Recent content by timmay

Try Googling both electroactive polymers and reverse piezoelectric materials.

Tried anything in the 3M Foamfast range?

You may find the following article of interest. If you don't have a subscription that covers it, please let me know. Ultimately it attempts to relate the governing equations for the behaviour of shocks when meeting a shear layer (such as at wing tips) to the travel of shock waves in traffic...

It doesn't necessarily need to be actively controlled (look at the Honda Prelude), and can help with stability (and probably tire wear) but usually incurs a weight penalty and added complexity.

You could use a mechanical indicator to construct a PV diagram, then use a planimeter to measure the enclosed area. Commonly done with steam engines.

http://www.accuratescrew.com/TechTips/images/tip8_screw1a.gif should help. Also, the tapping drill size is the size drill used to produce a hole which can be tapped for a female connection.

Try: Soedel, W., Vibrations of Shells and Plates, CRC Press (2004) Timoshenko, S., Theory of Plates and Shells, McGraw Hill (1959) Both of those have solutions for thin walled cylinders if memory serves correctly.

That looks like the old German version of the Whitworth pipe thread standard. It's been superseded by: BS EN 10226-1:2004 BS EN 10226-2:2005 BS EN 10226-3:2005 There's an ISO standard as well - ISO 7-1. As for purchasing it, you can buy it from BSI amongst others. If you're a member...

You could do it Excel if you really wanted to! Matlab is perfect (Octave for open source if you're that way inclined), and I've carried out similar analyses in MathCAD, LabVIEW and even in C++. This is actually a typical exercise (for the beams anyway) for mechanical engineering students in a...

A variety of alloying components inhibit the transformation from austenite to other phases. A typical 300 series stainless will have high chromium content and usually ~10% nickel, which prevents the transformation. Other additives are often used to reduce nickel content, keeping costs down.

With accurate material properties you can come up with simple analytical models that can predict some of these for you. For simple beam testing it's pretty simple to treat a single degree of freedom beam as follows. You could derive the equations yourself from the fourth order differential...

It's cheating somewhat I'm sure, but I work as a researcher in the mechanics of materials in a mechanical engineering department of a university. I use the skills I learned every day :) Before this I spent a while working for a design and engineering consultancy, where I was responsible for...

Gait analysis is often carried out using pressure sensing panels or footplates. One system I've used before is made by Tekscan. Alternatively, a very basic system of digital image correlation using two cameras could be carried out as suggested above. Have a marker on both shoes/feet, make...

Bear in mind the different motions you could potentially need measure. If it's a deadbolt moving in translation, will an accelerometer tell you anything about its position when not in motion? If it's a handle or lock barrel rotating into position, actuating the bolt, can you use a bi-axial (or...

Low coefficient of friction, engineering...hair conditioner, lubrication at the sample/platen interface in compression testing, relief and rake faces on cutting tools, bearings...plenty of things!