Internet-based solutions to support distributed manufacturing

With the globalisation and constant changes in the marketplace, enterprises are adapting themselves to face new challenges. Therefore, strategic corporate alliances to share knowledge, expertise and resources represent an advantage in an increasing competitive world. This has led the integration of companies, customers, suppliers and partners using networked environments. This thesis presents three novel solutions in the tooling area, developed for Seco tools Ltd, UK. These approaches implement a proposed distributed computing architecture using Internet technologies to assist geographically dispersed tooling engineers in process planning tasks. The systems are summarised as follows. TTS is a Web-based system to support engineers and technical staff in the task of providing technical advice to clients. Seco sales engineers access the system from remote machining sites and submit/retrieve/update the required tooling data located in databases at the company headquarters. The communication platform used for this system provides an effective mechanism to share information nationwide. This system implements efficient methods, such as data relaxation techniques, confidence score and importance levels of attributes, to help the user in finding the closest solutions when specific requirements are not fully matched In the database. Cluster-F has been developed to assist engineers and clients in the assessment of cutting parameters for the tooling process. In this approach the Internet acts as a vehicle to transport the data between users and the database. Cluster-F is a KD approach that makes use of clustering and fuzzy set techniques. The novel proposal In this system is the implementation of fuzzy set concepts to obtain the proximity matrix that will lead the classification of the data. Then hierarchical clustering methods are applied on these data to link the closest objects. A general KD methodology applying rough set concepts Is proposed In this research. This covers aspects of data redundancy, Identification of relevant attributes, detection of data inconsistency, and generation of knowledge rules. R-sets, the third proposed solution, has been developed using this KD methodology. This system evaluates the variables of the tooling database to analyse known and unknown relationships in the data generated after the execution of technical trials. The aim is to discover cause-effect patterns from selected attributes contained In the database. A fourth system was also developed. It is called DBManager and was conceived to administrate the systems users accounts, sales engineers’ accounts and tool trial monitoring process of the data. This supports the implementation of the proposed distributed architecture and the maintenance of the users' accounts for the access restrictions to the system running under this architecture

Improving the fidelity of aerodynamic probes using additive manufacturing

Purpose This paper aims to offer the aerodynamic testing community a new procedure for manufacturing high-quality aerodynamic probes suitable for 3D flow measurements with consistent geometry and calibration by taking advantage of the additive manufacturing technology. Design/methodology/approach The design methodology combines the advantages and flexibilities of computer aided design (CAD)/computer aided manufacturing (CAM) along with the use of computational fluid dynamics to design and analyse suitable probe shapes prior to manufacturing via rapid prototyping. Findings A viable procedure to design and possibly batch manufacture geometrically accurate pneumatic probes with consistent calibration is shown to be possible through this work. Multi-jet modelling prototyping methods with wax-based support materials are found to be a cost-effective method when clean and long sub-millimetre pressure channels are to be cut. Originality/value Utilisation of the geometry consistency that is made possible by 3D printing technology for the design and development of pneumatic probes is described. It is suggested that the technique could lead to batch production of identical probes, thus avoiding precious time of a skilled labourer and elaborate individual calibration requirement

Snowboard, Ski, and Skateboard Sensor System Application

The goal of this project was develop a sensor for the commercial market for skiers, snowboarders, and skateboarders that can give them the data such as speed, elevation, pressure, temperature, flex, acceleration, position, and other performance data such as trick characterization. This was done by using a variety of sensors, including a GPS, flex sensors, accelerometer, and others to provide data such as speed, position, position, and temperature. The sensors were placed in an external polycarbonate casing attached to the ski or board by using an adhesive pad on the bottom of the casing. These sensors then transmit the data via a microcontroller to either an LCD screen displaying a simple application or a memory system. The user can then access and analyze this data using Matlab code to interpret its relevancy. Using this system, performance data was recorded to analyze tricks such as spins and jumps

Detection of trace tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) through surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) on microfabricated platforms

As an increasing number of states legalize marijuana, it will become necessary to create a method for portable detection and quantification of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the principal psychoactive component of cannabis. The ability to identify impaired individuals without the need for traditional drug testing could prove invaluable to law enforcement and employers. Toward this end goal, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with a silver treated, silicon nanowire substrate was investigated as a method for detection. Acid wet etching of silicon with a hydrofluoric acid (HF) / silver nitrate (AgNO3) was the primary investigation method for this work. Various etching parameters were utilized, ranging from 2 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3, 5 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3, 5 M HF/0.10 M AgNO3, 8.15 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3, to 12.2 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3. Bare, unetched silicon and silver sputtered silicon were tested as substrates for SERS for THC detection, but proved to have no signal enhancement. Nanowires were not present at 2 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 etching conditions and the substrate provided no Raman enhancement. Residual silver from the wet etching was tested to see if it was a viable means of enhancing Raman signal. Measurements spanning from 5 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 to 12.2 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 indicate residual silver can be used to enhance signal, but it’s sparse and irregular distribution over the silicon nanowire substrate leads to inconsistent measurements that require aiming the laser at residual silver deposits. The increased AgNO3 etching parameters (5 M HF/0.10 M AgNO3) yielded a residual silver particle film which obstructed the silicon nanowires. The resulting lack of Raman signal enhancement indicated nanowires were necessary in addition to silver for SERS activity. Etching parameters of 8.15 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 and 12.2 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 both displayed Raman activity at 1.0 X 107 pg of THC on sputtered chips, and at 3.15 pg on chips with residual silver. The 1.0 X 107 pg of THC tests were performed to determine if the chips could detect a relatively large amount of THC, while the 3.15 pg THC tests were performed to determine if the method could detect THC on the order of magnitude present in breath. The Raman response displayed by the tests indicted qualitative detection is possible. Quantitative tests with THC amounts ranging from 2.4 pg to 10,005.6 pg on the 8.15 M HF/0.02 M AgNO3 (chosen due to its larger signal intensity compared to the other trial conditions) chip indicate reliable quantitative analysis was not possible with these conditions and should be the subject of future works

Human Face Mapping Based on TEWL, Hydration and Ultrasound

Biophysical properties of the skin vary depending on the skin location. Such properties include skin structure, density of skin layers, pH, temperature, hydration and Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL).Modern technologies and quantitative methods allow reading and analysing the skin properties using in-vivo based analysis. One goal of such analysis is partitioning the skin in areas with similar properties, which is referred as mapping. The purpose of our study, also the novelty of the project, is mapping of the facial skin in terms of TEWL, hydration and skin layer thickness, as well as measuring the effect of physical exercise on facial skin; where possible, effect of sex and age were also considered. TEWL was measured with AquaFlux, skin layer thickness was measured with Episcan high resolution ultrasound imaging, and skin hydration was measured with Epsilon. Our study reveals material difference of TEWL between the facial sites being analysed; the largest differences were noted between the lips and the neck. It was found that skin hydration levels decrease with the advancement of age. Skin hydration readings reveal larger general effect of exercise for females, and strongest effect for males observed on the nose. Skin ultrasound images were used in two ways. First, face was mapped in terms of the thickness of the individual skin layers and such mapping was found to be different for each layer. Secondly, the differences between the sites in terms of thickness were quantified using Welch test, where age was also found to be a factor. Several Machine Learning-based classifiers of the skin location were also trained, which are based on the cross-sectional image with moderate positive outcome. The study showed that the combination of TEWL, Epsilon and Episcan provides useful information about skin health. The study also showed variations in the values for different facial skin sites of several skin samples, which was likely due to the degree of corneocyte formation, the lipid contents of the Stratum Corneum (SC), skin temperature, damaged barrier function, bodily health and skin blood flow

Web-based strategies in the manufacturing industry

The explosive growth of Internet-based architectures is allowing an efficient access to information resources over geographically dispersed areas. This fact is exerting a major influence on current manufacturing practices. Business activities involving customers, partners, employees and suppliers are being rapidly and efficiently integrated through networked information management environments. Therefore, efforts are required to take advantage of distributed infrastructures that can satisfy information integration and collaborative work strategies in corporate environments. In this research, Internet-based distributed solutions focused on the manufacturing industry are proposed. Three different systems have been developed for the tooling sector, specifically for the company Seco Tools UK Ltd (industrial collaborator). They are summarised as follows. SELTOOL is a Web-based open tool selection system involving the analysis of technical criteria to establish appropriate selection of inserts, toolholders and cutting data for turning, threading and grooving operations. It has been oriented to world-wide Seco customers. SELTOOL provides an interactive and crossed-way of searching for tooling parameters, rather than conventional representation schemes provided by catalogues. Mechanisms were developed to filter, convert and migrate data from different formats to the database (SQL-based) used by SELTOOL.TTS (Tool Trials System) is a Web-based system developed by the author and two other researchers to support Seco sales engineers and technical staff, who would perform tooling trials in geographically dispersed machining centres and benefit from sharing data and results generated by these tests. Through TTS tooling engineers (authorised users) can submit and retrieve highly specific technical tooling data for both milling and turning operations. Moreover, it is possible for tooling engineers to avoid the execution of new tool trials knowing the results of trials carried out in physically distant places, when another engineer had previously executed these trials. The system incorporates encrypted security features suitable for restricted use on the World Wide Web. An urgent need exists for tools to make sense of raw data, extracting useful knowledge from increasingly large collections of data now being constructed and made available from networked information environments. This explosive growth in the availability of information is overwhelming the capabilities of traditional information management systems, to provide efficient ways of detecting anomalies and significant patterns in large sets of data. Inexorably, the tooling industry is generating valuable experimental data. It is a potential and unexplored sector regarding the application of knowledge capturing systems. Hence, to address this issue, a knowledge discovery system called DISKOVER was developed. DISKOVER is an integrated Java-application consisting of five data mining modules, able to be operated through the Internet. Kluster and Q-Fast are two of these modules, entirely developed by the author. Fuzzy-K has been developed by the author in collaboration with another research student in the group at Durham. The final two modules (R-Set and MQG) have been developed by another member of the Durham group. To develop Kluster, a complete clustering methodology was proposed. Kluster is a clustering application able to combine the analysis of quantitative as well as categorical data (conceptual clustering) to establish data classification processes. This module incorporates two original contributions. Specifically, consistent indicators to measure the quality of the final classification and application of optimisation methods to the final groups obtained. Kluster provides the possibility, to users, of introducing case-studies to generate cutting parameters for particular Input requirements. Fuzzy-K is an application having the advantages of hierarchical clustering, while applying fuzzy membership functions to support the generation of similarity measures. The implementation of fuzzy membership functions helped to optimise the grouping of categorical data containing missing or imprecise values. As the tooling database is accessed through the Internet, which is a relatively slow access platform, it was decided to rely on faster Information retrieval mechanisms. Q-fast is an SQL-based exploratory data analysis (EDA) application, Implemented for this purpose

The roles of the main and accessory olfactory systems in the detection of social odors in mice

Our understanding of olfaction has been built on the study of monomolecular (pure) odors, which are easily obtained and well characterized chemically. For most species social odors have far greater biological relevance than typical monomolecular odors, but much less is known about the neural circuits that process them. Three studies were conducted to further explore the neural pathways that process social odors in mice. In Study 1, a Go-No-Go olfactory discrimination task was used to ask whether social odors are more salient stimuli than non-social odors in males and females under different hormonal conditions. Performance (percent correct) was greater in males than females, and poorer in subjects without circulating gonadal hormones when mice were required to discriminate between two social odors (male versus female urine), but not when non-social odors (banana versus peppermint) were used. This suggests that social odors are more salient stimuli than non-social odors but only when gonadal hormones are present. The piriform cortex (PC) is the primary cortical target for volatile odors processed by the main olfactory system (MOS); whether the PC responds to social odor volatiles is not known. In Study 2 I recorded extracellularly from PC pyramidal neurons before and during exposure to urinary volatiles or amyl acetate (banana) in anesthetized males. Neuronal spiking was strongly dependent on testosterone levels. Notably, social odor exposure only weakly induced spiking, which contrasts with the strong behavioral effects these odors are known to induce, so it is likely that other, unknown pathways are more important for their detection. Non-volatile components of social odors are processed by the accessory olfactory system (AOS); however, the role of the AOS during ongoing social interactions is not clear. In Study 3 I used optogenetic activation of the AOB during mating to enhance signaling in the AOS of males; I found that this stimulation significantly increased copulatory behavior efficiency, suggesting that AOB activity during mating facilitates males’ sexual arousal and reproductive performance. Overall these results reveal new properties of social odor processing in mice: sex differences, dependence on gonadal hormones, and a role during ongoing behavioral interactions

Electrode wear in the resistance spot welding of galvanized steel sheet.

In the resistance spot welding process, copper-based electrodes both conduct current and deliver force. The resultant heat and pressure of the welding process causes wear that decreases the useable life of the electrode. The wear process is accelerated considerably when welding galvanized steel sheet as compared to bare steel sheet. Electrodes used to weld galvanized sheet experience higher temperatures, pressures, and chemical attack from the zinc coating. As a result, the electrode material softens, the electrode face enlarges, and brass alloy layers form on the electrode face. If these wear mechanisms can be circumvented, electrode life can be appreciably increased and the principle user of the spot welding process, the automotive industry, can recognize significant cost savings. This problem has been investigated through metallurgical evaluation and interpretation of a variety of electrode technologies. Candidate electrodes were subjected to standard electrode life tests, after which the as-received and worn electrode samples were destructively evaluated. Electrode softening was investigated through microhardness indentation. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2003 .G34. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 42-05, page: 1844. Adviser: Randy Bowers. Thesis (M.A.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2003

NASA Tech Briefs, August 2006

Topics covered include: Measurement and Controls Data Acquisition System IMU/GPS System Provides Position and Attitude Data Using Artificial Intelligence to Inform Pilots of Weather Fast Lossless Compression of Multispectral-Image Data Developing Signal-Pattern-Recognition Programs Implementing Access to Data Distributed on Many Processors Compact, Efficient Drive Circuit for a Piezoelectric Pump; Dual Common Planes for Time Multiplexing of Dual-Color QWIPs; MMIC Power Amplifier Puts Out 40 mW From 75 to 110 GHz; 2D/3D Visual Tracker for Rover Mast; Adding Hierarchical Objects to Relational Database General-Purpose XML-Based Information Managements; Vaporizable Scaffolds for Fabricating Thermoelectric Modules; Producing Quantum Dots by Spray Pyrolysis; Mobile Robot for Exploring Cold Liquid/Solid Environments; System Would Acquire Core and Powder Samples of Rocks; Improved Fabrication of Lithium Films Having Micron Features; Manufacture of Regularly Shaped Sol-Gel Pellets; Regulating Glucose and pH, and Monitoring Oxygen in a Bioreactor; Satellite Multiangle Spectropolarimetric Imaging of Aerosols; Interferometric System for Measuring Thickness of Sea Ice; Microscale Regenerative Heat Exchanger Protocols for Handling Messages Between Simulation Computers Statistical Detection of Atypical Aircraft Flights NASA's Aviation Safety and Modeling Project Multimode-Guided-Wave Ultrasonic Scanning of Materials Algorithms for Maneuvering Spacecraft Around Small Bodies Improved Solar-Radiation-Pressure Models for GPS Satellites Measuring Attitude of a Large, Flexible, Orbiting Structur