Engineering Commons^™

Accelerometer Based Measurement Of Body Movement For Communication, Play, And Creative Expression, Mark Nolan, Edward Burke, Frank Duignan

Conference Papers

This paper presents a newly designed wireless accelerometer-based movement measurement device. The device is capable of measuring activity ranging from gross body movements to more subtle vibrations emanating from the body, including laryngeal vibration and the mechanomyogram (mechanical vibrations from working muscles). The main body of the device, which is less than 20cm3 in volume and weighs less than 50g, contains a microcontroller, wireless transceiver, battery, and one accelerometer. A supplementary accelerometer module is connected to the main device by thin wires. This module is very light weight and can therefore be directly attached to the skin to measure laryngeal …

Localised Galvanic Corrosion Processes In Thermal Spray Coated/Cast Aluminium Alloy Systems, David Culliton, Tony Betts, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

Cast Aluminium Alloys, because of the propensity of aluminium to react with impurities and alloying elements, are prone to developing IM impurities during the solidification process. These IM phases can act, in some fluids, as initiation sites for localised corrosion processes, resulting in degradation phenomena, such as pitting. Whilst Thermal Spray coatings can improve the wear resistance of Cast Aluminium Alloys, their corrosion performance may be hampered by the presence of through porosity within the coating.

The present work details some preliminary studies of the localised corrosion processes occurring at the interface area between a Thermal Spray coating and a …

Implementing Arabic-To-English Machine Translation Using The Role And Reference Grammar Linguistic Model, Yasser Salem, Arnold Hensman, Brian Nolan

Conference Papers

This paper presents work-in-progress investigating the development of a rule-based lexical framework for Arabic language processing using the Role and Reference Grammar (RRG) linguistic model. A system, called UniArab is introduced in this research to support the framework. The paper outlines the conceptual structure of UniArab System, which utilizes the framework and translates the Arabic language into another natural language. Also, this paper explores how the characteristics of the Arabic language will effect the development of a Machine Translation (MT) tool from Arabic to English. Several distinguishing features of Arabic pertinent to MT will be explored in detail with reference …

Preparation & Accreditation Of Level 7 Engineering Programmes, Mark Mcgrath

Conference Papers

Accreditation of 3rd level educational programmes by a suitably recognised professional body is of particular relevance in relation to engineering. The completion of a sequence of modules which leads to the attainment of this professionally recognised award is viewed as integral to the undertaking. The engineering technology fields are developing and expanding rapidly and the third level sector must keep abreast of these changes. This is essential if the third level institutions wish to continue delivering programmes which produce graduates who can successfully complete the transition from 3rd level to the various engineering sectors. This paper outlines various aspects of …

An Engineering Evaluation Of Ankle Prosthetics, Christopher Thian, Stephen Tiernan, Fiona Mcevoy, Robert Flavin

Conference Papers

There are a wide range of different types of ankle replacements on the market today each with a
different mechanical design. Unfortunately the results of ankle replacements are not as good as hip
and knee replacements; this is due to the complexity of the ankle joint. In the early days of ankle
replacements some of the prosthetics only lasted 4 months. Recent developments have improved the
longevity of the replacements although, there are still many complications and failures of the
replacements, these include; the prosthetic components migrating into the bone, the components
failing due to stresses induced by the forces …

Big Challenges In Designing Small Parts For Mass Production, Kevin Delaney, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

Micro manufacturing involves the production of parts or products with features on a micro scale. The technology is used to produce parts for several business sectors which have experienced dramatic growth in recent years and forecasts are that this growth will continue in the years ahead. With the loss of traditional manufacturing jobs to lower-cost locations many companies in Ireland see micro manufacturing as having significant potential to preserve and increase revenue. A move into micro manufacturing will present significant opportunities for those companies willing to take the risk of producing parts with micro dimensions. Such a transition is a …

Real-World Process Design For Mechanical Engineering Students: A Case Study Of Pbl In Dit, Kevin Delaney, John D. Kelleher

Conference Papers

Engineering education deals primarily with calculating quantitative performance of engineering objects, such as machines, circuits or dams, and with designing variations of these objects. However when engineering graduates enter the workforce they must be able to do a great deal more than solve the technical problems taught in engineering school [1]. More specifically they will need to deal with a great range of problems some of which are not technical engineering problems at all. Examples of such problems include working as part of a larger group, project management, negotiation, component sourcing and an awareness of the multi-disciplinary nature of engineering. …

Assessment Of The Effects Of Increasing Levels Of Physiological Realism In The Computational Fluid Dynamics Analyses Of Implanted Coronary Stents, Jonathan Murphy, Fergal Boyle

Conference Papers

Coronary stent implantation can improve blood flow in an artery that has been narrowed by the build up of arterial plaque. However, the implantation of the stent will change the geometry of the vessel wall. The haemodynamic effects of the stents presence and alteration of the vessel wall are unclear. The redistribution of flow induced vessel wall shear stress (WSS) and wall shear stress gradient (WSSG) may directly contribute to restenosis (re-blockage). Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is used extensively to identify these parameters in stented vessels. However, simplifications to the model of the stented artery are common. In this paper, …

The Application Of Web 2.0 Technologies As An Experimental Method Of Teaching Remote Sensing At Dit, Ireland, Avril Behan

Conference Papers

This paper describes the implementation of an experimental method of delivery for a module of remote sensing material to second year students on the BSc (Hons) in Geomatics at the Dublin Institute of Technology. The project began as a reaction to poor levels of student engagement and unsatisfactory grades, as well as the requirement to focus more on real-world type problems due to the implementation of a work-placement semester for third year students. Both pedagogical considerations (movement towards formative feedback, interactivity and group-based work) and the effect of technological drivers, such as the popularity of the internet in general and …

An Exploration Of A Discrete Rhombohedral Lattice Of Possible Engineering Or Physical Relevance (Revised Version) 2008, Jim Mcgovern

Conference Papers

A particular discrete rhombohedral lattice consisting of four symmetrically interlaced cuboctahedral point lattices is described that is interesting because of the high degree of symmetry it exhibits. The four constituent cuboctahedral lattices are denoted by four colours and the composite lattice is referred to as a 4-colour rhombohedral lattice. Each point of the 4-colour lattice can be referenced by an integer 4-tuple containing only the positive non-zero integers (the counting numbers). The relationship between the discrete rhombohedral lattice and a discrete Cartesian lattice is explained. Some interesting aspects of the lattice and of the counting-number 4-tuple coordinate system are pointed …

Metrology And Proportion In The Ecclesiastical Architecture Of Medieval Ireland, Avril Behan, Rachel Moss

Conference Papers

The aim of this paper is to examine the extent to which detailed empirical analysis of the metrology and proportional systems used in the design of Irish ecclesiastical architecture can be analysed to provide historical information not otherwise available. Focussing on a relatively limited sample of window tracery designs as a case study, it will first set out to establish what, if any, systems were in use, and then what light these might shed on the background, training and work practices of the masons, and, by association, the patrons responsible for employing them.

An Exploration Of A Discrete Rhombohedral Lattice Of Possible Engineering Or Physical Relevance, Jim Mcgovern

Conference Papers

A particular discrete rhombohedral lattice consisting of four symmetrically interlaced cuboctahedral or cubic point lattices is described that is interesting because of the high degree of symmetry it exhibits. The four constituent lattices are denoted by four colours and the composite lattice is referred to as a 4-colour rhombohedral lattice. Each point of the 4-colour lattice can be referenced by an integer 4-tuple containing only the positive non-zero integers (the counting numbers). The relationship between the discrete rhombohedral lattice and a discrete Cartesian lattice is explained. Some interesting aspects of the lattice and of the counting-number 4-tuple coordinate system are …

Exploitation Of Surface Engineering Technology Research, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

Surface engineering refers to a wide range of technologies that design and modify the surface properties and characteristics of components. The applications are very broad from macro to nano and from extremely hard materials to polymeric coatings. The uses are found in many engineering, energy, gas and oil, transport, medical, cosmetic, optical, chemical and sports industries. Research in this technology is ongoing and the benefits that can be derived are enormous. The design, wear and tribological properties of components for instance have been greatly enhanced by surface engineering and the economic benefits to industries far outweigh the cost and use …

An Analysis Of The Performance Of Foams Used In Hurling Helmets, Keith Norris, Stephen Tiernan

Conference Papers

Abstract Head injuries can occur in most sporting activities. The seriousness of these injuries can vary greatly depending on the sport. Many sports such as American football, cricket, baseball and hurling try to reduce this risk by designing helmets that are suitable to be worn by the players. The National Standard Authority of Ireland (NSAI) has recently made great strides in this area with the introduction of the first comprehensive standard adopted for the sport I.S. 355:2006, which sets out new testing procedures that all new helmets must meet. The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) has also stated its intention to …

Force Measurement And Evaluation For Surgical Cutting Applications: Development Of An Effective Characterisation Testbed, Dean Callaghan

Conference Papers

Sensorized instruments that cater for accurate measurement of the interaction forces (between biological tissue and instrument end-effector) during surgical procedures offer surgeons a greater sense of immersion during minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS). There is much ongoing research into force measurement/evaluation involving surgical graspers. However, comparatively little corresponding effort has been expended in the measurement and subsequent evaluation of forces between scissor blades and tissue. This paper presents the design and development of a force/strain measurement test apparatus, which will ultimately serve as an effective sensor characterisation and evaluation platform. Data acquired from the testing platform can be used to …

Development Of A Three Dimensional Prolapse Model To Simulate Physiological Haemodynamics In A Stented Coronary Artery, Jonathan Murphy, Fergal Boyle

Conference Papers

Coronary stent implantation can improve blood flow in an artery that has been narrowed by the build up of arterial plaque. However, the haemodynamic effect of stent placement is unclear and may influence arterial restenosis (re-blockage). The degree of tissue prolapse between stent struts may be an important factor in predicting the restenosis rate of a stent due to the haemodynamic influence of the protruding tissue. In this paper a mathematical model has been developed to numerically predict the tissue prolapse for an artery implanted with a coronary stent. The prolapse model has been applied to the Gianturco-Roubin II (GR-II) …

Evolution Of A Computational Domain For Numerical Analysis Of Fluid Mechanical Disturbance Induced By Coronary Stent Deployment, Jonathan Murphy, Fergal Boyle

Conference Papers

No abstract provided.

Augmented Control Of Hands Free Voice Prostheses, Brian Madden, James Condron, Ted Burke, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

Laryngectomy patients often use an electrolarynx to facilitate speech following a tracheotomy. Devices of this type provide the most intelligible means of communication for tracheotomy patients. However, the electro-larynx has inherent drawbacks such as the buzzing monotonic sound emitted, the need for a free hand to operate the device, and the difficulty experienced by many tracheotomy patients in adapting to use it. The most effective means of addressing the shortcomings of existing electro-larynges is to provide the user with a hands-free facility. This allows the user to perform other manual tasks whilst speaking, or simply to communicate more effectively through …

Communication Of Medical Information Using Agents, John Mcgrory, Jane Grimson, Frank Clarke, Peter Gaffney

Conference Papers

Agents are self-contained software entities which act faithfully and autonomously on behalf of a body of knowledge. They can operate in a standalone capacity, or as part of a social group collaborating and

coordinating activities with other software agents. To access their knowledge, agents are interfaced with

using message passing communication. The principle behind medical communications is to provide a means

for exchanging information and knowledge from one computerised location to another, whilst preserving its

true meaning and understanding between the listener and sender. Agent communication is similar to medical

communications, but must provide an additional framework element to allow …

Software Agents Representing Medical Guidelines, John Mcgrory, Jane Grimson, Frank Clarke, Peter Gaffney

Conference Papers

Guidelines are self-contained documents which healthcare professionals reference to obtain specific disease or medical condition knowledge for a particular population cohort. They view these documents and apply known facts about their patients to access useful supportive information to aid in developing a diagnosis or manage a condition. Traditional CIG models decompose these guidelines into workflow plans, which are then called using certain motivational trigger conditions controlled by a centralised management engine.

Therefore, CIG guidelines are not self-contained documents, which specialise in a particular condition or disease, but are effectively a list of workflow plans, which are called and used when …

A Study Of Sip Based Instant Messaging Focusing On The Effects Of Network Traffic Generated Due To Presence, Finnian Mckeon

Conference Papers

The increasing usage of Instant Messaging(IM) applications worldwide continues to grow year on year. However, larger numbers of users creates problems with greater network traffic, interoperability and proprietary protocol dependence. Network traffic due to presence information being exchanged between users and servers needs to be considered, but is it possible to estimate or measure this traffic? There have been very few studies performed on the impact of presence traffic. The purpose of this research is to implement a SIP/SIMPLE network environment that will allow the evaluation of key metrics such as the latency and throughput of the network under a …

Preparation And Accreditation Of Level 7 Engineering Programmes, Mark Mcgrath

Conference Papers

Accreditation of 3^rd level educational programmes by a suitably recognised professional body is of particular relevance in relation to engineering. The completion of a sequence of modules which leads to the attainment of this professionally recognised award is viewed as integral to the undertaking. The engineering technology fields are developing and expanding rapidly and the third level sector must keep abreast of these changes. This is essential if the third level institutions wish to continue delivering programmes which produce graduates who can successfully complete the transition from 3rd. Level to the various engineering sectors.

This paper outlines various aspects …

Ray Trace Modelling Of Multiple Dyes In A Luminescent Solar Concentrator, Manus Kennedy, Mike Dunne, Sarah Mccormack, John Doran, Brian Norton

Conference Papers

A previously developed Monte-Carlo ray-trace model has been modified to incorporate multiple luminescent species. Liquid luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been fabricated to verify the ray-trace predictions for LSCs containing multiple luminescent dyes. Single dye and multiple dye solutions of varying concentrations can be easily prepared and inserted into the experimental liquid LSC setup. In this way, experimental uncertainties, such as reduction in the luminescent quantum yield, can be reduced. Hence, the spectral effects of various single and multiple dyes can be analysed and compared more accurately with ray-trace predictions. Initial results from the liquid LSC characterisation and comparison with …

Comparison Of Vacuum Glazing Thermal Performance Predicted Using Two- And Three-Dimensional Models And Their Experimental Validation, Brian Norton, Philip Eames, Yueping Fang, Trevor Hyde, Neil Hewitt

Conference Papers

The thermal performance of vacuum glazing was predicted using two dimensional (2-D) finite element and three dimensional (3-D) finite volume models. In the 2-D model, the vacuum space, including the pillar arrays, was represented by a material whose effective thermal conductivity was determined from the specified vacuum space width, the heat conduction through the pillar array and the calculated radiation heat transfer between the two interior glass surfaces within the vacuum gap. In the 3-D model, the support pillar array was incorporated and modeled within the glazing unit directly. The difference in predicted overall heat transfer coefficients between the two …

Thermodynamic Modelling And Ray-Trace Modelling Of Luminescent Solar Concentrators: A Comparison Of The Two Approaches, Manus Kennedy, Amanda Chatten, Daniel Farrell, Rahul Bose, Andreas Büchtemann, Sarah Mccormack, John Doran, Brian Norton, Keith Barnham

Conference Papers

The electrical and spectral output from luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) devices is predicted using thermodynamic modelling and ray-trace modelling techniques. Predicted output from four LSCs of varying dimensions, containing different luminescent dyes, are found to be in good agreement with measured output taken from fabricated LSCs. Despite the many different processes involved in the two modelling approach, predicted short circuit current densities from both approaches are found to be in excellent agreement.

Design Issues For Therapeutic Ultrasound Angioplasty Waveguides, Declan Noone, Graham Gavin, Garrett Mcguinness

Conference Papers

Therapeutic ultrasound angioplasty is a new minimally invasive cardiovascular procedure for disrupting atherosclerotic lesions. Mechanical energy is transmitted in the form of ultrasound waves via long, flexible wire waveguides navigated to the lesion site through the vascular system. The underpinning principle of this technology is that plaque may be disrupted through a combination of direct contact ablation, pressure waves, cavitation and acoustic streaming, which all depend on the amplitude and frequency of displacements at the distal tip of the wire waveguide. This study identifies a number of key design issues for clinical devices of this type, and describes testing procedures …

Patient-Centred Laboratory Validation Using Software Agents, John Mcgrory, Jane Grimson, Frank Clarke, Peter Gaffney

Conference Papers

Guidelines are self-contained documents which healthcare professionals reference to obtain knowledge about a specific condition or process. They interface with these documents and apply known facts about specific patients to gain useful supportive information to aid in developing a diagnosis or manage a condition. To automate this process a series of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and workflow processes are constructed using the contents of these documents in order to manage the validation flow of a patient sample. These processes decompose the guidelines into workflow plans, which are then called using condition triggers controlled by a centralised management engine. The software …

Simulation Of A Circulating Fluidised Bed Biomass Gasifier Using Aspen Plus: A Performance Analysis, Wayne Doherty, Anthony Reynolds, David Kennedy

Conference Papers

In the near future biomass gasification is likely to play an important role in energy production and conversion. Its application has great potential in the context of climate change mitigation, increasing efficiency and energy security. Atmospheric circulating fluidised bed (CFB) technology was selected for the current study. An original computer simulation model of a CFB biomass gasifier was developed using ASPEN Plus (Advanced System for Process ENgineering Plus). It is based on Gibbs free energy minimisation and the restricted equilibrium method was used to calibrate it against experimental data. This was achieved by specifying the temperature approach for the gasification …

Mechanical Engineering Education In Irish Context: On Route To Becoming A Chartered Engineer, David Kennedy, Richard Good

Conference Papers

Engineering Education in Ireland and throughout Europe has changed dramatically over the last few years and the pace of change is ensuring that we, the educators are constantly keeping abreast of new developments and benchmarks. Programmes that were based on inputs from learners are now outcomes based and the onus is on the educators and facilitators to provide evidence that graduates are capable of conducting specific tasks, commonly termed as Programme Outcomes. Similarly, greater onus is now placed on the learner to take greater responsibility for their educational development. The new and current process of meeting the educational requirements of …