The founding members of the Purdue’s Center for Technology Development (CTD) have asked its faculty researchers to address these questions over a one-year period. The two projects are the first for the center, which was launched in January 2012.

Henry Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology and co-director of the center, will tackle the shipping question. Using mathematical modeling and the principles of 2D or 3D topology and origami, Zhang will work to create a methodology that can help plan efficient loading of a standard container.

Manufacturers must think about a wide range of issues when they ship their products, large or small. They will worry about weight distribution, stability, fluids, electrical connections and whether it can be disassembled and reassembled easily. They must also take into account shipping regulations and custom requirements.

“Once you determine the distinct pieces, then you can use the mathematical model to reconfigure their positions to best fit in a predefined space,” said Vahid Motevalli, founding director of the center. Once the methodology has been determined, Zhang will work to make it general enough to be applicable to a variety of industries.

Zhang will be assisted by a graduate student and will use the project in his undergraduate senior design course.

The second project, undertaken by Qingyou Han, professor of mechanical engineering technology, will focus on using ultrasonic waves to propel metal balls (shots) to create a nanostructure to strengthen the surface of a metal part. The process is called ultrasonic shot peening.

“This process is more precise and uses less energy,” Motevalli said. “You end up obtaining more controlled changes in material characteristics with less energy and in less time.”

Current practice requires that an entire piece be peened with steel balls to change the strength of the metal and to introduce residual stresses at the surface of the workpiece. Ultrasonic peening would allow for more focused peening and produce nanostructure at the surface of the workpiece.  The nanostructure allows heat treating to be carried out at much lower temperatures and much shorter time period.

The projects were chosen by the founding industry members of the center.

“They look at potential topics and problems that benefit all of the partners,” Motevalli said. “Each of them can propose topics, as can the center faculty and researchers.”

Founding members of the center are American Axle and Manufacturing, Eaton Corporation and John Deere.

The announcement of Eaton’s involvement was published on:

• AviationPros.com
• 4-traders.com

A new center at Purdue University has been designed to work with industry partners to develop and improve technologies that, in turn, will lead to increased competitiveness.

The Center for Technology Development, headquartered in the College of Technology, was officially launched Wednesday (January 11) with the signing of a charter by the directors and founding members.

The center will involve professors, graduate students and undergraduates from the colleges of Technology and Engineering and will be led by Vahid Motevalli, professor of mechanical engineering technology, and Henry Zhang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology. They will focus on direct problem solving for industry products, high risk research and development, feasibility study for future industry products and scholarly work for academia.

Click the photo to see representatives of the founding industry members of Purdue's Center for Technology Development talk about why they made the decision to be part of the center. Speakers, in order of appearance, are Andrew Benko of John Deere and Company, Andrew Weeks of Eaton Corp., and Glen Steyer of American Axle an Manufacturing.

“Our industry partners will benefit from the cross-disciplinary expertise and interactions with our faculty and students to amplify their technological innovations,” Motevalli said. “The interactions among the industry members and with our faculty and students will provide a unique opportunity to arrive at solutions and approaches that none of us may clearly see within our individual work.”

The founding members of the center are American Axle and Manufacturing, Eaton Corporation and John Deere. Faurecia has signed on at the associate member level.

“We are very excited to launch the Center for Technology Development, as it aligns well with our strategic initiative to engage in applied research with business and industry,” said Gary Bertoline, dean of the College of Technology. “We are very pleased to be partnering with companies who are leaders in their respective markets, and we thank them for helping make this center a reality by becoming founding members.”

The core faculty have a range of expertise and can assist with a variety of tasks, from design work to analysis, and from testing to reverse engineering. The scope of the center’s work will depend on the needs of its members. They will also address the needs of industry, as identified by the center’s partners: data acquisition, design innovation, and system integration.

“For product innovation and development, the best approach is minds-on and hands-on, or thinking with our brain and hands. Without this, new ideas could not go far,” said Zhang, director of the center.

Center for Technology Development web site.

(Top photo: College of Technology representatives and founding industry partners sign a charter to officially launch Purdue’s Center for Technology Development. Picture, from left, are: Henry Zhang (MET), Glen Steyer (AAM), Andrew Weeks (Eaton), Andrew Benko (John Deere), Gary Bertoline (dean), and Vahid Motevalli (MET).)