Area residents frustrated by the mysterious humming noise that’s been disrupting their lives for the last two years may soon have some answers about its origin now that a UWindsor acoustics researcher is on the case.
“Hopefully we can find what the source is and do something to rectify it,” said Colin Novak, an engineering professor who specializes in noise, vibration and harshness, acoustic measurement, and environmental noise impact.
Automotive manufacturers apply many of the same technologies as aerospace suppliers, making it a natural source of new business, says Peter Frise, scientific director of AUTO21.
The research network is helping automotive companies explore new opportunities within the aerospace sector, partnering with the Aerospace Industry Association of Canada to host an automotive pavilion at the Canadian Aerospace Summit, which opens today in Ottawa.
Embracing technology that relies on high-pressure water injection to make auto parts while other institutions are abandoning their research on it will place the university’s engineering department in the good graces of car companies that need to make components from difficult to form lightweight materials, according to Daniel Green.
A group of fourth-year engineering students had a smashing time raising funds for their capstone project.
The 2013 SAE Baja team held a Car Smash outside Essex Hall on Thursday, charging passersby to swing with a sledgehammer at an old automobile.
“It is a fun way of raising money,” says Yan Gao, member of this year’s Baja team. “We take all safety precautions and make sure they have fun at the same time.”
The components for the first of two new wind tunnels to be installed in the new Ed Lumley Centre for Engineering Innovation began arriving late last week, much to the delight of the researchers who will be working with them.
Made by Industrial Metal Fabricators Ltd. of Chatham, the elevated 12 meter tunnel will run in a closed loop around the walls of a lab in the north-east corner of the CEI. With a 1.2 meter fan and a 30 horsepower motor, the tunnel will be capable of generating wind speeds of up to about 30 meters per second.
Nothing taught Jacob John more about practising the profession of engineering than watching a plane crash.
The fourth-year mechanical engineering major is part of the UWindsor SAE Aero team, which competes in the Society of Automotive Engineers’ student aeronautic design contest. John and his teammates watched as their model plane fell out of the sky in the second phase of the competition.
“The vibrations shook loose a servo arm screw and we lost elevator control,” says John. “After that, we were helpless.”
A team of fourth-year mechanical engineering students hoping to fund their capstone project are taking their show on the road Thursday, June 21, visiting campus offices door-to-door to solicit donations to their bake sale.
“We are going to spread out and hit every building,” says Abou Rkie. “We will offer our supporters a cookie for any donation they can make.”
The team’s project involves the addition of a solar panel to an electric wheelchair.
“The panel will provide extra power to the battery,” Rkie says.
Peter Frise is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation in style.
The UWindsor professor of mechanical, automotive and materials engineering and head of the AUTO21 Network of Centres of Excellence has received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal recognizing his outstanding contribution to Canada’s manufacturing and automotive sectors. The Canadian government created the medal to mark significant achievements in celebration of the jubilee year.
Making existing vehicle components lighter won’t be enough for car makers to meet tough emissions standards expected in the future, according to the chief scientist at General Motors Canada.
The west African state of Ghana has a booming lumber industry that produces a troublesome waste product – sawdust.
“They have to burn it just to get rid of it all,” says Muhammad Ahsan Pasha. “But what if it could be turned into fuel?”
Pasha leads a group of fourth-year mechanical engineering students working to make that dream come true. His team – Emma Ayieko, Vipandeep Benipal and Sukhjit Sandhu – presented the progress on their capstone project, designing a generator powered by biogas from sawdust, as part of a daylong series Friday.
