Industry/University Collaboration at the University of Michigan-Dearborn: A Focus on Relevant Technology

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/154104/1/kampfner1996.pd

Development of a 6 degree-of-freedom manipulator arm for use on an urban search and rescue robot

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references.This document reports on the design, construction and testing of the manipulator arm that is to be fitted to UCT's Urban Search and Rescue Robot (USRR), named the Ratel. The 6 degree-of-freedom manipulator arm is mounted on the crawler base. The USRR is designed to traverse difficult terrain in search of survivors. The base is therefore equipped with variable geometry tracks to enable it to traverse stairs and other tricky terrain. The sensor payload is equipped with life detection equipment and the manipulator arm enables the USRR to manipulate with its environment (opening doors etc.) and to interact with survivors, passing them water or food packs

Experimental investigation of lubricant film thickness in an automotive final drive unit.

Society has been aware of the environmental impact of vehicles for some time now, with governments trying to control and reduce this impact by introducing emissions standards to control pollutants as well as CO₂ emissions. One way in which total emissions can be reduced is by increasing the efficiency of vehicles as a whole, resulting in greater fuel economy. Related to increased transmission efficiency, lubricant flow within a final drive unit (FDU) was researched, enabling a better understanding of the system through visualisation and laser induced fluorescence (LIF) measurements. A LIF measurement technique has been developed, along with a quantitative wedge calibration method, to measure lubricant thicknesses within a Jaguar Land Rover X150 FDU. The measurements and data recorded in this thesis are taken from an original clear-cased replica FDU, which proved to be suitable for visualisation and LIF measurements. The results show lubricant thickness trends are dependent on the fill volume and rotational speed of the gear. The measured peak lubricant thickness on the carrier- and cover-side of the crown wheel increased with fill volume. As the fill volume increased, the amount of lubricant entrained by the crown wheel increased, resulting in the increased lubricant thickness. As the equivalent vehicle road speed increased to approximately 8mph, the measured lubricant thickness increased to its maximum value of 1.75mm for a fill volume of 900ml. From 8mph onwards, the lubricant thickness was found to decrease again to less than 0.1mm at around 10mph. Up to 8mph, gravity appeared to be the overriding influence, pulling the lubricant from the crown wheel. At 8mph, these forces seemed to be in balance, resulting in the greatest measured lubricant thickness. Above 8mph, the force from the gear rotation ejected lubricant from the crown wheel. Gathered data and relationships provide new quantitative metrics for measurement and enhanced understanding of lubricant movement within the FDU. The methodology and equipment developed here for studying the FDU are suitable for wider use in any geared or lubricated system.Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPSRC)PhD in the School of Engineerin

NASA Tech Briefs, April 1994

Topics covered: Advanced Composites and Plastics; Electronic Components and Circuits; Electronic Systems; Physical Sciences; Materials; Computer Programs; Mechanics; Machinery/Automation; Manufacturing/Fabrication; Mathematics and Information Sciences; Life Sciences; Books and Reports

Dynamical systems : mechatronics and life sciences

Proceedings of the 13th Conference „Dynamical Systems - Theory and Applications" summarize 164 and the Springer Proceedings summarize 60 best papers of university teachers and students, researchers and engineers from whole the world. The papers were chosen by the International Scientific Committee from 315 papers submitted to the conference. The reader thus obtains an overview of the recent developments of dynamical systems and can study the most progressive tendencies in this field of science

Micropitting and related phenomena in case carburised gears

Micropitting is a form of surface contact fatigue encounteredin bearingsa nd gears, under lubricating conditions, which lead to their premature failure. All gears are susceptible to micropitting, including spur, helical and bevel. Micropitting can occur with all heatt reatmentsa ppliedt o gearsa nd with both, synthetica nd mineral lubricants. It can occur after a relatively short period of operation and, after a certain number of cycles,g earsn eedt o be replacedd ue to the increasedn oisea nd vibrations causedb y the deviations of the tooth profile. Continuing operation of affected gears can lead to a catastrophic type of failure (i. e., tooth breakage). These considerations explain the increasing current interest in micropitting. It has been reported that micropitting in bearings is associated with a specific microstructural transformation in steel, i. e. martensite decay. However, to the authoes knowledge, this transformation has not been reported in gears. In the present work, extensive metallurgical investigations have been carried out and they revealed that the same transformation occurs in gears. The aim of this project was to describe the mechanism of micropitting by taking into account the influence of several controlling factors such as, material, surface finish, lubricant, load, temperature,s peeda nd, slide-to-roll ratio. Their influence is assessed with a fractional factorial experimentadl esign.S everaln on-destructivete chniquesh ave been used in order to monitor the specimen condition during and after running, such as X-ray diffraction, optical profilometry, light microscopy. The mechanical properties of the products of martensite decay, known as dark etching regions, white etching bands and butterflies are highly relevant to the fatigue behaviour of the steel. Nanoindentation and AFM techniquesh aveb eenu sedt o determinet hesep roperties. A micropitting mechanism correlated with the mechanism of martensite decay in gears is suggestedb asedo n thesea nalyses.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceNewcastle University Research Committee : Caterpillar Inc. : Design Unit - Gear Technology CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Reverse engineering and refurbishing of an Mi-24 helicopter main gear box

The Mi-24 helicopter is one of the most famous heavy lift helicopters designed with a net weight of 8.4 tonnes, while its gross weight is 12.5 tonnes. This helicopter is powered by two TV3-117 turbo-engines, coupled to a VR-24 main rotor transmission gearbox, which reduces the engine speed from 15000 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) to the main rotor speed of 240 RPM. This research aims to show the functionality of the Mi-24 helicopter main gear box, to find the opportunities to extend the running hours (before maintenance) and to refurbish the gear box locally in South Africa. The research follows the principles of Reverse Engineering (RE) and Refurbishing. The principles involve the extraction of information from an existing product in order to establish its function and to re-create specifications which can be used to make, maintain or refurbish a similar or superior item. This dissertation has exposed some of the theory of the design of the Mi-24 main gearbox components and their functionality; including similar selected helicopters’ main drive mechanisms. The probable defects that are common to helicopter transmissions, the specifications and the Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings are also presented. The research concludes that, with the cooperation of the local aerospace industry (including the army), the academic institutions and government; it is possible to get the necessary certification, licensing, training, specialised equipment and to establish a Maintenance Organisation, to refurbish the Mi-24 helicopter gearbox locally in South Africa

Reverse engineering and refurbishing of an Mi-24 helicopter main gear box

The Mi-24 helicopter is one of the most famous heavy lift helicopters designed with a net weight of 8.4 tonnes, while its gross weight is 12.5 tonnes. This helicopter is powered by two TV3-117 turbo-engines, coupled to a VR-24 main rotor transmission gearbox, which reduces the engine speed from 15000 Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) to the main rotor speed of 240 RPM. This research aims to show the functionality of the Mi-24 helicopter main gear box, to find the opportunities to extend the running hours (before maintenance) and to refurbish the gear box locally in South Africa. The research follows the principles of Reverse Engineering (RE) and Refurbishing. The principles involve the extraction of information from an existing product in order to establish its function and to re-create specifications which can be used to make, maintain or refurbish a similar or superior item. This dissertation has exposed some of the theory of the design of the Mi-24 main gearbox components and their functionality; including similar selected helicopters’ main drive mechanisms. The probable defects that are common to helicopter transmissions, the specifications and the Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings are also presented. The research concludes that, with the cooperation of the local aerospace industry (including the army), the academic institutions and government; it is possible to get the necessary certification, licensing, training, specialised equipment and to establish a Maintenance Organisation, to refurbish the Mi-24 helicopter gearbox locally in South Africa

Special Issue of the Manufacturing Engineering Society (MES)

This book derives from the Special Issue of the Manufacturing Engineering Society (MES) that was launched as a Special Issue of the journal Materials. The 48 contributions, published in this book, explore the evolution of traditional manufacturing models toward the new requirements of the Manufacturing Industry 4.0 and present cutting-edge advances in the field of Manufacturing Engineering focusing on additive manufacturing and 3D printing, advances and innovations in manufacturing processes, sustainable and green manufacturing, manufacturing systems (machines, equipment and tooling), metrology and quality in manufacturing, Industry 4.0, product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies, and production planning and risks

Systems Engineering: Availability and Reliability

Current trends in Industry 4.0 are largely related to issues of reliability and availability. As a result of these trends and the complexity of engineering systems, research and development in this area needs to focus on new solutions in the integration of intelligent machines or systems, with an emphasis on changes in production processes aimed at increasing production efficiency or equipment reliability. The emergence of innovative technologies and new business models based on innovation, cooperation networks, and the enhancement of endogenous resources is assumed to be a strong contribution to the development of competitive economies all around the world. Innovation and engineering, focused on sustainability, reliability, and availability of resources, have a key role in this context. The scope of this Special Issue is closely associated to that of the ICIE’2020 conference. This conference and journal’s Special Issue is to present current innovations and engineering achievements of top world scientists and industrial practitioners in the thematic areas related to reliability and risk assessment, innovations in maintenance strategies, production process scheduling, management and maintenance or systems analysis, simulation, design and modelling