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Effect of corrosion pit on fatigue damage and failure in powder bed fusion AlSi10Mg
No full textThis paper is concerned with environmental corrosion during service of load-bearing aluminum alloys fabricated by additive manufacturing (AM) with a focus on damage evolution characterisation and identification of dominated failure mechanisms of pre-corroded selective laser melted aluminum alloy. An experimental strategy for analysis of the damage and failure process is presented, combining 3D surface measurement, 3D digital image correlation and scanning electron microscopy, to provide multi-source experimental characterization of corrosion morphology, strain field evolution and fracture morphology. Statistics and machine learning methods were employed to process the measured multi-source experimental data, showing that local average roughness has a strong influence on macro-crack initiation position. The analysis focuses on four primary types of fatigue micro-crack initiation, namely internal defects, corrosion platform, corrosion micro-pit and corrosion jut-in; internal defects and corrosion platform are unique features for powder bed fusion (PBF) AlSi10Mg. The micro-crack initiation mechanisms for all four types are (i) local stress concentrations due to adjacent material micro-structural defects, (ii) interaction of underlying alloy microstructure and corrosion-induced stress/strain, and (iii) local stress/strain concentration at corrosion micro-pit and jut-in, respectively.For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. This research was supported by the National Natural Science
Foundation of China (NSFC, Grant Nos. 12372188 and 11972364), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRFCU, Grant No. 3122022102). SBL is funded by Science Foundation Ireland under grant
numbers SFI 22/FFP-A/10299 and SFI 21/RC/10295_P2
CFD analysis of hydrodynamic loadings on tidal turbines under wave conditions
No full textWith greater reliance on renewable energy, tidal energy has attracted increasing attention due to its enormous potential and advantage in terms of predictability. In the nearly 20-year design life, tidal turbines must be capable of contending with the harsh submarine conditions, however, many existing studies revealed that during operation, the tidal turbine experiences frequent and large-scale fluctuations of cyclic loads of tides and waves especially when effected by surface waves, which may lead to blade fatigue damage. Therefore, in this paper, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis of the performance of tidal turbines and the fatigue loading evaluation under wave conditions have been conducted. In the work, the inlet velocity profile method is adopted to produce waves and a stationary scaled tidal turbine numerical model has been simulated to study the fluctuation of the hydrodynamic loadings on the turbine and the blades. In addition, a series of different porous plates are placed in the flow field to explore the blockage effect of the tidal turbine. The results gained from the numerical simulations are projected to be compared and validated with a range of scheduled hydrodynamic tests in the wave tank at the University of Galway. This study aims at providing the literature with a better understanding of the operating performance and fatigue damage mechanism of tidal turbines under wave conditions. This study will support the development of tidal energy, while helping Irish society achieve Net-Zero emissions by 2050.This research was funded in part by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) through the MaREI Research Centre for Energy, Climate and Marine (Grant no. 12/RC/2302_2) and the European Commission through the H2020 CRIMSON project (grant
agreement no.: 971209)
Bedside teaching – insights into the medical student experience and likely impact on future role as clinical teacher
No full textBackground
Medical students and doctors are rarely taught how to be educators, but are expected to perform the role of clinical teacher once qualified (Kloek AT, Van Zijl ACM, ten Cate OTJ, Perspect Med Educ. 5:325–331, 2016). Qureshi (Perspect Med Edu 3:69–72, 2014) suggests that development of teaching skills should be incorporated into the undergraduate medical curriculum, while Charnell et al. (Br J Med Pract. 11:a1103, 2018) advocate providing training after graduation and as an integrated part of an induction programme. No such strategies currently exist for our graduates, and there is a lack of opinion regarding their expectations and ability to deliver bedside teaching.
Methods
This qualitative study sought to explore the varied experiences of medical students with regards to bedside teaching, and the influence such encounters may have on their future potential role as educators. In-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen final year medical students to gain a detailed understanding. Thematic analysis was conducted to organise the data into themes and sub-themes.
Results
Medical students identified a range of affirmative and challenging aspects regarding their undergraduate experiences. All recognized important practices necessary to meet individual learning needs and highlighted the positive impact such experiences would have on their future role as educators. Students preferred receiving constructive feedback as opposed to positive or no feedback at all, and all acknowledged a sense of responsibility towards being a future educator.
Conclusion
The findings of this study suggest that while medical students recognise the role of doctors as clinical educators, and strive to fulfil this responsibility based on their own undergraduate experiences, training in the art of clinical teaching would be of benefit to all.Funding for the publication of the article was wholly provided by University of Galway School of Medicine.peer-reviewe
“To Have the ‘Million’ Readers Yet”: Building a digitally enhanced edition of the bilingual Irish-English newspaper An Gaodhal (1881-1898)
No full textThis paper introduces the ‘An Gaodhal’ project, which aims to serve the historically under-resourced and endangered language of Irish (known as Gaeilge) by providing new digital tools and resources. The initial goal of the project was the extraction of full text of ‘An Gaodhal’, a monthly bilingual Irish-English newspaper produced from 1881 to 1898, to the highest possible degree of accuracy via Optical Character Recognition (OCR), with a view to making its printed content searchable. The methodology applied toward achieving this goal yielded additional digital outputs including: 1. a new OCR model for the Irish language as printed in Cló Gaelach type; 2. a new OCR model for bilingual Irish-English content printed in Cló Gaelach and Roman types respectively; 3. a BART-based OCR post-correction model for historical bilingual Irish-English data; 4. a historical Irish training set for Named Entity Recognition (NER). All but the first of these four additional outputs appear to be the first of their kind. Each of the project outputs, including the full-text OCR outputs in ALTO XML format, is set for public release to enable open-access research. The paper also identifies the challenges historical Irish data poses to Natural Language Processing (NLP) in general and OCR in particular, and reports on project results and outputs to date. Finally, it contextualises the project within the wider field of NLP and considers its potential impact on under-resourced languages worldwide.Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation, the Irish Institute of New York, New York University Glucksman Ireland House, University of Galwa
Co-creating a community visioning methodology for energy transitions: Principles, practices, and reflections
No full textVisions of energy futures produced via co-created methodologies can provide robust alternatives to the prevailing imaginaries held by international and state actors – crucial for sustaining progress towards energy transitions that meet community needs and realities. This paper explores the co-creative design of a methodology for community visions for energy transitions. Insights are drawn from the development and outputs of a collaborative workshop aimed at adapting community visioning to different local contexts with four partners from across Europe. We analyse empirical evidence, including transcripts of conversations with participating local authorities and NGO representatives and resources prepared for the workshop, to detail how collaboration proceeded. The results highlight that practices fostering inclusion, mutual learning, and relationship building can give partners ownership over visioning to better ensure that its design reflects local, situated knowledges and is well suited to communities. However, the messy, human nature of co-creation requires commitment to flexibility and ongoing dialogue. Overall, the experiences highlighted in this paper serve as a valuable resource for future researchers and practitioners interested in exploring how to further energy system transformation and support community-driven local energy transitions.This research was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101036640. Social sciences & Humanities for Achieving a Responsible, Equitable and Desirable GREEN DEAL (SHARED GREEN DEAL) is a €5 m EU investment, coordinated by Anglia Ruskin University (UK).peer-reviewe
Fretting wear-fatigue in submarine power cable conductors for floating offshore wind turbines
No full textThis thesis presents finite element modelling and experimental testing for fretting wear and fatigue in copper conductors for submarine power cables for floating offshore wind turbines. A finite element methodology for global and local analyses of fretting wear-fatigue between copper conductors in multi-strand cables for floating offshore wind turbine is presented. This involves the development of a systematic model that bridges the gap between offshore submarine cables and a representative fretting wear laboratory test setup. Local finite element, frictional contact models are developed for characterisation of local wire-to-wire fretting damage. These two-dimensional and three-dimensional representative models, based on configurations commonly employed in laboratory-scale fretting tests, inherit boundary conditions derived from the global dynamic model, allowing for micro-scale analysis of global dynamic effects on local fretting contact. A beamelement, dynamic global finite element model, which simulates the scenario of a floating wind turbine connected to a dynamic cable, using Flexcom Wind, captures the representative design loading conditions. A key component in the global-local framework is a simplified SPC finite element model for quantifying the fraction of load carried by the SPCs. Local inter-wire slip and contact traction condition are identified via a seven-wire frictional contact sub-model which includes the helical geometry. A critical-plane, multiaxial fretting-fatigue life methodology has been implemented to assess and quantify fretting-fatigue life. Two- and three-dimensional fretting wear models are developed within the UMESHMOTION adaptive mesh subroutine in Abaqus and validated against piezoelectric fretting wear tests on crossed cylinder arrangements. The latter tests were also used to quantify coefficient of friction and wear coefficient evolution under representative loading conditions for C101 copper. The critical-plane methodology is combined with the two- and three- dimensional wear models for life prediction of SPC copper contacts under IEC design load conditions. The effects of lay angle, contact size, wire diameter, friction and slip are investigated. The findings reveal a general trend where increases in lay angle, contact size, wire diameter, and friction result in reductions in fretting fatigue life. A key contribution of this work is the establishment of fretting wear-fatigue life prediction, drawing connections between localised modelling achieved by matching contact pressure and global modelling. The work also provides insight into the relative impact of contact size on relevant transverse- and longitudinal-type contacts for SPCs. In summary, this work employs local computational modelling to replicate crossed-cylinder laboratory fretting test arrangements, utilising results from the global assessment as boundary conditions to predict potential fretting wear-fatigue damage in SPCs. A design study was undertaken to evaluate lazy-wave and catenary configurations in both normal sea state and extreme sea state conditions, in compliance with the IEC standard. The analysis revealed that the lazy-wave configuration offers a more efficient design due to its ability to significantly reduce tension and bending moments, as evidenced by simulation results. Following this framework, the key functional relationship between FOWTs and dynamic SPCs was established, applying to various laboratory test configurations, including cylinder on flat, cylinder on cylinder, and crossed cylinder arrangements. These tests provided a computationally efficient approach to assessing fretting variables under representative load conditions and predicting fretting wear-fatigue life. The results of fretting wear tests on C101 pure copper, were integrated with fatigue data from previously published research. Notably, this data addresses a gap in the existing literature, as fretting wear data (including coefficient of friction, wear coefficient data) for C101 pure copper was not previously available. This newly acquired information was then incorporated into the local representative models. It is shown that the floating wind operational conditions and wire designs (wire diameter and crossing angle) have a substantial impact on the predicted fretting wear-fatigue life. The results indicate the important role played by fretting wear in SPC failure and the significance of this phenomenon in the overall service life of these SPCs
Mapping the terrain for the Lean Supply Chain 4.0
No full textThis study aims to carry out a systematic literature review (SLR) on the integration of Lean, Industry 4.0 and the supply chain or the Lean Supply Chain (LSC) 4.0. The research analyses the current research on the LSC 4.0 concept in an increasingly digitalised world. The authors present the benefits, motivations, critical success factors and challenges of integrating the LSC with Industry 4.0 technologies within this emerging area of research. Design/methodology/approach An SLR is carried out on how Lean can be integrated with Supply Chain 4.0. Using the search strings of ¿Lean Supply Chain 4.0,¿ ¿Lean Supply Chain Management 4.0¿ and ¿Lean Supply Chain Digitalisation,¿ a review of published literature was carried out via searches on academic databases. Findings Industry 4.0 has a synergistic effect on the LSC and, depending on the technology and sector applied in, can complement and enhance the LSC. Similarly, the LSC is a precursor for digitalisation. There are considerable implications in the LSC 4.0 for green and sustainable processes. Practical implications Organisations can use this study to understand what the LSC 4.0 means to industry, the benefits and motivating factors for implementation, the critical success factors (CSFs) to implementation and the challenges for implementation. Originality/value This study adds to state of the art around the LSC 4.0 and future directions in this nascent research area. This study will aid organisations in understanding how Lean, supply chain management and Industry 4.0 can be integrated.peer-reviewe
Control in a time of conflict: Women’s petitions in Ireland from 1541 to 1584
No full textThis dissertation provides the first comprehensive and detailed study of Anglophone women’s petition letter-writing in Tudor Ireland, from 1541-1583. This project provides both microhistories and quantitative rhetorical analysis of twenty-two female petitioners and fifty seven individual petitions. It considers women’s petitions, as well as letters written in their support, in order to examine the breadth of Irish women’s petitionary involvement with the English state, and their immediate connections with the cultural and political events of the Tudor period. It focuses on the written petitions of Old English nobility, Native Irish, New English settlers, and soldiers’ wives . The project explains the many reasons they wrote (such as land and wages, or protection for their husbands and children), and it provides detailed case studies of the rhetorical strategies they employed to successfully navigate their struggles. Two chapters contextualize and quantify the number of women petitioners in Ireland from 1541-1583. These chapters place women within a narrative of events and shows their specific petitionary responses. The remaining chapters look at the specific petitionary challenges of individual women in order to demonstrate the various roles women held as petitioners, the complexities of addressing their concerns, the administrative resistance they faced, and the skill with which they deployed male supporters on their behalf.2026-04-1
Development and performance of a serological enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for ruminant liver fluke disease
No full textFasciola hepatica, also known as the liver fluke, is the causative agent of fasciolosis. It is classified by the World Health Organisation as a neglected tropical disease, affecting both humans and livestock globally. Moreover, infections caused by this parasite cause multimillion economic losses to the livestock industry. In order to minimise the effects of F. hepatica infections by applying the appropriate management and control interventions, it is essential to include the use of a reliable diagnostic method that is also effective in determining infections as early as possible with high sensitivity and specificity. Among the available methods, we show that serum-ELISA based on the detection of antibodies against cathepsin L1 peptidase has a high efficacy detecting infections at every developmental stage of the flukes in their definitive hosts. However, discovering new antigens is essential to provide more options for the development of liver fluke diagnostics and vaccines, allowing us to use one or more antigens to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA). In this work, we evaluated the performance of an array of molecules produced by F. hepatica as antigens for indirect ELISA tests in comparison with recombinant cathepsin L1 (rFhCL1). Four antigens, namely rFhGAPDH, rFhGPI, rFhEnolase and rFhFBPA, were recombinantly produced during this study and assessed in ELISA, along with several more recombinant antigens (rFhHDM, rFhLAP, rFhPrx, rFhSOD1, rFhSOD3, rFhTrx, rFhCL2, rFhStf1 and rFhKT1), to analyse IgG responses in sera samples of sheep and cattle that were both experimentally and naturally infected. None of the studied antigens performed better than rFhCL1 because of their lower immunogenicity. In addition, some of them showed high background levels due to antibody cross-reactivity. In the case of E. coli produced antigens, this was possibly caused by E. coli infections in the animals or natural antibodies targeting E. coli proteins. In the case of P. pastoris produced antigens, the cross-reactivity possibly resulted from glycans present in the recombinant proteins. These sugar residues may be recognised by host antibodies produced after being fed with yeast-rich supplemented food. Finally, we studied a potential method to determine liver fluke infection stages, namely by calculating the ratio anti-rFhCL1/anti-rFhCB3 immune responses, with promising results. Future investigation including a larger number of samples and complementary parasitological data will be key to further prove its applicability.2026-02-0
Migrant women, coercive control and intimate partner violence: Access to remedies in Ireland and Spain
No full textThe concept of coercive control has been increasingly used in law reform and policy making in Europe since 2015 as part of states’ actions against domestic violence and has been justified as an advancement of women’s rights. The expansion of criminalisation has generated academic debate around the limits and possibilities offered by criminal law in context with little attention placed on its ramifications in migrant communities. Focusing on the particular context of victims/survivors of coercive control with precarious migration statuses, this thesis analyses the role of criminalisation in facilitating or precluding access to effective remedies. By exploring the interplay between coercive control and precarious migration statuses, this research bridges the tension between the dual role of the law. On the one hand, its role as a tool of protection against intimate partner violence, and on the other hand, as a means of exclusion limiting migrant women’s access to remedies. Against this background, this thesis engages with the state-persecutor model fuelled by the conceptualisation of remedies under international and regional human rights law, in which criminalisation is the central component. It particularly focuses on an analysis of the 2014 Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention), which provides the most comprehensive obligations in this area. The Convention recommends states criminalise psychological violence under Article 33 and enshrines states’ most detailed obligations to date that address the barriers to remedies posed by precarious migration statuses under Article 59. Two case studies, Ireland and Spain, present the relevant state obligations as implemented in domestic law and policy concerning protection against domestic violence in precarious migration contexts. The case studies help theorise the role of the law and its implementation in remedying migration status-facilitated coercive control. This thesis concludes that the narrow emphasis on penality prevents human rights law from disrupting structural systems of power, such as immigration control, that preclude women’s access to remedies. The current human rights framework not only leaves barriers to remedies largely untouched but facilitates a hierarchy of deservingness between victims/survivors according to their migration statuses. To realise the untapped transformative potential of human rights, this thesis advances a reconceptualisation of remedies capable of disrupting the intersectional discrimination posed by immigration laws and policies.2026-01-3