

Findings

The triangular workers' voice determinants framework provides a comprehensive outlook on how the external, employment context, firm and individual forces influence voice of workers in triangular employment relationships.

Research limitations/implications

Emanating from the framework are propositions that can be empirically tested for validation. Hence, as with conceptual papers, this paper is limited by non-empirical testing.

Practical implications

Managers of workers in these employment relationships should be cognizant of the different levels of forces that can influence their voice.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the employee voice literature by presenting a four-level framework that demonstrate a holistic view of how triangular workers' voice is influenced.

Details

Employee Relations: The International Journal, vol. 46 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0142-5455

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 27 November 2023

J.I. Ramos and Carmen María García López

The purpose of this paper is to analyze numerically the blowup in finite time of the solutions to a one-dimensional, bidirectional, nonlinear wave model equation for the…

215

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyze numerically the blowup in finite time of the solutions to a one-dimensional, bidirectional, nonlinear wave model equation for the propagation of small-amplitude waves in shallow water, as a function of the relaxation time, linear and nonlinear drift, power of the nonlinear advection flux, viscosity coefficient, viscous attenuation, and amplitude, smoothness and width of three types of initial conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

An implicit, first-order accurate in time, finite difference method valid for semipositive relaxation times has been used to solve the equation in a truncated domain for three different initial conditions, a first-order time derivative initially equal to zero and several constant wave speeds.

Findings

The numerical experiments show a very rapid transient from the initial conditions to the formation of a leading propagating wave, whose duration depends strongly on the shape, amplitude and width of the initial data as well as on the coefficients of the bidirectional equation. The blowup times for the triangular conditions have been found to be larger than those for the Gaussian ones, and the latter are larger than those for rectangular conditions, thus indicating that the blowup time decreases as the smoothness of the initial conditions decreases. The blowup time has also been found to decrease as the relaxation time, degree of nonlinearity, linear drift coefficient and amplitude of the initial conditions are increased, and as the width of the initial condition is decreased, but it increases as the viscosity coefficient is increased. No blowup has been observed for relaxation times smaller than one-hundredth, viscosity coefficients larger than ten-thousandths, quadratic and cubic nonlinearities, and initial Gaussian, triangular and rectangular conditions of unity amplitude.

Originality/value

The blowup of a one-dimensional, bidirectional equation that is a model for the propagation of waves in shallow water, longitudinal displacement in homogeneous viscoelastic bars, nerve conduction, nonlinear acoustics and heat transfer in very small devices and/or at very high transfer rates has been determined numerically as a function of the linear and nonlinear drift coefficients, power of the nonlinear drift, viscosity coefficient, viscous attenuation, and amplitude, smoothness and width of the initial conditions for nonzero relaxation times.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 34 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 December 2023

Nirmal K. Manna, Abhinav Saha, Nirmalendu Biswas and Koushik Ghosh

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of enclosure shape on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluidic flow, heat transfer and irreversibility in square…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of enclosure shape on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) nanofluidic flow, heat transfer and irreversibility in square, trapezoidal and triangular thermal systems under fluid volume constraints, with the aim of optimizing thermal behavior in diverse applications.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses numerical simulations based on a finite element-based technique to analyze the effects of the Rayleigh number (Ra), Hartmann number (Ha), magnetic field orientation (γ) and nanoparticle concentration (ζ) on heat transfer characteristics and thermodynamic entropy production.

Findings

The key findings reveal that the geometrical design significantly influences fluid velocity, heat transfer and irreversibility. Trapezoidal thermal systems outperform square systems, while triangular systems achieve optimal enhancement. Nanoparticle concentration enhances heat transfer and flow strength at higher Rayleigh numbers. The magnetic field intensity has a significant impact on fluid flow and heat transport in natural convection, with higher Hartmann numbers resulting in reduced flow strength and heat transfer. The study also highlights the influence of various parameters on thermodynamic entropy production.

Research limitations/implications

Further research can explore additional geometries, parameters and boundary conditions to expand the understanding of enclosure shape effects on MHD nanofluidic flow and heat transfer. Experimental validation can complement the numerical simulations presented in this study.

Originality/value

This study provides valuable insights into the impact of enclosure shape on heat transfer performance in MHD nanofluid flow systems. The findings contribute to the optimization of thermal behavior in applications such as electronics cooling and energy systems. The comparison of different enclosure shapes and the analysis of thermodynamic entropy production add novelty to the study.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 34 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2023

Dhinesh S.K. and Senthil Kumar Kallippatti Lakshmanan

The purpose of this study is to increasing the gauge factor, reducing the hysteresis error and improving the stability over cyclic deformations of a conductive polylactic acid…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to increasing the gauge factor, reducing the hysteresis error and improving the stability over cyclic deformations of a conductive polylactic acid (CPLA)-based 3D-printed strain sensor by modifying the sensing element geometry.

Design/methodology/approach

Five different configurations, namely, linear, serpentine, square, triangular and trapezoidal, of CPLA sensing elements are printed on the thermoplastic polyurethane substrate material individually. The resistance change ratio of the printed sensors, when loaded to a predefined percentage of the maximum strain values over multiple cycles, is recorded. Finally, the thickness of substrate and CPLA and the included angle of the triangular strain sensor are evaluated for their influences on the sensitivity.

Findings

The triangular configuration yields the least hysteresis error with high accuracy over repeated loading conditions, because of its uniform stress distribution, whereas the conventional linear configuration produces the maximum sensitivity with low accuracy. The thickness of the substrate and sensing element has more influence over the included angle, in enhancing the sensitivity of the triangular configuration. The sensitivity of the triangular configuration exceeds the linear configuration when printed at ideal sensor dimensional values.

Research limitations/implications

The 3D printing parameters are kept constant for all the configurations; rather it can be varied for improving the performance of the sensor. Furthermore, the influences of stretching rate and nozzle temperature of the sensing material are not considered in this work.

Originality/value

The sensitivity and accuracy of CPLA-based strain sensor are evaluated for modification in its geometry, and the performance metrics are enhanced using the regression modelling.

Details

Rapid Prototyping Journal, vol. 29 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-2546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2023

Pengfei Zhou, Shufeng Tang, Yubin Liu, Jie Zhao and Zaiyong Sun

This study aims to the complex and unpredictable terrain environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scientific research station, such as cement road, wetland, gravel desert…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to the complex and unpredictable terrain environment of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scientific research station, such as cement road, wetland, gravel desert, snowfield, ice surface, grassland, slimy ground, steep slope, step, etc., a reconfigurable walking mechanism based on two movement modes of wheel and triangular crawler was proposed.

Design/methodology/approach

By analyzing the deformation mechanism of the walking mechanism, a reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism and the configuration scheme are designed. The analysis of the kinematics and mechanical properties of the swing arm system and the deformation mechanism of the walking mechanism.

Findings

The reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism can be switched between the wheel and triangular crawler modes by driving the deformation mechanism. Through the numerical simulation of its movement process, and the trial production and experiment of the prototype, indicates the validity of the reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated walking mechanism design.

Originality/value

The work of this paper provides a reconfigurable wheel-crawler-integrated-walking mechanism, which can be used by robots in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau scientific research station. It has excellent reconfigurability and can effectively improve the robot’s adaptability to complex terrain.

Details

Industrial Robot: the international journal of robotics research and application, vol. 50 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-991X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 June 2023

Nirmalendu Biswas, Dipak Kumar Mandal, Nirmal K. Manna, Rama S.R. Gorla and Ali J. Chamkha

This study aims to investigate the impact of different heater geometries (flat, rectangular, semi-elliptical and triangular) on hybrid nanofluidic (Cu–Al2O3–H2O) convection in…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the impact of different heater geometries (flat, rectangular, semi-elliptical and triangular) on hybrid nanofluidic (Cu–Al2O3–H2O) convection in novel umbrella-shaped porous thermal systems. The system is top-cooled, and the identical heater surfaces are provided centrally at the bottom to identify the most enhanced configuration.

Design/methodology/approach

The thermal-fluid flow analysis is performed using a finite volume-based indigenous code, solving the nonlinear coupled transport equations with the Darcy number (10–5 ≤ Da ≤ 10–1), modified Rayleigh number (10 ≤ Ram ≤ 104) and Hartmann number (0 ≤ Ha ≤ 70) as the dimensionless operating parameters. The semi-implicit method for pressure linked equations algorithm is used to solve the discretized transport equations over staggered nonuniform meshes.

Findings

The study demonstrates that altering the heater surface geometry improves heat transfer by up to 224% compared with a flat surface configuration. The triangular-shaped heating surface is the most effective in enhancing both heat transfer and flow strength. In general, flow strength and heat transfer increase with rising Ram and decrease with increasing Da and Ha. The study also proposes a mathematical correlation to predict thermal characteristics by integrating all geometric and flow control variables.

Research limitations/implications

The present concept can be extended to further explore thermal performance with different curvature effects, orientations, boundary conditions, etc., numerically or experimentally.

Practical implications

The present geometry configurations can be applied in various engineering applications such as heat exchangers, crystallization, micro-electronic devices, energy storage systems, mixing processes, food processing and different biomedical systems (blood flow control, cancer treatment, medical equipment, targeted drug delivery, etc.).

Originality/value

This investigation contributes by exploring the effect of various geometric shapes of the heated bottom on the hydromagnetic convection of Cu–Al2O3–H2O hybrid nanofluid flow in a complex umbrella-shaped porous thermal system involving curved surfaces and multiphysical conditions.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 33 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 April 2022

Pengcheng Wang, Chuanyan Qin and Shanshi Liu

How to manage outsourced employees in interorganizational teams with triangular relationships has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on relative deprivation theory, this…

1030

Abstract

Purpose

How to manage outsourced employees in interorganizational teams with triangular relationships has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on relative deprivation theory, this study explores how relative deprivation affects outsourced employees’ innovative behavior and investigates the complex moderating effects of dual organizational support.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors tested their hypothesis by conducting a two-wave survey; responses to a questionnaire were collected from 283 outsourced employees and their managers among 52 client organizations.

Findings

Results found that relative deprivation negatively influences the outsourced employees’ innovative behavior by eliciting their perceptions of status conflict. Support from client (supplier) organization attenuates (aggravates) the positive impact of relative deprivation on innovative behavior throughout status conflict. The moderating effect of client organizational support was moderated by support from supplier organization.

Research limitations/implications

The authors selected the outsourced employees in a Chinese context to conduct this study, and the results need to be generalized in future research.

Practical implications

Client organizational support can alleviate the negative effect of relative deprivation on outsourced employees, whereas supplier organization support aggravates the negative effect; managers should pay attention to the different effects of the two organizations’ support and provide reasonable support for outsourced employees.

Originality/value

This study identified the mechanism of relative deprivation’s effect on outsourced employees’ innovative behavior from the perspective of interpersonal interaction and compared the effect of support from dual organizations. This study expands the research on triangular relationships, relative deprivation, status conflict and other field.

Article
Publication date: 28 February 2024

Sílvio Aparecido Verdério Júnior, Pedro J. Coelho and Vicente Luiz Scalon

The purpose of this study is to numerically investigate the geometric influence of different corrugation profiles (rectangular, trapezoidal and triangular) of varying heights on…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to numerically investigate the geometric influence of different corrugation profiles (rectangular, trapezoidal and triangular) of varying heights on the flow and the natural convection heat transfer process over isothermal plates.

Design/methodology/approach

This work is an extension and finalization of previous studies of the leading author. The numerical methodology was proposed and experimentally validated in previous studies. Using OpenFOAM® and other free and open-source numerical-computational tools, three-dimensional numerical models were built to simulate the flow and the natural convection heat transfer process over isothermal corrugation plates with variable and constant heights.

Findings

The influence of different geometric arrangements of corrugated plates on the flow and natural convection heat transfer over isothermal plates is investigated. The influence of the height ratio parameter, as well as the resulting concave and convex profiles, on the parameters average Nusselt number, corrected average Nusselt number and convective thermal efficiency gain, is analyzed. It is shown that the total convective heat transfer and the convective thermal efficiency gain increase with the increase of the height ratio. The numerical results confirm previous findings about the predominant effects on the predominant impact of increasing the heat transfer area on the thermal efficiency gain in corrugated surfaces, in contrast to the adverse effects caused on the flow. In corrugations with heights resulting in concave profiles, the geometry with triangular corrugations presented the highest total convection heat transfer, followed by trapezoidal and rectangular. For arrangements with the same area, it was demonstrated that corrugations of constant and variable height are approximately equivalent in terms of natural convection heat transfer.

Practical implications

The results allowed a better understanding of the flow characteristics and the natural convection heat transfer process over isothermal plates with corrugations of variable height. The advantages of the surfaces studied in terms of increasing convective thermal efficiency were demonstrated, with the potential to be used in cooling systems exclusively by natural convection (or with reduced dependence on forced convection cooling systems), including in technological applications of microelectronics, robotics, internet of things (IoT), artificial intelligence, information technology, industry 4.0, etc.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the results presented are new in the scientific literature. Unlike previous studies conducted by the leading author, this analysis specifically analyzed the natural convection phenomenon over plates with variable-height corrugations. The obtained results will contribute to projects to improve and optimize natural convection cooling systems.

Details

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, vol. 34 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0961-5539

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2023

Bianca Arcifa de Resende, Franco Giuseppe Dedini, Jony Javorsky Eckert, Tiago F.A.C. Sigahi, Jefferson de Souza Pinto and Rosley Anholon

This study aims to propose a facilitating methodology for the application of Fuzzy FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), comparing the traditional approach with fuzzy…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to propose a facilitating methodology for the application of Fuzzy FMEA (Failure Mode and Effect Analysis), comparing the traditional approach with fuzzy variations, supported by a case application in the aeronautical sector.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on experts' opinions in risk analysis within the aeronautical sector, rules governing the relationship between severity, occurrence, detection and risk factor were defined. This served as input for developing a fuzzyfied FMEA tool using the Matlab Fuzzy Logic Toolbox. The tool was applied to the sealing process in a company within the aeronautical sector, using triangular and trapezoidal membership functions, and the results were compared with the traditional FMEA approach.

Findings

The results of the comparative application of traditional FMEA and fuzzyfied FMEA using triangular and trapezoidal functions have yielded valuable insights into risk analysis. The findings indicated that fuzzyfied FMEA maintained coherence with the traditional analysis in identifying higher-risk effects, aligning with the prioritization of critical failure modes. Additionally, fuzzyfied FMEA allowed for a more refined prioritization by accounting for variations in each variable through fuzzy rules, thereby improving the accuracy of risk analysis and providing a more realistic representation of potential hazards. The application of the developed fuzzyfied FMEA approach showed promise in enhancing risk assessment in the aeronautical sector by considering uncertainties and offering a more detailed and context-specific analysis compared to conventional FMEA.

Practical implications

This study emphasizes the potential of fuzzyfied FMEA in enhancing risk assessment by accurately identifying critical failure modes and providing a more realistic representation of potential hazards. The application case reveals that the proposed tool can be integrated with expert knowledge to improve decision-making processes and risk mitigation strategies within the aeronautical industry. Due to its straightforward approach, this facilitating methodology could also prove beneficial in other industrial sectors.

Originality/value

This paper presents the development and application of a facilitating methodology for implementing Fuzzy FMEA, comparing it with the traditional approach and incorporating variations using triangular and trapezoidal functions. This proposed methodology uses the Toolbox Fuzzy Logic of Matlab to create a fuzzyfied FMEA tool, enabling a more nuanced and context-specific risk analysis by considering uncertainties.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 41 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Zhen Sun and Kota Watanabe

Topology optimization is a state-of-the-art technique for the innovative design of electromagnetic devices. The ON/OFF method is a typical approach for this purpose. However, the…

Abstract

Purpose

Topology optimization is a state-of-the-art technique for the innovative design of electromagnetic devices. The ON/OFF method is a typical approach for this purpose. However, the drawbacks of long iteration time and poor ability to express curved surfaces make the industry not shown their due interest so far in the ON/OFF method. The purpose of this paper is to study a novel ON/OFF method for topology optimization, which can bring feasible optimized shapes that are more friendly for industrial realization in a shorter time.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed improved ON/OFF method uses structured triangular elements for finite element modeling because the triangular elements can more freely express shape features. Every four triangular elements are pieced together to form a square cell, each quadrilateral cell is associated with a binary value indicating the material state of the four triangular elements. The binary metaheuristic algorithms are used to optimize the material distribution. After the material filling for the elements based on the output of the metaheuristic algorithm, a two-step surface smoother will be performed as the postprocess to make the shapes more friendly for manufacturing.

Findings

The comparative numerical results on a benchmark topology optimization problem show that the proposed method can bring feasible optimized shapes that are more friendly for industrial realization in a shorter time. In addition, the speed and robustness of convergence, especially in the case of multiobjective topology optimization problem, are significantly improved.

Originality/value

A novel ON/OFF method for topology optimization is proposed. Compared with the traditional ON/OFF method, the proposed method is better in terms of searching efficiency and robustness. Moreover, the proposed method can provide feasible optimized shapes that are more friendly for industrial realization.

Details

COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering , vol. 42 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0332-1649

Keywords

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