Mechanical Engineering-CIME articles from June 2006

Mechanical Engineering-CIME archives from June 2006

Only on M.E. Magazine Online: @ www.memagazine.org.
June 1, 2006... Responses to the May Question of the Month: What's the best way to deal with spent fuel from nuclear power plants? Reprocess and recycle 76% Bury at Yucca Mountain 9% Store in dry casks on site 15% ...

Striking the right chords.(technology trends)
June 1, 2006... We write about serious technology all the time, but once in a while we like to look at how technology enables some people to have a little fun. In this month's Input Output column, Executive Editor Harry Hutchinson has a little fun of his...

Bio origins.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... To the Editor: I was most interested to read your article in the December 2005 issue about the committee now assembling bioprocessing equipment standards. However, you did not include in your historic sketch information that this effort...

Nukes to the rescue.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... To the Editor: This is concerning Jaak Saame's letter in the April issue. I believe that no one would disagree with former Secretary of State George Shultz and former CIA director James Woolsey when they express concern about the impact of...

Crystal clear.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... To the Editor: I thoroughly enjoyed your article on single crystal turbine blades (February). It's a real skill to cogently present scientific material without watering it down. That article is exactly why I read your magazine: It gave me a...

Balancing trade.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... To the Editor: Our unsustainable trade deficit is a result of our political obsession with the concept of "free trade." Trade is dictionary-defined as "to give and receive equivalent things." Thus, government actions should be based on...

Let it slide.(letters)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2006... To the Editor: In reading the article on slide rules (December 2005), it brought back many memories of my relationship with slide rules in my youth, high school, college, and beyond. My first slide rule encounter was with my fourth grade...

More wind energy.(news & notes)(Arizona Public Service Co., Western Wind Energy Corp.)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Western Wind Energy Corp. of Coquitlam, British Columbia, and Arizona Public Service have agreed to expand the terms of their current 15 MW agreement, to add an additional 25 MW of wind energy production, boosting the total to 40 MW. If...

Is it hot in here?(news & notes)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... It's long been a policy of the Bush administration to delay any actions to deal with global warming until a battery of comprehensive studies have been conducted. It initiated the Climate Change Science Program in 2002 to coordinate these...

From backhoe to Bonneville.(news & notes)(JCB-SCM Ltd. releases engines)
June 1, 2006... A company that makes construction equipment has built a diesel car with the aim of topping 300 miles an hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats this August. The motivation for the company, JCB, appears to be to showcase a production engine that...

Fuel cell on salt.(news & notes)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Also on the land speed front: The student team that developed the world's fastest electric car says it plans to build another one, powered by fuel cells. The students, who operate out of the Center for Automotive Research at Ohio State...

Sub-sub-sub-sub-compact.(news & notes)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Carmakers may be looking at retooling their factories to react to higher gas prices, but engineers at Rice University in Houston have gone several better. They have built a car that is so small, it doesn't even have room for a fuel tank. ...

Ohio governor presses the flesh in Germany.(news & notes)
June 1, 2006... With sales by Detroit auto- makers plummeting and Chinese competitors kicking down the door, Midwestern manufacturers have been taking it on the chin. Yet Ohio Gov. Robert Taft thinks his state is a great place for manufacturing. He traveled to...

Bought and expanded in Wales.(news & notes)
June 1, 2006... Carlisle Companies Inc. in Charlotte, N.C., has acquired the heavy off-highway brakes division of ArvinMeritor in Cardiff, Wales. It is creating 30 jobs and safeguarding an additional 50 jobs there. Carlisle is buying a 50,000-square-foot...

CEOs see tech pool shrinking.(news & notes)(chief executive officers)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Many CEOs of American science and technology companies are aware of recent reports that the United States is in danger of surrendering its leadership role in science and technology because it is producing fewer scientists and engineers and...

Hybrid registrations up.(news & notes)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Nationwide registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose significantly in 2005, according to R.L. Polk & Co., a consultant company in Southfield, Mich. The figure grew to 199,148 in 2005, a 139 percent increase from 2004. For the second year...

China Automotive Systems Inc., a supplier of power steering components and systems in China, has entered a joint venture agreement with Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., a fast-growing independent automobile manufacturer in China.(Briefly Noted)
June 1, 2006... China Automotive Systems Inc., a supplier of power steering components and systems in China, has entered a joint venture agreement with Chery Automobile Co. Ltd., a fast-growing independent automobile manufacturer in China. The new venture will...

The U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems of Westminster, Md., an $8.5 million contract for two unmanned surface vehicles for the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Mission Module.(Briefly Noted)
June 1, 2006... The U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego has awarded General Dynamics Robotic Systems of Westminster, Md., an $8.5 million contract for two unmanned surface vehicles for the Littoral Combat Ship Anti-Submarine Warfare...

The Boeing Co.(Briefly Noted)(recieves order from Air Pacific)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Boeing Co. has received orders for more than 350 of its 787-9 Dreamliners, the next generation of its highly efficient long-range air-caft due to enter service at the end of this decade. No. 350 was reached with an order for five of the...

SensAble Technologies Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduces modeling system )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... SensAble Technologies Inc. of Woburn, Mass., says a new addition to the FreeForm product line--the FreeForm Modeling system with the Phantom Omni haptic device--is now shipping.

Technology that touches.(computing)(research)
June 1, 2006... WHAT IF YOUR COMPUTER could see you? Might you take a little more time choosing your working attire? Electronics and computing engineers at the University of Ulster in Ireland have teamed up with neuroscientists, physicists, and biologists...

Upstream screening.(computing)(computer aided design)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... CATCHING PROBLEMS BEFORE CAD models head off to the next department does away with much model rework down the line. To make sure that CAD models are as accurate as possible before engineers send them to clients or analysts, Johnson Gate...

A quick picture.(computing)(10-teraflop Cray XT3 system used for research on turbulence )(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... AT A RECENT HIGH-PERFORMANCE computing conference, University of Minnesota researchers Paul Woodward and David Porter used Big Ben, the 10-teraflop Cray XT3 system housed at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, to simulate turbulence in real...

Tactical insight.(computing)
June 1, 2006... LIFE AND DEATH EXIST IN THREE dimensions. Now U.S. Army commanders want clearer understanding of operational space for vital battlefield analysis. The Army's Command and Control Directorate at Fort Monmouth, N.J., creates 3-D models that...

Choice under fire.(computing)(decision-support software)
June 1, 2006... RESEARCH INTO HOW PEOPLE make decisions while under pressure could help the U.S. military improve training for its commanders and lead to better decision-support software, say researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute. Such software...

Seeing through smoke.(computing)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... IN A FIRE, every second counts. With that in mind, a team of graduate students at the University of California, Berkeley, is working to perfect specialized masks firefighters would don before entering burning buildings. The masks include...

Cyco Software.(Briefly Noted)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Cyco Software of Atlanta, which makes engineering data management software, has released Cyco AutoManager Meridian to help organizations share technical information across the enterprise, thereby streamlining engineering-related business...

VizUp.(Briefly Noted)
June 1, 2006... VizUp of Vancouver, British Columbia, has updated its software application to VizUp 2.1.4. The application is 3-D CAD polygon reduction and visualization software.

Fluent Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduces Icemax version 2.2)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... Computational fluid dynamics software maker Fluent Inc. of Lebanon, N.H., has released version 2.2 of its Icemax software, a circuit extraction tool for analyzing advanced integrated circuit package designs.

Noran Engineering Inc.(Briefly Noted)(introduces NEi Nastran)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... A developer of Nastran finite element analysis software, Noran Engineering Inc. of Westminster, Calif., has released an upgrade to its FEA software, NEi Nastran, version nine.

Rand Worldwide.(Briefly Noted)(Ascent Center for Technical Knowledge)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... The Ascent Center for Technical Knowledge, a division of Rand Worldwide of Mississauga, Ontario, has launched two new courseware titles: Autodesk Inventor R11, Introduction to Modeling and AutoCAD 2007, Update for AutoCAD 2006 Users.

Share your data.(software exchange)
June 1, 2006... Capability: With Origin Viewer, employees without Origin installed on their computers can view and copy information from Origin project files. Origin is a way to store raw data, analysis results, graphs, laid-out pages, metadata, and notes....

Energy analysis.(software exchange)
June 1, 2006... Capability: The software package of energy analysis tools includes a thermodynamic calculator, a device-design performance analyzer, a system analyzer for energy-conversion devices, and two system-cost analyzers. The calculator addresses the...

Just like being there.(software exchange)
June 1, 2006... Capability: VTour creates photorealistic, three-dimensional images from two-dimensional pictures or panoramas. The program turns digital photographs into 3-D scenes or simulations. The results can be exported or published as either a 3-D movie...

Single or networked Modeler.(software exchange)
June 1, 2006... Capability: NEi Nastran Modeler is a pre- and post-processor used to model various products, processes, and systems. It offers geometry import, geometry creation, meshing, and visualization. The program solves for materials and properties,...

Surrounded by monitors.(software exchange)
June 1, 2006... Capability: With the external upgrade TripleHead2Go engineers can use three monitors at one time. The displays depict the left, center, and right portions of the screen. The unit connects to the monitor output of a computer and divides that...

State of rot.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)
June 1, 2006... When a semi full of bananas gets a little warm, it makes a detour from its path to the grocery store and drops off the load at the garbage dump instead. But in all probability, not every piece of fruit in the shipment turned bad the moment the...

Catching gamma rays.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)(National Institute of Standards and Technology)
June 1, 2006... It's the stuff of Tom Clancy thrillers that has recently become a deadly serious matter: Agents intercept a shipment of radioactive material destined for international terrorists. The U.S. government accuses a certain country of providing the...

Can't take the pressure.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)(Whitney Systems )
June 1, 2006... This is one of those stories about communication or, more specifically, about how costly it can be when communication breaks down. A Massachusetts company that makes custom industrial equipment ran into trouble because of a misunderstanding...

Sensors Take Cover.(INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL)(Brief article)
June 1, 2006... When sensors are used in rugged manufacturing environments, they need to be protected from heat, abrasion, debris, and minor impacts. That's where housing covers come in, according to their manufacturer, SoftNoze USA Inc. of Frankfort, N.Y. ...

Storm warning: Katrina and Rita pummeled the Gulf of Mexico's oil and gas producers. What can they do to keep it from happening again?(FEATURE FOCUS: OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGIES)(Cover story)
June 1, 2006... The day after Hurricane Katrina scoured the Gulf of Mexico, the residents of Dauphin Island outside Mobile Bay in Alabama came out to assess the damages. In addition to storm wreckage, they found an offshore drilling rig grounded on their...

Wind out of their sails: opposition to a project off Cape Cod poses big questions for offshore wind farms in the U.S.(FEATURE FOCUS: OFFSHORE TECHNOLOGIES)
June 1, 2006... There's a paradoxical situation playing out in Massachusetts, where the prospect of the first major offshore wind farm in the United States has created a political battle royal. Supporters and opponents of the project, known as Cape Wind and...

It's what you know: data acquisition goes well beyond engineering--just ask a piano maker or an entomologist.
June 1, 2006... Data acquisition is a boring name for an interesting application that samples the real world. The method acquires and interprets raw data via monitors that join the object to be studied with a computer programmed to interpret the information....

Fair game: the spirit of play, business, or both make a destination of one of the world's technological showplaces.
June 1, 2006... in the age of online banking, searchable materials databases, MFG.com, and the like, many of the traditional ways of making business contacts have lost some of their appeal. Sure, the occasional face-to-face session is important, but you can...

Maglev goes to work: a mixer taking advantage of high-temperature superconductors enters the pharmaceutical market.
June 1, 2006... ever since the discovery of high-temperature superconductors in 1986, magnetic levitation has been their poster child. Pictures of frosted superconducting ceramics suspended in mid-air have appeared in countless magazines, newspapers, and Web...

Infrared thermometer.(new products)
June 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. The company's low-cost OS562 is a tool for temperature measurements with non-contact measurement capability and is compatible with type K thermocouples. Its user-friendly, five-key operation offers max,...

Venting solution.(new products)
June 1, 2006... W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES INC.. ELKTON, MD. A new protective vent with metal housing performs successfully even in extreme conditions, such as widely fluctuating temperatures, extreme moisture, and large amounts of environmental contaminants,...

Cooling tower vacuum.(new products)
June 1, 2006... GOOOWAY TECHNOLOGIES CORP., STAMFORD, CONN. Dirty water in a cooling tower fouls chillers, robs heat exchange efficiency, and drives up energy costs. Cleaner, more efficient cooling towers can be maintained by using the CTV-1500 TowerVac. This...

Multiposition valves.(new products)
June 1, 2006... VALCO INSTRUMENTS CO. INC.. HOUSTON. TEXAS. MW-type multiposition valves offer a variety of flow configurations, port and fitting sizes, and actuation options. The preload design allows the rotor to be inspected or replaced without removing the...

Variable frequency drives.(new products)
June 1, 2006... SIEMENS BUILDING TECHNOLOGIES INC., BUFFALO GROVE, ILL. The company has improved its line of SED2 variable frequency drives that save energy in commercial and industrial building applications by reducing power consumption to electric pumps and...

Mechanical seal.(new products)
June 1, 2006... FLOWSERVE CORP.. DALLAS, TEXAS. The QBQ LZ contacting-face mechanical seal features Precision Face Topography and its patented wavy face seal design. The QBQ LZ provides high-reliability sealing with low emissions and is a sealing solution for...

On-machine inspection.(new products)
June 1, 2006... FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC., LAKE MARY. FLA. The PowerGage is a new measurement device that adds CAD-to-part analysis capability to Faro's gauge product line. According to the company, the PowerGage is a portable measurement device that enables...

Economical manometer.(new products)
June 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. Model HHP91 is a precision manometer for automotive, HVAC, laboratories, and general industrial applications. It is compatible with air or non-corrosive and non-ionized gases and liquids. Eight selectable...

Educational kits.(new products)
June 1, 2006... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI, OHIO. The company's fluid power educational kits are designed to help provide a practical understanding of the basic concepts of fluid power. They consist of many components, the same ones used...

Spray coating.(new products)
June 1, 2006... GE ADVANCED MATERIALS, CERAMICS DIVISION. STRONGSVILLE. OHIO. Boron Nitride Spray II is the company's new grade of its boron nitride spray coating that eliminates the use of methylene chloride. It is a good candidate for use as a release agent...

Thread sealants.(new products)
June 1, 2006... DEVCON, DANVERS, MASS. Permatex brand thread sealants secure pipe fittings in many applications. By preventing the loosening caused by vibration, tape shredding, solvent evaporation, and temperature cycling, they prevent troublesome leaks that...

Hollow-shaft gearmotor.(new products)
June 1, 2006... BISON GEAR AND ENGINEERING CORP., ST. CHARLES, ILL. The 562 Series hollow-shaft gearmotor has increased low-speed center distance, coupled with greater clearance for wider-Faced gears. Thus, the 562 allows for close to twice the continuous...

Serial data bus analysis.(new products)
June 1, 2006... YOKOGAWA CORP. OF AMERICA, NEWNAN, GA. Yokogawa has added new serial data bus analysis capabilities to its DL9000 Series signalXplorer digital oscilloscopes. The new capabilities include standard triggering on controller area network (CAN)...

Changing elevations.(new products)
June 1, 2006... SPAN TECH LLC, GLASGOW, KY. The spiral elevator is designed for changing elevations. It is useful for cooling, curing, and time delays. The unit rests stationary on the spiral chain and travels up or down with speeds up to 250 fpm (76.2 mpm). A...

Portable thermocouple temperature controller.(new products)
June 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORB, CONN. The new CN-TOT is a portable, plug and play thermocouple temperature controller designed for indoor, general-purpose use in controlling the temperature of small tanks, drums, pipes, intermediate bulk...

Imaging system.(new products)
June 1, 2006... LENOX INSTRUMENT CO. INC., TREVOSE, PA. The VideoFlex Series is a high-resolution, remote imaging system that is easy to use, according to the manufacturer. It features four-way tip articulation and an integrated control/display handpiece with...

Welding partner.(new products)
June 1, 2006... VALTRA INC., PICO RIVERA, CALIF. The high-performance Ground Hog clamp was designed to solve the problem of inadequate grounding of the weld arc in all types of welding applications. The Ground Hog prevents current restriction by providing a...

Accuracy at a distance.(new products)
June 1, 2006... FARO TECHNOLOGIES INC., LAKE MARY, FLA. The company's Laser Tracker X and Xi models are capable of 0.0006 in. and 0.0002 in. distance accuracies, respectively. The new Faro Trackers also feature an expanded temperature range for greater...

Hardfacing products.(new products)
June 1, 2006... TECHNOGENIA, CHARLOTTE, N.C. In industries that use heavy-duty parts for mixing, grinding, or other techniques, antia-brasion protection is imperative. This manufacturer of hardfacing products has developed a special tungsten-carbide powder...

Handheld refractometers.(new products)
June 1, 2006... OMEGA ENGINEERING INC., STAMFORD, CONN. RFH Series refractometers are precise, small, light optical instruments with a metal body. They need only a few small drops of solution to take a measurement and are very user-friendly. The refractometers...

Pulseless fuel delivery.(new products)
June 1, 2006... FLUID METERING INC., SYOSSET, N.Y. Fluid Metering has combined its CeramPump no-valve fluid control principle with its new phase-canceling technology to eliminate pulsation for continuous fluid metering, down to low flows of 5 microliters per...

Stainless for harsh places.(new products)
June 1, 2006... PARKER HANNIFIN CORP., FILTRATION AND SEPARATION DIVISION, HAVERHILL, MASS. A new line of Balston harsh environment stainless steel filters ranges from quarter-inch to one-inch line sizes, with flow capacities to more than 700 scfm. According...

Hoses and fittings.(product information)
June 1, 2006... PARKER HOSE PRODUCTS, WICKLIFFE, OHIO. Parker's new Catalog 4400 US is updated and redesigned, with information on more than 60 hoses and 400 fitting styles, plus equipment and accessories. It contains an expanded introductory section with more...

Friction materials.(product information)
June 1, 2006... CARLISLE INDUSTRIAL BRAKE & FRICTION, BLOOMINGTON, IND. Brake products and friction material for an array of applications are described in an eight-page color brochure. It includes information on brake solutions from dry-disc caliper brakes to...

Miniature fluid power.(product information)
June 1, 2006... CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY INC., CINCINNATI, OHIO. The company's 336-page catalog includes features, specifications, technical drawings, color photos, and application highlights of its miniature fluid power products. Products can be found...

Fixturing components.(product information)
June 1, 2006... FIXTUREWORKS, FRASER, MICH. A l00-page catalog details the company's offerings of modular components that allow users to address fixturing and workholding needs efficiently and economically. Starting out with a pictorial quick-index, the...

Automation solutions.(product information)
June 1, 2006... TECHNO-SOMMER AUTOMATIC, NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y. An 80-page catalog, No. H928, provides solutions to a greater variety of automation applications. The publication contains a range of product capabilities, from a heavy-duty 10-finger O-ring gripper...

Correct connection.(product information)
June 1, 2006... TURCK INC., MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. With more than 780 pages of industrial connectivity products, including molded cordsets, receptacles, splitters, junction boxes, raw cable options, and technical specifications, this is the most complete offering...

Metal welders.(product information)
June 1, 2006... SONOBOND ULTRASONICS, WEST CHESTER, PA. ultrasonics for Metals is a four-page booklet that describes the performance characteristics of Sonobond's ultrasonic metal welders. These units provide reliable, solid-state metallurgical bonding of...

Hazardous substances.(product information)
June 1, 2006... NEWARKINONE, CHICAGO, ILL. This 580-page resource and sourcing tool will help the reader comply with the European Union's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive, which will affect everyone who buys or uses electronics when it...

Circuit protection.(product information)
June 1, 2006... COOPER BUSSMANN TRANSPORTATION PRODUCTS, WOOD DALE, ILL. The company's 40-page, four-color catalog includes standard circuit protection products for the electrical, electronic, and automotive industries as well as newly designed products...

Gold bearings.(product information)
June 1, 2006... EMERSON POWER TRANSMISSION, ITHACA, N.Y. A new brochure, PN Gold 05, introduces the PN Gold bearing, which is engineered for extended bearing life in industries with corrosive, wash-down environments. The PN Gold bearing inserts feature high...

Turbine Aerodynamics: Axial-flow and radial-inflow turbine design and analysis.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Turbine Aerodynamics: Axial-flow and radial-inflow turbine design and analysis. Ronald H. Aungier. ASME Press, Three Park Ave., New York, NY 10016-5990. 2006. 420 pages. ASME members, $88; list, $110. ISBN 0-7918-0241-8. In this book,...

Dynamic Modelling of Gas Turbines: Identification, simulation, condition monitoring and optimal control.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Dynamic Modelling of Gas Turbines: Identification, simulation, condition monitoring and optimal control. Gennady G. Kulikov and Haydn A. Thompson, editors. Springer-Verlag New York, 175 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010. 2004. 309 pages. $109....

Handbook of Mechanical Engineering Calculations. Second Edition.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Handbook of Mechanical Engineering Calculations. Second Edition. Tyler G. Hicks, P.E. McGraw-Hill, Two Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10121. 2006. 1,757 pages. $150. ISBN 0-07-145886-7. A hefty compendium of calculation methods, this volume...

The Science and Technology of Materials in Automotive Engines.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... The Science and Technology of Materials in Automotive Engines. Hiroshi Yamagata. CRC Press LLC, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487. Published in England by Woodhead Publishing Limited. 2005. 318 pages. $245. ISBN...

Fundamentals of Structural Stability.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Fundamentals of Structural Stability. George J. Simitses and Dewey H. Hodges. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, 30 Corporate Dr., Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803. 2006. 389 pages. $79.95. ISBN 0-7506-7875-5. Written by two leading mechanical...

Modelling and Simulation of Turbulent Heat Transfer.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Modelling and Simulation of Turbulent Heat Transfer. Editors: B. Sunden and M. Faghri. Computational Mechanics Inc., 25 Bridge St., Billerica, MA 01821. Published by WIT Press, Southampton, U.K. 2005. 360 pages. $198. ISBN 1-85312-956-9. ...

Magnetic Actuators and Sensors.(ME bookshelf)(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2006... Magnetic Actuators and Sensors. John R. Brauer. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 111 River St., Hoboken, NJ 07030. 2006. 308 pages. $120. ISBN 0-471-73169-2. This book features computer-aided engineering methods that are used in the design and...