Matt Schmitt, Raj Mattias Mehta and Il Yong Kim
Lightweighting of components in the automotive industry is a prevailing trend influenced by both consumer demand and government regulations. As the viability of additively…
Abstract
Purpose
Lightweighting of components in the automotive industry is a prevailing trend influenced by both consumer demand and government regulations. As the viability of additively manufactured designs continues to increase, traditionally manufactured components are continually being replaced with 3D-printed parts. The purpose of this paper is to present experimental results and design considerations for 3D-printed acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) components with non-solid infill sections, addressing a large gap in the literature. Information published in this paper will guide engineers when designing fused deposition modeling (FDM) ABS parts with infill regions.
Design/methodology/approach
Uniaxial tensile tests and three-point bend tests were performed on 12 different build configurations of 20 samples. FDM with ABS was used as the manufacturing method for the samples. Failure strength and elastic modulus were normalized on print time and specimen mass to quantify variance between configurations. Optimal infill configurations were selected and used in two automotive case study examples.
Findings
Results obtained from the uniaxial tensile tests and three-point bend tests distinctly showed that component strength is highly influenced by the infill choice selected. Normalized results indicate that solid, double dense and triangular infill, all with eight contour layers, are optimal configurations for component regions experiencing high stress, moderate stress and low stress, respectively. Implementation of the optimal infill configurations in automotive examples yielded equivalent failure strength without normalization and significantly improved failure strength on a print time and mass normalized index.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to experimentally determine and quantify optimal infill configurations for FDM ABS printed parts. Published data in this paper are also of value to engineers requiring quantitative material properties for common infill configurations.
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In furthering numerical optimization techniques for the light-weighting of components, it is paramount to produce algorithms that closely mimic the physical behavior of the…
Abstract
Purpose
In furthering numerical optimization techniques for the light-weighting of components, it is paramount to produce algorithms that closely mimic the physical behavior of the specific manufacturing method under which they are created. The continual development in topology optimization (TO) has reduced the difference in the optimized geometry from what can be physically realized. As the reinterpretation stage inevitably deviates from the optimal geometry, each progression in the optimization code that renders the final solution more realistic is beneficial. Despite the efficacy of material extrusion (MEx) in producing complex geometries, select manufacturing constraints are still required. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to develop a TO code which demonstrates the incorporation of MEx specific manufacturing constraints into a numerical optimization algorithm.
Design/methodology/approach
A support index is derived for each element of the finite element mesh that is used to penalize elements, which are insufficiently supported, discouraging their existence. The support index captures the self-supporting angle and maximum allowable bridging distance for a given MEx component. The incorporation of the support index into a TO code is used to demonstrate the efficacy of the method on multiple academic examples.
Findings
The case studies presented demonstrate the methodology is successful in generating a resulting topology that is self-supporting given the manufacturing parameters specified in the code. Comparative to a general TO problem formulation, the optimal material distribution results in a minimally penalized design on a compliance normalization metric while fully adhering to the MEx specific parameters. The methodology, thus, proves useful in generating an infill geometry is fully enclosed regions, where support material extraction is not a possibility.
Originality/value
The work presented is the first paper to produce a novel methodology that incorporates the manufacturing-specific constraint of bridging distance for MEx into TO code. The results generated allow for the creation of printed components with hollow inclusions that do not require any additional support material beyond the intended structure. Given the advancement, the numerical optimization technique has progressed to a more realistic representation of the physical manufacturing method.
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Lidia Tiggemann Prando, Jeovani Schmitt, Anny Key de Souza Mendonça, Fabrícia S. Rosa, Rogério João Lunkes, Antonio Cezar Bornia and Dalton Francisco de Andrade
This study aims to develop a scale using item response theory (IRT) to assess the entrepreneurial potential for digital transformation in Brazilian companies.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a scale using item response theory (IRT) to assess the entrepreneurial potential for digital transformation in Brazilian companies.
Design/methodology/approach
IRT was used to develop a scale for entrepreneurial potential in digital transformation. This scale was constructed from a questionnaire, covering the domains: (1) data-driven culture, (2) openness to knowledge and adaptation to change, (3) connectivity and (4) creativity and innovation. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 216 entrepreneurs from small business enterprise (SBE) and startups in Brazil.
Findings
A questionnaire was developed and validated to assess the latent trait of entrepreneurial potential within the context of digital transformation. Additionally, a three-level scale of entrepreneurial potential was established: low (level I), intermediate (level II) and high (level III). The interpretation of this scale provides valuable information on which domains, such as data-driven culture, innovation, among others, can be enhanced to improve the potential of entrepreneur for digital transformation.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was limited to small Brazilian companies and startups, which may restrict the applicability of the results to other business or geographic contexts. Additionally, the items evaluated in the scale may not fully capture all nuances of entrepreneurial potential for digital transformation. Future research should consider including new items that cover a broader range of entrepreneurial characteristics.
Practical implications
The findings of this study have significant practical implications for the Brazilian entrepreneurial ecosystem, the entrepreneurs themselves, public policy makers and entrepreneurship support institutions. These results can guide digital transformation strategies, adjustments in public policies and investments, thereby promoting economic development and innovation in the country.
Originality/value
This study stands out for using IRT as a robust methodology to develop an interpretative scale to assess entrepreneurial potential in the digital transformation era. By focusing on Brazilian SBEs and startups, the study offers an original contribution on how these companies are handling the challenges of digitalization and identifying areas for improvement to further promote digital transformation among entrepreneurs.
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Purpose: Being the victim of sexual violence can lead to long-term health consequences. In response, rape crisis centers provide support to survivors of sexual violence including…
Abstract
Purpose: Being the victim of sexual violence can lead to long-term health consequences. In response, rape crisis centers provide support to survivors of sexual violence including medical and mental health treatment or referrals to treatment. A history of exclusion and provision of service by cisgenderist binary categories limit the ability of rape crisis centers to serve transgender survivors of sexual violence. Can gender be a way to provide safe, inclusive healthcare or is it necessarily a way to enact gender oppression? How can rape crisis centers and other healthcare organizations become more inclusive of transgender people?
Methods: In addition to fieldwork at a rape crisis center that had a trans inclusion project, interviews were conducted with staff and volunteers at the rape crisis center.
Findings: I found that gender-based service provision is problematic, especially when based on an understanding of gender conflated with sex category. Even organizations aiming to challenge gender oppression can reproduce it.
Practical Implications: Options for health organizations to become more trans inclusive are presented.
Originality: Research on the transgender experience, particularly at rape crisis centers and other healthcare organizations that provide gender-segregated service, is limited That literature often presents those organizing women-only space as monolithic and struggles around the inclusion of trans people oversimplified. My research illuminates how gender inequality is reproduced in an organization aimed at challenging that inequality. My research shows the logics of those engaged within an organization reproducing oppression despite individuals' desires to challenge oppression.
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Juntae Jake Son, Suk-Kyung Kim and M.G. Matt Syal
The purpose of this study is to examine the energy savings in the indoor environment, using strategies that adopt the characteristics of nature, called biomimetic solutions. This…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the energy savings in the indoor environment, using strategies that adopt the characteristics of nature, called biomimetic solutions. This research designed a biomimetic window system to bring daylight into interior spaces in educational buildings where daylight cannot be reached. Specifically, this study assessed how the daylight that was achieved via a biomimetic window system would affect energy savings using an energy simulation method.
Design/methodology/approach
This study explored how biomimetic methods would affect the building environment and which biomimetic method would involve the building's energy saving with daylight. The research intended to develop a novel biomimetic window system that can bring daylight to the basement floor of an existing building on a university campus to find out how much the biomimetic window system would affect the energy savings of the building. Referring to the existing building's layout and structure, energy simulation models were developed, and the energy consumptions were estimated.
Findings
Simulation models proved that the biomimetic window system has sufficient performance to bring more daylight to the basement floor of the building. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the use of the biomimetic window system for the building could reduce energy usage compared to the actual energy usage of the current building without biomimetic windows.
Research limitations/implications
First, this study was adopted as a computer-designed simulation method instead of using a real-world system. Although this study designed the biomimetic window system based on previous studies, it should be considered the possibility of other problems when the system is actually built in. Second, it is necessary to predict how much an initial budget is required when the system is built. It means that this study did not calculate the lifecycle cost of the biomimetic window system. It will also be necessary to compare energy consumption to the required initial budget. Lastly, this study was simulated based on weather data in cold regions, and it did not compare/analyze different climate regions. Different results may be predicted if the biomimetic window system is built in different climatic regions.
Originality/value
This research showed new practical ways to capture and transmit solar heat and light using a biomimetic solution. Furthermore, using the proposed novel biomimetic window system, the amount of energy reduction can be calculated, and this method could be applied in the interior non-window spaces of academic and related types of buildings.
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Matthew Antos and Thomas H. Bruening
The purpose of this paper was to undertake a comprehensive review of Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. Included was a brief discussion on the additions that have been…
Abstract
The purpose of this paper was to undertake a comprehensive review of Kirkpatrick’s four-level evaluation model. Included was a brief discussion on the additions that have been suggested by critics attempting to make it more responsive to training practitioners’ needs as well as researchers’ inquiries. Also included is a contrast of Kirkpatrick’s model with the expanded model offered by Holton (1996) and a discussion of several key areas of agreement with his model as well as areas of concerns with Holton’s criticism of Kirkpatrick’s four-level model. This article also discussed the relationship of two key factors, not widely examined in the transfer of training literature that could impact the transfer of training to the workplace, namely trainee attributes and the supervisory role in training transfer as affected specifically by a manager’s degree of transformational leadership. A model depicting the balance between these two factors on training transfer was presented in an attempt to assist training professionals seeking to further understand the effects of this interaction on training transfer. Several recommendations were suggested to help training practitioners. Finally several recommendations were given for future studies.
Kemi Salawu Anazodo, Rose Ricciardelli and Christopher Chan
The purpose of this paper is to explore the social stigmatization of the formerly incarcerated identity and how this affects employment post-release. The authors consider the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the social stigmatization of the formerly incarcerated identity and how this affects employment post-release. The authors consider the characteristics of this identity and the identity management strategies that individuals draw from as they navigate employment.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 men at various stages of release from federal institutions in Canada. Participants were actively searching for employment, intending to or would consider searching for employment, or had searched for employment in the past post-incarceration. Participant data were simultaneously collected, coded and analyzed using an inductive approach (Gioia et al., 2012).
Findings
Formerly incarcerated individuals have a unique awareness of the social stigmatization associated with their criminal record and incarceration history. They are tasked with an intentional choice to disclose or conceal that identity throughout the employment process. Six identity management strategies emerged from their accounts: conditional disclosure, deflection, identity substitution, defying expectations, withdrawal and avoidance strategies. More specifically, distinct implications of criminal record and incarceration history on disclosure decisions were evident. Based on participants’ accounts of their reintegration experiences, four aspects that may inform disclosure decisions include: opportune timing, interpersonal dynamics, criminal history and work ethic.
Originality/value
The authors explore the formerly incarcerated identity as a socially stigmatized identity and consider how individuals manage this identity within the employment context. The authors identify incarceration history and criminal record as having distinct impacts on experiences of stigma and identity management strategic choice, thus representing the experience of a “double stigma”.