bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flowing into the Future
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

Iowa State researchers are working on technology to let engineers design and analyze in real time surrounded by three-dimensional virtual reality. The goal for virtual engineering is for the engineer to better focus on solving the problem at hand, without spending undue amounts of time gathering information, modelling the information, and then analyzing it. The virtual engineering system would integrate computational fluid dynamics and finite element analysis modelling and simulation technologies so engineers would feel as though they’re walking through a system, like a power plant, testing as they go. According to experts, the challenge of building a complete virtual engineering environment comes while coupling software packages as well as in the limitations of visualization and computing hardware prevalent currently. Howard Crabb, one of the founding fathers of computer-aided design technology, predicts that virtual engineering will become cost-effective within the decade. He’s the author of The Virtual Engineer, a book that defines how companies can use the powerful supercomputing capabilities available today to streamline business practices.
To Stand and Protect
Authors: Gruber Thomas C.
Published: July 2018

This article discusses features of infrared (IR) spectrometers. These spectrometers detect the spectral fingerprints of deadly agents like sarin and mustard gas. The Mobile Chemical Agent Detector (MCAD) uses a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer to detect the spectral fingerprints of deadly agents like sarin and mustard gas. It can also detect many industrial chemicals, including phosgene, ammonia, and methane. The spectrometers, supplied by Block, are the most expensive part of the MCAD system, which at its present manufacturing volume costs several hundred thousand dollars. MCAD generates 12 detection results a second as it monitors the atmosphere in real time. Results are displayed on a laptop. Applications for these sensors range from use by first responders to soldiers on the battlefield. They can also monitor industrial sites. Micro Engineering Software and Hardware has developed a stationary version for use at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah to support chemical sensor field-testing. The company calls this one the Chemical Cloud Tracking System.
Silent Running
Authors: Hutchinson Harry
Published: July 2018

Several companies are offering home appliances and commanding soaring prices for them, largely because they promise to be quiet. Bosch Home Appliances makes a series of dishwashers designated SH, which it markets as the quietest in North America. Motors and pumps are designed to keep noise down, and there is triple sound insulation on the higher-priced models of the line. Electrolux North America has introduced a vacuum cleaner called Harmony, which it promises will run far quieter than the common variety. One of the key sound damping features is a layer of foam that surrounds the motor. Electrolux adds that the foam also adds a sealing layer so cleaning suction is n’t lost through vacuum leaks. Thus, in addition to suppressing noise, the foam improves the efficiency of the appliance. The Duet washers have a variety of sound quelling features. The Duet is driven by a quiet-running three-phase brushless motor. The machine has a high-performance drain pump that never has to strain to work at its limit. In order to make a Duet, the washer has a comp anion dryer that looks almost identical. The dryer, which is made in Marion, Ohio, is also designed for quiet operation and retails for more than $800.
One for the Little Guy
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on engineers at an organization that may rely on its product lifecycle management software to speed a product to market. The system gives engineers a way to talk among themselves over a network as they work out product details and hash over design changes. Equally important to a fast-paced manufacturer is an enterprise resource planning system, which manages the operational, planning, and control side of the organization. As costs come down, smaller companies, often the suppliers to the big ones, are also finding it worthwhile to undergo the expense and transition to install enterprise management software and to wed their engineering and manufacturing systems. Manufacturers can usually expect installations of extensive systems to cost a sizable portion of their information technology budgets. An enterprise planning system can be time-consuming to implement and the training period long. Following a two-year company-wide evaluation, Anchor Lamina executives decided to re-engineer front-end processes. They specifically sought estimating, computer-aided manufacturing, and design technology that could be easily integrated with the company’s ERP system.
From Sea to Sink
Authors: Ehrenman Gayle
Published: July 2018

This article reviews supplies of water under stress; the prospect of rendering saltwater drinkable is growing more appealing and more affordable. A combination of need and cost is making desalination of saltwater more attractive in the United States, and reverse osmosis is the overwhelming choice when it comes to desalination methods. Desalination, the removal of salt from either brackish or seawater to render it potable, is nothing new. Desalination processes are generally divided into two methods: thermal and membrane. Either process can be used for seawater or brackish water. Brackish water is saltier than fresh water, but typically not as salty as seawater. It may result from the mixing of sea and fresh water, as in estuaries, or it may occur naturally, as in underground aquifers. Brackish water concentrate disposal poses more of a problem, largely because those facilities are typically located inland, so there's no nearby ocean to send the brine back into. Instead, these facilities pump the concentrate into deep wells.
Culture Clash
Authors: Hutchinson Harry
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that depending on whom you ask, we are building a future in which everybody enjoys a share of the world’s wealth, or we are eroding the economies of the developed nations in pursuit of cheap wages. It is not likely to stop any time soon. In a worldwide economy, everyone is a potential partner and potential competitor. Factory workers in the United States or Germany compete for jobs with counterparts in Korea and Indonesia. Even the not-for-profits compete. After watching the European Union make headway with its standards in China, ASME led a drive to form the Consortium on Standards and Conformity Assessment. Over the years, ASME and the engineering profession were shaped by many influences-by wars, depression, and the coming of cars, electricity, rockets, and computers. Each has had a hand for good and bad in shaping the world. Globalization is only the latest development in a long tradition.
Cheaper Watches
Authors: Sharke Paul
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on research that looks at wireless networks to lower the cost of monitoring plant machinery. General Electric (GE), through its Global Research arm in Niskayuna, N.Y., will investigate wireless motor monitoring; Eaton Corp. of Cleveland will examine wireless data acquisition from electrical distribution gear; and Minneapolis-based Honeywell Inc. will look at wireless process control. The projects, now completing their first phases, will produce demonstration systems when they wrap up two years from now. Distribution product maker Eaton estimates that 90 percent of the electrical switching equipment the company sells today can monitor the quality of the power running through it. The company further estimates that 90 percent of the buyers for that equipment do not wire it up to take advantage of the data's availability. Unlike the monitoring strategies of GE or Eaton, both of which would tolerate intermittent data and even interruptions without drastic consequences, real-time control for Honeywell means the wireless system needs to throw robustness and reliability into the bargain. The Honeywell business problem is one of building confidence that transmitting critical process data over short-range radio networks can happen without interference.
Beyond Silicon
Authors: DeGaspari John
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that engineers are expanding their material world to reduce the cost and tailor performance of microdevices. Microelectromechanical systems evolved from the semiconductor industry, and silicon accounts for the vast majority of MEMS. This is not a surprise, since silicon lends itself well to semiconductor processing, and the designers and engineers of integrated circuits and MEMS understand the material’s characteristics and how to process it. Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, meanwhile, are investigating the use of titanium as a wafer material for MEMS. Noel MacDonald, who heads the research group, said that titanium has advantages over silicon with regard to packaging, material properties, and the ability to create three-dimensional structures. Silicon is sure to be a material of choice among MEMS designers for a long time. But the availability of new materials, both for MEMS themselves and tooling to form microstructures, will open doors for new applications.
Where the Engineers Are
Authors: Brown Alan S.
Published: July 2018

This article appreciates the powerful pull of low-cost offshore engineering services. Elkay, a privately held company, employs 3800 workers at 14 manufacturing sites. For most of its 85-year history, it has made stainless steel sinks and plumbing accessories from two-dimensional drawings. In many ways, Elkay’s case highlights the forces behind the new shift to offshore engineering. While multinationals have shuffled work among remote engineering centers for decades, small and medium-size companies are just starting to tap foreign engineering talent. Access to offshore services makes many companies more competitive. Barry-Wehmiller used its Indian center to cut the cost of customizing packaging machines. Elkay used the same engineers to build a library of 3D CAD models that let it design products faster and cheaper. The auto industry is already adapting a new business model that involves collaborating in real time across nontraditional boundaries.
Lighting the Countryside
Authors: Varrasi John
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on the concept that in the dark years of the Great Depression, rural cooperatives brought a new level of power to American agriculture. Vermont was a microcosm of the electric power industry’s business model during the three decades following the turn of the century. Numerous utilities came online to meet the demands of factories, streetcars, and households in expanding urban centers. Electricity-powered machines to milk cows and dry corn ran pumps to increase the availability of water for irrigation, and provided heat for pigpens and chicken coops. Electricity also brought comfort and convenience to the home, as country residents purchased appliances to preserve food, wash and iron clothes, and vacuum floors. The technological factors that drove the growth of electric utilities in the early 20th century include improved steam efficiencies, the development of turbocharged generators, the application of superpower, and gains in lowering system heat rates. ASME was at the focal point of all these topics. Society members were the ones designing and maintaining the systems and operating the plants, as well as developing the technical standards for steam boilers.
Go-Between
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article discusses shop floor software that taps into CAD systems to get vital manufacturing information. Manufacturing and mechanical engineers find themselves linked by more than just the words in their job titles. Although they might inhabit different parts of the plant or work at separate companies, the engineers have always worked together to turn a design into a part. Now, software that makes it easier to bridge the gap between design and manufacturing has stepped up that cooperation. Computer-aided design systems have long been linked with the computer-aided manufacturing software that directs manufacturing equipment. CAM software takes CAD data to the shop floor by essentially telling shop floor machines how to make a part. Inspection applications take CAD data out to the shop floor to check part specifications against the finished product. They might not spell the doom of Inspector Nine at the end of the assembly line, but those software tools prove invaluable to check manufactured parts against the original CAD design.
The Computer Assist
Authors: Varrasi John
Published: July 2018

This article discusses in less than 40 years, a novelty has grown into a mainstay of engineering practice. Only a few forward-looking technology companies invested in computers, primarily mainframe systems. While bringing the benefits of data management and real-time processing to engineering, the mainframes were also a headache. Engineers spent countless hours correcting functional problems and writing programs. The programs, particularly large-scale ones involving difficult computations, were executed in batch processing mode, meaning that the engineer had only one attempt each day to run the programs. The engineering community must advance computer technology to the level where engineers can validate a structure completely using computational tools, without having to develop physical models and prototypes. The next step is cognitive information processing using the computer to actually mimic the attributes of the human brain.
Mighty Mites
Authors: Dareing Don W. , Thundat Thomas
Published: July 2018

This article reviews that the future belongs to machines built at molecular scales—if the tools to engineer them. Just as the steam engine sparked the industrial revolution of the 19th century, nanotechnology will likely ignite a new industrial revolution during the 21st century. Nanotechnology has the potential to impact all industries; the health care and computer industries are already capitalizing on it. New materials are being created that will affect everything from aerospace and energy to recreation and entertainment. Science is uncovering new technology almost daily, which will have a great impact on many aspects of society. These technologies are at various stages of development, but in the end, each spin-off product must withstand the test in the marketplace. The evaluation of each product will still be based on the same set of metrics as other products: performance, cost, risk or reliability, and availability. To satisfy these metrics, engineers will need analytical tools to make performance predictions, establish production costs and lifecycle economics, quantify the risk associated with new technologies, and satisfy a dynamic market.
Harvesting the Waves
Authors: von Jouanne Annette
Published: July 2018

This article elaborates ways of harnessing the power of the ocean. Engineers have attempted, with varying success, to tap ocean energy as it occurs in waves, tides, marine currents, thermal gradients, and differences in salinity. Among these forms, significant opportunities and benefits have been identified in the area of wave-energy extraction. As a form of harvestable energy, waves have advantages not simply over other forms of ocean power, but also over more conventional renewable energy sources, such as the wind and the sun. Wave energy also offers much higher energy densities, enabling devices to extract more power from a smaller volume at consequent lower costs. The Oregon State University (OSU) wave energy team is developing several novel direct-drive prototypes, including buoys that incorporate permanent magnet linear generators, permanent magnet rack-and-pinion generators, and contactless force transmission generators. The OSU researchers are also interested in small-scale wave-energy generators, which could be integrated into boat anchor systems to power a variety of small craft electronic devices.
A Step Closer to Mars
Authors: Noor Ahmed K. , Zubrin Robert , Stanley Douglas
Published: July 2018

This paper describes the various developments of robust systems for human mars mission. The engineering of highly reliable, robust systems for those human space missions, along with the creation of a livable, artificial environment on Mars, will provide a new arena for the innovation of future technologies, allowing scientific progress and creating economic growth. Studies of human Mars missions have been conducted in the last two decades by NASA, other space agencies, and non-government groups, including the Mars Society. NASA has developed a series of design reference missions to serve as guideposts toward sending a human crew to Mars and to provide a basis for comparing different approaches and criteria. In order to achieve Mars orbit insertion and descent to the surface, rather large accelerations are required, which if implemented through chemical propulsion, require very large propellant masses. The rich carbon supply on Mars also suggests a possibility of local production of such essentials as plastics, lubricants, and synthetic fabrics.
Good Conduct
Authors: Abrams Michael
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on research on a new member developed, which if textured on the nanoscale will let fuel cells triple the current they can carry. Joseph M. DeSimone, a professor of chemistry and chemical engineering at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and at North Carolina State University, said he has found a way to give fuel cell membrane some texture and more than triple its conductivity. DeSimone and his team have managed so far to increase the surface area by more than seven times, which means seven times the performance, and DeSimone said he may be able to bring that multiple up to as much as 50. The nano-etched membrane is a liquid polymer, so a fuel cell could be built from the outside in. DeSimone also hopes to increase the material’s performance in humidity and test how it responds to a cycle of low and high humidity.
Continual Career Change
Authors: Kerno Steven
Published: July 2018

This article explains the need of being versatile, flexible, adaptable, or capable of assuming forms for career demands that confront modern day engineers. The protean career, with the growing need for individual motivation and continuous, career-related learning and development, is indeed a contemporary reality for many engineers. The article also highlights that present and future engineering jobs will involve more challenge, more skilled expertise, and the ability to ‘network’ with others who possess similarly valuable knowledge, skills, and abilities. An engineer must be able to define and clearly articulate the nature and scope of current and future project assignments, as opposed to individual jobs. As work becomes more project-oriented, engineering career success will increasingly depend on the ability to move from project to project, and to absorb the learning and ‘best practices’ from each assignment, as opposed to retaining a relatively static job title and work environment. The successful engineer will more and more frequently be the one capable of using the tools at his or her disposal to effectively orient or map their knowledge and abilities to the current and future needs of their current organization, remaining flexible, adaptable, and versatile.
Mastery of the Complex
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that even after a half-century of development CAD continues to extend control over the design of ever-more-challenging systems. CAD came along at the same time as computer graphics programs. Both technologies allowed shapes to be depicted on the computer screen that had been dominated until then by blinking letters and numbers. Like its graphics counterpart, CAD advancements have continued apace. Today’s systems allow for 3D views that let engineers slice into their digital designs to look inside. Sutherland’s system displayed vector graphics rather than the raster graphics we're used to today. Sketchpad users controlled the cathode ray tubes electron beam via light pen to draw vectors on screen, creating shapes line by line. CAD helps because the engineer no longer shows up at a meeting and unrolls a bunch of blueprints. Today’s engineers can call upon a CAD tie-in called photorealistic modeling that makes use of light and shading effects to give photographic realism to digital designs.
The Path to Invention
Authors: Mahle Uli
Published: July 2018

This article discusses creating new products is something everyone must do, but you may wonder at times how anyone succeeds. The pressures of creating a new product, assessing the risks involved, and getting the product out to market first (never later than second) are overwhelming. Companies that find success through innovation will choose to repeat this practice. The aim of the team design is to let designers with different engineering strengths and backgrounds add perspective, and to prevent the main designers on a project from losing perspective. Some successful companies combine their product development work with downstream engineering and production teams. Software should be easy to learn and to understand, and should not have any pitfalls when someone makes last-minute changes. It is a benefit to allow different specialist areas to have input at any time without affecting the design data.
Way to Grow
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article discusses features of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems that aim to help small engineering firms in managing their businesses. With the proliferation of ERP systems and vendors in the past decade, the big vendors as well as a series of small and niche players are now marketing their offerings for the small-to-midsize company and for specialized companies. Small companies often find that ERP systems give them better control of inventory and production scheduling. The engineer-to-order operation has unique needs that can be met by a specialized ERP system. Jobscope, a company in Greenville, South Carolina, makes ERP software especially for small-to-midsize engineer-to-order companies. In order to serve engineer-to-order type of engineering companies, the Jobscope system stores business information on a per project rather than a company-wide basis. It is because engineer-to-order companies batch and track jobs on a project basis. The experts agree that bringing in an ERP system might seem daunting to the smaller engineering operation. However, they also agree on another thing: it can help small companies manage the complexities of growing business.
The Efficient Frontier
Authors: Kerno Steven
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the efficient frontier, initially conceived within the realm of economics and business that is essential to the practice of engineers as they pursue goals and objectives set forth by employers. Engineering courses, from undergraduate through doctoral studies, have a primary concern with efficiency and how it relates to the physical world. The paper also highlights that it is frequently the engineering talent within a company that best understands how to harness the organizational capital required either to move toward the current efficient frontier or to exceed it. Furthermore, it should be noted that as companies within a given industry strive to improve their operational effectiveness, any advantage this might provide would usually be short lived. The efficient frontier should not be regarded as merely a conceptual tool, with little applicability to daily work or strategic planning activities. The paper also discusses that additionally, by earning increased profits, a firm can invest some of the additional funds in activities intended to further the distance between it and its competitors on the efficient frontier.
To a Higher Degree
Authors: Kuznia Kevin D.
Published: July 2018

This paper focuses on ways to decide which advanced course of study is the best option for the career. The paper highlights that unlike the latitude offered to MBA students, the same variety of programs will not be found in engineering. There are very few accelerated master level engineering programs, but typically, one will have the advantage of not having to take prerequisites to start the program. However, unlike an MBA, which may require engineers to take prerequisite business classes before they start the actual degree program, in a master’s program in engineering, engineers will typically be allowed to take master’s level classes immediately. The MSE is marketable, but in a unique way from an MBA. However, many individuals outside the engineering discipline will have scant knowledge of just how this degree contributes to the organization. The MBA, on the other hand, is a widely recognized degree, and many people within and outside of engineering understand how an MBA contributes to an organization’s success. Both degrees can contribute to career advancement. It is important to let others know how this advanced education contributes to the goals of the organization. Deciding to obtain an advanced degree, whether it is in engineering or business, requires a commitment of time, effort, and expense. However, more important, the right degree can make an enormous difference in career opportunities.
Wind in a Bottle
Authors: Testa Bridget Mintz
Published: July 2018

This article highlights that like everything else wind power is biggest in Texas. But plans to erect thousands of large turbines have utilities scrambling to build a new energy infrastructure. To take advantage of its wind potential, address the state’s fuel diversity problem, and demonstrate sensitivity to regional environmental issues, the 1999 Texas legislature established a “renewable portfolio standard.” This standard sets a goal of 2000 MW of new renewable electricity generation by 2009. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) uses off-peak electricity from the grid to compress air that is stored at high pressures in natural underground repositories. When needed, the compressed air is raised to the surface, expanded in two phases, and then mixed with natural gas. The combination is ignited, turning a gas turbine and producing electricity. Naturally arched salt domes of the type used in the Huntorf and McIntosh plants are not common in West Texas, so the Shell-Luminant CAES plant will use salt beds instead.
Outside In
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article discusses reverse engineering software is slowly changing the way design engineers do their everyday jobs. With the pervasiveness of computer-aided design packages, reverse engineering technology has become a practical tool to create a 3D virtual model of an existing physical part. This model is then available to be used in 3D CAD, computer-aided manufacturing, or other computer-aided engineering applications. The reverse engineering process needs hardware and software that work together. The hardware is used to measure an object, and the software reconstructs it as a 3D model. The physical object can be measured using 3D scanning technologies such as a coordinate measuring machine, laser scanner, structured light digitizer, or computed tomography. The wider accessibility of handheld-laser scanners and portable CMMs like the one used at Excel Foundry means more companies can afford reverse engineering for their own unique ends. The scanner has turned out to be equally useful for engineering and for local archeological and preservation projects; and so far, it has been used to help preserve endangered artifacts.
Exact Constraint
Authors: Skakoon James G.
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the significance of knowing exact constraint in successful design. Although not traditionally taught in mechanical engineering curricula, and not universally known among mechanical engineers, principles of exact constraint have been around for over a century. Designers of precision instruments have for decades used exact constraint, without which they simply would not achieve the precision required by many devices. Exact constraint has a well-developed theory applicable for design engineers. Applying it improves designs by avoiding over-constraint. Over-constrained designs lead to high stresses, tight tolerances, looseness, binding, and difficult assembly. Exact constraint is easier to picture in two dimensions than in three. In two dimensions, there are three degrees of freedom: two translations and one rotation. Some useful compromises to exact constraint are pinned and bolted connections, ball bearings, and tapered roller bearings. Another is in-situ adjustment of over-constraint as in, for example, the thread-adjusted foot pads of a clothes dryer or washing machine.
Innovation in an Uncertain Economy
Authors: Buergel Erich
Published: July 2018

The article discusses the role of people, processes, and platforms in the success of a company. Companies need to foster a synergistic operational view that transcends the common fixation on simply acquiring the latest technology platforms and expecting greater productivity. It is a matter of three dimensions: people, processes, and platforms.

A pragmatic approach that balances people, processes, and platforms will transcend generation after generation of equipment and, for that matter, people and processes. People must operate the technology platforms, and they must be motivated to redirect their skills toward new tools and technologies. Processes, too, must be regarded differently—as a means to leverage not only higher feeds and speeds, but also to integrate data sharing, communication, and documentation. Achieving the right balance among people, processes, and platforms is necessary to drive business success.
Measuring Up
Authors: Goldstein Sheldon D.
Published: July 2018

This article presents an overview of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program. The award program was launched by Congress when it passed the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act of 1987. The act and the award it created were named for Ronald Reagan’s first Secretary of Commerce, who was killed in July 1987. The purpose of this award is to recognize outstanding, well-managed companies to set a standard of competitive excellence for American enterprises in the global economy. Applicants complete an application that makes them take stock of their critical practices—in management, employee relations, customer focus, and other key areas of business operations. The application, which reflects principles known as the Baldrige Criteria, invites a company to look at itself methodically to recognize what it is doing well and to find areas where improvement is possible. Although winning the award is prestigious, the more fundamental value lies in structuring a company’s culture and practices to deserve it.
Positions of Power
Authors: Thornton Jack
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the reasons behind shortage of engineers and engineering jobs in the United States. Power generation faces shortages of people at all levels with the skills required to get big new projects designed, approved, funded, and built, which is largely the result of three decades of little new investment. With the anticipated workload, it is little wonder that power-generation industry leaders are deeply worried about the supply of engineers between roughly 2015 and 2040. Research shows that the utility companies reduced their engineering staffs in the 1990s, and vital skills have gone away. Those engineers took jobs with contractors and consulting firms, moved to other industries, or retired. The disappearance of traditional energy–industry career paths has worsened a long-term US educational problem—the shift away from science and math by students and educators. Experts suggest that industry’s answers to job shortage challenges include persuading engineers of the older generation to work past normal retirement age and developing knowledge transfer initiatives for engineers entering the workforce.
Infernal Mechanism
Authors: Ferrari Mauro
Published: July 2018

This article explores the new generation of nanotech-based therapeutic agents that have entered the fight against cancer. In 2005, a class of albumin-based nanoparticles was approved for delivery of taxanes for breast cancer, and then later for ovarian cancer. Therapeutic and imaging contrast nanoparticles now have a market size exceeding $5 billion per year, and many higher functionality nanodrugs are awaiting approval in the regulatory pipeline. An essential role of nanoparticles in cancer mechanics is in the building of the necessary tools for experimental studies of transport. The research carried out so far on cancer transport differentials has employed nanoparticles as test probes. In order to overcome the multitude of biological barriers, scientists have introduced a system of nanoparticles, designed to address the barriers in their time sequence of presentation called multistage vectors, which consist of nested particles that release consecutively. The level of specificity that can be achieved through the use of the conceptual model of cancer as a mechanical disease—and through the power of the mechanical engineering design process—will result in greater therapeutic efficacy with reduced side effects.
The Sky's the Limit
Authors: Michaud Louis , Renno Nilton
Published: July 2018

This article discusses building a prototype of an atmospheric vortex engine (AVE) to increase the thermodynamic efficiency of a thermal plant. An AVE would look like a natural draft cooling tower with a controlled vortex emerging from its open top. An AVE tower could have a diameter of 300 feet and stand 10 to 20 stories tall. To fully demonstrate the AVE concept, however, it is likely necessary to build and test a prototype at an existing thermal power plant. Building the prototypes at existing thermal power plants would be advantageous because of the availability of a controlled heat source of relatively high temperature. Possessing some 20% or 30% of the capacity of the existing cooling tower, the prototype would be able to accept a fraction of the waste heat from the plant. A small gas-fired power plant in a rural location with a dry cooling tower would be a good candidate site for an AVE prototype, since it could be developed without risk to existing plant operation.
Renewables—disruptors? or Disrupted?
Authors: Golden Garry
Published: July 2018

This article analyzes the future of renewable energy. Looking to the future, renewables are expected to be the fastest growing category of energy through 2035 as global efforts gain momentum. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its Annual Energy Outlook 2011, renewable electricity generation is expected to grow by 72%, raising its share of total power generation from 11% in 2009 to 14% in 2035. The strongest sources of growth will be wind and biomass, while solar remains the perennial dark horse with tremendous but unproven potential. Renewables could also see breakthroughs ahead based on advances in nanotechnology and its impact on materials science and engineering. To overcome the challenges to gaining real market share from legacy hydrocarbons, renewables must catch the wave of other trends shaping the global energy landscape, including materials engineering and business models that help to lower barriers and speed adoption.
Building Nanoglands
Authors: Grattoni Alessandro , Parazynski Scott , Hussain Fazle
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the development of highly structured membranes for constant release of therapeutics over a broad range of molecular sizes, at release rates relevant for medical applications. In the experimental study, the constant release was achieved with small molecules such as leuprolide, a common treatment for prostate cancer, as well as with large molecules such as bevacizumab, widely used in the treatment of metastatic colon cancer. Such an approach could be applied to achieve the goal of metronomic delivery of chemotherapeutics, a constant low-dose administration of drugs over a long period of time. By exploiting nanochannels in passive systems, researchers were to achieve a controlled and constant delivery for extended periods of time, mimicking the basal and continuous flow of molecules from natural glands. This functionality cannot be attained at the macro- or microscale without the use of complex pumping devices and other moving components, because the diffusion of molecules is Fickian, meaning that the release rate is dictated by the gradient of molecular concentration.
Only as Strong as the Weakest Link
Authors: Rice James B.
Published: July 2018

This article discusses why companies need to shore up their supply chains to guard against disasters. Supply chains, which provide raw materials and distribute finished goods to end customers, now extend through many independent companies, and nearly every chain is global. As a consequence, major events from around the world, both natural and man-made, affect the flow of goods and have an increasingly sharp and visibly evident impact on businesses. It is therefore essential that companies identify their entire upstream supply chain—not just their tier-one suppliers but all suppliers and subsuppliers . They should try to understand their downstream customers and intermediaries as well. Businesses also need to conduct a vulnerability assessment for their extended supply chain, not just internal operations. This includes assessing geographic risk, organizational risk, embedded risk, and supplier risk. Organizations should also develop a plan to create a culture that supports supply chain risk management, including active risk monitoring, education, training, and simulation exercises.
How Did the Titanic Sink?
Authors: Deitz Dan
Published: July 2018

This article analyzes the reasons behind the sinking of the Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912. The Titanic struck an iceberg in the ocean and sank within hours. Equipped with only 20 lifeboats, the Titanic went down with the loss of 1523 passengers and crew. Recent engineering evidence suggests that the ship experienced a hull failure at the surface and broke into pieces before it went down. The analysis supports some witnesses’ testimony that the ship likely began to fracture at the surface, and that the fracture was completed at some unknown depth below the water’s surface. The resulting stress levels in the strength deck below the root of the second expansion joint (aft), and in the inner bottom structure directly below, were very high because of the unusual flooding occurring in the forward half of the ship. These patterns of stress support the argument that initial hull failure likely occurred at the surface.
Birds and Jet Engines
Authors: Langston Lee S.
Published: July 2018

This article discusses how incidents of bird strikes with jet engines can be avoided. According to a US Department of Transportation report, bird strikes have steadily and dramatically increased from 1770 reported in 1990 to 9840 in 2011, representing a fivefold increase in 20 years. The rise in strikes, as in other parts of the world, is due in part to sizable increases in large bird populations. According to the DOT report, since 1988, bird strikes have resulted in 229 deaths worldwide. Annually, these incidents have caused nearly 600,000 hours of aircraft downtime, and $625M in damages. All commercial jet engines must comply with bird ingestion regulations established by worldwide regulatory authorities. These regulations are all similar and call for demonstrations of an engine’s ability to ingest birds in small, medium, and large categories. Not being able to meet these regulations can have serious consequences for an engine company.
The S-Curves are Everywhere
Authors: Bejan Adrian , Lorente Sylvie
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the dynamics of the S-curve phenomenon in nature. The S-curve phenomenon and its physics principle unite the spreading flows with the collecting flows, and the animate flows with the inanimate flows. The history of the volume of heated soil versus time follows an S-shaped curve that is entirely deterministic. It is also predicted that when the invading channels are tree shaped as opposed to single pipes, the entire flow from point to volume occurs faster, more easily, along a steeper S-curve. The S-curves of nature are history records of tree-shaped spreading on areas and volumes that are eventually filled during consolidation by transversal diffusion. The prevalence of S-curve phenomena in nature rivals that of tree-shaped flows, which also unite the animate, inanimate, and human realms. This phenomenon is so common that it has generated entire fields of research that seem unrelated: the spreading of biological populations, cancer tumors, chemical reactions, contaminants, languages, news, information, innovations, technologies, infrastructure, and economic activity, and the evolution of technology performance versus cumulative R&D spending.
Nanotech Unbound
Authors: Brown Alan S.
Published: July 2018

This article reviews various innovations in the nanotechnology and different challenges posed by the application of nanomaterials. The possible applications of nanomaterials include solar cells, batteries, lighting, and the electronic backplanes used in touch screen displays. Nanotechnology has begun to cut an equally wide band in products. These range from downhole drilling and solar energy to photonic circuits and drug delivery. The future may sound grand; however, producing usable forms of the most basic commercial products, such as nanoscale particles, has proven a long, hard task. Safety has become a major hurdle for all nanomaterials. Due to their small size, nanoparticles could easily go airborne and slip through protective clothing, skin, and tissue membranes, or interact with animals and plants in the environment. Nanomaterials have achieved a degree of commercial success in coatings. Nanomaterials have already begun to penetrate the market. In addition to oil and gas components, nanostructured coatings find application in industrial wear parts.
Enterprise to Intrepid
Authors: Dicht Burton
Published: July 2018

This article discusses the preparation, planning, and execution efforts of Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum staff and other teams involved in getting the Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise to new pavilion. Getting the Intrepid ready and ensuring the Enterprise would be safely transported posed an enormous task that involved more than a year of planning, hundreds of people, thousands of hours of effort, and a list of government agencies, companies, and contractors. The addition of the Enterprise and the opening of the Space Shuttle Pavilion on July 19 are an expansion of Intrepid’s space connection. Enterprise’s journey to the Intrepid began in December 2008 when NASA was considering where to place the orbiters after the space shuttle program ended. All that were involved in the preparation, planning, and execution of Enterprise’s trip to the Intrepid could see that their challenging work, expertise, and dedication to the task contributed to a perfect, three-wire carrier landing.
High Standards
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article discusses recent updates to standard codes for elevator safety and operation. This article gives a look at today’s ASME A17.1-2010/CSA B44-10, Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. The standard jointly developed by ASME and the Canadian Standards Association shows how the original 1921 safety code has developed through the years. It now includes requirements for escalators and moving walkways as well as software and hardware requirements that did not exist 90 years ago. A group of organizations spearheaded by ASME held a symposium in December 2010 to look into elevator use during high-rise evacuations, which was a continuation of the earlier work started after 2001. Committee members spoke to experts on human factors and human conditioning when writing the requirements. The new provisions may better serve designers, manufacturers, contractors, and operators of wind turbine tower elevators by providing added confidence and consistency in the design and operation of such equipment, according to an ASME statement.
Manufacturing Startups
Authors: Reynolds Elisabeth B. , Samel Hiram
Published: July 2018

This article analyses the reasons and impact of shift of manufacturing startups from the United States to overseas. After years of refining prototypes and perfecting pilot plants, advanced manufacturing startups frequently look overseas when it is time to scale-up for commercial production. Both manufacturing and technology companies go abroad looking for partnerships, because it is easier for investors. When startups scale their manufacturing elsewhere, the United States loses more than a possible return on the research investment that made such breakthroughs possible. The preliminary research suggests that to fully realize the economic gains associated with innovation, new products and services developed by American innovators must be scaled-up within the US economy, as well as in overseas markets. The four suggestions that have been made include the following: increase financing options for later-stage development; create institutions and incentives; change the contours of market demand; and encourage firms to raise capital through initial public offerings.
Pass Fail
Authors: Thilmany Jean
Published: July 2018

This article reviews different research works undertaken to construct user-friendly passwords for websites, which in turn result in smooth user transaction. Ryu and Moshfeghian have reviewed 96 websites within 16 categories, and then have narrowed their study to the top six sites within the dating and travel categories, as selected by Google. The findings are useful to users who type a password into a website and to the companies that want to offer smooth user transaction. The study shows that an effective password registration may produce a higher number of successfully registered accounts, which can translate to increased sales, brand status, and recognition. Some websites call upon picture identification for partial authentication along with the password. However, fancier password recognition software applications that would recognize faces or fingerprints or verbal inflection are further down the line.
Search …and find
Authors: Bourke Dick
Published: July 2018

This article focuses on different software tools that give engineers a quick access to product information. Software tools help access data generated during the product development process. Known as a search-based application or as unified information access, these tools use elements of semantic technology—machine-based recognition of meanings and relationships in text—to find information stored throughout a company’s multiple sources of data, including computer-aided design files and product lifecycle management systems. These software tools perform three functions: search, discover, and analyze. Search applications reduce the risks of using incomplete information when making product development decisions. Another type of search technology to consider is geometric-based search that pinpoints relevant parts based on shape. A company’s software selection criteria must encompass the informational needs of all product development activities throughout the enterprise. These activities include design engineering, manufacturing process planning, and quality control.