Engineering News 8030

MOLA fathoms the face of Mars

By Rick DeMeis, Senior Editor

Greenbelt, MD-NASA has released images showing the best topographic maps yet of the surface of Mars. Gleaned from data taken by the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) on board the Mars Global Surveyor now circling the planet, the data show surface elevation differences of nearly 19 miles, "one and a half times the range of elevations found on Earth,'' says MOLA Principal Investigator David Smith of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

At the heart of MOLA is a 1064-nm wave-length neodymium:YAG laser with input power >13.5W. "This was the last laser delivered by McDonnell Douglas' Electronics System Div.,'' notes Dana Marshall, president and CEO of Cutting Edge Optronics (CEO, St. Charles, MO), which is now licensing the technology. EG&G Canada (Vaudreuil, Quebec, Canada) made the silicon avalanche photodiode detector that senses the laser pulses reflected from the planet's surface. MOLA's hardware was originally spares for the Mars Observer program of the early '90s, whose spacecraft was believe destroyed by a fuel-system rupture before it could return data. Software and hardware upgrades to MOLA have boosted performance and precision.

So far, MOLA mapping shows the northern Martian hemisphere is smoother and on average three miles lower than the planet's southern half indicating a global-scale water flow northward in early Martian history such that northern lowlands would have drained 3/4 of the planetary surface. The large Hellas impact basin in the southern hemisphere (darkest area in figure) is nearly six miles deep and 1,300 miles across. A ring of material thrown out from a likely asteroid impact surrounds the basin to a distance of 2,500 miles from its center. This ejected blanket rises 1.25 miles above the surrounding terrain the equivalent of covering the continental U.S. with a layer of material two miles thick.

Elastomer keeps people mover moving

Cincinnati,OH -Delta Airlines passengers, even last-minute arrivals, miss fewer flights at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport, thanks to an automated people mover built by Otis Transit Systems Inc. The people mover runs in an underground tunnel that connects Delta's check-in and baggage-claim area with two gate concourses where passengers depart or arrive.

A wire-rope cable, guided by a series of idler sheaves, propels the cars. The sheaves feature elastomeric liners with a groove in which the cable rides.

Cable loading on most of the sheaves averages 200 lb/sq inch. However, at both ends of the system, where the continuous cable must make a 180-degree turn, critical deflector sheave loads can reach 2,500 lb/sq inch.

Soon after the system went into service it become apparent that the deflector sheave lines couldn't handle the severe cable loads. Also, a lubricant supplied by a system that drops a friction-reducing film on the cable contributed to early failure of the rubber liners. When the sheaves had to be replaced every 12 weeks, Otis engineers began a search for a better liner material.

The optimum material solution resulted from the technical efforts of three companies: Uniroyal Chemical Co. (Middlebury, CT), Winfield Industries Inc. (Buffalo, NY), and the DuPont Co. (Wilmington, DE). Winfield makes the new, long-life polyurethane deflector sheave liners out of Adiprene^(R), a polyether polyurethane rubber (PPDI) prepolymer supplied by Uniroyal that contains a proprietary curative blend formulated for this application.

The prepolymer has at its base a special diisocyanate, Hylene^(R) PPDI, commercialized by DuPont. It results in polyurethane elastomer parts said to have improved dynamic properties and toughness when compared with more conventional methylene diphenyl (MDI) and toulene (TDI) diisocyanates.

The new PPDI deflector sheaves have operated for more than 20 million cycles. "They have exhibited no evidence of wear," says Otis engineer Peter Brovero. "Maintenance people at the site can now focus their efforts on other tasks."

"The PPDI doesn't degrade," adds Winfield's Ken Hays, the project's leader. "In fact, it helps extend the life of the cable as it flexes."

Otis engineers liked the performance of the PPDI so much that they used it extensively in the company's latest people mover system at the John Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Brovero notes that Otis intends to specify the material in all future high-load applications.

Win a ride on AmericaOne-Down Under!

Palo Alto, CA-Design a "headsail halyard lock that is 100% reliable, weighs nothing, and withstands an enormous load," and become the 17th crewmember on an AmericaOne sailboat during one of the preliminary America's Cup races, held in mid October in New Zealand. That's the challenge from Hewlett-Packard (HP), Engineering-e.com (a division of The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC)), and AmericaOne. "A lot of people think the America's Cup is just a boat race," says Knute Christensen, technical program manager for HP's AmericaOne sponsorship. "But it's a lot more. The purpose of this contest is to highlight the technical components of the event."

The jib halyard lock retains the top-most corner of the forward sail, otherwise called a genoa or jib on a sloop rig. Normally the halyard used to raise the sail maintains the hoist by continuous tension from the forward sail, up and over a sheave, back to the deck, and out to a winch for tension. The present AmericaOne's jib lock doesn't work perfectly, says Christensen. Sometimes the clamp slips and crew members find it difficult to maintain the correct tension on the leading edge. AmericaOne is hoping for a top-notch design to improve this dilemma. There are no requirements for how engineers design the lock, nor in what format they submit their designs. "Entries can be sent to us in CAD or on the back of a napkin," says Christensen.

Designs will be judged according to creativity/originality, elegance, functionality, practicality/manufacturability, and cost. Entries will be accepted until September 1, 1999. A panel of four judges who have engineering backgrounds will determine the winners.

Although there is no guarantee that the winning design will be implemented in this race, AmericanOne is currently building two boats for the America's Cup 2000 races, each with an extra mast. Christenson says depending on the manufacturability of the winning design, the extra masts may be retrofitted with the new device. For more information, or to enter the contest, visit http://americaonedesign.org or FAX: 1-800-296-5810.

Industrial PC shipments reach new peak

Dedham, MA-1998 shipments for industrial computers worldwide totaled nearly $650 million, and ARC Advisory Group (Dedham, MA) predicts IPC (Industrial Personal Computer) unit shipments to grow at an average annual rate of greater than 10% through 2003.

Price pressure should escalate, as a proliferation of small-sized suppliers cater to niche markets, while large suppliers incorporate the latest available technologies.

Because of declining prices, faster data buses, and more stable operating systems, engineers continue to find cost-effective ways to use industrial PCs for direct I/O and control operations. The spotlight is on passive-backplane standards such as PCI and CompactPCI, the bus architecture targeted at telecom applications, and the emergence of Windows-CE as a reliable working alternative to NT.

Industrial computers crack open machine-tool industry

Paris-Open-architecture. PC-based control. Buzzwords that echoed through the halls of EMO Paris '99, and promise to open machine tools to the world through Ethernet and the Inter-net. This exhibition devoted entirely to machine tools and machine components was held May 5th through 12th just north of the French capital in Villepinte.

Defining such jargon isn't always easy. It really depends on whom you talk to. But no one at EMO disputes the magnitude of IPC's (Industrial Personal Computer) influence in the CNC (Computer Numerical Control) evolution to help reduce non- productive machine time, automate tool and part changes, and simplify development.

While CNC/PC convergence began several years ago with the PC primarily supporting the HMI (Human Machine Interface), today's controller architectures bond CNC and PC more closely together. OEMs realize productivity gains during integration with easy-to-use customization tools. Object libraries accelerate HMI customization. Open interfaces such as OPC (OLE for Process Control) assist in data exchange between system applications and the outside world.

For the end user, modular and open CNC/PC convergence means easier HMI customization with third-party development tools, and critical machine communication with company management systems. Because PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) proliferate in the machine-tool industry, traditional controls suppliers need to address two main goals in order to survive: systematic use of standard PC tools, and intensive use of PLC-type components.

Axium, Num's (Naperville, IL) new generation PC-based CNC is a good example of how Schneider Electric (N. Andover, MA) integrates PC tools with its PLC components. Axium's design uses mainly PC hardware and software. A standard-support chassis includes the power supply module, an ATX motherboard with a Pentium processor, a hard-disk drive, and a 3.50-inch floppy-disk drive.

The basic system includes RAM banks and a multiconnection VGA-graphics card for linking to the display units. The PC platform also houses the CNC program, PLC coprocessor, and the servo-drive interface. External HMI components (keyboard, CNC panel, display unit, machine panel, CD-ROM drive, etc.), as well as PLC I/O modules, and axis and spindle drives also connect to the PC via the field bus.

Another example, GE Fanuc's (Massy, France) Series 160is/ 180is/ 210is CNC hardware incorporates Windows CE 2.0 in the GUI (Graphical User Interface). The pc-board with memory is situated directly behind a slim 10.4-inch LCD. The product features hardware that maintains power in the event of unexpected power loss long enough to automatically save critical files in flash memory.

Mitsubishi Electric (Ratingen, Germany) takes PC design one step further with it's MELDASPAC III. The PCMCIA card-sized CNC is a 64-bit RISC Processor CNC with integrated PLC. For production lines, the MELDAS Magic Card 64 integrates into Mitsubishi's Network Panel Controller with a Windows CE-based HMI. Tight integration of PC, PLC, and CNC provides high-speed processing and communications in a small PCMCIA form factor.

Products such as these are just a sign of the times. With CNCs and PLCs residing in the heart of PCs, machine tools are opened to the world through Ethernet and the Internet.

Integrated approach improves transmission sealing

Plymouth,MI-By taking advantage of vendor skills, OEM engineers can now simplify the process of designing seals for automotive transmissions and engines.

A new program from Freudenberg NOK (Milan, OH), known as Total Transmission or Total Engine Sealing, enables engineers to work with a single vendor to develop all of the seals on a product. That's important, because it enables the OEM to more effectively leverage the knowledge and manpower of the vendor, thus freeing up its own engineers for other chores.

It's also important because a transmission typically has 30 to 35 seals, all of which present their own design dilemmas. Transmission seals include rotating seals, lip seals, piston seals, housing gaskets, O-rings, D-rings, and many others. Very often, engineers find they must go to one supplier for piston seals and elastomeric gaskets, then go to several others for such things as lip seals, O-rings, and D-rings.

Under Freudenberg's Total Powertrain Sealing approach, Freudenberg engineers work with customers to develop seals, as well as adjoining components. "We do all of the program management, as well as the design of the components," notes Scott Follett, director of brand management for powertrain products for Freudenberg NOK. "Previously, the OEM would have assigned several of its own engineers to do this. Now, we can make those engineers more productive in other areas."

The integrated sealing approach also helps the OEM cut costs. On a machined aluminum clutch piston, for example, Freudenberg says it eliminated two assembly operations and two machine operators. Bottom line? A savings of $45,000 annually. Elimination of operators and part numbers also accounted for savings of $167,000 and $75,000, respectively.

By assigning a program manager to the project, Freudenberg says it can also provide special help during the benchmarking process. If an automaker wants to compare its proposed product to an existing design, or to a best-in-class competitor, the program manager can help in the analysis of existing seals and surrounding parts.

Freudenberg has applied the approach in the design of a 2.7l engine and a 1.8l engine for Daimler Chrysler. It is currently working on a large transmission program for a North American manufacturer. Follett says the firm can also work on transmissions and engines for manufacturers of off-highway equipment.

New standard doubles data density on MO disks

By Dennis Normile, Japan

TokyoSony Corp.and Fujitsu Ltd. have cracked limitations on magneto-optical (MO) data storage capacity with Magnetically induced Super Resolution. MSR allows the density of MO data marks to be doubled while using current optical heads, servo mechanisms, and signal processing. The two companies have worked out a technical standard called GIGAMO. Fujitsu has released a GIGAMO MO disk drive that can read and write up to 1.3 Gbytes of data on 3.5-inch disks, double the capacity of previous disks.

In MO recording, a semiconductor laser heats a spot on a magnetic film to the Curie temperature, allowing a recording head to magnetize the spot. The polarity represents the ones and zeros of digital data. For reading, the laser hits the spot at lower intensity and the polarization of the reflected light is detected. The writing process results in marks smaller than the width of the beam. But for readback, the marks spaced so the laser picks up one mark at a time.

With MSR, the marks are recorded at twice the density but magnetic masks allow them to be read one at a time. MSR disks have a three layer magnetic film: a recording layer of a terbium-iron-cobalt amorphous alloy furthest from the laser source, an intermediate layer of a gadolinium-iron alloy, and a playback layer of agadolinium-iron-cobalt alloy.

The middle layer Curie temperature is much less than that of the other two layers, and the laser is tuned such that this middle layer reaches the Curie temperature only for the brief instant a recorded mark is at the very center of the laser beam. At the same time, a weak "readout" magnetic field is applied. Below the Curie temperature, the readout magnetic field aligns the magnetization of the intermediate layer.

Due to the exchange coupling effect, the playback layer takes the opposite magnetization. When the middle layer reaches the Curie temperature, it adopts the opposite magnetization of the recording layer, and the playback layer aligns with the recording layer. As the middle layer exceeds its Curie temperature it loses all magnetization. The playback layer then aligns with the readout magnetic field.

Put together, this means that the magnetization ahead and behind the mark to be read are oriented in opposite directions. The reflected laser beam, then, is only affected by the magnetization of a single mark.

Fujitsu makes the drives, primarily using its own components. Sony manufactures the disks. Fujitsu says otherfirms may make drives to the GIGAMO standard in the future.

How MSR works

MSR takes advantage of the differing magnetic properties of the three layers so all magnetization ahead of the mark to be read is oriented in one direction and the magnetization behind the mark is oriented in the opposite direction. At the low temperatures at the leading edge of the laser beam, magnetization of the intermediate layer is aligned with the readout magnetic field, giving an opposite magnetization to the playback layer. Precisely at the mark to be read, the middle layer is at the Curie temperature, allowing its magnetization to become the opposite of the magnetization of the recording layer. This makes the magnetization of the playback layer align with the recording layer. At the higher temperature at the trailing edge of the laser beam, the middle layer loses magnetization, allowing magnetization of the top layer to be set by the readout magnetic field.

Sponsors back engineering innovation

Newton, MA-Engineering companies are helping fuel technology development by supporting the Design News Engineering Awards Program, now in its thirteenth year.

This year welcomes a a dual addition to the team. Omron Electronics steps up from its position as a Foundation sponsor to provide a $20,000 donation for a new award.

"Omron's Global Innovation Award broadens the scope of the Design News Engineer of the Year program by recognizing that all of us work beyond the borders of the North American continent in a truly global community," says Frank Newburn, president and COO of Omron Electronics Inc. "This award recognizes not only great engineering on a global scale but truly innovative engineering that pushes the envelope of the discipline. Because Omron prides itself on its innovative engineering and global scope, it seemed a natural step to sponsor this award."

Returning to the field for its thirteenth year, the Torrington Co. (Torrington, CT) leads the way with a $25,000 award for the Engineer of the Year. The honoree, selected by Design News readers, demonstrates an innovative path of design work that impacts the engineering industry. The most recent winner, Lynn Otten received the 1999 award for her work at Medtronic where she spearheaded development of a revolutionary implant to control the life-shattering tremors that plague Parkinson's disease sufferers.

"Co-sponsoring the awards program each year and paying tribute to this generation's engineering leaders is nothing short of an honor for Torrington," says Milanne Miles, marketing communications manager. "But just as important is the commitment to 'excellence in education.' This commitment from Design News and all the sponsorshelps recognize the need for continued achievement of engineering excellence, especially at a time when global competition is requiring us to take academics and technological innovation to another level."

Backing the Engineering Education Foundation (EEF) for its tenth consecutive year, NTN Bearing (Des Plaines, IL) provides a grant for $20,000. This gift is awarded to the Design News Special Achievement Award winner and donated to the college of that person's choice. Editors select this honoree based on a history of outstanding lifetime achievements in the engineering field. The 1999 recipient, Paul MacCready, has sired an eclectic mix of remarkable vehicles for air and land.

"It is vitally important that the accomplishments of the engineer in our society be understood and respected by the public at large, by government, by industry, and particularly throughout our educational system," says George Hammond, president of NTN Bearing Corp. "All must encourage students to pursue the challenging and rewarding career of the design engineer." He adds that, "NTN hopes that other companies for which the talented engineer is essential, will join us to further this objective."

The Engineering Quality Award, received this year by Xerox Vice President and Chief Engineer John Elter for his role in the push to develop a clean-sheet digital copier design, is being supported for the eleventh year by Schneeberger Inc. (Bedford, MA). This producer of precision bearings' $20,000 grant is presented to a school of the winner's choice.

"The Engineering Awards program is a special event for Schneebergeran evening we truly look forward to each year. We are honored to participate in the most important program of its kind, to salute the best engineers in America," says George Jaffe, vice president at Schneeberger Inc. He adds, last year Schneeberger was especially proud because the Quality Award winner designated the gift to be used to establish much needed scholarships for Native American students.

MCS Software will provide three $6,000 technology prizes, up $1,000 each from last year, to the Grand Prize winners of the Excellence in Design contest, now in its twentieth year. Last year's recipients were Mark Tempel, senior mechanical design engineer at Stratos Product Development Group LLC, for his automated salmon marking and tagging system; Jim Bylander, Technical Manager for 3M's Telecom Systems Div. Optical Systems Laboratory, for his work on a simple connector design that spearheads high-performance fiber-to-the-desk communications; and Dave Fadness, owner of Mechanical Design and Development Co., for his work on the mechanical design of Mobetron, an electronic linear accelerator that delivers high doses of radiation directly to an exposed tumor site during surgery.

"As the engineering market has continued to grow and change over the past year, we have seen the demand for the design software market significantly expand to address enterprise customers, professional design engineers, small business owners, and manufacturers around the world who design and build all sorts of mechanical devices and structures," says Frank Perna, Jr. Chairman and CEO at MCS Software "The Excellence in Design Award winners have realized the value of engineering in new product designs. We are proud to be a part of this Design News program."

Design News will present four, second-place winners in the 2000 Excellence in Design competition with an Acoustic Wave stereo system manufactured by Bose Corp.

Finally, Edmund Scientific Co. (New York, NY) has donated four Astroscan telescope packages to be given to the third-place winners in the design contest.

Most awards will be presented at the Design News Engineering Awards Banquet on March 16, 2000, at the Ritz Carlton, Chicago. This event is held in conjunction with the National Design Engineering Show at National Manufacturing Week.

"Design News is honored to be at the forefront of the engineering industry, recognizing innovations that contribute to the advancement of technology and impact society," says Design News Publisher Larry Maloney. "The continued support of our sponsor companies extends today's path toward a bright engineering future for the global engineering community."

Jaguar S-Type -- steppin' out in style

By Rick DeMeis, Senior Editor

Leo Carrillo Beach, CA-Ever drive a twisty road for the first time and find yourself naturally slowing down in unfamiliar territory? Well, here I am wringing out Jaguar's S-Type over the switchbacks of Mulholland Highway like a local. The car's combination of handling, control, and ride quickly gives you that kind of confidence.

That basically says it all about how Jaguar engineers have tuned the precise variable-ratio, speed-sensitive rack-and-pinion steering along with the short/long arm front and double-wishbone rear suspensions, which give a supple, but not soft, ride. These, in combination with a nearly 50/50 front-and-rear weight distribution in a rear-drive layout, make the S-Type a kick to drive.

The V6 S-Type I drove in the morning seemed a bit light on the power, perhaps due to having an automatic transmission. But the afternoon's V8 was more than enough for anyone. Now, if only Jaguar would bring a manual version to the U.S. market, the control picture would be complete. I prefer a manual's tighter coupling of engine to drive wheels rather than the more elastic feel coming from an automatic's intervening torque converter. While the Jaguar J-gate allows "manual" shifting, it's not as precise as a true stick. Jaguar says the American market for manuals is too small to justify importing them.

Jaguar class is all over the S-type if Sean Connery were still playing James Bond, this would be the car he'd drive. Styling cues hint at the S-type shapes of the sixties the oval grill, separated headlights, and body and side-window lines. This car turned heads from bikers and film crews, to the Jaguar owner who pulled alongside to eyeball the car.

Options? A sport-handling package features the aptly named CATS (Computer Active Technology Suspension). Dual-position magnetic actuators inside the Bilstein shock absorbers switch damping, by controlling porting, between soft and firm (10% below to 30-40% above standard damping). The idea is more normal comfort, with greater control in the extreme. Road conditions (vertical acceleration front and rear), longitudinal and lateral accelerations, and driver input (speed, braking) govern when and how quickly the settings are switched.

Mike Cross, a senior chassis development engineer, told me, "The idea is to stay in the 'soft' mode as much as possible, go to the harder as needed to get back under control," and then quickly back to the softer setting. "Originally it was thought to go to the harder setting automatically at a certain high speed. The system reacts so quickly it wasn't necessary," he added. For example, at 65 mph, a severe lane change or heavy undulation would be needed to activate CATS.

Ford's Visteon subsidiary supplies the voice-activated system for cell phone, entertainment-system, and climate-control use.

Finally, for the drive back to LA, a few simple instructions allowed me to try the GPS navigation. It helped locate a turnoff along some wooded curves, mistakenly given too early in my printed directions.

EMO innovations make machines more productive

Paris: Everyone who is anyone in the "monde des machine-outils'' attended EMO between May 5th and 12th, just north of the French capital in Villepinte. Just the auto shows provide a glimpse of future automotive products, EMO presents ideas and concepts that foreshadow tomorrow's machine tools, and exposes new components that help engineers make machines more productive.

Compared with the last EMO in Germany, there was greater focus on high-speed machining techniques with rapid traverse speeds, higher accelerations, and greater precision. Many component suppliers touted new linear-motor offerings, and even though more machine builders have modified machine architectures to accommodate these direct-linear drives, innovative ball-screw, motor, gearhead, and bearing products still dominate the precision-production scene.

The SP-High Speed^TM planetary gear from alpha gear drives Inc. (Elk Grove Village, IL) is a good example. It reportedly offers a 30,000-hr service life in continuous operation at 4,500 rpm. By using the gears to cool the motor, the design effectively doubles the life of conventional planetary gearing by reducing thermal and mechanical stress. Special gaskets and a three-chamber, minimum-lubrication design, as well as new materials and geometries, reduce friction and boost efficiency to 98.5%.

INA W. lzlager Schaeffler oHG (Herzogenaurach, Germany) introduced a maintenance-free system for linear ball bearing and guideway assemblies. Mounted on each end of the carriage, the long-term lubrication units use a reservoir to store lubricant irrespective of the system's position. A mechanism releases lubricant through pockets immediately adjacent to the raceways, and oil wipers and seals resist lubricant loss during operation.

Schneeberger Inc. (Bedford, MA) also displayed a self-lubrication cartridge of its own, and announced availability of Monorail braking and clamping elements that offer safety during power loss. The normally closed (powered open) version provides positional safety on any linear-motor driven axis and is compatible with DIN 645 for ease of assembly. Applications include:

Stabilizing the location of a linear axis

Designed for radial oil supply, FAG's (Schweinfurt, Germany) DL spindle bearings, reportedly offer more reliable and direct lubrication and lower spindle design costs compared to axial oil-supply designs. DL stands for direct lobe. FAE targets these bearings at high speed applications (2.8 mm/min and more). An oil distribution groove delivers oil through holes that are positioned away from the ball-to-raceway contact zone. With the oil-distribution groove in the outer ring, bearings can be mounted without special angular orientation. O-rings on both sides of the oil distribution groove prevent leakage losses ensuring that the small quantities of oil get safely into the bearing.