Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation

Technology

Fuel Reactivity Method Cuts Diesel Engine Emissions

Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and soot cause acid rain and smog. They are pollutants that commonly result from the burning of fuel in diesel engines. Engine conditions that reduce NOx emissions tend to increa...
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Rolf Reitz, Reed Hanson, Derek Splitter, Sage Kokjohn | P100054US02

Technology

Induction Motor Wastes Less Power

The induction machine is by far the most heavily used industrial motor, and ranges in size from a fraction of a horsepower to more than a megawatt. It produces torque by the electromagnetic interactio...
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Thomas Lipo, Prabhdeep Virk | P140055US01

Technology

Environmentally Green Glue

Formaldehyde-based adhesives have been used to make interior plywood and particle board for decades. These synthetic adhesives, which are derived from petroleum, are inexpensive and perform well. Howe...
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Srinivasan Damodaran, Dani Zhu | P130276US02

Technology

Dielectric Sensor for Stress and Strain Detection

Load bearing structures experience stresses and/or strains that deform the material from which they are made. Regardless of a building component’s size, exposure to or tolerance for stress and strai...
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Yuri Shkel, Ho Young Lee, Yiyan Peng | P08252US

Technology

Reducing DC-DC Converter Loss for More Efficient Cars

DC-DC converters are used in a variety of devices to raise or lower voltage. They are used in the power systems of hybrid and electric vehicles to boost the battery’s output voltage. In these system...
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Robert Lorenz, Chi-Ming Wang, Masaki Wasekura | P130119US01

Technology

Dynamic Predictor Improves Machine Control

Articulated mechanisms, such as walking robots or robotic arms, can be understood as a set of rigid links connected to each other by joints. The joints are put into motion using motors, sensors that i...
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Paul Milenkovic | P130307US01

Technology

Smoother Surfaces with Pulsed Laser Polishing

Pulsed laser polishing (PLP) helps smooth metal and other material. The technique employs lasers to irradiate a surface, melting small areas with each pulse. In these molten areas, rough surface protr...
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Frank Pfefferkorn, Xiaochun Li, Neil Duffie, Chao Ma, Venkata Madhukanth Vadali | P130168US01

Technology

Ultrasonic Welding with Real-Time Quality Control

In ultrasonic welding, work pieces are clamped between a horn and anvil and then joined using high-frequency vibration energy. Friction and heat between the surfaces causes them to soften and meld tog...
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Xiaochun Li, Hongseok Choi, Hang Li, Wayne Cai, Jeff Abell, Jingzhou Zhao | P120081US01

Technology

Patch Clamp Providing On-Chip Thermal Control

Approximately half of all diseases affect the function of ion channels in cell membranes. Testing the flow of ions and molecules through these membranes clearly is vital to drug discovery and research...
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Robert Blick | P110325US01

Technology

Radial 3-D Printer for Improved Prototyping Efficiency

3-D printing, or rapid prototyping, makes use of additive manufacturing to produce a 3-D object. Additive manufacturing is the transformation of a virtual design into a physical object by creating suc...
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Thomas (Rock) Mackie, Nathan Patterson, Benjamin Cox, Nathan Schumacher, George Petry | P120012US01

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