Innovative Projects Realized

Invstigation of High Temperature Tribological Behavior and Wear Mechanism of Stellite Alloys

Many industrial processes require materials that combine high strength at elevated temperatures with good corrosion and wear resistance. Superalloys are the only materials which can serve in such conditions, because of their outstanding high-temperature properties and excellent corrosion and wear resistance. However, due to limitation of testing facilities and difficulty of experimental operations, the data of these properties at elevated temperatures for these alloys are very limited, which has limited the application of these high temperature materials. The proposed research is aimed to investigate high temperature tribological properties and hardness of selected superalloys which are mainly used for wear resistance. The wear mechanism at elevated temperatures of these alloys will also be studied. The obtained results from this project will help extend the application of these alloys and will also help Deloro Stellite Group and other relevant industrial organizations design new superalloys. 

Identification and Evaluation of Exemplary Practices of Initiatives for the Commercialization of Innovation

The project aims to improve The Centre of Excellence for Commercialization of Research (CCR)’s business model and develop potential practices that would further help Canadian companies in commercialization. In this project the intern will identify the most effective practices including those as may generalize to improve the partner organization’s commercialization model. The project aims to classify programs and services which are related to CCR’s objective of having exemplary commercialization practices. The intern will focus on interviewing related Canadian organization as well as similar organizations in USA, Europe, and the rest of the world and conducting firm-lead surveys to uncover best practices. Upon completion of the research, the intern will present the findings to CCR and highlight which exemplary practices CCR may wish to consider adopting in the future. The benefits for the partner organization include improvement in the efficiency when cooperating with high growth Canadian business and measurement of successful outcomes of commercialization.

Changes in hydration status of elite Canadian sailors

Canadian Laser sailors have achieved tremendous international success in the last quadrennial and are poised to achieve even better results at the 2012 Olympics. To better support these athletes it is imperative that we improve our understanding of the changes that occur within the body during training and competition. Prolonged exercise is known to promote dehydration through sweating. As such, maintaining optimal hydration levels while training and competing is vital as a loss of just 1% of body water can impair mental and physical performance, which can directly affect results in competition. This project will determine the composition of athletes sweat, their sweat rate and changes in hydration status of elite Canadian Laser sailors while sailing in order to determine the optimal composition of a fluid replacement beverage and the rate that it should be consumed. Infinit is a leading company in customized hydration solutions for athletes. By working with Infinit we will be able to develop customized hydration solutions for our elite athletes, encouraging superior performances. Infinit will stand to gain product testing and new exposure to a large sporting market.

Task Optimization and Workforce Scheduling

The Methods Engineering Department at Bombardier Aerospace in Toronto faces several challenges when planning their production layout and schedules for the Q400 commercial aircraft. The major issues include the precedence relationships between tasks, operator skill level, labour union regulations, physical layout of the working zones, and target cycle time.

The main objectives of this project are to optimize the task sequences for three subassemblies used to produce Q400; and to build production schedules that minimize the total labour cost. Currently, the Methods Engineering Department plans the schedules of tasks and operators manually. We propose to use OR tools, namely simulation and optimization, to formally model and optimize the scheduling problems. The simulation models will provide a tool to visualize the production operation and simulate the effect of changing parameters. The optimization models will provide a decision aiding tool to determine the best schedules and to analyze their robustness.

A Rational Approach to Gaining “Citizens” Perspectives on Services in Rural Remote and Rural Adjacent Communities: A Case Study of the Grand-Falls-Windsor-Baie Verte-Harbour Breton Rural Secretariat Region

The overall objective of this project is to answer the question, from a stakeholder’s perspective, “what levels of basic services and accessibility are required to make rural communities attractive and healthy places to live”? The innovative approach, analytical network process models (ANP), used in this study will permit the stakeholders of the region to participate in focus groups that will avoid intrusive coaching and advice when prioritizing the level of services related to health, education and recreation. In addition, the use of TurningPoint technology will allow the focus groups, for 3 the sub-regions of the Grand fall-Windsor-Baie Verte-Harbour Breton Rural Secretariat Region, to anonymously enter their prioritizations for the level of services required to make their communities liveable. The methodology used in the study will: [1] allow stakeholders to have constructive inputs to a regional public service model where they will interactively see the impacts of choices and alternatives, [2] allow the Regional Council to compare perspectives on public services from 3 different sub regions that are comprised of rural remote and rural adjacent communities, and [3] allow the Regional Council to develop well structured regional service plans that reflect the needs of its sub-regions.

Evaluation of Talking Intersections/Building Connections

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) migrants represent a growing, but under recognized component of Vancouver’s newcomer population. Service organizations and community groups for British Columbia’s LGBT communities (QMunity, LEGIT, Rainbow Refugee) are collaborating with settlement organizations to conduct the Talking Intersections/Building Connections project to build awareness and capacity for LGBT newcomer support. The Talking Intersections/Building Connections project, funded through Welcome BC, involves LGBT newcomers and service providers from a range of organizations in knowledge exchange workshops. The workshops are designed to promote dialogue and networking that will enhance individual workers’ competencies, and organizational capacities to provide settlement support inclusive of LGBT newcomers. As a MITACS intern Sharalyn Jordan will conduct an evaluation of the process and outcomes of Talking Intersections/Building Connections project. The evaluation will be conducted using a participatory approach, and a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods. The goals of the evaluation are to critically relflect on the process for future learning, and assess the changes in individual competencies and organizational capacities.

Motion Frameworks for Physical Expression

The intern will be porting and extending a tool for detecting and classifying qualities of human movement which is then subsequently fed to a realtime generative visualization system as part of an artistic process. The classification scheme is based on Laban Effort qualities. The system uses accelerometers and a neural network to recognize and differentiate qualities of movement by a performer. The system opens new possibilities in creating expressive characters for gaming, creating an interactive system for realtime dance performance, and recognizing qualities of movement in everyday movement.

Applying prior probabilities and Aristotelian class definitions to improving, for metallurgical study purposes, the quality of computer-derived similarity rankings between descriptions of mineral deposit zones

The project applies two formal mathematical constructs to the similarity ranking of descriptions of mineral deposit zones.  In so doing, the project will assist metallurgists to cost-effectively identify the most appropriate metallurgical processes for the extraction of metals from different mineral deposit zones.  The two mathematical constructs to be used are those of “prior probability”, which assists with the incorporation of knowledge which may be regarded as “common sense” to an expert (eg: the frequency and level of occurrence of nickel in granite), and “Aristotelian class definitions”, which greatly assist in applying logical reasoning to taxonomic terms (eg: rock names) used in the descriptions which are to be compared.  The descriptions to be compared are “ontologically controlled”, meaning that they are created using controlled vocabularies and syntax.  This is necessary to eliminate the inconsistencies that can arise between descriptions written by different people of the same mineral deposit zone if the vocabulary or syntax they use to describe the zone is not the same, or is the same but has different meanings to the different people.  The application will take the form of a software system written in Java and will be deployable in other domains than extractive metallurgy.

Design of a music retrieval system based on vocal queries

Currently users find their desired song on a multimedia sharing website such as YouTube using text based queries. The search phrase usually contains some text information about the song such as the name of the song, the singer, or parts of the lyrics. However, this information can be easily manipulated by malicious file up-loaders, who can use this scheme to upload pirated assets. This problem can be eliminated by letting users search based on the melody of the song rather than using textual information. The purpose of this project is to design a system that can help BroadbandTV, a Vancouver-based high-tech media company, with finding copies of music or music videos in an online video database such as YouTube.  During this internship, I am planning to implement a query by humming (QBH) system, which achieves the above goal. Upon successful implementation, the system should be able to detect a song, whether it is an exact copy or it has been hummed by a user. 

An evaluation of cultural heritage as a basis for First Nations land use planning.

The use of S’ólh Téméxw (i.e., Stó:lō traditional territory) by others impacts Stó:lō cultural heritage, identity, and economic and social wellbeing. At present, the Stó:lō have limited authority to make decisions regarding the use of their territory. However, the courts have mandated that proposed developments on Crown land carry with them the duty to consult First Nations. The resulting consultation process provides the Stó:lō with the opportunity to influence land use decisions. In response to this opportunity, the Stó:lō are developing a cultural heritage land use plan. The success of the plan relies on its effective interfacing with corporations and the BC government. This research project aims to incrementally improve the land use plan through a series of documentation reviews. This amelioration process will be followed by a formal introduction of third parties to the Plan and its intended use in the consultation process. The expected outcome of this research project will be the improved protection of Stó:lō cultural heritage.

3D Visualization of the Electric Power Transmission Systems

The primary goal of the proposed internship project is to develop advanced 3D visualization methods and techniques for displaying transmission lines and other components of a power system in relation to the land cover and elevation maps. A software application will be developed using modern visualization approaches and proposed algorithms. The new system will be designed in such a way that it could be easily integrated with the current energy management systems (EMS/SCADA) and assets management databases, as well as with any other required software applications used by the project sponsor. The 3D environment of the proposed system will also require upgrade of current user-computer interaction methods. New types of control devices such as 3D mouse “SpaceNavigator” with six-degree-of-freedom sensor technology will be evaluated for this purpose. Different aspects of the coordinate systems transformation, 3D rotation representation, and map projections will be accumulated into a set of practical methods and algorithms.

Optimal control of a heat exchange process using a perturbation signal

Based on the recent summit in Copenhagen, it is obvious that all nations are taking climate change seriously. One of the areas that countries are focusing on is reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by reducing their overall energy consumption. Industrial Countries are encouraging consumers to buy appliances that are deemed energy efficient using an Energy Star rating. Heat exchange systems (heat pumps, refrigerators, air conditioning systems, …) are one of the most common household appliances and despite over sixty years of heat exchange technology, there is still room for improvement in this area. Heat exchange systems work by absorbing heat from indoor or outdoor through the refrigerant in the evaporator, and transferring it to the ambient or indoor via condenser coils. The operation of a heat exchange system is affected when the external conditions such as temperature change, which causes the workload of the system to be altered. One of the major problems in heat exchange technology is when the workload changes the whole refrigerant in the evaporators does not convert from liquid to gaseous state while it exits the evaporators and enters the compressor. Exist of liquid in the entering refrigerant to compressor causes serious damage to the compressor. Danfoss is committed to figuring out a way to optimize the efficiency of heat exchange systems, in particular heat pumps and refrigeration systems while reducing the risk of damage to the compressor. We will attempt to do this by running experiments such as applying modern control theories to open/close the valves in appropriate time.