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Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering

Rajeev Agrawal · Jinesh Kumar Jain ·


Vinod Singh Yadav ·
Vijaya Kumar Manupati ·
Leonilde Varela Editors

Recent
Advances in
Industrial
Production
Select Proceedings of ICEM 2020
Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering

Series Editors
Francisco Cavas-Martínez, Departamento de Estructuras, Universidad Politécnica
de Cartagena, Cartagena, Murcia, Spain
Fakher Chaari, National School of Engineers, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia
Francesca di Mare, Institute of Energy Technology, Ruhr-Universität Bochum,
Bochum, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Francesco Gherardini , Dipartimento di Ingegneria, Università di Modena e
Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
Mohamed Haddar, National School of Engineers of Sfax (ENIS), Sfax, Tunisia
Vitalii Ivanov, Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Machines and Tools,
Sumy State University, Sumy, Ukraine
Young W. Kwon, Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Aerospace
Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering and Applied Science, Monterey,
CA, USA
Justyna Trojanowska, Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland
Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering (LNME) publishes the latest develop-
ments in Mechanical Engineering—quickly, informally and with high quality.
Original research reported in proceedings and post-proceedings represents the core of
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More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/11236


Rajeev Agrawal · Jinesh Kumar Jain ·
Vinod Singh Yadav · Vijaya Kumar Manupati ·
Leonilde Varela
Editors

Recent Advances
in Industrial Production
Select Proceedings of ICEM 2020
Editors
Rajeev Agrawal Jinesh Kumar Jain
Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
Malaviya National Institute of Technology Malaviya National Institute of Technology
Jaipur, Rajasthan, India Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Vinod Singh Yadav Vijaya Kumar Manupati


Department of Mechanical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering
National Institute of Technology National Institute of Technology Warangal
Uttarakhand Warangal, Telangana, India
Srinagar, Uttarakhand, India

Leonilde Varela
Department of Production and Systems
University of Minho
Braga, Portugal

ISSN 2195-4356 ISSN 2195-4364 (electronic)


Lecture Notes in Mechanical Engineering
ISBN 978-981-16-5280-6 ISBN 978-981-16-5281-3 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5281-3

© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature
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Singapore
Contents

Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior of Aluminum


Oxide/Silicon Carbide Filled Bi-directional Woven E-glass Fiber
Reinforcement Epoxy Polymer Composites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Rahul Sharma and Rahul Sen
A Contemporary Review of Pushing/Pulling Strength at Different
Handle Heights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Chinmay Pancholi, Rahul Jain, K. B. Rana, and M. L. Meena
Development of an Optimal PID Controller for the 4-DOF
Manipulator Using Genetic Algorithm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Shyam Prasad Kodali, Ravi Kumar Mandava,
and Boggarapu Nageswara Rao
Assessing the Carbon Foot Print of an Ayurveda Medical Institute:
A Case of National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur, India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Gaurav Gaurav, Tejas Kumar, Chandni Khandelwal,
Alok Bihari Singh, M. L. Meena, Sundeep Kumar, and G. S. Dangayach
The Linkages Between Spare-Parts Management and Maintenance
Management in Army Supply Chain of Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Chander Sheikhar and Rajesh Matai
An Integrated ISM-AHP Computing Framework for Evaluating
Supply Chain Competitiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Ajay Verma and Nisha Singhal
Experiencing Life Cycle Assessment in Indian Additive
Manufacturing Industries: Needs, Challenges and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Alok Yadav, Anbesh Jamwal, Rajeev Agrawal, and Sundeep Kumar

v
vi Contents

Analysis of Barriers in Sustainable Supply Chain Management


for Indian Automobile Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Anbesh Jamwal, Akshay Patidar, Rajeev Agrawal, Monica Sharma,
and Vijaya Kumar Manupati
Optimization of Injection Timing for a C.I. Engine Fuelled
with Gomutra Emulsified Diesel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Amit Jhalani, Dilip Sharma, Digambar Singh,
and Pushpendra Kumar Sharma
Extraction of 3D Solid Model of Decaying Tooth from 2D DICOM
Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
Vaishnavi V. Gejji, Ravi Yerigeri, and C. M. Choudhari
Analyzing the Drivers for Lean and Green Manufacturing Using
ISM Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
Sarita Prasad, A. Neelakanteswara Rao, and Krishnanand Lanka
Quantifiable Contribution of Sustainable Manufacturing Enablers
in Indian SMEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Deepak Sharma, Pravin Kumar, and Rajesh Kr Singh
Circular Economy and Sustainable Manufacturing: A Bibliometric
Based Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
Kiran Gundu, Anbesh Jamwal, Alok Yadav, Rajeev Agrawal,
Jinesh Kumar Jain, and Sundeep Kumar
Identification of Challenges & Practices of Sustainability in Indian
Apparel and Textile Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Amit Vishwakarma, M. L. Meena, G. S. Dangayach, and Sumit Gupta
Challenges of Adoption of Blockchain Technology in Supply
Chain: An Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Dnyaneshwar Jivanrao Ghode, Rakesh Jain, and Gunjan Soni
A Bibliometric Analysis of Sustainable Supply Chain Management:
Research Implications and Future Perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Akshay Patidar, Monica Sharma, Rajeev Agrawal,
Kuldip Singh Sangwan, and Anbesh Jamwal
Effect of Handle Orientation on Two-Handed Push Strength
in Unorganized Sector Workers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Rahul Jain, K. B. Rana, Vikky Kumar, and M. L. Meena
Weight Optimization of Gears in the Transmission of an All-Terrain
Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Shantanu Tiwari, Shikhar Verma, Shashwat Kulshreshtha,
Naman Varshney, and Mayank Kushawaha
Contents vii

Ergonomic Interventions in Maintaining Postural Stability


in Pregnant Women at Their Workplaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Nikhil Yadav, M. L. Meena, G. S. Dangayach, and Yashvin Gupta
Thermal Analysis of Discontinuity in Deposited Bead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Soumen Mandal, Manish Oraon, and Subrata Kumar
A Case Study on Survey Plan for Digital Merchandising System
and Consumer Association Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Sundeep Kumar, Vikram Singh Rathore, and Alok Mathur
Medical Applications of Rapid Prototyping Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Rakesh Chaudhari, Praveen Kumar Loharkar, and Asha Ingle
Prediction of Temperature During Susceptor-Assisted Microwave
Heating of Aluminum Using Parametric Simulation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
Praveen Kumar Loharkar, Asha Ingle, and Himanshu Singh
Tool Path Generation for Layer Specific Infill Density in Fused
Filament Fabrication (FFF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Krishnanand, Ankit Nayak, Shivam Soni, and Mohammad Taufik
Cost Minimization in a Scheduling Problem with Unrestricted
and Restricted Common Due Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Prasad Bari and Prasad Karande
Prioritization of Sustainability Criteria of Service Only Supply
Chain: A Case Study of Indian Hospitals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
Ramji Nagariya, Divesh Kumar, and Ishwar Kumar
Incremental Sheet Metal Forming: The State of Art and Its Future
Prospects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
Bittu Toppo, Manish Oraon, and Manish Kr. Roy
Lean Implementation Value in Automobile Sector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
Arshit Kapoor, Krishna Mohan Agarwal, and Aaryan Sheokand
Optimization of Turning Process Parameters Using Entropy-Gra
and Dear Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
K. Srinivasulu Reddy, V. Venkata Reddy, and Ravi Kumar Mandava
An Impact of Internet Based Supply Chain Management Using
IOT in Current Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
Sundeep Kumar, Vikram Singh Rathore, and Alok Mathur
An Analytical Study on Big Data Management for Supply Chain
Analytics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Sundeep Kumar, Vikram Singh Rathore, and Alok Mathur
viii Contents

Die Design and Its Parameters for Grain Refinement of AA6XXX


Series Through Equal Channel Angular Pressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Arshit Kapoor, Bhuwan Gupta, Abhishek Singhal,
and Krishna Mohan Agarwal
Integrating the Challenges of Cloud Computing in Supply Chain
Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
Subhodeep Mukherjee, Venkataiah Chittipaka, Manish Mohan Baral,
and Sharad Chandra Srivastava
Finite Element Analysis of Infill Density on the Compressive
Strength of 3D Printed Parts by Fused Deposition Modelling . . . . . . . . . . 365
Anurag Kumar Mishra, Abhishek Kaushal, Rabesh Kumar Singh,
and Anuj Kumar Sharma
An Experimental Investigation of Ribbed Solar Air Heater—Free
Convection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
Niraj Kumar, Manoj Kumar Singh, Vinod Singh Yadav, Vineet Singh,
and Anurag Maheswari
Insolation Effect on Solar Photovoltaic Performance Parameters . . . . . . . 383
Navneet, Neha Khuran, and Smita Pareek
Comparing Theoretical and Practical Aspects of Process
Management Practices for Competitive Potential in SMEs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
Satyajit Mahato, Amit Rai Dixit, and Rajeev Agrawal
Development of a Mathematical Model for the Software Defect
Rework Process to Optimize Defect Rework—A Six-Sigma Case
Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
Satyajit Mahato, Amit Rai Dixit, and Rajeev Agrawal
Theoretical Analysis of 1st Law and 2nd Law Efficiency of a Solar
Pump for Geographical Location 28.10 N, 78.23 E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
Vineet Singh, Vinod Singh Yadav, Vishal Saxena, Niraj Kumar,
and Anurag Maheswari
Experimental Analysis of a Thermoelectric Air-Conditioning
System with Desiccant Dehumidification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Anurag Maheswari, Manoj Kumar Singh, Yogesh K. Prajapati,
Niraj Kumar, and Vineet Singh
Fabrication of Isogrids by Conventional and Unconventional
Techniques: A Comparative Review Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
K. Tripathi, K. Kukreja, and N. Gupta
An Integrated Lean Six Sigma Model for Enhancing
the Competitive Advantage of Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
S. K. Tiwari, R. K. Singh, and Sharad Chandra Srivastava
Contents ix

Agri-fresh Supply Chain Management: A Systematic Literature


Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
J. Krishna Manasvi and Rajesh Matai
Methods to Measure Residual Stresses in 3D Printed Objects:
A Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Devesh, Devender, and N. Gupta
Corrosion Performance in Grain Structure of C22 in Acidic
Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
Aezeden Mohamed, Kamalakanta Muduli, Devendra K. Yadav,
and Pankaj Jena
An Evolutionary Tomographic Reconstruction Procedure
for Defect Identification Using Time-of-Flight of Ultrasound . . . . . . . . . . . 477
Shyam Prasad Kodali and Boggarapu Nageswara Rao
Manufacturing Is Not as Usual: Lessons Learnt from COVID-19
Pandemic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
Anbesh Jamwal, Rajeev Agrawal, and Monica Sharma
Machine Learning in CAD/CAM: What We Think We Know
So Far and What We Don’t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
Smriti Upmanyu, Anil Upmanyu, Anbesh Jamwal, and Rajeev Agrawal
Assesment of Traditional and Hybrid Controller for Controlling
Robotic Manipulator System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509
Aditi Saxena, Jitendra Kumar, Vinay Kumar Deolia, and Debanik Roy
About the Editors

Dr. Rajeev Agrawal is currently an associate professor at the Department of Mechan-


ical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology Jaipur, (Rajasthan). He
obtained his B.E. (Mechanical) from Govt. Engg. College, Jabalpur (M.P.) and M.E.
(Prod. Engg.) and Ph.D. from the MNNIT, Allahabad (U.P.) and BIT, Mesra (Ranchi),
respectively. Dr. Rajeev Agrawal is having more than 20 years of professional expe-
rience. His areas of the research interests are in soft computing (GA, ANN, Fuzzy)
applications to manufacturing, modelling and simulation of manufacturing systems,
sustainable manufacturing, lean six sigma, supply chain design and reconfigurable
manufacturing system (RMS). He has published more than 55 papers in reputed inter-
national journals and conferences. Dr. Agrawal received the Fellow of The Institution
of Engineer’s (IEI), India, in 2020. He is acting as a reviewer for many peer-reviewed
Journals. Currently, he is an editorial board member for the International Journal of
Business and Systems Research (IJBSR).

Dr. Jinesh Kumar Jain is currently working as Associate Professor at Malaviya


National Institute of Technology Jaipur (MNIT) having research interests in joining
and welding, additive manufacturing and bio-fabrication, design and manufacturing
technology, operation management, sustainable manufacturing. He completed his
Ph.D. and M.Tech. from MNIT and B.E. from MBM Engineering College Jodhpur.
He has more than twenty years of teaching, research and industrial experience,
published many technical papers in journals and conference proceedings, authored
books, chapters in reputed publications and delivered lectures in reputed insti-
tutions in India and abroad. Prior to joining MNIT, he has worked in several
renowned organizations. Dr. Jain is a life member of many reputed professional
bodies and board member in the number of Indian universities. Dr. Jain successfully
guided many M.Tech. dissertations and presently guiding many doctoral and masters
scholars. He successfully organized many short term courses and faculty develop-
ment programmes to impart, encourage the young fellows to proceed by sharing
knowledge and experiences from eminent researchers.

xi
xii About the Editors

Dr. Vinod Singh Yadav is currently an assistant professor at the Department of


Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand, Uttarak-
hand. He obtained his Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) from
University of Rajasthan, and M.Tech. (Energy Engineering) and Ph.D. from Malaviya
National Institute of Technology, Jaipur. His major interest of research areas are alter-
nate fuels in IC engines, renewable energy technologies, thermal storage techniques
and their applications. He has published more than 35 research papers in reputed
journals and international conferences. He is the author of 05 text and reference
books. He is also reviewer of more than 05 SCI Elsevier journals. He is technical
editor of Journal of Automotive Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Research
and Consulting Editor of Hon. Editorial Board Member recognized by Innovative
Scientific Research Professional Malaysia.

Dr. Vijaya Kumar Manupati is currently working as an Assistant Professor in


the Department of Mechanical Engineering, NIT Warangal. He received his Ph.D.
in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Indian Institute
of Technology Kharagpur. His current research interests include Intelligent manu-
facturing systems, cyber-physical systems, sustainable supply chain, and health care
systems. He has published more than 80 publications which include prestigious jour-
nals like International Journal of Production Research, Computers, and Industrial
Engineering, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Journal
of measurements, International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, etc.
He is acting as a reviewer for more than 30 peer-reviewed journals. Currently, he is
acting as an editorial review board member of International Journal of Sustainable
Entrepreneurship and corporate social responsibility, International Journal of Web
Portals IGI Global publications. He received an Early Carrier Research Grant from
Department of Science and Technology (DST) for his research work on Telefacturing
Systems. He is a member of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering
(IISE), Institute of Engineers (IEI) India, Life member of International Associa-
tion of Engineers, US, and also acting as a technical committee member of various
International conferences.

Dr. Leonilde Varela received her Ph.D. degree in Industrial Engineering and
Management from the University of Minho, Portugal, in 2007. She is Assistant
Professor at Department of Production and Systems of University of Minho. Her
main research interests are in manufacturing management, production planning and
control, optimization, artificial intelligence, meta-heuristics, scheduling, web based
systems, services and technologies, mainly for supporting engineering and produc-
tion management, collaborative networks, decision making models, methods and
systems, and virtual and distributed enterprises. She has published more than 150
refereed scientific papers in international conferences and in international scien-
tific books and journals, indexed in the Web of Science and/or in the Scopus data
bases. She coordinates R&D projects in the area of production and systems engi-
neering, mainly concerning the development of web-based platforms and decision
support models, methods and systems. She is a frequent paper reviewer for several
About the Editors xiii

journals, such as, Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Engineering


Applications of Artificial Intelligence, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and
Learning Systems, Journal of Decision Systems, Sustainability, International Journal
of Management and Fuzzy Systems, International Journal of Sustainability Manage-
ment and Information Technologies, International Journal of Intelligent Enterprise,
International Journal of Decision Support Systems Technology, Management and
Production Engineering Review, Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Journal of
Robotics. She is a member of several international networks, such as: Machine Intel-
ligence Research Labs, Scientific Network for Innovation and Research Excellence
(MirLabs), Euro Working Group of Decision Support Systems (EWG-DSS), Insti-
tute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE); System, Man, and Cybernetics
Society (IEEE SMC), Industrial Engineering Network (IE Network), and Institute
of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE).
Synthesis and Investigation
of Mechanical Behavior of Aluminum
Oxide/Silicon Carbide Filled
Bi-directional Woven E-glass Fiber
Reinforcement Epoxy Polymer
Composites

Rahul Sharma and Rahul Sen

Abstract The research paper describes the development of a new set of polymer
composites from Epoxy. The polymer matrix composite (PMC) comprises epoxy
resin (LY 556), E-glass fiber as a reinforced material and Alumina and silicon
carbide as filler material. The epoxy resin (LY 556) and hardener (HY951) were
mixed at 10:1 at room temperature. It is synthesized by different weight percentage
of aluminum oxide/silicon carbide (1:1) (0, 2, 4 and 6 wt%). The testing includes the
investigations of mechanical properties in tensile and flexural mode. It is observed
from experiment work that 4 wt% aluminum oxide-silicon carbide filled glass fiber
reinforced epoxy composite sample possess optimum mechanical properties. It
comprises yield strength (102.56 MPa), tensile modulus (4167.85 MPa), tensile
ultimate strength (170.839 MPa), flexural strength (162.5515 MPa) and flexural
modulus (10736.4287 MPa), which is required in all general application areas
where the epoxy-based composites are prominently used like—automobile, aircrafts
components and sports goods.

Keywords Polymer composite · Epoxy · Alumina · Silicon carbide

1 Introduction

Combine properties of different materials can be achieved by adding two or more


materials which are known as composite materials. Composites are implanted by
number of continuous and discontinuous phase. Continuous phase is known as matrix
where as discontinuous phase is called reinforcement. Reinforcement based compos-
ites are harder and stronger than matrix based composites. Reinforcement can either
non fibrous or fibrous [1, 2]. The polymer matrix composites (PMC) with wove
glass fiber have interesting applications in aerospace, structural and automobile engi-
neering. They have several advantages such as excellent mechanical strength, high

R. Sharma (B) · R. Sen


Mechanical Engineering Department, Poornima College of Engineering, Jaipur 302022, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 1
R. Agrawal et al. (eds.), Recent Advances in Industrial Production, Lecture Notes in
Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5281-3_1
2 R. Sharma and R. Sen

modulus and high corrosion resistance and are quite cost-effective [3]. The mechan-
ical properties of PMCs are completely dependent upon the particulate size, filler–
matrix interface adhesion and loading characteristics. Strengthening of polymers is
generally achieved with the reinforcement of fibers. On the other hand, higher tensile
strength and higher impact strength are generally achieved by adding more layers
of fiber to the polymer matrix. The glass fibers consist of such properties and that’s
why these are extensively used as reinforcement material in epoxy matrix-based
composites. The mechanical strength of polymer composite can be made better by
the addition of silicon-iron oxide particulates along with fibers [4]. Silicon carbide
shows favorable chemical and mechanical characteristics at high temperatures in
structural applications, such as air craft’s, boats and automobiles. SiC is the simple
chemical compound of carbon (C) and silicon (Si). Silicon carbide is molten salts up
to 800 °C. It has advantages include its high elastic modulus, high hardness, excellent
thermal shock resistance, low thermal expansion, low density, high thermal conduc-
tivity, high strength and better chemical inertness. Alumina has advantages include
dielectric properties, hardness, high strength, wear-resistant, stiffness, alkali attack
at elevated temperatures, and resistance to strong acid. Alumina has the most stable
phase is hexagonal alpha. For the application of structural, hexagonal alpha phase
of alumina interphase at elevated temperatures. Considering all such information, an
attempt has been made to develop and synthesis the above-mentioned composites
from the materials discussed and their properties investigated by general testing.

1.1 Literature Review

Various research works also been done on such matters. T. Rangaswamy and K.
Devendra evaluated epoxy composite for addition and non-addition of filler mate-
rials. He used different filling materials like silicon carbide, aluminum oxide and
magnesium hydroxide. The addition of filler materials increases overall mechanical
properties. The optimum result for all mechanical properties found in 10 wt% SiC
samples [5]. Amar Patnaik and Gaurav Agarwal et al. investigated that the overall
strength of epoxy-based composite enhanced with the increase in weight percentage
of silicon carbide. Although it shows a non-linear increment in all mechanical prop-
erties. The tensile and flexural strength increase up to 10 wt%, impact strength and
hardness up to 15 wt% and shear strength up to 20 wt% content of silicon carbide [6].
Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide (1:1) particulates were reinforced into the epoxy
resin based composites attribute the better mechanical characteristics as compared
to polyester resin based composites [7]. Alumina filler GF reinforced epoxy based
composites increased the impact energy as well as hardness compared to SiO2 and
TiO2 modifiers epoxy based composites. Agglomeration is also presented in SEM
observation due to the bigger particle size of Al2 O3 in composites [8]. Sham Prasad
et al. investigated the chopped stands E glass fiber composites with filler aluminum
oxide. It was observed by the author from the experiment that 4 wt% Al2 O3 composite
possess maximum tensile strength (158.26 MPa), young’s modulus (8692.06 MPa)
Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior … 3

and percentage of elongation (4.53%) among other filler specimens. The epoxy
basic composite without filler has a tensile strength (111.21 MPa), Young’s modulus
(7524.27 MPa) and percentage of elongation (3.51%) [9]. The addition of nano
particulars of SiC was improved not only thermal resistance but also mechanical
characteristics [10]. Similar erosion wears testing conduction Al2 O3 filler glass fiber
reinforced polyester composite based is examined to lower wear rate as compare to
SiC and CBPD modifiers polyester based composites [11]. SaiSravani et al. studied
the mechanical response such as the strength of tensile, impact as well as flexural and
also the hardness of CaCO3 and Al2 O3 filled epoxy-based GF reinforced composites.
It was examined from the experiment by the author that the flexural and tensile proper-
ties of composites with the addition of filler material got decreased as compare to pure
epoxy-based composites. So it was evaluated that all filler materials don’t show better
mechanical properties [12]. Alam and Chowdhury evaluated that mechanical char-
acteristics such as tensile strength (20.353%), impact strength (12.935%) and flex-
ural strength (26.652%) of CaCO3 –Al2 O3 –MgO–CuO epoxy based composites are
improved as compare with filler CaCO3 –Al2 O3 –MgO–TiO2 epoxy based composites
[13]. Al2 O3 /SiC filler GF reinforced epoxy based composites enhanced mechanical
characteristics with in 6 vol% than that of the composite made of TiO2 /SiC, only
Al2 O3 and only TiO2 as filler [14]. So it is clear from the works of literature that the
Silicon carbide and aluminum oxide are suitable filler materials, which can be used
in developing new epoxy-based composite. Here in the research work both of these
are used as filler materials, as discussed in the materials and methodology section
(Figs. 1 and 2).

Fig. 1 Epoxy resin (LY 556) and hardener (HY951)


4 R. Sharma and R. Sen

Fig. 2 E-glass fibre

2 Materials and Methodology

Al2 O3 (200 mesh) and SiC (1200 mesh) (1:1) particulates were reinforced into the
epoxy resin (chemical formula shown in Fig. 3) at the varying amount of 0, 2, 4 and
6 wt%. The epoxy was taken into a beaker and the aluminum and silicon carbide
were mixed into it in the required ratio, stirred the solution for 5–8 min. Also, curing
agent HY951 (Araldite hardener, the chemical formula shown in Fig. 4) is mixed with
epoxy composite in 1:10 (as per resin and hardener manufacturer’s recommendation).
The silicone spray is spread on the inside surface of the bottom mold sheet. Epoxy
resin is spread uniformly on the mold sheet using a brush after that E GF is placed on
it. A roller is used to remove the air traps present on the mold surface and to remove
the excess of resin present on the surface. Mild pressure is applied to the roller while
moving it on the surface. The same process is repeated until the eight layers of glass
fiber (5 mm thickness) are stacked. The silicone spray is spread on the inside surface
of the top mold sheet before placing it on the mold. The pressure is applied by the
3 kg sand lime brick (dimension 230 mm × 110 mm) on the stacked layers. After
curing at room temperature in 24 h, the mold is opened and the composite part is
taken out.

Fig. 3 Formula of epoxy (LY 556) [15]

Fig. 4 Formula of hardener


resin (HY951) [16]
Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior … 5

3 Results and Discussions

3.1 Tensile Properties

Mechanical tensile properties of four specimens with variations of filler particles


of aluminum oxide and silicon carbide (1:1) into woven E-GF reinforced epoxy
composites were analyzed as per ASTM D2344-84 standard (Figs. 5 and 6).
It is well known that the tensile strength property of composites is generally
determined by the glass fiber content and the glass fiber strength. The ratio of the

Fig. 5 Specimens after tensile test

Fig. 6 Instron 1195 machine (tensile mode)


6 R. Sharma and R. Sen

Fig. 7 Ultimate tensile as well as yield strength versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)

maximum load on a material to the initial cross section of the test specimen is
representing the ultimate tensile strength of a material. Figure 7 represents the curve
of ultimate tensile strength as well as yield strength versus the percentage of the
weight of aluminum oxide and silicon carbide (1:1) particulate with woven E GF-
reinforced epoxy composites.
The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy based composite without particulate filler has
a maximum ultimate tensile strength of 224.748 MPa due to better bonding strength
between the polymer matrix and glass fiber. After that tensile strength suddenly
decrease due to alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) particles act as a barrier for transferring
stress from one point to another and poor bonding strength between epoxy resin,
alumina, silicon carbide and glass fiber. It was evaluated from Fig. 7 that the value
of the ultimate tensile strength (134.850–170.839 MPa) is further increases for 2–
4 wt% alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) content epoxy composites due to the increase
of transfer of stresses from one point to another.
The composite without particulate filler has a maximum tensile modulus of
5253.04 MPa due to better bonding strength between the polymer matrix and glass
fiber. It was evaluated from Fig. 8 that the value of the tensile modulus (3812.76–
4167.85 MPa) is increased for 2–4 wt% alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) content epoxy
composites due to the relatively lower strain rates of epoxy composites.
The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy composite without particulate filler has a
maximum tensile elongation at a maximum load of 0.079 mm/mm due to better
bonding strength between the polymer matrix and glass fiber. After that tensile
strength suddenly decrease due to alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) particles act as a
barrier for transferring stress from one point to another and poor bonding strength
Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior … 7

Fig. 8 Tensile modulus versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)

between epoxy resin, aluminum oxide, silicon carbide and glass fiber. It was evalu-
ated from Fig. 9 that the value of the tensile elongation (0.045–0.0544 mm/mm) is
further increases for 2–4 wt% alumina/silicon content epoxy composites due to the
increase of transfer of stresses from one point to another.
The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy composite without particulate filler has a
maximum barring load of 15.282 kN due to better bonding strength between the

Fig. 9 Elongation at maximum load versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)
8 R. Sharma and R. Sen

Fig. 10 Maximum loads at break versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)

polymer matrix and glass fiber. It was evaluated from Fig. 10 that the value of
the tensile barring load (12.406–14.350 kN) is further increases for 2–4 wt%
alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) content epoxy composites due to the increase of transfer
of stresses from one point to another.

3.2 Flexural Properties

Mechanical flexural properties of four specimens with variations of filler particles of


alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) into woven E-GF reinforced epoxy composites were
analyzed as per ASTM D2344-84 standard (Figs. 11 and 12).
It is well known that the flexural strength and modulus properties of composites
are generally determined by the glass fiber content and the glass fiber strength. In
flexural strength test specimen is placed between two point supports and load is
applied at the top layer of mid of specimen. The upper fiber of the specimen is
subjected to compressive stress where as the lower fiber of the specimen is subjected
to tensile stress. The observation carried out on four woven E-GF reinforced epoxy
composites are given in Figs. 13 and 14.
The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy based composite without particulate filler
has a maximum flexural strength of 200.027 MPa due to better bonding strength
between the polymer matrix and glass fiber. It was evaluated from Fig. 14 that the
value of the flexural strength (156.488 MPa to 162.551 MPa) is increased for 2–4 wt%
alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) content epoxy composites due to the good compatibility
between the polymer matrix and glass fiber.
Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior … 9

Fig. 11 Specimens after flexural test

Fig. 12 Instron 1195 machine (flexural mode)

The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy based composite without particulate filler has
maximum flexural modulus 13944.101 MPa due to better bonding strength between
the polymer matrix and glass fiber. It was observed from Fig. 13 that the value of
the flexural modulus (9172.60 MPa to 10736.428 MPa) is increased for 2–4 wt%
alumina/silicon carbide (1:1) content epoxy composites due to the relatively lower
strain rates of epoxy composites.

4 Results and Discussions

Experimental and analytical evaluation of mechanical properties on aluminum oxide


and silicon carbide (1:1) filled woven E-GF reinforced epoxy composites have led
to the following specific conclusions:
10 R. Sharma and R. Sen

Fig. 13 Flexural modulus versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)

Fig. 14 Flexural strength versus percentage of weight of Al2 O3 /SiC (1:1)

• The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy based composite without particulate filler


has maximum values of ultimate strength (224.748 MPa) and yield strength
(88.80 MPa).
• The woven E GF-reinforced epoxy based composite without particulate filler
has maximum values of flexural strength (200.0273 MPa) and flexural modulus
(13,944.1019 MPa).
• Specimen 4 wt% has maximum values of yield strength (102.56 MPa), tensile
modulus (4167.85 MPa), elongation at maximum load (0.05449 mm/mm) and
maximum load at break (14.3505 kN).
Synthesis and Investigation of Mechanical Behavior … 11

• Specimen 4 wt.% has maximum values of flexural strength (162.5515 MPa) and
flexural modulus (10736.4287 MPa).
• The optimum mechanical properties found in the epoxy composite sample with
4 wt.% of silicon carbide and alumina particulates, which comprises mechanical
properties in tensile and flexural mode, which is required in all general application
areas where the epoxy based composites are prominently used like—automobile
components, aircrafts components and sports goods. In future characterisation,
inter laminar shear strength and thermal characteristics for developed composite
will be checked for different combinations.

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A Contemporary Review
of Pushing/Pulling Strength at Different
Handle Heights

Chinmay Pancholi, Rahul Jain, K. B. Rana, and M. L. Meena

Abstract A significant amount of research has been done to examine factors


affecting pushing and pulling activities such as cart weight/load, exerted forces,
handling tasks (push and pull) and more. However, very little has been done to deter-
mine the height of the handle to work efficiently. Ergonomics principles are the best
technique for implementing in any industry to evaluate and control the risks arising
due to various work activities. The purpose of this paper was to undertake a detailed
analysis of the handle height used in the cart so that there is no or less musculoskeletal
strain resulting from tasks of pushing and pulling. 34 studies are classified for specific
application sectors for finding an effective way to work at different handle heights.
The selected articles were grouped for publication trend, factors, field wise journals
and anthropometric data. The current research gives researchers knowledge about
the current status and most effective handle height used by researchers for future
work.

Keywords Handle height · Musculoskeletal disease · Factors affecting pushing


and pulling forces

1 Introduction

Even after rapid technological advances, the role of human physical fitness in oper-
ating equipment or moving objects continues. From farming to building, factories
are filled with jobs involving manual tasks such as pushing, dragging, and raising.
Workers who constantly push, pull and lift objects may be at risk of developing
injuries from sprains and strains to chronic back pain as part of their everyday work
activities. Manual jobs, such as moving up and down, trigger workers in ways that
can be painful and harmful to reorient their bodies. Overexertion, an accident that is

C. Pancholi · R. Jain (B) · K. B. Rana


Department of Mechanical Engineering, University Departments, Rajasthan Technical University,
Kota 324010, India
M. L. Meena
Department of Mechanical Engineering, MNIT, Jaipur, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 13
R. Agrawal et al. (eds.), Recent Advances in Industrial Production, Lecture Notes in
Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5281-3_2
14 C. Pancholi et al.

all too common, may be the main consequence of inappropriate pushing and pulling.
Over-exertion lawsuits with an estimated cost of $8147 were 22% of all employee
compensation recorded cases in 2012 in Ohio [1]. For all employees in manual
occupations, appropriate ergonomic and biomechanical knowledge is crucial.
Employees may use secure and defensive movements to complete push-and-pull
activities, from warehouse operations to farming and forestry. The ergonomic norms
and principles are structured to provide an orientation towards the operator’s mental
and emotional needs. The design is essentially a compromise between operators’
biological needs, as specified by the requirements for ergonomics and the facility’s
physical specifications. The layout is accomplished mainly by taking into account
the reciprocal effects of anthropometry and the location of the equipment elements
on the position, control, reach, vision, clearance and interference with the elements
of the equipment by the body segments. The posture requirements at job or work
performance are determined by all of these design factors [2–6].
Prior studies [3–6] have mentioned a significant impact on the push and pull forces
of the handle’s vertical height against which one pushes and pulls. Lee [7] discovered
a dynamic biomechanical model that push and pull height significantly affected the
predicted dynamic compression forces at the lower back [8].
Concerning musculoskeletal complaints, the handle’s height and the direction
of the forces applied (push or pull) appear to be important risk factors for phys-
ical movement [9]. Although the etiology cause of lower back issues is still uncer-
tain, a contributing factor may be compressive and shear forces on low back struc-
tures. When pushing and pulling, it is also interesting to consider the lower back’s
compressive and shear forces.
Pushing is characterized by exerting force on someone to drive them away from
oneself, whereas pulling is characterized by exerting force on someone or something
to move towards oneself. Often, depending on the hands’ vertical height during the
push/pull process, the direction of the exerted force is not strictly horizontal and
probably includes a vertical component. Push/Pull forces are determined by (i) the
main force required to initiate the object’s motion, (ii) the continuous force-the lower
force needed to continue the motion-and (iii) the preventing force needed to stop the
object’s motion. Most of the ergonomics literature published discusses initial and
continuous forces to push and pull [10].
Over-exertion incidents accounted for 24.4% of all recorded workplace injuries,
with a cumulative expense of $15.08 billion, the 2016 Liberty Mutual Occupa-
tional Safety Index concluded. Repeated movements, repeated push/pull and work
in stressful positions contribute to thousands of workplace injuries every year [1].
Services must be skilled and trained to push and pull objects to avoid injury correctly.
Injuries linked to the practice of driving and pulling include tear and stretches; slides,
rides, and tumbles; pain in the spinal area; and injury to elbows, hands and wrists.
Proper driving and pulling behavior are a must in the workplace to keep employees
satisfied and protected. Best practices must be in place, whether it is production or
farming, to provide employees with the means to remain secure and protected in the
workplace. To the authors’ knowledge, there is no comprehensive examination of
literature that outlines the current evidence on cart height handling during push/pull
A Contemporary Review of Pushing/Pulling Strength … 15

activities linked to musculoskeletal disorders. A systematic analysis by Garg et al.


[10] discussed lesser about the handle’s height. The purpose of this analysis is to
systemize the findings of the research papers which have examined how to manage
height in pushing and pulling tasks. Other factors other than handle height during
push and pull are also known. Also, workspace or handle design suggestions can be
generated by synthesizing the findings.

2 Materials and Methods

Different databases have been used to classify the origins for this literature review
(Fig. 1). Initially, Google Scholar was used to taking an initial sample of what
kind of papers were available. Different journals that provide essential informa-
tion on the handle height of a cart used during pushing and pulling were selected.
The following methodology filters were applied: Firstly, the relevant articles from
different databases using the following terms (pushing and pulling force, handle
height, musculoskeletal diseases and evaluation of handle height) were searched.
Secondly, the relevancy of the articles was checked for final selection. Finally, the
selected items were explored for the subsequent dimensions: Year of publication,
Journal title, Field wise journal, Handle height used, Factors affecting the handle
height, participants category, and anthropometric data used. After collecting the data

Fig. 1 Flowchart of the


literature review
16 C. Pancholi et al.

for the above aspects, the data was interpreted statistically, concluding remarks and
future research avenues were elaborated.

3 Observations and Recommendations

After applying search finally, 34 articles were selected for further analysis in the
current research. This section represents statistical representation of handle height
used in the cart while pushing and pulling by the following perspective: (1) trend of
publication, (2) field wise journal and (3) handle height used.

3.1 Year Wise Publication Trend

The selected papers are treated promptly to model the development by altering the
distribution of the number of studies during the 1974–2020 period. It is clear from
Fig. 2 that the publishing of papers in this zone is on the rise, which indicates that
the need for better handle height has a high priority after 2002 for the selected risk
assessment literature.

3.2 Field Wise Journal

Figure 3 shows the list of various journals that have published the selected studies
in the current research. Most (26%) of the articles are published in “Ergonomics”.

Fig. 2 Year wise publications


A Contemporary Review of Pushing/Pulling Strength … 17

Fig. 3 Journal wise distribution

After this 20% materials are published in the “International Journal of Ergonomics”
and about 18% articles are in “Applied Ergonomics”. Applied Ergonomics is also
a promising avenue for release of the research. After this (12%) of materials are
published in human factors related journals (Human factors and Human factors &
Ergonomics Association), human factors are the best avenue for publication. Around
(6%) of the research is published in safety related journals out of which safety and
health at work is the best avenue for publication.

3.3 Characteristics of the Included Studies

Table 1 shows the various characteristics considered in the analysis.

Table 1 Summary of articles reviewed


S. No. Reference Participants, N, gender Factors other than handle height
1 [4] n = 46; 35 (m)/11 (f) (np) Foot placement, the hands’ role in the
deployment of the forces, body weight
and height
2 [6] n = 6; 3 (m)/3 (f) (np) Tight-fitting clothing, foot placement,
body postures and handle height
3 [11] n: 1 Bodyweight, velocity, hand force
4 [2] n = 8; 8 (m)/0 (f) (np) Treadmill speed (2 km/h), resting
time, climatic conditions, weight and
shoulder height of the body
(continued)
18 C. Pancholi et al.

Table 1 (continued)
S. No. Reference Participants, N, gender Factors other than handle height
5 [8] n = 19; 19 (m)/0 (f) (np) Age, weight, height, shoulder height,
arm length
6 [12] n = 6; 4 (m)/2 (f) (np) Bodyweight, height, velocity, hand
force
7 [13] n = 20; 10 (m)/10 (f) (np) Knuckle/knee/hip height and
bodyweight
8 [14] n = 4; 2 (m)/2 (f) (p) Force, hand height, shoulder height,
knuckle Height and cart load
9 [15] n = 40; 20 (m)/20 (f) (np) Isokinetic velocity, anthropometric
data, time limit for max effort
10 [16] n = 8; 0 (m)/8 (f) (p) Bodyweight, height and age
11 [9] – Distance, pace, weight of the cart,
distance, velocity of the foot,
bodyweight
12 [17] n = 8; 5 (m)/3 (f) (np) Ankle support shoes, height of the seat
pan, bodyweight, height, age
13 [18] n = 10; 5 (m)/5 (f) (np) Wheel diameter, cart loads (73,181 kg)
and anthropometric data
14 [19] n = 7; 7 (m)/0 (f) (p) Cart load, height, weight, joint
loading, forces
15 [20] n = 8; 8 (m)/0 (f) (np) Direction of force, magnitude of force,
body posture
16 [21] n = 24; 11 (m)/13 (f) (np) Handle diameter, grip, meal tray size,
the height of eye over a cart, cart
weight and strength
17 [22] n = 148; 65 (m)/83 (f) Knob diameter, cylindrical bar dia and
length
18 [23] n = 7; 7 (m)/0 (f) (p) Cart weight (85, 135, 320 kg),
material properties of cart (Rubber
wheels, wheels dia)
19 [24] n = 12; 12 (m)/0 (f) (p) Handle bar diameter, Steel chain with
the load, Stretching requirement
20 [25] n = 60; 29 (m)/31 (f) (np) Age, stature, weight, shoulder height,
shoulder circumference, waist size,
arm size, forearm size, thigh size, leg
size, and skid-free wooden surface
21 [26] n = 9; 9 (m)/0 (f) (np) Cart weight, wheel diameter, cart
height, rolling resistance and loads
applied
22 [27] n = 20; 10 (m)/10 (f) (np) Type of device, the magnitude of load,
the level of control needed, and the
push speed
(continued)
A Contemporary Review of Pushing/Pulling Strength … 19

Table 1 (continued)
S. No. Reference Participants, N, gender Factors other than handle height
23 [28] n = 920; 604 (m)/316 (f) (np) Body weight, height and age
24 [29] n = 11; 11 (m)/0 (f) (np) Cart movement and shoulder height,
anthropometric data
25 [30] n = 19; 9 (m)/10 (f) (np) Handlebar dia/length and handle cover
26 [31] n = 30; 8 (m)/22 (f) (p) Weight on wheelchair, anthropometric
data (bodyweight, age and height)
27 [32] n = 86; 46 (m)/40 (f) (np) Height, weight, age, handle diameter
28 [10] – Slope, wheels, friction, cart weight,
feet distance, pushing/pulling
frequency, distance between foot
29 [33] n = 24; 12 (m)/12 (f) (np) Handle orientation: vertical and
horizontal and bodyweight, height, age
30 [34] n = 100; 50 (m)/50 (f) (np) Handle diameter, anthropometric data
31 [35] n = 13; 1 (m)/12 (f) (p) The handle grip material and size
32 [36] – Weight/ load of the cart, location and
nature of the handle
33 [37] n = 31; 17 (m)/14 (f) (np) Age, gender, height, weight of the
body, floor mat, shoes
34 [38] n = 200; 100 (m)/100 (f); (p) Age, weight, stature, acromial height,
foot positions and handle heights
35 [39] n = 20; 8 (m)/11 (f) (np) Two loads (32.5 and 42.5 kg),
anthropometric data
n total no. of participants, np non-professional, p professional, m male, f female

4 Conclusions

Some conclusions can be drawn from this review: (1) Anthropometric data are
certainly the most influential parameter. (2) Handle height at the knee, elbow, and
shoulder was mostly used and can reduce at least some measures of musculoskeletal
strain and thus used for the management of the risk of injury. (3) Whenever the
professional participants were invited for the experiment, they can bear a higher load
at different handle height. Thus, we can say that professionals have the task experi-
ence and technique that helps them to reduce the strain. (4) Some important factors
other than anthropometric data are certainly reducing the musculoskeletal disorders,
they are: handle design, exerted forces, cart mass, task experience, foot placement,
type of pushing (one-handed or two-handed). Studies have also shown that lowering
cart mass reduces stress on musculoskeletal disorders as well.
20 C. Pancholi et al.

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Development of an Optimal PID
Controller for the 4-DOF Manipulator
Using Genetic Algorithm

Shyam Prasad Kodali, Ravi Kumar Mandava,


and Boggarapu Nageswara Rao

Abstract Tuning of the PID controller is a time consuming and laborious task and
several researchers are working on providing better solutions. In this research article,
the authors implemented an optimal PID controller for the 4-DOF planar robotic
manipulator which will aid in smooth control of joint motions. The dynamics of
the manipulator are calculated following the Lagrange-Euler formulation. After the
controller is designed, the controller gains have been tuned utilizing manual tuning
procedure reported earlier. As the manual procedure does not guarantee optimal
parameters, the authors used a population-based optimization algorithm, that is, a
Genetic algorithm for achieving better results. The procedure of tuning controller
gains using genetic algorithms is presented and further, the performance of the devel-
oped algorithm is verified and compared with that obtained using manual procedure
using computer simulations.

Keywords 4-DOF manipulator · PID controller · Manipulator dynamics · Genetic


algorithm

1 Introduction

Nowadays, robotic manipulators are introduced in most industrial applications to


reduce human effort and exposure to hazardous environments. In general, the manip-
ulator configuration contains three sub-assemblies, namely electrical, mechanical,
and control components. In a mechanical context, the manipulator consists of several
links connected either in serial or parallel form to an end effector with the help of
various prismatic and/or revolute joints. To date, researchers have established several
methods for defining the accuracy and performance of manipulators. Soomro [1] and
Fu et al. [2] proposed a mathematical model for the 3-DOF robotic manipulator using

S. P. Kodali · B. N. Rao (B)


Department of Mechanical Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation,
Vaddeswaram 522502, India
R. K. Mandava
Department of Mechanical Engineering, MANIT Bhopal, Bhopal 462003, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 23
R. Agrawal et al. (eds.), Recent Advances in Industrial Production, Lecture Notes in
Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5281-3_3
24 S. P. Kodali et al.

kinematics analysis, for determining the velocity, acceleration, and moment of inertia
of different joints of the manipulator. In [3] the authors established a kinematic and
dynamic model for a 3-DOF manipulator to control the noise factors. The authors
in [4] discussed a generalized algorithm for exact dynamic modeling of RRR flex-
ible spatial manipulator. The goodness of this algorithm being that it uses minimum
number of equations for solving manipulator dynamics. Further, the proposed algo-
rithm is also used to control the manipulator with minimum computational cost.
Goyal et al. [5] analysed the workspace of the robotic manipulator using the singu-
larities and the Jacobian matrix of the robotic manipulator. Of the many problems
associated with tracking of the manipulator’s end effector in different applications,
systematically designing and governing of the various robotic manipulators joint
motions is a challenging task. Tien-Dung et al. [6] implemented a PD controller
with online gravity compensation for a 2-DOF manipulator. Later, Titov et al. [7]
developed two control strategies for a 2-DOF manipulator, the first one utilizing
force-torque control and the second one utilizing impedance control. The authors in
[8] implemented a traditional PID controller for a flexible robotic manipulator with
six links connected with six joints. So far, researchers around the world are contin-
uing the research on the design of various types of tuning algorithms such as manual,
Ziegler and Nichols (Z-N), and soft computing based algorithms. Mandava et al. [9]
implemented a PID controller for a 4-DOF serial manipulator and used the manual
tuning method to tune the gains. It is observed that the manual tuning method is a
time-consuming process. In [10], Ziegler and Nichols established a tuning method
for PID controller that was complex and time consuming in tuning the gains. Later,
many researchers focussed on genetic algorithm (GA) [11], particle swarm opti-
mization algorithm (PSO) [12], invasive weed optimization (IWO) algorithm [13],
fuzzy logic [14], and neural network [15] based control algorithms. Yurni et al. [16]
designed a fuzzy PID controller for the 4-DOF industrial robotic arm which was
used to identify objects. To control the trajectory of the 3-RRR parallel manipu-
lator, Sheng and Wei [17] designed a GA-based controller that was an improved
version in terms of the PID controller’s robustness and precision. Nasr and Badr [18]
proposed a novel PID controller algorithm for a two-link manipulator. The authors
used artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm to tune the developed controller’s gains.
In [19] the authors implemented a PSO and ABC-based PID control algorithm for a
two-link flexible robotic arm and compared it with the Z-N controller. The authors
used PSO and ABC algorithms to tune the K P , K D , and K I of the said developed
controller, and studied the controller’s performance and accuracy. The results show
that the PSO-PID controller is superior to the ABC-PID controller. Recently, Loucif
and Kechida [20] designed a sliding mode control (SMC) with a PID surface for a
manipulator and the gains were tuned using antlion optimization (ALO) and gray
wolf optimizer (GWO) algorithms. The goodness of the algorithm was checked in
terms of integral time square error and absolute error. Alongside, Jishnu et al. [21]
developed an observer-based PID controller for a four-link planar manipulator. The
authors used the PSO algorithm to optimize the controller’s pole values and minimize
the error. In the present article, the authors implemented a GA-based PID controller
for a 4-DOF planar robotic manipulator.
Development of an Optimal PID Controller … 25

2 Mathematical Formulation

The kinematics and dynamics describing the 4-DOF planar robotic manipulator
shown in Fig. 1 are discussed in this section, Using these the respective position and
the torque needed at each of the manipulator joints can be estimated. The lengths of
the robotic manipulator links are represented by L1 , L2 , L3 , L4 and the links’ masses
are designated as m1 , m2 , m3 , m4 respectively.
Inorder to estimate the robot end effectors’ position along with its orientation,
the angles made by various links (i.e. L1 to L4 ) of the manipulator are represented
as θ1 , θ2 , θ3 , and θ4 . Further, a systematic procedure following the D-H notations is
used to model the manipulators’ forward kinematics, which enables the description
of the end effector with respect to the manipulators’ base in terms of the spatial
Cartesian coordinates. The D-H parameters obtained for the said manipulator are
noted in Table 1, and the homogeneous transformation matrix obtained using the
forward kinematics approach is given in Eq. (1).

Fig. 1 4-DOF planar


manipulator

Table 1 D-H notations


Link (i) Ai αi di θi
1 L1 0 0 θ1
2 L2 0 0 θ2
3 L3 0 0 θ3
4 L4 0 0 θ4
26 S. P. Kodali et al.

⎡ ⎤
C1234 −S1234 0 L 1 C1 + L 2 C12 + L 3 C123 + L 4 C1234
⎢ S1234 C1234 0 L 1 S1 + L 2 S12 + L 3 S123 + L 4 S1234 ⎥
0T 4 =⎢
⎣ 0

⎦ (1)
0 1 0
0 0 0 1

where,
S1 = sin(θ1 ), C1 = cos(θ1 ), S12 = sin(θ1 + θ2 ), C12 = cos(θ1 + θ2 ), S123 = sin(θ1
+ θ2 + θ3 ), C123 = cos(θ1 + θ2 + θ3 ), S1234 = sin(θ1 + θ2 + θ3 + θ4 ) and C1234 =
cos(θ1 + θ2 + θ3 + θ4 ).
The Lagrange-Euler formulation is used to model the 4-DOF planar robotic
manipulator dynamics. The developed dynamic equations play a significant role
while executing the given task in real-time. It is essential to note that limitations
arise due to the inertia of moving masses introduced as a result of the motion of
various links the system is comprised of. The manipulator dynamics is modeled
taking into consideration the gravitational, centrifugal (Coriolis), and inertial force
contributions. Thus, required torque at different joints of the manipulator is obtained
using the dynamic equation of motion given by Eq. (3).


n 
n 
n
τi = Mi j (q)q̈ j + Ci jk q̇ j q̇k + G i i, j = 1, 2, . . . n (3)
j=1 j=1 k=1

where τi is the necessary torque at joint i, q is the displacement of joint, q̇ j and q̇k
are the velocities of joint j and k respectively, q̈ j is the acceleration of joint j.
Mi j is the inertia force coefficient given by:


n
Mi j = T
T r d pj I p d pi , i, j = 1, 2, . . . n
p=max(i, j)

Ci jk is the Coriolis or centrifugal force coefficient given by:




n
∂ d pk
Ci jk = Tr I p d pi , i, j = 1, 2, . . . n
T

p=max(i, j,k)
∂q p

G i is the gravity force given by:


n
Gi = − m p gd pi ep r p , i, j = 1, 2, . . . n
p=i

Designing a PID controller is relatively simpler compared to other controllers,


with its performance primarily dependent on the values of three parameters referred
to as the proportional gain (K P ), the derivative gain (K D ), and the integral gain (K I )
which, are chosen so as to reduce the magnitude of error signal (e). Therefore, the
Development of an Optimal PID Controller … 27

necessary torque at different joints of the manipulator in order to reach the desired
final position starting from an initial position is determined by using Eq. (4).

T = K P e + K D ė + K I ∫ edt (4)

Thus, PID controller designed for a 4-DOF planar manipulator can be expressed
as Eq. (5).

τi = K Pi θi f − θi − K Di θ̇i + K I i e(θi )dt (5)

where, i = 1, 2, …, n links of the manipulator.

3 Formulation of the Problem

The problem of tuning the three gains of the designed PID controller, viz., the propor-
tional gain (K P ), the derivative gain (K D ), and the integral gain (K I ), is formulated
as an optimization problem of minimizing the integral error as defined by Eq. (6).


4
Minimize Z = e(θi ) (6)
i=1

Subject to constraints

50 ≤ K P1 , K P2 , K P3 , K P4 ≤ 130

40 ≤ K D1 , K D2 , K D3 , K D4 ≤ 100

20 ≤ K I 1 , K I 2 , K I 3 , K I 4 ≤ 70

where e(θ i ) is the respective error at joint i. The remaining terms carry their traditional
meaning. Further, the optimization problem is solved using conventional genetic
algorithms, following the procedure outlined in the following section.

3.1 Tuning of PID Controller by Using Genetic Algorithm

For the past few decades, genetic algorithms have emerged as a powerful and very
popular optimization techniques compared to other optimization algorithms. Initially,
28 S. P. Kodali et al.

the algorithm starts with a population containing several chromosomes. Each chro-
mosome represents a solution to the problem, and its performance is calculated based
on the fitness function. A group of randomly selected chromosomes undergoes three
major stages, namely selection, crossover and mutation. By using these three basic
operations the new chromosomes or solutions are generated which hopefully are
better solutions. The procedure adopted to tune the PID controller using genetic
algorithm is outlined below:
• Initially, GA starts with an initial set of random guesses or solutions for the PID
controller parameters K P , K D , and K I . The entire set of guesses is referred to as
the population with population size equal to the total number of guesses. Each
set of guesses is represented as a binary string and referred to as a population
member or chromosome.
• The fitness defined using Eq. (6) as the inverse of (1 + Z), is evaluated for
each population member or chromosome after converting the binary string to its
equivalent real value. After determining the fitness function each set of decoded
parameters K P , K D , and K I is passed to the PID controller.
• Based on the evaluated fitness the population is subjected to selection operation,
wherein chromosomes having lower fitness value are selected with higher chances
for undergoing crossover and mutation operations subsequently. Tournament
selection is used in the current work.
• Now the selected chromosomes called the parents are subjected to crossover,
yielding new chromosomes or child solutions that may be better than one or both
of the parents. A single point crossover operation is implemented here.
• Finally, mutation operator is applied to prevent the process ending up in a local
minimum and further maintain the population’s diversity.
• The process is repeted until convergence is achieved. The convergence criteria
is either a specified number of GA generations are completed or the fitness of
population has reached a specified minimum value.

4 Results and Discussion

The necessary torque at each of the manipulator joints and its control analysis is
simulated in this work. The tuning of PID controller gains K P , K D , and K I is achieved
using the manual method i.e., by trial and error and a metaheuristic optimization
method, GA. The tuned PID controller gains obtained applying the manual and
GA procedures are compared as given in Table 2. Recognizing the fact that the
performance of GAs is influenced by the algorithm parameters, systematic studies,
as illustrated in Fig. 2, are conducted to estimate the optimal parameter values. It can
be seen that, crossover rate of 0.5, mutation rate of 0.045, population size of 50, and
maximum generations equal to 40, are suitable values of principal GA parameters.
The identified GA parameters are then utilized in the estimation of the optimal gains
of the developed PID controller.
Development of an Optimal PID Controller … 29

Table 2 Comparison of manual and GA tuned gains of the PID controller


Joints Manual tuned GA tuned
KP KI KD KP KI KD
1 120 50 80 115.05 52.58 75.23
2 100 45 74 105.26 47.25 68.32
3 80 40 65 82.35 45.98 65.34
4 60 25 62 58.32 32.56 60.48

Fig. 2 Studies showing influence of GA parameters: a mutation rate, b population size, and
c number of generations

Next, a comparative study of resulting convergence error with the manually tuned
and GA tuned controller gains is performed, which is illustrated in Fig. 3. It is
observed that initially, the deviation or error is high at all joints, and after a few
seconds, the error slowly settles down. It can also be observed that the percentage
of error is less when the gains are tuned with the help of a genetic algorithm when
compared to the manual tuning method. Figure 4 shows the torque necessary at several
joints of the robotic manipulator using the resulting optimal gains from manual tuning
and GA tuning method. The results show that the torque essential at joint 1 is higher
30 S. P. Kodali et al.

(a) joint 1 (b) joint 2

(c) joint 3 (d) joint 4

Fig. 3 Variation of error at various joints

Fig. 4 Joint torque variations: a using manually tuned gains, and b GA tuned gains

compared to the other three joints. This is because the first link drives the other three
links and joints of the manipulator. Based on the results of convergence of error and
required torque at different joints of the manipulator, it can be concluded that a PID
controller tuned using GA performs better than the manually tuned PID controller.
Development of an Optimal PID Controller … 31

Fig. 5 Comparison of path


tracking capability of the
developed PID controllers

Finally, a simulation has been conducted on V-REP software to identify the manip-
ulator’s path tracking capability. Figure 5 illustrates the paths tracked by the manipu-
lator’s end-effector utilizing the gains obtained by the manual tuning procedure and
GA-based tuning of the PID controller. Observe that the manipulator follows very
closely the desired trajectory when using GA tuned gains. In contrast when using
manually tuned gains, there is not only a clear deviation from the desired trajectory
but also the motion is not smooth. All simulations in the reported study are performed
on a 64-bit operating system PC with Intel i3 processor, and 4 GB RAM.

5 Conclusions

A PID controller has been designed to control the 4-DOF planar manipulator and
tuning of the controller gains is accomplished with the help of both manual and with
the application of genetic algorithm procedures. The optimal values of the controller
gains are estimated following a systematic procedure. The simulation results show
that, use of GA tuned PID controller results in better performance compared to that
achieved when using manually tuned PID controller, in terms of the percentage of
error and torque required to manipulate the robot within the boundary conditions.

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Assessing the Carbon Foot Print
of an Ayurveda Medical Institute: A Case
of National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur,
India

Gaurav Gaurav, Tejas Kumar, Chandni Khandelwal, Alok Bihari Singh,


M. L. Meena, Sundeep Kumar, and G. S. Dangayach

Abstract The According to the “Paris Agreement”, India has committed to green-
house gas emission. By 2030, India’s greenhouse gas emission intensity per unit
gross domestic product (GDP) will be reduced by 33–35% compared to the 2005
baseline. In this context, similar goals are encouraged to be followed by all fields
of business, including hospitals and academic institutions. In order to contribute to
the country’s efforts on this issue, this study presents the 2020 greenhouse gas emis-
sion account of the Ayurveda medical institute at the National Institute of Ayurveda
(NIA) Jaipur, India, based on the academic and hospital activities established in the
year of 2020. This study was conducted using IPCC methodology with scope 1,
scope 2, and scope 3. Scope 1 includes in-house transportation, refrigerants, chem-
ical, and consumption of liquefied petroleum gas. In Scope 2, electricity is the only
source of emissions, while Scope 3 includes personnel commuting, water supply,
cloths, surgical accessories, wastewater treatment, oils, chemicals, stationery items,
papers, polyethylene, biomedical waste, and solid waste, etc. The results show that
at the Ayurveda medical institute, commuting, water, and wastages (Scope 3) gener-
ates 71.73% of carbon emissions, which is the highest. Liquefied petroleum gas
consumption, refrigerant usage, in-house transportation and chemicals usage emis-
sions (Scope 1) are 16.57% and direct emissions (Scope 2) are 11.57%. Refrigerant
usage is the most influential activity in Scope 1 emissions. Commuting is the most
dominant activity in Scope 3 emissions, accounting for more than 38% of the overall
carbon footprint of the NIA, Jaipur, India.

G. Gaurav · A. B. Singh · M. L. Meena · G. S. Dangayach (B)


Department of Mechanical Engineering, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur
302017, India
T. Kumar
Jayshree Periwal High School, Jaipur 302021, India
C. Khandelwal
Department of Management Studies, Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur 302017,
India
S. Kumar
Department of Management Studies, Government Engineering College, Ajmer 305025, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022 33
R. Agrawal et al. (eds.), Recent Advances in Industrial Production, Lecture Notes in
Mechanical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5281-3_4
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suis votre serviteur, comme j’étais celui de votre père avant vous.
Nous sommes tous vos serviteurs. »
Le jeune Chinn se sentit trop ému pour répondre, et la voix
poursuivit :
« J’ai pris vos clefs à ce gras étranger, et l’ai renvoyé ; et les
boutons sont à la chemise pour le mess. Qui saurait, si je ne sais
pas ? Et ainsi, le bébé est devenu un homme, et oublie son père
nourricier ; mais mon neveu sera là pour faire un bon serviteur, sans
quoi je le battrai deux fois par jour. »
Alors se leva, dans un cliquetis de métal, aussi droit qu’une
flèche bhil, un petit homme, une sorte de singe ratatiné aux cheveux
blancs, la tunique chargée de médailles et d’ordres divers,
balbutiant, saluant et tremblant. Derrière lui un jeune et nerveux Bhil,
en uniforme, était en train de tirer les embauchoirs des bottes de
mess de Chinn.
Les yeux de Chinn étaient remplis de larmes. Le vieux tendit les
clefs.
« Les étrangers sont de vilaines gens. Il ne reviendra jamais.
Nous sommes tous les serviteurs du fils de votre père. Le Sahib a-t-il
oublié qui est-ce qui le porta pour voir le tigre pris au piège dans le
village qui est de l’autre côté de la rivière, quand sa mère avait si
peur, et qu’il était si brave ? »
La scène revint à l’esprit de Chinn en grands éclairs de lanterne
magique.
« Bukta ! » s’écria-t-il.
Et tout d’une haleine :
« Vous promîtes qu’il ne m’arriverait pas de mal. Est-ce Bukta ? »
Pour la seconde fois l’homme était à ses pieds.
« Il n’a pas oublié. Il se souvient de son peuple comme s’en
souvenait son père. Maintenant, je peux mourir. Mais, en attendant,
je vivrai pour montrer au Sahib à tuer le tigre. Ce qui est là-bas, c’est
mon neveu. S’il ne se montre pas bon serviteur, battez-le et
envoyez-le-moi, et sûrement je le tuerai, car maintenant le Sahib est
parmi son peuple. Ai, Baba Jan — baba Jan ! Mon baba Jan ! Je vais
rester ici pour voir si cela fait bien son service. Enlève-lui ses bottes,
imbécile. Asseyez-vous sur le lit, sahib, et laissez-moi vous regarder.
C’est bien baba Jan ! »
Il avança la poignée de son sabre en signe de loyauté, honneur
qu’on ne rend qu’aux vice-rois, aux gouverneurs, aux généraux, ou
aux petits enfants que l’on aime tendrement. Chinn toucha
machinalement la poignée avec trois doigts, en murmurant il ne
savait quoi. Il se trouva que c’était la vieille réponse de ses jeunes
années, lorsque Bukta l’appelait pour rire le petit général sahib.
Les quartiers du major étaient en face de ceux de Chinn, et le
major en personne, s’apercevant que la surprise faisait perdre le
souffle à son serviteur, regarda du fond de la pièce. Alors, il s’assit
sur son lit et se mit à siffler ; car la vue du plus ancien des officiers
indigènes du régiment, un Bhil « pur sang », un Compagnon de
l’Ordre du British India, ayant trente-cinq années de service sans
reproche dans l’armée, et parmi les siens un rang supérieur à celui
de maints principicules du Bengale, la vue d’un homme pareil en
train de remplir l’office de valet de chambre auprès du sous-
lieutenant nouveau venu dépassait la mesure de ses forces.
Les rauques clairons sonnèrent l’appel au mess, lequel appel a
derrière lui une longue légende. D’abord quelques notes perçantes,
comme les cris de rabatteurs dans un fourré lointain ; puis, large,
plein et égal, le refrain du chant sauvage : « Eh là, eh là, la graine
verte de Mundore — Mundore ! »
« Tous les petits enfants étaient au lit la dernière fois que le sahib
entendit cet appel », déclara Bukta, en passant à Chinn un mouchoir
propre.
L’appel lui rappela des souvenirs : son berceau sous la
moustiquaire, le baiser de sa mère, et le bruit de pas qui
s’éteignaient tandis qu’il tombait endormi parmi les siens. Sur quoi il
agrafa le col sombre de sa nouvelle jaquette de mess, et s’en alla
dîner comme un prince qui vient d’hériter de la couronne paternelle.
Le vieux Bukta s’éloigna en tortillant ses favoris. Il avait
conscience de sa propre valeur, et ni argent ni grades à la
disposition du gouvernement ne l’eussent amené à mettre les
boutons aux chemises de jeunes officiers, ni à leur tendre des
cravates propres. Toutefois, lorsqu’il enleva son uniforme, cette nuit-
là, et s’accroupit parmi ses camarades pour fumer tranquillement, il
leur raconta ce qu’il avait fait, et ils déclarèrent qu’en tout il avait bien
fait. Sur quoi Bukta exposa une théorie qui, à l’esprit des blancs, eût
paru de la folie furieuse ; mais les petits guerriers tout chuchotants, à
tête rassise, l’examinèrent à tous les points de vue, et pensèrent
qu’elle pouvait renfermer beaucoup de vrai.
Au mess, sous la lumière des lampes à huile, la conversation en
vint comme de coutume au sujet inépuisable du shikar — la chasse
au gros gibier de toutes sortes et dans toutes sortes de conditions.
Le jeune Chinn ouvrit les yeux lorsqu’il comprit que chacun de ses
camarades avait tué plusieurs tigres à la façon wuddar — c’est-à-
dire à pied — sans faire plus de cas de la chose que s’il se fût agi
d’un chien.
« Dans neuf cas sur dix, déclara le major, un tigre est presque
tout aussi dangereux qu’un porc-épic. Mais, la dixième fois, vous
rentrez au logis les pieds par devant. »
Ces mots furent le signal d’une conversation générale, et minuit
était loin d’être sonné que la cervelle de Chinn bourdonnait
d’histoires de tigres — mangeurs d’hommes et tueurs de bétail,
chacun exerçant son petit métier aussi méthodiquement qu’un rond
de cuir ; nouveaux tigres récemment arrivés dans tel et tel district, et
vieilles bêtes familières de grande finesse, connues au mess sous
des sobriquets — tels que « Pattu », indolent, aux pattes énormes, et
« Madame Malàpropos », qui arrivait au moment où vous vous y
attendiez le moins, et miaulait comme une femme. Puis on se mit à
parler des superstitions bhiles, champ aussi vaste que pittoresque,
jusqu’à ce que le jeune Chinn donnât à entendre qu’il se croyait
berné.
« Non pas, ma parole, déclara quelqu’un à sa gauche. On vous
connaît à fond. Vous êtes un Chinn et tout cela, et vous avez ici une
sorte de droit acquis ; mais, si vous ne croyez pas ce que nous vous
disons, que ferez-vous, alors, quand le vieux Bukta entame le
chapitre de ses histoires ? C’est une autorité en fait de tigres-
fantômes et de tigres qui vont en un enfer à eux ; et de tigres qui
marchent sur leurs pattes de derrière, et, par-dessus le marché, du
tigre que monte votre grand-père. Curieux qu’il n’ait pas soufflé un
mot de cela.
— Vous savez que vous avez un ancêtre enterré là-bas quelque
part du côté des monts des Satpuras, n’est-ce pas ? dit le major,
comme Chinn souriait d’un air indécis.
— Mais oui, je le sais, repartit Chinn, qui connaissait par cœur la
chronique des Chinns. »
Elle se trouvait dans un vieux registre usé, sur la table de laque,
derrière le piano, au fond de la maison du Devonshire, et les enfants
sont autorisés à la regarder le dimanche.
« Ma foi, je n’en étais pas sûr. Votre vénérable ancêtre, mon
garçon, suivant les Bhils, possède un tigre en propre — un tigre de
selle, sur le dos duquel il fait le tour du pays toutes les fois que cela
lui chaut. J’hésite à trouver cela décent chez l’ombre d’un ex-
percepteur ; mais voilà ce que croient les Bhils du Sud. Il n’est pas
jusqu’à nos hommes, lesquels pourraient passer pour n’avoir point
froid aux yeux, qui ne se soucient guère de battre le pays s’ils
entendent dire que Jan Chinn est en train de se balader sur son
tigre. On suppose que celui-ci est un animal moiré, à la robe
nébuleuse — non pas rayé, mais comme enfumé, à l’instar d’un chat
d’Espagne. Sale bête, à ce qu’on dit, et signe certain de guerre ou
d’épidémie, ou — ou de quelque chose. Voilà pour vous une gentille
légende de famille.
— Quelle en est, supposez-vous, l’origine ? demanda Chinn.
— Demandez aux Bhils des Satpuras. Le vieux Jan Chinn était
un grand chasseur devant l’Éternel. Peut-être s’agit-il de la revanche
du tigre, ou peut-être leur fait-il encore la chasse. Il vous faut, l’un de
ces jours, aller à sa tombe vous enquérir de cela. Bukta sans doute
y veillera. Il me demandait avant votre arrivée si, par quelque
malchance, vous n’aviez pas déjà tué votre tigre. Si non, il est prêt à
vous prendre sous son aile. Naturellement, pour vous, c’est
obligatoire. Vous ne vous embêterez pas avez Bukta. »
Le major ne se trompait pas. A l’exercice, Bukta tenait l’œil sur le
jeune Chinn, et la première fois que le nouvel officier éleva la voix
dans un commandement, on remarqua que toute la ligne tressaillit. Il
n’est pas jusqu’au colonel qui ne fût abasourdi, car on eût pu croire
que c’était Lionel Chinn de retour du Devonshire avec un nouveau
bail de vie. Bukta avait continué à développer sa théorie parmi ses
intimes, et elle fut acceptée comme article de foi dans le régiment,
attendu qu’il n’était un mot ni un geste, de la part du jeune Chinn, qui
n’en fussent la confirmation.
Le vieux s’arrangea bientôt pour que son enfant gâté se lavât du
reproche de n’avoir pas tué son tigre ; mais il ne se contenta pas de
prendre la première bête qui se présenta. Dans ses villages il
disposait de la haute, basse et moyenne justice, et lorsque ses gens
— nus et en émoi — vinrent à lui avec le signalement d’une bête, il
les pria d’envoyer des éclaireurs aux lieux de massacre ainsi qu’aux
abreuvoirs, afin d’être sûr que la proie était bien celle qui convenait à
la dignité d’un tel homme.
Trois ou quatre fois les traqueurs intrépides revinrent dire, ce qui
était vrai, que la bête était galeuse, rabougrie — une tigresse
épuisée par l’allaitement, ou un vieux mâle à la dent ébréchée — et
Bukta calmait l’impatience du jeune Chinn.
A la fin, on signala un noble animal — un tueur de bétail de dix
pieds, à l’énorme et libre rouleau de fourrure le long du ventre, au
poil lustré, au cou pris dans un jabot bien touffu, pourvu de favoris,
folâtre et jeune. Il avait égorgé un homme, histoire de s’amuser,
disait-on.
« Qu’on lui donne à manger », dit Bukta.
Et les villageois obéissants poussèrent devant lui des vaches
pour le distraire, afin qu’il restât dans le voisinage.
Des princes et des potentats ont fait le voyage de l’Inde et ont
dépensé moult argent pour ne faire qu’entrevoir des bêtes à peine la
moitié aussi belles que celle de Bukta.
« Cela n’a rien de séant, dit-il au colonel, en demandant une
permission de chasse, que le fils de mon colonel, lequel fils est peut-
être… que le fils de mon colonel s’en aille perdre son pucelage sur
n’importe quelle petite bête de jungle. Cela sera bon pour après. J’ai
attendu longtemps celui-ci, qui est un tigre. Il est venu du pays de
Mair. D’ici sept jours nous serons de retour avec la peau. »
L’envie fit grincer les dents au mess. Bukta l’eût-il voulu, qu’il eût
pu les inviter tous. Mais il s’en alla seul avec Chinn, deux jours de
char-à-banc et un jour de marche à pied, jusqu’à ce qu’ils
atteignissent une vallée rocheuse, aveuglante, qui renfermait un
étang d’eau excellente. La journée était torride, et fort naturellement
le jeune homme se dévêtit et entra dans l’eau pour s’y baigner,
laissant Bukta près de ses vêtements. Une peau blanche se voit de
loin sur l’écran brun de la jungle, et ce qu’aperçut Bukta sur le dos et
l’épaule droite de Chinn le fit s’approcher pas à pas, les yeux tout
grands.
« J’avais oublié qu’il n’est pas décent de se déshabiller devant un
homme de son rang, dit Chinn, en s’enfonçant dans l’eau. Comme il
regarde, le petit diable ! Qu’est-ce que c’est, Bukta ?
— La marque ! répondit un murmure.
— Ce n’est rien. Vous savez comment il en retourne avec ma
famille ! »
Chinn se sentit ennuyé. La tache lie de vin qu’il portait sur
l’épaule, quelque chose comme ce nuage conventionnel qu’on voit à
certains plats indochinois, lui avait échappé de la mémoire, sans
quoi il ne se fût pas baigné. Elle se présentait, selon le dire de la
famille, toutes les deux générations, n’apparaissant, chose assez
curieuse, que huit ou neuf ans après la naissance, et, sauf qu’elle
faisait partie de l’héritage de Chinn, ne pouvait, d’une façon précise,
être considérée comme un ornement. Il se hâta de regagner le bord,
se rhabilla, et ils reprirent leur marche jusqu’à ce qu’ils
rencontrassent deux ou trois Bhils, lesquels aussitôt tombèrent à plat
ventre.
« Mes gens ! grommela Bukta, sans leur accorder plus
d’attention. Et de la sorte, vos gens, Sahib. Lorsque j’étais jeune
homme, nous étions en plus petit nombre, mais pas aussi faibles.
Maintenant, nous sommes nombreux, mais une pauvre engeance.
Comme on peut s’en souvenir. Comment le tuerez-vous, Sahib ? Du
haut d’un arbre ; de derrière un abri que mes gens construiront ; de
jour ou de nuit ?
— A pied et en plein jour, répondit le jeune Chinn.
— C’était votre coutume, d’après ce que j’ai entendu dire, reprit
Bukta se parlant à lui-même. Je vais tâcher d’avoir de ses nouvelles.
Puis vous et moi nous irons le trouver. Je porterai un fusil. Vous avez
le vôtre. Pas besoin d’en avoir davantage. Quel tigre te résisterait ? »
L’animal fut signalé près d’une petite flaque d’eau à l’entrée d’un
ravin, repu et assoupi sous le soleil de mai. Levé comme un
perdreau, il se tourna pour livrer bataille à mort. Bukta ne fit même
pas le simulacre de braquer son rifle, et se contenta de ne pas
quitter du regard Chinn, qui répondit au rugissement de tonnerre de
la charge par une seule balle — il sembla au jeune homme qu’il
s’écoulait des heures tandis qu’il visait — laquelle balle laboura la
gorge pour aller fracasser l’épine dorsale au-dessous du cou et entre
les épaules. Le fauve s’aplatit, suffoqua, et tomba ; et, avant que
Chinn se rendît bien compte de ce qui était arrivé, Bukta le priait de
rester là tandis qu’il mesurait du pas la distance qui séparait ses
pieds de la gueule encore grinçante.
« Quinze, dit Bukta. Des pas ordinaires. Pas besoin d’un second
coup, Sahib. Il saigne proprement où il est, et il serait dommage
d’abîmer la peau. J’avais dit que ces gens-là nous seraient inutiles,
mais ils sont venus — en cas. »
Soudain les flancs du ravin s’étaient couronnés de têtes : les
gens de Bukta — force qui eût suffi pour mettre la bête en compote,
au cas où Chinn eût manqué son coup ; mais leurs fusils étaient
cachés, et on les eût pris pour des rabatteurs que la chose
intéressait, tandis que cinq d’entre eux attendaient l’ordre d’écorcher.
Bukta regarda la vie s’en aller du fond des yeux sauvages, leva la
main, et tourna sur les talons.
« Inutile de montrer que nous nous en soucions, dit-il. Maintenant
nous pouvons après cela tuer ce que nous voulons. Tendez votre
main, Sahib. »
Chinn obéit. Elle n’avait pas un tremblement, et Bukta hocha la
tête.
« Cela aussi, c’était votre coutume. Mes gens ne sont pas longs
à écorcher. Ils porteront la peau aux cantonnements. Le Sahib
voudra-t-il venir dans mon pauvre village passer la nuit et, peut-être,
oublier les grades ?
— Mais, ces hommes — les rabatteurs. Ils ont travaillé dur, et
peut-être…
— Oh, s’ils écorchent mal, nous les écorcherons. Ce sont mes
gens. A la caserne, je suis une chose. Ici, j’en suis une autre. »
Rien n’était plus vrai. Lorsque Bukta dépouillait l’uniforme et
revenait au costume rudimentaire des siens, il jetait aux orties sa
civilisation d’officier instructeur. Cette nuit-là, après avoir causé
quelque temps avec ses sujets, il se consacra à l’orgie ; et l’orgie bhil
est une chose que la plume ne saurait guère décrire. Chinn, exalté
par le triomphe, s’y trouva plongé jusqu’au cou ; mais le sens des
mystères lui resta caché. De véritables sauvages vinrent avec des
offrandes se presser autour de ses genoux. Il offrit sa gourde aux
anciens du village. Ils se firent éloquents et l’enguirlandèrent de
fleurs. Prêts et offrandes, pas tous des plus convenables, furent
poussés vers lui, et une musique infernale se déroula et fit rage
autour de rouges feux, tandis que des chanteurs entonnaient les
chansons du vieux temps, et dansaient de bien singulières danses.
Les liqueurs aborigènes sont très puissantes, et Chinn fut obligé
maintes fois d’y goûter ; mais, à moins que le breuvage n’eût été
drogué, comment lui arriva-t-il de tomber soudainement endormi
pour ne s’éveiller que tard le lendemain — à un demi-jour de marche
du village ?
« Le Sahib était très fatigué. Il s’est endormi un peu avant le jour,
expliqua Bukta. Mes gens l’ont porté ici, et voici qu’il est temps de
retourner aux cantonnements. »
La voix, égale et déférente, le pas, ferme et silencieux, rendaient
difficile à croire que quelques heures auparavant Bukta hurlait et
cabriolait en compagnie de démons nus de la jungle, ses
semblables.
« Mes gens ont été très contents de voir le Sahib. Ils n’oublieront
jamais. La prochaine fois que le Sahib s’en va en recrutement, il ira
chez eux, et ils lui donneront autant d’hommes qu’il nous en
faudra. »
Chinn garda tout cela pour lui, sauf en ce qui concerne la chasse
du tigre ; et, cette histoire-là, Bukta la broda d’une langue effrontée.
La peau était certainement une des plus belles que jamais on eût
exposées au mess, et ne devait pas être la seule du genre. Lorsque
Bukta ne pouvait accompagner à la chasse son enfant gâté, il
prenait soin de le mettre en bonnes mains, et Chinn en apprit plus
sur la mentalité et les ambitions du Bhil sauvage en ses marches et
campements, dans les entretiens au crépuscule ou les haltes au
bord des fontaines, qu’un homme non averti eût pu le faire au cours
de toute une vie.
Ses hommes, au régiment, ne tardèrent pas à s’enhardir et à
parler de leurs parents — la plupart dans l’ennui — et à lui exposer
des cas de juridiction locale. Ils racontaient, en s’accroupissant dans
sa verandah, à la tombée du jour, dans ce parler facile, confidentiel,
des Wuddars, que tel célibataire s’était enfui dans un village lointain
avec telle femme mariée. Or, quel était le nombre de vaches que
Chinn Sahib considérait être une juste amende. Ou encore, si l’ordre
écrit venait du gouvernement qu’un Bhil eût à se rendre en une ville
close des plaines afin d’y déposer comme témoin devant une cour
de justice, serait-il sage de méconnaître cet ordre ? D’autre part, si
on y obéissait, le voyageur inconsidéré reviendrait-il en vie ?
« Mais qu’ai-je à faire de tout cela ? demanda Chinn à Bukta sur
un ton d’impatience. Je suis un soldat. Je ne connais pas la loi.
— Peuh ! La loi est faite pour les imbéciles et… les blancs.
Donne-leur un ordre grand et sonore, et ils s’en tiendront à lui. Tu es
leur loi.
— Mais, pourquoi ? »
Le visage de Bukta se couvrit d’un masque impénétrable. C’était
la première fois, semblait-il, que l’idée le frappait.
« Que disais-je ? répliqua-t-il. Peut-être est-ce à cause du nom.
Le Bhil n’aime pas le changement. Donne-leur des ordres, Sahib —
deux, trois, quatre mots à la fois, tels qu’ils peuvent en emporter
dans leurs têtes. Cela suffit. »
Chinn donna des ordres, vaillamment, sans se rendre compte
qu’un mot dit à la hâte, avant le repas du mess, devenait la loi
révérée et sans appel de villages situés de l’autre côté des noires
montagnes — n’était ni plus ni moins que la loi de Jan Chinn
Premier, lequel, suivant la légende qui courait tout bas, était revenu
sur terre dans le corps et les os de son petit-fils, pour surveiller la
troisième génération.
Il ne pouvait y avoir le moindre doute là-dessus. Tous les Bhils
savaient que Jan Chinn réincarné avait honoré de sa présence le
village de Bukta après avoir tué son premier tigre — son premier en
cette vie-ci ; qu’il avait mangé et bu avec les leurs, comme il avait
coutume ; et — Bukta devait avoir fortement drogué la boisson de
Chinn — sur son dos et sur son épaule droite tout le monde avait vu
cette Nuée Rouge intimidante que les Dieux puissants avaient
apposée sur la chair de Jan Chinn Premier la première fois qu’il se
présenta au Bhil. Au regard du monde blanc et de sa sottise, lequel
n’a pas d’yeux, c’était un svelte et jeune officier de Wuddars ; mais
son peuple, à lui, savait que c’était Jan Chinn, Jan Chinn qui avait
fait du Bhil un homme ; et, cette foi au cœur, ils s’empressèrent de
répandre ses ordres, avec le souci de ne pas les altérer en route.
Étant donné que le sauvage, comme l’enfant qui joue seul, a
horreur qu’on se moque de lui ou qu’on le questionne, tout ce monde
garda pour soi ses convictions ; et le colonel, qui croyait connaître
son régiment, ne devina jamais que, dans la conviction sereine de
chacun des six cents hommes et officiers au pied prompt et au petit
œil de jais, qui se tenaient devant lui au port d’armes, le sous-
lieutenant, là, sur l’aile gauche de la ligne, était bel et bien un demi-
dieu à sa seconde incarnation — déité tutélaire de leur pays et de
leur peuple. Les Dieux de la Terre eux-mêmes avaient apposé leur
empreinte sur l’incarnation, et qui donc oserait mettre en doute
l’ouvrage des Dieux de la Terre ?
Chinn, qui, par-dessus tout, était un homme pratique, vit que son
nom de famille le servait bien à la caserne et au camp. Ses hommes
ne lui causaient pas d’ennui — on ne commet pas de fautes
régimentaires avec un dieu pour occuper le siège de la justice — et il
était sûr des meilleurs rabatteurs du district quand il en avait besoin.
Ils croyaient que la protection de Jan Chinn Premier les couvrait de
son manteau, et dans cette croyance montraient une hardiesse qui
dépassait même l’ordinaire des Bhils les plus hardis.
Ses quartiers commençaient à ressembler à un petit museum
d’histoire naturelle, malgré les duplicata de têtes, de cornes et de
crânes qu’il envoyait chez lui dans le Devonshire. Les sujets, très
humainement, appréciaient le côté faible de leur dieu. C’est vrai qu’il
était incorruptible, mais les dépouilles d’oiseaux, les papillons, les
insectes, et, par-dessus tout, les nouvelles du gros gibier, lui
faisaient plaisir. Sous d’autres rapports, aussi, il se montrait à la
hauteur de la tradition Chinn. Il était à l’épreuve de la fièvre. Une nuit
à la belle étoile en compagnie d’un chevreau à l’attache dans une
vallée humide, nuit d’où le commandant fût sorti avec un mois de
malaria, n’avait nul effet sur lui. Il était, comme ils disaient, salé
avant de naître.
Or, durant l’automne de sa seconde année de service, une
rumeur inquiète sembla filtrer de terre et courut parmi les Bhils.
Chinn n’en perçut rien jusqu’au jour où l’un de ses camarades
officiers dit à travers la table du mess :
« Votre vénérable ancêtre est en bombe dans le pays des
Satpuras. Vous ne feriez pas mal d’aller jeter un coup d’œil par là.
— Je ne veux pas me montrer irrespectueux, mais j’en ai un peu
soupé, de mon vénérable ancêtre. Bukta ne cause pas d’autre
chose. Qu’est-ce que le vieux zigue est censé faire maintenant ?
— Parcourir le pays au clair de lune, à cheval sur son tigre de
parade. Telle est la nouvelle. Il a été vu par environ deux mille Bhils,
gambadant le long de la cime des Satpuras, et causant aux gens
une peur bleue. Ils le croient dévotement, et tous mes gaillards des
Satpuras sont devant son autel — sa tombe, veux-je dire — en train
de s’esquinter à l’adorer. Vous devriez vraiment y aller. Ce doit être
quelque chose de pas ordinaire que de voir son grand-père traité en
dieu.
— Qu’est-ce qui vous fait croire qu’il y ait du vrai dans l’histoire ?
demanda Chinn.
— C’est que tous nos hommes la démentent. Ils déclarent n’avoir
jamais entendu parler du tigre de Chinn. Or, c’est un mensonge
manifeste, attendu qu’il n’est pas un Bhil qui n’en ait entendu parler.
— Vous n’avez oublié qu’une chose, dit le colonel d’un air pensif,
c’est que lorsqu’un dieu local réapparaît sur terre, on peut être sûr
que c’est là prétexte à un trouble quelconque ; et ces Bhils des
Satpuras sont à peu près aussi sauvages que votre grand-père les a
laissés, jeune homme. Cela signifie quelque chose, allez.
— Vous voulez dire qu’ils seraient prêts à entrer dans le sentier
de la guerre ? demanda Chinn.
— Ne saurais dire — pas encore. N’en serais nullement surpris.
— On ne m’en a pas dit un mot.
— Cela prouve d’autant plus. Ils cachent quelque chose.
— Bukta, pourtant, me raconte tout, en règle générale. Or,
pourquoi ne m’a-t-il pas dit cela ? »
Chinn, ce soir-là même, posa directement la question au vieux, et
la réponse ne laissa pas que de le surprendre.
« Quel besoin de dire ce qui n’est que trop connu ? Oui, le tigre
nébuleux est dehors, dans le pays des Satpuras.
— Aux yeux des Bhils sauvages, qu’est-ce que cela signifie ?
— Ils ne savent pas. Ils attendent. Sahib, qu’est-ce qui
s’annonce ? Ne dis rien qu’un petit mot, et nous serons contents.
— Nous ? Qu’ont à faire avec des soldats des contes venant du
Sud, où habitent les Bhils de jungle ?
— Lorsque Jan Chinn s’éveille, ce n’est pour aucun Bhil le
moment de s’endormir.
— Mais il ne s’est pas éveillé, Bukta.
— Sahib (les yeux du vieillard étaient pleins de tendre reproche),
s’il ne désire pas qu’on le voie, pourquoi s’en va-t-il courir au clair de
lune ? Nous savons qu’il est réveillé, mais nous ne savons pas ce
qu’il désire. Est-ce un signe pour tous les Bhils, ou en est-ce un qui
ne concerne que les gens des Satpuras ? Ne dis rien qu’un petit
mot, Sahib, que je puisse porter à la caserne et envoyer à nos
villages. Pourquoi Jan Chinn sort-il ? Qui donc a fait du mal ? Est-ce
la peste ? Est-ce l’épizootie ? Nos enfants vont-ils mourir ? Est-ce la
guerre ? Souviens-t’en, Sahib, nous sommes ton peuple et tes
serviteurs, et en cette vie je t’ai porté dans mes bras — sans savoir.
— Bukta, évidemment, a caressé la bouteille, ce soir, pensa
Chinn ; mais si je peux faire quelque chose pour rassurer le vieux
brave, je le dois. Cela ressemble en petit aux rumeurs qui
précédèrent le soulèvement. »
Il se laissa choir au fond d’un fauteuil d’osier, sur lequel était
jetée sa première peau de tigre, et, en pesant sur le coussin, fit
retomber les pattes armées de griffes par-dessus ses épaules. Il
s’en saisit machinalement tout en parlant, et attira autour de lui, à la
façon d’un manteau, la dépouille aux superbes couleurs.
« Maintenant je vais dire la vérité, Bukta, dit-il, en se penchant en
avant, le mufle desséché du monstre sur l’épaule afin d’inventer un
mensonge qui tînt debout.
— Je vois bien que c’est la vérité, lui fut-il répondu d’une voix
tremblante.
— Jan Chinn sort dans les Satpuras, à cheval sur le Tigre
Nébuleux, dites-vous ? Soit. En conséquence, le signe de
l’événement ne concerne que les Bhils des Satpuras, et ne touche
en rien les Bhils qui labourent dans le nord et l’est, les Bhils du
Khandesh, ou n’importe quels autres. Il ne s’agit que des Bhils des
Satpuras, qui, nous le savons, sont aussi sauvages que sots.
— Alors, c’est un signe pour eux ? Bon ou mauvais ?
— Point de doute, bon. Car pourquoi Jan Chinn irait-il faire du
mal à ceux dont il a fait des hommes ? Les nuits par là-haut sont
chaudes ; c’est mauvais de reposer trop longtemps dans le même lit
sans se retourner, et Jan Chinn voulait revoir son peuple. Aussi se
lève-t-il, siffle-t-il son Tigre Nébuleux, et sort-il un peu pour respirer
l’air frais. Si les Bhils des Satpuras restaient dans leurs villages au
lieu de s’en aller vagabonder la nuit, ils ne le verraient pas. Oui-da,
Bukta, c’est tout simplement qu’il veut respirer de nouveau l’air de
son pays. Fais-le savoir dans le sud, et dis que c’est mon ordre. »
Bukta s’inclina jusqu’à terre :
« Juste ciel ! pensa Chinn. Et ce païen aux yeux clignotants est
un officier de première classe, et carré comme un dé. Pendant que
j’y suis, aussi bien en finir. »
Il poursuivit :
« Si les Bhils des Satpuras demandent l’explication du signe, dis-
leur que Jan Chinn veut voir s’ils tiennent les promesses qu’ils ont
faites jadis de bien se conduire. Peut-être ont-ils pillé, peut-être ont-
ils l’intention de désobéir aux ordres du gouvernement, peut-être y a-
t-il quelque cadavre dans la jungle, et est-ce pourquoi Jan Chinn est
venu voir.
— Serait-il donc en colère ?
— Bah ! Suis-je jamais en colère, moi, avec mes Bhils ? Je dis
des mots en colère, et menace de beaucoup de choses. Toi, tu le
sais, Bukta. Je t’ai vu sourire derrière ta main. Nous le savons tous
deux. Les Bhils sont mes enfants. Je l’ai déclaré maintes fois.
— Oui, nous sommes tes enfants, dit Bukta.
— Et il n’en est autrement avec Jan Chinn, le père de mon père.
Il veut revoir le pays qu’il aima ainsi que le peuple. C’est un bon
revenant, Bukta. C’est moi qui le dis. Va le leur répéter. Et j’espère,
ajouta-t-il, que cela les calmera. »
Rejetant en arrière la peau de tigre, il se leva avec un long
bâillement qui montra toutes ses dents en bon ordre.
Bukta s’enfuit, pour se voir reçu à la caserne par tout un groupe
de gens haletants.
« C’est vrai, dit Bukta. Il s’est drapé dans la peau, et c’est du fond
d’elle qu’il a parlé. Il veut revoir le pays qui est sien. Le signe n’est
pas pour nous ; et, disons-le aussi, Jan Chinn est un jeune homme.
Comment passerait-il les nuits paresseusement couché ? Il dit que
son lit est trop chaud et que l’atmosphère de la chambre est
mauvaise. Il se livre à des allées et venues pour le plaisir de courir la
nuit. C’est lui qui l’a dit. »
L’assemblée aux gris favoris frissonna.
« Il dit que les Bhils sont ses enfants. Vous savez qu’il ne ment
pas. C’est lui qui me l’a dit.
— Mais quoi en ce qui concerne les Bhils des Satpuras ? Que
veut dire le signe pour eux !
— Rien. Il ne s’agit, je le répète, que du plaisir de courir la nuit. Il
chevauche pour voir s’ils obéissent au gouvernement, comme il leur
apprit à faire dans sa vie antérieure.
— Et qu’arrivera-t-il s’ils n’obéissent pas ?
— Il ne l’a pas dit. »
La lumière s’éteignit dans les quartiers de Chinn.
« Regardez, dit Bukta. Le voilà qui s’en va. Pas moins, c’est un
bon revenant, comme il a dit. Comment craindrions-nous Jan Chinn
qui a fait du Bhil un homme ? Sa protection est sur nous ; et vous
savez que Jan Chinn n’a jamais manqué à une promesse verbale ou
écrite sur papier, de nous protéger. Lorsqu’il sera plus âgé et qu’il
aura trouvé femme, il restera au lit jusqu’au matin. »
Un officier supérieur se rend compte, en général, de l’état d’esprit
du régiment un peu avant ses hommes ; et c’est pourquoi le colonel
déclara, quelques jours plus tard, que quelqu’un avait mis la crainte
de Dieu au cœur des Wuddars. Comme il était le seul personnage
officiellement autorisé à ce faire, il s’inquiéta de voir tant d’unanimité
dans la vertu.
« C’est trop beau pour que cela dure, dit-il. Ce que je voudrais
bien, c’est deviner ce qui se passe dans ces petites têtes-là. »
L’explication, lui sembla-t-il, vint au changement de lune, lorsqu’il
reçut l’ordre de se tenir prêt à « calmer toute effervescence
possible » chez les Bhils des Satpuras, lesquels se montraient, pour
employer un terme modéré, remuants, parce qu’un gouvernement
paternel avait lancé sur eux un vaccinateur du Mahratta, sorti des
écoles du gouvernement, armé de lancettes, de lymphe et d’une
génisse inscrite sur les registres de l’État. En langage officiel, ils
avaient « manifesté une violente antipathie contre toutes mesures
prophylactiques », avaient « retenu de force le vaccinateur », et
« étaient sur le point de négliger leurs devoirs de tribu ».
« Ce qui veut dire qu’ils sont pris de frousse — tout comme au
temps du recensement, dit le colonel ; et si nous les faisons se
carapater dans les montagnes, jamais nous ne les rattraperons,
primo, et secundo, ils s’élanceront au pillage jusqu’à nouvel ordre.
Je me demande qui est le maudit idiot qui essaie de vacciner un
Bhil. Je savais qu’il y avait du grabuge dans l’air. Heureusement
qu’ils n’emploieront que des forces locales, et que nous pouvons
arranger quelque chose que nous appellerons une campagne, sans
leur faire grand mal. Nous voyez-vous dégringoler nos meilleurs
rabatteurs parce qu’ils ne veulent pas qu’on les vaccine ! La peur
leur a fait perdre la tête, et voilà tout. »
« Ne croyez-vous pas, sir, dit Chinn le jour suivant, que vous
pourriez peut-être me donner une permission de chasse de quinze
jours ?
— Désertion en face de l’ennemi, nom d’un tonnerre ! (Le colonel
se prit à rire.) Je le pourrais, mais il me faudrait quelque peu
l’antidater, attendu que nous avons reçu nos ordres de service, ou
tout comme. Malgré cela, nous prétendrons que vous aviez adressé
votre demande de permission il y a trois jours, et que vous êtes
depuis longtemps en route pour le sud.
— J’aimerais prendre Bukta avec moi.
— Cela va sans dire, oui. Je crois que c’est une très bonne idée.
Vous avez comme une sorte d’influence héréditaire sur les petits
drôles, et il se peut qu’ils vous écoutent là où le moindre éclair de
nos uniformes les affolerait. C’est la première fois que vous allez
dans cette partie du monde, n’est-ce pas ? Faites attention qu’ils ne
vous envoient pas dans le caveau de vos pères en la fleur de vos
ans. Je crois que vous n’aurez rien à redouter si vous parvenez à
vous faire écouter d’eux.
— C’est mon avis, sir ; mais si — si par hasard ils m’envoyaient
ad patr… — se mettaient à faire la bête — cela se peut, vous savez
— j’espère que vous vous rappellerez qu’ils ont seulement eu peur. Il
n’y a pas un atome de vice en eux, et je ne me pardonnerais jamais
que quelqu’un de — de mon nom leur causât de l’ennui. »
Le colonel opina de la tête, sans rien dire.
Chinn et Bukta se mirent en route sur-le-champ. Bukta ne
raconta pas que, dès le moment où le vaccinateur officiel avait été
entraîné dans les montagnes par les Bhils indigènes, les coureurs
n’avaient cessé de se succéder furtivement à la caserne, suppliant,
le front dans la poussière, que Jan Chinn vînt expliquer tout cet
inconnu d’horreur dont son peuple était menacé.
Le présage du Tigre Nébuleux n’était maintenant que trop clair.
Que Jan Chinn secourût les siens, car vaine était l’assistance de nul
mortel. Bukta réduisit le ton de ces suppliques aux proportions d’une
simple requête tendant à la présence de Chinn. Rien n’eût pu faire
plus de plaisir au vieux qu’une campagne d’escarmouches contre les
Satpuras, qu’en sa qualité de Bhil « pur sang » il méprisait ; mais il
se trouvait, à titre d’interprète de Jan Chinn, lié par le devoir vis-à-vis
de toute sa nation, et il croyait fermement que quarante plaies
s’abattraient sur son village s’il prenait des tempéraments avec cette
obligation. En outre, Jan Chinn savait tout, et il montait le Tigre
Nébuleux.
Ils couvrirent à pied et à dos de poney trente milles par jour, et
relevèrent dans le minimum de temps la muraille bleue des
Satpuras. Bukta se montrait fort silencieux.
Ils entreprirent la dure ascension un peu après midi, mais ce ne
fut qu’au coucher du soleil qu’ils atteignirent la plate-forme de pierre
accrochée au flanc d’une montagne crevassée, couverte de jungle,
où Jan Chinn Premier fut déposé, comme il en avait manifesté le
désir, afin d’avoir l’œil sur son peuple. Toute l’Inde est remplie de
tombes abandonnées qui datent du commencement du dix-huitième
siècle — tombes de colonels oubliés de régiments depuis longtemps
licenciés ; officiers de vaisseaux de l’East India partis en expéditions
de chasse et qui ne revinrent jamais ; gérants, agents,
expéditionnaires et enseignes de l’honorable East India Company,
par centaines et milliers et dizaines de milliers. L’Anglais oublie vite,
mais les indigènes ont la mémoire longue, et lorsqu’un homme a fait
du bien en sa vie, on s’en souvient après sa mort. La tombe de
quatre mètres carrés de marbre rouillé qui recouvrait Jan Chinn était
tout alentour tendue de fleurs sauvages et de noix, de paquets de
cire et de miel, de bouteilles d’alcools indigènes et d’infâmes
cigares, de cornes de buffles et de panaches d’herbe desséchée. A
l’une des extrémités se voyait une grossière image d’argile,
représentant un blanc en chapeau haut de forme à la mode de
l’époque, à cheval sur un tigre bouffi.
Bukta, dès qu’ils approchèrent, s’acquitta d’un salaam plein de
révérence. Chinn se découvrit et entreprit de déchiffrer l’inscription à
demi effacée. Autant qu’il put lire, elle était ainsi conçue, mot pour
mot, lettre pour lettre :
To the Memory of John Chinn, Esq.
Late collector of…
… ithout Bloodshed or… error of Authority
Employ. only… eans of Conciliat… and Confiden.
accomplished the… tire Subjection…
a Lawless and Predatory Peop…
… taching them to… ish Government
by a Conque… over… Minds
The most perma… and rational Mode of Domini…
… Governor-General and Counc… engal
have ordered thi… erected
… arted this life Aug. 19, 184. Ag… [15]

[15]

A la Mémoire de John Chinn, Esq.


Feu le percepteur de…
Qui, sans effusion de sang ni abus d’autorité,
En employant les seuls moyens de la conciliation et de la
confiance,
Accomplit l’entière soumission
D’un peuple sans loi et pillard,
L’attachant au Gouvernement britannique
par la conquête des esprits,
Le Mode de Domination le plus durable et le plus
rationnel,
Le Gouverneur Général et le Conseil du Bengale
Ont ordonné que ce monument soit érigé.
A quitté cette vie le 19 Août 184. à l’âge de…

De l’autre côté de la tombe étaient inscrits d’anciens vers,


également fort usés. Tout ce que Jan Chinn déchiffra fut :
… the savage band
Forsook their Haunts and b… is Command
… mended… rals check a… st for spoil
And. s. ing Hamlets prove his gene… toil
Humanit… survey… ights restore…
A Nation… ield… subdued without a Sword [16] .

[16]
… la troupe sauvage
Abandonna ses Retraites et reconnut son Autorité.
Aujourd’hui les esprits amendés répriment la soif du
pillage,
Et les villages qui s’élèvent sont la preuve de ses
généreux efforts.
L’Humanité contemple ses droits reconnus :
Une nation qui se rend — soumise sans coup férir.

Il resta penché quelque temps sur la tombe, pensant à ce mort


de son sang, et à la maison du Devonshire ; puis, branlant la tête
dans la direction de la plaine :
« Oui c’est une rude tâche — tout cela — même pour ce qui est
de ma modeste part. Il doit avoir valu la peine qu’on le connaisse…
Bukta, où est mon peuple ?
— Pas ici, Sahib. Nul homme ne vient ici qu’en plein jour. Ils
attendent là-haut. Montons voir. »
Mais Chinn, qui n’oubliait pas la première loi de la diplomatie
orientale, répliqua d’une voix égale :
« Si j’ai fait un si long trajet, c’est simplement parce que les gens
des Satpuras sont des imbéciles et n’osaient pas visiter nos
cantonnements. Maintenant, prie-les de venir se présenter ici. Je ne
suis pas le serviteur, mais le maître des Bhils.
— J’y vais — j’y vais », balbutia le vieux.
La nuit tombait, et à tout moment Jan Chinn pouvait, d’un coup
de sifflet, faire sortir son redoutable coursier des taillis envahis par
l’ombre.
Or, pour la première fois au cours d’une vie déjà longue, Bukta
désobéit à un ordre légitime et déserta le jeune officier anglais ; car il
ne revint pas, et se hâta vers le plateau de la colline, où il lança
doucement un appel. Des hommes s’agitèrent tout autour de lui —
de petits hommes tremblants, armés d’arcs et de flèches, qui
attendaient Bukta et son compagnon depuis midi.

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