This paper describes the results of a second year Expo project team of Fontys Engineering, department Mechanical Engineering. During this research the design of a configurable damped spring design has been investigated. A calculation tool has been defined and validated using a Nylon 3D printed spring prototype. Also a theoretical design of a stainless steel spring has been made including stress calculations. Finally characterization tests on damping properties have been performed.
Conference proceedings International Symposium on Intelligent Manufacturing Environments
From the article: Abstract—By using agent technology, a versatile and modular monitoring system can be built. In this paper, such a multiagentbased monitoring system will be described. The system can be trained to detect several conditions in combination and react accordingly. Because of the distributed nature of the system, the concept can be used in many situations, especially when combinations of different sensor inputs are used. Another advantage of the approach presented in this paper is the fact that every monitoring system can be adapted to specific situations. As a case-study, a health monitoring system will be presented.
In Europe nearly 10% of the population suffers from diabetes and almost 1% from Rheumatoid Arthritis which can lead to serious problems with mobility and active participation, especially in the ageing population. Pedorthists deliver personalised designed and manufactured orthopaedic footwear or insoles for these patients. However, despite their often laborious efforts upfront, the industry has very little means to quantify how successful the fitting and function of a shoe is. They have to rely on subjective, qualitative measures such as client satisfaction and diminishing of complaints. Although valuable, the need for objective quantitative data in this field is growing. Foot plantar pressure and shear forces are considered major indicators of potential foot problems. Devices to measure plantar pressure slowly gain terrain as providers of objective quantitative data to guide orthotic design and manufacturing. For shear forces however, measuring devices are not yet commercial available. Although shear forces are considered as a major contributor to ulcer formation in diabetic feet, their exact role still requires elucidation and quantification. This project aims to develop a prototype of an in-shoe wearable device that measures both shear forces and pressure using state-of-the-art developments in sensor technologies, smart textiles and wireless data transfer. The collaboration of pedorthists’ small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)’s with medical device engineering companies, knowledge institutes,technical universities and universities of applied sciences in this project will bring together the different fields of expertise required to create an innovative device. It is expected that the tool will be beneficial to improve the quality of pedorthists’ services and potentially reduce health insurance costs. Furthermore, it can be used in new shear forces research and open new business potential. However, the eventual aim is to improve patient care and help maintain personal mobility and participation in society.
The ongoing debate over the use of fossil fuels, particularly diesel, in engines due to concerns about global climate change has prompted the exploration of alternative propulsion methods and fuels. Despite various proposed alternatives, diesel engines continue to play a vital role in the global market [1]. This discussion has spurred innovations aimed at enhancing the performance and sustainability of diesel engines, including the utilization of biodiesel mixtures, synthetic fuels, and water-in-diesel emulsions (W/D emulsions) [2-5]. Scientific evidence indicates that the presence of water in water-diesel emulsions can improve engine performance and reduce emissions, such as particulate matter and NOx [6,7]. This performance enhancement is attributed to the phenomenon of micro-explosion, or secondary atomization, caused by the differing boiling points of water and diesel [8]. The rapid temperature increase during fuel injection leads to the explosive vaporization of dispersed water droplets, breaking up the diesel emulsion into smaller droplets and resulting in a shorter combustion time. Various processes, including membrane emulsification, ultrasound emulsification, and high shear stirring, are employed to create these emulsions, often necessitating the use of surfactants for stability [9]. This research proposes a two-fold approach: firstly, the use of Electrohydrodynamic Atomization (EHDA, or electrospray) to create stable water-diesel emulsions. Secondly, the employment of magnetic fields in treating both diesel and water-diesel emulsions. EHDA is already used in several applications, such as drug encapsulation, bioencapsulation, thin film coatings and is also known for its ability to form stable emulsions. [10-13]. For the second approach, it has been shown that nanobubbles can be formed [17] and stabilized due to the electric charging action of magnetic fields [18]. We hypothesize that the charged bubbles can further stabilize the diesel-water emulsion and also enhance the explosive evaporation due to the additional Coulomb forces in play.
