UC
ENGINEER
M
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echanical
ndustrial and
uclear ngineering
2005/2006
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 UC ENGINEER is published by
University of Cincinnati
College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical, Industrial
and Nuclear Engineering
598 Rhodes Hall
P.O. Box 210072
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0072
Telephone: 513.556.2738
Visit our Web site:
www.min.uc.edu
UC
ENGINEER
M
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echanical
ndustrial and
uclear ngineering
2005/2006
Department Head’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Department News
ABET Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Professor Frank Gerner moves to Associate Dean . . . . . . . . . . . . .
MINE Creates Design Clinic Endowment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Industrial Advisory Board Established . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Faculty News
3
3
5
5
Faculty Research and Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ohio Eminent Scholar Dr. Jay Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Professor Emeritus Brown Wins SEM Award . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
An Evening with Dr. Brown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Phillip C. Quo & Family Scholarship Fund . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Professor Ronald Huston Retires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Dr. Son Joins MINE Department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Changes at UC-SDRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Research News
Research Thrust Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Occupational Safety & Health Engineering Research Center . . . .
Nanoengineering: Interdisciplinary Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Cincinnati Radiation Society Hosts 50th Conference . . . . . . . . .
IMS: Seeing Failure Before It Occurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
11
11
12
13
14
Robotics Team Responds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
ASME Student Design Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
UC Forms Co-op Honor Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Bearcat Motorsport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
15
15
16
16
Student News
Help Needed from Mechanical Engineers . . .
MINE at a Glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to Support MINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
inside back cover
inside back cover
inside back cover
Department Head’s Messsage
This has been a year of both change and growth in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and
Nuclear Engineering (MINE). We have been busy realigning our goals and plans to be consistent with
UC|21; a new vision of the University of Cincinnati as the next premier urban research institution. Last
summer Dr. Roy Eckart, who had served as MINE Head in the early nineties, was appointed to serve as
the Interim Dean of the College of Engineering. Soon after that, Dr. Frank Gerner, who was the previous
MINE Head prior to my current term, took over the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate and
Administrative Affairs left vacant by Dean Eckart. It was a great honor and a privilege for me to assume
the Department Head position at the start of this year. Thus far, my experience has been extremely
positive, despite the challenges ahead; fortunately with challenges come new opportunities.
Professor Teik C. Lim
Both undergraduate and graduate enrollment remains very strong, and the demand for our programs
has never been higher. In fact, we are now the largest Department, by enrollment count, in the College
of Engineering. Needless to say, we are extremely pleased with the quantity and quality of our applicants. Even though student interest in our programs remains high, we are persistent in our search for
ways to continue to improve our curriculum and provide an exemplary education for our students. Our
faculty and staff continue to come up with new and innovative teaching methods and materials. We
have also been working in conjunction with our Industrial Advisory Board to re-define a new Design
curriculum that will better prepare our students for the engineering demands of the 21st century.
In order to keep up with the steady increase in enrollment, the Department has hired, and will be
hiring more, new faculty. Just last spring, we recruited Dr. Jay Lee to be the new Ohio Eminent Scholar
and L.W. Alter Chair Professor in Advanced Manufacturing. Dr. Lee is responsible for the recent establishment of the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on Intelligent Maintenance
Systems (IMS) in our Department. At the same time, Drs. Adrian Miron (Nuclear Engineering) and
Hai Qiu (Intelligent Maintenance Systems) both joined us as Research Assistant Professors. They were
most recently followed by Dr. Sang Young Son (Thermal-Fluids Science), who just came on board as
an Assistant Professor.
For those who have followed news publications issued by the Department in the past, you will notice
that we have adopted a new and improved look in this issue. This new look is intended to better highlight our recent progress, and display our continued growth and renewed focus. We have no doubt
that you will find this new style interesting and informative. As you read through the pages, whether
the article is about faculty updates or research news, ranging from intelligent systems to nanoengineering, please let us know what you think. We are always glad to hear from you.
The Department, College and University are indeed undergoing change and thus the opportunities
for improvement are plentiful. The MINE Department is fundamentally very strong, possessing a solid
student base, first rate faculty and staff, and very rigorous programs. Therefore we are in an excellent
position to make a significant leap forward. We are committed to excellence and will do everything in
our power to ensure that both our academic, and research based endeavors continue to thrive. We are
proud of, and grateful for, the state of our Department, and we hope all of you feel the same. Happy
reading!
Teik C. Lim, Ph.D., P.E., Professor and Department Head
Teik.Lim@uc.edu 513.556.4450 (phone) 513.556.3390 (fax)
www.min.uc.edu (department Web site)
2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
DEPARTMENT NEWS
ABET Review
In October of 2004 all programs in the
College of Engineering were reviewed by
the Accreditation Board for Engineering
and Technology (ABET). This is the first
time that the College has been reviewed
using the new ABET 2000 criterion.
ABET 2000 is a process where programs
set goals for their graduates and then,
by using surveys, attempt to determine
if the graduates are meeting those
goals. The process starts by writing a
mission statement. The mission statement for the Mechanical Engineering
Programs is:
The mission of the Mechanical Engineering Program of the University of
Cincinnati is to educate students in
the fundamentals of engineering and
help them develop their full potential
as competent engineers, leaders and
responsible citizens of a global society.
Primary goals are the enhancement of
the ability of graduates to apply knowledge to engineering situations, to function competently in multidisciplinary
situations, to communicate effectively
and to understand professional and
ethical responsibility.
This mission must be consistent with the
mission of the University of Cincinnati:
The University of Cincinnati is a public
comprehensive system of learning and
research. The excellent faculty have distinguished themselves world wide for
their creative pedagogy and research,
especially in problem solving and the
application of their discoveries.
The University system is designed to
serve a diverse student body with a
broad range of interests and goals. It is
a place of opportunity.
In support of this mission, the University of Cincinnati strives to provide the
highest quality learning environment,
world-renowned scholarship, innova-
tion and community service, and to
serve as a place where freedom of intellectual interchange flourishes.
Additionally, it must be consistent with
the mission of the College of Engineering.
The College of Engineering’s
Mission is to:
• Provide education, discover new applied knowledge, serve the stakeholders
• Provide students with the fundamental knowledge, intellectual skills, and
practical experience to become leaders in engineering
• Perform significant research
• Provide practicing engineers with upto-date graduate study
• Provide technical services
Using the mission statement as a starting point, the department next defines
its educational objectives. These objectives are a statement of what we would
like for our alumni 5 to 10 years after
they have received their degree. The
Mechanical Engineering educational
objectives are:
• Our students will be prepared for successful careers, for graduate studies
and for lifelong learning.
• Our students will have an understanding of the fundamental tools
of mechanical engineering analysis,
including a solid foundation in the
mathematical, computational and
fundamental science knowledge necessary for engineering problem solving.
• Our students will develop the skills
pertinent to the design process, including the ability to formulate problems, to analyze and synthesize information, to think creatively, to make
informed decisions, to communicate
effectively, and to work in multidiscicontinued on page 4
Professor Frank Gerner
Accepts Associate
Dean Position
As many of you know, in Autumn quarter 2004, I accepted the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate and Administrative Affairs for the College of
Engineering. During Autumn quarter I served as both Associate Dean
and Department Head for MINE. I
was both relieved and extremely
pleased when Dr. Teik Lim became
Department Head at the beginning
of Winter quarter 2005. When we
hired Teik three years ago from the
University of Alabama, I was aware
that he was an outstanding researcher and teacher. Working with
him for the past three years, I have
learned that he is punctual, unself- Professor Frank Gerner
ish, hardworking and a team player.
All qualities that will make him an exceptional Department Head for MINE.
We are very lucky to have him as Department Head.
As I step down as Department Head, I wish to thank the students, staff and
faculty of MINE for all of their support. As those of you with administrative
experience realize, a department head is unable to implement any significant changes on his own. The only thing that one can do is assist and support
the faculty and staff as they serve our students.
We have made significant progress during the past four years. Our most important accomplishments include the hiring of nine truly outstanding faculty members, including an Eminent Scholar and our new Department Head.
The faculty has greatly expanded our research base and our course offerings.
With the help of the College and central administration, we greatly improved
our instructional and research space and improved our laboratories. As some
of you are aware, hiring and retaining faculty is becoming increasingly competitive. Fortunately, we were able to obtain equity adjustments for our exceptional faculty and raises for some of our outstanding staff. While it was
not without pain, the suspension of admissions to our Industrial Engineering
B.S. program will allow us to concentrate our limited resources and build
centers of excellence.
In summary, MINE has an exceptional faculty and staff. Our students are second to none. Under Dr. Lim’s leadership, I am confident that our research and
educational program’s will become even more excellent. While I am now in
College Administration, I will always be proud of the fact that I am a faculty
member in Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering.
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 DEPARTMENT NEWS
ABET Review
Continued from page 5
plinary teams.
• Our students will learn to use stateof-the-art experimental and data
analysis techniques necessary for
engineering applications.
• Our students will understand the
relationship of engineering and the
global society and will have an understanding of their professional and
ethical responsibilities.
Using the educational objectives as a
guide, the department must then establish its program outcomes. The program
outcomes define the attributes that our
graduating seniors must posses if they
are to meet our educational objectives.
These outcomes start with the ABET a-k
objectives and are supplemented with
our own additional objectives.
Specifically, graduates of the Bachelor
of Science in Mechanical Engineering k.an ability to use the techniques, skills,
and modern engineering tools necesprogram must have:
sary for engineering practice.
a.an ability to apply knowledge of l. knowledge of chemistry and calculus
mathematics, science and engineerbased physics with depth in a least
ing
one,
b.an ability to design and conduct ex- m.ability to apply advanced mathematperiments, as well as to analyze and
ics through multivariate calculus and
interpret data
differential equations,
c.an ability to design a system, com- n.familiarity with statistics and linear
ponent, or process to meet desired
algebra,
needs
o.the ability to work professionally in
d.an ability to function on multi-disciboth thermal and mechanical systems
plinary teams
including the design and realization
e.an ability to identify, formulate, and
of such systems.
solve engineering problems
f.an understanding of professional and Accreditation
ethical responsibility
ABET sends a team of evaluators for
g.an ability to communicate effectively a site visit. The evaluators review the
h.the broad education necessary to College and Department self-study and
understand the impact of engineer- course material. They talk to faculty, stuing solutions in a global and societal dents and staff. At the end of their visit
context
they provide with a preliminary report
i.a recognition of the need for, and an of their findings.
ability to engage in lifelong learning
j.a knowledge of contemporary issues
Results
The ABET visit for Mechanical Engineering went very well. The ME ABET Team
(Dave Brown, Bob Rost, Teik Lim) assembled all of the necessary documentation
for the review.
The review team identified 4 program
strengths. Summarized, they are:
1.The strength of the co-op program
2.The quality of the students
3.The quality of the faculty
4.The improvements in the facilities
The review team also identified one
area that they thought we could be
doing better. The evaluators would like
to see us have more information from
graduates, both recent (0 – 5 years after
graduation) as well as long term graduates. They would also like us to collect
more data from employers.
How you can help
The department needs the help of our
alumni to maintain an up-to-date curriculum and to assure that we continue
to graduate high quality undergraduate
and graduate students. Our alumni can
help in several ways.
1. Help us keep our Alumni Database
up-to-date. You can update your data
on our Web site survey (see below).
2. Take a few minutes to answer the
questions about our educational
objectives. The survey is on-line at
http://mie4.uc.edu/abetsurvey/.
2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
MINE to Create Engineering Design Clinic Endowment
The MINE Department announces the
creation of a special endowment fund to
raise at least $2.0 million to generate income to support the project-based educational activities of the Design Clinic
and to maintain the learning facility.
The Design Clinic offers a multi-disciplinary capstone design course sequence for engineering students in the
Mechanical, Materials, Chemical, Computer and Electrical undergraduate degree programs. The present Director of
the Design Clinic is Professor Bob Rost.
In creating the Design Clinic Endowment, the Department seeks to establish long-term partnerships with external stakeholders, including employers,
foundations, alumni, and interested
individuals and groups through the formation of an Advisory Council to help
enhance the learning experience of engineering students.
The Advisory Council will advise the
Department on educational matters
related to the Design Clinic, offer design
project ideas, and collaborate with the
engineering students enrolled in the
Design Clinic.
Fundraising will target companies currently supporting the Design Clinic projects as well as other engineering companies in Cincinnati and the Midwest,
corporate foundations, alumni, and individuals and groups with interest in the
Design Clinic. Major donors contributing
majority of the endowment will earn
the naming rights to the Design Clinic.
Other significant donors to the endowment will also earn a membership in the
Advisory Council. All contributors will
be recognized on the commemorative
donor plaque that will be prominently
displayed outside the Design Clinic
learning facility. If you are interested in
learning more about the Design Clinic,
please contact Tom Curtis, director of
industrial relations, at (513) 556-1169
or curtistc@ucmail.uc.edu .
Industrial Advisory
Board Established
in Mechanical, Industrial and
Nuclear Engineering
The Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering Industrial Advisory Board
(IAB) had their first meeting on April 2, 2004. The IAB that comprised of engineering leaders in the areas represented in MINE was established to advice
and collaborate with the faculty to achieve excellence in its academic and
research programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Within the
IAB, several subcommittees were also created to focus on Concurrent Product
and Process Development, ABET, Recruiting and Scholarships, and Research.
Al Klosterman, Co-Chair
SDRC (retired)
Multiple Board of Directors
Jim Bossart
Quebecor World
Gary Conley
TechSolve, Inc. (President)
Bill Kramer
General Tool Co.
Bill Lower
Rotex, Inc.
Gary Armstrong
Rotex, Inc.
Bob Ryan, Co-Chair
Consultant
John Procario
Cinergy Services
Suna Polat
Procter & Gamble Company
Art Koehler
Procter & Gamble Company
Jeannie Rinckel
FENOC
Robert E. Schafrik
GE Aircraft Engines
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 FACULTY NEWS
Faculty Research and Awards
Randall Allemang, Ph.D., Professor
• Shock and Vibration Testing of Penetrator, General
Dynamics
• Improved Parameter Identification for Transient Excitation Data, Boeing
• BP Faculty Excellence Award
Rupak Banerjee, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Influence of Guide-Wire Catherer on Pulsatile Flow
Rate-Pressure Drop Diagnostics in Significant Coronary Stenoses, American Heart Association
• Calculations of Intra-Aortic Hemodynamic Forces on
Endografts, Cleveland Clinic
• Bio-Transport and Metabolism under Microgravity
Supporting Human Physiologic Processes, NASA
John Christenson, Ph.D., Professor
• Building an Effective Educational Bridge between
Tuskegee University and the University of Cincinnati Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program,
South Carolina State University
• Collaborative Utility University Project, AEP & FENOC
• Program Simulator Interfaced Light Water Reactor
Instruction and Research, DOE
Ashraf Genaidy, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• An Occupational Epidemiology Study of Forklift Operators, NIOSH
• Lab Safety Best Practices, Ohio University
Frank Gerner, Ph.D., Professor and Associate
Dean
• Proof of Concept Micro Loop Pipe, NASA
• Development of a Micro Loop Heat Pipe Using Novel
Coherent Porous Silicon: A System for Thermal Management of Space Solar Power, NSF
Urmila Ghia, Ph.D., Professor
• Three-Dimensional, Three-Temperature Computational of Leading Edge Film Cooling with Pulsed
Coolant Flow, DAGSI
• BP Faculty Excellence Award
• AIAA Fellow
Sam Huang, Ph.D. Associate Professor
• A Fully Integrated Corporate Experience Based Manufacturing Education Strategy, NSF
• Integrated and Computerized Set-Up Planning and
Fixture Design, NSF
• A Scalable and Adaptive Tool for Rapid Process Mod-
eling, OAI
Whine, Ford
• Adaptation of Health Monitoring Techniques for • Driveline NVH Modeling, Dana
Evidence-based Patient Care, University Research • Development of an Acoustic Transfer Function Active
Council
Control System for Automotive Powertrain Noise,
• 2005 Society of Manufacturing Engineers Robert A.
Ford
Dougherty Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engi- • Active Acoustic Noise Control of High-speed MRI
neer Award
Scanner, COM Dean’s Discovery Fund
• SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Arch T. Colwell
Milind Jog, Ph.D., Associate Professor
Merit Award, 2005
• Sigma Xi, Outstanding Young Investigator Award
• SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) Excellence in
Technical Paper Presentation Award, 2005
Michael Kazmierczak, Ph.D. Associate Professor
Yijun Liu, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Measurement of the Heating of Cryocooled Samples • Fast Simulation of Complex MEMS Structures with
from Synchroton X-Ray Beams Advanced Photon
the Boundary Element, Finite Element and Fast MulSource, Argonne National Laboratory
tipole Methods, NSF
• Chunhui Fellowship of the Ministry of Education of
Jay Kim, Ph.D., Associate Professor
China
• Measurement of Sound Power and Sound Pressure • JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) SeLevels from Various Pieces of Electrically-Powered
nior Researcher Fellowship
Tools, NIOSH
• Modification of Hearing Protector Fit Test Software, Ivan Maldonado, Ph.D., Associate Professor
NIOSH
• Boiling Water Reactor Assembly Optimization for
• Hot-Rolled Steel Plate Analysis, POSTECH
Minor Actinide Recycling, DOE
• Measurement and Characterization of Noise from • Development of Assumptions and Criteria for the
Power Tools, NIOSH
High Flux Isotope Reactor, UT-Batelle Oak Ridge Na• Tau Beta Pi Eminent Engineer Award
tional Laboratory
• Collaborative Project for a Program Simulator InterJay Lee, Ph.D., Professor and Ohio Eminent
faced Light Water Reactor Instruction and Research,
Scholar
DOE
• NSF Industry-University Cooperative Research Center • Building an Effective Educational Bridge between
on Intelligent Maintenance Systems, NSF & over 40
Tuskegee University and the University of Cincincompanies
nati Nuclear and Radiological Engineering Program,
• Informatics Platform for Prognostics and MainteSouth Carolina State University
nance Optimization, NSF
• Collaborative Utility University Project, AEP &
• Predictive Infotronics Agent for Integrated Product
FENOC.
Life Cycle Support, NSF
• Program Simulator Interfaced Light Water Reactor
• Unified Prognostics Approach for Vehicle Electronics
Instruction and Research
using Physics-of-Failure Driven Sensor Fusion, NSF • Presidential US-Canada Joint Task Force on Northeast
Power Outage
Teik C. Lim, Ph.D., Professor and Department
Head
Adrian Miron, Ph.D., Research Assistant Pro• Development of Hypoid Gear Load Distribution Professor
gram, Gearlab Consortium
• Argonne National Laboratory Pacesetter Award for
• Rotorcraft Cabin Noise Quality Analysis, Sikorsky
excellence in achievement and performance
• Hypoid Gear Tooth Wear, Visteon
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Hypoid Gear Mesh and Dynamics Consortium, Arvinevaluator for radiological emergency preparedness
Meritor, Visteon, AAM, JohnDeere, Caterpillar &
exercises
Dana
• Curriculum Development and Training for Envi• Modeling Tools and Methodology for Rear Axle Gear
ronmental Restoration/Waste Management, DOE
National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
Ohio Eminent Scholar Dr. Jay Lee
Woojin Park, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Development of Memory-based Motion Simulation
Program, University of Michigan
Allyn Phillips, Ph.D., Research Associate Professor
• HPE 143x Demonstration Software, ATA Engineering
• AFP LM Drive Model, Boeing
• Structural Analysis Software Enhancement, Boeing
• HP-SDF to MatLab/API Reader Development, Los
Alamos National Laboratory
• Improved Parameter Identification for Transient Excitation Data, Boeing
Dong Qian, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Interplay Between Mechanical Deformation and
Electronic Properties in Carbon Nanostructures, NSF
• National Science Foundation Summer Institute Young
Investigator Fellowship
Robert Rost, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Robert E. Hundley Award for Excellence in Teaching
Mark Schulz, Ph.D., Associate Professor
• Material Characterization, Clean Technologies
• Artificial Neural System for Wind Tunnel Blades,
North Carolina A&T State University
• Telescoping Nanotube Arrays, NSF
• College of Engineering Neil Wandmacher Teaching
Award for Young Faculty
Richard Shell, Ph.D., Professor
• Educational Resource Center Pilot Project Research
Training Program, NIOSH
Dr. Jay Lee is Ohio Eminent Scholar in Advanced Manufacturing and L.W. Scott Alter Chair Professor at the
Univ. of Cincinnati. Previously, he held a position as
Wisconsin Distinguished Professor and Rockwell Automation Professor at the Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
and is founding director of National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research
Center (I/UCRC) on Intelligent Maintenance Systems
(IMS).
Prior to joining UW-Milwaukee, he served as R&D Director for Product Development and Manufacturing
Department at United Technologies Research Center
(UTRC), E. Hartford, CT, and was responsible for the
strategic direction and R&D activities for next-generation products and manufacturing, and service technologies. During 1991-1998, he served as Program
Director for a number of programs at NSF, including
the Engineering Research Centers (ERCs) Program,
the Industry/University Cooperative Research Centers
(I/UCRCs) Program, and the Materials Processing and
Manufacturing Program (MPM). In addition, he had
served as an adjunct professor for a number of academic institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, where he was an adjunct faculty member for the
School of Engineering and Applied Science as well as
for the Hopkins Technical Management Program during 1992-1998. He conducted research work at the
Mechanical Engineering Lab. of the Ministry of International Trades and Industry (MITI) as a Japan Science
and Technology Agency (STA) Fellow in 1995, a Japan
Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellow at the
Univ. of Tokyo in 1997, and a visiting professor at Swiss
Institute of Technology (EFFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
in July 2004.
Henry Spitz, Ph.D., Professor
• Bioassay Standards for Fernald, Fluor Daniel Fernald
Inc.
• Direct and Indirect Bioassay Standards, Fluor Daniel
Fernald Inc.
• Developing a Readiness Program for Radiation
Instruments Used in Emergency Radiological Response, NIOSH
His current research focuses on IT-enabled smart products, self-maintenance machine, and E-manufacturing technologies including design of smart machine,
remote monitoring, embedded prognostics and nearzero breakdown production systems. Recently, he has
extended his research to smart healthcare/homecare
systems and advanced gerontics engineering.
Kumar Vemaganti, Ph.D., Assistant Professor
• Mechanical Properties of Living Cells: Atomic Force
Microscopy Studies, Modeling and Education, NSF
• A Microstructural Approach to Modeling the Nonlinear Mechanics of Soft Tissue,Honda America R & D
Currently, he serves as member of the Board on Manufacturing and Engineering Design (BMAED) of National
Research Council (NRC)/National Academy of Engineering. Previously, he served as member of the Board
of Directors for the National Center for Manufacturing
Science (NCMS), the chairman of the Manufacturing
Professor Jay Lee
Engineering Div. And Materials Handling Engineering
Div. of ASME, and committee member for a number of
the National Research Council (NRC) study committees.
He had served as editorial board and associated editor
for a number of journals, including the ASME Journal
on Manufacturing Science & Engineering, IEEE Transaction on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, International
Journal on Quality, Reliability, and Safety, etc. He has
authored/co-authored over 100 technical publications,
edited two books, contributed numerous book chapters, three U.S. patents, 2 trademarks, and had delivered numerous invited lectures and speeches, including
over 60 invited keynote and plenary speeches at major
international conferences.
Dr. Lee received his B.S degree from Taiwan, a M.S. in
Mechanical Engineering from the Univ. of WisconsinMadison, a M.S. in Industrial Management from the
State Univ. of New York at Stony Brook, and D.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the George Washington University. He received the Milwaukee Mayor Technology
Award in 2003 and was a recipient of SME Outstanding
Young Manufacturing Engineering Award in 1992. He
is also a Fellow of ASME and SME.
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 FACULTY NEWS
Professor Emeritus Dave Brown Wins SEM Award
The Society of Experimental Mechanics (SEM) again
has chosen to recognize Professor Brown for his accomplishments during his research and academic career by
honoring him with the M.M. Frocht Award.
The award recognizes “outstanding achievement as an
educator in the field of experimental mechanics.” This
year’s presentation was made by SEM President Jose
Freire at the Honors and Awards Luncheon held at the
International Modal Analysis Conference (IMAC) in Orlando, Florida on February 2, 2005. The Frocht Award
was also announced at the Honors and Awards Luncheon held at the SEM Annual Conference in Portland,
Oregon on June 8, 2005.
The following is a little background on the award. The
M.M. Frocht Award was established in 1967 to
honor Mr. Max Mark Frocht for his professional accom- Society of Experimental Mechanics President Jose Freire (right) presents Dr. Dave Brown with the Frocht Award.
plishments by the Society of Experimental Mechanics.
The award recognizes “outstanding achievement as an group of experimentalists, development engineers, educational institutions. More information about SEM
educator in the field of experimental mechanics,” and is design engineers, test engineers and technicians, and and its awards can be found at the Society’s Web site
research and development scientists from industry and (www.sem.org).
presented annually to the “Educator of the Year.”
Dr. Frocht’s work on photoelasticity research on stress
concentration factors and 3-D techniques and his twovolume treatise on photoelasticity is considered a classic and has been translated into Russian, Spanish, and
Chinese. Dr. Frocht was a student of Steven Timoshenko
and many of his own students have made important
contributions to the field of experimental mechanics.
He presented papers and lectures on photoelasticity and experimental stress analysis in all parts of the
world.
Dr. Brown has previously been recognized by the Society of Experimental Mechanics. Dr. Brown was honored
with the B.J. Lazan Award in 1987 for “outstanding original technical contributions to experimental
mechanics” and by the D.J. DeMichele Award
for “exemplary service and support of promoting the
science and educational aspects of modal analysis
technology” in 1992.
The Society for Experimental Mechanics, originally called The Society for Experimental
Stress Analysis, was founded in 1943 as a nonprofit
scientific and educational organization with the original goal to “further the knowledge of stress and strain
analysis and related technologies.” In the years since
its founding, SEM has continued to adapt itself to the
needs of the members in the experimental mechanics
community. The members of SEM encompass a unique
An Evening with Dr. Brown
Even though Professor David Brown retired as of September 1, 2004, the UC Structural Dynamics Research
Lab (UC-SDRL) and the Department waited until June
18, 2005 to have an official retirement party. Professor
Brown was still very active over the last year, teaching
System Dynamics Analysis again and working as one
of the two ABET Coordinators for the Department,
together with Professor Rost, to organize the ABET accreditation visit that took place in October 2004.
Therefore, there was no real hurry in having an appropriate party as this sort of event requires much
planning. Also, this gave the UC-SDRL an opportunity
to get the word out at IMAC 2005 in February so that
a maximum number of friends and former students
would get a chance to hear about the event and hopefully plan to attend.
undergraduate engineering class, friends from Belgium
as well as former students from all over the country.
With some of Dave’s favorite songs playing in the background, pictures of Dave with friends, family and former
students were projected on a large screen to remind everyone about various events during Dave’s career at UC.
This early part of the evening was filled with stories and
fellowship and this was before the official program for
the evening began.
The main event was an electronic presentation of the
highlights of Professor Brown’s career with the required
elaboration concerning the number of publications, keynote speeches and awards that Dave has complied over
the forty years of teaching and research at UC. As the
event invitation promised, this was truly a celebration of
his teaching and research career. The presentation took
The event was billed as “An Evening with Dr. Brown” somewhat of a turn toward a roast as the need for “telland was held on campus at the Russell C. Myers Alum- ing the rest of the story” became the focus of the next
ni Center. A number of attendees were curious about two hours.
appropriate attire for the evening, knowing Dave’s
disdain for the suit and tie. Naturally, we encouraged Professor Allemang emceed the presentation with able
everyone to arrive in Hawaiian shirts or fishing attire assists from Mike Lally from The Modal Shop, Bill Fladung
in Dave’s honor. Around 90 friends and former students from Los Alamos National Labs and Professor Emeriwere able to attend, including several friends from his tus William Shapton from Michigan Tech. The program
2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
included stories about the deer botfly, the green flash,
drugs in Wyoming and the first use of electronic presentations.
A number of Dave Brown-isms were presented along
with definitions based upon Professor Brown’s unique
ability to mispronounce certain words but have everyone
know exactly what he means.
At the end of the program, a number of parting gifts
were lavished on Dr. Brown. The required rocking chair
as well as another electronic gadget for Dave to play with
came from the UC-SDRL.
A “Modal Man” statue, made from sensors from PCB
Piezotronics, Inc., was a gift presented by Jim Lally, CEO
of PCB in recognition of Dave’s work with PCB on sensor
development over the last thirty years. Mike Lally from
The Modal Shop presented Dave with a plaque that included a gold plated impact hammer in recognition of
Dr. Brown’s development of the impact testing method
of FRF testing.
Numerous gifts from former students
included several cases of applesauce (Dave frequently, when
paying for lunch with several
students, would indicate that
their obligation in return for lunch involved
feeding him applesauce when he was in the
rest home.) The evening’s program concluded
with the reading of well wishes and anecdotes
from a large number of friends and former students
who sent their regards via cards, letters or e-mail.
Dr. Brown was given a chance to get in the last word but
kept his remarks short, agreeing that most of what had
been said was substantively true.
While an attempt to reach all of those who wanted to attend was made via over 300 direct e-mails and word of
mouth, we know that a number of you who would have
wanted to attend were probably not contacted. For that,
we apologize. For those of you who did not hear about
the event or for those of you who could not attend, we
have developed a Web page with pictures and a copy
of the electronic presentation on the UC-SDRL Web site
(WWW.SDRL.UC.EDU). If you would like to extend your
well wishes to Dr. Brown, he can still be reached here
at the Department or via his e-mail (David.L.Brown@
UC.EDU).
Clockwise from top: Rocking Chair Gift from UC-SDRL, Dave Brown Portrait from
Early in his Career, Golden Hammer Gift from The Modal Shop, Modal Man Gift
from PCB Piezotronics, Inc.
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 FACULTY NEWS
Phillip C. Quo
and Family
Scholarship Fund
Professor Phillip Quo has recently established a scholarship fund in the Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear
Engineering Department. Professor Quo joined the
University of Cincinnati in 1968 as an Adjunct Professor
and as a Professor in Mechanical Engineering in 1985.
He came from A. M. Kinney where he was a Vice President for 13 years.
Professor Quo’s area of expertise was in CAD/CAM . He
was invited to make a presentation at the International
Conference on CAD/CAM and Factories of the Future
from the Academy of Sciences of Russia in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1993. Later in the year, Prof. Quo was
elected to the National ASME Distinguished Lecturer
on Manufacturing Technology and was the keynote
speaker during engineer’s week at the University of
Kentucky in Lexington and the University of Nevada in
Reno. Prof. Quo’s honors and awards are too numerous
to mention, however his contribution to his field, and
to the University of Cincinnati have been outstanding.
Upon retiring in 2001, Prof. Quo donated 112 books to
the engineering library. With this act of kindness, he
made certain that he could better enhance the understanding and knowledge of future students that have
and will attend the engineering program at the University of Cincinnati.
His generosity continues to benefit the University of
Cincinnati, and especially the Mechanical, Industrial
and Nuclear Engineering Department with his most
recent endowed scholarship fund which will serve as
a perpetual gift to the department.
Prof. Quo now lives in Palo Alto, California with his wife
and family. He has maintained his residence in Cincinnati as well to keep in touch with his many friends and
colleagues.
Professor Ronald Huston Retires
Professor Ronald Huston is retiring after 43 years of
dedicated service to the University of Cincinnati. Dr.
Huston is Professor of Mechanics in the Department of
Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering at the
University of Cincinnati. In addition, he received the
title of Distinguished Research Professor at the university level for his outstanding work in the research
area. He is also Director of the University’s Institute for
Applied Interdisciplinary Research.
He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. He
received an M.S. in Civil Engineering in 1961 and a
Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics in 1962, also from the
University of Pennsylvania. He has been a Licensed
Professional Engineer in Ohio since 1966.
Dr. Huston joined the University of Cincinnati in 1962,
and has been teaching, conducting research and performing outstanding service ever since. In 1977-78,
he was a Visiting Professor at Stanford University,
and in 1979-80 he served as Division Director for the
Division of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at the
National Science Foundation. In 1985 he served as a
Visiting Professor at service universities in China.
Dr. Sang Young
Son joins MINE
Department
Dr. Sang Young Son, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering, comes from NASA Glen
Research Center in Cleveland Ohio where he was
a Staff Scientist before coming to UC. He was responsible for Interfacial Transport and Capillary
Flow Laboratory. Dr. Son received his Ph.D. and
M.S. from Texas A&M University in Mechanical
Engineering and his B.S. from Sogang University, Seoul, Korea in Chemical Engineering. His
primary research interests cover a broad range
of topics of thermal and fluid science ranging
from microscopic multi-phase to single-phase
thermal and fluid flow.
10 2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
Professor Ronald Huston
Dr. Huston is the author of over 200 technical papers
and journal articles. He is an author of three textbooks and editor of four other volumes. He has been
an active member of numerous technical societies
and service organizations, locally, statewide and nationally, including ASME, SAE, AAUP, Human Factors
and Ergonomics Society, the Ohio Academy of Science
and the Chancellors Advisory Committee to the Board
of Regents. His technical interests are in multibody
dynamics, robotics, human factors, and accident reconstruction.
Dr. Huston’s contributions to engineering research
have produced unique advances in fundamental
aspects of engineering, in theoretical and applied
mathematics, and in engineering mechanics and
analysis.
His engineering practice has been directed toward
practical, innovative applications of his analytical
and computational discovery in almost every arena:
space, oceans, transportation, manufacturing, and
biomedicine.
He is best known for his work in classical mechanics.
More than 20 years ago, he developed methodologies
that simplified the dynamic analysis of chained and
connected bodies ­now known as “multibody dynamics.” Dr. Huston’s method simultaneously employed
lower body arrays, differentiation algorithms, partial
velocity vectors, and Kane’s equations.
This led to a remarkably efficient and auto­mated
analysis of multibody systems. When first conceived,
the efficiency of the method enabled solutions of
RESEARCH NEWS
Research Thrust Areas
dynamics problems that had previously exceeded
the available computer power. Today, the techniques
make possible the near real-time graphic simulation
of such complex dynamical systems as the human
spine, multi-arm robots, long towing cables, space
station cranes, and full form human body models.
Less well known is his work in such areas as gear manufacturing. For example, he has developed a theoretical
basis for the manufacture of spiral bevel gears which
recognizes the effects that load imparts to the mating
surfaces of the gears in service conditions. He has developed the exact theoretical gear surface topologies
for these service-deformed surfaces using tensor notation and differential geometry. This is an enabling
technology whose implementation is changing the
way that industry produces this gear form.
As a result of all these endeavors, Dr. Huston has developed expertise in biomechanics, accident victim
simulation, and accident reconstruction. He is a nationally recognized consultant in these areas.
Although Dr. Huston has officially retired, we are very
fortunate that he will continue to be involved at the
department, college and university level as he has for
43 years.
Changes at
UC-SDRL
The Directors of the UC-SDRL have decided to
honor Professor Emeritus David Brown with
the title of Director Emeritus of the UC-SDRL
to reflect his newly retired status and his reduced role in the operation of the Lab. With this
change, Professor Randy Allemang will now
serve as Director of the UC-SDRL and Associate
Professor Bob Rost will move into the position
of Associate Director. Congratulations to all!
In Spring 2005, the MINE faculty established six major research thrusts in the effort to increase research,
foster collaboration, enhance graduate education and
advance relevant state of the art engineering technologies.
Each thrust areas are led by an appointed chair:
• Structural Dynamics, Vibro-Acoustics and Controls
(Chair: Prof. Randall Allemang)
• Solid Mechanics and Nano/Bio Mechanics
(Chair: Prof. Yijun Liu)
• Thermal and Fluid Systems
(Chair: Prof. Raj Manglik)
• Intelligent Manufacturing and Design
(Chair: Prof. Sam Anand)
• Safety and Health Engineering
(Chair: Prof. Richard Shell)
• Nuclear and Radiological Engineering
(Chair: Prof. John Christenson)
For more information, please see www.min.uc.edu
Occupational Safety and Health
Engineering Research Center
In collaboration with Ohio University, the University of Louisville and TechSolve®, the Safety & Health group
within the Department at the University of Cincinnati is working to establish the Occupational Safety and Health
Engineering (OSHE) Research Center. The OSHE Research Center will assist different technology groups in various
markets such as manufacturing and distribution, healthcare, construction, and service industries for small, medium, and large organizations.
The Center can handle both existing and new issues and concerns pertaining to safety and health engineering.
MINE faculty involved in the Center includes Professors Shell, Genaidy, Park, and Hall. For more information please
contact us at: OSHE@UC.Edu”
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 11
RESEARCH NEWS
NANOENGINEERING: Interdisciplinary Research with
Enormous Potential and Challenge
Nanoengineering is a crosscutting field
where engineers improve electromechanical systems by taking advantage
of the properties of nanoscale materials. Working with nanoscale materials
poses great challenges and can bring
surprises. This article describes some of
the research performed this past year in
the Smart Materials and Nanobioengineering Laboratory in the MINE department at UC. In this lab students combine
their mechanical, materials, electrical
and chemistry skills to develop new and
improved materials based on carbon
nanotubes.
Carbon nanotubes are nanometer diameter, micron long cylinders of carbon
that have great electromechanical and
electrochemical properties due to their
small size, tremendous surface area,
large aspect ratio, high strength, and
electrical conductivity. The first application of nanotubes pursued in the lab
was to reinforce polymers and to make
them electrically conductive.
Dispersing nanotubes and achieving
a good bond with the polymer matrix
proved to be a great challenge. Significant improvements in elastic properties and electrical conductivity were
achieved, but the improvement was far
below what theory predicts.
The nanotube materials
being developed, however, turned out to have
extraordinary sensing
and actuation properties.
Different polymer materials laced with nanotubes were found to have
piezoresistive properties.
This means the electrical
resistance of the composite changes with strain. A
long continuous film sensor was formed using this
material and was shown
to be a good sensor for
structural health monitoring.
Figure 2. Concept medical device application overlaid on a mm long carbon nanotube array.
The response of this sensor on a composite beam is shown in
Figure 1(A). While testing, this sensor
was found to be very susceptible to
electromagnetic interference. This led
to an experiment in which an electrically charged plastic strip was oscillated
transversely across the sensor. Figure
1(B) shows the resulting response of the
nanotube film and the high sensitivity
to the changing intensity of the electric
field. A similar behavior was shown by
vibrating the sensor in an ionic fluid.
Applications for this type of sensor
might be to shield components from
Figure 1. Response of nanotube sensors: (A) measuring the strain vibration of a beam in the
healthy condition and then with damage; (B) sensor response due to an oscillating electric field
crossing the sensor; and (C) electrochemical impedance spectra illustrating the supercapaci-
12 2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
electromagnetic interference, stealth,
energy harvesting, and replacing electrical wires with nanofilm to make lightweight motors.
The high sensitivity to electric fields is
thought to be due to the large surface
area of the nanotubes, which may be
equivalent to a wire that is one hundred times the size of the surface of the
nanotube film. Finally, the most exciting sensing property of nanotubes may
be their electrochemical transduction.
Nanotube films and arrays were tested
dry and in electrolytes such as saline
solution. The dry nanotubes have a
small capacitance, but their capacitance
increases by two orders of magnitude
when the nanotubes are placed in an
electrolyte. This behavior is being taken
advantage of to develop micro-scale bioelectronic sensors. Figure 1(C) illustrates
the electrochemical impedance spectra
and supercapacitance behavior of the
nanotube sensor. Our hope is that this
sensor will be sensitive enough for label
free detection of cancer. Medical doctors
Zhongyun Dong and Abdul Jazieh in
the College of Medicine and Professors
William Heineman and Brian Halsall in
tance of the nanotube sensor for DC potentials of 0.2 V(a), 0.4 V(b), and 0.6 V(c) at frequencies
between 0.05 Hz and 100 KHz.
Cincinnati Radiation Society hosts the
50th Anniversary Conference on Bioassay,
Analytical, and Environmental Radiochemistry
the Department of Chemistry at UC are
helping to develop the biosensor.
Finally, the nanotube covalent bonds
expand due to double layer charge injection. This principal is being used to
develop promising wet and dry actuators and potentially a structural material
that actuates. A concept application of
the actuator material is shown in Figure
2 at left.
These array type nanotubes are grown at
UC and also at First Nano, Inc. Students
working in the Smart Materials and
Nanobioengineering lab are Goutham
Kirikera, Yun Yeo-Heung, Vishal Shinde,
Swathi Balaji, and Ram Gollapudi. Students recently graduating from this
laboratory are Sachin Jain, Atul Miskin,
Suhasini Narasimhadevara, and Inpil
Kang. Dr. Jon Wong Lee, a visiting scholar from Korea, also works in the lab. Dr.
Mark Schulz (Mechanical Engineering)
and Dr. Vesselin Shanov (Chemical and
Materials Engineering) direct the lab.
Dr. Yijun Liu and Dr. Dong Qian are other
faculty members in the MINE department working in the area of nanotechnology. Their expertise is in the area of
computational and theoretical nanomechanics. They are using multi-scale
modeling and simulation to predict
the performance of nanocomposite
materials. A goal is to gain understanding of nanoscale material behavior and
to improve the elastic properties of
nanostructured composite materials.
More information on nanotechnology research in the MINE Department
can be found in the Web sites: http://
www.min.uc.edu/~mschulz/smartlab/smartlab.html, http://urbana.mie.
uc.edu/CAELab.htm, and in the edited
book “Nanoengineering of Structural,
Functional and Smart Materials,” CRC
Press, Editors: Mark J. Schulz, Ajit Kelkar,
and Mannur Sundaresan, 2005.
Henry Spitz
Cincinnati Radiation Society
University of Cincinnati
Nuclear and Radiological
Engineering Program
Health Physics Program Director
598 Rhodes Hall
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0072
513.556.2003 phone
henry.spitz@uc.edu
The Nuclear and Radiological Engineering (NRE) Program co-hosted the 50th
Annual Conference on Bioassay, Analytical, and Environmental Radiochemistry
at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel in
downtown Cincinnati.
Other conference hosts included the
Cincinnati Radiation Society (CRS) and
the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH). This was a
significant undertaking for the NRE Program, considering how much time was
required to plan and actually facilitate a
technical conference for over 225 people
from national and international organizations.
A series of technical workshops on radiation measurements, radiochemistry,
and radiological emergency response
were also arranged prior to the formal
conference. There were 36 oral and 25
poster presentations arranged into topical sessions that included radiochemistry, direct and indirect bioassay, mass
spectrometry, internal dosimetry, quality control/assurance, numerical methods, and environmental analysis.
Dr. Naomi Harley, from New York University Medical Center, was the keynote
speaker for the Conference and also
one of three recipients of the Founders
Award. The two other recipients were
Norman Cohen and Richard Blanchard.
The 50th Anniversary Conference celebration was held at the new National
Freedom Center and Underground Railroad Museum.
A unique feature of the Bioassay Conference is that it is planned and facilitated
wholly by volunteers. There is only an
informal formal charter that describes
the objective of the annual Conference.
There are no officers or board members.
Since institutional memory fades
quickly when there is no formal institution to keep records, each new volunteer organizing committee begins
anew with Conference organization.
The venue for the Conference changes
each year depending upon the location
of the volunteers and what deal they
can make with a nearby hotel.
However, some traditions are hard to
break. For example, the Conference returns to Cincinnati (the city of its origin)
every ten years. The UC NRE program
also hosted the Conference in 1994.
Graduate students in the NRE Program
also contribute to the Conference organization and deliver technical presentations at the meeting.
The first conference began as a meeting
at Fernald in 1954 involving about 25
chemists and analysts from the National Labs and the U.S. weapons complex
who met to discuss the problems associated with reliably analyzing small
amounts of uranium and plutonium in
biological and environmental samples.
presentations can be lengthy and sometimes quite animated. Persons honored
as session chairs sometimes need to
have experience in the martial arts to
keep the Conference on schedule.
In order to preserve the working objective of the Bioassay Conference, no
formal publication or proceedings have
ever been published other than a booklet of abstracts and Conference schedule.
This practice insures that presenters are
free to discuss and share problems and
challenges they have confronted or resolved. It is expected that knowledge
gained at the conference through a very
active and lively, but highly constructive, peer review process is beneficial to
the presenter and the audience.
Recognition of a 50-year anniversary is
an important historical event. However,
the 50th anniversary of the Bioassay
Conference is more than just a chronological milestone.
This event demonstrates how important
it is for professionals in any field to volunteer their time and effort to sustain
those activities that make a profound
impact on their profession.
The co-chairs of the 50th Bioassay Conference were Henry Spitz and Samuel
Glover, both faculty in the UC NRE Program.
One can only conclude that the concept
of a small amount of activity has a very
different meaning today than that discussed in 1954.
Many presentations at the Bioassay
Conference are truly works in progress
where the author is soliciting comments and recommendations from the
conference participants.
The discussion following some of the
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 13
RESEARCH NEWS
NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on
Intelligent Maintenance Systems Center Re -located to UC
Seeing Failure Before it Occurs
Most machine maintenance today is
either purely reactive (fixing or replacing equipment after it fails) or blindly
proactive (assuming a certain level of
performance degradation, with no input
from the machinery itself, and servicing
equipment on a routine schedule whether service is actually needed or not). Both
scenarios are extremely wasteful.
To human beings, it often seems that machines fail suddenly, but in fact machines
usually go through a measurable process
of degradation before they fail. Today,
that degradation is largely invisible to
human users, even though a great deal
of technology has been developed that
could make such information visible.
It may come as a surprise to many people
that most state-of-the-art manufacturing, aircraft engine, mining, farming,
and service machines (e.g., elevators)
are actually quite “smart” in themselves.
Many sophisticated sensors and computerized components capable of delivering
data about the machine’s status and performance.
beyond mere “predictive maintenance”
to intelligent “prognostics”—the process of pinpointing exactly which components of a machine are likely to fail,
and when and autonomously trigger
service and order spare parts. Figure 1
shows the system elements of an “Intelligent Maintenance Systems (IMS).”
The Center for Intelligent Maintenance
Systems (IMS) is a National Science
Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center which was
founded in 2001 as a multi-campus
Center of Excellence between the Univ.
of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Univ.
of Michigan.
The Center is aimed at developing predictive tools and embedded/remote
monitoring technologies to enable
products and machines to achieve nearzero-downtime performance.
Its mission is to serve as a center of excellence for the creation and dissemination
of a systematic body of knowledge in
intelligent e-maintenance systems and
ultimately to impact next-generation
The problem is that little or
no practical use is made of
most of this data. We have the
devices, but we do not have a
continuous and seamless flow
of information throughout entire processes. Sometimes this
is because the available data
are not rendered in useable
form. More often, no infrastructure exists for delivering
the data over a network, or for
managing and analyzing the
data even if the devices were
networked.
When smart machines are
networked and remotely
monitored, and when their
data is modeled and continually analyzed with sophisticated systems, it is possible to go
14 2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
product, manufacturing, and service
systems with six-sigma quality. It serves
as a catalyst as well as enabler to assist
company members to transform their
operation strategies from today’s “Failto-Fix/Fly-to-Fix (FAF)” to “Predict-andPrevent (PAP)” performance. In addition,
the Center has developed Design for
Zero-Breakdown (DF0B) methodology
to help industry eliminate unexpected
downtime and improved productivity.
For the past five years, the IMS team
has been pursuing frontiers research in
partnership with over 40 industry members including Toyota, GM, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Rockwell Automation, Intel,
United Technologies, Harley-Davidson,
Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Omron, Komatsu, Siemens, ITRI (Taiwan), etc.
Dr. Lee and his team have pioneered
many advances in advanced prognostics
and remote monitoring technologies
including the coined Watchdog Agent™
which is a prognostics toolbox-based
“digital doctor.”
It consists of different prognostics tools
for predicting the degradation or performance loss on devices, process,
and systems. The algorithms include
neural network based, time-series
based, wavelet-based and hybrid joint
time-frequency methods, etc. Assessment of performance degradation is
accomplished through several modules
including the processing of multiple
sensory inputs, extraction of features
relevant to description of product’s
performance, sensor fusion and performance assessment.
Each of these modules is realized in
several different ways to facilitate the
use of Watchdog Agent™ in a wide variety of products and applications, with
various requirements and limitations
with respect to the character of signals,
available processing power, memory
and storage capabilities, limited space,
power consumption etc. The key research activities are focused on four
fundamental areas:
1.) transform data to information to
knowledge and synchronize decision
with remote systems;
2.) intelligent embedded
prognostics algorithms for
performance degradation assessment and prediction;
3). develop software and
hardware platform for smart
prognostics in a tethered and
tether-free environment;
4.) closed-loop product design and optimization through
the use of product embedded
service information. Many of
the developed tools and technologies have been validated
through industry testbeds
and contracted research activities.
STUDENT NEWS
UC Robot Team Responds to DARPA Grand Challenge
The UC Robot Team, hosted by
the MINE Department but open
to any UC student and supported by sponsorships, placed
5th out of 37 teams in the navigation event at the Intelligent
Ground Vehicle Contest on June
1, 2005 at Grand Travers City,
Michigan.
Dr. Jay Lee are joining Ernie
Hall as faculty advisors and
coaches from MINE along with
other faculty from ECECS, DAAP,
OCAS, Biology and Geography
as well as other volunteers to
try to win this national event
and develop autonomous ve-
hicle technology that can be
used, not only for the military,
but also for manufacturing and
medical applications. Please
send ideas to any of the faculty
advisors and donations to the
UC Robot Team (www.robotics.
uc.edu).
Thirteen students attended
this event even though it was
after graduation and a challenging outdoor contest. The
Bearcat Cub was designed and
fabricated by UC students and
worked very well. The software
has been developed in C# and
will continue to be developed
for the 2006 IGVC (www.igvc.
org).
The Cub was working so well
that the team also entered
the DARPA Grand Challenge
(www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge) and made it past the
first two screenings but were
not selected for the semifinals
because their robot was too
small and slow. So, they are
now seeing the support of the
US Army, TACOM and hope to
receive an MP Hybrid vehicle
to run in the 2006 contest. If
they win the $2,000,000 prize
they have agreed to donate the
money to the UC Foundation to
start scholarships for robotics
engineering students.
Other sponsors are needed. Dr.
Teik Lim, Department Head,
Vice President Sandra Degan
and Deans Roy Eckart, Paul
Bishop and Frank Gerner are
helping form a “dream team.”
Professors Randy Allemang,
Bob Rost, Ronald Huston, Richard Shell and Eminent Scholar
Robotics Team
ASME Student Design Competition
Senior University of Cincinnati Mechanical Engineering students, Dean Clodfelder, Billy Mertz and Sarah Jones, represented
the university at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
(ASME) Student Design Competition in April 2005. Unlike many
other well known student engineering competitions, the SDC
presents a new challenge each year.
This year’s challenge was to design and create a scaled model of
a robotic Bulk Material Transporter. The robot could make multiple trips while carrying rice over a series of steps and around
turns to deposit the load in a receiving container within a ten
minute period of time. A creative design and robust device was
necessary to be successful in the competition. The team created
a radio controlled robot, Bulkie, which was propelled by 2 cordless screwdriver motors.
The large cargo bay was able to hold a maximum of 12 pounds
of rice per trip, until it remotely released the hatch which allowed the rice to cascade into the depository. The team completed 4 trips but was only able to deliver 3 ½ loads due to time
constraints. The design outperformed all but one other robot
which allowed the team to place a very close 2nd in a competition of 19 teams.
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering UC ENGINEER 2005/2006 15
STUDENT NEWS
UC Forms Co-op Honor Society
MINE students can now be recognized on a national
level for their co-op experiences. The Division of Professional Practice has established a local chapter of
the national co-op honor society to recognize those
students that have succeeded both in the classroom
and in the workplace. Kappa Theta Epsilon Society,
KTE, established the Phi Chapter here at the University
of Cincinnati in March 2004. In less than a year, this
organization boasts more than 50 initiated members.
With a minimum GPA of 3.3 needed for membership,
these students are the leaders in their respective academic programs and have remained in good standing
with the Division of Professional Practice for their co-op
quarters.
KTE was founded at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in
1956 by two Cooperative Education coordinators and a
group of their senior students. They initiated the first
class of the Alpha chapter the following year. Since that
time, Kappa Theta Epsilon has grown to 19 chapters nationally. This year the National Convention will be held
at Virginia Tech, where this honor society began almost
fifty years ago.
Co-op Student delegates from all chapters will convene
in Blacksburg, Virginia for three days to share informa-
tion and ideas ranging from reviewing officer reports,
leadership development activities, breakout sessions
and social events.
basketball games this winter brings together students
of many different majors with a common connection
of co-op.
The Phi Chapter at UC develops programming that
will not only provide opportunities for professional
development to its members, but the entire University community. There are two sets of officers for the
chapter, one to represent each section of co-op. With
the guidance of the faculty and staff advisors, the officers have already hosted a university-wide professional night with a lively panel discussion by co-op
employers to discuss career paths and how co-op
helped to get them where they are today. KTE chapter
members also served on committees within the Division of Professional Practice and provided leadership
to freshman through presentations on the co-op program and by sharing their personal experiences with
the program.
Kappa Theta Epsilon Society members serve as ambassadors of the co-op program as leaders within their
programs, colleges and the university. The new tradition of KTE here at the University of Cincinnati through
professional development programming, networking
opportunities, leadership development and peer to
peer connections provides a forum for co-op students
to promote experiential learning through co-op.
For more information on Kappa Theta Epsilon, please
visit their Web site, www.kappa-theta-epsilon.org
Through presenting both the challenges and the rewards to younger students, KTE members have found
a way to give back to the University of Cincinnati. They
hope to encourage these students to stay at the UC so
they can participate in the co-op program. A variety
of social events ranging from a hayride in the fall to
Bearcat Motorsports 2005 UC Formula SAE Car
Thirty-five dedicated and hardworking engineering
student members of the Bearcat Motorsports teamed
up again this year to design, build, and race a formula-style race car as part of an annual competition
16 2005/2006 UC ENGINEER University of Cincinnati College of Engineering
sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers. The
team’s leadership includes a Team Leader, a Technical
Committee and a Business Manager. Other team members work on designing and constructing all aspects
of the race car including the frame, suspension, body,
engine, drive train and electrical systems. By applying
state-of-the-art computer aided engineering technology in combination with the hands-on welding and
machining experiences, students are able to translate
classroom knowledge into real life application. Aside
from designing and fabricating the race car, students
also participate in the business side of the project, which
includes program management, sponsorship, scheduling, planning and cost analysis.
MINE at a Glance
Faculty and Staff
Professor
Associate Professor
Assistant Professor
Eminent Scholar (Professor)
Research Faculty
Adjunct Faculty
Professor Emeritus
Visiting Scholar
Post-Doctoral Researcher
Full-time Staff
12
12
4
1
3
7
14
6
3
10
Academic Programs
B.Sc. Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Minors:
Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering (IME)
Nuclear & Radiological Engineering (NRE)
Accelerated Engineering Degrees (ACCEND):
B.Sc. ME & M.Sc. NRE
B.Sc. ME & M.B.A.
M.Sc. & Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering
M.Sc. & Ph.D. Industrial Engineering
M.Sc. & Ph.D. Nuclear & Radiological Engineering
M.Sc. Health Physics
Ph.D. Medical Physics
Students
Undergraduate (ME)
Graduate: Mechanical
Industrial
Nuclear & Radiological
420
284
184
81
19
Research
Active Projects ($3.5million)
Research Thrust Areas
Research Laboratories
Research Centers
45
6
19
2
If you are interested in supporting the Department of
Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering financially,
please mail check payable to UC Foundation to:
Attn: MINE Dept Head
University of Cincinnati
598 Rhodes Hall, PO Box 210072
Cincinnati, OH 45221-0072.
You may simply contribute to the general academic fund or
designate your contribution to one or more of the following
specific needs in the Department:
• Engineering Design Clinic
• Undergraduate Student Scholarships
• Graduate Student Scholarships
• Hundley Excellence in Teaching
• Others (please state intent)
Please be sure to include your name, address, phone and/or
e-mail so that we may thank you and also stay in touch
with you. Your generous contribution would most certainly
benefit the engineers of tomorrow. Thank you for your
support.
Mechanical Engineering Alumni
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Remember when you had your ME senior composite picture taken? We have all but 4
classes since the 1949 graduating class displayed in the 5th floor hallway. W are missing
four composites from the 1950, 1970, 1999 and 2002 graduating classes. If you have your
composite picture and would be willing to lend it to us for a short time, we will copy it and
return it immediately. We also have the composites from the 1942 and 1943 graduating
classes and would be interested in collecting and displaying any others that we can get
copies of.
Please e-mail bob.rost@uc.edu or call him at 513-556-0420 if you have one of those years
and are willing to help us. It’s amazing how many times we have visitors who look at these
pictures looking for classmates or faculty. Thank you for your help.
!
UC2830
University of Cincinnati
College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Nuclear Engineering
598 Rhodes Hall
P.O. Box 0072
Cincinnati, Ohio 45221-0072