Mechanical Engineering is a vast field of study, however I am focusing more on design and mechatronics (yes I used Wikipedia). The Journal of Mechanical Design is were I got my article for the blog entry. The September issue that I got the article from was dedicated to sustainable design. There has been such an awareness to the environment and how waste can be reduced over the past several years. In mechanical systems there are numerous ways that energy is lost, so as an engineer it would be wise to reduce that lost or even redirect it to another system.
The issue that got the article from dealt with these issues. The title of the article is "A Device for Harvesting Energy From Rotational Vibrations". I found it to be an interesting article. It was very technical with many equations and figures.
As I metioned, there are many ways that energy can be lost in mechanical systems, but specifically in dealing with components that rotate like gears and cams. There is energy lost through the vibrations of these components. The article states that through the use of electromagnetic induction the potential energy of the vibrations can be harvested.
The approach that the authors took in their research was to first develop an analytical model of the harvester and present that first. Second, they designed the prototype based on their theories and test details for each element. Finally, they tested the prototype and compared the data they obtained to the models they developed. The outputs were not very large, but enough to possibly energize other components in surrounding systems.
I have tried to be clear and concise in presenting this article. Any feedback would be appreciated so that it could help me with the ones to follow.
Rhetorical Analysis
13 years ago
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3 comments:
First of all, fantastic use of Wikipedia; I'm a fan.
I have also seen the increase in push for sustainable designs. That's part of what we did in Engineers Without Borders club at Clemson University: use our engineering skills to develop sustainable designs for less-fortunate countries. If you're interested in sustainable projects, maybe you should check out the club!
Were you at all surprised with how technical your article was? Did the equations make sense to you?
I think the use of links in your blog was helpful and connecting the article to the rest of the world was important, like saying that an example of a mechanical system is a gear.
For next time you might want to explain a bit more about what the prototype was and where it would be used.
Good job!
It is interesting to see how sustainability is a big part of mechanical engineering as well. I am in Civil Engineering and we deal a lot with sustainable building designs in order to cut down on energy. Hopefully all of this sustainability will eventually pay off and help to improve our environment.
That seems really interesting. It seems these days people are trying to find every way possible to save energy to cut costs, especially in todays economy. Even if it saves just a little energy, it would be good enough for something small. But hopefully they'll find a way to save a lot of energy one day.
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