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The purpose of this paper is to present the design and development of transfer seat system which aids the disabled drivers to get in and out of the car without outside help thereby reducing physical effort. The design of the model is carried out taking into account the vehicle specification and the weight of the person. After careful measurement and analysis, the required seat system parameters were estimated. The three movements associated with the system are satisfied with motors controlled by switches. The design calculations and the tests carried out are validated using the ANSYS finite element software.

The whole process begins with the definition of the problem of eliminating the support of an additional person to help people with disabilities enter and leave a car, making it feasible and economical for the patients. Literature review includes and develops information from different sources. The research gap is identified and a necessary improvement is proposed. Design and analysis involves optimum design and calculation that achieves the efficiency, reliability and comfortable movement of the system. It also involves validation to support stress analysis in the system that is performed using ANSYS. The material supply includes the required materials taking into account factors such as strength, durability and availability. Manufacturing selects appropriate manufacturing techniques taking into account design, materials and space limitation. Operations such as welding, cutting, drilling and grinding are considered. The tests consist of performing a physical test to check the approximate load capacity of the system for a gentle, comfortable and secure comfort. Validation ensures that the results of the test coincide with the existing results of the supporting documentation. This process also involves taking corrective action and re-doing the design process to achieve the desired results.

The results that are plotted suggest that with the increase in downward force, the power required to balance it is greater. Similarly, the speed increases with increasing power. ANSYS analysis can be performed for the support structure and for obtaining deformation. The entire work can be implemented on the actual vehicle, and the time required for the patient to enter and exit could be calculated. The entire transfer system that operates by the engine can be modified, and a hydraulic system can be used to make the movements possible. The section of the rail can also be modified accordingly, and the comparison of the possible results can be carried out with the present system.

The entire system can be improvised by working on the mechanism which reduces the overall operating time without causing discomfort to the user when entering and exiting the car. Furthermore, the safety feature must be considered in the car to prevent the mechanism from altering the seating position of the seat, for which a mooring system can be inserted with a switch to hold it in place and release it. A powerful motor can be integrated into the mechanism to improvise the second movement, which is the deployment of the legs on the ground with the motorized wheels. The set of cast iron rails is used to support more weight without failure.

The main objective is to design a system that allows a disabled person to enter and exit easily without the support or assistance of a second person. The design process had to be modified, and various methods were tried to incorporate this flawless movement onto the chassis of the car. Necessary changes have been made in the case of the material used and of the yarn to obtain the desired movement at the desired speed at the desired time. By performing these three movements, the secondary objective had to be integrated into the system to automate the door to facilitate the entry and exit of the car and to open the door simply by pressing a button. These results were taken into account to make the engine speed changes and the speed at which the chair will descend and move horizontally to ensure a safe design.

The developed transfer seat system can be widely used in healthcare sectors which greatly helps the movement of disabled persons.

The design calculations and tests carried out are validated using the ANSYS®, a finite element software.

Stainless steel is one of the most important elements in structural design and application, and due to its excellent properties, it is widely used in industries for conventional structural engineering applications, such as thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, civil constructions, etc. (Mishra et al., 2014). A traditional tensile testing machine cannot determine the transversal stress–strain curves (Olden, 2002, 2013).

In the present study, identical mild steel specimen parts are welded at different intervals and then subjected to tensile loading. Welding is carried along the length of the specimen. Induced stresses are determined at the welded intervals and the stress–strain curve is obtained.

By considering the temperature of the weld at the interface, thermal stresses are determined. Brinell hardness number is determined at the interface and the base metal. Also, the change in the hardness at the heat-affected zone (HAZ) is found. Validation is carried out by comparing the results with the original stress–strain curve.

In the HAZ, there is a drop in the hardness number, which means that there is a change in the material property due to welding. The thermal stresses which develop at the interface can also play a very important role for property change. Results show that the stress developed due to the rise in temperature is lesser than that of normal stresses.

The purpose of this study is to present a comprehensive review of the fundamental concepts and terminologies pertaining to different types of aluminium metal matrix composites, their joining techniques and challenges, friction stir welding (FSW) process, post-welding characterizations and basic control theory of FSW, followed by the discussions on the research reports in these areas.

Joining of aluminium metal matrix composites (Al-MMC) poses many challenges. These materials have their demanding applications in versatile domains, and hence it is essential to understand their weldability and material characteristics. FSW is a feasible choice for joining of Al-MMC over the fusion welding because of the formation of narrow heat affected zone and minimizing the formation of intermetallic compounds at weld interface. The goal in FSW is to generate enough thermal energy by friction between the workpiece and rotating tool. Heat energy is generated by mechanical interaction because of the difference in velocity between the workpiece and rotating tool. In the present work, a detailed survey is done on the above topics and an organised conceptual context is presented. A complete discussion on significance of FSW process parameters, control schemes, parameter optimization and weld quality monitoring are presented, along with the analysis on relation between the interdependent parameters.

Results from the study present the research gaps in the FSW studies for joining of the aluminium-based metal matrix composites, and they highlight further scope of studies pertaining to this domain.

It is observed that the survey done on FSW of Al-MMCs and their control theory give an insight into the fundamental concepts pertaining to this research area to enhance interdisciplinary technology exploration.