Price Faculty of Engineering

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Open Access
A Stand-Alone Magnetic Bubble Memory
(1981-1-1) Kinsner, W.; Joll, B. S.
Open Access
A Theory of Bubbles in Ion-implanted Structures
(1981-1-1) Kinsner, W.
Open Access
TRAIN PERFORMANCE CALCULATOR FOR THE IBM PC
(1986) Girling, Robert Richard; No Examining Committee; Clayton, A.
A train performance calculator program was written in Basic for the IBM Personal Computer. The train performance calculator simulates the operation of a single train along a specific route. Velocity, time, and fuel consumption of a train at any point along a route is predicted by the program. The train may be of any configuration and the route may have any combination of grades and curvature. The algorithm used in this train performance calculator finds the minimum travel time of a train over a route, subject to power, braking and route constraints. The program and the models used to predict train performance are described, followed by sample runs.
Open Access
Engine modifications for the Formula SAE race car
(1987) Hohenberg, Edward G.
A group of students at the University of Manitoba are involved in the design and construction of a small, formula race car to be entered in the Formula SAE student engineering competition. This thesis deals with the modifications made to the engine of this vehicle. The modifications include building a tuned intake manifold, changing camshafts, increasing the compression ratio and charge cooling. All the modifications are meant to increase the performance of the engine. The underlying theory for each modification is presented, then the specific modification made to the engine is discussed. Background theory is also given. Actual dynometer test results are presented for each modification, in order to prove or disprove the theory. Test results for the compression ratio change are not presented, as this modification has yet to be done. It was found that many of the modifications resulted in increasing the performance at one engine speed, while decreasing the performance at other engine speeds.
Open Access
A finite capacity queue with Markovian arrivals and two servers with group services
(1994-1-1) Chakravarthy, S.; Alfa, Attahiru Sule
In this paper we consider a finite capacity queuing system in which arrivals are governed by a Markovian arrival process. The system is attended by two exponential servers, who offer services in groups of varying sizes. The service rates may depend on the number of customers in service. Using Markov theory, we study this finite capacity queuing model in detail by obtaining numerically stable expressions for (a) the steady-state queue length densities at arrivals and at arbitrary time points; (b) the Laplace-Stieltjes transform of the stationary waiting time distribution of an admitted customer at points of arrivals. The stationary waiting time distribution is shown to be of phase type when the interarrival times are of phase type. Efficient algorithmic procedures for computing the steady-state queue length densities and other system performance measures are discussed. A conjecture on the nature of the mean waiting time is proposed. Some illustrative numerical examples are presented.
Open Access
A discrete single server queue with Markovian arrivals and phase type group services
(1995-1-1) Alfa, Attahiru Sule; Dolhun, K. Laurie; Chakravarthy, S.
We consider a single-server discrete queueing system in which arrivals occur according to a Markovian arrival process. Service is provided in groups of size no more than M customers. The service times are assumed to follow a discrete phase type distribution, whose representation may depend on the group size. Under a probabilistic service rule, which depends on the number of customers waiting in the queue, this system is studied as a Markov process. This type of queueing system is encountered in the operations of an automatic storage retrieval system. The steady-state probability vector is shown to be of (modified) matrix-geometric type. Efficient algorithmic procedures for the computation of the rate matrix, steady-state probability vector, and some important system performance measures are developed. The steady-state waiting time distribution is derived explicitly. Some numerical examples are presented.
Open Access
Fairness in Radio Resource Management for Wireless Networks
(2009-04-08) Ahmed, MohamedHossam; Anpalagan, Alagan; Chen, Kwang-Cheng; Han, Zhu; Hossain, Ekram
Open Access
RF Cavity Passive Wireless Sensors With Time-Domain Gating-Based Interrogation for SHM of Civil Structures
(IEEE, 2009-11) thomson, douglas j; card, dan; bridges, greg e
Many existing sensing technologies for application to the monitoring of large systems or civil structures have a serious deficiency in that they require some type of wired physical connection to the outside world. This causes significant problems in the installation and long term use of these sensors. This paper describes a new type of passive wireless sensor that is based on resonant RF cavities, where the resonant frequency is modulated by a measurand. In the case of a strain sensor, the electrical length of the cavity directly modulates it’s resonant frequency. A probe inside the cavity couples RF signals from the cavity to an externally attached antenna. The sensor can then be interrogated remotely using microwave pulse-echo techniques. Such a system has the advantage of requiring no permanent physical connection between the sensor and the data acquisition system. In this type of sensor the RF interrogation signal is transmitted to the sensor and then re-radiated back to the interrogator from the sensor resulting in a signal strength that decreases with the forth power of distance. This places an upper limit on the distance over which the sensor can be interrogated. Theoretical estimates show that these sensors can be interrogated with sufficient signal-to-noise ratio at distances exceeding 10 m for radiated powers of less than 1 mW. We present results for a strain sensor and a displacement sensor that can be interrogated at a distance of 8 m with a strain resolution of less than 10 ppm and displacement resolution of 0.01 mm, respectively.
Open Access
Computational Procedures for a Class of GI/D/k Systems in Discrete Time
(2009-11-5) Rahman, Md. Mostafizur; Alfa, Attahiru Sule
A class of discrete time GI/D/ systems is considered for which the interarrival times have finite support and customers are served in first-in first-out (FIFO) order. The system is formulated as a single server queue with new general independent interarrival times and constant service duration by assuming cyclic assignment of customers to the identical servers. Then the queue length is set up as a quasi-birth-death (QBD) type Markov chain. It is shown that this transformed GI/D/1 system has special structures which make the computation of the matrix R simple and efficient, thereby reducing the number of multiplications in each iteration significantly. As a result we were able to keep the computation time very low. Moreover, use of the resulting structural properties makes the computation of the distribution of queue length of the transformed system efficient. The computation of the distribution of waiting time is also shown to be simple by exploiting the special structures.
Restricted
Custom developed computer numerical control interface
(2010) Jackimec, Nick
Many CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling machines are commercially available today, but none offers an open-source interface designed for research applications. The work reported in this thesis has retrofitted a 25-year-old manual milling machine, which has previously been modified into a CNC mill, but whose interface is no longer functioning, into a functional CNC mill. New components have been incorporated as necessary, to produce an open-source CNC mill capable of use in research and as a standard CNC mill. The original milling machine has inconsistent backlash due to cheaper methods of construction, ranging up to 0.049-inch per axis. The thesis has implemented software compensation, capable of producing most CNC paths with only 0.015- inch of inaccuracy with a 99%-confidence interval. Though the final mill does not have all the built in functionality of a commercial mill, it is designed with research application in mind, and as such, it is intended as a platform for future research to be mounted upon. The open-source interface will allow many forms of integration within a flexible manufacturing environment and easy future customization as necessary.
Open Access
Statistical Development of a Duty Cycle for Plug-in Vehicles in a North American Urban Setting Using Fleet Information
(2010) Shahidinejad, Soheil; Bibeau, Eric; Filizadeh, Shaahin
Development of a daily duty cycle based on real world driving behavior and parking times is a critical requirement in the optimal design of power-train components of a plug-in vehicle. Standard driving cycles cannot completely emulate the real-world power demand of a vehicle and its downtimes in particular. To address these shortcomings, a large database of one year of measured data collected from a fleet of 76 cars in the city of Winnipeg, MB, Canada is obtained and is then used to develop a new duty cycle. This paper describes a methodology for statistical analysis of the fleet data, including while a vehicle is parked. Due to the intrinsic differences in vehicle usage profiles during weekdays and weekends, two 24-h duty cycles with suitable windows of opportunity for charging are developed for weekday and weekend driving patterns. The uniqueness of the proposed statistical methodology and the resulting duty cycles contribute to addressing the present shortcomings of standard driving cycles.
Restricted
Winnipeg Duty Cycle
(University of Manitoba, 2010) Bibeau, Eric
Open Access
River ADV measurement and hybrid filter
(2011-04-07T16:26:06Z) Birjandi, Amir Hossein
Open Access
Histology of the Larval Neodiprion abietis (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) Digestive Tract
(2011-12-18) Lucarotti, Christopher J.; Whittome-Waygood, Beatrixe H.; Levin, David B.
The alimentary canal of Neodiprion abietis larvae is a straight tube divided into foregut, midgut, and hindgut. Posterior to the mouth, the foregut is further divided into the pharynx, esophagus (crop), and proventriculus, all of which are lined with cuticle. A pair of muscular, chitin-lined pouches branch off the anterior foregut and lie lateral to the alimentary canal. Gastric caeca are located at the anterior end of the midgut, where the peritrophic membrane is formed and was observed throughout the midgut. A single layer of midgut columnar epithelial cells abuts on the basal lamina at one end with microvilli extending into the gut lumen at the other. Nidi of regenerative cells were observed between columnar epithelial cells at the basal lamina. Malpighian tubules are attached to the posterior end of the midgut. The hindgut consists of the pylorus, a muscular ileum connecting to a bulbous rectum, which then opens to the anus.Erratum to “Histology of the Larval Neodiprion abietis (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) Digestive Tract”
Open Access
Decoding of Turbo Codes in Symmetric Alpha-Stable Noise
(2011-3-29) Shafieipour, Mohammad; Lim, Heng-Siong; Chuah, Teong-Chee
This paper investigates the decoding of turbo codes in impulsive symmetric α-stable (SαS) noise. Due to the nonexistence of a closed-form expression for the probability density function (pdf) of α-stable processes, numerical-based SαS pdf is used to derive branch transition probability (btp) for the maximum a posteriori turbo decoder. Results show that in Gaussian noise, the turbo decoder achieves similar performance using both the conventional and the proposed btps, but in impulsive channels, the turbo decoder with the proposed btp substantially outperforms the turbo decoder utilizing the conventional btp. Results also confirm that the turbo decoder incorporating the proposed btp outperforms the existing Cauchy-based turbo decoder in non-Cauchy impulsive noise, while the two decoders accomplish similar performance in Cauchy noise.
Open Access
Arthritic Hand-Finger Movement Similarity Measurements: Tolerance Near Set Approach
(2011-4-5) Henry, Christopher; Peters, James F.
The problem considered in this paper is how to measure the degree of resemblance between nonarthritic and arthritic hand movements during rehabilitation exercise. The solution to this problem stems from recent work on a tolerance space view of digital images and the introduction of image resemblance measures. The motivation for this work is both to quantify and to visualize differences between hand-finger movements in an effort to provide clinicians and physicians with indications of the efficacy of the prescribed rehabilitation exercise. The more recent introduction of tolerance near sets has led to a useful approach for measuring the similarity of sets of objects and their application to the problem of classifying image sequences extracted from videos showing finger-hand movement during rehabilitation exercise. The approach to measuring the resemblance between hand movement images introduced in this paper is based on an application of the well-known Hausdorff distance measure and a tolerance nearness measure. The contribution of this paper is an approach to measuring as well as visualizing the degree of separation between images in arthritic and nonarthritic hand-finger motion videos captured during rehabilitation exercise.
Open Access
Design of sheet metal handling system at Bristol Aerospace Limited
(2012-02-17) Costigane, David; Wu, Chuan; Karaman, Seval; Wu, Jian
This report is about the improvement of Bristol’s sheet metal handling system by CKW design team to reduced scratches and dents in sheet metal. These scratches and dents result in waste material or high rework by the company. In addition lots of time and money is wasted. This report includes a background about the problem and the general background about the company Bristol. Customer requirements and meetings are documented within the report to support recommended design decisions. Six recommended designs are listed within the report, to eliminate Bristol’s problem of scratched and dented sheet metal. There is not one design that can solve Bristol`s problem therefore most, if not all of the six recommended designs should be implemented to reduce scatched as much as possible. Many tools for decision making can be found in the appendices. CKW design team found these tools very useful in making a decision and weighing the specific factors that were important to Bristol. The end result is six recommended designs that are believed to be a beneficial solution for Bristol with a positive outcome.
Open Access
Fixture for jet engine bypass duct : final design report
(2012-02-17) Maqsood, Omar; Nguyen, Bao; Tiefenbach, Marc; Dahl, John
Team Supernova has been commissioned by Bristol Aerospace Limited to design a fixture for a jet engine bypass duct as part of the University of Manitoba Engineering Design class. Bristol Aerospace manufactures a bypass duct for the Airbus A380 turbofan engine. In the current manufacturing process of the duct workers are at risk of strain injuries from manual manipulation of the part. This report proposes a fixture for the jet engine duct that will eliminate worker strain. After conducting research and analysis, six conceptual fixture designs were generated. Further screening led to the conclusion that the suspended arm fixture would be the most feasible for this application. During the design phase of the suspended arm fixture another fixture that functions similar to the suspended arm was discovered. This fixture, available from the Anver Corporation, is the fixture that the team chose to pursue. The fixture will be supplied by Acculift‐Airmax, the Winnipeg distributor for Anver. The fixture is a custom, electric powered, vacuum lifter with side grippers capable of 360 degree manual rotation. The fixture will make use of a currently existing electric hoist in the manufacturing plant at Bristol Aerospace. The electric hoist will provide lifting, lowering, and translational motion of the duct, and the fixture would provide the rotational motion. The Anver fixture has a quoted cost of $15,995. A stand for the fixture, designed by the team, has a quoted cost of $448, bringing the total cost of the fixture system to $16,443. The Anver fixture meets all of the customer’s needs and target specifications. Supernova recommends that Bristol Aerospace purchase the Anver fixture and implement its use in the manufacturing process of the jet engine duct in order to eliminate worker strain.
Open Access
Riveting process fixture design
(2012-02-17) La Tour, Sasha; Wang, Mo Ran; Li, Qi; Xing, Zi Bing
This report details the final design of a turbofan bypass duct riveting process fixture for Bristol Aerospace Ltd. The design was requested to reduce damage to the skin of the ducts during the existing riveting process. A list of client needs was identified, and features were designed to satisfy these needs. These features include supports with adjustable height and angle, as well as a pedal assembly that lifts the entire fixture. Additional features were also developed to further improve the security of the duct, as well as the overall usefulness of the fixture. An analysis of the prototype cost, and the expected final cost of the fixture is presented. Some recommendations are also made for possible improvements to the system at an increased cost and delay in fixture implementation. Finally, the report summarizes the features of the riveting process fixture design, and concludes that the design fulfills the needs of the client.1
Open Access
Automated truss stacking : final report
(2012-02-24) Foord, Stephen; Johnston, Kristin; Iancu, Adrian; Krawchuk, Neil
Team 16 was tasked by All-Fabrications Incorporated (All-Fab) in Winnipeg to solve their truss stacking problem. Currently, All-Fab is using manual labor to vertically stack the trusses. The use of manual labor creates health and safety issues for the workers and reduces overall productivity. Current procedures require production to be shut down when extremely large trusses come off the assembly line, in order to reassign extra hands to help stack the truss. All-Fab asked our team to design an automated system that horizontally stacks trusses up to 60 feet long. Although All-fab creates trusses up to 80 feet in length, these trusses cannot be stacked horizontally as they cannot withstand being lifted by a forklift in the horizontal position. Due to time constraints, our team has decided (with approval from the customer) to leave the existing vertical stacking system in place for when longer trusses come off the assembly line. Our client has given us a budget of $ 30 000, however, after speaking with Professor Balakrishnan (November 8, 2010), an expert in the field of robotics, we saw that complete automation could not be achieved with the existing budget. During the design phase we tried to minimize cost as much as possible. Despite our best efforts, staying within the given budget proved to be impossible. Our final design is a horizontal truss stacking system that was modified from an existing design created by Clark Industries [1]. Our design uses lead screws in order to raise and lower the trusses, as well as a removable I-beam that nests within a CChannel beam allowing the trusses to be moved left and right. In order to move the trusses, we have decided to use a roller system. Our entire project is electrically powered and designed to work outdoors in Winnipeg’s extreme climate. The stacking system on the ground is a simple system that uses railway ties and gusseted steel poles. Although our project was unable to be achieved within the original budget, we felt that this system is a viable option for solving the horizontal stacking problem at All- Fabrications Incorporated.

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