Featured Post

Loneliness Of Long Distan Essays - Social Realism, Alan Sillitoe

Depression of Long Distan annon By Alan Sillitoe Conceived in Nottingham in 1928 to a common laborers family, serving in the Air ...

Friday, March 27, 2020

Symbolism in Mantegnas “Parnassus” and Giorgiones “The Tempest” Essay Example

Symbolism in Mantegnas â€Å"Parnassus† and Giorgiones â€Å"The Tempest† Essay Symbolism in art can give viewers an infinite wealth of insight as it indirectly depicts meanings and ideas. Objects, persons, or images can be endowed with metaphorical representations. Symbols embody more than what we see at face value. Symbolism   can be achieved through different ways. In art, it could be achieved through the characterization of people, stories, use of visual techniques or objects with common connotations, etc. Instead of displaying only the aesthetic features, art takes a whole new level, a greater depth when one is able to recognize meanings in symbols. Arts transcends its physical manifestation and becomes of spiritual as well as emotional aspect.In this essay, an attempt will be made to decipher and analyze the real meanings of symbols in the paintings â€Å"Parnassus† by Mantegna and â€Å"The Tempest† by Giorgione. Mantegna is one of the most important figures in Renaissance art. He has a taste of the classical, as evinced in his body of wor k. While also a Renaissance painter, not a much is known about Giorgione. Parnassus and The Tempest both depict landscape scenes, but many features and symbolic   representations differ.Mantegna is known for the unemotional aspect of his paintings. The Parnassus, however, is a departure from it. The painting is a depiction of classic mythological figures in dynamic and animated interaction. It is set in a garden landscape, shown by the lattice fencing. Its a symbolic representation to the mythic significance of the mountain of Parnassus as the home of musical and poetic inspiration. Here we can see the allegory to ancient ideals represented by various gods and goddesses. Also present are the symbols of war and love, masculinity and femininity, as portrayed by the union of Apollo and Venus.On the other hand, The Tempest is one of the most mysterious paintings ever. There is no general concession as to what it represents or symbolizes. We see a woman breastfeeding a baby, her gaze f ixed on us, the viewer. The man gazes at the womans general direction, but there is no indication that the two figures are interconnected. Between them the picture of a landscape is prominent. A storm is brewing, as if threatening to wash away the serenity of the scene, but neither figure seems to mind it.The woman in The Tempest evokes the image of Mary as she is commonly depicted. Her nakedness could also suggest fertility, though the connection to the overall scene in unclear. It appears that the real meaning of this work is elusive. The meaning, it seems, lies in what the viewer can make of it. Unlike the Parnassus, any recognizable visual allusion in The Tempest is not readily depicted. Both paintings portray naked women, but the woman nursing a baby in The Tempest can be viewed as being a fertility figure, as opposed to Venus is Parnassus, being the goddess of love is characterized with an erotic nature. While, the gods, and goddesses play as the prominent subject in Parnassus , the man and woman in The Tempest does not seem to be the most significant aspect of the painting.   The landscape is a prominent feature, instead of serving as a background. It is suggested that Giorgione does not really have a subject, that the painting is done for its own sake and should be taken as a whole.Each viewer can apply his own meaning depending on a myriad of factors—this includes the societal context, culture, and personal experience. Some meanings can be ambiguous. Art in itself   do not represent a single interpretation, but many objects can represent universal ideals. Indeed, an attempt to evaluate and decipher a symbolic form in paintings could also tell us much about the painter and his time. By the same token, that endeavor could also reflect our own time, our values and how it fares against the present context. In the absence of an outright symbolic representation, a paintings meaning is ultimately dictated by our own.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Kickstart Your Team’s Project Workflows With 9 Features In CoSchedule

Kickstart Your Team’s Project Workflows With 9 Features In In a perfect world†¦ You and your team move from idea → publish seamlessly. But reality looks more like Managing dozens of spreadsheets. Filled with passwords, usernames, content plans, to-dos, and reports. Daily status meetings to keep everyone in the loopon the newest versions, attachments, etc And picking up the pieces whenmessages get missed, docs become irrelevant, and content goes LIVE before final approval. 😠± Let’s fix this ^^, shall we? Kickstart your team’s project workflows with 9 nifty collaboration features from !   So, you can: Keep everyone on the same page with clear directives. Never wonder â€Å"who’s doing what† or â€Å"where you are† in a project. With , the entire workflow is in one place comments, tasks, content everything! Create the perfect template for your project workflow. Move projects forward with task specific templates. Recycle task templates for future projects and iterates on them as you continue to improve the process! Get approval FASTER! Eliminate the need for constant email reminders, in-person pleading, and messenger notifications! With ’s task approvals (built directly into your team’s workflow) the right folks get notified at the right time when a task is ready for review. Keeping your team’s project on track, transparent, and movin’ forward. Collaborate with the right people at the right time. @Mention specific team members and add contributors on marketing projects. Giving your team the power to collaborate and communicate more effectively without involving (or bugging) others. Never miss (another) crucial detail! Quit worrying that you’ll miss something that needs your attention. The FOMO ends now. Set up your notification settings to stay connected to your projects. And never miss important feedback, an urgent to-do or pending question again. PLUS  get a *sneak peek* into one wicked smart  feature coming in the next few months. Are you ready to get your team more organized than ever? Now’s the time.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Environmental scan for McDonalds Company Term Paper

Environmental scan for McDonalds Company - Term Paper Example Environmental scan for McDonalds Company This paper seeks to conduct environmental scan for McDonald’s Company and General Motors Company. One of the organization’s internal environmental factors is its human resource strategy that has a specialized training program for its personnel. The company makes significant investments into this initiative to develop a strong human resource base for efficiency and effectiveness towards a quality driven competitive advantage. The company also has acculturated quality production that has established its admiration among consumers who are satisfied with the organization’s products. Similarly, the organization, in its management and operations, is dynamic and flexible to different cultural needs across its diversified market. As a result, the company is able to meet its customers’ needs and expected utility. The organization also operates under strict food safety policy in which raw materials are only accepted into production processes if they meet safety standards (Marketing, 2012). A number of challenges also characterize its internal environment. The company f or example faces a high employee turnover leading to more investment in recruiting and training new employees. Such a high turnover rate also destabilizes implementation of policies and organizational culture that has to be continually reinforced. The organization’s profitability has also been unstable and therefore unpredictable. This means that long-term financial plans cannot be established with certainty because it is difficult to obtain a reliable forecast of the organization’s profitability (Marketing, 2012). External environment External environment refers to factors that emanates from outside the organization and which the organization has no power to control. McDonald’s external environment includes political factors, economic factors, technological elements, socio-cultural aspects, physical environment, and competition among other factors. Political factors define to rules and regulations that control the organization in its operational localities. Bei ng an international organization, McDonald’s is subjected to different local laws and international regulations that shape its operations. As a result, the management should be informed of the laws and political systems in regions where the company’s branches operate. It should also be flexible to adjust to any changes in regional laws that will affect its subsidiaries (Vrontis and Pavlou, 2008). The organization’s economic environment defines demand for its products and trends in consumers’ spending habits. It is therefore susceptible to general economic trends such as recessions, periods within which the consumer’s economic potentials are constrained leading to low demand. Economic recovery periods however improve demand towards higher profitability levels. The company, through its subsidiaries operates under different economic potentials across regions. This affects pricing strategy of the company’s products and defines profitability acro ss different regions. Successful international venture however indicates the company’s success in implementing technology towards communication and coordination of its activities across geographical barriers. Application of technology also explains the organization’s standardization in its subsidiaries such as the franchises. Similarly, social and physical environmental factors are variables across the company’

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Implication of the growth of services sectors Essay

Implication of the growth of services sectors - Essay Example rvices based economy revolves around provision of services like transportation, distribution or transfer of goods and money from one point to another. In more concrete terms, the services sector includes things like the provision of insurance, banking, retail operation, information access and entertainment or leisure services. The services sector is strongly linked to the other two sectors, for example, the provision of public utilities like water and electricity is often considered a part of the services sector while the installation, creation and development of means to provide those services come from the industrial economy. Moreover, an industrial economy can only be developed if there is a food surplus in the agricultural sector of the same country. This is the reason that the normal economic progression of a nation might go from a complete dependence on agriculture, to a boost in industry and finally towards a service based economic system. Historically speaking, the UK holds the position of being the first country to develop and exist as a services based economic system (Wikipedia, 2006). While it took the British Empire a few centuries to develop a services economy (helped in no small part by the colonies), modern economies are developing a services sector much faster than England. India for instance, is moving towards a services based economy at a rapid pace while the industrialisation of India is slower than the growth of the services sector (Economist, 2006). However, the UK is much more interested in the services sector since more than 70% of the British economy is based in services which means any dip in the economic indicators there will have a drastic effect on the overall economic conditions of the country (Economist, 2005). Similarly, the growth potential of the economy in the services zone is stunted because marginal growth would not only be difficult, it would also mean that government resources are being utilised inefficiently if the same

Monday, January 27, 2020

Antilock Brake System Abs Model Based Design Computer Science Essay

Antilock Brake System Abs Model Based Design Computer Science Essay An Antilock Brake System (ABS) is a closed loop control system that modulates the brake torque that is applied to the wheel in order to prevent the controlled wheel from becoming fully locked. ABS is among the most important safety systems in a vehicle. In automatic highway system, automatic brake actuation is a very important part of the overall vehicle control system. It prevents the wheel lock-up under critical braking conditions, such as those encountered with wet or slippery road surfaces and driver panic reaction (Bosch, 1995). By preventing the wheel lock-up, ABS ensures that the vehicle remains responsive to steering wheel inputs. Reduced stopping distance on account of ABS is more evident on wet or slippery road surfaces (Garrick et al., 1998). 1.2 MODEL BASED DESIGN Designers of embedded control system software face difficult challenges. In addition to the need to complete projects at low cost and within tight schedules, embedded control system software designers must provide predictable performance and competitive features for the products they deliver. Traditional methods of designing, testing, and implementing embedded control systems cause designers to wait until late in the design effort, when actual or prototype products and real-time embedded targets become available, to find out if software really works as it was intended to. Only then, as system integration occurs, can the designer uncover the errors that may have found their way into the product during the early design stages. Model-Based Design with MathWorks tools provides a proven technique for creating embedded control systems. It is used today for satellites, aircraft, and many other aerospace applications, in the automotive industry, and for process control, computer peripherals and industrial machinery. Through Model-Based Design, embedded control system design teams can begin evaluating software designs without using prototype products and real-time targets. The MathWorks environment for Model-Based Design allows engineers to mathematically model the behavior of the physical system, design the software and model its behavior, and then simulate the entire system model to accurately predict and optimize performance. The system model becomes a specification from which you can automatically generate real-time software for testing, prototyping, and embedded implementation, thus avoiding manual effort and reducing the potential for errors. Fig 1.1. Model-Based Design for embedded control system software Changes or corrections to the system requirements and specifications are easily incorporated into the model, fully evaluated by simulation, and automatically reflected in the final real-time embedded software. 1.3. MODELING AND SIMULATION To effectively design an embedded control system and accurately predict its performance, designers must understand the behavior of the entire system in which the control system will reside. MATLAB and Simulink form the core environment for Model-Based Design for creating accurate, mathematical models of physical system behavior. The graphical, block-diagram paradigm of the MathWorks environment lets you drag-and-drop predefined modeling elements, connect them together, and create models of dynamic systems. These dynamic systems can be continuous-time, multi-rate discrete-time, or virtually any combination of the three. You can create custom model elements or reuse legacy code-based models by incorporating C, Fortran, or Ada code directly into the modeling environment. The modeling environment is hierarchical and self-documenting. System structure and function can be clearly expressed by grouping model elements in virtually any combination, allowing large teams to work concurrently on the design. Libraries of hierarchical elements can be quickly created, allowing those elements to be reused easily by other members of the design team or on subsequent designs. Fully integrated into the environment is the capability to graphically model event-driven systems using state charts, truth tables, and flow diagrams. Specialized capability for mechanical and electrical power systems allows models of these systems to be constructed using modeling elements that correspond directly to the structure of the physical system, avoiding the need to express them as mathematical equations. If prototype or actual physical systems are available and input/output data can be acquired from them, mathematical models can also be created using system identification techniques. As soon as a hierarchical element of the model is constructed, that element can be simulated. Simulation allows specification, requirements, and modeling errors to be found immediately, rather than waiting until later in the design effort. As the model becomes larger, through the addition of hierarchical elements or by increasing the complexity of existing ones, the designer can continue to find and correct errors during simulation by using the model coverage, performance profiling, and interactive debugging features. When the physical system model is specified to the required level of detail and simulation has shown the model to be accurate, the control system can be designed. 1.4. CONTROL SYSTEM SOFTWARE DESIGN With the behavioral model of the physical system available, the designer can begin the embedded control system software design. The MathWorks environment for Model-Based Design supports many types of control system design techniques and requirements that range from the simple to the most complex and large-scale. For example, some product designs may require using linear control design methods to determine the correct algorithms and parameters for the control system software. Using MATLAB and Simulink, the designer can automatically create the linear physical system models needed by this design technique, calculate the parameters, and then visualize the results using Bode plots and root locus diagrams. Other applications may require less sophisticated techniques to determine the correct control system design. Regardless of the control system design method used, the MathWorks environment for Model-Based Design helps the designer use interactive simulation to quickly evaluate each contr ol system design model in conjunction with the physical system model and avoid the risk, expense, or need for prototypes or actual physical systems. As the control system functional design is completed and the target environment needs to be considered, the designer can specify implementation details for the software directly in the modeling environment. The MathWorks environment supports all aspects of control system software design, including processor, interface, or standards issues. For example, you may need scaled integer or fixed-point data types for target processors that have no floating-point math capability. The effects of fixed-point mathematics can be evaluated by simulation, to see if the proper data sizes and scale factors have been selected. Data structures that are needed to meet software standards or target environment interface requirements can be defined as part of the system model and then realized when the embedded control system software is automatically generated. When the control system software design is complete, you can simulate the entire system model. During simulation, you can automatically collect model profiling and coverage information that will help you assess performance and discover errors. If performance does not meet expectations or errors are found, you can easily change the model to correct the problem and then simulate the model again to confirm the change or correction. Once simulation of the entire system model has shown that the design meets the desired performance requirements, you can automatically generate software for real-time testing and implementation, using the model as a specification. 1.5. EMBEDDED SOFTWARE TESTING AND IMPLEMENTATION Using the system model and Real-Time Workshop, real-time code for testing, validation, and embedded implementation on the production target processor can be automatically generated. As it is created, the code is automatically optimized for fast execution and efficient use of memory. Automatically generating code from the system model avoids errors due to manual translation of the model into code, and saves time, allowing software developers to focus on more demanding tasks. The MathWorks provides a turnkey software environment called xPC Target for real-time prototype testing, calibration, and validation of this automatically generated code using a PC-based hardware target system. xPC Target includes a real-time kernel, device drivers, and all the support software needed to create a rapid control prototyping system for real-time software testing and validation. It can also be used to provide hardware-in-the-loop capability, using code generated automatically from the physical system model. Hardware-in-the-loop testing allows the designer to simulate the real-time behavior and characteristics of their physical system, so that prototype or production control system software can be tested without the need for the actual hardware or operational environment. For embedded system designers who prefer an integrated capability, The MathWorks has a fully tested, custom configured, PC-based target hardware system. Chapter 2 MODELING AND SIMULATION 2.1. MODELING A computer model, as used in modeling and simulation science, is a mathematical representation of something-a person, a building, a vehicle, a tree-any object. A model also can be a representation of a process-a weather pattern, traffic flow, air flowing over a wing. Models are created from a mass of data, equations and computations that mimic the actions of things represented. Models usually include a graphical display that translates all this number crunching into an animation that you can see on a computer screen or by means of some other visual device.   Models can be simple images of things-the outer shell, so to speak-or they can be complex, carrying all the characteristics of the object or process they represent. A complex model will simulate the actions and reactions of the real thing. To make these models behave the way they would in real life, accurate, real-time simulations require fast computers with lots of number crunching power. 2.2. SIMULATION Simulations (and models, too) are abstractions of reality. Often they deliberately emphasize one part of reality at the expense of other parts. Where as models are mathematical, logical, or some other structured representation of reality, simulations are the specific application of models to arrive at some outcome. 2.2.1 Types of simulations Simulations generally come in three styles: live, virtual and constructive. A simulation also may be a combination of two or more styles. Live simulations typically involve humans and/or equipment and activity in a setting where they would operate for real. Think war games with soldiers out in the field or manning command posts. Time is continuous, as in the real world. Another example of live simulation is testing a car battery using an electrical tester. Virtual simulations typically involve humans and/or equipment in a computer-controlled setting. Time is in discrete steps, allowing users to concentrate on the important stuff, so to speak. A flight simulator falls into this category. Constructive simulations typically do not involve humans or equipment as participants. Rather than by time, they are driven more by the proper sequencing of events. A simulator is a device that may use any combination of sound, sight, motion and smell to make you feel that you are experiencing an actual situation. Some video games are good examples of low-end simulators. Simulations are complex, computer-driven re-creations of the real thing. When used for training, they must recreate reality accurately; otherwise you may not learn the right way to do a task. 2.3. MODELING AND SIMULATING ORDINARY SECOND ORDER DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION Consider the second order differential equation (1) This can be written as two first order differential equations if we introduce two new variables, x1(t) and x2(t).   Let x1(t)=y(t).   We can then write two coupled first order equations. (2) (3) The solution can be approximated in Simulink by using two integrators to integrate the first order derivatives. 2.3.1. Building a Simulink Model We start Simulink from the Matlab prompt by typing Simulink.    We will be needing blocks from the Source, Sink, Linear and Non-linear libraries, so double click on them to open them up.   In the window labeled untitled, drag two integrators from the Linear library, connect them, and change their labels. Fig2.1. Building Simulink Model (Step 1) The input to the leftmost integrator is the derivative of x2, and its output is x2.   The input to the rightmost integrator is the derivative of x1 (=x2), and its output is x1.   We can complete the representation of the differential equation except for the input, by adding two gain blocks (and flipping them using the Format option of the Simulink menu. Fig2.2 Building Simulink Model (Step 2) To add the input we will use the clock (from Source), the trigonometric function (from Non-Linear) and another gain block.   The completed diagram should look like the one shown below. Fig2.3. Building Simulink Model (Step 3) 2.3.2. Running Simulation and Viewing Results To view the results of the simulation, add a scope (from Sink).   In this case we only want to view 80 ms of simulation, so go to the Simulation menu and choose Parameters, and set the stop time to 0.08 seconds.   To start the simulation hit the start button, or go to Simulation->Start.   The scope output is shown below (after zooming with the Binocular tool at the top of the scope window. Fig2.4 Simulation Results of the Model It is often desirable to save the data to Matlab.   To save the time variable, the input and the output, we add three To Workspace blocks (from Sink) and give them each a different name (these are the names of the variables that will be in the Matlab workspace). Fig2.5 Building Simulink Model (Step 4) Chapter 3 ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM 3.1 INTRODUCTION Antilock Braking Systems (ABS) are closed loop control devices within the braking systems which prevent the wheel lock-up during braking and as a result, retain vehicle steerability and stability. The main ABS components are hydraulic modulators, wheel speed sensors, ECU for signal processing and control and triggering of the signal lamp and of the actuators in the hydraulic modulator. Fig 3.1 Location of the ABS in a vehicle 3.2 DESCRIPTION OF THE SYSTEM The theory behind anti-lock brakes is simple. A skidding wheel (where the tire contact patch is sliding relative to the road) has less traction than a non-skidding wheel. If we have been stuck on ice, for example, we know that if the wheels are spinning we have no traction. This is because the contact patch is sliding relative to the ice. By keeping the wheels from skidding while we slow down, anti-lock brakes benefit in two ways: The vehicle stops faster, and we will be able to steer while we stop. There are four main components to an ABS system: Speed Sensors, Pump, Valve and an ECU. 3.2.1 Speed Sensor The anti-lock braking system needs some way of knowing when a wheel is about to lock up. The speed sensors, which are located at each wheel, or in some cases in the differential, provide this information. 3.2.2 Valves There is a valve in the brake line of each brake controlled by the ABS. On some systems, the valve has three positions: In position one, the valve is open; pressure from the master cylinder is passed right through to the brake. In position two, the valve blocks the line, isolating that brake from the master cylinder. This prevents the pressure from rising further should the driver push the brake pedal harder. In position three, the valve releases some of the pressure from the brake. 3.2.3 Pump Since the valve is able to release pressure from the brakes, there has to be some way to put that pressure back. That is what the pump does; when a valve reduces the pressure in a line, the pump is there to get the pressure back up. 3.2.4 The ECU The ECU receives, filters and amplifies the speed sensor signals and ascertains from them the degree of wheel slip and the acceleration of the individual wheels as well as the reference speed which is the best possible calculation of the vehicle road speed. Most of the systems use vehicle specific LSI circuits for this purpose. Fig 3.2 Anti Lock Brake Pump and Valves 3.3 WORKING OF ABS There are many different variations and control algorithms for ABS systems. We will discuss how one of the simpler systems works. The controller monitors the speed sensors at all times. It is looking for decelerations in the wheel that are out of the ordinary. Right before the wheel locks up, it will experience a rapid deceleration. If left unchecked, the wheel would stop much more quickly than any car could. It might take a car five seconds to stop from 60 mph (96.6 kph) under ideal conditions, but a wheel that locks up could stop spinning in less than a second. The ABS controller knows that such a rapid deceleration is impossible, so it reduces the pressure to that brake until it sees acceleration, then it increases the pressure until it sees the deceleration again. It can do this very quickly, before the tire can actually significantly change speed. The result is that the tire slows down at the same rate as the car, with the brakes keeping the tires very near the point at which they will start to lock up. This gives the system maximum braking power. When the ABS system is in operation we will feel a pulsing in the brake pedal; this comes from the rapid opening and closing of the valves. Some ABS systems can cycle up to 15 times per second. 3.4 TYPES OF ABS: Anti-lock braking systems use different schemes depending on the type of brakes in use. Referring them by the number of channels, that is, how many valves that are individually controlled and the number of speed sensors, we have the following:   i) Four-channel, four-sensor ABS This is the best scheme. There is a speed sensor on all four wheels and a separate valve for all four wheels. With this setup, the controller monitors each wheel individually to make sure it is achieving maximum braking force. ii) Three-channel, three-sensor ABS This scheme, commonly found on pickup trucks with four-wheel ABS, has a speed sensor and a valve for each of the front wheels, with one valve and one sensor for both rear wheels. The speed sensor for the rear wheels is located in the rear axle. This system provides individual control of the front wheels, so they can both achieve maximum braking force. The rear wheels, however, are monitored together; they both have to start to lock up before the ABS will activate on the rear. With this system, it is possible that one of the rear wheels will lock during a stop, reducing brake effectiveness. iii) One-channel, one-sensor ABS This system is commonly found on pickup trucks with rear-wheel ABS. It has one valve, which controls both rear wheels, and one speed sensor, located in the rear axle. This system operates the same as the rear end of a three-channel system. The rear wheels are monitored together and they both have to start to lock up before the ABS kicks in. In this system it is also possible that one of the rear wheels will lock, reducing brake effectiveness. This system is easy to identify. Usually there will be one brake line going through a T-fitting to both rear wheels. We can locate the speed sensor by looking for an electrical connection near the differential on the rear-axle housing. Chapter 4 IMPLEMENTATION OF ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM 4.1 BLOCK DIAGRAM OF ABS On initial braking, the brake pressure is increased, the brake slip ÃŽÂ » rises and at the maximum point on the adhesion/slip curve, it reaches the limit between the stable and unstable ranges. From this point on, any further increase in the brake pressure or braking torque does not cause any further increase in braking force FB. In the stable range, the brake slip is largely deformation slip, it increasingly tends towards skidding in the unstable range. Actuator Desired Slip Controller Vehicle Dynamics Actual Slip Fig4.1. Block Diagram of ABS We model the ABS using Matlab/Simulink where in the various mechanical blocks are realized and mathematical models of the same are readily available in the Simulink library. The ABS simulation model follows the below shown control loop. The reference variable is the desired relative slip which is fed as an input to the system. The control system in our case is the wheel whose parameters like wheel speed are measured. The feedback path consists of the user defined equation which measures the relative slip of the wheel and the error is rectified at the initial stage. The model represents a single wheel, which may be replicated a number of times to create a model for a multi-wheel vehicle. Fig 4.2. ABS Control Loop 4.2 ANALYSIS OF ABS: For understanding the concept of ABS, we make use of the free body diagram of a wheel. We make use of the formulae for force and torque acting on the wheel. The below figure gives us a clear understanding about the forces acting on a wheel. The wheel rotates with an initial angular speed that corresponds to the vehicle speed before the brakes are applied. We used separate integrators to compute wheel angular speed and vehicle speed. We use two speeds to calculate slip, which is determined below. Note that we introduce vehicle speed expressed as an angular velocity (see below). . (Equal to wheel angular speed if there is no slip.) (1) Fig 4.3 Free Body Diagram of a single wheel (2) (3) is the wheel speed divided by the wheel radius. is the vehicle linear velocity. is the wheel radius. is the wheel angular velocity. We can also write (3) as (4) Where V is the vehicle speed, à Ã¢â‚¬ ° is the wheel speed and r is the radius of the wheel. From these expressions, we see that slip is zero when wheel speed and vehicle speed are equal, and slip equals one when the wheel is locked. A desirable slip value is 0.2, which means that the number of wheel revolutions equals 0.8 times the number of revolutions under non-braking conditions with the same vehicle velocity. This maximizes the adhesion between the tire and road and minimizes the stopping distance with the available friction. If an excessive brake torque is applied, the wheel will be locked, which means that it slides on the road surface but does not rotate at all. A locked wheel has no lateral stability and less longitudinal friction force, which is the ultimate force to stop the vehicle. Thus, a braking with a locked wheel will cause longer stopping distance and lateral instability. The tire force from the road surface causes the wheel velocity to increase, thus decreases the wheel slip. A high ÃŽÂ ¼ leads to a large tyre force and a low ÃŽÂ ¼ leads to a small tyre force. In the increasing part of the ÃŽÂ ¼-slip curve, an increase of the wheel slip leads to a larger ÃŽÂ ¼ and a larger tyre force, which reverses the wheel slip to a small value. However, in the decreasing part of the ÃŽÂ ¼-slip curve, an increase of the wheel slip leads to a smaller ÃŽÂ ¼ and a smaller tyre force, which causes the wheel slip to increase continuously. So, the peak point of the ÃŽÂ ¼-slip curve is criti cal. When a braking is initiated, the wheel velocity starts to decrease and the wheel slip starts to increase from zero. The wheel slip may stop increasing and start to decrease before the ÃŽÂ ¼ reaches its peak point. But if an excessive brake torque is applied, the wheel slip may go straightly to a large number, which causes the ÃŽÂ ¼ to pass its peak point and reach somewhere in the decreasing part of the ÃŽÂ ¼-slip curve. If the brake torque is not reduced quickly at this point, the reduction of the road friction force will lead to a rapid increase of the wheel slip and eventually to a wheel lockup. ABS tries to detect when this peak point is going to be reached and then reduces the brake torque properly so that a wheel lockup could be avoided. Fig 4.4. ÃŽÂ ¼-slip Friction Curve It appears to be true that maintaining the wheel slip at the peak point of the ÃŽÂ ¼- slip curve is ideal. However, the position of the peak ÃŽÂ ¼ point varies on the different road surfaces. In addition, stay at the peak point of the ÃŽÂ ¼- slip curve sometime may lead to a poor lateral stability. Thus, many control strategies define their performance goal as maintaining the wheel slip near a value of 0.2. This represents a compromise between the lateral stability, which is best at ÃŽÂ »=0 and the maximum deceleration which usually appears when ÃŽÂ » is between 0.1 and 0.3. 4.3 IMPLEMENTATION The friction coefficient between the tire and the road surface,  µ, is an empirical function of slip, known as the  µ-slip curve. We created mu-slip curves by passing MATLAB variables into the block diagram using a Simulink lookup table. The model multiplies the friction coefficient,  µ, by the weight on the wheel, W, to yield the frictional force, Ff, acting on the circumference of the tire. Ff is divided by the vehicle mass to produce the vehicle deceleration, which the model integrates to obtain vehicle velocity. In this model, we used an ideal anti-lock braking controller, that uses bang-bang control based upon the error between actual slip and desired slip. We set the desired slip to the value of slip at which the  µ-slip curve reaches a peak value, this being the optimum value for minimum braking distance (see note below.). Note: In an actual vehicle, the slip cannot be measured directly, so this control algorithm is not practical. It is used here to illustrate the conceptual construction of a simulation model. Fig 4.5. Simulink Model of the ABS In the above figure, the wheel speed, vehicle speed and the stopping distance are measured and the error value is fed back through the feedback path. Also, tire torque and the relative slip are fed as inputs to the wheel speed block. Notice that the model is a reference model which has its own internal block. Double click on the Wheel Speed subsystem in the model window to open it. Given the wheel slip, the desired wheel slip, and the tire torque, this subsystem calculates the wheel angular speed. To control the rate of change of brake pressure, the model subtracts actual slip from the desired slip and feeds this signal into a bang-bang control (+1 or -1, depending on the sign of the error). This on/off rate passes through a first-order lag that represents the delay associated with the hydraulic lines of the brake system. The model then integrates the filtered rate to yield the actual brake pressure. The resulting signal, multiplied by the piston area and radius with respect to the wheel (Kf), is the brake torque applied to the wheel. Fig 4.6. Wheel Speed Model for the ABS The model multiplies the frictional force on the wheel by the wheel radius (Rr) to give the accelerating torque of the road surface on the wheel. The brake torque is subtracted to give the net torque on the wheel. Dividing the net torque by the wheel rotational inertia, I, yields the wheel acceleration, which is then integrated to provide wheel velocity. In order to keep the wheel speed and vehicle speed positive, limited integrators are used in this model. After we build the ABS model in simulink, we have to configure the parameters related to simulation of the model. We need to specify that the signals are exported to the Matlab workspace where they are analyzed and results are viewed. This is done by checking the signal logging field in the configuration parameters option provided in the simulation tab. Fig 4.7. Configuring Parameters for the model We make a Matlab code which makes use of the inputs and outputs used by the simulink model and we plot the waveforms. 4.3.1 ABS Code h = findobj(0, Name, ABS Speeds); if isempty(h), h=figure(Position,[26 239 452 257], Name,ABS Speeds, NumberTitle,off); end figure(h) set(h,DefaultAxesFontSize,8) logsout.unpack(all); plot(Vs.Time, Vs.Data); set(findobj(type,line),color,[0 1 0]); hold on; plot(Ww.Time, Ww.Data); title(Vehicle speed and wheel speed); ylabel(Speed(rad/sec)); xlabel(Time(secs)); set(gca,Position,[0.1300 0.1500 0.7750 0.750]); set(get(gca,xlabel),FontSize,10); set(get(gca,ylabel),FontSize,10); set(get(gca,title),FontSize,10); % Plot arrow with annotation hold on plot([5.958; 4.192],[36.92; 17.29],r-,[5.758; 5.958; 6.029],[36.55; 36.92; 35.86],r- ) text(8.533,54.66,Vehicle speed (omega_v),FontSize,10) plot([7.14; 8.35],[43.1; 56.3],r-,[7.34; 7.14; 7.07],[43.4; 43.1; 44.1],r- ) text(4.342,15.69,Wheel speed (omega_w),FontSize,10) drawnow hold off h = findobj(0, Name, ABS Slip); if isempty(h), h=figure(Position,[486 239 452 257], Name,ABS Slip, NumberTitle,off); end figure(h); set(h,DefaultAxesFontSize,8) slp = logsout.slp.Data; time = logsout.slp.Time; plot(time,slp); title(Slip) xlabel(Time(secs)) ylabel(Normalized Relative Slip) set(gca,Position,[0.1300 0.1500 0.7750 0.750]) set(get(gca,xlabel),FontSize,10) set(get(gca,ylabel),FontSize,10) set(get(gca,title),FontSize,10) Chapter 5 RESULTS AND CONCLUSION After building the model, we simulate it using the options provided in the same Simulink window. 5.1 RUNNING THE SIMULATION 5.1.1 With ABS Press the Play button on the model toolbar to run the simulation. We can also run the simulation by executing the sim(FILE NAME) command in MATLAB. ABS is turned on during this simulation. Fig 5.1 Vehicle Speed and Wheel Speed(with ABS) The model logs relevant data to MATLAB workspace. Logged signals have a blue indicator. In this case yout and slp are logged (see the model).The above figure visualizes the ABS simulation results. The first plot in figure shows the wheel angular velocity and corresponding vehicle angular velocity. This plot shows that the wheel speed stays below vehicle speed without locking up, with vehicle speed going to zero in less than 15 seconds. Fig 5.2 Normalised Relative Slip(with ABS) 5.1.2 Without ABS For more meaningful results, consider the vehicle behavior without ABS. At the MATLAB command line, set the model variable ctrl = 0. This disconnects the slip feedback from the contro

Sunday, January 19, 2020

What is Operations Management?

Operation Management is concerned with any productive activity, whether manufacturing or service, in public sector or private sector, profit making or not profit making. It is concerned with ensuring that operations are carried out both efficiently and effectively. All mangers are operations managers since all functions within an organization are, presumably, productive activates it goes without saying that all function should be carried out efficiently and effectively. However the operation function is the hear t of all manufacturing and service enterprises, and unless this core operation is carried out effectively there is little hope that organization as a whole will be effective. An understanding of Operation Management principals can help any manger to manage more effectively , whatever function they are concerned with but it also leads to a greater understanding of the function of the organization as a whole and a greater appreciation for the issues which affect organizational performances. Definition of Operations Management. Operations Management is concerned with managing the resources that directly produce the organization’s service or product after going through a number of transforming Inputs Processes. The resources will usually consist of people, materials, technology and information but may go wider than this. These resources are brought together by a series of processes; so that they are utilized to deliver the primary service or product of the organization. Thus, operation management is concerned with managing inputs (resources) through transformation processes to deliver output (service or product). The following diagram explains the concept of Operation Management more clearly. (Appendix -1 –Pictorial representation of Operation Management) Example of Operation Management: Let us consider an example from our daily life to understand the concept of Operation Management more clearly. Consider an education institute, here, the student are a primary inputs. The transformation process is the learning that takes place. The main output is the educated students. For this operation to take place there has to be a proper timetabling, lecture and management of the whole activity. Scope of Operation Management: Expressed in this way it can be seen that the term ‘operations’ covers a wide range of organization. Manufacturing, commercial service, public service and other not-for-profit sector are all included within its scope. One way of defining operation function of the organization is to define what the end service or product actually is once this is clear, the people who directly contribute to the delivery of the end service or product, and the people who closely support them in this task, can be said to operational personnel of the organization. Read also Exam Operations Management Unfortunately, people who actually perform operational roles under this definition are not always called operational Mangers. This makes identifying the operation more difficult than, say, identifying the financial marketing or personnel functions. Job title such as hospital manger, technical director and store manger do not have the word operation in them, yet they are all Operations Management roles. Operations Management and its significance; Operations management concepts exactly help us to gain a better know ledge of things how they and perform around us. These concepts and theories have been developed by experts from different fields and published to share the knowledge to the publics. Operations management focuses on how the subtle routines and activities in your life can be systematically improved and makes our easy little by little. Operations management concepts use logic and practicalities to carry mare efficiency into everyone’s live and inspire other to bring out more ways to improve this world. Applying concepts to real situations: When the concepts and theories are produced by the great minds of the world, there are no real tangible benefits until it is actually used and applied in the real world. It is one thing to theorize that you can invent something that will take current way of living to the next level and another thing to actually do it and make everybody see that your theory is for real. The same rule applies to operations management concepts. They may be available to you and make you aware of how things around you work but if they are not used to improve the current status then they become useless. They become ere writings on paper and nothing more than that. If these concepts are to become relevant to society, people and government it should be used in such a way that their presence is felt in operations they are used. Once this is happen, then you can expect a wave of improvement every day from everyone which led to a greater improvement in the future. A relevant issue wherein operations management can be applied is in addressing flood damage problem. Today’s technology obviously does not have control over nature’s forces and the disaster that it may bring. The best way to deal with it then is through preparation and some sort of damage. It is in this aspect that operations management concepts can shine and really help in providing a boost to the current living conditions. Government applying operations management tools: An important part in addressing flood damage is the clean up that follows. This procedure is usually the most difficult and the most expensive of them all. After a major flood, everything is misplaced, infrastructure is ruined and slowly decaying and the area is usually in a state of disorder. If the flood damage cleanup programs are not well designed, it can take a very long time to get the area back on its feet. This means that people will not be able to get paid and it will hurt their way of living. As you can see, the most important things to be considered is how quickly flood damages can be cleaned up and in order to figure out the best possible way to do this, government turn up to use operations management concepts to settle things as soon as possible and which they were successful. The concepts will break down each process that is needed to cleanup flood damage and improve the little details to make everything better, faster and more efficient fullest extent for a better and quick result. Concepts and its applications †¢The first concept in operations management is project planning: the scope of flood damage cleanups usually covers a big area with varying terrains. To be able to work quickly, a very good plan must be set before everybody can get to work. In project planning, there is an emphasis on scheduling and process layout. If there is a set schedule for when cleanup crew are supposed to move in and their job, there will not be any wasted time or effort. It will also give supervisors control over inactive crew so they can be given work and be more productive. An example in terms cleaning up after flood damage is the different jobs that are involved. First, the area has to be cleaned up of debris so a specific cleanup crew will have to handle that. Only after they finish will the road repair crew be able to do their job. Basically, project planning process layout creates a sequence for the different jobs that need to be done and, again, lessens confusion as to what should be done first or not. The next important concept is TQM which stands total quality management: this idea states that there should always be constant improvement within each and every process no matter how miniscule the improvement may be. The logic behind this is that each small incremental improvement will eventually add up to something significant if it is done regularly. Obviously in term of flood damage cleanups, anything that can be done a little bit quickly wil l be beneficial in the long run. This is why each process, cleaning repairing, debris- removing and all other activities should always be done at the fastest pace possible without sacrificing quality and safety. More and more, faster times and more efficient procedures should be set out and eventually, there should be marked improvement over the original performance. †¢Another relevant concept that can b applied is capacity analysis: this takes a logical step in measuring how much capacity a given machine or worker can take. It allows foe downtime, mistake and other unpredictable events then chums out the data to make it relevant. This is important because it help the project planner to be attended to. Capacity analysis also give a good idea of how well equipped a flood damage teams are in regards to dealing with worst case scenarios. †¢The last concept that will be discussed is that of facility location planning: flood damage cleanup supervisors should be able to pin point possible trouble spot during bad weather and be able to situate headquarters nearby. Using this concept may help in determining the most favorable location for setting up of headquarters which will result in save of time and energy. Advantages from Operation Management Application: Although many of the operations management concepts have been discussed, you can see it is beneficial to apply these ideas. It may cost money but the advantages they give are limitless. More efficiency and faster routines are a win- win situation for flood damage crew, government and the residents of the area. Simply put through, operations management concepts real aim is to put organization in continually improvement and to make working condition easy and time saving. Basically, applying different operations management concepts can greatly help in different line of work.

Friday, January 10, 2020

Coaching and Leadership in the Workplace Essay

According to Mike Noble in his article, Transform Managers into Coaches: Five Steps for Coaching Success, an effective manager is a coach and not just a boss. The most effective managers are those who can coach and collaborate. If one is able to coach their employees effectively then they are able to create sustainable long-term results for themselves and their company. Coaching is action of helping others to perform better, whether it is through feedback, demonstrations, or teaching. It is investing in the people within a company and shaping them into better employees so that they can not only perform their tasks better, but also better qualify for promotions. Mike Noble’s article breaks down the five steps necessary for successfully becoming a coaching leader and the benefits of becoming one. By coaching your employees, you become a transformational leader who enhances as well as generates new experiences for employees, thus gaining a stronger level of commitment from them. The first step to transforming a manager into a coaching leader is to build a personal case for coaching. The manager has to want to develop their coaching skills and see the relevance of developing them. Once a manager understands that they can achieve better results through coaching instead of taking a command and control response to management, they will be willing to develop their skills as a coach. Managers are more inclined to seize the opportunity when they realize that many successful leaders and executives are coaches in their respective disciplines. Next, firm expectations need to be set regarding coaching. By clarifying the expectation that coaching is the primary responsibility of each manager, you are creating a coaching culture. If a firm or organization has a strong corporate culture of coaching, it creates a positive environment that employees want to be a part of and participate in within that firm or organization. Coaching should be a part of every manager’s job description. For the third step, one should teach coaching skills and put them into practice. Coaching does not come naturally for everyone and core-coaching skills can be taught in a variety of ways. The key to developing good coaching skills is being able to put them to use in real life situations when coachable opportunities occur. If you want a manager to transform into a good coach, there is no better way than to give them a coach of their own so they can experience things hands on. The fourth step in the transformation process is to be assigned a coach. By assigning them a coach, it enables a manager not only to experience the benefits of coaching but provides an effective model for coaching others. The final step to developing a coaching manager is to reward the best coaches with the best jobs. Those with the strongest coaching skills are potentially the strongest performers and therefore the best candidates for important manager and executive roles in an organization. The benefits of becoming a coaching manager are career advancement and overall benefits to the organization with strengthened skills in their employees. Right now, I have an authoritative style of leadership, but I strongly want to develop my coaching skills and modify my behavior. My store manager is a strong coaching manager who I admire greatly and she is my coach from whom I learn all my lessons. I have all the habits of a strong ethical leader in that I have strong personal character and a passion to do what is right. I always try to consider the interest of the stakeholders, be proactive, and model the values of my company. All of these qualities make me a good manager, but I do not just want to be good, I want to be the best. If I am to be the best, I have to develop the strongest team and I can only do by coaching them to be better. Right now, I am just an assistant restaurant manager with McDonalds, but I intend to move up and desire nothing more than to move through the ranks quickly. McDonald’s focuses its training on coaching and improving performance, so that is why I find this article so relevant to leadership styles. You can coach someone to make decisions that are more ethical and do the right thing. If developing a coaching leadership style means I will build a stronger team at my restaurant, then that is what I want to do. I want to be able to share my strong ethical culture with others and the best way for me to do that is to coach them. I want to foster long-term success among my people and create a positive climate where people want to work. As of right now, I have gone through four of the five steps in developing myself as a coaching manager. I have identified my personal case for coaching and I know what is in it for me. I want to move up and that is my motivating factor. My store manager at work has set firm expectations for me in becoming a coaching manager. She has set goals for me and I am working on achieving them. At work, I bring the skills I am developing onto the floor and implement them into situations as they occur. I learn new things daily from my coach, my store manager Jessica, and I try to share those things with the people I am coaching. At this point in my career, I can only hope that the things I am learning and bringing onto the floor are effective and I will soon see myself reap the reward of becoming a first assistant manager at work and one day becoming a store manager.