Engineers have improved their skills over time and disasters of the past have contributed many lessons. On March 12, 1928, only two years after the St. Francis Dam was built in California, it catastrophically failed. The consensus of most of the investigating commissions was that increasing water percolation through the fault line had either undermined or weakened the foundation to a point that a portion of the structure blew out or the dam collapsed from its own immense weight. The disaster marked the end of the career for this Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's chief engineer.
3 keys to health insurance for engineers There are three major advantages engineers have over other professionals when it comes to health insurance. Make sure your firm is leveraging all of them, to get the best possible benefits for the price. Learn more.
The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment aboard NASA's Perseverance rover, known as MOXIE, has successfully extracted about 5 grams of breathable oxygen from the atmosphere of Mars, something that could pave the way for future crewed missions to the Red Planet. Meanwhile, the Ingenuity took its second flight on Mars, going a little higher and farther than it did on its first outing.
Engineers in the UK say they have developed a load-bearing material that mimics human cartilage. The material is composed of a lubricating synthetic porous hydrogel contained in a silicone-based polymer matrix.
Twisted polymer actuators for soft robots have been limited by slowness and inefficiency. Researchers at Northern Arizona University have found a solution with the use of pressurized fluid to achieve much quicker response times in an artificial muscle that resembles cavatappi pasta.
Data from Medtronic's study of its IN.PACT AV drug-coated balloon showed that, for two years, it had a sustained and superior effectiveness in treating arteriovenous fistulae lesions in patients with end-stage renal disease, compared with standard percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.
Multiparticulate technology offers makers of complex drugs flexibility in dosing for controlled or extended release, and Pfizer's multiparticulate extrusion-spheronization platform is designed to deliver highly specialized medicines, writes Pfizer's Jacintha Griffin. The process involves dry blending, wet granulation, extrusion, spheronization and pellet drying, followed by pellet coating if required.
The FDA has given 510(k) clearance to Zimmer Biomet for its ROSA Partial Knee System, an imaging system used during robotically assisted partial knee replacement procedures. The system provides 2D to 3D imaging and real-time data on soft tissue and bone anatomy for more accurate cutting and range-of-motion analysis.
How Green Finance is Funding the Energy TransitionWhen it comes to project finance, investors are increasingly voting with their conscience. The Environmental, Social and Governance criteria for investing have grown exponentially as fund managers race to find assets that will satisfy customers' sustainability principles. Christopher Hurst, Director General of the Projects Directorate at the European Investment Bank, explained the burst of interest. Read more.
Replacing diesel-fueled power with micronuclear reactors could lower power costs and increase reliability for the hundreds of Alaskan villages powered by microgrids, experts say. However, research by the University of Alaska's Center for Economic Development found that local experts are skeptical about the viability of small-scale nuclear technology in remote areas and would rather see it tested elsewhere first.
A 2-megawatt tidal turbine being towed to an area near the Orkney Islands north of mainland Scotland may be the most powerful of its kind. The 243-foot-long Orbital O2 turbine, which has been under construction since 2019, is expected to generate enough electricity to power 2,000 homes annually.
Within the Manufacturing and Advanced Manufacturing Standards Committee, the Subcommittee on Additive Manufacturing is forming three working groups to address the need for standards and guidance documents related to design for additive manufacturing workflow practices; documentation requirements to meet government and regulatory certification criteria; and additive manufacturing for nonmetallic materials applications. If you are interested in this or any other ASME AM-related standards activities, please let us know by indicating your interest through this form.
Register now for Turbo Expo and tune in to the Honors & Awards Specialty Tracks and Diversity Session. These lectures and sessions will be featured throughout the 4-day virtual event. Get the opportunity to connect with these authors along with other attendees during the event. The virtual platform allows attendees to invite other participants and create roundtable discussions around the clock no matter what time zone they are in - all from the comfort of their own home.
