Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from December 2004

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from December 2004

A world away from fantasyland.(editorial)(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... The focus of the war in Iraq has polarized many in this country and around the world, but when the discussion turns to the troops in the Middle East, there is only a consensus of admiration and support for these courageous men and women. ...

On the boundary.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: In the October issue, there is a letter from Tony Lunt referring to Jean Thilmany's April article on the aerodynamics of soccer balls. In the late 1960s, I was working at Joseph Kaye and Co., a consulting company started by...

Celebrating technology.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: July is traditionally American History Month during which politicians and warriors receive much publicity. In the July issue, you have judiciously chosen to print Frank Wicks's incisive sketch of George Eastman. This seems to...

Not acting local.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: Your article in the August issue, "High-Tech Delivery" about the U.S. Postal Service, was interesting. The USPS clearly has major challenges. But some of its "consolidation" efforts seem to be counterproductive. I recently...

Forensic argument.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: I read with great interest the Feature Focus articles in the March issue ("The Trail to the Leading Edge," "The Breaks of Progress," "A Catch in Time," and "Taming the Technological Frontier."). I was particularly drawn to these...

Encouraging the future.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: May I suggest to ASME readers that they pass their technical and business magazines to the high school libraries to help encourage our students. As was said in the July issue (Washington Window), our economic strength and high...

In the swim.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: In the August Computing column, Jean Thilmany states in "Between Water and Earth" that "eight amateur, competitive swimmers dive from their starting positions and break the waters of a short-course, Olympic-size pool." This...

Correction.(letters)(Correction Notice)
December 1, 2004... An article in the June issue, "Exhaust-Gas Throttle," contains an editing error that incorrectly described research at Kettering University into the use of controlled exhaust gas recirculation as a means of throttling an engine. The engines...

Periodic tablet.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... To the Editor: Since you seem interested in science as commemorated in architecture (to wit, Lee Langston's letter on the Boltzmann memorial in September), attached are snapshots of Mendeleyev's periodic table of the elements. The tablet...

A Gnat Kin's diet.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Id riddle: What has four wheels and flies? Answer: a garbage truck. Here's another, modern answer. Ecobot II, a rolling, autonomous robot built at the University of the West of England, in Bristol, employs a microbial fuel cell to extract...

WTC exceeded NYC wind-load code.(news & notes)(World Trade Center)(New York City)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The wind loads for the World Trade Center's two towers met and surpassed New York City building codes when they were built and when they were destroyed, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Wind-load capacity is...

Only on M.E. Magazine Online: @ www.memagazine.org.(news & notes)
December 1, 2004... Responses to the November Question of the Month: Would you consider buying a hybrid vehicle as your next car? Please visit www.memagazine.org, Dec. 1-10, and register your vote. The December Question of the Month is: How does your company...

Holding on to them.(news & notes)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The National Science Foundation awarded a $2 million, five-year grant to Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University's College of Engineering in Blacksburg to expand the school's mentoring and retention programs. Currently, the...

The American Precision Museum.(Briefly Noted)(members of Machine Tool Hall of Fame)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The American Precision Museum added four new members to its Machine Tool Hall of Fame: Thomas Blanchard (1788-1864), inventor of the copy lathe; Ebenezer G. Lamson (1814-1891), founder of Jones & Lamson Machine Co.; Robert M. Gaylord...

ThinGap Corp. of Ventura, Calif., has received a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a wheel hub drive motor for unmanned ground electric-drive vehicles.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... ThinGap Corp. of Ventura, Calif., has received a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to develop a wheel hub drive motor for unmanned ground electric-drive vehicles....

Getting the zinc out.(computing)(Boliden Odda AS of Odda, Norway)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A MAJOR ZINC PRODUCER AND REFINER in Norway is spending $4 million on new software to help automate, modernize, and expand its existing zinc extraction processes and to help with a new process. The upgrade at Boliden Odda AS of Odda,...

Cool from the inside out.(computing)
December 1, 2004... A DEVICE THAT IMPROVES athletic performance by drawing blood into an athlete's hands could also keep soldiers cool in the field, its developers say. When people exercise, their muscles consume energy and generate heat as a byproduct. But...

A choice of spaces.(computing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... CONSIDER THE VALVE. It may be small, but it's the workhorse for pump systems. The high-performance pumps made by Quizix Inc. of North Highlands, Calif., rely on valves that don't break down, even when they pump corrosive fluids at high...

No mishap too small.(computing)
December 1, 2004... THE WORD "MISHAP" IMPLIES that something small has gone wrong When it comes to aircraft, no malfunction is insignificant. At Lockheed Martin in Bethesda, Md., experts in varied disciplines use computer software to analyze what they call...

A formula for airflow.(computing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... IF YOU DON'T GET THE AERODYNAMICS of your Formula One racing automobile right, you don't have a hope of getting near the front of the pack, and you can forget about winning. As senior aerodynamicist for the British BAR Formula One racing...

Cutting closer to the tree.(computing)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A MANUFACTURER OF LAWN AND GARDEN equipment, Murray Inc. of Cleveland, has worked with a consulting company to develop all-wheel steering capability for its riding lawn mowers and garden tractors. Murray used the consulting group ITI Manta...

Beating math anxiety.(computing)
December 1, 2004... COMPUTERS HAVE BESTED all kinds of mathematical problems, and the technology is tackling bigger ones all the time. But a computer isn't human; it doesn't get anxious doing all that math. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University in...

Pointwise of Fort Worth, Texas, and Intelligent Light of Rutherford, N.J., have made their respective computational fluid dynamics pre- and post-processing software.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Pointwise of Fort Worth, Texas, and Intelligent Light of Rutherford, N.J., have made their respective computational fluid dynamics pre- and post-processing software, Gridgen and Fieldview, available for Macintosh operating system X.

QuadriSpace.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... The provider of 3-D documentation software QuadriSpace of Allen, Texas, has released Publisher3D, a product designed to simplify the creation of printed, animated, and interactive 3-D documents.

Synergis Software.(Briefly Noted)(Synergis Software has released an upgrade to its engineering document management system)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Synergis Software of Quakertown, Pa., has released an upgrade to its engineering document management system, Synergis Adept 5.2, which supports Autodesk Inventor Series 9, Autodesk Inventor Professional 9, and SolidWorks 2005.

Elysium Inc. of Southfield, Mich., and Nexroot LLC of Canton, Mich., have launched CADportal, a software application that automatically checks, heals, and translates 3-D CAD data.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Elysium Inc. of Southfield, Mich., and Nexroot LLC of Canton, Mich., have launched CADportal, a software application that automatically checks, heals, and translates 3-D CAD data. The software is for companies with multiple CAD programs.

LMS International of Leuven, Belgium, has released LMS Virtual.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... LMS International of Leuven, Belgium, has released LMS Virtual. Lab Designer, a Catia version 5 add-on program for system dynamics, acoustics, fatigue life, and durability design and analysis. The Catia CAD program is from Dassault Systemes of...

D-Cubed.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... D-Cubed of Cambridge, England, has released 3D DCM. This geometric constraint engine is used to position parts in assemblies, sketch routes in three dimensions, modify the shapes of 3-D parts, and simulate motion in many computer-aided...

TransMagic Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... A maker of translation software, TransMagic Inc. of Denver, is shipping its 3-D CAD viewing product, TransMagic View.

Autodesk Inc.(Briefly Noted)(Autodesk Inc. has established Autodesk China Co. Ltd.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... Design software and digital content company Autodesk Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., has established Autodesk China Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary in Beijing.

Engine and vehicle analysis.(software exchange)
December 1, 2004... Capability: GT-Suite simulates engines, powertrains, and full vehicles. Simulations and attendant analyses address the issues of performance, fuel economy, and noise and vibration. The software analyzes combustion, emissions, engine breathing,...

Viewer has four versions.(software exchange)
December 1, 2004... Capability: CAD Viewer is a non-plug-in, java-applet-delivered drawing format tool that can be used to view and mark up all popular vector drawings, including computer-aided design, technical illustration formats, and the raster files typically...

Graphically illustrated.(software exchange)
December 1, 2004... Capability: Designers, illustrators, and architects can find a use for the 3-D graphic suite Shade 7, which can be coupled with a CAD program. The modeling software includes Bezier curve and surface modeling functions for 3-D design, an...

Modeling with feeling.(software exchange)
December 1, 2004... Capability: Version 2.0 of FreeForm Concept software is a touch-enabled system that gives designers a fast and intuitive way to develop realistic 3-D conceptual designs. The complete system is sold with the developer's Phantom Omni haptic...

Split decision.(Fluid Handling And Fluid Power)
December 1, 2004... Split Decision At the Stennis Space Center near Bay Saint Louis, Miss., NASA engineers had a problem. Their process of testing various rocket propulsion systems was running into an expensive snag, hanging on high-pressure control valves...

World pump markets continue to grow.(Fluid Handling And Fluid Power)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2004... World demand for pumps is forecast to increase nearly 6 percent per year through 2008 to more than $35 billion, according to a study by The Freedonia Group Inc., a Cleveland-based market research firm. The most promising markets are those...

Building a quicker dome.(Fluid Handling And Fluid Power)
December 1, 2004... It's hard to keep a tight rein on lead times when you have to outsource part of your manufacturing operations. In order to obtain tighter control over its manufacturing, and cut down lead times, Steven Label of Santa Fe Springs, Calif., decided...

Jet to Broadway.(Fluid Handling And Fluid Power)
December 1, 2004... Scenic Technologies of New Windsor, N.Y., builds a dizzying array of parts for theater sets, ranging from the mechanisms For scenery to set decorations. Some of the productions that have benefited from the company's work include Oklahoma,...

Heat from below.(Fluid Handling And Fluid Power)
December 1, 2004... Architecturally, the Colonial Revival-style City Hall in Auburn, N.Y., was a beauty. But its heating and cooling system was more of a beast. Its wheezy steam boiler, and gusty window and ceiling Fans just blew around hot air (and papers). Up...

New law benefits standards developers.(Washington window)
December 1, 2004... When President Bush on June 22, 2004, signed into law H.R. 1086, the Standards Development Organizations' Advancement Act of 2004, it was a victory for U.S. standards developers. The new law, now officially Public Law 108237, provides some...

A case of the vapors: An increasing reliance on gasoline imports puts another uncertain link in the U.S. fuel supply chain.(Feature Focus Global Fuel Systems)
December 1, 2004... If one machine could symbolize the vulnerability that the United States has to international influences, it would be the supertanker. It is up to a quarter-mile long and capable of holding cargoes weighing up to a half-million tons. The...

Share the wealth: a retiring engineer has quite a bit of on-the-job experience, and Honeywell is intent on preserving that know-how.
December 1, 2004... Much of the time we're running on autopilot. Consider the act of shaving. You don't have to talk yourself through it every day like you did the first time. Most likely, your mind is on other things even as you pull a razor blade across your...

Tuned to the universe: precision on a grand scale brings in clearer signals from distant time and space.
December 1, 2004... The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope looks a bit out of place in the rugged West Virginia mountains. At 485 feet tall, the mammoth 16-million-pound structure stands higher than the Statue of Liberty and ranks as one of the world's largest...

Hip action: better ways to make ends meet aim to give the artificial ball and socket a new lease on life.
December 1, 2004... For people who have been stricken with arthritis or who have fractured bones in accidents and falls, artificial joints are a godsend. They have kept millions from a life of chronic pain or of confinement to a wheelchair. Today, doctors replace...

A model mission: opening the second century of flight, a team sends a small plane 1,900 miles across the Atlantic--with no one on board.
December 1, 2004... While the world in 2003 was preparing to celebrate the centennial of the Wright brothers' first flight at Kill Devil Hill on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a 77-year-old, legally blind experimenter traveled to the Atlantic coast of...

Zapping the record: the aptly named Buckeye Bullet speeds to a new standard for heavy electric cars.
December 1, 2004... It took five years and a few tries, but the world speed record for heavy electric cars just got faster. The new record holder, the Buckeye Bullet, traveled 272 mph over the Bonneville Salt Flats on one desert-bright October day. Later in...

Optical sensor.(new products)
December 1, 2004... BOSSA NOVA TECHNOLOGIES LLC, VENICE. CALIF. Now, it is possible to measure extremely small vibration amplitudes on any surface without using retro-reflective tape. The company's new optical sensor, Tempo, is dedicated to high-accuracy...

Ball screw actuator.(new products)
December 1, 2004... DUFF NORTON CO., CHARLOTTE, N.C. The ball screw actuator is a useful solution for load applications requiring precise, efficient linear movement. The new one-ton-capacity ball screw actuator has a standard 23.1 percent efficiency rating, can be...

Flue gas analyzer.(new products)
December 1, 2004... E INSTRUMENTS GROUP, LANGHORNE, PA, The BTU 2000+ portable gas analyzer is a multifunctional unit that also functions as a hand-held boiler tuning unit. It is suitable for the servicing and maintenance purposes of HVAC professionals who work...

Three-axis controllers.(new products)
December 1, 2004... LIN ENGINEERING, SANTA CLARA. CALIF. The step motor specialist, in conjunction with Trinamic Motion Control GmbH & Co., has introduced the TMCM-303 and TMCM-310 three-axis controllers. Both controllers provide a complete motion control system...

Non-replaceable filters.(new products)
December 1, 2004... SMC CORP. OF AMERICA. INDIANAPOLIS. IND. The Series FN1 filter, signed for machine tools and general machinery, generates no industrial waste, because there are no replaceable elements. A series of grooved filter plates and wave washers is...

Sealing porous metals.(new products)
December 1, 2004... HERNON MANUFACTURING INC., SANFORD, FLA. Hernon Porosity Sealant 1000 and 1100 seal leaking porous metals, such as powder metal castings and sintered metal parts. HPS 1000 and 1100 also offer increased lubricity, which lowers tool wear and...

Motors and actuators.(new products)
December 1, 2004... EXLAR CORP., CHANHASSEN. MINN. Exlar's linear actuators and brushless motors now come with food grade epoxy coatings and all stainless steel construction. This, along with IP65 sealing, makes them suitable for all types of wash-down...

Lead screws.(new products)
December 1, 2004... DANAHER MOTION. WOOD DALE. ILL. Thomson metric lead screws are suitable for positioning light to medium loads in a range of equipment where fast, precise, and reliable positioning is a main objective. The screws are available in diameters from...

Integrated encoder.(new products)
December 1, 2004... MICROMO ELECTRONICS INC., CLEARWATER, FLA. The Faulhaber Group has added another powerful drive to its range of dc micromotors with an integrated encoder. The 2232 of the SR. Series features a diameter of 22 mm, a length of 32 mm and an NdFeB...

Control cables.(new products)
December 1, 2004... NORTHWIRE INC., OSCEOLA. WIS. EnduroFlex XM Series industrial control cables have been tested to exceed 10 million bending and torsional flex cycles. These cables have a core design to withstand heat generated by friction from constant motion...

Control system.(new products)
December 1, 2004... CHROMALOX INC., PITTSBURGH, PA. The Chromalox IntelliPanel is a three-phase, two-leg/three-leg SCR power control panel that uses touch-screen technology to bring advanced diagnostics, trending, and monitoring right to the user. With simplified...

Laser tracker.(new products)
December 1, 2004... FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC., LAKE MARY, FLA. The Laser Tracker X features the company's latest technological advancement: XtremeADM. According to the company, the tracker provides automotive, aerospace, and other large-part manufacturers with a...

Roller screw assemblies.(new products)
December 1, 2004... NOOK INDUSTRIES, CLEVELAND, OHIO. The company's roller screw assemblies are for precise linear motion applications. The assemblies leverage Nook's engineering expertise with a device that keeps operating under shock loads even with poor...

Exhaust valve.(new products)
December 1, 2004... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI, OHIO. The J-Series inline exhaust valve offers fast response time and high flow rates with its 1/8-in. and 1/4-in. ports. The all-brass construction and 100 percent testing assure the highest...

Flexible shafts.(product information)(Suhner Manufacturing Inc.)
December 1, 2004... SUHNER MANUFACTURING INC., ROME, GA. The company's new flexible shaft and bevel gear catalog contains information in its 88 pages on flexible shafts and assemblies, spiral bevel gears, and electric and pneumatic motors. This publication offers...

Electronic control.(product information)
December 1, 2004... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI. OHIO. The company's 12-page color brochure provides an overview of its staples: cylinders, electronic valves, control valves, and fittings. The Minimatic line of miniature pneumatics remains...

Drives and actuators.(product information)
December 1, 2004... ZERO-MAX INC., PLYMOUTH, MINN. Three instruments are featured in a catalog that provides photos and data for each product. Zero-Max adjustable-speed drives provide speed control of equipment such as air seeders, pumps, and conveyors, with...

How to choose.(product information)
December 1, 2004... ERIEZ, ERIE. PA. Three free idea guides are available: How to Choose and Use Vibratory Feeders and Conveyers, How to Choose and Use Magnetic Separators, and How to Choose and Use Lifting Magnets. The grades present case studies and reference...

Temperature Handbook and Encyclopedia Volume MMV[TM] 5th Edition.(the resource File)
December 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...

A world of pressure controls for industry brochure!(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... Tescom Corporation's 16-page brochure, A World of Pressure Controls, offers standard and custom pressure regulators, valves and electropneumatic controllers for gas or liquid control from sub-atmospheric to 20,000 PSIG. Pressure reducing, back...

MEGASCOPE[TM] OS533RS-DM handheld infrared thermometer.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... 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...

Measure surface contact pressure.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... Pressurex[R], pressure indicating sensor film quickly, accurately and inexpensively measures pressure distribution and magnitude between any two contacting or impacting surfaces. Common applications include: * Bolted Joints / Casketed...

How to select and install turntable bearings.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... Design and Product Selection Guide details Kaydon's[R] large precision bearings. Includes charts, graphs and assistance for selecting the right balls or rollers, cages, race ways, mounting positions, integral gearing, protective seals, and...

Raymond[R] mechanical spring struts.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... Ideal for load lift and counterbalance, motion control and dampening applications, Raymond[R] Mechanical Spring Struts provide better durability and reliability than conventional gas or pneumatic springs. Made of stainless steel, they come in...

Spiral retaining rings.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... The new Smalley Steel Ring Co. Retaining Ring Catalog is now available. Smalley has over 4,100 rings in stock, sizes from 1/2" to 16". Special designs are available with No-Tooling-Charges[TM] with sizes from 9/32" to 84"; available in carbon...

Metric gear components.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... NEW 456-page catalog Q410 features technical specs for over 3,400 standardized stock metric gear components, including spur, helical and internal gears, straight and helical racks, straight and spiral bevel gears, worm and worm gears, ratchets,...

New optics catalog.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... 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...

Centralized lubrication systems.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... A new color catalog is available on Oil-Rite's PurgeX[R] centralized lubrication systems. With explicit detail on dimensions, specifications and engineering data. Liquid or Grease delivery, Air or Electric Motor operated. Also available: Air...

Rotating electrical connectors.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... 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...

FREE Alibre Design 8.0 trial CD.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... The benefits of parametric 3D CAD software are now available to everyone who needs them. Alibre Design delivers the key features you need for less than one-fifth the price of other solid modelers like SolidWorks. See for yourself! Order...

Welding software.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... 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...

TruGrid[R] it really is that hot!(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... National Ignition Facility image courtesy of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories XYZ SCIENTIFIC APPLICATIONS Circle 313

Simulate convection with ALGOR for coupled fluid flow and heat transfer.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... 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;...

CAEPIPE.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... What's Unique to CAEPIPE? Our uses say: * Properly addresses analysis issues * Models unique geometries (ball joints) * Simultaneously displays Input, Graphics & Results * Easy to relearn * Fast analysis speed for...

STORM/CFD2000--CFD Software: free trial with full functionality.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... All flow speeds, heat transfer, advanced chemistry, multi-phase, and FSI. Easily customizable BCs and equation source terms. (800) 326-5155; sales@adaptive-research.com. www.adaptive-research.com ADAPTIVE RESEARCH Circle 316

Looking for a solution for legacy models?(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... ANSYS ParaMesh, the unique new product for working on legacy models might be just the solution you've been seeking. Benefits--No remeshing required. Creating parametric FEA models is now easy and fast. Plus, element quality is maintained and...

Noran Engineering, Inc.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... Experience the very latest advances and get the most FEA for your budget. Noran Engineering develops professional, high-performance, state-of-the-art analysis tools for: structural, dynamic, heat transfer, fluid flow, fatigue and...

New WebLook v2.0: now available.(the resource File)
December 1, 2004... WebLook is the fastest, most secure way to share your CAD drawings or raster images over the Web with those who need them! Now supports AutoCAD 2005, SolidWorks 2004, MicroStation 8, Inventor 8 and many more formats. Markup over the Web with...