Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering - Volume 18, Issue 2, 2025

To assess the performance and emission parameters of graphite-included mahua biodiesel at various proportions such as 10 ppm, 40 ppm, and 70 ppm.

The fuels derived from petroleum are harmful to the environment and deplete traditional energy sources. The discovery of alternative fuels has paved the way for various options. Studies suggest replacing diesel with vegetable oils. Neat vegetable oil has a high viscosity and low volatility characteristics, making it unsuitable for diesel engines.

Transesterification of mahua seed oil produces biodiesel with graphite distributed in varying concentrations by ultra sonification. Mahua biodiesel shows reduced viscosity compared to neat vegetable oil, and it will be used as diesel in diesel engines. Patent graphite nanoparticles contained in mahua biodiesel mix (B30) indicate improved brake thermal efficiency, reduced brake-specific fuel consumption, and reduced carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, and smoke density.

The results of this investigation showed that multi-cylinder diesel engines with direct injection can use optimal blend B30, which incorporates graphite nanoparticles, without requiring any modifications to the engine.

Gasoline engines using alcohol fuels are being researched in the present trend since they are seen to be viable as diesel engines. The effect of isopropyl acetate and acetone additive blends on gasoline is explored in this study using a single-cylinder four-stroke gasoline engine operating at a constant speed of 2500 rpm under all loading conditions.

Two gasoline blends are prepared by adding 5% and 10% by volume of isopropyl acetate and acetone separately. Properties are investigated and tested for its engine performance and emission.

The trial results demonstrated that the A5 (5% Acetone + 95% Gasoline) brake thermal efficiency improved when compared to pure gasoline. At maximum engine load, all additive blends have lower brake specific fuel consumption than pure gasoline. However, under full load, the emissions of various additive blends are lower than those of pure gasoline.

Results revealed that IA5 (5% Isopropyl acetate + 95% Gasoline), IA10 (10% Isopropyl acetate + 90% Gasoline), and A10 (10% Acetone + 90% Gasoline) are considered good for decreasing HC, NOx, and CO emissions respectively. The findings of this study can be considered as a patent to lay the information on these types of alcohols in gasoline engines.

In recent decades, there has been a concerning decrease in the accessibility of purified water, accompanied by a notable rise in demand. Seawater desalination can help address the issue of insufficient drinking water.

An experiment was conducted using different energy storage materials incorporated into the water basin of a pyramid solar still (PSS) to examine its efficiency. Apparently this modified-PSS design can be patented and be used for future home needs.

This study determined the optimal water depth for the basin, ranging from 4 to 8 cm.

Based on the findings, a water depth of 4 cm significantly increased productivity compared to depths of 5, 6, 7, and 8 cm, showing respective increases of 15%, 24.2%, 32.4%, and 40%.

Moreover, studies were carried out to improve PSS output at a water depth of 4 cm using paraffin wax, basalt stone, blue metal stone, and glass marbles. The experimental results demonstrated that using paraffin wax increased productivity by 10%, 21.1%, and 34.3% compared to using blue metal stone, basalt stone, and kanche marbles, respectively.

The soft pneumatic actuator is a technology in the robotics field driven by pneumatic power. Further, the problems in complicated fabrication processes can now be overcome with new technologies, such as additive manufacturing. Thus, the number of patent documents will also continue to increase. For this reason, a patent analysis is needed to help researchers map the direction of the research to be carried out.

By analyzing existing patents, unnecessary investment in technology can be avoided as early as possible. Thus, this article aimed to find updates and gaps in existing patents.

The patent analysis in this study used the systematic literature review method, which started with identifying, screening, and determining the patents being reviewed.

In the early stages, 114 patents were obtained, and after screening, 18 patents related to the soft pneumatic actuator were obtained, divided into six families. Patents related to the existing soft pneumatic actuator are more directed to robotics and wearable devices. Hence, the current patent gap is still very wide open regarding fabrication, geometric shapes, and its application in other fields.

Research gaps were obtained related to fabrication technology, geometric shapes, and applications in fields other than robotics and wearable devices that are still very wide open for development and patent registration to advanced technology.

Pure electric vehicles still have the problem with range anxiety, but hybrid vehicles can solve this problem well. Parameter optimization and adaptation of control strategies are the keys to improving the economy of hybrid vehicles.

This study aimed to improve the economy of hybrid vehicles to get more mileage in the same working conditions. On the basis of a large number of invention patents, this study establishes and optimizes the parameters and control strategy of hybrid vehicles in order to obtain better driving parameters and a more appropriate control strategy for hybrid vehicle drive system.

The key parameters of each component of the drive system are defined under dynamic objectives of hybrid vehicles. The control strategy adopts a logic gate-based approach to determine driving mode and braking of hybrid vehicles by limiting the speed, SOC, and power demand. Finally, the particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to optimize the key parameters to obtain the economic optimal solution without losing the vehicle power.

In the China light-duty vehicle test cycle-passenger (CLTC-P) cycle condition, the optimized parameters can improve the fuel economy of fuel economy by 16.06%, and in the worldwide harmonized light vehicles test cycle (WLTC) cycle condition, the optimized parameters can improve the fuel economy of hybrid vehicles by 12.17%.

By establishing and optimizing driving system parameters and control strategy of the hybrid vehicles, this study improves the economy and achieves the expected effect without losing the vehicle power. However, in further research, driving conditions and mileage under different working conditions should be further studied, and on this basis, the optimization of control strategies should be continued.

Solar cookers have been the subject of several theoretical and empirical investigations, with numerous modifications attempted to increase efficiency and security. Solar cookers need much sophisticated research and enhancement work to function better. A thorough grasp of the application of graphene in box-type solar cooking systems is crucial for both solar energy and graphene.

To improve the performance of box-type solar cookers, this patent research aims to offer an experimental investigation and insightful information on of applying graphene coating to the absorber plate and its derivative.

To ensure equal dispersion of graphene into the black paint, three samples containing (1, 3, and 5 wt%) of graphene embedded with the paint were produced with 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm thickness of the coating and stirred at 400 rpm for two hours using a magnetic stirrer. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy have been studied to comprehend the influence of graphene nanoparticles on the surface morphology of the coated absorber panel. Performance evaluations of the box-type solar cookers were conducted with and without a graphene coating on the absorber plate, and data has been recorded for each case.

The results of patent research show that the absorber plate with (1, 3, and 5 wt.%) of graphene embedded with black paint 1 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm thickness coating has a maximum thermal efficiency of 41.48% with 97.08 W cooking power, 46% with 109.35 W cooking power, and 49% with 114.77 W cooking power for the average solar irradiation is 978 W/m².

It was determined that the cooking power (P), the first figure of merit (F1), and the second figure of merit (F2) were all satisfactorily achieved. Embedding black paint into graphene coating has been shown to significantly influence the heat transmission and thermal performance enhancement of box-type solar cookers, as demonstrated by the findings of X-ray diffraction and Scanning Electron Microscopy analysis.

The current research makes it abundantly evident that the incorporation of graphene into the absorber plate of a box-type solar cooker, together with the application of a black paint coating, leads to increased heat transfer rates, which in turn provides an increase in cooking power. Because of this, graphene is an attractive nanomaterial that has the potential to improve the performance of box-type solar cookers, which is the novelty of this research work.

The material removal process is always impacted by frequent interruptions caused by changing tools and cutting conditions that increase production times and also affect the surface roughness of the workpiece.

Adding cutting fluid to the cutting zone region is one of the most advantageous techniques for dealing with heat transfer and temperature distribution problems in machining. The techniques used to apply cutting fluids are pools and minimal lubrication techniques. Although these technologies work effectively, their processing in the processing area is also a difficult task for the user.

To overcome this difficulty, a layer deposition method known as the sol–gel process can be employed. It is a technique that involves a solution that is transformed into a gel and then deposited on a metal surface to be machined.

In the present work, initially, a gel was prepared using Al2O3 as a precursor and water as a base fluid, and glycerol was selected as a surfactant. Using a magnetic stirrer, the mixture solution was stirred and then dried under natural sunlight for 3 days for gel formation. With the aid of a UV visible spectrometer, the formation of sol-gel was confirmed. Al6063 was utilized as a machining material for the lathe turning process, and the gel created was deposited on the surface.

Machining was carried out under both dry and gel-applied conditions to examine the gel's effectiveness. Input parameters considered were spindle speed, feed, and depth of cut. Three factors at three levels were chosen for the experimentation. Temperature and cutting forces were the output parameters that were measured. ANOVA analysis was carried out to find out the influence of input parameters and to predict the corresponding best input parameters for low temperature and low cutting forces during machining under sol-gel conditions.

High speed, medium feed and medium depth of the cut show lower values of forces in tangential and radial as well as lower temperatures in the case of sol-gel conditions compared to dry machining. This research could serve as a foundation for future developments in machining technologies and patent innovations involving sol-gel applications.