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An electrorheological (ER) fluid consists of dielectric particles blended in a nonconducting oil. ER lubricants are often considered smart lubricants. This paper aims to examine the steady state and dynamic response of multilobe journal bearings using an ER lubricant.

Reynold’s equation has been used to describe the lubricant flow in the journal-bearing clearance space. The Bingham model is used to characterize the nonlinear behavior of the lubricant. The solution of the Reynolds equation is obtained using the Newton–Raphson method, with gaseous cavitation in the fluid film numerically addressed by applying a mass-conserving algorithm. The effects of lobe geometry and the applied electric field are investigated on film pressure profile, fluid film thickness, direct stiffness and damping parameters. The equation of motion for journal center coordinates is solved using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method, to predict journal center motion trajectories.

Using ER lubricant combined with two-lobe journal bearing significantly improved the minimum film thickness by 49.75%, the direct stiffness parameter by 132.18% and the damping parameter by 206.3%. However, the multilobe configuration was found to negatively impact the frictional powerloss of the bearing system. In the case of multilobe configurations of journal bearings using ER lubricant, linear motion journal trajectories are observed to be reduced and exhibit increased stability.

This study presents the effect of an ER lubricant and multilobe configuration on the rotor-dynamic performance and stability analysis of hydrodynamic journal bearings.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-06-2024-0201/

Stitching is the traditional method of creating seams using needles and threads. However, this is not useful for waterproof breathable garments as needle holes allow water to penetrate inside the garment, compromising its functionality. This study aims to investigate different techniques for covering the needle holes formed during stitching to achieve a seam that is waterproof, durable and functionally effective.

This study investigates different methods to cover needle holes formed during stitching with the help of seam tape, seam grip adhesive and fuser thread. The emphasis is on evaluating the seam characteristics, including seam strength, seam efficiency, puckering, bending stiffness and resistance to water penetration. Statistical analysis involves the use of the Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene statistic, one-way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD and Tamhane post-hoc tests.

The experimental results suggest that seam tape is effective in enhancing water resistance, seam strength and seam efficiency, but it contributes to stiffness and aesthetically degrades seams due to increased puckering. Meanwhile, the use of fuser thread presents an alternative, exhibiting improved waterproof properties compared to regular stitching. It offers more flexibility and less puckering compared to seam tape.

This study contributes novel insights by shifting the focus from alternative seaming methods such as bonding and welding, to enhancing traditional stitching for waterproof seam construction. While prior research primarily explored alternatives to stitching, this study uniquely addresses the effectiveness of different techniques in covering needle holes to achieve waterproof seams. The findings provide valuable information for enhancing the functionality of stitched seams in the production of waterproof breathable garments.

Blockchain technology has been labeled as the most disruptive technological innovation of the current decade due to its impact on almost every major industry. Based on privacy calculus theory and prior adoption literature on emerging technologies, this research investigates the impact of blockchain technology in the consumer technology segment. It elaborated on the mechanism through which blockchain technology influences users’ willingness to share information with technology products enabled by blockchain.

Taking a heterogeneous pool of users, this study conducted multiple experiments with the application of blockchain (vs. regular database) technology to high (vs. low) sensitive data to study the impact of blockchain perception on users’ information-sharing tendencies.

Through a mediated moderation analysis, the result shows that the use of blockchain technology enhances the sense of security among users. However, the impact of this heightened sense of security only develops a higher willingness to share information when the data is highly sensitive.

The research reflects on the perception of blockchain technology and the leading impact on willingness to share information with firms. This could be a critical criterion for determining investment in blockchain technologies for consumer products, particularly based on the sensitivity of the data the consumer is sharing.

This research focuses on the perception of blockchain technology among consumers and its impact on consumers’ decision-making related to their data sharing. People have a higher sense of safety when it comes to blockchain-enabled products. However, we find that it would not be the same for all contexts, and the sensitivity of the data collected would have an impact on this relationship and consumers’ data-sharing decisions.

The increasing prevalence of mobile phones and the ease of cheaper Internet access have accelerated the growth of mobile-based payments in India. The study aims to identify must-have and should-have factors affecting consumers’ usage intention toward “Near-Field Communication (NFC)” based mobile payments.

The research integrates diffusion innovation theory and the technology acceptance model. Employing a mixed-methods approach, combining partial least square structural equation modeling and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA). Thus, the study draws from qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey of 218 respondents.

The study results indicate that the relative advantage of NFC-based mobile payments over conventional payment modes and security concerns directly affect the intention to use it. However, complexity, transaction speed and ease of use do not affect the intention to use. Moreover, perceived usefulness mediates the relationship between complexity, relative advantage and transaction speed with the intention to use NFC-based mobile payments. Less complexity and ease of use, despite being insignificant determinants as per PLS-SEM, must be focused on as the NCA results indicate its necessity for future market growth.

This research addresses a significant gap by focusing on Indian consumers' intention to use NFC-based mobile payments, an area largely unexplored despite the global and availability of such services. The study distinguishes itself by examining factors influencing adoption within the nascent stage of mobile-based NFC payments in India, where digital growth and technology uptake are gradually unfolding.

This study investigates the indirect effect of organizational justice on key job outcomes, namely, job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC) through employees’ quality of work-life (QWL) and psychological capital (PsyCap) by invoking the social exchange and conservation of resources theories.

This study used survey method. The data were collected from 440 respondents across two points in time.

We found support for a direct effect of organizational justice on employees’ satisfaction and commitment and found that QWL and PsyCap mediated the relationship between organizational justice and its outcomes.

The study offers insight into underlying mechanisms governing this relationship by positioning QWL and PsyCap as mediators. The findings contribute to the extant literature, including ratifying that justice perceptions strengthen positive job attitudes of employees.

The study discusses the implications for practice and makes a case for organizations to conduct audits to assess employee fairness perceptions.

This paper explores the underlying relationship between organizational justice and job outcome, and empirically examines the mediation QWL and PsyCap.

This paper aims to carry out numerical study on growth of a single bubble from a curved hydrophilic surface, in nucleate pool boiling (NPB). The boiling performance associated with NPB on a curved surface has been analyzed in contrast to a plane surface.

Commercial software ANSYS Fluent 2021 R1 has been used with its built-in feature of interface tracking based on volume of fluid method. For water as the working fluid, the effect of microlayer evaporation underneath the bubble base has been included with the help of user-defined function. The phase change behavior at the interface of vapor bubble has been modeled by using “saturated-interface-volume” phase change model.

An interesting outcome of the present study is that the bubble departure gets delayed with increase in curvature of the heating surface. Wall heat flux is found to be higher for a curved surface as compared to a plane surface. Effect of wettability on the time for bubble growth is relatively more for the curved surface as compared to that for a plane surface.

Effect of surface curvature has been investigated on bubble dynamics and also on temporal variation of heat flux. In addition, the impact of surface wettability along with the surface curvature has also been analyzed on bubble morphology and spatial variation of heat flux. Furthermore, the influence of wall superheat on the bubble growth and also the wall heat flux has been studied for fixed angle of contact and varying curvature.

This study used an indentation-based mechanical testing framework for the mechanical characterization of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processed Inconel 718 on a wrought Inconel 718 substrate. The purpose of the paper is to investigate the effectiveness of the indentation-based approach for localized mechanical evaluation.

The LPBF-processed wrought substrate was sectioned into three sections for microstructural and mechanical characterization. A 3D heat source model was used for the thermal analysis of the interface region. The developed interface region is probed using the Knoop hardness indenter in different orientations to determine the textural anisotropy and mechanical behavior of the region.

LPBF process develops a melted interface zone (MIZ) at the deposition-substrate interface. The MIZ exhibited a coarse grain structure region along with a larger primary dendritic arm spacing (PDAS), signifying a slower cooling rate. FE modeling of the LPBF process reveals heat accumulation in the substrate along with intrinsic heat treatment (IHT) induced due to layer-wise processing. The obtained yield locus shows strong anisotropy in the deposition region, whereas reduced anisotropy with a nearly uniform ellipse locus for the MIZ regions. This reduced anisotropy is attributable to IHT and heat accumulation in the substrate.

An alternative localized mechanical characterization tool has been investigated in this work. The approach proved sensitive to thermal variations during LPBF processing in an isolated region which extends its suitability to variable geometry parts. Moreover, the approach could serve as a screening tool for parts made from dissimilar metals.

Purpose: This chapter addresses four primary objectives: evaluating current multinational heritage conservation initiatives, analyzing motivations behind corporate involvement, assessing the challenges, and introducing a Framework for Heritage Conservation as CSR Strategy (FHCCS).

Design/methodology/approach: This research can be categorized as conceptual research. Thematic content analysis has been performed on the data retrieved from 47 papers which were screened and acquired from various academic search engines.

Findings: This chapter revealed that multinational companies engage in heritage conservation initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies, yielding benefits for both heritage sites and surrounding communities. Key motivations include enhancing corporate reputation, stakeholder relations, and long-term sustainability, with the FHCCS offering guidance for policymakers and practitioners.

Research limitations/implications: This chapter aims to provide insights for policymakers, academics, and practitioners, facilitating informed decision-making and enhancing the integration of heritage conservation into CSR strategies on a global scale.

Originality/value: The work tries to fill the research gap in understanding the integration of heritage conservation within CSR frameworks.