Archive for 'Mechanical Engineering'
A hull for Hoofers
Posted on 02. May, 2013 by perspective.
Students in Kuo K. and Cindy F. Wang Professor of Mechanical Engineering Tim Osswald’s Introduction to Composites Processing (ME 601) course are redesigning a BadgerTech boat for the Hoofers Sailing Club as a lesson in the mechanics of composite resins and process optimization. The students, many of them Hoofers sailing enthusiasts themselves, must infuse the [...]
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It ain’t easy being green: Freshmen researchers tackle tough project
Posted on 02. May, 2013 by perspective.
The 14 freshmen had almost no background in engineering—nor had they conducted any research. Yet by the end of their first semester at UW-Madison, they had completed a seemingly daunting project: Coat a small diesel engine with a platinum catalyst, add extra hydrogen to the combustion process, and determine if those changes reduced vehicle emissions. [...]
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Virtual internship, real engineering
Posted on 02. May, 2013 by perspective.
Applying the role-playing and problem-solving conventions often employed in video games, a computer simulation called Nephrotex enables engineering undergrads to assume the role of biomedical engineering interns working at a fictional company, giving them an early peek at what it’s like to apply math and science skills to a real-world problem. “It’s about learning to [...]
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Our global footprint
Posted on 01. May, 2013 by perspective.
Bob Lorenz walks eagerly to a favorite spot—a wall of photos of faculty, staff and students associated with Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium (WEMPEC)—in the Mechanical Engineering Building. Among those photos are the faces of international students and visiting scholars, and Lorenz traces invisible lines between himself, former students who have returned as [...]
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Advanced manufacturing research conference in Madison, June 10-14, 2013
Posted on 01. May, 2013 by perspective.
The largest manufacturing research gathering in the Americas will take place June 10-14, 2013, at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison. The event will draw nearly 500 international academic and industrial leaders to two conferences: the 41st North American Manufacturing Research Conference, sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and the 2013 [...]
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Five questions with Frank Pfefferkorn about manufacturing systems education
Posted on 01. May, 2013 by perspective.
Frank Pfefferkorn is an associate professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program at UW-Madison. Q: What is the Manufacturing Systems Engineering program? A: The Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MSE) program is an interdisciplinary master’s degree-granting program that was founded in 1983. The MSE program is part of the College of [...]
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Video tool could help active workers avoid injury
Posted on 01. May, 2013 by perspective.
Video of workers performing tasks such as assembling a manufactured part or packing boxes could help assess the likelihood that those people will develop common repetitive-motion injuries. Repeatedly performing the same motions and exertions can lead to injuries in which the body suffers strain from even tiny actions—for example, handling small parts, operating a machine [...]
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Alumnus gives back by advancing Wisconsin innovation
Posted on 10. Dec, 2012 by perspective.
When Frederick Mancheski spent 35 years building Echlin Inc. into one of the world’s largest automobile parts companies, he would frequently employ a secret weapon in his quest for new technology: The engine experts at the UW-Madison. As Echlin CEO, the 1948 mechanical engineering alumnus oversaw the Connecticut-based company’s growth from $10 million in annual [...]
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Sharing the Badger pride
Posted on 10. Dec, 2012 by perspective.
By the time you are reading this message, I will have completed a tremendous chapter in my life. I am a December 2012 graduate of the UW-Madison Department of Mechanical Engineering, and I’m very proud to join the ranks of more than 45,000 UW-Madison engineering alumni around the globe. As a four-year member of the [...]
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Dream it, design it, build it
Posted on 10. Dec, 2012 by perspective.
$1.5 million alum gift helps ME department better prepare students for dynamic industry If you ask Mechanical Engineering Professor and Chair Roxann Engelstad how engineering in the 21st century has evolved, her answer is one of both challenge and opportunity. “It moves so fast, it is hard to keep up,” says Engelstad, who holds the [...]
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After ACL reconstruction, finding small motions that cause big problems
Posted on 30. Aug, 2012 by perspective.
People who tear their anterior cruciate ligament, a ligament in the knee that provides stability to the connection between the tibia and femur, usually must opt for a complete ACL reconstruction with a portion of another ligament. However, about 90 percent of people who undergo reconstructive ACL surgery develop osteoarthritis—knee pain, swelling and stiffness—within 20 [...]
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A tool to test seafaring biofuels
Posted on 30. Aug, 2012 by perspective.
Because fossil fuels are a limited resource largely controlled by other nations, the U.S. Navy—the largest user of diesel fuel in the country—understandably is interested in alternative fuels that can be produced in the United States. However, the Navy has some unique needs for powering its fleet of ships, submarines, aircraft carriers, and other marine [...]
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Building the virtual laboratory
Posted on 30. Aug, 2012 by perspective.
Everything in physics is governed by equations, which can be solved to predict, for example, how grains of sand collide, how a tablecloth falls across a flat surface, or how water flows around obstacles. And as computing power becomes cheaper and more accessible to universities, the potential for research applications with large computers is skyrocketing. [...]
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Insights on innovation
Posted on 27. Aug, 2012 by perspective.
UW-Madison is recognizing 2012-13 as the Year of Innovation, offering a chance to reflect on what this concept means to the university and to society. With $136 million in research and more than 100 patent disclosures annually, the College of Engineering has worked to cultivate innovation as standard operating procedure in our classrooms and labs. [...]
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Tom Gerold: Passionate innovation—pesticide, nitinol and a broken leg
Posted on 20. Apr, 2012 by perspective.
“Innovation. The very word evokes mental images of complex turbo-machinery, nanoscale robots and iPads. Our brains are tuned to think of people like Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs and the Wright Brothers when the word reaches our ears. Something innovative is something desired—celebrated even—in our society. Imagine a world where the common cold is a life-threatening [...]
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The eight-month interview: Engineering co-ops hit the ground running
Posted on 20. Apr, 2012 by perspective.
For UW-Madison students who take an eight-month engineering co-op with Nelson Global Products in Stoughton, Wisconsin, their first adjustment is working without a formal job description. “We give students the job description of the person they will be working next to,” says Rob Schellin, Nelson Global Products director of engineering. “We give co-ops the same [...]
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Optimizing internal combustion
Posted on 19. Apr, 2012 by perspective.
For decades, engineers have studied low-temperature combustion as a means of creating engines with diesel-like efficiency and no pollutant emissions. Yet, the very nature of low-temperature combustion involves a reaction with little active control: inject the fuels, mixing occurs, and then some time later, combustion starts. To investigate a new technique for measuring the temperature [...]
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Gifts that last for life
Posted on 09. Dec, 2011 by perspective.
The College of Engineering is preparing globally competent engineers for the 21st century. Engineers today require both great disciplinary technical depth and interdisciplinary and cultural breadth to tackle the complex global challenges we all face. Alumni and friends are vital to this goal. Your gift will provide us with the resources to prepare the next [...]
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Through bequest, Professor Obert remains a champion for undergrads
Posted on 09. Dec, 2011 by perspective.
He was passionate about his students—yet known as a severe taskmaster. He had a unique teaching style, but had no qualms about flunking students who didn’t pass muster. He was a prolific author. He was unwaveringly ethical. He did not suffer fools. He thought highly of UW-Madison. And he had an excellent relationship with chipmunks—all [...]
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Cold enough to see clearly
Posted on 06. Oct, 2011 by perspective.
Astrophysics instruments that measure very faint, distant sources of light need to be very cold to be sensitive enough to detect individual photons. These detectors work by measuring the change in temperature that occurs when a single photon hits the detector and deposits energy. Because this temperature rise is extremely tiny, only a very cold [...]
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Casting a nano future for the metals industry
Posted on 06. Oct, 2011 by perspective.
Aluminum and magnesium alloys hold great potential for manufacturers, as these alloys are much lighter than traditional high-strength materials such as iron and steel. However, most high-strength aluminum and magnesium alloys are difficult to cast because these materials tend to crack as they solidify in casting molds. This “hot tearing” is a major barrier to [...]
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Power steering: A system for more capable catheters
Posted on 06. Oct, 2011 by perspective.
Atrial fibrillation is a condition where the upper chambers of a patient’s heart beat irregularly, which can cause blood to pool and increase the risk of stroke-causing clots. Treatment is difficult: A physician has to maneuver a catheter around a patient’s chest cavity to the diseased regions of the heart, which are then frozen or [...]
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Teaching the societal side of engineering
Posted on 29. Sep, 2011 by perspective.
Outreach initiative engages middle-school students and teachers When Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Amy Wendt (right) was in ninth grade, her teacher asked the class if anyone liked math. Sitting in the front row, Wendt eagerly put up her hand. Then she realized she was the only one. Now, Wendt is helping math and science [...]
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Unexpected twists and turns: How I ended up doing tissue engineering scaffold research
Posted on 23. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
By Lih-Sheng (Tom) Turng, professor, mechanical engineering Bionates theme leader, Wisconsin Institute for Discovery Wonder how a UW-Madison mechanical engineer ended up doing research on cell culture? I am not talking about me. I actually am referring to Charles Lindbergh, one of our most celebrated student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. While Lindbergh is [...]
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WAA Forward under 40 recipients
Posted on 22. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
Three engineers are among 13 young Badgers to receive prestigious Wisconsin Alumni Association Forward under 40 awards. Anthony Eggert (ME ’96) serves America’s most populous state by looking for solutions to climate change, energy security and clean, renewable sources of energy. Eggert is the deputy secretary for energy policy at the California EPA, where he [...]
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Friction stir welding fuses engineering research and Wisconsin industry
Posted on 22. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
Economic impact: 10 naval ships 10 years 5,000 jobs American naval ships usually conjure images of aircraft carriers or other large vessels far out to sea. The USS Freedom (LCS 1), however, is able to enter water as shallow as 14 feet, giving sailors unprecedented access to regions where the U.S. military is present, such [...]
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Engineers team up with Trek for cycling research
Posted on 22. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
During a long bike ride, it’s not unusual for cyclists to experience hand or finger numbness, a very common condition known as cyclist’s palsy. The condition ranges from mild tingling to, sometimes, long-term nerve damage and hand muscle atrophy over time. A team of UW-Madison engineers has scientifically measured hand pressure during cycling and studied [...]
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Electronic stent deployment system wins top prize at 2011 Innovation Days
Posted on 22. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
A system that could widely expand stent treatments for patients with diseased arteries won the top prize in the Schoofs Prize for Creativity, one of a pair of competitions that make up Innovation Days. The event, which offers more than $28,000 in total prizes, rewards UW-Madison students for innovative and marketable ideas. For the first [...]
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Piranhas and polymers: Students take materials science and ethics course in Colombia
Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
Behind every rubber product is a story that begins deep in the Amazon near a small city called Leticia at the southernmost tip of Colombia. In the early 20th century, 90 percent of the world’s rubber came from this region, at the cost of millions of indigenous peoples’ lives and significant rainforest destruction. Though Leticia [...]
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Living and learning in China: Engineering students travel to Hangzhou
Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by perspective.
They visited public gardens, climbed mountains, navigated a megacity, attended the World Expo, and toured factories. On top of all that, the 17 College of Engineering students who spent summer 2010 in China also took college courses. (The 2011 trip runs May 30 through July 23 and, with 22 students, is filled to capacity.) The [...]
