Quake Simulation Guides Construction
An often quoted parable has the “foolish builder” building on sand, but in reality many major cities are built on soft deposits – some in earthquake prone regions – and world-leading research at Univ. of Technology Sydney will help make them safer. Tests conducted on UTS’s shake table, the largest facility of its kind in Australia, gathered experimental data to support mathematical and computer modeling that together will set a new standard for constructing high-rise buildings in soft soil conditions.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Quake-Simulation-Guides-Construction-Standards-051512.aspx
Snakes Inspire Energy-Efficient Robot
Designing an all-terrain robot for search-and-rescue missions is an arduous task for scientists. The machine must be flexible enough to move over uneven surfaces, yet not so big that it’s restricted from tight spaces. It might also be required to climb slopes of varying inclines. Existing robots can do many of these things, but the majority require large amounts of energy and are prone to overheating. Georgia Tech researchers have designed a new machine by studying the locomotion of a certain type of flexible, efficient animal.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Snakes-Inspire-Energy-Efficient-Robot-012012.aspx
Photogrammetry Advances Understanding of Bridge Failures
With a random-looking spatter of paint specks, a pair of cameras and a whole lot of computer processing, engineer Mark Iadicola of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been helping the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), to assure the safety of hundreds of truss bridges across the United States. Iadicola has been testing the use of a thoroughly modern version of an old technique—photographic measurement or “photogrammetry”—to watch the failure of a key bridge component in exquisite detail.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Researcher-Use-Digital-Images-to-Understand-Bridge-Failures-011212.aspx
Materials Make Durable Fuel Cell Membrane
Liang Wang, a post-doctoral researcher in the Univ. of Delaware’s Center for Fuel Cell Research in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is developing new materials and structures that can improve the quality of fuel cell technology by increasing the durability of the fuel cell membrane. Like batteries, fuel cells are electrochemical energy conversion devices that produce electricity. By converting hydrogen and oxygen into water, they can be a valuable power source for vehicles, buildings and devices like laptops and cell phones. Wang’s research is aimed at developing new materials and structures for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, which are considered the best type of fuel cell for vehicles, and are predicted to eventually replace gasoline and diesel internal combustion engines.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Materials-Make-Durable-Fuel-Cell-Membrane-120211.aspx
Gates Could Protect Against Hurricanes
To protect Houston and Galveston from future hurricanes, a Rice Univ.-led team of experts recommends building a floodgate across the Houston Ship Channel adding new levees to protect densely populated areas on Galveston Island and the developed west side of Galveston Bay. The team also recommends creating a 130-mile-long coastal recreation area to sustainably use wetlands that act as a natural flood barrier.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Methods-to-Protect-Against-Hurricanes-111511.aspx
Researchers Revolutionize Perfect Plastic
Researchers at the Univ. of Leeds and Durham Univ. have solved a long-standing problem that could revolutionize the way new plastics are developed. The breakthrough will allow experts to create the “perfect plastic” with specific uses and properties by using a high-tech “recipe book.” It will also increase our ability to recycle plastics. The research is published in the journal Science.
Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news-Plastic-Production-Revolutionized-100311.aspx
I spend a fair amount of time in the gym, and I almost always find myself thinking about Statics and Dynamics and whatnot because let’s face it, the weightroom has hundreds of mechanisms I can translate into free-body diagrams in my mind. One example in particular seems to come…
