This study formulated maize-starch based cutting fluids and determined the performance of the cutting fluids for use in turning AISI 304 stainless steel with P35 coated carbide tool. This was with a view to determining the effect of the maize-starch based cutting fluids on power consumption and temperature developed at the tool-workpiece interface during turning of AISI 304 stainless steel using P35 coated carbide tool. The results showed that the temperature at the cutting zone increase with increase in depth of cut while the power consumed decreased with increase in the cutting fluid flow rate. At the best machining data point, maize-starch based cutting fluid showed reduced temperatures and power consumed as compared to the conventional cutting fluids used for the study: 34oC and 0.735 W for maize starch mixed with soluble oil, 40oC and 0.733 W for maize starch mixed with coconut oil respectively. Corresponding values for straight coconut oil were 47.5oC and 0.942 W and for soluble oil mixed with water, 37.5oC and 1.729 W, respectively. It is concluded that maize-starch based cutting fluids are effective in reducing the temperature and power consumed during cylindrical turning. The results indicated that maize-starch mixed with soluble oil has remarkable potentials for use as a cutting fluid.

Current computer software for designing gear systems have limited flexibility and few offer multiple gearing design options. The objective of this study was to develop an interactive package for the design and analyses of worm gearing mechanisms. The worm gears were designed based on full-depth involute teeth. Mathematical models were developed to compute geometry factors for surface durability of single-enveloping worm gearing cases which were extracted from established American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) standards. Maximum percentage errors from the geometry features, bending loads and wear loads are 0.97%, 3.27% and 1.77% respectively and insignificant. A software capable of computing geometry parameters, bending and wear loads, and selecting appropriate materials for worm mechanisms with good accuracy has been developed.

Exposure to Finite Element Method is beneficial to undergraduate engineering students; and educators have an obligation to introduce students to modern engineering tools. However, teaching of the course is computational intensive and existing propriety software are very expensive. Different approaches to introducing students to the FEM have been proposed. Existing approaches make use of learning modules of commercial Finite Element Analysis (FEA) packages such as ANSYS, ABAQUS, COMSOL Multiphysics, ALGOR, JL AutoFEA Analyzer and PRO/MECHANICA. This paper presents an in-house developed finite-element-based computer model via the virtual work principle using Linear Strain Triangular (LST) elements for deflection analysis on cantilever beam. The validation and capability characteristics was demonstrated by applying it to a cantilever beam, subjected to a point load, using both coarse (4-element) and fine (10-element) meshes. The model gave results very close to those obtained analytically; the 10-element mesh gave better results than the 4-element mesh. The model has made the analysis more flexible, and also made visualization and presentation of results easier for better judgment. It facilitates the presentation of the basic rules which govern FEA and helps in the learning of different aspects of the numerical technique; hence the model will serve as reliable tool in undergraduate engineering programme