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Article
Publication date: 29 June 2018

Zeqi Jiang, Jianhua Fang, Fei Chen, Boshui Chen and Kecheng Gu

This paper aims at understanding tribological properties of lubricating oils doped with zinc dithiophosphate(ZDDP) with and without electromagnetic field impact.

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims at understanding tribological properties of lubricating oils doped with zinc dithiophosphate(ZDDP) with and without electromagnetic field impact.

Design/methodology/approach

The friction and wear properties of the oils formulated with zinc butyloctyl dithiophosphate (T202) or zinc dioctyl dithiophosphate (T203) under electromagnetic field or nonelectromagnetic field were evaluated on a modified four-ball tribotester. The characteristics of the worn surfaces obtained from electromagnetic or nonelectromagnetic field conditions were analyzed by scanning electronic microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometer and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. This paper focuses on understanding influence of electromagnetic field on lubrication effect of the ZDDP-formulated oils.

Findings

The electromagnetic field could effectively facilitate anti-wear and friction-reducing properties of the oils doped with T202 or T203 as compared to those without electromagnetism affection, and the T203-doped oils were more susceptible to the electromagnetic field. The improvement of anti-wear and friction-reducing abilities of the tested oils were mainly attributed to the promoted tribochemical reactions and the modification of the worn surfaces (forming Zn-Fe solid solution) induced by the electromagnetic field.

Originality/value

This paper has revealed that tribological performances of ZDDP-doped oils could be improved by the electromagnetic field and discussed its lubrication mechanisms. Investigating tribological properties of additives from the viewpoint of electromagnetics is a new attempt, which has significance not only for the choose and designing of additives in electromagnetic condition but also for development of tribological theories and practices.

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Article
Publication date: 3 May 2016

Wei Liu

This paper aims to explore the changing pedagogic discourses in China today, using the current wave of English curriculum innovation as a focused case. Given the cross-cultural…

1381

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore the changing pedagogic discourses in China today, using the current wave of English curriculum innovation as a focused case. Given the cross-cultural nature of foreign language education, the change in the English as a foreign language curriculum in China has served as a fertile ground for different pedagogical ideas to emerge and to cross. The new English curriculum in China has endorsed a more communicative and humanistic view of language teaching, encouraging teachers to adopt a task-based approach to organize their classroom teaching. The new English curriculum has aroused a heated debate among Chinese scholars on the suitability of such a Western curriculum idea in the Chinese educational context on the basis of its relation to the Confucian tradition of education, the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context of China and the danger of post-colonialist imposition.

Design/methodology/approach

A critique is conducted on the three areas of controversies by situating the debate in the larger context of the cross-cultural understanding of the Chinese pedagogic discourse in the process of globalization and internationalization.

Findings

It is important for China to resist the homogenizing effect of globalization and internationalization in the area of curriculum development; however, being defensive and protective of one’s own and dismissive of others has not been and should not be the attitude of Chinese curriculum reform. The evolution of Chinese pedagogy is not only a result of Western influence but also a result of social change in the process of industrialization (Cheng, 2011). Global trends and national traditions should not be taken as extremes in an incompatible and irreconcilable dichotomy.

Originality/value

The three areas of debates on the new English curriculum can serve as a good lens into the evolving curriculum discourses in China. They reflect the cultural–historical, contextual and critical considerations among Chinese educational scholars in the national curriculum innovation efforts.

Details

English Teaching: Practice & Critique, vol. 15 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1175-8708

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Article
Publication date: 5 March 2018

Adeline Zhu Teng Tan, Atiq Zaman and Monty Sutrisna

The purpose of this study is to investigate ways of transferring knowledge and information during the life-cycle phases of construction projects, particularly between the…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate ways of transferring knowledge and information during the life-cycle phases of construction projects, particularly between the construction and occupancy phases, and to find an approach to minimise knowledge and information gaps during the handover process.

Design/methodology/approach

The study applied a qualitative approach involving a literature review and an archival analysis of information flow in the studied cases of a construction project, followed by a cross-cases analysis and expert interviews. Data on information flow were collected from three cases of building construction projects in Perth, Western Australia. In addition, a total of 18 local facilities management experts were interviewed to identify the key reasons of knowledge and information gaps and to propose an effective knowledge flow model.

Findings

The findings of this study indicated a significant knowledge and information gap, which exists during the handover process in construction projects in Western Australia. The findings of case analysis and expert interviews identified that the project handover guidelines were often ignored in construction projects in Western Australia, and the handover phase was not given the same priority as the design and construction phases by most of the project stakeholders, which led to information and knowledge gaps between the project construction and post-occupancy phases. The study conducted, integrated knowledge and information flow modelling to analyse the knowledge and information gaps followed by mapping the gaps against existing knowledge sharing frameworks (KSFs) before proposing an integrated knowledge sharing conceptual model to improve current practice and to enhance the information flow during the various phases of the construction project life cycle.

Research limitations/implications

The study is based on three cases in Perth, Western Australia, and thus the findings and recommendations are contextual. Whilst laying a good foundation to do so, further research is needed to investigate more cases in Western Australia and beyond to fully generalise the findings from this study.

Originality/value

The study contributes to improve the handover process and information flows in project life-cycle phases in Western Australia and develop an information flow model followed by bringing together existing KSFs, namely, the open communication channel (OCC), soft landing framework (SLF) and building information modelling (BIM), to propose an integrated knowledge sharing conceptual model. The methodology used here to analyse the information flow in a diagrammatic manner, the mapping of FM issues against the KSFs’ capabilities and a conceptual model to facilitate change in the industry’s silo mindset are the main contributions of this paper.

Details

Facilities, vol. 36 no. 3/4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

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