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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Merging Creative Design And Cad Learning Activities In A Product Design Programme, Pearl O'Rourke, Colm O'Kane, Leslie Smith, Michael Ring
Merging Creative Design And Cad Learning Activities In A Product Design Programme, Pearl O'Rourke, Colm O'Kane, Leslie Smith, Michael Ring
Conference Papers
Traditional learning and teaching methods for creativity differ from those used in a scientific context. Although the creative process can benefit from a certain level of prescription and structural constraint - with time allocated to research, problem definition, conceptualisation and idea development - flexibility and fluidity are necessary for creative innovation. In contrast, the more linear and rigid pedagogies associated with science and engineering education facilitate efficient learning of subjects such as those based on software packages, manufacturing and materials theory or mechanics. This paper describes the development of a project which aims to establish constructive links between the learning …
Do Middle Managers Contribute To Their Organisation's Strategy?, Tony Kealy
Do Middle Managers Contribute To Their Organisation's Strategy?, Tony Kealy
Conference Papers
This paper presents an empirical study on the contribution made by middle managers to the development of strategy in an organisation. The data was collected using semi-structured interviews with four managers in randomly-chosen companies. Two of the participant managers held senior management positions while the other two held middle manager positions. The data was analysed using a qualitative approach. Previous studies in this field were found to be wide and varied. An early study by Mintzberg (1978) found that strategy mainly forms from emergent influences at middle and lower levels of the organisation, as well as from deliberate influences emanating …
Small-Scale Wind Turbines: An Appraisal, Tony Kealy
Small-Scale Wind Turbines: An Appraisal, Tony Kealy
Conference Papers
This research seeks to evaluate the economic benefits to be gained by installing a small-scale wind turbine for a customer with a three-phase electrical supply requirement. The evidence for the claims made in this paper is obtained by using actual data obtained from the installed equipment over a three year period. The objective is to accurately appraise the financial investment using real data. There appears to be limited studies conducted into this type of research, possibly because the renewable energy sector is in the infancy stage in the host country, Ireland. There are some wind energy installations with financial appraisal …
Modification Of Luas Heating And Ventilation Systems To Reduce Energy Consumption, Eogan Sweeney, James Brunton
Modification Of Luas Heating And Ventilation Systems To Reduce Energy Consumption, Eogan Sweeney, James Brunton
Conference Papers
Luas is a state of the art light rail system operating in Dublin Ireland. Being electrically powered, energy is a major operating cost for Luas. One component of rolling stock identified by this research that consumes a disproportional amount of energy is that of the heating and ventilation systems. The heating and ventilation systems fitted to Luas vehicles consume as much as 60% of total vehicle power, and under certain conditions can consume more than that of the traction motors. This paper explores solutions to reducing the energy consumption of Luas heating and ventilation systems. The identified software modifications and …