Pipelines have significantly contributed to the Canadian energy industry and overall economy. Specifically, nearly 60% of energy consumed in Canada comprises of oil and gas delivered through pipelines. However, in pipeline steel, many failures were caused by cracks during pipeline operation. The proposed research project aims at developing a reliable and effective tool to predict […]

Ce projet de recherche a pour objectif principal d’optimiser l’évaluation des limites de vibration dans les bâtiments industriels supportant un tamis vibrant attaché à la structure avec des supports flexibles. Afin d’obtenir les résultats réalistes d’une analyse de structure supportant des tamis, les ingénieurs dans la pratique sont souvent confrontés à la modélisation complexe de […]

Metal-based direct energy deposition processes, such as robotic welding and laser powder fed additive manufacturing, ideally require feedback sensing of the deposition quality using vision detectors. Image processing algorithms are challenging to develop due to changing process operating conditions. Despite challenges, implementing in-process image processing algorithms is beneficial for traceability and quality assurance, for calibrating […]

Among various types of graphitic nanomaterials, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have ignited tremendous interest in the past few years owing to their small lateral size, quantum confinement, and large perimeter per mass. GQDs are categorized based on their emitting colors (e.g. blue, green, yellow, red and white). Among various emitting colors, GQDs with blue and […]

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are the dominant technology used to power today’s electric vehicles (EVs). However, current Li-ion batteries is reaching the bottleneck in the energy density, partially due to the limited capacity in the graphite anode (372 mAh g-1). In partnership with MGX Minerals Inc., Dr. Liu’s team at the University of British Columbia aims […]

In many real-world applications, robots need communication between each other to coordinate. For the information to propagate, robots need to be connected, i.e. there has to be a communication path between all the robots in a team. We have designed a decentralized connectivity-preserving algorithm and validated using the ARGoS multi-robot simulator. The connectivity-preserving algorithm has […]

A twisting string actuation (TSA) transmission uses wire(s) to transmit power from a motor on one side to a load on the other side. When the motor rotates the wires are twisting themselves, and thus provide a pulling force on the load. The aim of the project is to add to an existing TSA unit […]

Additive manufacturing is an emerging technology that can revolutionize specific manufacturing sectors, but several technical issues related to flowability of metal powders remain to be resolved before its full potential can be achieved. The project aims at better characterizing and predicting the flow behavior of powders used for additive manufacturing, and improving powder flow simulation. […]

Polyurethane is a class of polymers with the potential of foaming and with excellent mechanical and thermal properties. However, in order to use PU in advanced applications, its physical properties must be improved. Accordingly, in this research proposal, we plan to incorporate graphene oxide (GO), a derivative of graphene, into polyurethane foam to improve its […]

Au Québec, de nombreux cours d’eau subissent des modifications inhabituelles de leurs niveaux d’eau à cause des changements climatiques, ce qui engendre de nombreux problèmes pour leur utilisation par les riverains (érosion des berges, dégâts aux embarcations de plaisance…) mais également aux responsables de la gestion des barrages. Ces derniers se voient alors contraints de […]

The scope of this research is to provide a comprehensive recipe for powder-fed laser additive manufacturing (PF-LAM) of H13 tool steel. The H13 components manufactured by PF-LAM can potentially show superior mechanical properties as compared to H13 steel manufactured by conventional methods; however, the process optimization is requisite to achieve the additively manufactured H13 tool […]

Oil/water separation is one of the most challenging processes in oil production processes. Materials with superoleophilicity can selectively filter or absorb oil from oil/water mixtures. These materials can be highly efficient with a minimum footprint in the selective separation of oil and water. They can also be designed to be integrated with many conventional oil/water […]