Engineering

Hey all, I'm new here, but this seems like a helpful community and I have a question I hope someone will be able to answer. I am building a system, and in this system I have a path of UV light (356nm wavelength) which needs to be collimated and homogeneous. The light path originates as a collimated beam from a LED light probe. This beam of light is expanded from a 8mm diameter to 25mm diameter using a beam expander (dual lens) system. However, the light is not yet homogeneous (it is currently exhibiting a relatively gaussian intensity distribution). To homogenize, I want to use a Holographic UV Diffuser (http://www.edmundoptics.com/optics/windows-diffusers/op…

I am looking for an idea related to a siphon mechanisms that has been puzzling me for a while. I am doing a small research on a natural (karst) spring, that has a cyclic (intermitent) behaviour. The low-flow discharge of the spring is in the range of few litres per second, during outbursts it rises up to 500 l/s. The total volume discharged during the outburst is about 1000 m^3. The frequency of outbursts ranges between few hours and few weeks, depending on the amount of precipitation which determines the recharge to the system. Note, that we do not know the geometry of the system; we have an access to the spring pool and we expect a natural reservoir which empties by…

Hello I have no small project I have been working on for serval years now (senice 2002) and I have been working on this project in my spare time, I call it Project Crazy horse, here are some of the detailes of the project. but before I start please do not ask to see the science ok that is why I am here, to get help with the science and design. This concept is in word with some ideas that are under the term K.I.S.S (keep it stupid simple) I do not have the science back ground to do the math or draw it out, but I do have the idea to explain the concept to people well over the phone and though skype I just need help to get the techinal side down so it can take a shape, …

Can anyone make a consumer device that is a phone plug in for salival health diagnosis (inflammation, allergy etc.) This could be a phone attachment where you place some saliva inside the device and it gives you an analysis of various health markers on a smartphone app. Is this possible??

Basically my idea is to use solar panels to power rotating mirrors that follow the sun. The mirrors reflect the sunlight to a large "Still" filled with salt water. The still heats up and the water evaporates leaving the salt behind. The water is collected and distributed for drinking and the salt is cleaned out of the bottom of the "Still" through a hatch. The picture is very... Kindergartenish, but it was all I could do spur of the moment. I would appreciate opinions, ideas, and constructive criticism.

Hi. Is there a technical reason why the sunlight ducts are mostly shown and installed with a couple of bends as per the picture attached instead of straight up ? ----> http://www.consumerconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/solatube-300x234.jpg

The company I work for is considering using cooling tower water as quench rather than city water (current condition). The estimated annual savings is over $30,000. City water here is about 600 PPM salt, while the cooling tower will be controlled at 1200-1400 PPM. How will this increase in salt effect the cooling rate of the quench? Will these low concentrations of salt make a difference? Scale on the bars? Etc.? We are processing mainly 1045 steel bar. Typically we acheive around 60 Rc at the surface and 55 Rc @ 0.050" case depth, depending on the setup and requirement.

Hi everyone, I am a sixth form student in year 13 currently studying my extended project. For my extended project i have decided to base it around fluid mechanics, more specifically I am looking into how you can use equations, laws and formulas to mathematically describe the characteristics of waves (water waves). Right now i am looking into how it is possible to use the velocity potential of a fluid to work out it's flow velocity. I understand that the flow velocity is equal to the gradient of the velocity potential which is a scalar quantity and how the flow velocity of a fluid can be used to describe it's motion (i.e. Steady flow, Incompressible flow and irrat…

What type of metal open vessel/tray would heat up the most if placed in a microwave oven ? Copper, brass, aluminium, stainless, iron, alloys... and any optimal shape/thickness/dimensions that would make it hotter ? -This is not about susceptor films-

Hello you all! Electrocaloric materials are commonly ferroelectric materials like Pzt, BaTiO3, Pvdf... that comprise charged atoms capable to move a bit in the solid, for instance between two places, easily enough to respond to a strong electric field. In the electrocaloric effect, the mobile atoms store heat as they vibrate, but a strong electric field can freeze them in one position, which reduces the material's heat capacity. Resulting temperature changes of a few Kelvin are typical. The use as a cooling machine is investigated of course, one setup being called "Electrocaloric Oscillatory Refrigeration", which has a magnetocaloric material for one part where electrod…

Hello all, I am a 3rd Year Motorsport Engineering student at the University of Bath (uk). For my dissertation, I will be designing and analysing a race-car that is entirely 'grow-able' exc. the motor, and is also bio-degradeable, in some ways similar to the work that has been done by Warwick (WMG). I am not restricted to classes etc. at this point, so I am looking to find any ideas regarding new materials and processes that are being tested at this moment that would fit the bill e.g. bamboo for a tubular chassis (i know this is old now), hemp and others. The materials can be as exotic as possible, as I will be testing and comparing as many as I can. So, i woul…

EMC compared to Portland Cement saves over 90% CO2 emission and energy use. It can be used in 70% of construction instead of Portland Cement, with an estimated annual savings of 2.4G tons CO2 and 2.3T KW energy. When there are many plants to make EMC, the climate may improve. At least, the climate will not degrade as quickly.

Hello, is it possible establish an arc cost function to evaluate the cost of an arc for airline network? Maybe something like BPR cost function?

I was wondering what you all think robotics in the 2030`s will look like

This is a question related to fishing with baits that are buoyant and anchored down by a weight off the bottom of a lakebed like in the image below: When the water pressure gets too high the hook and popup lie flat on the deck. I'd like to see what happens to my popups in 15ft of water and see if they are still popped up and if not I will have to research popup media that work at that depth. One idea I had was to get a 16ft length of 6inch or so wide pipe with a clear container sealed on the bottom of it. This apparatus would be supported upright and then filled with water. I would then lower the rig to the bottom of this and see in the clear container if it st…

It has been discovered that worlds petroleum source is going to end within 100 years.. and if the consumption rate is going to be high then 100 years will be shortened to 50years.. so the need of an alternate source is necessary.. which is going to replace petroleum products??

P={ z + x*y/(y+a) > x/(x*k+1)} where x,y,z are exponentially distributed with mean xbar,ybar,zbar. a,k are constants. please suggest me how to evaluate this probability..... for k=0, P lies between 0 and 1 but for any positive value of k, P become higher than one which is unacceptable.... take xbar=1 ybar=3.14 zbar=1

Hello, I am not sure if this is where this topic should be and if that's the case I am sorry. I am currently building a project or rather have ideas to build a project but I dont know what to make. I wont lie it is for school but we are suppose to seek help from anywhere we wish and be as independent from the school itself as possible. Since i am going the technology course it has to be techy with a report and I have the entire school year to build and I pay for the supplies myself. but the project itself I choose what I want as long as it stays relevant to the subject of technology and engineering. I ask you to help me give ideas what I might be able to build…

need some ideas soon, and try and list some that has not been done.

I know most perpetual motion ideas are complicated to hide the flaw and I have a complicated one that I can't find the error in. Imagine a 1000 ft dam. I roll a 50 gal barrel full of water off the dry side onto a chain mechanism that generates energy until the barrel is at the bottom. I empty the barrel. Then I open an airlock at the base of the dam and put the empty barrel in and close the door. On the wet side I open the airlock and the barrel rises conected to another chain to harness the rising energy. When it surfaces I fill it with water and send it back down the dry side. All I have lost is the water from the barrel at the base of the dry side and the water …

I'm wondering how best to make a material, say a thin bar, that has very good shock-absorbing properties and low mechanical stress. I was thinking a layered mix of fiberglass and carbon fiber, bound together by resin, and I was wondering what some more experienced engineers would think of this.

One quick question... What drawbacks do you see if our homes are supplied by DC voltage, instead of AC? That is, imagine that about 100 years ago we opted for DC, not AC and that everything is engineered accordingly. Would now our homes appliances cost less or more, overall?... Please, don't consider power distribution problems at first. I am only interested about possible drawbacks once the current is delivered to a home. The problem I see is about replacing AC motors with DC motors - DC motors being either more expensive or less reliable (washing machine, compressors for refrigeration, water pumps, fans...). On the other hand, powering various electronics (TV, compu…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5AZzOw7FwA So you guys think this will actually be able to be mass produced? What else do you think about 3d printing?

Hello you all! Water saving basins are long known and used for water transport. Explanations at Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_(water_transport)#Water_saving_basins where I pinch RokerHRO's illustrations: Descending operation Ascending operation The equivalent for airlocks, with several air tanks at varied pressures, is possible and sometimes useful, to save energy and accelerate the airlock operation while limiting the peak pumping power. Is it already used? Highly possible. I didn't check that for long. Marc Schaefer, aka Enthalpy

I'm Looking to do a science fair project for my Science Research class and i came up with this idea where i would test if the frequency of sound would be affected by gases and liquids. Whats i would do is i would have some device playing sound on one end of a tube, have a material that sound goes through easily and then i have gas or liquids in there then i have that same material and then a receiver. ANYWAY to my main question, has anyone done this experiment and actually gotten some results about where frequency is altered by gas or liquids? if you could post below with some kind of source so i know i can do this experiment and not have it a dud.