Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from August 2005

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from August 2005

Engineering theme parks.(editorial)(Walt Disney World Co. adhereing to ASME International's standards)(Editorial)
August 1, 2005... Exactly 50 years ago to the day that I write this column, July 17, the fabled Walter Elias Disney opened Disneyland on 54 acres in Anaheim Calif. Today, there are 10 theme parks and 90,000-plus employees in the Disney amusement empire...

Easier going.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: I am responding to the letter, "No Easy Street," by Henry Grills in the April issue. I'd like to offer a simple explanation based on coefficient of restitution (CR), the ratio of departing speed to the approach speed between...

Off the subject.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: As a 54-year subscriber to Mechanical Engineering, I am concerned about the recent trend of the magazine. Last year you started a section on management. I feel that the main objective of the magazine is to divulge the...

Salt, water, and oil.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: I read with interest the two letters in the February issue commenting on the October 2004 article "From Sea to Sink." There is more to the story. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Office of Saline Water constructed and...

Name calling.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: An article in the March issue ("The Greater Good," by John Varrasi) indirectly referred to engineers as "a skilled labor force." Would a publication of the American Medical Association or the Bar Association refer to their own...

Airing a concern.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: I found the article on aging airline passengers ("Fly the Grayer Skies," in Mechanical Engineering Design, March), both sobering and prophetic. I just turned 44 and have noticed many (OK, all) of the changes predicted for my age...

The name's "themeing".(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
August 1, 2005... To the Editor: We really loved your January feature article "Engineering for the Spectacle," as we were one of the few design companies mentioned. As a matter of fact, we were the first design company to be mentioned in your article. The...

Tube ties.(news & notes)(nanotubes could aid fracture recovery)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Broken bones never seem to heal enough. It takes time for threads of collagen to bridge the gap in a fracture. These threads then form a scaffolding on which the chief element of bone, the calcium-bearing hydroxyapatite crystals, grow. Can...

Tampa Bay Desal: turning things around.(news & notes)(Tampa Bay Water desalination project)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... American Water-Pridesa, which signed a deal with Tampa Bay Water in November 2004 to manage its seawater treatment facility, has taken a big step in turning operations around at the troubled plant. AWP contracted with engineering firm Hatch...

Natural gas buses on road to Bangladesh.(news & notes)(licensing agreements between Cummins Westport Inc., IBH Motors Ltd. and Chongqing Yutong Coach Manufacturing Co. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A new fleet of natural gas buses is headed for Bangladesh by way China. A Canadian maker of alternative fuel engines, Cummins Westport Inc., has signed an agreement with Chongqing Yutong Coach Manufacturing Co. Ltd. of China and IBH Motors Ltd....

Now with grease.(news & notes)(Iowa Energy Center's Biomass Energy Conversion Center)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Restaurant employees in small-town Nevada, Iowa, may soon find themselves swinging by the energy plant after closing time to drop off their leftover grease. This summer, the Iowa Energy Center's Biomass Energy Conversion Center is set to...

Surface metrology may add some pages.(news & notes)(American Society of Mechanical Engineers' efforts to add new standards)(Surface Metrology Committee )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The ASME committee for surface metrology is considering two additions to its standard and is actively seeking volunteers to help with one of the efforts, regarding a method to measure the consistency of surface gauges. The B46 Surface...

General Electric Co.(Briefly Noted)
August 1, 2005... General Electric Co. has opened a third factory in the Wuxi New Zone in the Jiangsu Province of China. The factory will produce quartz tubing used in the lighting industry, for sale in China and for export.

Delmia of Auburn Hills, Mich., which is owned by Dassault Systemes of Paris, has released version five of its Delmia Inspect Rapid.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Delmia of Auburn Hills, Mich., which is owned by Dassault Systemes of Paris, has released version five of its Delmia Inspect Rapid, a three-dimensional inspection program applicable for tier two and tier three suppliers that receive 3-D data...

LineType Software Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduction of LineScale version 1.60)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LineType Software Inc. of Nashville, Tenn., which makes electronic document software for designers, has released LineScale version 1.60, with new features for extracting measurements from architectural, engineering, or graphic design documents....

Severn Trent Services.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Arsenic removal media from Severn Trent Services will be used at a 3,000-gallons-per-minute water treatment facility in the San Bernardino, Calif., area, where total arsenic in the groundwater has been measured in the range of 18 to 22 parts...

GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies joined with the Algerian government, the Overseas Private Investment Corp., and the Algerian Energy Co. in announcing plans to build Africa's largest seawater desalination plant.(Briefly Noted)
August 1, 2005... GE Infrastructure, Water & Process Technologies joined with the Algerian government, the Overseas Private Investment Corp., and the Algerian Energy Co. in announcing plans to build Africa's largest seawater desalination plant. Construction on...

Riding on air.(computing)(Airboards from Arbortech Industries Ltd)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... FOR THOSE DISAPPOINTED that the 21st century has unfolded so tar without the promised personal flight packs--just strap a pack on your back and fly away--one Australian company's product may assuage your pain. Arbortech Industries Ltd. of...

Look ma, no hands.(computing)(applying Gastroesophageal reflux for car)
August 1, 2005... SNAKING BETWEEN THE LINES of orange cones in a new Corvette, the last thing you'd want to do is take your hands off the steering wheel. Yet, Chris Gerdes, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Stanford University in...

Engine in half the time.(Engine Works Inc uses CAD software to cut down production time)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... ITS NOT EASY TO CUT PRODUCTION time in halt, but one engine company has Found a way. An industrial small-engine maker, Engine Works Inc. of Batavia, Ill., found that recently installed three-dimensional modeling software has greatly sped...

An easier gait.(computing)(Cascade DAFO's braces for better walk)
August 1, 2005... ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY is lending a hand to physical therapists by helping doctors and engineers design foot braces that help some children walk better. Cascade DAFO of Ferndale, Wash., makes its Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthoses, customized...

TekSoft Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... TekSoft Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., says its CAMWorks 2006 supports Solid-Works CAD software.

LMS.(Briefly Noted)(introduction of LMS Virtual.Lab Rev 5 by LMS International N.V.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... LMS of Leuven, Belgium, has released LMS Virtual.Lab Rev 5 for automotive structural analysis, vehicle ride and handling analysis, interior acoustics simulation, and road noise and durability analysis.

Open Archive Systems Inc.(Briefly Noted)(enhancement of software to Echive 5.0)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A maker of document and drawing management software, Open Archive Systems Inc. of Windham, N.H., has updated its Echive software to version 5.0

Actify Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduction of SpinFire software in Japanese)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Actify Inc. of San Francisco says its SpinFire software for Microsoft Office is now available in Japanese. The software is used to distribute CAD information.

Inus Technology.(Briefly Noted)(shipping rapidformXO Verifier)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Inus Technology of Seoul, South Korea, is shipping its rapidformXO Verifier, a 3-D scan-based inspection system.

UGS.(Briefly Noted)(Teamcenter 2005 from UGS PLM Solutions)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... A maker of product lifecycle management software, UGS of Plano, Texas, has released Teamcenter 2005 software.

Coade.(Briefly Noted)(releases CADWorx 2006)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Coade of Houston has released CADWorx 2006, an updated edition of the company's software suite for plant design.

Abaqus Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduction of Abaqus student edition version 6.5.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Abaqus Inc. of Providence, R.I., which makes FEA software, has released its Abaqus student edition version 6.5.

Incat International plc of London, which makes automotive and aerospace software, has acquired CAD Potential Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Incat International plc of London, which makes automotive and aerospace software, has acquired CAD Potential Inc., or Cadpo, of Denver, which makes the learning management system i.get.it.

DotSoft.(Briefly Noted)(release of ToolPac 9.0)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... DotSoft of Ewing, Ky., has released ToolPac 9.0, an AutoCAD productivity enhancement tool.

Matereality LLC.(Briefly Noted)(introducing new upgrade Matereality version 2.1.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... Matereality LLC of Ithaca, N.Y., has released an upgrade to its material data management system, Matereality version 2.1.

Raster conversion.(software exchange)
August 1, 2005... Capability: The raster-to-vector conversion software TracTrix, version five, includes upgraded functions for color and unclear originals. It opens more than 100 raster-conversion formats. The application is intended as a conversion tool for...

CAM for woodworking.(software exchange)
August 1, 2005... Capability: The entry-level 2-D routing package ArtCAM Insignia E offers an easy introduction to computer-based manufacturing and signmaking, woodworking, and engraving. The software imports drawings from a number of popular file formats and...

Quick on the draw.(software exchange)
August 1, 2005... Capability: HighDesign 1.5, a two-dimensional computer-aided design and illustration program for Macintosh operation system X, contains vector tools for use by experts and novices. The upgraded version includes special features designed...

Your color CAD.(software exchange)
August 1, 2005... Capability: The 3-D CAD program Alibre Design has been upgraded to version 8.2. Enhancements to this version include the capability to share drawings for print and markup without sharing the 3-D model, support for a new drawing view called...

Design on a Mac.(software exchange)
August 1, 2005... Capability: The version of TurboCAD for Macintosh operating system X includes more than 250 design and drafting tools, including dimensioning tools and snaps. It has the capability to import 15 and export 11 different CAD and graphics formats....

Quick fix.(technology focus: FLUID HANDLING AND FLUID POWER)
August 1, 2005... When engineers at Ford Motor Co.'s Essex Engine plant in Windsor, Ontario, were faced with a leak in the chiller system, the prospects for repair seemed grim. The chiller, which cools 10,400 gallons of honing oil used in the engine block...

Vacuuming a hot floor.(technology focus: FLUID HANDLING AND FLUID POWER)
August 1, 2005... There are icons of Americana in Washington state--Microsoft's headquarters, Mount St. Helens, and maybe a few lingering footprints of Lewis and Clark. The state also has the country's largest store of nuclear waste, at the Department of...

Red alert on lead in water.(technology focus: FLUID HANDLING AND FLUID POWER)(Environmental Protection Agency introduced water lead reduction Plan )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2005... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has launched the Drinking Water Lead Reduction Plan to strengthen, update, and clarify existing requirements for water utilities and states to test for and reduce lead in drinking water. According...

Cutting the contamination.(technology focus)(FlexFab Horizons International )
August 1, 2005... Fuel cell vehicles require specific conditions to operate properly. Tamper with the unique chemistry that allows them to run, and the output of the fuel cells suffers. FlexFab Horizons International of Hastings, Mich., has developed a...

Deep space deep freeze.(technology focus)
August 1, 2005... The vacuum of space is unfathomably cold; in the shade, temperatures are as cold as minus 250[degrees]F. So keeping material samples aboard the International Space Station at a mere minus 300 ought to be not much more complicated than sitting...

Harm's way: engineering software and microtechnology prepare the defense against bioterrorism.(Sandia National Laboratories)
August 1, 2005... What would happen if a group of terrorists were to casually slink into the New York subway system and unleash an airborne contaminant like Satin or mustard gas? That's a scenario no one wants to think about. Yet it must be planned for....

Eyes on the line: vision-enabled robots are helping factories to keep the production lines rolling, even when the parts are out of place.(FEATURE FOCUS: FACTORY AUTOMATION)
August 1, 2005... Industrial robots have evolved considerably since Joseph Engelberger and George Devol's Unimate was installed at a General Motors plant to extract molded parts from die-casting machines in the late 1950s. Where those early-generation robots...

A fieldbus that chooses: a company introduces a different approach to machinery monitoring: this one sorts the information.(Emerson Process Management)(Machinery Health transmitter)
August 1, 2005... When it comes to machinery health monitoring, "It's not really about the machine," according to folks from Emerson Process Management. Instead, they tell you, "It's about the process." That's one way they justify the expenditure for a new...

Fourier: is this French mathematician the true father of modern engineering?
August 1, 2005... Concepts that engineers use every day--as fundamental as the homogeneity of equations and the heat transfer coefficient--were pioneered by a French thinker who died in 1830. His name was Joseph Fourier. He is better known for his career in...

Inside out: the nation's engineers turn their attention from conquering the Axis to colonizing the suburban frontier.(ASME: THE FIRST 125 YEARS)
August 1, 2005... At the end of the landmark 1946 movie The Best Years of Our Lives, Fred Derry (played by Dana Andrews) wanders a surreal landscape of surplus aircraft scheduled for scrapping. Metal from the planes was to be used in making prefabricated...

Sealed cell.(new products)
August 1, 2005... ATS RHEOSYSTEMS, BORDENTOWN, N.J. The new sealed cell available from ATS RheoSystems/Reologica Instruments was designed to be application-specific for the measurement of viscoelastic rheological properties of solutions above their boiling point...

Vacuum hose reel.(new products)
August 1, 2005... NEDERMAN INC., WESTLAND, MICH. The Series 881 vacuum hose reel provides a practical solution for hose storage. Suitable for use with central or portable high vacuum systems, the new reel complements Nederman's line of industrial vacuum systems....

Transistor sockets.(new products)
August 1, 2005... KEYSTONE ELECTRONICS CORP., ASTORIA, N.Y. Low-profile TO-3 power transistor sockets are designed to aid installation of Jedec TO-3 MPM power transistors, by eliminating the need to use insulated bushings. According to the company, important...

Proportional pressure control.(new products)
August 1, 2005... THE OILGEAR CO., MILWAUKEE, WIS. The company's PVM medium-duty axial piston hydraulic pumps feature proportional pressure control. The new control provides the user with an inexpensive proportional pressure compensating control with a cutoff...

Stainless fasteners.(new products)
August 1, 2005... LELAND POWELL FASTENERS INC., MARTIN, TENN. The company now offers American manufactured stainless steel fasteners. Producing small-diameter (up to 5/8-in.) parts to customer specifications, Leland Powell offers volume runs of stainless machine...

R-410 option.(new products)
August 1, 2005... LENNOX INDUSTRIES INC., DALLAS, TEXAS. The L Series packaged rooftop heating/air conditioning units have been enhanced with the environmentally friendlier R-410A (3 to 30 tons). By selecting 1K-410A equipment now, customers will be able to...

Power line filter.(new products)
August 1, 2005... TYCO ELECTRONICS LTD., HARRISBURG, PA. Corcom EMC power line filters have maximum current ratings ranging from 3 to 30 amps. The EMC Series is the most compact dual stage Corcom filter available from Tyco. This product is suited to address the...

Compact Cabinet Coolers[TM].(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2005... Protect against expensive shutdowns caused by overheated electronics in sealed indoor and outdoor enclosures and panels. Compact Cabinet Coolers keep electronic components cool, clean and isolated from contaminants. They last thirty years,...

Volume MMV 5th Edition of the Flow, Level And Environmental Greenbook[R].(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2005... Volume MMV 5th Edition of the FLOW, LEVEL AND ENVIRONMENTAL GREENBOOK[R] has over 1500 pages of the latest flow, level, and environmental products to meet your every need, including a comprehensive product selection of industrial, field and...

Megascope[TM] OS533RS-DM handheld infrared thermometer.(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2005... Upgrade your OMEGA[R] IR gun with the new field installable distance measuring option. The new, upgraded, portable and rugged OS530 series infrared thermometers offer solutions for many non-contact temperature measurement applications. The...

New Reali-Slim[R] Bearings Catalog.(Power Transmission & Motion Control)
August 1, 2005... Save weight, space, and cut manufacturing costs with thin-section bearings. Ideal for design of machine tools food processing equipment, SME equipment, scientific apparatus medical, and aerospace products. 112-page catalog gives selection...

Temperature Handbook and Encyclopedia Volume MMV[TM] 5th Edition.(Instrumentation & Control)
August 1, 2005... 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...

Reduce spring height by 50%.(Power Transmission & Motion Control)
August 1, 2005... All Springs Are Not Equal * Half of the height of coil springs with the same force and deflection * 2,000 stock sizes in carbon and stainless steel (3/8" to 16") * No Tooling Costs[TM] on specials (.200" to 90") 847.719.5900...

Miniature bearings for high-speed applications.(Materials & Assembly)
August 1, 2005... Kaydon has introduced a new line of miniature ( KAYDON CORP. Circle 306 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

DFS Version 4 is here!(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... DFS Version 4 solves problems more quickly, includes both control valves and pressure regulator valves integrated utilities allowing the user to readily view, create, or modify data files directly, improved local area network performance,...

Design products faster with FEA and multiphysics.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... ALGER provides a wide range of FEA-based simulation capabilities, including full multiphysics and Mechanical Event Simulation for combined motion and stress analysis within an easy-to-use, single-user interface that is fully associative with...

Rotating electrical connectors.(Materials & Assembly)
August 1, 2005... Liquid metal wetted connectors are superior to conventional slip rings and feature sealed ball bearing construction. Durable, compact connectors offer increased reliability, low electrical noise and less than 1 milliohm resistance Ideal for...

CFD2000.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... CFD software for all flow speeds, heat transfer, advanced chemistry, multi-phase, and moving bodies. Customizable BCs and equation source terms. arsales@adaptive-research.com www.adaptive-research.com ADAPTIVE RESEARCH Circle 310 ...

ANSYS[R] 10.0 features superior technology.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Taking full advantage of the ANSYS Workbench[TM] infrastructure for integrated CAE, ANSYS 10.0 features a more seamless approach for meshing and modeling, simulation and analysis, and post-processing. The latest release builds upon and is...

New optics catalog.(Materials & Assembly)
August 1, 2005... Rolyn Optics announces its new catalog, "Optics for Industry." 140 pages of product data, photos, performance graphs, and ordering information. Simple and compound lenses, prisms, optical flats/flat glass, flat and concave mirrors, absorption...

Simulate convection with ALGOR for coupled fluid flow and heat transfer.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... ALGOR's multiphysics software features coupled fluid flow and heat transfer analysis to simulate natural, forced or mixed convection, as shown on this glass globe and light bulb model. Includes full CAD associativity; a suite of modeling tools;...

Single stop solution for your CAE analysis.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Solve your need for a single, integrated CAE product development environment with ANSYS[R] Workbench[TM], the integration tool for advanced physics capabilities enabling users to model applications from simple to complex. The integration of...

AFT fathom 60 adds new capabilities and available add-on modules.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... * XTS--eXtended Time Simulation * GSC--Goal Seek & Control * CST--system CoST calculations to analyze first and life cycle costs AFT Fathom is one of a suite of solutions including AFT Arrow for compressible flow systems, AFT...

C-flex.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... --Frictionless --Backlash Free --Self-Centering --Repeatability --Simple Installation --Low Hysteresis --Vacuum Applications 104 Industrial Drive, Frankfort, NY 13340 USA Tel: (315) 895-7454 Fax: (315) 895-7268...

Piping system design & analysis.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Brochure describes COADE's CAESAR II program for evaluating piping systems CAESAR II applies rules of all major piping safety codes Along with piping analysis you receive related NEMA, API and WRC assessments; buried pipe analysis; structural...

Fundamentals of Rotating Machinery Diagnostics, by Donald E. Bently with Charles T. Hatch.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... A practical text covering the fundamentals of machinery diagnostics for anyone who works with rotating machinery. Written for operators managers design engineers and machinery diagnosticians. This comprehensive book thoroughly explains and...

weldoffice.com: superior software--superior service.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... WeldOffice makes YOU instantly the EXPERT on ASME IX welding procedures and qualifications! No hassles, just code compliant documents. Call your WeldOffice support staff of welding engineers and code experts today. Make our expertise YOURS!...

Pressure vessel and heat exchanger software.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... COMPRESS and sister programs design and mechanically rerate pressure vessels and TEMA/ASME heat exchangers, design flanged and flued expansion joints perform finite element analysis on nozzles, flanges and appurtenances, estimate fabrication...

Optimize flow and thermal performance.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Developed for design engineers and our MCAD-centric process, CF design tackles every sort of flow and thermal challenge including hydraulics, pneumatics pumps valves, fans, compressors, manifolds, heat exchangers, power generation, electronics,...

Pressure vessel analysis.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Brochure describes PVElite and CodeCalc--Coade software for the design and evaluation of pressure vessels and their components, using the rules of ASME Section VIII (Div. 1 & 2), BS5500, TEMA, and other industry standards Use CodeCalc for...

Welding software.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Fast, Flexible and Friendly. Welding Pro-Write makes maintaining welder continuity, WPQs, PQRs, and WPSs a quick and painless process. With built-in Code checking, you'll never question the accuracy of your ASME documents. Our new report...

New! COSMOSDesignSTAR 4.0.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... COSMOSDesignSTAR[TM] is a powerful design analysis program that combines high-end analysis tools with an easy-to-use, intuitive interface. Using COSMOSDesignSTAR's advanced features throughout the design cycle enables engineers to create better...

GPCALCS[TM]: the performance engineer's toolbox.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... * Cost-effective, industry-standard performance test procedures and calculation templates (Excel) for: ** Boiler & Air Heaters (Coal/Oil/Gas) ** Compressors & Pumps ** Condensers & Feedwater Heaters ** Cooling Towers & Fans...

Multi-physics modeling.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... LS-DYNA is an advanced general-purpose nonlinear finite element program that is capable of simulating complex real world problems. LSTC provides two additional analysis tools that work seamlessly with LS-DYNA. These tools include LS-OPT for...

Disasu software.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Disasu Software * Design * Analyze * Re-rate * Estimate * Automated Drawings * Towers * Jacketed Vessel * Vertical Vessels * Horizontal Vessels * Tanks * Heat Exchangers * Stacks ...

IHS and ASME: together providing worldwide standards solutions.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... For over 30 years IHS has been privileged to offer ASHE codes and standards to users around the world. Helping you to be safe and compliant, IHS provides the ASME documents as well as information from over 370 other standards industry...

Linear and nonlinear statics, dynamics, and heat transfer ... no cost evaluation or WebEx demo.(Engineering Tools)
August 1, 2005... Whether you are an experienced analyst or just introducing Finite Element Analysis into your product design process, Noran Engineering has the software package, training, and support to fit your technical needs and budget. Real world...