Engineering Commons^™

Hysteresis Heating Of Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element, Oscar O. Rodriguez, Arturo A. Fuentes, Constantine Tarawneh, Robert E. Jones

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE’s) are increasingly being used in rail service in load damping applications. They are superior to traditional elastomers primarily in their ease of fabrication. Like traditional elastomers they offer benefits including reduction in noise emissions and improved wear resistance in metal components that are in contact with such parts in the railcar suspension system. However, viscoelastic materials, such as the railroad bearing thermoplastic elastomer suspension element (or elastomeric pad), are known to develop self-heating (hysteresis) under cyclic loading, which can lead to undesirable consequences. Quantifying the hysteresis heating of the pad during operation is therefore essential to predict …

Open Source Multi-Head 3d Printer For Polymer-Metal Composite Component Manufacturing, J. Laureto, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

As low-cost desktop 3D printing is now dominated by free and open source self-replicating rapid prototype (RepRap) derivatives, there is an intense interest in extending the scope of potential applications to manufacturing. This study describes a manufacturing technology that enables a constrained set of polymer-metal composite components. This paper provides (1) free and open source hardware and (2) software for printing systems that achieves metal wire embedment into a polymer matrix 3D-printed part via a novel weaving and wrapping method using (3) OpenSCAD and parametric coding for customized g-code commands. Composite parts are evaluated from the technical viability of manufacturing …

Method Of Manufacturing A Semiconductor Heteroepitaxy Structure, Zhi David Chen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Patents

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor structure includes the steps of depositing a layer of semiconductor oxide on a base semiconductor layer, scavenging oxygen from the layer of semiconductor oxide and recrystallizing the oxygen scavenged layer of semiconductor oxide as a semiconductor heteroepitaxy layer.

Eliminating The Illusion Of Learning From Engineering Courses, Jason Weaver

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the efforts of the author to incorporate tools into an undergraduate engineering course to help facilitate better learning and assess proficiency more effectively by avoiding the illusion of learning. Several techniques are used, including suggestions from the recent book Make It Stick by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel. Student feedback and instructor observations are discussed, and future recommendations for the course are given

Metal Cutting And Manufacturing Economics Project For Freshmen, Hüseyin Sarper, Nebojsa I. Jaksic, Linda Vahala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper describes a laboratory experiment and a team project to teach manufacturing concepts to new students. This project is one of two team projects of 1.5 credit portion of a two-credit course in exploration of engineering and technology. This course teaches students skills they need late and teamwork is a major skill that they acquire. They organize into a group with specialized responsibilities for the purpose of calculating the total production time and cost of a manufactured part using turning, drilling, and milling operations. Students also learn or improve spreadsheet skills while performing data entry and necessary machining calculations. …

Heat Generation In The Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element, Oscar O. Rodriguez, Juan Carbone, Arturo A. Fuentes, Robert E. Jones, Constantine Tarawneh

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The main purpose of this ongoing study is to investigate the effect of heat generation within a railroad thermoplastic elastomer suspension element on the thermal behavior of the railroad bearing assembly. Specifically, the purpose of this project is to quantify the heat generated by cyclic loading of the elastomer suspension element as a function of load amplitude, loading frequency, and operating temperature. The contribution of the elastomer pad to the system energy balance is modeled using data from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the specific materials in use for that part. DMA is a technique that is commonly used to …

Pathways To Ultra-Low Platinum Group Metal Catalyst Loading In Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers, Julie N. Renner

Faculty Scholarship

Hydrogen is one of the world's most important chemicals, with global production of about 50 billion kg/year. Currently, hydrogen is mainly produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal, producing CO2. Water electrolysis is a promising technology for fossil-free, CO2-free hydrogen production. Proton exchange membrane (PEM)-based water electrolysis also eliminates the need for caustic electrolyte, and has been proven at megawatt scale. However, a major cost driver is the electrode, specifically the cost of electrocatalysts used to improve the reaction efficiency, which are applied at high loadings (>3 mg/cm2 total platinum group metal (PGM) content). Core-shell catalysts …

Shape Optimisation Of Cold-Formed Steel Columns With Manufacturing Constraints Using The Hough Transform, Bin Wang, Benoit P. Gilbert, Adrien M. Molinier, Hong Guan, Lip H. Teh

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper introduces manufacturing constraints into a recently developed evolutionary algorithm for shape optimisation of CFS profiles. The algorithm is referred to as "self-shape optimisation" and uses Genetic Algorithm (GA) together with the Augmented Lagrangian (AL) method to avoid ill-conditioned problems. Simple manufacturing rules derived from the limitations of current cold-forming processes, i.e. a limited ability to form continuously curved surfaces without discrete bends, are described in the paper and incorporated into the algorithm. The Hough transform is used to detect straight lines and transform arbitrarily drawn cross-sections into manufacturable ones. Firstly, the algorithm is verified against a known optimisation …

Towards An Automated Robotic Arc-Welding-Based Additive Manufacturing System From Cad To Finished Part, Donghong Ding, Chen Shen, Zengxi Stephen Pan, Dominic Cuiuri, Hui Jun Li, Nathan P. Larkin, Stephen Van Duin

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Arc welding has been widely explored for additive manufacturing of large metal components over the last three decades due to its lower capital cost, an unlimited build envelope, and higher deposition rates. Although significant improvements have been made, an arc welding process has yet to be incorporated in a commercially available additive manufacturing system. The next step in exploiting "true" arc-welding-based additive manufacturing is to develop the automation software required to produce CAD-to-part capability. This study focuses on developing a fully automated system using robotic gas metal arc welding to additively manufacture metal components. The system contains several modules, including …

Machine Learning In Manufacturing: Advantages, Challenges, And Applications, Thorsten Wuest, Daniel Weimer, Christopher Irgens, Klaus-Dieter Thoben

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The nature of manufacturing systems faces ever more complex, dynamic and at times even chaotic behaviors. In order to being able to satisfy the demand for high-quality products in an efficient manner, it is essential to utilize all means available. One area, which saw fast pace developments in terms of not only promising results but also usability, is machine learning. Promising an answer to many of the old and new challenges of manufacturing, machine learning is widely discussed by researchers and practitioners alike. However, the field is very broad and even confusing which presents a challenge and a barrier hindering …

Fabricating Superior Nial Bronze Components Through Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Donghong Ding, Zengxi Stephen Pan, Stephen Van Duin, Hui Jun Li, Chen Shen

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Cast nickel aluminum bronze (NAB) alloy is widely used for large engineering components in marine applications due to its excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Casting porosity, as well as coarse microstructure, however, are accompanied by a decrease in mechanical properties of cast NAB components. Although heat treatment, friction stir processing, and fusion welding were implemented to eliminate porosity, improve mechanical properties, and refine the microstructure of as-cast metal, their applications are limited to either surface modification or component repair. Instead of traditional casting techniques, this study focuses on developing NAB components using recently expanded wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). …

Stress In Thin Wall Structures Made By Layer Additive Manufacturing, Vladimir Luzin, Nicholas P. Hoye

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Manufacturing of thin wall structures is one of the main applications of additive manufacturing, where it has significant advantages over traditional milling and machining techniques or welded analogues. Such thin walled structures are common in structural aerospace components, and are also frequently made from titanium alloys. For such large-scale components, layer deposition strategy is more advantageous rather than a pixel-wise deposition approach due to the demand for high productivity and size requirements. Several techniques can be used to produce layer-wise build-ups, including laser-powered Direct Metal Deposition (DMD) process or gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). Although, in the general case of …

The Relationship Of Corporate Financial Performance And Innovation Among Manufacturing Industries, Charlaine T. Chong, Samantha R. Chua, Ma. Catrina S. Dy, Antonio Miguel E. Villavicencio

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

Innovation is becoming a critical determinant of the survival and advancement of firms. Despite this realization, there is a dearth of literature that tackles the subject matter and its specific role in corporate settings remains vague. Using corporate data on East and Southeast Asian manufacturing firms from 2008 to 2013, this study aims to identify the impact of corporate financial performance on research and development (R&D) expenditure as a measure of innovation. On the whole, the researchers utilized random effects (REM) and fixed effects (FEM) models to establish the relationship between R&D and corporate performance. The researchers, then, identified the …

The Application Of Gage R&R Analysis In S Six Sigma Case Of Improving And Optimizing An Automotive Die Casting Product’S Measurement System, Qizheng Ren

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

With the rapid development of automation technology in automotive manufacturing processes, massive and efficient production is a current trend. Therefore, measurement systems with accurate and automated measuring instruments are sought by automotive companies and suppliers. However, the problematic measuring instruments with unreliable accuracy and stability lead to erroneous measurements and wrong quality decisions that cause manufacturers huge profit losses. An effective method called “measurement system analysis” can be applied to define and eliminate erroneous measurements to ensure adequate reliability. An automotive transmission die casting parts supplier called company T was suffering a serious profit loss due to the erroneous measurements …

Technical And Economic Assessment Of Perovskite Solar Cells For Large Scale Manufacturing, Amir A. Asif, Rajendra Singh, Githin F. Alapatt

Publications

In this paper, we have carried out detailed technical and economic assessment of perovskite solar cells for large scale manufacturing. For ultra-small area of the order of 0.1 cm², efficiency of 20% or so are reported. However, for area of 25 cm², the efficiency is about 10%. Based on the photovoltaic module manufacturing requirements of no constraint on the supply of raw materials, low variability of every key process and process-induced defects, low cost of manufacturing, prospects for further cost reduction in the future, green manufacturing, and long-term reliability, there are absolutely no prospects of manufacturing …

Manufacturing And Non-Manufacturing Students' Perceptions On The Applicability Of The Four Pillars, Muhammad Jahan, Mark Doggett

SEAS Faculty Publications

The Four Pillars of Manufacturing Engineering was developed and supported by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering, (ATMAE), and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). A group of manufacturing educators created it in 2011 as part of a strategic plan to reverse negative trends in manufacturing education and improve manufacturing competitiveness (Mott, Raju, & Stratton). The Four Pillars consist of foundational knowledge areas that represent a typical Manufacturing Engineer’s Body of Knowledge. In addition, it provides the recommended content for academic programs related to manufacturing and articulates the fundamental knowledge …

A Practical Path Planning Methodology For Wire And Arc Additive Manufacturing Of Thin-Walled Structures, Donghong Ding, Zengxi Pan, Dominic Cuiuri, Huijun Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper presents a novel methodology to generate deposition paths for wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The medial axis transformation (MAT), which represents the skeleton of a given geometry, is firstly extracted to understand the geometry. Then a deposition path that is based on the MAT is efficiently generated. The resulting MAT-based path is able to entirely fill any given cross-sectional geometry without gaps. With the variation of step-over distance, material efficiency alters accordingly for both solid and thin-walled structures. It is found that thin-walled structures are more sensitive to step-over distance in terms of material efficiency. The optimal …

Size Effects In Human Visual Inspection For Micro/Meso Scale Parts, Sri Harsha Kavuri

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Visual inspection has been a major method of quality control in conventional manufacturing processes for the last fifty years. Utilizing trained human inspectors to perform this visual inspection has been the most effective means of maintaining quality control. Extensive research has been performed to understand the factors that influence the human inspection process.

In the recent years, there has been a significant emphasis on manufacturing at the smaller end of the size-spectrum such as Micro and Meso scale manufacturing. Quality control at becomes a challenging task due to the extremely small sizes. Several automated visual inspection techniques have been proposed …

Process Capability In A Computer Integrated Manufacturing Cell, Andrew Austin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

With the rise of automation in traditional manufacturing processes, more companies are beginning to integrate computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) cells on their production floors. Through CIM cell integration, companies have the ability to reduce process time and increase production. One of the problems created with CIM cell automation is caused by the dependency the sequential steps have on one another. Dependency created by the previous step increases the probability that a process error could occur due to previous variation. One way to eliminate this dependency is through the use of an in-process measuring device such as a Renishaw spindle probe …

A Tool-Path Generation Strategy For Wire And Arc Additive Manufacturing, Donghong Ding, Zengxi Stephen Pan, Dominic Cuiuri, Huijun Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper presents an algorithm to automatically generate optimal tool-paths for the wire and arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process for a large class of geometries. The algorithm firstly decomposes 2D geometries into a set of convex polygons based on a divide-and-conquer strategy. Then, for each convex polygon, an optimal scan direction is identified and a continuous tool-path is generated using a combination of zigzag and contour pattern strategies. Finally, all individual sub-paths are connected to form a closed curve. This tool-path generation strategy fulfils the design requirements of WAAM, including simple implementation, a minimized number of starting-stopping points, and high …

A Novel Microgrid Demand-Side Management System For Manufacturing Facilities, Terance J. Harper, William J. Hutzel, James C. Foreman, Aaron L. Adams, Athula Kulatunga

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Thirty-one percent of annual energy consumption in the United States occurs within the industrial sector, where manufacturing processes account for the largest amount of energy consumption and carbon emissions. For this reason, energy efficiency in manufacturing facilities is increasingly important for reducing operating costs and improving profits. Using microgrids to generate local sustainable power should reduce energy consumption from the main utility grid along with energy costs and carbon emissions. Also, microgrids have the potential to serve as reliable energy generators in international locations where the utility grid is often unstable.

For this research, a manufacturing process that had approximately …

Graphene Can Pave The Way For Australian Manufacturing, David L. Officer, Gordon G. Wallace

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Australian industries have reached a turning point. With old industries on the way out, the Australian manufacturing sector's biggest challenge is to move from a low-cost mass production model to one that exploits niche markets and adds value to the global supply chain. Research-driven technological advances are an essential part of that process. By building upon the country's natural advantages, such as mineral and energy resources, this kind of progress can foster exciting, sustainable industries. The perfect example is graphene.

A Heuristic For The Analysis Of Truncated Standard Normal Distribution Assemblies, John Walter Ralls, Cesar Ariel Pinto, Shannon R. Bowling, Resit Unal, Charles B. Daniels, S. Long (Ed.), E.H. Ng (Ed.), C. Downing (Ed.)

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The analysis of data sets and process conditions commonly assume the use of standard normal distributions and truncated standard normal distributions (TSND). The use of these distributions has application to various engineering disciplines along with numerous other industries (e.g., financial industries, medical fields, management, etc.). For engineering managers, the use of truncated standard normal distributions has particular relevance when evaluating process conditions commonly associated with assembly tolerances, manufacturing, and associated measures of quality. This article summarizes a heuristic approach for the analysis of assembly-level truncated standard normal distributions and associated research from a recent dissertation (Ralls, 2014). This article provides …

Manufacturing Strategy & Operations: Reflections On Key Current Issues: Challenges And Associated Human Resource Implications, Lorraine Mcgrath

Books/Book chapters

This chapter evaluates the current issues and challenges in defining a company’s manufacturing strategy and its production operations in consideration of the contemporary shift to low cost manufacturing locations. Competitive priorities of cost, quality, delivery and flexibility are reviewed. The structural and infrastructure elements of a manufacturing strategy are outlined. Mitigating risks in a global arena are reviewed. Collaborative efforts, including the cultural and personality issues of being human are included in the discussion of managing diversity in such a highly competitive and challenging enterprise resource planning environment.

Finite Element Modelling Of Surface Roughness Transfer And Oxide Scale Micro Deformation In Metal Manufacturing Process, Zhengyi Jiang, Dongbin Wei, Hejie Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In the paper, the micro deformation of oxide scale in hot strip rolling has been investigated with considering the friction effect. The finite element simulation of the micro deformation of oxide scale has been successfully conducted, and the calculated surface roughness is compared with the measured value, which shows a good agreement. A crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) model was also successfully developed to analyse the surface roughness transfer during metal manufacturing. The simulation results show a good agreement with the experimental results in the flattening of surface asperity, and the surface roughness decreases significantly with an increase of …

Characterisation Of Metal Deposition During Additive Manufacturing Of Ti-6al-4v By Arc-Wire Methods, Nicholas Hoye, E C. Appel, Dominic Cuiuri, Hejie Li

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This study considers the use of the gas tungsten arc (GTA) welding process in conjunction with 'cold' wire addition to give layer-wise build-up of thin walled structures, simulating those commonly found in aerospace applications, which may in the future be manufactured by additive means. Taguchi DOE and multiple regression analysis methods have been applied to quantitatively establish relationships between common process parameters including arc length, arc current, travel speed and wire feed speed and resulting weld bead geometries and actual metal deposition rates. Mathematical expressions for build-up height, thickness and surface roughness are presented and evaluated against experimental data, with …

Factors Impacting Technology Transfer: The Maquiladora Industry In Yucatan, Mexico, Ana Maria Canto, Carlos Blanco, Pilar Pazos

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Technology transfer and knowledge transfer are the building blocks for innovation, efficiency and increased competitiveness. The topic of technology transfer in the context of multinational companies has been the focus of technology management researchers for well over two decades. Developing countries housing twin plans have been exposed to technology transfer from very diverse countries with different approaches to the technology transfer process and different levels of success. This cultural and national diversity adds an additional level of complexity to the technology transfer domain that has been largely unexplored. This paper will explore critical factors that had an impact in successful …

Quantifying Cell-To-Cell Variations In Lithium Ion Batteries, Shriram Santhanagopalan, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

Lithium ion batteries have conventionally been manufactured in small capacities but large volumes for consumer electronics applications. More recently, the industry has seen a surge in the individual cell capacities, as well as the number of cells used to build modules and packs. Reducing cell-to-cell and lot-to-lot variations has been identified as one of the major means to reduce the rejection rate when building the packs as well as to improve pack durability. The tight quality control measures have been passed on from the pack manufactures to the companies building the individual cells and in turn to the components. This …

Understanding The Impact Of Indot Projects On Automotive Industry Cluster Logistics Costs: A Case Study Of The Honda Plant, Ananth Iyer, Barry K. Partridge, Mary Pilotte, Pete Mast, Gerald Simms

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Agenda: 2010 World Energy Justice Conference: Emerging Solutions For The Energy Poor: Technological, Entrepreneurial And Institutional Challenges, University Of Colorado Boulder. Center For Energy & Environmental Security, Colorado Journal Of International Environmental Law And Policy

2010 World Energy Justice Conference (November 5)

This conference is a sequel to the 2009 World Energy Justice Conference (WEJC 2009) which began examining ways of mainstreaming safe, clean, and efficient energy for the world's Energy Poor (EP). The EP number two and a half billion people living on less than $1-2 a day who have no access to modern energy services. WEJC 2010 more fully develops these themes. WEJC 2010 will explore how the next round of global warming meetings in Cancun could design new flexibility mechanisms that give credits, for example, for the reduction of black carbon by the adoption of cookstoves, and embrace small …