No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Many production machines are used in which flexible material is processed. In these machines, cyclic tension variations can be induced in the material by interaction with the machine components. At resonance, these variations can be large and may result in breakage or distortion of the material. It is important to determine these resonant frequencies, and their dependence on the machine parameters, to help avoid these problems at the machine design stage. A mathematical model of such machines has been developed. Materials with linear elastic and linear visco-elastic tensile properties have been considered. The effects of friction between material and guide rollers have been included. A numerical method has been used to solve the resulting differential equations. This method gives accurate results even when adhesion between the material and some machine components is lost. By assuming the tension perturbations proportionately small, an approximate linear model was derived. It was found to give resonant frequencies close to those predicted by the non-linear model, but gave less accurate estimates of the amplitudes at resonance. For the linear model orthogonality relations for the eigenvectors were derived. Using these relations expressions were obtained which are first order approximations to the amplitudes of oscillation at resonance. The amplitudes are related to the angles of wrap round the rollers and, in the visco-elastic case, to the loss factor of the material. In addition, the expressions determine how the amplitudes are related to the position of the corresponding span in the system. Expressions were also found using perturbation theory. They give the local variation of the resonant frequencies with respect to the span lengths and moments of inertia of components of the system. These relations are used to carry out an analysis of certain types of system. Experimental work has been carried out, using a closed loop of material, to test the predictions of the mathematical model. A variety of materials was used with several different systems of rollers. In general, the results show that the resonant frequencies detected corresponded closely with those predicted, but the amplitudes tended to be over-estimated. Finally a programme of work was carried out on a production machine, and the results compared with model predictions.

This thesis analyses the temporal logic that informs the shift from Fordism to post-Fordism, a highly influential narrative for understanding how developments in technology affect the body in western nation-states from the late nineteenth century to the present. The thesis reads this shift as a history of touch and bodily mobility. First, I study the techniques of factory management known as Taylorism, which provided the basis for the Fordist socioeconomic system. Taylorized Fordism, I show, made working bodies touch technological objects in order to time, represent, and control bodily movements. However, I argue that Taylorized Fordist techniques organize bodies into a space of tactility, which is not the same as invoking Fordism as a predictable system of domination. Second, I discuss socio-historical accounts that outline the reasons for Fordism's eventual failure and replacement, all of which emphasize bodily flexibility as the quality that determines a post-Fordist time. I consider the fate of Taylorism in Fordism's ostensible demise, by explicating the subtlety with which Taylorism is superseded by the more flexible practice of ergonomics. Third, I conduct a philosophical analysis of what it means for bodies to be affected by post-Fordist changes in technological objects, most prominently the transition towards digital media. I refute the notion of a post-Fordist digital age, by arguing that Taylorized Fordism can be interpreted as a model of digital bodily function that persists uncomfortably in the present. The thesis concludes by arguing for the significance of touching tactile technological objects—and tactile technological bodies making contact with one another—in ways that produce stasis, rigidity, and hardness—Fordist qualities that are unfairly subordinated in a post-Fordist temporal frame. I call these relations 'queer Fordism', whereby a technological body's activity is not contemporaneous with a presumed Fordist-to-post-Fordist continuum.

This research is aimed at improving low-grade industrial ovens (less than 250°C) in the manufacturing industry. Industrial ovens have a significant bearing on the environmental and economic impacts of a manufacturing factory due to their excessive fossil fuel consumption and influence on product quality. Therefore, this thesis’ research question is: 'How can manufacturers improve the environmental and economic performance of industrial ovens?' Research on industrial oven improvement is under-developed and there are significant improvement opportunities within many industrial-heating processes. Manufacturers traditionally prioritise economic assessment when evaluating capital investment projects and it is important that systematic engineering of industrial ovens align energy saving and process enhancement with key business interests. Furthermore, there is a need to incorporate stakeholder perspectives when improving oven processes. This thesis consists of three bodies of research, which all develop ways to improve the environmental and economic performance of industrial ovens: 1) Energy saving through process optimisation, 2) Process enhancement considering both energy consumption and product quality, 3) Developing sustainable industrial ovens. The key research outputs from this thesis are shown below: • There are two options to reduce energy consumption; to optimise the process by changing parameters, or to innovate the process by changing the way the heat is supplied to an oven. • System airflow can often be reduced by up to 30%. This was demonstrated at two factories and three oven systems, and has reduced gas energy consumption by 4,536,000 kWh and cut carbon emissions by 836 tCO2e per year. This has delivered a combined annual cost saving of £121,000. • Installing sufficient control capability enables heating processes to be optimised throughout their life, to meet changing requirements. • A novel approach of polymer cure characterisation has been developed that combines DMTA and a free phenol/CIE-Lch test. This demonstrated that temperature variation within a festoon oven results in dramatically different cure conversion (complete conversion time ranges from 73 to 40 minutes depending on location) and product quality. • A novel multi-criteria analysis method incorporating sustainability indicators from stakeholder’s perspectives has been developed for oven optimisation. • Retrofitting gas-fuelled processes with biomass technology is not economically viable. Alternative schemes that negate capital cost from the business would significantly enhance biomass viability. • Biomass technology is more viable in newly-built processes than retrofit scenarios. • EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) is an effective tool to encourage uptake of biomass heating technology in the manufacturing industry. This study demonstrates that there is opportunity to improve low-grade heating processes in the manufacturing industry. The environmental and economic performance of industrial ovens can, and should, be improved to help the manufacturing industry move towards a more sustainable future.

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The concept of manufacturing and the need or desire to create artefacts or products is very, very old, yet it is still an essential component of all modern economies. Indeed, manufacturing is one of the few ways that wealth is created. The creation or identification of good quality, sustainable product designs is fundamental to the success of any manufacturing enterprise. Increasingly, there is also a requirement for the manufacturing system which will be used to manufacture the product, to be designed (or redesigned) in parallel with the product design. Many different types of manufacturing knowledge and information will contribute to these designs. A key question therefore for manufacturing companies to address is how to make the very best use of their existing, valuable, knowledge resources. The research reported in this thesis examines ways of reusing existing manufacturing knowledge of many types, particularly in the area of manufacturing systems design. The successes and failures of reported reuse programmes are examined, and lessons learnt from their experiences. This research is therefore focused on identifying solutions that address both technical and non-technical requirements simultaneously, to determine ways to facilitate and increase the reuse of manufacturing knowledge in manufacturing system design.