Frequently when mechatronics experts talk about their field, they refer to the intersection of electronic and mechanical disciplines. Sometimes fluid dynamics and hydraulics will flow into the conversation. Less frequently, they’ll discuss how chemical engineering is one of mechatronics’ contributing disciplines.
But now a Clemson University researcher has built a device that buttresses the argument that chemical engineering plays a role as well. Physics professor Apparao Rao announced this week that he is working on nano-scale electromechanical sensors that have the potential to discern the presence of and provide alerts for toxic chemicals and gases. Built at the nanometer scale, Rao said, means that we might eventually see small devices that provide real-time chemical alerts in battle, industry, health care, or in the home. “The ability to build extremely small devices to do this work has been something we’ve only seen so far in science-fiction movies,” Rao said in a statement issued by Clemson. According to Rao, his research team has improved the capability of oscillating nano-scale cantilevers that vibrate “much like a guitar string and measure amplitude and frequency under different conditions,” the statement continued. It replaces current optical methods that require bulky and expensive laser beams.
“Our method is fully electrical and uses a small AC voltage to vibrate the cantilever and simple electronics to detect any changes in the vibration caused by gaseous chemical or biological agents,” Rao said, noting that resulting handheld devices could beep or flash when they detect changes to gas or chemical levels. The sensors are so sensitive, Rao added, that they can differentiate between hydrogen and deuterium gas, which are similar isotopes of the same element.
Almost every automaker has had to 'pick a side' when it comes to alternative fuel options and ways to divest from a reliance on gasoline. Fiat is looking to back compressed natural gas or liquid propane as an interim solution.
Designing and filling a new type of water bottle might take less engineering work, but the description will help kids understand how science, math, and engineering influence their lives even through things that seem mundane.
Against a backdrop of mounting product complexity and a need to keep a lid on development costs, companies are recognizing a need to make simulation a more integral part of the design process. In response, vendors in the CAD world are building out CAE functionality as part of their CAD suites while simulation vendors are building tighter integrations to leading CAD tools. Keith Meintjes, Ph.D., Practice Manager, Simulation and Analysis at CIMdata, Inc., joins Design News CAD Editor Beth Stackpole in this radio program to explore the new face of integrated CAD and CAE, how companies are benefitting from this tighter partnership between platforms, and how integrating CAE earlier in the development cycle pays off in optimized product designs.
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