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The purpose of this paper is to present a simple and effective method to search the optimal turn-on and turn-off angles on-line for the control of the switched reluctance motor (SRM). The optimal turn-on and turn-off angles are defined as the ones that can meet torque production requirements with minimum copper loss.

The optimal turn-on and turn-off angles are first defined based on the analysis of the SRM losses and torque production principles. Then the algorithm for optimal angles searching is developed, and the searching parameters are determined through analytical computation. The optimal angles are approached on-line with iterative process. Simulation and experiments are finally performed to verify the proposed method.

The presented method can meet torque production requirements while copper loss is minimized. The optimal turn-on and turn-off angles are generally approached within five phase cycles for most of the SRM operation modes. Furthermore, the SRM drive system using the presented method exhibits good dynamics during starting and sudden load operations.

The presented method is simple, and implementation of it is easy. It is an eligible candidate for industrial applications where energy conversion efficiency is crucial.

The optimal turn-off angle definition that considers both torque production and copper loss minimization is proposed. The turn-on and turn-off angles are searched independently on-line with little SRM geometrical information. The searching steps are derived through analytical computation and qualitative analysis so that both the searching speed and algorithm convergence are balanced.

The purpose of this research is to ascertain the feasibility of fabricating polymer optical fibers (POFs) based textile structures by knitting with Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) based optical fibers for textile sensor application. It has long been established that by using the principles of physics, POFs have the capability to function as sensors, detecting strain, temperature and other variables. However, POF applications such as strain and pressure sensing using knitting techniques has since not been very successful due to a number of reasons. Commercially available PMMA-based optical fibers tend to be fragile and susceptible to breakages when subjected to stress during the knitting processes. Also light transmitted within these fibers is prone to leakage due to the curvature that results when optical fibers are interlaced or interlooped within fabric structures.

Using Stoll’s multi-gauge CMS 350 HP knitting machine, five fabric structures namely, 1 × 4 float knit structure, tunnel inlay knit structure, 3:1 fleece fabric and 2:1 fleece fabric structure respectively were used to knit sensor samples. The samples were subsequently tested for length of illumination and sensitivity relative to applied pressure.

The results of this preliminary study establish that embedding plastic optical fibers into a knitted structure during the fabric formation process for soft strain sensor application possible. The best illumination performance was recorded for tunnel inlay structure which had an average of 94 cm course length of POF being illuminated. Sensor sensitivity experiments also establish that the relative spectral intensity of the fiber is sensitive to both light and pressure. Problems encountered and recommendations for further research have also been discussed and proffered.

Due to resource limitations, an innovative technique (use of precision weight set) was used to apply pressure to the sensors. Consequently, information regarding the extent of corresponding sensor deformation has not been used in this initial analysis.

Because the fundamental step toward finding a solution to any engineering problem is the acquisition of reliable data, and considering the fact that most of the popular technologies used for soft textile sensors are still bedeviled with the problem of signal instability and noise, the success of this application thus has the tendency to promote the wide spread adoption of POF sensors for smart apparel applications.

As far as research on soft strain sensors is concerned, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to have attempted to knit deformable sensors using commercially available POFs.

The purpose of the study is to investigate and reveal this relationship of various engineering demand parameters (EDPs) of this structural type and intensity measures (IMs) under intra-plate earthquakes.

The nonlinear finite element model used was calibrated first to the existing results of the shaking table test to verify the modeling technique.

This paper investigated the relationship between intensity measures and various engineering demand parameters of cable-stayed bridges using intra-plate earthquakes. The correlation analysis and Pearson coefficient are used to study the correlation between EDPs and IMs. The results showed that peak ground velocity (PGV)/peak ground acceleration, peak ground displacement and root-mean-square of displacement showed weak correlation with IMs. PGV, sustained maximum velocity, a peak value of spectral velocity, A95 parameter, Housner intensity and spectral acceleration at the fundamental period, the spectral velocity at the fundamental period and spectral displacement at the fundamental period were determined to be better predictors for various EDPs.

This paper investigated the correlation between the intensity measures of intra-plate earthquakes with the seismic responses of a typical long-span cable-stayed bridge in China. The nonlinear finite element model used was calibrated to the existing results of the shaking table test to verify the modeling technique. In total, 104 selected ground motions were applied to the calibrated model, and the responses of various components of the bridge were obtained. This study proposed PGV as the optimal IM.

Despite the fact that agile manufacturing has been frequently promoted as a means of improving business competitiveness, little empirical evidence exists in the literature validating its positive link with business performance. The purpose of this research paper is to analyse agile manufacturing in Spain and study whether it is a critical factor for success in different industries.

A conceptual model is drawn up, based on the literature and a previous case study, to relate turbulence in the environment with agile manufacturing practices and business performance. The model is tested on a large sample of Spanish manufacturers using a survey methodology to obtain information and a structural equation model to analyse the data.

The results obtained show that, in turbulent environments, the integrated use of agile manufacturing practices promotes manufacturing competitive strength, leading to better operational, market and financial performance.

This study has two main limitations. First, it is difficult to determine the most suitable unit of analysis when studying agile manufacturing. Second, single respondent bias may be considered a limitation.

Managers should consider the integrated implementation of agile manufacturing practices in order to develop manufacturing strength and to outperform competitors in turbulent business environments.

This study adopts a systematic approach to the analysis of agile manufacturing, considering various agility practices or enablers in an integrated way and relating them not only to environmental characteristics but also to business performance. This approach is especially interesting because most of the literature on agile manufacturing deals with agility strategies or techniques in an isolated way. The study also tests the suitability of agile manufacturing in real organisations – for the first time in the Spanish context.

The purpose of this paper is to emphasize the adoption of computer aided design (CAD) technology for enabling the contemporary organizations to acquire agile characteristics.

A model called total agile design system (TADS) was designed. Subsequently, a survey was conducted among 25 industry captains. By referring to their reactions, a roadmap for successfully implementing TADS has been evolved.

The results of literature survey indicated that both research and practicing communities are yet to exploit CAD and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) technologies effectively for acquiring agile characteristics in organizations. The survey conducted among the industry captains indicated that the TADS model would bridge CAD/CAM and AM concepts in organizations.

The findings of this research were based on the survey conducted among industry captains of organizations situated only in Coimbatore city of India. Yet these findings would be applicable to the organizations situated in majority of the other parts of the world as the environment prevailing in these organizations is mimicking the scenario of all contemporary organizations.

This research culminated in the development of a roadmap. This roadmap considers the practicality of implementing TADS in contemporary organizations. The contemporary organizations, which apply TADS using this roadmap, would imbibe world class manufacturing dimensions.

The literature on AM has so far seen no survey examining the application propensity of automation technologies like CAD/CAM. This paper has overcome this research lacuna.

This paper's aim is to examine the application feasibility of Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technologies for achieving agility in a typical manufacturing organization.

A literature study was conducted. It was found out that CAD/CAM technology is not fully utilised for achieving agility in certain traditional manufacturing sectors. An implementation study was conducted in an electronics switches manufacturing company to identify the causes of this insufficient utilisation. Finally, a feedback session was conducted to explore the practitioners' views of this research.

The outcome of this research indicated the feasibility of adopting CAD/CAM as a technology for infusing agility in contemporary manufacturing organisations.

This research was conducted in only one electronics switches manufacturing company situated in India. This may lead to the impression that the findings from this research may not represent all manufacturing companies. However, the environment prevailing in the above company is similar to that prevailing in any other contemporary manufacturing organizations. Hence, the outcome of the research could represent other manufacturing organisations situated throughout the world.

The research reported in this paper has shown the way of adopting CAD/CAM as a technology for achieving agility and examined the hindrances that have to be overcome in future to integrate CAD/CAM in practical scenario.

Significant researches have been pursued in agile manufacturing and CAD/CAM fields. However, no researcher has attempted to examine the practicality of adopting CAD/CAM as a technology for infusing agility in practical scenario. Hence, this work is original and valuable.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adoption of rapid prototyping (RP) technology using three dimensional (3D) printer for infusing agility in traditional manufacturing environment.

The computer aided design (CAD) model of a knob of an electronics switch is developed using Pro/E software. Keeping this model as a reference, CAD models of new six knobs are developed. A 3D printer is used to build the prototypes of five of those CAD models. The receptivity of the practitioners over adopting CAD models and 3D printer for achieving agility is investigated.

The sensitisation of the industry captains and employees of traditional manufacturing sector is the imperative for exploiting the power of 3D printer and achieving mass customisation.

The paper reports an original research in which the practicality of using 3D printer is investigated with the objective of enabling the traditional manufacturing companies to imbibe agile characteristics.

This empirical study aims to explore the link between lean manufacturing practices (total quality management, just-in-time production, just-in-time purchasing, total productive/preventive maintenance), agile manufacturing, and operational and financial performance.

Data were collected from 205 Tunisian manufacturing firms, and the results were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The results indicate that (1) lean manufacturing practices have a direct positive relationship with agile manufacturing except for just-in-time production, (2) agile manufacturing has a positive impact on operational performance and (3) lean manufacturing practices did not seem to contribute directly to operational performance. However, this relationship is significant when it is mediated through agile manufacturing.

This paper shows practitioners the importance of lean manufacturing practices to support agile manufacturing and the key role of agile manufacturing to ensure operational performance.

This paper presents an innovative approach since it studies simultaneously the three dimensions of lean manufacturing and their relationship with agile manufacturing and organizational performance.

Peer‐to‐peer (P2P) communities have the capability to construct a powerful virtual supercomputer by assembling idle internet cycles. The purpose of this paper is to present the scheduling issues in an unstructured P2P‐based high performance computing (HPC) system to achieve high performance for applications.

A new application model is proposed for the system, where applications are parallelized in the program level. To address high performance for these applications, the system resources are controlled in a semi‐centralized 3‐layer network, where volunteers form many autonomous unstructured P2P domains. Furthermore, based on such a resource management policy, a job scheduling strategy is adopted, which is collaborated by global and domain scheduling. The global scheduling is responsible for the balance among domains, while the domain scheduling resolve workpiles' execution in a domain.

Theoretical analysis and a benchmark experiment show that the scheduling provides scalable and enormous computing capability in the P2P‐based HPC system.

The paper shows that scheduling helps P2HP (an unstructured P2P‐based HPC system) provide scalable and enormous computing capability for HPC applications.

To review on the literature and contribute a comprehensive model that would identify the criteria for attaining agility and suggest a procedure to successfully implement it in manufacturing arena.

The literature dealing with agile manufacturing (AM) criteria were studied. The meaning and definitions of AM were derived. Further, the criteria enunciated in certain papers were identified. These findings were used to design a 20 criteria agile model. Subsequently, its implementation procedure was designed.

While reviewing the literature, the following observations were made: time and again, some researchers brought out certain criteria of AM; these criteria do not comprehensively focus towards attaining agility; the researchers who have contributed these criteria have failed to evolve an implementation procedure.

Contributions of this paper are based on reviewing the literature. Since, no survey in manufacturing arena has been carried out, the 20 criteria agile model and its implementation procedure may suffer from incompatibility problems in manufacturing arena. However, these contributions provide an avenue fro further researching in this direction

The customers' dynamic demands and the ever increasing intensity of global competition force the practitioners to adopt agile principles. The 20 criteria agile model and its implications procedure would enable the organizations to focus towards attaining agility. This process will prevent the derailment of AM journey and the wastage of time and money spent while moving towards agility

The study of literature on AM reveals that no researcher has enunciated the exhaustive integration of management and technology‐oriented AM criteria and their implementation feasibilities. Hence, the contribution of this paper is original in the literature world.