Design, Manufacturing, and Controls
Focus areas include: Biomedical Devices, Controls and Sensors , Design, Fluid Power, Solid Mechanics, and Transportation
Nanotechnology and Nanomanufacturing
Focus areas include: Aerosol and Environmental Sciences, Nanotechnology, and Nanomanufacturing
Thermal and Fluid Sciences
Focus areas include: Biotransport, Energy Conversion and Renewable Energy, Combustion and Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, Plasmas
Design, Manufacturing, and Controls
Biomedical Devices
Biomedical Devices and Bioheat Transfer are major areas of research for our Department. Our faculty are using their expertise in bio heat and mass transfer, biomechanics, design, and tissue engineering to solve problems that are important to medicine. We are working on the surgical reconstruction of ligaments; the kinematics and dynamics of joints; control systems for orthoses and protheses; computer-aided diagnostics; biotransport techniques to preserve tissues and cells and to treat diseased tissue; new medical devices for diagnosing and treating cancer and cardiovascular, ocular, urologic diseases; and artificial arteries, coronea and other tissues for eventual transplantation and use in the body. The proximity of the University’s medical school and the presence of more than 500 medical device companies in the Twin Cities area makes this an especially vibrant home for this research.
Biomedical Laboratories include:
Biothermodynamics and Biomechanics Laboratory
Human/Machine Design Laboratory
Medical Devices Center
ME Faculty: Aksan, Bischof, Durfee, Erdman, Hubel, Li, Rajamani, Sparrow
Affiliated Graduate Faculty: Barocas, Bechtold, Tranquillo
Controls and Sensors 
Controls
Analytical areas of research include control of nonlinear systems, passivity, observer design, stochastic estimation, signal processing and repetitive control. Faculty work on a large number of sponsored projects involving real world applications of control systems, including applications in vehicle control, engines, powertrain systems, fluid power systems, sensing and control of color printers, paper manufacturing processes, robotics and human assist machines.
Laboratories:
Advanced Controls and Microsensors Laboratory
Fluid Power Control Laboratory
Mechatronics and Intelligent Machines Lab
ME Faculty: Donath, Durfee, Li, Rajamani, Stelson, Sun
Design
Major areas of interest in design are in computer aided engineering, solid mechanics, mechanics of materials, mechanism design, computational nano-mechanics, fluid power components, and multi-scale physics and computation.
Examples of current resarch projects in design include mechanical design of neutrino detectors, design of novel pulse width modulated hydraulic valves, design of roof panels with integrated energy projection technologies, development of human assist machines for rehabilitation, compact fluid power energy storage, hydraulic hybrid vehicle, stress analysis of rolled webs and design of medical devices.
ME Faculty: Chase, Dumitrica, Erdman, Hayes, Klamecki, Li, Mantell, Ramalingam, Tamma
Laboratories:
Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power
Composites Laboratory
Decision Support Laboratory
Engineering Visualization Laboratory
LINCAGES Software
Sensor Laboratory
Fluid Power
There has been a recent resurgence of interest in developing new technologies that can exploit the untapped potential of fluid power. Fluid power offers promise for substantial improvements in the energy efficiency of heavy machinery and passenger vehicles, and for compact tools and robots that can operate for long periods of time without external power. As the lead institution for the NSF-sponsored Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power, our Department is at the forefront of this work. We are focusing on three goals: improving energy efficiency; expanding the use of fluid power in transportation; and developing portable, wearable and autonomous fluid-power devices. This work could lead to energy savings of $10 to $20 billion per year and the development of products such as such as hydraulic hybrid vehicles, un-tethered medical and rehabilitation devices, wearable high-powered tools and mobile robots. The ERC includes seven universities, three nonprofit institutions and fifty member companies.
Laboratories:
Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power
Fluid Power Control Laboratory
ME Faculty: Davidson, Durfee, Li, Stelson, Sun
Transportation
Research in transportation covers many areas including: human performance and behavior, driver interfaces, sensors, vehicle controls, and methodologies for crash mitigation. Recent activities have been directed towards keeping the driver in the loop, using sensing technologies, control and communication systems and improved human-machine interfaces to reduce driver error, and thus prevent crashes before they happen. Several major national initiatives are underway, two in particular include developing new approaches to: (1) reduce the high incidence of fatalities at rural unsignalized intersections and (2) use high accuracy sensing and haptic feedback to the driver so that buses can operate in narrow lanes or on road shoulders, where there are only inches to spare. There is significant effort on developing new sensor technologies, especially for high accuracy vehicle location, for measurement of traffic flow rate, weigh-in-motion and measurement of tire-road friction coefficient.
A goal of the NSF supported ERC for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power Center is to utilize fluid power to enable more energy efficient vehicles. A hydraulic hybrid passenger vehicle is one of the test beds in which new fluid power technologies will be demonstrated.
Laboratories:
Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power
Intelligent Vehicles Laboratory
HumanFirst Program
Advanced Controls and Microsensors Laboratory
ITS Institute
ME Faculty: Donath, Li, Rajamani, Stelson
Affiliated Research Faculty: Shankwitz, Manser
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Nanotechnology and Nanomanufacturing
Aerosol and Environmental Science
Laboratories:
Atmospheric Aerosol Research
Center for Diesel Research Facilities
Particle Technology Laboratory
Thermal Environmental Research Laboratory
ME Faculty: Kittelson, Kuehn, Marple, McMurry, Pui, Ramsey
Affiliated Graduate Faculty: Roberts
Nanotechnology and Nanomanufacturing
Nanotechnology is an emerging discipline with revolutionary potential for producing new materials, improving energy efficiency, and creating new disgnostic tools and therapies for medical applications. Researchers in the Mechanical Engineering Department are working in all of these areas. We are using plasmas to produce nanoscale coatings with improved hardness and wear resistance. We are exploring applications of highly uniform semiconductor nanocrystals, produced using a process invented in the department, as building blocks for more efficient lighting and solar cells. And, we are working on new nanoparticle-based medical imaging techniques and cancer therapies. Concerns have been raised about possible unanticipated health effects associated with exposure to such nanomaterials. Our department has one of the world’s leading programs on the measurement and behavior of gas-borne nanoparticles, and we are using that expertise to study their health and environmental impacts.
Laboratories:
Computational Nanomechanics Laboratory
High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory
Nanofabrication Center
Particle Technology Laboratory
Technology Integration & Advanced Nano/Microsystems Laboratory (Tian Lab)
ME Faculty: Cui, Dumitrica, Girshick, Kortshagen, Pui
Thermal and Fluid Sciences
Biotransport
Laboratories:
Biostabilization Laboratory
Biothermodynamics and Biomechanics Laboratory
Center for Biotransport
ME Faculty: Aksan, Bischof, Hubel
Combustion and Fluid Flow
Laboratories:
Center for Diesel Research Facilities
Computational Transport Phenomena Research
Engine Laboratory
Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Practice
Shear Flow Control
ME Faculty: Davidson, Garrick, Kittelson, Simon, Sparrow, Strykowski
Affiliated Graduate Faculty: Arndt, Sotiropoulos
Energy Conversion and Renewable Energy
Laboratories:
Center for Diesel Research Facilities
Engines Laboratory
Solar Energy Laboratory
ME Faculty: Davidson, Goldstein, Kittelson, Kulacki, Kortshagen, Mantell, Simon, Sparrow
Plasmas
Plasmas, or partially ionized gases, are used in industry for a wide variety of applications. Computer chips could not be made without plasmas, much lighting is based on plasmas, aircraft engine components are coated using plasmas, etc. Major new application areas include nanotechnology and biomedicine. Research in the High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory (HTPL) of the ME Department is currently focused on plasma synthesis and processing of nanoparticles for applications ranging from photovoltaics to hard coatings to cancer treatment, plasma cutting, and others, as well as on basic plasma science.
Laboratories:
High Temperature and Plasma Laboratory
ME Faculty: Girshick, Heberlein, Kortshagen
Heat Transfer
Laboratories:
Bioheat and Mass Transfer Laboratory
Cell Injury Lab. / MnCTS Thermal Therapy Interest Group
Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Practice
Turbulent Convective Heat Transfer
ME Faculty: Bischof, Davidson, Goldstein, Kulacki, Simon, Sparrow, Strykowski
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