Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering is an autonomous engineering college affiliated to RTMNU (formerly, Nagpur University). It is located in town of Hingna in the district of Nagpur. The college was established in 1984 and is named after Yashwantrao Chavan, former first Chief Minister of Maharashtra State and the former Deputy Prime Minister of India; since then, it has been under the administration of Nagar Yuwak Shikshan Sanstha, a subsidiary of Meghe Group. It attained its autonomous status from the University Grants Commission (India) in 2010. The college offers engineering degrees at undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral level.
Composites derived from natural fibers are increasingly mandated for various applications due to escalating regulatory pressures and environmental considerations. Composites composed of natural fibers are increasingly favored due to their numerous advantageous mechanical properties, including low weight, high specific strength, and stiffness. They are ideal for efficient and eco-friendly Engineering applications because of their superior vibration-damping and thermal-insulation properties, along with minimal environmental effect. This study examines the characteristics of epoxy composites reinforced with pineapple leaf fiber and a hybrid of pineapple leaf fiber (PALF) and Kadamba bark fiber (KBF). Pineapple leaf and Kadamba bark fibers were employed in the hand layup technique, utilizing epoxy adhesive to fabricate the laminates. Alongside density measurement, water absorption testing, impact testing, and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) analysis, the produced samples underwent a series of static and dynamic tests. The hybrid composite of pineapple leaf fiber with Kadamba bark fiber demonstrates superior vibration control, impact resistance, and diminished moisture absorption, among other dynamic and static characteristics. The hybrid composite can withstand higher impact forces (3s.75 N) and absorb increased energy (11.19 J) owing to its density. A hybrid composite is better suitable for applications that are susceptible to impacts and sensitive to moisture because to these characteristics.
Concrete is the primary and most often utilized structural material in civil engineering. Prompt assessment of concrete strength is crucial for ensuring structural integrity and reducing construction delays, therefore preventing potential structural failures. This preliminary assessment guarantees concrete structures support loads throughout their operational lifespan and during construction. A major problem in the construction sector is the precise assessment of concrete strength and detection of possible damage without resorting to destructive testing. Traditional methods frequently necessitate labor processes and may be unfeasible for real-time monitoring. To address this challenge, IoT-based monitoring systems with Polyvinylidene Fluoride Film (PVDF) sensors offer an effective solution for damage detection and ongoing strength assessment at concrete structures. This research employed a polyvinylidene fluoride film sensor, utilizing surface-bonding method to affix sensor to cylindrical specimens. Trial phase lasted four weeks, incorporating assessments on 5th, 10th, and 15th days to detect any structural damage and evaluate required strength levels. This investigation confirmed that the findings achieved by PVDF-based wireless sensor were both dependable and practical. The correlation coefficient values are examined to confirm the relationship between data from IoT-based testing and compressive strength. All results are displayed graphically, demonstrating that this non-destructive method can precisely forecast concrete strength and detect structural problems. This work distinctly contributed by verifying the application of PVDF sensors for continuous, in-situ monitoring of concrete, offering an innovative method for early damage detection and assessing the structural integrity of the structure.
Evacuated tube collectors (ETCs) are advanced solar thermal systems designed to capture and retain solar energy for heating, offering reliable performance even in low-temperature environments. This study is motivated to improve the thermal performance and efficiency of evacuated tube solar collectors by developing a durable, high-absorptivity coating. Conventional coatings often suffer from heat loss and limited energy conversion. By introducing a hybrid Al2O3-MWCNT nano-enhanced coating, this study aims to enhance solar absorption, thermal conductivity, and overall energy utilization, contributing to more efficient and sustainable solar energy systems. The hybrid nano-enhanced coatings were applied using the spray pyrolysis technique at 300 degrees C, with two thickness variations: 1 mm and 2 mm. The results reveal that the 2 mm hybrid Al2O3/MWCNT coating significantly enhances ETC performance. The maximum fluid temperature reached 93.6 degrees C, with a heat absorption of 623.1 W. The heat transfer coefficient improved to 561.9 W/m2K, achieving a thermal efficiency of 82.7 %. Exergy efficiency increased to 20.7 %, indicating better energy utilization. The enviro-economic analysis demonstrated an energy output of 548.1 kWh, CO2 savings of 5.12 kWh/$, and an annual CO2 reduction cost of $64.71. These findings highlight the potential of hybrid nano-coatings in optimizing solar thermal systems for sustainable energy solutions.
The rapid usage of recycled aggregate concrete and nano-modified binders necessitates prediction frameworks that can handle tightly correlated mechanical, durability, and functional properties with limited experimental data samples. Traditional empirical formulations and single-output learning models cannot represent nonlinear, multiscale recycled aggregate, nano-admixture, curing history, and microstructure interactions. These limits limit material optimization reliability and prevent the design of durable and intelligent concrete systems for sustainable infrastructure sets. Next generation artificial intelligence frameworks using graph neural networks, capsule networks, neural ordinary differential equations, and neural architecture search predict nano-modified recycled aggregate concrete’s compressive, tensile, flexural, freeze–thaw, chloride penetration, and self-sensing electrical behavior. Microstructural interaction models and physical limitations ensure material believability across varied compositions and curing regimes. A quantitative analysis of over 100 experimental mix configurations indicates significant accuracy gains over multi-output baselines. EvoConcreteNet predicted flexural strength with a R² of 0.95, while GraphSenseNet achieved a coefficient of determination of 0.96 for compressive strength with mean absolute errors < 2.5 MPa. CapsuleRACNet achieved a R² above 0.97 for electrical resistance estimate, while ContinuousConcreteODE reduced freeze-thaw cycle prediction errors by over 40
Energy consumption for building cooling accounts for 30 % of the world's total energy consumption, and the effective utilization of cold condensate energy can help save up to 10 % of energy consumption in buildings. In this regard, utilizing phase change material (PCM)-filled cold thermal energy storage systems (TESS) has shown significant potential for enhancing building cooling efficiency. Considering the importance of PCM performance, we developed a novel organic coconut oil (CO)-PCM enhanced with coconut-shell-derived activated carbon (CAC) as a futuristic, sustainable option. We studied the freezing (charging) behavior of the CO-CAC composite in a spherical capsule under varying CAC weight percentages (1, 1.5, and 2 wt%) and surrounding coolant temperatures (0, 5, 10, and 15 degrees C). Thermo-physical property examinations revealed that adding 2 wt% CAC enhanced the liquid and frozen state thermal conductivity of CO-PCM by 9.4 % and 33.8 %, respectively. Further, viscosity results indicated the Newtonian behavior of CO-PCM irrespective of CAC wt% and an increase in dynamic viscosity by up to 13.5 %. In addition, the latent heat of freezing of CO-PCM increased by up to 4.2 % with 2 wt% CAC, while the latent heat of melting declined by 1.8 %. Charging studies in a capsule showed that adding 1.5 wt% CAC was an optimal choice, reducing supercooling, the freezing period and energy consumption by 1.5 degrees C, 31.8 %, and 17.7 % respectively. Moreover, the thermal cyclic stability of CO-PCM and CO-CAC PCM was analyzed, showing reductions of 2.7 % and 3.4 % in phase change enthalpy after 200 freeze-melt cycles. Finally, a novel empirical model was developed to estimate the complete charging time of the CO-PCM sample with mean absolute error of 5.6 %. The results of the present work support circular waste valorization and reduce reliance on synthetic PCMs.
