Engineering
research stays in-state thanks to local expertise, funding
Engineering work and research are staying in Oregon thanks to the combination
of local experts and local funding.
The Oregon Metals Initiative (OMI), a consortium of companies and research
institutions under the Oregon University System, has contributed more than
$9 million in private and public funding to state public university research
programs since 1989. The mechanical engineering departments of both Portland
State University (PSU) and Oregon State University (OSU) offer two examples
of how OMI investments work.
At PSU, OMI provided $30,000 in funding over three years to support a research
partnership with Boeing Commercial Airplanes of Portland. A research team,
led by PSU mechanical engineering professor Chien Wern was selected in
2000 to improve the performance and cost of the transmission that operates
landing gear on the Boeing 737 commercial airplane.Boeing selected PSU
as its research partner over Pennsylvania State University, a recognized
leader in gear research.
"We found PSU to be more open to new ways of testing gears that more closely
represented the actual usage and wear of the product," said Matthew Carter,
associate technical fellow in the Department of Manufacturing Research & Development
for Boeing Commercial Airplanes and OMI president. "They did a great job
of problem solving. Our greatest challenge was keeping up with PSU in supplying
research materials, and that's a good challenge to have."
The flap drive transmission actuates the flaps on the jetliners' wings.
The research team also included such experts as PSU mechanical engineering
professor Hormoz Zareh, along with the efforts of PSU graduate and undergraduate
students who gained practical experience to complement their educational
experience.
At OSU, OMI funding has supported partnerships with such companies as ESCO
Corporation, Gunderson Inc. and Precision Castparts Corp. to research and
test designs for improved equipment and materials.
In one recent partnership with Gunderson Inc., OSU researchers supported
improvements to railroad freight car wheels. The North American rail industry
spends an estimated $180 million per year to replace 200,000 wheels damaged
by spalling, a defect caused by a combination of physical and thermal phenomena.
|
 |
In another research partnership between Gunderson and OSU, computer visualization
software from Delmia Corp. demonstrates a virtual assembly of a new rail
car design for fabrication at Gunderson plants in Canada, the U.S. and
Mexico.
Created by Oregon Gov. Neil Goldschmidt with help from the US Bureau of
Mines, the Oregon Metals Initiative combines public and private funding
and organizations to support in-state research for the metals industry.
Industry provides half the research funding, which is matched by state
funding.
As this year's OMI president, Carter's objective is to get more companies
involved. His efforts include recruitment of more small-to-mid-sized companies,
who bring a new and different perspective to the research and development
needs within Oregon's metals industry.
|
