33 research outputs found
The Perception of Chinese SMEs in the Apparel Industry about Incorporating CSC9000T into their Business Agenda
No full textCorporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been discussed widely from developed countries to developing countries. Social responsibility is an old idea but a new term in China. Although there are numerous international CSR accountability standards around the world, in 2005, the China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC) issued a new guideline, the China Social Compliance 9000 for the Textile & Apparel Industry (CSC9000T). CSC9000T implementation was scaled-up from ten pilot large size enterprises to a thousand Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) in 2007.
This paper focuses on the perception of Chinese apparel SMEs about incorporating CSC9000T into their strategic planning. My research explores how the CSR agenda has been implemented using CSC9000T as a guideline and what benefits and challenges SMEs have faced when implementing CSC9000T. I begin with a literature review of five areas: the understanding of CSR and its relevant theories and practices; CSR and strategic management; the development of the Textile and Apparel Industry in China; and the relevant Chinese CSR policies and regulations. Based on Castak et al’s CSR framework and Vogel’s promoting CSR with government intervention and regulation, this paper discusses the implementation of CSC9000T in SMEs in China. The author discusses SMEs’ difficulties and benefits of taking CSR initiatives and implementing CSC9000T. Some practical recommendations in terms of improving SMEs’ CSR performance are also proposed to CNTAC, the Chinese government and related enterprises
Machining GLARE fibre metal laminates: a comparative study on drilling effect between conventional and ultrasonic-assisted drilling
No full textGLARE laminates are multi-layered metal-composite materials created from bonding sheets of metallic alloys with carbon or glass fibre layers. The application of hybrid-conventional machining processes such as ultrasonic-assisted drilling (UAD) is becoming of great interest to the aerospace industry due to its capability in reducing the cutting forces and tool wear which are directly responsible for drilling-induced delamination. There is rich literature on the conventional drilling (CD) of GLARE, but no work reported using UAD process. This study will fill this gap and investigate the UAD of GLARE laminates using an indigenously developed UAD system. The influence of spindle speed and feed rate on thrust force and surface roughness metrics (Ra and Rz) were investigated under CD and UAD regimes. The quality of the borehole and damage mechanisms in the laminate constituents was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The contribution of the drilling parameters on the measured outputs was further evaluated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) statistical analysis. It was found that UAD resulted in a significant reduction in thrust force by up to 65% while surface roughness metrics Ra and Rz were unaffected by the type of drilling process used. SEM analysis showed irregular and fuzzier surfaces in glass fibre layers in holes machined using UAD due to the longitudinal vibration of the tool.Aerospace Manufacturing Technologie
Finding minimal optimal indent separation for polystyrene via instrumental nanoindentation and FEA method
No full textNanoindentation became a standard non-destructive technique to measure mechanical properties at the submicron scale of various materials. A set of empirical rules were established to guarantee the validity of the results. One of those rules is the separation between individual indents that should be 20–30 times maximum indentation depth. This paper investigates the influence of the distance between indents on the accuracy of mechanical properties for polystyrene with a view to determine minimum optimal separation that is needed to measure various material properties. A series of different depths with three different orientations was considered through both the experimental and finite element method to explore the relationship between the distance and indentation depth. Both methods demonstrated that hardness and modulus values for polystyrene keep stable with the distance approximately 15 times the maximum indentation depth for the matrix type set up, and nominal separation of 10 is enough when indents are executed in a single row or column
Intertidal Mediterranean coralline algae habitat is expecting a shift towards a reduced growth and a simplified associated fauna under climate change
No full textCoralline algae represent the most important bioconstructors in the Mediterranean Sea and are currently impaired by the effects of climate change (CC), particularly by global warming and ocean acidification (OA). We studied the effects of these two drivers on Ellisolandia elongate, an intertidal coralline algae that is known to host a rich biodiversity of associated fauna. We cultured turfs of E. elongate in experimental conditions of increased temperature and OA (using the values of the IPCC scenario RCP- 8.5 expected for 2100: actual mean temperature +3 degrees C and pH = 7.78), and estimated alteration of algal linear growth and community structure, focusing especially on peracarid crustaceans and annelids. Our findings revealed a decrease in linear growth, yet with no significant changes on structural integrity, and a simplification of associated community, in particular for peracarids. Our study contributes to understand community-level response to CC drivers, highlighting the vulnerability of the fauna associated to an important Mediterranean marine habitat
Multiscale modelling and experimental analysis of ultrasonic-assisted drilling of GLARE fibre metal laminates
No full textThis study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Ultrasonic-assisted drilling (UAD) of Glass laminate aluminium reinforced epoxy (GLARE) at high cutting speeds (Spindle speeds: 3000–7500 rpm; feed rates 300–750 mm/min) by analysing the thrust force and hole quality metrics (surface roughness, hole size, and burr formations. The research also presents numerical modelling of FMLs under conventional and UAD regimes to predict thrust force using ABAQUS/SIMULIA. The thrust force and exit burrs were reduced by up to 40.83 % and 80 %, respectively. The surface roughness metrics (Ra and Rz) were slightly higher using UAD but remained within the desirable limits of surface roughness for machined aeronautical structures. The discrepancy between the simulation and experimental results was adequate and did not exceed 15 %. The current study shows that it is feasible to drill holes in GLARE using higher cutting parameters and maintain excellent hole quality, which means increased productivity and reduced costs.Group Sink
Structural and elemental analysis of the freshwater, low-Mg calcite coralline alga <i>pneophyllum cetinaensis</i>
No full textCoralline algae are one of the most diversified groups of red algae and represent a major component of marine benthic habitats from the poles to the tropics. This group was believed to be exclusively marine until 2016, when the first freshwater coralline algae Pneophyllum cetinaensis was discovered in the Cetina River, southern Croatia. While several studies investigated the element compositions of marine coralline algal thalli, no information is yet available for the freshwater species. Using XRD, LA-ICP-MS and nano indentation, this study presents the first living low-Mg calcite coralline algae with Mg concentrations ten times lower than is common for the average marine species. Despite the lower Mg concentrations, hardness and elastic modulus (1.71 ± 1.58 GPa and 29.7 ± 18.0 GPa, respectively) are in the same range as other marine coralline algae, possibly due to other biogenic impurities. When compared to marine species, Ba/Ca values were unusually low, even though Ba concentrations are generally higher in rivers than in seawater. These low values might be linked to different physical and chemical characteristics of the Cetina River
Regenerated cellulose fabric reinforced bio-based polypropylene sandwich composites: fabrication, mechanical performance and analytical modelling
No full textSandwich composites were fabricated successfully with the balsa wood as core material and regenerated cellulose fabric bio-based polypropylene (PP) composite skins. The regenerated cellulose fabric PP composites were produced using two different methods: the conventional stacking lay-up and directly using PP pellets. Sandwich composites were made using the hot press equipment with the customized mold. The sandwich composite system and bio-composite laminate were designed to achieve very close weight to compare the key mechanical properties that each design can bear. It was evidenced from the experimental results that 416% increase in the bending load bearing property of the part can be obtained when sandwich structure was used. These experimental results were in close agreement with one of the analytical modelling utilised. The drop weight impact test results demonstrated that the sandwich specimen is capable of withstanding more than 6 kN load and absorbing the impact energy of 28.37 J
The double effects of female executives' participation on corporate sustainable competitive advantage through unethical environmental behavior and proactive environmental strategy
No full textFinite element investigation of nano-indentation of coated stainless steel
No full textAn finite element analysis was used to investigate the nano-indentation testing process in different kinds of coating on 316 Stainless Steel, in order to determine the properties of coating material and to and investigate the influence of different of the material coating materials on 316 Stainless Steel. The finite element analysis was based elastic-plasticity properties of material. The results were three main points: 1) the simulation force-depth relationship was agreed with the experimental force-depth relationship for 316 stainless steel; 2) the range of Modulus of Elasticity for specific coating was determined as between 5GPa to 60GPa; 3) the influence of the thickness of coating material on the force indentation depth relationship was investigated. The project offers suggestions to further design of coating process research.</p
