Large automotive body panels are currently manufactured by heating aluminum sheets and pressurizing them into a die. However, this superplastic forming process requires long cycle times to avoid tearing the sheet. Preliminary work has demonstrated that by applying small pressure oscillations in addition to the increasing base line pressure a significant increase in the formability […]

Concrete bridge decks have joints, which are created because of the method used to build a bridge structure. These joints allow water and other deleterious materials to pass through the bridge deck corroding the deck and the supporting girders. Link slabs are provided to conceal these joints. A link slab is a thin slab made […]

Mandatory reporting limits established by Health Canada for pesticide testing in cannabis are typically lower than those published in various U.S. states. Because dried cannabis leaves and flowers generate many co-extractives that can negatively impact testing results, a simple and cost-effective sample preparation and analytical method needs to be developed to meet the demanding testing […]

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel SARS corona virus, has been a global threat for months now. The pandemic has crippled global healthcare sectors and economies. Early, rapid, and accurate detection of the contagion is critical for isolating infected patients to prevent further community spread. Currently, most communities in Canada suffer from insufficient […]

The rapid spread of COVID-19, associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is of tremendous global concern. There is an urgent need to expand the current diagnosis capacity and to develop effective home-usable tests, and simple ones that can be used at the primary point-of-care. Ideally, the test will be simple enough that […]

A comprehensive genomic study for the virus SAR-Cov-2 itself and COVID-19 patient samples will be studies analyzed to understand the nature of the virus developments, and to find genomic biomarkers that helps in diagnosing and the treatment of the disease. We will try to understand the molecular network of the virus in the body and […]

Researchers around the world are racing to find treatment solutions to combat COVID-19, the disease cause by infection of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). The use of antiretroviral therapy has recently shown preliminary promise. However, a barrier relates to bioavailability challenges, i.e., poor uptake, of these drugs. Poor bioavailability limits drug utility which could be paramount […]

Highly infectious COVID-19 has had widespread effects on Canadian and global health, security, and economy. While vaccines play a key role in preventing viral diseases, various measures should be taken to slow their spread. Among preventative measures, disinfection systems are of paramount importance to battle COVID-19. The objective of this project is to design and […]

Adaptive driving beam (ADB) is an advance vehicle forward lighting system that automatically adapts its beam patterns to create a non-glare zone around oncoming and preceding vehicles. The purpose of ADB system is to produce good long-range visibility for driver without causing discomfort glare to other road users. The non-glare zone of current ADB system […]

Within their ergonomics process, automotive manufacturers rely heavily on computer simulation technology, specifically “Jack” (Siemens PLM, Plano, TX). Advancements to “Jack” provide users the ability to create workstations, yet much time is required to produce a single simulation. This 3-year industrial collaboration will reduce the time necessary for their completion and, improve on the accuracy […]

A significant fraction of wet organic waste streams within typical municipalities include food wastes (collected by many as source separated organics), and sludges or biosolids. In Canada, such wastes are mostly going to landfill or being land applied to recover some nutrient value. Anaerobic digestion (AD) for disposal of organic waste is an attractive option […]

The Superplastic Forming process involves gas injection from a variable pressure supply, to form a heated metallic sheet into a complex automotive body panel shape onto the surface of a die. The current process involves excessive forming times which allow residual stresses to relax and avoid cracking and tearing. Research shows that pressure pulsations of […]