Organizing Scientific Research

Scientific research has to be well-organised and well-coordinated to yield results. Research can be organized using different schemes or criteria. Organization helps to complete projects in time and avoid duplication of efforts. Some of these schemes of organization are given here.

1- By Approach

Scientific research or study can be carried out in three main modes. These are experimental (measurements using equipment), computational (doing simulations) and analytical (or theoretical). This type or form of research needs to be developped in Pakistan (or even in South Asia as a whole). Institutes specialised in experimental sciences are the ones that put any proposal to the test and then the realization of prototypes based on the results. Such institutes are operational in the USA, Europe and other scientifically advanced countries. For example, Center for Turbulence Research (CTR) in USA and CERFACS in France are dedicated centers for Computational Fluid Dynamics. Similarly Von Karman Institute (VKI) of Fluid Dynamics in Belgium specialises in the experimental approach in aeronautics.

Nuclear-Capable Missiles of The South Asia

Whenever there is a surface-to-surface missile test in the South Asia (India and Pakistan), the news reports read, "Nuclear capable missile has been test fired". Some links are given here;

India tests nuclear capable missile with range as far as Beijing,
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/15/us-india-missile-idUSBRE98E03L20130915
India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile,
http://www.wsj.com/articles/india-tests-nuclear-capable-missile-1422719598

Few countries around the world openly possess nuclear weapons and they know well their working. These countries are USA, Russia, France, UK and China. The ballistic and cruise missiles with nuclear warheads that these countries built were designed from the very start to be armed with nuclear warheads. Accordingly the whole missile system and its launchers were designed to those specifications.

The Natural Boundaries

If we look at the topographic map of the world (superimpose satellite imagery on plain maps), it seems that nature itself has fixed boundaries for various races / civilizations of mankind. Geographical features like rivers, mountains, deserts and straits often form the "natural boundaries" among these races or civilizations. These natural boundaries can both be international or within the country e.g., Punjab (Pakistan) is defined by its five rivers, Valley of Swat (Pakistan) is defined by its mountains and part of Indus river has remained a boundary between Punjab and Khyer Pukhtoonkhwa (Pakistan) for a very long time.

History shows us that conflicts arise whenever man tries to change these natural boundaries. Here are some of the natural boundaries that I picked up. Do add your own observations about natural boundaries around the world. 

My Engineering Research And Publications

My area of research during PhD studies was Turbulent Boundary Layer Flows of Newtonian Fluids, which itself is a sub-branch of the Fluid Dynamics or Aerodynamics. Fluid dynamics deals with the flow of any fluid (air, water or another liquid, a gas, molten metals etc) around or inside an object of interest. Aerodynamics deals only with the flow of air around or inside an object of interest.

A fluid flow can be laminar, turbulent or transitional (in between).  In a laminar flow, a physical quantity like velocity or pressure will be the same at a point in space (x,y,z) if measured at multiple instants of time. In a turbulent flow, these physical quantities fluctuate randomly even if measured at the same point at different instants of time.

Almost all of the fluid flows of engineering interest are turbulent (while those of medical interest are mostly laminar like blood flow in a vessel). Furthermore, these flows can be classified as wall-bounded (boundary layers, wall jets, channel and pipe flows etc) and free shear flows (like jets, wakes). Boundary layer is the part of flow very near a solid boundary like the body of a car or frame of an aircraft etc.

Phalcon Meets Its Nemesis (Old Articles Series - 7)

This one is not really an article. I posted this fictional and hypothetical scenario on the Pakistan Defence Forum in 2010. It was a first attempt at writing sensational and fictional stuff. Again no jingoism was meant.  Those who are totally unfamiliar with the military aviation  may find it a bit hard to understand.


Disclaimer: Please note that this is a hypothetical scenario. The names of Minhas, Alam , Khalid and Rafiqui have been chosen for their historical relevance only. All other names and characters have been chosen randomly. Any coincidence would only be by chance.

PHALCON MEETS ITS NEMESIS



Masud: Gentlemen its urgent. We have to send a mission in an hour against IAF Phalcon in the Northern Sector. We have lost element of surprise. All sorties are monitored by Phalcon right from the take-off. During dogfights, Phalcon is acting as a virtual wingman for each Su-30 and these Flankers have enough confidence to operate alone too.

Automobile Maintenance : Rear Drum Brakes

Rear drum brakes are slowly being replaced by rear disc brakes but they still have their own advantages like they don't tend to stick as the disc brakes do. Had to repair my rear brake for the bi-annual vehicle test. Ask the vehicle test operator about the rating of braking power against which your vehicle would be tested because all vehicles don't have the same braking power. In addition, front and rear brakes have very different braking power and test should be in the similar fashion. If your vehicle is tested against a higher rating, your brakes will certainly be damaged and thats what happened to me (brake cylinder damaged!).  

Before starting, put some bricks or chokes around the front wheels so as to prevent vehicle movement during work on the rear wheels. Use a Wheel wrench to loosen the nuts or bolts (European Vehicles).

Automobile Maintenance : Changing the Head Gasket

Apart from the inevitable heating and cooling cycles, Head gaskets start leaking due to many other reasons like engine overheat affecting the gasket itself, cylinder head warpage, inappropirate tighening of the cylinder head, use of inappropirate lubricant for head bolts etc.


You would have to drain all the coolant before starting to disassemble the engine. If the cylinder liners are detachable (not integral to the engine block) then it is preferable to drain the engine oil too, otherwise some coolant may pass through the O-rings of the cylinder liners and go into the oil sump.


To start disassembly, components that are attached to the cylinder head need to be removed. These include intake manifold, exhaust manifold, distributor cap of the ignition system, spark plug wire, timing belt, rocker cover and other accessories if any.

Automobile Maintenance : Alternator Repair and Testing

Alternator is the most important part of the vehicle electrical system. It provides power to run the electrical accessories and charges the battery. Alternator brush change is a common repair for used vehicles. Brushes are mounted inside the brush holder or the voltage regulator of alternator. Recently mounted new brushes in the alternator with related testing partly according to the instructions of Professor youtube and partly my own procedures. Design of the different makes may differ but the principle is same.

First remove the alternator from the engine compartment and remove its voltage regulator. Then remove the brushes by drilling or piercing two holes on the top of the brushes. Voltage Regulator-cum-brush holder with its springs, new brushes and old used brushes. You can see the difference in size.

Automobile Maintenance : Changing the Oil Pressure Switch

If dash warning light of engine oil pressure goes on and off intermittently, it means that either oil pressure switch has gone bad or that oil pressure is actually low. A low oil pressure may mean that either oil pump has gone bad or that engine itself has worn out if the oil level is ok. Most of the times, just changing your oil pressure switch would solve this problem. Here are some snaps of this work done on the 2.2L Petrol engine (Renault J7T)  and designed and manufactured by Francaise de Mécanique.

The Mysterious North

"North always has an aura of mystery around it". It is not amazing that Indian Army troops positioned on the Northern Border of East Pakistan in the 1971 war were the first to enter Dhaka. North has been a privileged direction for the invader and most troublesome for a defender in the history of warfare.