Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from August 2004

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from August 2004

Engineering over politics.(editorial)(Editorial)
August 1, 2004... Back in May when most teenagers were gearing up for their summer vacations, 1,429 of the brightest high school students from all over the country and around the world were competing in the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering...

Sub systems.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: I enjoyed your article on the Nautilus, since I was employed by Babcock & Wilcox in 1957-58 and was assigned to do service work on hull 585, the Skipjack, in Groton. The problem there was water carryover in the steam generators....

A fellow by any name.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: In the letter titled " 'Unmanned' Leaves Women Out" (February), James Smith raises a point attempting to relate gender equity with the use of gender-specific terms and the very small number of women ASME Fellows. I am reminded of...

A tunnel to peace?(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: In a May 2003 letter ("Engineering the Peace"), two engineers discussed the feasibility of constructing a 50-kilometer tunnel between the West Bank and Gaza. The cost would not be politically problematic, but the time frame...

A source of strain.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: The article "Not a Drop to Drink" (September 2003) illustrates a common approach to the world's problem with air pollution, water shortage, fossil fuel scarcity, etc. The theme is almost always: What can we do technically to...

Fuel for thought.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: I have seen much in Mechanical Engineering (special issue, December 2003) and other publications lately celebrating the last 100 years of flight and making some conjectures as to what the next 100 years will hold. One...

Eye to eye.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: I enjoyed the articles related to ocular bioengineering in the October 2003 issue. I would like to remind your readers that everyone should have an eye exam once every one to two years, or annually if they are over 65. Some...

A vote of approval.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: I am a B.S. mechanical engineering graduate, and I just passed the licensure exam for ME in the Philippines. The articles in your magazine are very helpful for new practitioners in the field. Currently, I am employed at Texas...

A sacrifice of safety.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2004... To the Editor: Concerning "Fire and Survival" (Washington Window, January), updating what is happening on the World Trade Center towers collapse investigation, I must take exception to your statement, "That the Twin Towers remained standing as...

Hybrid vehicles take the test of their lives.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Eighteen Toyota and Honda hybrid electric vehicles have completed 1 million evaluation miles under the DOE's Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity. According to the AVTA manager, Jim Francfort of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental...

Updating the old candle that burns in the window.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Many people, when they're out, have the lights turn on at dusk to make an empty house look occupied. Some commuters turn the oven on to start the roast before anyone gets home. If their houses are automated, one system will send signals to...

Only on M.E. magazine online @www.memagazine.org.
August 1, 2004... Responses to the July Question of the Month: Knowing what you know about your boss, should you have accepted your current job? A new Question of the Month will appear on www.memagazine.org, August 2-10. Generally yes. 24% I...

Consulting firms get more for their time.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms are charging more for their employees' time than ever before, according to a management consulting firm, ZweigWhite in Natick, Mass. Its "2004 Fee & Billing Survey of A/E/P and...

Pilot optional.(news & notes)
August 1, 2004... Will unmanned aerial vehicles some day be sharing civil air-space with conventional piloted airplanes? That may depend on the results of an evaluation project that is just getting under way. Under a program known as HALE ROA, for...

U.S. allocates $6 million for Desal, arsenic research.(news & notes)
August 1, 2004... Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque is stepping up research into desalination and the removal of arsenic from water, thanks to a $6 million allocation from the federal government. The fiscal year 2004 federal Energy and Water...

Alias.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Alias of Toronto has released a line of Maya Learning Tools to accompany Maya 6, the latest version of the developer's three-dimensional animation and special effects software.

Business Software Alliance.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Thirty-six percent of the Software installed on computers worldwide in 2003 was pirated, representing a loss of nearly $29 billion to the software industry, according to a study by the Business Software Alliance of Washington D.C. The alliance...

Schneider Electric SA of Rueil Malmaison, France, has acquired sensor supplier Kavlico Corp. of Moonpark, Calif.(Briefly Noted)
August 1, 2004... Schneider Electric SA of Rueil Malmaison, France, has acquired sensor supplier Kavlico Corp. of Moorpark, Calif., from Solecton Corp.

Merit Sensor Systems Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Merit Sensor Systems Inc., a pressure sensor manufacturer in Santa Clara, Calif., broke ground on a 48,000-square-foot facility at the headquarters of its parent company, Merit Medical Systems in South Jordan, Utah.

The Association for Manufacturing Technology.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Association for Manufacturing Technology, a trade group promoting the U.S. machine tool industry, opened an office in Guangzhou, near Canton, its third in China.

The SKF Group, based in Goteborg, Sweden, acquired Willy Vogel AG.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The SKF Group, based in Goteborg, Sweden, acquired Willy Vogel AG, a supplier of lubricant systems in Berlin, Germany.

Motion and fluid control solutions vendor IMI Norgren Inc. has acquired Fluid Automation Systems of Geneva, Switzerland.(Briefly Noted)
August 1, 2004... Motion and fluid control solutions vendor IMI Norgren Inc. has acquired Fluid Automation Systems of Geneva, Switzerland. Fluid Automation Systems manufactures miniature solenoid valves.

Advanced weapons and space systems manufacturer ATK has agreed to acquire defense contractor PSI Group.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Advanced weapons and space systems manufacturer ATK has agreed to acquire defense contractor PSI Group. PSI is a supplier of pressure tanks for satellites and launch vehicles.

Researchers at Ohio State University are developing jet engine silencers that will use electrical arcs to control the turbulence of exhaust--a chief source of noise.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Researchers at Ohio State University are developing jet engine silencers that will use electrical arcs to control the turbulence of exhaust--a chief source of noise. Known as plasma actuators, the devices may eventually permit pilots to subdue...

No more failure to communicate.(computing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... NASA HAS DEVELOPED NEW software expressly for computers that seem to speak entirely different languages. The product, called Program Management Tool, finds a way to get incompatible data management systems talking to each other, the space...

Drilling with a burst of light.(computing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... DRILLING VERY PRECISE HOLES is time-consuming. That's a problem for the Missile Defense Agency's Airborne Laser program, which needs about 24 million holes drilled into the laser's injector heads. On a single workstation, at a rate of one hole...

Between water and earth.(Bradford Products LLC)
August 1, 2004... EIGHT AMATEUR, COMPETITIVE SWIMMERS DIVE from their starting positions and break the waters of a short-course, Olympic-size pool. This scene--soon to be enacted at the Meli Park Community Center in Dania Beach, Fla.--may be typical, but the...

Never too many engineers.(computing)
August 1, 2004... TOO MANY COOKS may spoil the broth, but too many engineers won't spoil the product. Still, the manufacturers of kitchen appliances that make all that cooking possible do have to find some way to coordinate their manufacturing efforts. ...

Intuitively speaking every CAD language.(Computer-Aided Design)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... NEARLY ALL CONSUMER GOODS are packaged today, and someone has to design the package. Often, package designers deal with CAD models sent from several sources, and opening and translating them can be a problem. But one day soon, all...

Computers you take for granted.(computing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... HOW DOES A RECONFIGURABLE microchip enable a mobile device to change from cellphone, to hand-held computer, to music player? How can a 1,020-microphone array isolate a single voice at a cocktail party? What drives a sensor network that can...

Take a quantum leap.(computing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... IT'S NOT LIKE JEFF GOLDBLUM in The Fly, but physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, Md., have demonstrated teleportation by transferring key properties of one atom to another atom without any physical...

Whodunit software.(computing)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... YOU CAN RUN, but if you've used your computer for evildoing, you soon won't be able to hide. Researchers at Iowa State University in Ames are developing software that will fingerprint and track down computer criminals. Tom Daniels,...

UGS.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Headquarters of UGS of Plano, Texas, will remain in the Dallas area. The company was recently acquired by the private equity group of Bain Capital, Silver Lake Partners and Warburg Pincus.

GiveMePower Corp.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... GiveMePower Corp. of Las Vegas, a maker of CAD and graphics development software, has released the CAD program PowerCAD Pro 6.

FEMdesigner.com of Falkirk, England, which makes FEA software, has released Stressout.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... FEMdesigner.com of Falkirk, England, which makes FEA software, has released Stressout, an FEA plug-in for the thinkdesign solid modeler from think3 of Cincinnati.

MSC.Software Corp.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The maker of simulation software MSC.Software Corp. of Santa Ana, Calif., has released MSC.SimManager 2004 r2, which automates simulation processes.

Proficiency.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Proficiency of Marlborough, Mass., has released version 3.5 of its Collaboration Gateway CAD interoperability software.

Surfware Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The computer-aided manufacturing product Surfcam CAD/CAM made by Software Inc. of Westlake Village, Calif., has achieved SolidWorks Certified CAM Product status.

Flomerics.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Flomerics of Southborough, Mass., has released version 5 of the company's Flotherm thermal management simulation software.

Leica Geosystems.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Leica Geosystems of Norcross, Ga., has released version 4.5 of its GradeStar 3-D automatic machine control system.

Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., has installed touch-feedback technology.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., has installed touch-feedback technology, from Immersion Corp. of San Jose, Calif.

CAD into illustration.(software exchange)
August 1, 2004... Capability: With Illustration Module software, engineers can output almost any three-dimensional computer-aided design model as line art with shaded illustration. The art is useful as technical documentation for print, Web, and multimedia...

Zooming in on CAD.(software exchange)
August 1, 2004... Capability: An independent developer has add-ons available for AutoCAD CAD software from Autodesk. They include a feature called zoom-to-objects, which lets users choose a set of objects within the CAD drawing and bring it forward on the...

Thermal validation.(software exchange)
August 1, 2004... Capability, Iceboard 1.0 is a board-level thermal validation application for printed circuit board designers. Although the software is compatible with the developer's thermal modeling software, it also functions as a stand-alone tool. It helps...

Combined 2-D and 3-D design.(software exchange)
August 1, 2004... Capability: The computer-aided design software, Solid Edge, has been upgraded to version 16. The upgrade includes a new capability to create three-dimensional parts from two-dimensional assembly layouts. New tools for combined 2-D and 3-D...

Axial turbine design.(software exchange)
August 1, 2004... Capability: AxStream, a software package for axial turbine design and modeling, now includes an optimization function based on the design-of-experiments method. The new function lets designers optimize turbines in as-designed and off-design...

Deep green on the ocean.(Fluid Power & Handling)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... When the Queen Mary 2 set sail in January, it wasn't just the largest ocean liner ever to hit the water, but was also claimed to be the most environmentally friendly. A large part of what makes the ship "green" is its wastewater treatment...

Water treatment flows.(Fluid Power & Handling)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Demand for nonchemical water treatment equipment and supplies in the United States is expected to increase to $5.9 billion in 2007, according to a study by the The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm. The...

New engine a step closer.(Fluid Power & Handling)
August 1, 2004... NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and two aerospace contractors have completed testing two key rocket engine components that are critical to the development of a longer-lived rocket engine. The tests of a new, liquid-hydrogen turbopump and an...

Lighter than air.(Fluid Power & Handling)
August 1, 2004... Synthetic amorphous silicon dioxide, better known as fumed silica, is one of the lightest substances--but one of the toughest to handle. The fine white powder easily escapes handling and is "so light that it actually hangs in the air," said Jim...

Turning trash into cash.(Fluid Power & Handling)
August 1, 2004... Faced with the prospect of having to close its landfills in seven years, Rapid City, S.D., took an innovative step: composting of its biosolids and municipal solid waste. Implementing a recycling and composting program extends the life of the...

Liquid politics.(washington window)
August 1, 2004... AS demand for natural gas for power generation and home heating, and as a chemical and agricultural feedstock continues to grow in the United States, suppliers are having a difficult time keeping up. During the 1990s, U.S. production of natural...

Making the grade: from eddy current to X-ray, testing methods are under study to bring non-destructive evaluation into wider use.(Non-Destructive Evaluation)
August 1, 2004... PRODUCTIVITY earns the bread and butter in the manufacturing business, so plant managers have to push as much product as they can out their doors in the shortest time possible. But goods also have to meet quality standards. After all, customers...

Surgical analysis: engineering technology gets more work in the operating room.
August 1, 2004... The puzzles that engineers and doctors face have much in common. The human body, after all, can be thought of as an engineered system. Blood flowing through the body, for instance, mirrors airflow through an engine. It's natural then, that...

Lessons of the blackout: plenty has changed since the lights went out last year, but there is more work left to do.
August 1, 2004... The North American electric system is one of the great engineering achievements of the past century. Today, more than 3,000 electric utilities deliver almost 4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity over 160,000 miles of high-voltage...

High-tech delivery: the U.S. Postal Service is automating its vast infrastructure to stand up to its competition.
August 1, 2004... the United States Postal Service has a reputation for going the distance to deliver the mail. Postal workers have braved feisty dogs and bitter cold. They have lugged the goods up mountain slopes and faithfully covered rural routes on battered...

Simple medicine: a medical device maker streamlines a mechanical design.
August 1, 2004... Themaker of three new clinical testing machines is touting them for their efficiency. The manufacturer, Abbott Laboratories diagnostics division, claims that the systems improve laboratory workflow. It also designed the machines to be efficient...

Not even the kitchen sink: go fast and light, say today's hikers. outdoor gear designers trammel lots of ground getting them there.
August 1, 2004... On January 1, 2001, a 39-year old systems engineer began walking north from Springer Mountain in Georgia, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Early into his journey, Brian Robinson picked up the moniker "Flyin' Brian." Like most...

Nice and easy does it.(new products)
August 1, 2004... AMACOIL INC., ASTON, PA. Uhing rolling ring drives, available through the company, have an H-lever that slows down and ramps up linear speed independently of the drive motor speed. This is a purely mechanical device for applications that...

Submersible pump.(new products)
August 1, 2004... KSB AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, FRANKENTHAL. GERMANY. The UPA 100 C series of submersible borehole pumps is designed for use in water supply, irrigation, lowering groundwater levels, pressure boosting, and fire protection applications. Stainless steel...

Industrial safety.(new products)
August 1, 2004... IFM EFECTOR INC., EXTON, PA. The industrial safety networking system integrates standard mechanical safety devices into most standard PLCs and higher network levels. A two-wire flat cable carries power and signal to each safety device,...

Steam trap.(new products)
August 1, 2004... NICHOLSON STEAM TRAP, WALDEN. N.Y. The Sanitizer NTD230L Thermodynamic Steam Trap features stainless steel construction and internal and external surface finishes of 32 Ra down to 10 Ra. The self-draining sanitizer resists freezing, puddling...

Outage recorder.(new products)
August 1, 2004... ROCKWELL AUTOMATION, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS. OHIO. A new sequence-of-events input module for power systems is designed for the Allen-Bradley ControlLogix control platform. The module can record the time of a power failure, as soon as the breakers...

Mini isolation valves.(new products)
August 1, 2004... BIO-CHEM VALVE INC., BOONTON. N.J. The company says its miniature solenoid valves made of perfluoroelastomer and PEEK will stand up to aggressive and particulate-laden fluids, and will protect the integrity of high-purity fluids. They are...

Small switch.(new products)
August 1, 2004... HERMETIC SWITCH INC., CHICKASHA. OKLA. The company has come out with its smallest and most sensitive magnetically operated reed switch. The HSR-0025 is designed to respond to the need for mini--components used in medical, aerospace, industrial,...

Front ring adapter.(new products)
August 1, 2004... EAO SWITCH CORP., MILFORD, CONN. The extreme duty front ring adapter is an addition to the company's line of push-button switches. The front ring adapter is installed in conjunction with an ordinary mushroom cap to convert a regular Series 14...

Accelerometer switch.(new products)
August 1, 2004... COLUMBIA RESEARCH LABORATORIES INC., WOOOLYN. PA. The Model SS-108 force balance accelerometer switch can control, safeguard, or warn of undesirable conditions in dc and low-frequency acceleration. The switch's contacts can be configured to...

Conductive cable carriers.(new products)
August 1, 2004... IGUS INC., EAST PROVIDENCE. R.I. The System E6 line of cable carriers is designed for applications that require precise operation, free of vibration. The short pitch and a plastic link design of the EDS Energy Chains are suitable for printing...

Phase rotation meter.(new products)
August 1, 2004... AEMC INSTRUMENTS. FOXBOROUGH, MASS. Model PR-1 is a phase rotation meter designed to identify both phase sequence on three-phase systems and open/de-energized systems. The meter can be used when installing rotating machinery motors and when...

Four-in-one motor system.(new products)
August 1, 2004... ANIMATICS CORP., SANTA CLARA. CALIF, The ServoStep is an integrated stepper motor that combines a 50-pole step motor, motion controller that uses soft ware downloaded from the Internet, drive amplifier, and encoder. The motion control system...

Fabric duct filter.(new products)
August 1, 2004... DUCTSOX, DUBUQUE. 10WA. The Final Filter is a replaceable in duct air filter for fabric duct that increases indoor air quality and energy savings, while reducing outdoor air requirements and building maintenance. Designed for supplementing...

Rotary screw compressors.(new products)
August 1, 2004... KAESER COMPRESSORS, FREDERICKSBURG. VA. Kaeser has added the CSD 100 and CSD 125 to its line of rotary screw compressors. The entire line of compressors is available in flows from 188 to 592 cfm and pressures to 217 psig. The CSD models are...

Go with the flow.(new products)
August 1, 2004... SIERRA INSTRUMENTS INC., MONTEREY, CALIF. Flow-Trak in-line flow conditioners monitor air and gas flow in applications where piping is constrained. The flow conditioners consume three diameters of pipe and, with two stainless steel perforated...

A foil for lightning.(new products)
August 1, 2004... DEXMET CORP., BRANFORD. CONN. MicroGrid Precision expanded foil offers lightning protection when bonded to composite aircraft surfaces or other materials with low in hate conductivity. Highly controlled expanded open-area pattern of the...

Replaceable ceiling modules.(new products)
August 1, 2004... CAMFIL FARR. RIVERDALE, N.J. An updated line of roomside replaceable PharmaSeal ducted ceiling modules provides cleanroom level air filtration to pharmaceutical and biotechnology facilities. They may also be installed in other settings where...

Accelerometers.(new products)
August 1, 2004... KISTLER INSTRUMENT CORP., AMHERST. N.Y. Simultaneously measuring vibration in three mutually perpendicular axes, this newly designed accelerometer incorporates smart circuit technology. The PiezoSmart circuitry permits reading a self-generating...

Linear drive.(new products)
August 1, 2004... AMACOIL INC., ASTON, PA. Uhing Co., a subsidiary of Amacoil, has re-engineered its Model RG 40 mm rolling ring drives to provide automatic reversal, without programming or electronics, while traveling at linear speeds of up to 0.6 m/s (0.6565...

Flammability analyzers.(new products)
August 1, 2004... CONTROL INSTRUMENTS CORP., FAIRFIELD. N.J. The cost of natural gas used for heating process ovens and dryers can be substantial. The use of PrevEx flammability analyzers can lower oven and dryer heating costs in processes that use solvents. Use...

Filter out fungus.(new products)
August 1, 2004... UNIVERSAL AIR FILTER CO., SAUGET, ILL. The filter media used to construct WrapAround Air Filters for medical electronics enclosure now incorporate flame-resistant coatings and anti-microbial additives that resist fungal growth. The stainless...

Neutralize static charges.(new products)
August 1, 2004... EXAIR CORP., CINCINNATI. OHIO. A high-velocity jet in an ion air gun uses compressed air to entrain 80 percent of the total output airflow from surrounding room air. The UL-recognized air gun can be used to clean molded parts, remove dust...

Water treatment system.(new products)
August 1, 2004... METALFAB INC., VERNON, N.J. Loss-of-Weight Feeders and PosiBins can be used as a system to meter lime in water treatment applications at a rate of 105 lbs. per three minutes with an accuracy between 0.25 and 0.50 percent of required batch from...

Bolted joint evaluation software.(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2004... BoltFAST consists of three distinct components: Joint Analysis, Torque Analysis and Thread Analysis. By combining a large database of fastener and interface materials and their physical characteristics, BoltFAST allows the engineer to quickly...

Temperature handbook and encyclopedia volume MMV[TM] 5th edition.(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2004... Omega is pleased to announce the release of Volume MMV[TM] Temperature Handbook 5th Edition. It offers detailed information and specifications on over 40,000 products for process measurement and control featured on over 1,800 pages. The new 5th...

Custom pressure systems, manifolds and assemblies!(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2004... Tescom Corporation, Elk River, Minnesota has released a new 6-page brochure highlighting their capability of providing custom manifolds, systems and assemblies for test and measurement applications. Tescom has designed and manufactured custom...