Introduction The development of the pre‐stressed concrete form of construction for pressure vessels has made rapid strides in recent years. Vessels of this type possess obvious…
Abstract
Introduction The development of the pre‐stressed concrete form of construction for pressure vessels has made rapid strides in recent years. Vessels of this type possess obvious advantages for nuclear power stations, and those currently under construction in this country employ such vessels for the reactor containment. During the construction of one station — for which this Company was appointed Inspecting Authority — an unusual corrosion problem arose which may well be pertinent to other pre‐stressed concrete structures. The post‐tensioning method of pre‐stressing using tendons stretched through the concrete and anchored at the outer face of the vessel was employed. About nine months after installation of the tendons in the bottom caps of the two vessels, it was discovered that serious corrosion had occurred. The C.E.G.B. subsequently set up a Working Party on which all interested bodies were represented, in order to look into the causes and recommend preventative measures. Extensive investigations were made both on site and in the laboratory. The following briefly summarises the case and the investigations carried out.
Luis Emmi, Leonel Paredes‐Madrid, Angela Ribeiro, Gonzalo Pajares and Pablo Gonzalez‐de‐Santos
The purpose of this paper is to propose going one step further in the simulation tools related to agriculture by integrating fleets of mobile robots for the execution of precision…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose going one step further in the simulation tools related to agriculture by integrating fleets of mobile robots for the execution of precision agriculture techniques. The proposed new simulation environment allows the user to define different mobiles robots and agricultural implements.
Design/methodology/approach
With this computational tool, the crop field, the fleet of robots and the different sensors and actuators that are incorporated into each robot can be configured by means of two interfaces: a configuration interface and a graphical interface, which interact with each other.
Findings
The system presented in this article unifies two very different areas – robotics and agriculture – to study and evaluate the implementation of precision agriculture techniques in a 3D virtual world. The simulation environment allows the users to represent realistic characteristics from a defined location and to model different variabilities that may affect the task performance accuracy of the fleet of robots.
Originality/value
This simulation environment, the first in incorporating fleets of heterogeneous mobile robots, provides realistic 3D simulations and videos, which grant a good representation and a better understanding of the robot labor in agricultural activities for researchers and engineers from different areas, who could be involved in the design and application of precision agriculture techniques. The environment is available at the internet, which is an added value for its expansion in the agriculture/robotics family.
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The discussion on quality of working life begins with job design. This is clearly a field where engineers must be involved: to design the workplace according to the best ergonomic…
Abstract
The discussion on quality of working life begins with job design. This is clearly a field where engineers must be involved: to design the workplace according to the best ergonomic principles and keep the technical options open to facilitate the humanisation of work. Ergonomics and social science are essential in training professional engineers to enable them to contribute to the quality of working life.
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The Science and Engineering Research Council is pressing on with funding of university research projects associated with industry. Dr Peter Smith of the ACME Directorate talked to…
Voice as the communications device for computer—human interaction is not a new concept, having been a favorite of the SF writers for many years. It is the most immediate and…
Abstract
Voice as the communications device for computer—human interaction is not a new concept, having been a favorite of the SF writers for many years. It is the most immediate and natural means of communication, and is in use today as voice response or voice recognition systems for human—computer interfaces in business, industry and medicine. This article examines the potential for their use within the library environment, as an additional tool for computer input or output.
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Personnel Review is split into 8 sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Career/Manpower Planning and Recruitment; Health…
Abstract
This special “Anbar Abstracts” issue of Personnel Review is split into 8 sections covering abstracts under the following headings: Career/Manpower Planning and Recruitment; Health and Safety; Industrial Relations and Participation; Pay, Incentives and Pensions; Performance, Productivity and Motivation; Redundancy and Dismissal; Work Patterns; and Training and Development.
THE VALUE OF ABSTRACTS AND THEIR USE ‐ Being in possession of the “right” information is vital in maintaining competitiveness in the modern business age. There is a mass of…
Abstract
THE VALUE OF ABSTRACTS AND THEIR USE ‐ Being in possession of the “right” information is vital in maintaining competitiveness in the modern business age. There is a mass of information “out there” in the environment, so coping with it, managing it effectively, and selecting from it that which is useful, would appear to be the key to success.
There has been a considerable growth of interest in climbing and walking robots since the first international conference in Brussels last year. The two‐day event at Portsmouth…
Abstract
There has been a considerable growth of interest in climbing and walking robots since the first international conference in Brussels last year. The two‐day event at Portsmouth University attracted speakers from 20 countries, a number of whom were able to report on machines that have been built and successfully tested, and in some cases are under evaluation in industry. Supporting these from the end of academic research were papers dealing with simulation, control, locomotion, teleoperation, navigation, sensing and other aspects. Much of the work is being funded by the European Commission under the Brite‐Euram programme. The conference was preceded by a workshop day and included a small industrial exhibition.
Examines the implications for the economics of the firm of thedevelopment of total quality control and just‐in‐time management whichare becoming increasingly important for…
Abstract
Examines the implications for the economics of the firm of the development of total quality control and just‐in‐time management which are becoming increasingly important for intrafirm resource allocation. Shows the Alchian and Demsetz and transaction cost perspectives on the firm and work organization to be theories of a particular management style rather than a general economics of the firm. Develops an alternative and more general framework on the basis of the firm as a strategic framework, defined in terms of the knowledge base of an organization, rather than a single strategic orientation. This framework constrains and directs organizationally lower level proactive activity. Emphasis is placed on the importance of participative management, in core firms, and an economic rather than legal definition of the firm.
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The UK Sensor Group was launched on 5 July after a meeting which reviewed German initiatives and European opportunities.