Faculty and Staff members from MUET and SSUET Karachi were invited to take part in an Erasmus+ KA107 Staff Mobility exchange program at Politecnico di Milano for two weeks. The mobility took place within the framework of ERASMUS+ Teaching Mobility and in accordance with the Teaching Programme. The delegation of MUET was led by Prof Dr Bhawani Shankar Chowdhry whereas the delegation of SSUET was led by Prof Dr Muhammad Aamir. During the visit, all staff members delivered their presentations and discussed their research work as well. There was a sequence of visits to various laboratories and learning platforms as well. The delegation also visited the Pakistani Consulate in Milan and met with the Honourable Consulate General Her Excellency Madam Aqsa Nawaz who appreciated the exchange programs and projects being done by Pakistani Universities. Being a member of BoG HEC, Prof Dr Bhawani Shankar discussed various collaborations which can be done under the umbrella of HEC and PEC. President QS World Merit Pakistan Engr Muhammad Zakir Shaikh also briefed about the various projects regarding Sustainable Development Goals and their impacts on society.
The delegation also visited the Competency Development INDUSTRY 4.0 Centre of Politecnico Milano Italy. It was really surprising to see that they have turned sick Industry into Competence Centre Industry 4.0 which provides a wide range of knowledge, methodologies, and digital tools that encompass the entire product lifecycle: from the design to the engineering, from the production management to the delivery to the customer, and the end of the product life cycle. The one-of-a-kind large demo center spans 2,500 sqm, hosting 20 use cases, training classrooms, co-working, and meeting spaces. The unique growth path towards digital transformation relies on different stages: to inform and show the technologies of Industry 4.0, to explain them with specific training sessions, and transfer and implement the outcomes through dedicated projects. The Staff also visited PolifabLab, The National University Library (Bibliotecanazionaleuniversitaria in Italian) in Turin, Italy, which is one of the country’s main libraries. Many projects for academic and research work and projects for developing research collaboration in the areas of common interest were also discussed.n

To operate successfully in harsh thermo-mechanical settings, a thermal barrier coating must meet specific parameters. Proper porosity, as well as suitable coordinating of warm extension coefficients with the metal surface that the warm obstruction covering is coating are required to deal with thermal expansion pressures during heating and cooling. Significant volume fluctuations (which occur during phase changes) might cause the coating to crack or spall, hence phase stability is necessary. Oxidation resistance, as well as good mechanical qualities for rotating/moving parts or parts in contact, are required in air-breathing engines. In automotive applications, thermal barrier ceramic coatings are becoming more widespread. Exhaust manifolds, turbocharger casings, exhaust headers, downpipes, and tailpipes are among the components of the engine exhaust system that are specially designed to limit heat loss. The metal substrate, metallic bond coat, thermally generated oxide, and ceramic topcoat are the four layers that make up a thermal barrier coating. The ceramic topcoat is usually made of yttria-stabilized zirconia, which has a low conductivity and is stable at the nominal operating temperatures found in thermal barrier coating applications. The TBC’s largest thermal gradient is created by this ceramic layer, which keeps the bottom layers cooler than the top. Above 1200 °C, however, YSZ undergoes unfavorable phase changes, transitioning from t’-tetragonal to tetragonal to cubic to monoclinic.
Thermal barrier coatings are used to insulate metallic substrates so that they can be utilized at high temperatures for long periods of time. As a result, they frequently experience thermal shock, which is a stress that occurs in a material when it encounters a sudden temperature change. Because the thermal shock strains can cause cracking in the thermal barrier coating if they are sufficiently powerful, this thermal shock is a primary factor to the failure of thermal barrier coatings. In reality, frequent thermal shocks caused by repeatedly turning the engine on and off are a major cause of thermal barrier coating-coated turbine blade failure in aeroplanes. Although most ceramic coatings are applied to metallic items directly related to the engine exhaust system, technical advancements have made it possible to apply thermal barrier coatings to composite materials using plasma spray. Ceramic-coated components are already widespread in modern engines and on high-performance components in racing series such as Formula 1. These coatings are utilized to reduce physical degradation of the composite material owing to friction in addition to providing thermal protection.
The thermodynamic data for these reactions have been determined experimentally over several years, revealing that Si(OH)4 is the dominant vapor species in most cases. To protect these CMCs against water vapor and other environmental degradants, even more, sophisticated environmental barrier coatings are necessary. Sand particles, for example, begin to melt and react with coatings as gas temperatures rise to 1400 K-1500 K. Calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon oxide are frequent components of molten sand (commonly referred to as CMAS).
These coatings can help parts last longer by minimizing oxidation and thermal fatigue and allowing for higher operating temperatures while limiting structural component thermal exposure. Thermal barrier coatings, when used in conjunction with active film cooling, allow working fluid temperatures to exceed the melting point of the metal airfoil in some turbine applications. There is a lot of drive to develop new and superior thermal barrier coatings since there is a lot of interest for additional proficient motors having higher fevers with better sturdiness/lifetime and more slender coatings to decrease parasitic mass for turning/moving parts.n

The World Bank would start two hydropower projects of 245 megawatts worth Rs13 billion in Swat district this year.
An official communique said the World Bank Mission, led by Senior Energy Specialist Muhammad Saqib, held a meeting with Secretary Energy and Power Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah.
It was informed that with financial support from the World Bank, the construction work on the two hydropower projects in Swat district would be initiated soon. The projects include the 157mw Madian Hydropower Project and 88mw Gabral Kalam Hydropower Project.
In this regard, an agreement of $450 million has been signed between the WB and the provincial government. “These projects will be completed by 2027 and the province will have an annual income of more than Rs13 billion,” said the communique. Secretary Power Syed Imtiaz Hussain Shah appreciated the financial support of the WB for the development of the energy sector in the province. — ERMD

Barrick Gold Corporation is contributing $150,000 to Balochistan’s Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) to support its relief efforts in the wake of unprecedented floods in the region, says a press release issued by the company.
Remote communities in the province were hardest hit by the heavy monsoon rains which killed more than 500 people in Pakistan.
In a phone call with the province’s chief minister, Abdul Quddus Bizenjo, Barrick president and chief executive Mark Bristow expressed the company’s condolences on the loss of life and suffering inflicted on the people of Balochistan.
He said the contribution to the emergency fund was a demonstration of the spirit of partnership in which Barrick, Balochistan and Pakistan had embarked on the reconstitution and restart of the Reko Diq project, which holds one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold deposits. Balochistan will have a 25% fully funded share in the project (10% free carried and 15% to be funded by the federal government). Pakistani state-owned enterprises will hold another 25% and Barrick, with 50%, will operate the mine.
“Balochistan will benefit enormously from its stake in the mine. Even before construction starts, once the legalisation process has been completed and the project reconstituted, we will start implementing social development programs representing an estimated investment of $70 million over the construction period. In addition, Reko Diq will advance royalties of up to $5 million in the first year, up to $7.5 million in the second and up to $10 million thereafter until construction starts,” Bristow said.
During peak construction the project is expected to employ approximately 7,500 people and once in production it will create 4,000 full-time jobs. Its policy of local procurement will stimulate the development of a robust local economy.
“Reko Diq has an estimated life of at least 40 years, so it will be generating substantial benefits for its Balochistan stakeholders for generations to come,” Bristow said. — PR