In this research work, a comparative evaluation on the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of aluminium based single and hybrid reinforced nanocomposites was carried out. The manufacture of a single reinforced nanocomposite was conducted with the distribution of 2 wt.% nano alumina particles (avg. particle size 30-50 nm) in the molten aluminium alloy of grade AA 7075; while the hybrid reinforced nanocomposites were produced with of 4 wt.% silicon carbide (avg. particle size 5-10 µm) and 2 wt.%, 4 wt.% nano alumina particles. Three numbers of single reinforced nanocomposites were manufactured through stir casting with reinforcements preheated to different temperatures viz. 400 °C, 500 °C, and 600 °C. The stir cast procedure was extended to fabricate two hybrid reinforced nanocomposites with reinforcements preheated to 500 °C prior to their inclusion. A single reinforced nanocomposite was also developed by squeeze casting with a pressure of 101 MPa. Mechanical and physical properties such as density, hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and impact strength were evaluated on all the developed composites. The microstructural observation was carried out using optical and scanning electron microscopy. On comparison with base alloy, an improvement of 63.7% and 81.1% in brinell hardness was observed for single and hybrid reinforced nanocomposites respectively. About 16% higher ultimate tensile strength was noticed with the squeeze cast single reinforced nanocomposite over the stir cast.

Enforcement of stricter environmental policies demands alternative methods that could reduce the usage of cutting fluid during machining. Thus, dry machining and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) machining are gaining practical importance. Due to enhanced mechanical and thermal properties, aluminium based nanocomposites have wide application in aerospace and automobile industries. In this work, asqueeze cast hybrid nanocomposite is developed with the reinforcement of 0.5 wt% hexagonal boron nitride and 1 wt% alumina particles in the base matrix of Al 7075 that is subjected to a squeezing pressure of 150 MPa. During the turning of this hybrid nanocomposite, thefeed rate is varied (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 mm/rev)and its influence on the generated forces, tool wear and surface roughness under dry and MQL environments is performed. The results are compared with squeeze cast unreinforced aluminium alloy and presented.

Drilling holes in carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) laminates are more prone to incur damage during machining. Surface damage could be considerably minimized through the adoption of cryogenic assisted machining. The economic and safety implications associated with cryogenic technology necessitate the exploration of alternate technologies. In this research work, the effects of cutting velocity (100, 125, and 150 m/min) and feed rate (0.03, 0.06, and 0.09 mm/rev) on thrust force, surface roughness, delamination, and acoustic emissions are studied during the drilling of CFRP laminates under chilled air environment and compared with dry drilling. The output parameters are found to be much influenced by feed rate than cutting velocity. Under high feed rate and cutting velocity, the delamination factor, surface roughness, and acoustic emissions are, respectively, reduced by 13.2, 10.5, and 7.4% for the drilling performed under chilled air environment over dry condition. About 9.9% increased thrust force is observed for chilled air-assisted drilling under the identical machining condition.

Future mobility is expected to be sustainable in terms of energy production, consumption, and vehicle emissions. Embedded intelligent systems are playing a crucial role in the electrification of vehicles, their autonomy and implementation. Though electric vehicle technology is expected to lead the automotive powertrain architecture in the coming decades, various barriers currently hinder their acceptance into the automotive market. These barriers are generally categorized into battery technology, vehicle performance, charging infrastructure, consumer behavior, and government support. Hence, a detailed analysis of these barriers, especially for developing countries with minimal electric vehicle penetration is an area of concern. This article investigates the barriers and infers the comparative order of resolution for each barrier based on its priority to be identified and overcome. As consumers are the major influencers of electric vehicle demand and acceptance, barrier analysis is carried out based on their opinions. Using a Consumer Perception Survey, this article determines the influence of each barrier on potential users of electric vehicles. Fuzzy Stepwise Weight Assessment Ratio analysis and TOPSIS are implemented to allocate evaluation factors to each sub-barrier to obtain the hierarchy of priority. Furthermore, this article highlights the policies and schemes implemented in developed countries and correlates them with their electric vehicle population. The article sheds light on different measures to be taken in developing countries such as India to mitigate barriers and bridge gaps. The outcome of the literature review and consumer perception survey shows that the major factors affecting electric vehicle implementation in developing countries are the lack of charging infrastructure and high overall cost. Therefore, it is realized that such developing countries must introduce more schemes and incentives on infrastructural and operational costs to promote EV growth.

As the battery provides the entire propulsion power in electric vehicles (EVs), the utmost importance should be ascribed to the battery management system (BMS) which controls all the activities associated with the battery. This review article seeks to provide readers with an overview of prominent BMS subsystems and their influence on vehicle performance, along with their architectures. Moreover, it collates many recent research activities and critically reviews various control strategies and execution topologies implied in different aspects of BMSs, including battery modeling, states estimation, cell-balancing, and thermal management. The internal architecture of a BMS, along with the architectures of the control modules, is examined to demonstrate the working of an entire BMS control module. Moreover, a critical review of different battery models, control approaches for state estimation, cell-balancing, and thermal management is presented in terms of their salient features and merits and demerits allowing readers to analyze and understand them. The review also throws light on modern technologies implied in BMS, such as IoT (Internet of Things) and cloud-based BMS, to address issues of battery safety. Towards the end of the review, some challenges associated with the design and development of efficient BMSs for E-mobility applications are discussed and the article concludes with recommendations to tackle these challenges.