Beam Damage

The article I am blogging about this week is Detection and quantification of structural damage of a Beam-like structure using natural frequencies. 

When most teachers teach of the natural frequencies of structural beams, the Tacoma Narrows bridge is always mentioned.  All materials have a natural frequency and when a force and materials frequency are close, extreme vibrations can occur.  This was the case with the Tacoma Narrows bridge.  The designers of this bridge did not factor in the natural frequency of their supports and therefore the bridge fell.

As for the article I read for this blog, a system was developed to find structural damage by using frequencies.  The system in question applies a known frequency to a material and based upon its natural frequency, predicts damage.  Cracks and other damage can be quantified based upon how the material responds to a given frequency.


This technique could be very useful in analyzing buildings that cannot be easily examined such as large sky scrapers.  This technique could be employed to see which beams are wearing down the most and appropriate measures can be taken to stop this wear.

Sasmal, Saptarshi, and K. Ramanjaneyulu. "Detection and quantification of structural damage of a Beam-like structure using natural frequencies." Engineering 1.3 (Nov 2009): 167(10). Academic OneFile. Gale. Clemson University Libraries. 27 Oct. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=clemson_itweb

Magnetic Sealing

This week the article I chose is entitled Computer aided modeling and design of a new magnetic sealing mechanism in engineering applications.  This article centers upon a new magnetic sealing process can limit pollution and leaking of lubricants in machines.


Typically machine parts are sealed using nuts and bolts or some sort of adhesive to "glue" the sides together.  These techniques are successful yet tend to allow for leaking of fluids through the seams, especially in moving parts.  Often times, some sort of rubber o-ring is also placed on these moving parts to help stop leakages.  These o-rings must be replaced relativity frequently creating more cost for companies.


The new proposed method centers upon creating a magnetic field in place of using bolts or adhesives.  A circuit made of one of the rare earth metals would provide many advantages over traditional sealing techniques. These magnetic circuits last "longer and are [more] durable in sealing lifetime, compact in system configuration, light in unit weight, higher in performance efficiency, and stable in sealing functioning" [1].  Each of these advantages will benefit companies economical.  By increasing efficiency and lifetime of the seal, companies will be able to delegate these funds to improving their products quality.

I found this article interesting due to the recent BP oil spill crisis.  Maybe some sort of magnetic sealing could be used in the future to seal these ocean oil lines.  Just a thought.  Here is a picture I thought was funny about the BP crisis.  Enjoy.

[1] Li, Jeremy "Zheng". "Computer aided modeling and design of a new magnetic sealing mechanism in engineering applications." Engineering 2.1 (Jan 2010): 22(6). Academic OneFile. Gale. Clemson University Libraries. 20 Oct. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=clemson_itweb

Plasma Surface Treating

The journal from which my blog discussion will be coming from is entitled simply Engineering.  This academic journal is published monthly and covers a wide range of research topics.


This week the article I chose is entitled Role of plasma surface treatments on wetting and adhesion. This article sets up the exigence of plasma surface treating by discussing the new technological advances in packaging.  Packaging companies are using new polymers on the outside of their packages that a much harder to inscribe or ink for labeling purposes.  The currently employed technique for this inking is called corona treating.


The author of this article displays research that shows an increased viability of plasma treatment for labeling.  Plasma is defined as "an ionized gas at atmospheric pressure" [1].  When these new polymer packages are treated with plasma instead of the normally used corona treatment, surface energies are greatly increased.  This increase in surface energy means that the ink in the labels will have a greater bond to the polymer and will therefore be less likely to fade.

This discovery means that plasma treatment may become a viable option for packaging companies to increase the life of  prints on their new polymer labels.  The author mentions that this new treatment is comparable in cost to the corona treatment process as well, meaning this new treatment may be utilized soon by packaging companies. 

If you are curious about the "4th state of matter" known as plasma, here is a video for your enjoyment.



[1]Wolf, Rory, and Amelia Carolina Sparavigna. "Role of plasma surface treatments on wetting and adhesion." Engineering 2.6 (June 2010): 397(6). Academic OneFile. Gale. Clemson University Libraries. 13 Oct. 2010
http://find.galegroup.com/gtx/start.do?prodId=AONE&userGroupName=clemson_itweb

Genre

This week in class we talked about genre.  Miller proposes that genre spawns from ones social motives.  She thinks that exigences are not out there ready to be responded to like Bitzer, but more as if we as writers define our own exigences.  Her train of thought seems to be that writing could be placed into multiple genres and should not be systematically placed as Bitzer does.

Bitzer's approach appears to be like taking a list of qualifications and, based upon how many a work presents, placing this work in its appropriate genre.  While this way seems to be stringent and controlling, I like it more.  I agree that their are multiple purposes for why a work was written, but classifying them into multiple groups is confusing.

Lets say music genres were grouped in this way.  When looking for a band they could be located in political outcry, social message, reflections from childhood, or infinitely more categories.  In reality, each song from a group's album could be placed in separate genres based upon what the artist was trying to accomplish.

Ultimately I understand that their are multiple meanings and intentions to every work.  I understand that grouping them all into traditional categories based upon their characteristics is strict. However, I feel the tried and true method of taking something and basing its grouping by its characteristics just makes the most sense.

Here is also a cartoon that I found funny when looking for genre pictures.  Enjoy.