Week 2

Hi everyone,

The new technology that I will be using for analyzing large ferrous particles in hydraulic fluids arrived last week and the new technology is the Lasernet Fines Q230. The Q230 consists of a particle imaging system which counts particles >4µm (microns) in a fluid and a dual magnetometer system that counts ferrous articles >25 microns and the total concentration of ferrous particles in parts-per-million (ppm). I will be focused on the dual magnetometer system of the Q230 because this is the new technology that can give a quantitative result of ferrous particles in a given hydraulic fluid. Before testing we had to make sure the Q230 was functioning properly by calibrating it with the given calibration fluids provided. The Q230 is functioning properly when the given calibration fluids are tested on it and yield a certain result. After configuring the Q230 to the computer we stared to calibrate it and after a couple of hours the Q230 yielded the proper results of the calibration fluids and worked properly. I also read the Q230 instruction manual before I started conducting tests on it and gave a status report. This week I also prepared reference samples by creating a concentrated 250mL bottle filled with 18.56mg of ISO medium test dust and 200mL of MIL-PRF-5606 hydraulic oil (sample will be called test dust concentrate). Next I filled separate 250mL bottles (reference samples) with different amounts of test dust concentrate and tested them on the Q230.

Week 1

Hi everyone,

This weekend I arrived at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) which is located in Wisconsin. Upon my arrival I was greeted by my advisor Paul Michael who drove me to the Grohman Tower which is one of MSOE’s dorms. Paul told me that my project is going to be analyzing large ferrous particles in hydraulic fluids and I will be using the Lasernet Fines Q230 to do this. During the week I was introduced to the rest of the REU students at MSOE, two of which will be going to the University of Johannesburg which is located in Africa. The week here at MSOE consisted of meeting with my advisor and the rest of the other advisors working on various research projects. It was also orientation week where the rest of the REU students and I were accompanied by Betty Albrecht and Subha Kumpaty. I also learned a little of solidworks because there was a solidworks training taught by the REU student Andrew Gray. There was also tours around the campus and discovering fun events here at Milwaukee hosted by Rick Gagliano.

Week 6

The project I'm working on is an inverted liquid piston air compressor. This differs from an ordinary air compressor in that the piston itself is stationary while the compressor walls and top cap move up and down for compression/expansion. Because the piston is stationary, I'm able to add a column of water on top of it. Based on previous research, this type of air compressor will have increased heat transfer - in part because the water absorbs some of the heat from the air and can be recirculated through a heat exchanger, and in part because this configuration allows porous media to be added and thus further increase surface area available for heat transfer. Increasing heat transfer is important because it means better compressor efficiency!

My work is focused on the stability of the interface between the water and the air. This involves changing the operating frequency, compression ratio, and porous media geometry as well as observing the effects of adding hydrophobic coating to the porous media and adding water recirculation. Thus, this work has involved hands on testing, setting up the recirculation circuit, modeling porous media, data analysis, and background research to better understand the related research and the interface behaviors I'm observing.

The target market for this air compressor will be based on the operation parameters with "nice" interface stability (ie the findings of my work). The goal, though, is to use this air compressor in a Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system. In CAES, excess energy is used to power an air compressor, which compresses air to a high pressure. This compressed air is then stored in a tank and can be expanded through a turbine when energy demand increases. Thus, this technology would be a great way to implement intermittent renewable energy technologies, like wind and solar power, because excess energy can be stored for later use!

Week 3: Better Late Than Never

*title credit goes to Diana Luc

The biggest difference I've noticed between working in a research lab and working at an internship is the amount of flexibility because I'm able to set my own hours. Furthermore, research is much more self-directed and creative than most internships - while the overarching problem I'm trying to solve is relatively defined, the technology has never been done before. My professor and I discuss the behaviors we're seeing and the overall goal, but he often leaves the next steps to be decided by me. It's been a great challenge to figure out what aspects of the project are the most pressing and make the most sense to figure out first and determine the most cost-effective, quickest, and robust way to complete next steps. At the same time, this process has allowed me to utilize my research strengths, develop skills, and increase my self-awareness. The lab itself is split into work stations and projects, with usually one graduate student or serious undergraduate tackling each project. All of our work falls under the umbrella of fluid power, but it's been exciting to learn more about the diverse challenges of the fields at our weekly presentation meetings.

Week 3: Picking up the pace

My impression of the environment in my laboratory compared to what I actually thought was going to occur is that it is substantially more relaxing. Here at the lab I have more freedom than I thought I would be granted. My PI has structured the lab in a way that allows you to work your own schedule, and get things done at your own pace. Even though this environment seems great, if you aren't well structured it easy to lose yourself. Luckily for me in the lab I'm working with a post-doc and a masters student. They have been mentoring me throughout my time here since my PI has been traveling throughout the summer so he hasn't been around the lab much. They've helped me out in terms of helping set milestones so I wouldn't feel overwhelmed with my project. What has surprised me is the fact that working in this lab I have access to so many resources in terms of machines for machining your own parts. We also have our own 3-D printer, and access to water jet cutters, along with laser cutters. What's positive about my research environment is that whenever I run into a problem there's always someone I can reach out for help. What's not so great is that sometimes there's things that nobody can help me with because it is outside their knowledge. 

- Keep working hard people!!

Trial and error exoskeleton designs

Hey everybody,

As I have written in previous posts, my project's goal is to design a wearable exoskeleton-like device that will support the worker's hands weight in order to limit neck injuries and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). My project is brand new (I am the first researcher to work on it) thus I started the first couple of days doing some literature research on papers that study MSDs. After studying some demographics that address the problem, I figured out that for occupational MSDs the biggest cause is overexertion of arms to loads and awkward upper body posture. So the solution to that would be an exoskeleton that will support the upper extremes. We are definitely looking on implement fluid power on our project as the pneumatic pistons force outcome is very good for not much weight. We need our design to be as lightweight as it can because worker will have to carry it.
For now though, these past four weeks I've been spending my time on Solidworks designing different types and ideas for exoskeletons, in order to decide which fits best our application. We want the design to be easy to wear, lightweight, and to not put constraints on the arms movement while the same time it has to cancel out the weight of the had itself and possibly any tools the worker is holding. I've 3-D printed a couple of small-scale designs so I can see how the move in real world because I thought Solidworks assembly movement software is not very realistic. After printing some designs I decided on the best one which I will focus more on. The most difficult part of my research until now is the fact that it is a lot of trial and error process where I have to come up with my own ideas of new designs. Another thing that is part of research but may seem annoying is that many times you spend a lot of time on something that may not even work or be needed, which ofcourse you don't know.

I hope your research is going well too,

Spyros Kasapis

Week 6: Cylinder Cushion Test Stand

Hey everyone,

The project I am part of at Iowa State University is about making hydraulic systems more precise and accurate. Hydraulic cylinder cushions decelerate cylinders piston and rod assemblies at the end of the stroke. The commonly-used design process used to determine the cushion geometry involves trial and error with physical components and thus requires substantial costs and time. To address these limitations, a cylinder cushion model was developed to enable virtual prototyping of cylinder cushions. To validate the models, a test stand was designed and built with a hydraulic cylinder containing a cushion. To test cushion model effectiveness in estimating the cushion response, large forces were applied to the cylinder when retracting and approaching the end of stroke. The force was a summation of weights on top and pressurized fluid provided by an accumulator to the cylinder rod end. 

Results from this apparatus will be used to revise and improve the computer models. It is exciting to know that whatever we learn through this research can impact the hydraulic industry for better motion control. With this, fluid power and hydraulics will be able to boast high power density with precise movements.

Hope you guys are doing well as we move into the second half of our program.

- Seong