Robots and Industrial Processes: An Overview

Posted on Nov 15, 2024 in Chemistry

1) Robots in Hazardous Environments

Robots are especially useful for working in environments that are dangerous to humans. They don’t require air, making them suitable for space or underwater operations. Specialized robots have been designed to handle radioactive materials. Additionally, various industrial and military robots are employed in environments with poisonous gases. In many ways, robots eliminate the need for humans to work in hazardous conditions. However, human expertise is still necessary for programming and repairing these robots.

2) Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots

Positives:

  • Robots never get bored.

Negatives:

  • Robots lack creativity and problem-solving skills.

3) Describing Material Properties

Instead of saying “The metal was not cool enough to touch,” you can say “The metal was too hot to touch.” Similarly, you can use comparative adjectives to describe other properties:

  • Warm/cold
  • Light/heavy
  • Weak/strong
  • Tall/small
  • Flexible/rigid
  • Interesting/boring
  • Cool/hot
  • Soft/hard
  • Low/high

4) Materials Used in Manufacturing

  • The pipes are made of copper.
  • The bumper is covered with chromium.
  • The door handles contain zinc.
  • The cables are covered with plastic.
  • The windscreen is made of glass.
  • The battery contains lead.
  • The pistons are made of aluminum.
  • The cylinder block is made of cast iron.

5) Iron Smelting Process

  • Heat is used to smelt iron.
  • Iron is extracted from its ore in a blast furnace.
  • The iron ore is mixed with coke and limestone.
  • Limestone is needed to absorb the impurities.
  • The furnace is kept alight continuously.
  • Hot air is blasted through the furnace.
  • Liquid iron runs to the bottom of the tower.
  • Slag settles on top of the liquid iron.
  • Four basic products are made from the molten iron.

6) Iron Smelting Ingredients and Process

The smelting of iron requires four ingredients: iron ore, coke to produce heat, limestone to absorb impurities in the ore, and hot air to achieve the necessary high temperatures. Inside the furnace, the iron separates from its ore and settles as a liquid at the bottom. Slag forms on top of the molten iron. The iron and slag are drained off periodically. Some of the iron is cast in molds immediately, while the rest undergoes further processing.

7) Aluminum Extraction Process

Aluminum is extracted using electricity in specialized cells. The bottom of the cell is lined with carbon, which serves as the anode. Graphite electrodes at the top act as cathodes. Two additional substances, copper and salt, are required. The aluminum is initially alloyed with copper, then heated and poured into the cell. A layer of molten salt, lighter than the alloy but heavier than pure aluminum, is placed on top. An electrical current passes through the alloy between the anode and the cathode. The aluminum is drawn to the cathode and settles on top of the salt. The aluminum is periodically drained off and cast into shapes.

8) Passive Voice in Industrial Processes

  • Hot air is blasted into the bottom of the tower.
  • The rest is taken away into wrought iron and steel.
  • Four ingredients are needed: iron ore, coke, limestone, and hot air.
  • Iron is extracted by heat.
  • Some of the iron is cast into shapes.
  • The molten iron is drained off.
  • The mixture is fed into the top of the furnace.
  • The iron ore is crushed and mixed with coke and limestone.
  • The iron is smelted in a tall tower called a blast furnace.

9) Instructions and Past Tense Verbs

  • Take – took
  • Hold – held
  • Place – placed
  • Heat – heated
  • Quench – quenched

10) Experiment on Steel

The experiment aimed to demonstrate the effects of heating and cooling on steels with varying carbon content. The teacher selected two pieces of steel, one with low carbon content and the other with high carbon content. He secured them in a vice and bent them to 90 degrees using uniform hammer blows. The mild steel bar required 9 blows, while the silver steel took 17. Next, the teacher heated the bars to cherry red and quenched them in oil. He placed them back in the vice and attempted to bend the other ends. The low carbon steel again took 9 blows to bend, but the high carbon steel fractured with just one. We observed that heating and cooling made the silver steel very brittle, while the black steel showed no change. We concluded that this effect was due to the difference in carbon content between the two steels.

11) Faraday’s Experiment

In one of Faraday’s experiments, he positioned a copper wheel between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. Electrical contacts were located at the center and the edge of the wheel. These contacts were connected to the terminals of an ammeter. When the wheel rotated between the magnet’s poles, the ammeter registered an electrical current. When the wheel rotated in the opposite direction, the ammeter’s needle deflected in the opposite direction as well.

12) Electrical Circuit Protection

  1. What does a fuse do? It protects electrical circuits.
  2. What are the three types of circuit protection? Cartridge, rewirable, and miniature circuit breaker.
  3. Where are fuses located in a circuit? Some fuses are within the appliance (usually in the plug), while others are in a fuse box where the electricity supply enters the building.
  4. How should you check a cartridge fuse? Replace the old fuse with a new one and see if the appliance works.
  5. What indicates whether a rewirable fuse has blown? Breaks in the wire or burn marks on the fuse carriers.
  6. What is the first thing to do when checking a main fuse? Turn off the main switch.
  7. What should you do if a new fuse blows immediately? Have the appliance checked by an electrician.

13) Synonyms and Definitions

  • Worker = operative
  • Enjoyment of your work = job satisfaction
  • Boring, because it never changes = repetitive
  • Unchanging = constant

14) Synonyms in Context

  • In total = In all
  • Huge = enormous
  • Additional = further
  • Too quickly = frightening speed
  • About 100 kg = approximately 100 kg
  • To stick together = to bind

15) Synonyms in Industrial Processes

  • Forced under high pressure = blasted
  • To take out = to extract
  • Is called = is known as
  • Covered on the inside = lined
  • Broken into small pieces = crushed
  • The bottom = base
  • Melted = molten
  • Unwanted substances = impurities
  • At intervals = periodically
  • Specially = particularly

16) Spanish Translations

  • Filling = Llenado
  • Blasting = Insuflado
  • Emptying = Vaciado

17) Material Properties and Processes

  • Easily broken, it won’t bend = brittle
  • To break = fracture
  • To make something hot = heat
  • To make something cooler = quench
  • Hit = blow
  • Reflecting light = shiny
  • The same, standard = uniform
  • About = approximately

18) Synonyms for “Aim”

  • Aim = objective = target = goal = objetivo (Spanish)
  • Was caused = was the result of = was due to

19) Scientific Terminology

  • Free to turn = pivoted
  • Pushed away = deflected
  • Beneath = underneath = below
  • Connection = terminal
  • Carrying an electrical current = electrically charged
  • Apparatus = equipment
  • A form of = kind = sort
  • Put = placed

20) Abbreviations and Meanings

Stand for = signifies = is short for = es la abreviatura de (Spanish)