In mining industries, the prime concern is to overcome the challenges of using conical cutting bits for excavating hard and abrasive rocks. In this research, a speculative investigation was performed to measure the efficiency of rock cutting and identify the wear behavior of aluminum titanium nitride-coated conical cutting bits. A newly designed and customized shaping machine is used with a triaxial force dynamometer to cut the rock samples linearly and to calculate their associated powers. Coated conical bits have a maximum hardness range of 2,291 to 2,459 HV, and uncoated conical bits possess minimum hardness range of 1,945 to 1,948 HV. Two rock samples of fine-grained sandstone with UCS of 83.77 and 97.00 MPa are used in this study. Various cutting ranges were investigated and the best range of cutting parameters are identified between the variables, such as cutting forces and extracted volume of rock, cutting effectiveness, specific energy produced while cutting, and bit wear. The percentage decrease in wear rate of a coated conical bit compared with an uncoated conical bit is 40.36%, 52.28%, and 53.30% for Rock 1 and 42.67%, 54.76%, and 60.90% for Rock 2 under varying depths of cut. The worn surface has been significantly investigated through scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The output of this study helps in extending the application of a surface miner for excavating harder rocks in mines.

The current research focuses on sol-gel derived synthesis and RF sputter deposition of molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) over polycrystalline Si solar cell. Various coating layers were obtained under different sputter deposition at regular intervals. The influence of MoS2 sputter coating on optical, thermal chemical structural properties was examined through various characterisation techniques. 30 minutes coated solar cell reported maximum light transmittance of 95 % in the visible spectrum and minimum electrical resistivity of 2 × 10-3ohm-cm. 30 minutes coated solar cell exhibited maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.19 % (open source) and 21.01 % (controlled source). Thermal imaging data reveal that the optimal coating layer experiences a minimum temperature of 33.9 °C and 49.9 °C. From experimental results, sputter deposited MoS2 Si solar cells experience minimum light reflectance and enhanced cell performance.

This research study intends to develop an online tool condition monitoring system and to examine scientifically the effect of machining parameters on quality measures during machining SAE 1015 steel. It is accomplished by adopting a novel microflown sound sensor which is capable of acquiring sound signals. The dry turning experiments were performed by employing uncoated, TiAlN, TiAlN/WC-C coated inserts. The optimal cutting conditions and their influence on flank wear were determined and predicted value has been validated through confirmation experiment. During machining, sound signals were acquired using NI DAQ card and statistical analysis of raw data has been performed. Kurtosis and I-Kaz coefficient was determined systematically. The correlation between flank wear and I-Kaz coefficient was established, which fits into power-law curve. The neural network model was trained and developed with least error (3.7603e-5). It reveals that the developed neural network can be effectively utilized with minimal error for online monitoring.

Solar cells are capable of converting light energy into electrical energy and can completely replace the utilization of fossil fuel energy resources. The current research work majorly concentrates on the development and coating of antireflection materials over the front contact of silicon solar cells. Ferrous disulphide was one of the wide band gap semiconductors employed as a catalytic electrode (in DSSCs), counter electrode (in QDSSs), and solar energy harvester. FeS₂ was synthesized through the hydrothermal method. The antireflective coating was performed over solar cells through the electrospraying technique. It was found that the antireflective material was distributed evenly over the coating substrate at 2ml/h for 30 (F1), 60 (F2), 90 (F3), and 120 (F4) min. The coated solar cells were examined under neodymium light illumination mimicking sunlight. The effect of electrosprayed FeS₂ films adhered over the front contact of solar cells was evaluated using various characterization techniques. The maximum efficiency attained by coated solar cells under indirect light was 19.6. With the aid of electrospraying, hydrothermally synthesized FeS₂ assists incoming photons with energy greater than the bandgap of a procured Si solar cell to take part in the photogeneration process. The maximum Isc and Voc of 38.08mA/cm² and 0.655V were achieved for the F3 solar cell under neodymium irradiation.