Bone fractures are a common medical issue, that affects millions of people worldwide each year Traditional methods of monitoring bone healing are based on periodic radiographic imaging, which can be limited in frequency and provide delayed feedback on the healing process. By installing sensors into bone implants, we will get continuous monitoring, which will allow doctors to track the healing progress more accurately and make informed decisions about patient care.
Motivation:
Objective:
Planned tasks:
The main idea of the project aims to develop a method and device for controlling the supply amount of lubricant to the cylinder bearing face of a piston of a reciprocating 2-stroke engine. The lubrication of the engine is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to costs on sea-going ships. In addition, lubrication oil related failure is the most common cause of main engine damage.
Schaller has filed a patent in 2005 with the name “Method and device for controlling the supply of lubricant to the cylinder bearing face of a piston of a reciprocating engine”. The invention is related to a method that is mainly interesting for large 2-stroke marine engines. In order to improve the control of the quantity of lubricant to be supplied, the electrical continuity between the cylinder wall and the piston is observed and the quantity of lubricant supply is gradually reduced as long as the spurious signals of the electrical continuity indicate a rupture of the lubrication film on the cylinder bearing surface, whereupon the amount of lubricant supply is raised to a value in which the spurious signal disappears.
In relation to Schaller’s condition-based monitoring system CobMOS it shall be evaluated if this feature can be implemented and to which costs and validation effort.
The existing mechanics shown in an example arrangement are provided but need to be improved in several mechanical aspects:
Schaller produces water-in-oil sensors for the characterization of lubrication oils. In a former IPS project, the manufacturing documentation of one series was renewed and the sensor know-how was documented.
In this project, three aspects are available as project task.
• The new machinery / equipment for trimming shall be optimized.
• The PCB should be analyzed and a new layout shall be proposed.
• The sensor signal output should be analyzed and made continuously available.
• Evaluate the possibilities to switch between different sensitivity levels of the sensor.
Tasks:
• Analyze equipment / PCB
• Discuss optimization opportunities with Schaller specialists
• Design an evaluation board to test additional features
• Generate a roadmap with the R&D team to enable a development of new sensor derivatives / sensitivities
1. Current DAQ measurement system
For the past 20 years, we have used the HP34970A Data Acquisition Instrument together with interchangeable cards for measuring and collecting of voltage, current and temperature for PCBs and devices.
This is especially useful during temperature tests when a PCB or Device is in a temperature chamber. This allows us to measure and monitor voltage, current of the device as well temperature at critical points within the device or on the PCB.
The HP34970A can interface with up to 20 different measurement cards, allowing the measurement of up to 20 different measurements. This can be a mixture of Voltage, current and temperature.
The measurement within a card slot is determined by the type of Card present and is selected within the program running on a PC.
Currently the application only runs on a Windows XP machine. The application allows to setup the measurement with the required measurements to be monitored. The amount of cards to be used are depended on the different amount of measurements that needed to be monitored.
Once the measurement is started data from the cards via the HP34970A is collected every 1 sec. The measurement can be paused and resumed, as well as be stopped. When the measurement series is stopped the collected data is saved and can then be exported to a portable storage device, e.g., Flash drive.
The HP34970A was discontinued on 1 June 2021.
2. Objective:
The Objective will be to create a program that allows the interfacing of the HP34970A (or similar DAQ) on a new PC operating system that provides:
• The selection of the type of measurement based on the card type in the slot e.g.
• The slot number of the card
• The type of measurement e.g., voltage, current, or temperature
• Units as per the selected measurement type.
• Live view of collected measurements based on above selection, as a single value and/or graph
• Collect the data at regular intervals, defaulting at one sec per measurement
• Store collected data in a database
• Store project setup in a database
• Exporting of stored data
Within the newly created Innovation Management group of TLT-Turbo, sustainable and ecological ideas are created and feasibility studies are performed.
The current project aims on concepts for a mechanical energy storage device based on springs. Commonly used springs have a relatively low energy storage capacity, which is due on the one hand to the low degree of utilization of the spring and on the other hand to the physical properties of the spring steel.
Glass fibers, for example, have a significantly better ratio of tensile strength to modulus of elasticity and would therefore be very suitable as a spring material. The same applies to elastomers. Natural rubber is currently one of the materials that can store the most mechanical energy in relation to weight. In addition, natural rubber is relatively inexpensive.
In order to use best suitable material for energy storage, a design must be created that ensures the highest possible degree of utilization of the material. An important part of this design is a mechanism that allows the stored energy to be retrieved in a controlled manner.
The energy transition is intended to create the basis for a clean, secure and affordable energy supply in the future. Germany has set goals, such as achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. To achieve these climate targets, the development of a hydrogen industry will be necessary.
Due to its low volumetric density, hydrogen has disadvantages in transport and storage. For this reason, the use of methanol and ammonia as alternative energy sources is being discussed in industries such as shipping.
Work packages of the scientific work
At ZeMA a highly innovative project in collaboration with the trauma surgery department of Saarland University Hospital is developing intelligent implants for bone fracture treatment. For better bone healing, fracture sites are stimulated by defined mechanical vibrations. For the realization of this integrated actuation system, a special class is smart materials, so-called shape memory alloys (SMA) are used.
Goal of the IPS project will be the realization of a vivid and interactive showcase demonstrator of the active implant. The existing mechanics are provided and need to be embedded in environment, which explains the technology to interacting users.
Concrete possible tasks are:
The project will be guided by experts in the different fields. The tasks above are sample ideas – the team is strongly encouraged to become creative and develop their own ideas for the realization of the showcase demonstrator.
At ZeMA a novel actuation mechanism based on shape memory alloys (SMA) has been developed. This mechanism is able to perform fast switching, either in linear or rotational movements.
Goal of the IPS project will be the realization of a vivid and interactive showcase demonstrator of this new actuation mechanism.
The existing mechanics shown in an example arrangement are provided but need to be improved in several mechanical aspects:
The project will be guided by experts in the different fields. The tasks above are sample ideas – the team is strongly encouraged to become creative and develop their own ideas for the realization of the showcase demonstrator.
This project is partly based on last semester's project regarding the Proximity Detection System PDS4.0.
In order to ease the step from former equipment to the new PDS4.0 equipment, a migration device is needed.
The TCT1 and TCT3 Tags are used around the world by many customers, broadcasting its ID via UHF. A new device is about to be developed that integrates into the PDS4.0 universe but also understands these tags.
While the development of this new device is out of scope, the IPS projects goal is to collect data for a proof of concept.
The major points are:
Becker Mining Europe with its subsidiaries (Becker Group) is a high-tech supplier in the fields of Energy Distribution technology, Automation technology, Communication technology and Transportation technology.
Proximity Detection Systems (PDS) and Collision Awareness Systems (CAS) alike, are designed to prevent injury and possible loss of life during the operation of mining vehicles in close proximity to mining personnel. The system provides an early warning indication that alerts the operator to the presence and number of personnel and vehicles in the vehicle’s vicinity.
The project task involved:
The energy transition is intended to create the basis for a clean, secure and affordable energy sources. Germany has set itself major goals, including the achievement of greenhouse gas neutrality by the year 2045. To achieve these climate targets, the development of a hydrogen industry will be essential. will be necessary. The fuel cell in particular will have a key role to in this context.
The project task involved:
The CMDB data quality in the company today leaves much to be desired. The students must conduct interviews with all parties involved in the process (IT, business departments, etc.) and design a process for new IT Equipment respectively actual Equipment. IT Security must agree to this process.
Schaller Automation Industrielle Automationstechnik GmbH & Co. KG has been successfully active in the sector of automation technology for over 60 years.
Schaller has been developing, producing and selling safety systems for large diesel, gas and dual-fuel engines for the past 50 years. These safety systems, so-called oil mist detection systems (OMD), have been successfully deployed in ships and power stations around the world.
Our daily mission at Schaller is the detection of hazardous operating conditions in which damage to bearings can lead to the escape of hazardous oil mist. This oil mist contains minute oil particles and can, in extreme cases, lead to an explosion in the engine crankcase. Schaller oil mist detection systems represent the last reliable safeguard against such accidents.
At the same time, we are also developing highly sensitive, intelligent monitoring systems for early detection of damage in order to prevent any formation of oil mist before it starts.
Schaller sells one remaining water-in-oil sensor for one specific customer. The concept of the sensor is from the 1980s and only limited documentation is left. In addition, the manufacturing know-how is limited to specific employees.
In this project, the current process flow and process steps of the production shall be documented as well as the corresponding machinery / equipment and technical documentation. The manufacturing shall be visualized and steps should be defined to ensure a future manufacturing of the sensor.
Tasks:
Hager Group is one of the European market leaders in the field of electrical installation technology for low-voltage switchgear.
On the production site of Blieskastel, Hager produce consumer units panel boards and installation systems for residential and commercial energy distribution systems of different markets.
The project "Monitoring Powder Coating Process" is placed in Blieskastel and include/needs process- , chemical-, electrical-, plc technical and economical know how.
The project task involved:
HYDAC is a group of companies specializing in the manufacture and sale of components and systems as well as services for the industrial fields of hydraulics / fluid power and electronic control technology. Fifteen independent individual companies operate under the Hydac brand. In 2018, the internationally group of companies had about 10,000 employees, 50 branches and 500 trade and service partners worldwide.
The majority of the companies are based in Sulzbach (Saarland). In a press brake, sheet metal parts such as trim parts, housings or machine components are produced by bending. The press brake basically consists of a bending die and a bending punch. Two hydraulic cylinders and a corresponding hydraulic control move the latter up and down. For better energy efficiency, in modern machines, the oil needed to move the cylinders is provided by a variable-speed pump drive. Such a drive usually consists of the hydraulic pump, the electric motor and the associated frequency converter. The main goal of this work is to investigate electric motors and converters in more detail and to develop new concepts with the associated control algorithms.
