Machine prognostics based on health state estimation using SVM

The ability to accurately predict the remaining useful life of machine components is critical for continuous operations in machines which can also improve productivity and enhance system safety. In condition-based maintenance (CBM), effective diagnostics and prognostics are important aspects of CBM which provide sufficient time for maintenance engineers to schedule a repair and acquire replacement components before the components finally fail. All machine components have certain characteristics of failure patterns and are subjected to degradation processes in real environments. This paper describes a technique for accurate assessment of the remnant life of machines based on prior expert knowledge embedded in closed loop prognostics systems. The technique uses Support Vector Machines (SVM) for classification of faults and evaluation of health for six stages of bearing degradation. To validate the feasibility of the proposed model, several fault historical data from High Pressure Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) pumps were analysed to obtain their failure patterns. The results obtained were very encouraging and the prediction closely matched the real life particularly at the end of term of the bearings

Senior Recital

List of performers and performances

Integrated diagnosis and prognosis model for high pressure LNG pump

In condition-based maintenance (CBM), effective diagnostics and prognostics are essential tools for maintenance engineers to identify imminent fault and to predict the remaining useful life before the components finally fail. This enables remedial actions to be taken in advance and reschedules production if necessary. This paper presents a technique for accurate assessment of the remnant life of machines based on historical failure knowledge embedded in the closed loop diagnostic and prognostic system. The technique uses the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier for both fault diagnosis and evaluation of health stages of machine degradation. To validate the feasibility of the proposed model, the five different level data of typical four faults from High Pressure Liquefied Natural Gas (HP-LNG) pumps were used for multi-class fault diagnosis. In addition, two sets of impeller-rub data were analysed and employed to predict the remnant life of pump based on estimation of health state. The results obtained were very encouraging and showed that the proposed prognosis system has the potential to be used as an estimation tool for machine remnant life prediction in real life industrial applications

Solar-Powered Fountain

This Final Design Review (FDR) document outlines the senior design project started by four mechanical engineering students from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo for Dr. Gary Epstein, a retired Cal Poly mathematics professor and avid gardener. This project entails created a solar-powered fountain for his backyard that has two buckets, a top bucket that will pour into a bottom bucket and then finally into a basin. The goal is to create a fountain that includes the tipping motion of the buckets powered fully by photovoltaic panels. In order to tackle the bucket tipping motion, formulas were derived to create a computer simulated model that could aid the team during the prototyping phase. The team agreed that rapid prototyping and testing while tweaking parameters would be the best design process for the project. A pump will be powered by the photovoltaic panels and will produce the desired flow rate without draining too much power. Through the initial research, the team found that there are existing solar-powered fountains, which ensures that the solar panels can generate enough power to activate the water pump. The team has since purchased a solar panel and pump, tested them both, and determined that the solar panel will supply the necessary power. The team first developed a bucket-testing apparatus to determine the effect on the rotation by changing the axis of rotation and adding weight. A second bucket was added to the device to experiment with the spacing of the buckets in the vertical and horizontal directions. A full-scale structural prototype was developed to determine real spacings of the two buckets by allowing the team to adjust the locations of them. The structural prototype was tested with the solar panel and pump, and the buckets filled at a good flow rate. A final fountain design was decided on, along with a manufacturing plan and design verification plan. The fountain was assembled with minor design changes and tested to determine if the confirmation prototype met the specifications. This document outlines the background information, main objectives, concept designs, final design, manufacturing, design verification, project management, results, and recommendations for future work

Development of Protacs to Target Cancer-promoting Proteins for Ubiquitination and Degradation

The proteome contains hundreds of proteins that in theory could be excellent therapeutic targets for the treatment of human diseases. However, many of these proteins are from functional classes that have never been validated as viable candidates for the development of small molecule inhibitors. Thus, to exploit fully the potential of the Human Genome Project to advance human medicine, there is a need to develop generic methods of inhibiting protein activity that do not rely on the target protein’s function. We previously demonstrated that a normally stable protein, methionine aminopeptidase-2 or MetAP-2, could be artificially targeted to an Skp1-Cullin-F-box (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complex for ubiquitination and degradation through a chimeric bridging molecule or Protac (proteolysis targeting chimeric molecule). This Protac consisted of an SCFß-TRCP-binding phosphopeptide derived from I{kappa}B{alpha} linked to ovalicin, which covalently binds MetAP-2. In this study, we employed this approach to target two different proteins, the estrogen (ER) and androgen (AR) receptors, which have been implicated in the progression of breast and prostate cancer, respectively. We show here that an estradiol-based Protac can enforce the ubiquitination and degradation of the {alpha} isoform of ER in vitro, and a dihydroxytestosterone-based Protac introduced into cells promotes the rapid disappearance of AR in a proteasome-dependent manner. Future improvements to this technology may yield a general approach to treat a number of human diseases, including cancer