Innovative Projects Realized

Application of Drone- and Cart-based 3D Laser Scanning Systems for Discontinuity Mapping in Underground Mines

3D laser scanners are common tools for data collection and monitoring in mining. However, there is a knowledge gap concerning how to effectively deploy this technology in underground mines. The objective of this research is to explore the applications of mobile- and cart-based scanning systems MineFly and CartScan manufactured by the partner organization in underground mining. Both systems use the mobile 3D laser scanner Versa3D. In this project, the accuracy of MineFly for discontinuity mapping will be first investigated under laboratory conditions. Next, MineFly will be used to scan rock slopes and tunnels. In the final stage, the results of scanning of an ore pass from CartScan will be used to obtain overbreak geometries. The data will then be integrated into advanced numerical models to back analyze rock mass properties. This research project will help the partner organization expand their services to rock mass characterization and geomechanical mine design.

Development of sustainable technology based on natural clay mineral

Most Canadians live in the urban regions, and most Canadian cities receive snow every year. For instance, Montreal receives about 2.3 meter of snow every year. This snow accommodates various human-made pollutants in cities and accumulates over long Canadian winter. This application to support an intern which will be involved in a collaborative project with PO-labs within PRIMA Quebec aiming to build upon the new innovation at McGill using clay minerals. We intend to use these traps to remove pollutants in snow. This innovation contributes to reduce air pollution particulate matter, in atmosphere and atmospheric interfaces such as snow. In this project, we will use a clay-based sustainable technology developed in Montréal to remove pollutants, such as snow metal contaminants and organic compounds. Through combined field and laboratory studies we will use this developed technology for decontamination of snow in for a wide range of pollutants.

Preventing school dropout through community worker interventions modeling (part 2)

The project is part of a desire to address the school dropout issue, particularly in multi-ethnic and disadvantaged communities. Despite the implementation of several universal interventions in Quebec, the drop-out rate remains high in numerous areas. In the Eastern Townships area, a partnership between the Sherbrooke Regional School Board and the Université de Sherbrooke in the form of a research chair has been established to study the issue since 2007. As a result, a new program (i.e., Accès 5) was initiated in partnership with a community organism, the Maison Jeunes-Est (MJE) that allowed community workers, school personnel and researchers to work together towards a common goal: better social and educational outcomes for youth. The ultimate goal of the program is to change the culture of education in the targeted community. Although the evaluation of Accès 5 demonstrated great promise for helping youth reach better outcomes, there were limitations. First, there was very little data gathered pertaining to specific undertaken actions/interventions, due to the high variability in intervention style. Second, the program is deployed in one setting, due to the limitations of the used tools. Finally, no tool enables interconnecting such variability of data sources.

Assessing the impact of implementing the new draft regulation in Quebec Construction Code for thermal bridge calculation

From December 2021 all the construction projects in Quebec should follow new Draft Regulations Amending Quebec Construction Code. This research investigated the impact of the implementation of section 3 of the new code which relates to the envelope thermal resistance calculation by considering thermal bridges. During phase one the calculation method will be applied for the most common construction details of the building envelopes in Quebec. Phase two will challenge the accuracy of this method compared with other international standards and advanced numerical tools of 2D and 3D heat transfer models. In the end, the most efficient construction details that can meet the Quebec weather and building types requirements will be categorized.

Automatic evaluation for industrial training simulation using reinforcement learning

The proposed research project will improve CM Labs Simulations’ construction training simulators by automatically evaluating trainees and providing useful feedback about their progress frequently throughout the training cycle. Machine learning techniques will be applied to a large dataset of training simulator recordings in order to discern good skill progression of heavy machine operation for various training scenarios and various levels of expertise. Inverse reinforcement learning and world model algorithms will be leveraged to learn reward functions, thus providing a mechanism to score students on their progress and easily identify what actions lead to improving their performance as heavy vehicle and construction equipment operators. The resulting framework will allow for automatic evaluation of trainees even when expert instructors are unavailable.

Assemblage assisté par métrologie 3D pour bâtiments modulaires

RCM Groupe est un leader national dans la fabrication des bâtiments modulaires pour différents secteurs d’activité tels que l’hôtellerie, la santé et l’immobilier. RCM cherche à améliorer sa productivité, son niveau d’assurance qualité et de traçabilité. Les modules sont construits aujourd’hui sur différentes stations d’assemblage et d’inspection. Le but du projet est de développer une solution robuste qui intègre la métrologie dimensionnelle 3D à moyenne échelle pour permettre le contrôle de la qualité et d’assister les opérateurs lors du positionnement des différents composants. Le projet inclut la sélection de la technologie à implanter, son déploiement et le développement des outils informatiques permettant d’assister les opérations.

CLICK (Community Led Inclusive Creation Kit)

This research will help to unplay and rewrite certain ideas of “assistive” technology by developing methods to engage children and youth in the process of collaborative, multi-media creation where captioning and audio description are used as creative tools. Successful approaches, workshop plans, DIY tools, discovery games and training methods will be accumulated in a playful kit called CLICK (Community Led Inclusive Creation Kits) and shared as an OER (Open Education Resource). The methods discovered with this research, will also be applied to the project; Me on the Map, produced by New World Theatre and commissioned by the Vancouver International Children’s Festival. Company Sponsors, Inclusive Media and Design and Abilities Arts Festival will both benefit from the CLICK kit as well as the Me on the Map project that will stand as an example for the creative potential of inclusive productions when it premieres at the 2014 Vancouver Children’s International Festival.

Exploring the Potential of Convalescent Plasma Therapy as an Intervention in the Pandemic Response

Convalescent plasma–used for over a century as the first treatment option in outbreaks caused by novel pathogens. The therapy involves transfusion of blood plasma from recovered donors, which contains antibodies, that can prevent or treat infection in recipients. Convalescent plasa therapy has been observed empirically or in small studies to confer passive immunity to susceptible or already infected recipients. Very little rigorous evidence has been available to confirm safety, effectiveness, appropriate target population and delivery strategies of this therapy for specific pathogens. During the current pandemic, COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma (CCP) has been investigated in numerous clinical trials. Our study will capture lessons learned about CCP delivery through the CONCOR-1 Canadian trial in British Columbia. We will explore immunological, clinical, regulatory, logistical and operational aspects of the process, employing qualitative methods for a comprehensive mapping of the CCP implementation process and mathematical modelling to study the equitable distribution of CCP. Our study will use the opportunity to capture and document the current experience to inform future pandemic planning.

Experimental Analysis, FE Prediction, and Multi-criteria Optimization of Residual Stresses Induced by Rough Milling Processes in Large Steel Blocks

The milling process is an industrial manufacturing method commonly used for shaping custom parts with precise tolerances using rotary cutters. Rough Milling processes affect the part quality of machined components due to high temperature, large strain, and high strain rate. It is important to identify and improve the milling-induced residual stresses of surface and subsurface layers for crack prevention.
Finkl Steel-Sorel manufactures blocks of steel in several steps including casting, forging, quenching, tempering, and lastly dry rough milling. According to the company, cracks are observed in the blocks during after milling processes. These cracks may be due to the presence of surface and sub-surface tensile residual stresses induced by the machining processes.
This study is aimed at studying (experimentally and numerically) in order to optimise the machining conditions so as to control residual stresses induced by the rough milling process and by doing so minimize the cracking occurrence.
The developed experimental and numerical models of the rough milling process will be given to Finkl Steel-Sorel as tools to predict and optimized the machining conditions for large blocks: residual stresses, tool life, and material removal rate.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NON-INTRUSIVE FOULING INDICATOR FOR A BRAZED PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER SYSTEM

Heat exchangers, used in building heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to transfer heat from hot to cold fluids, are designed to operate under ideal conditions. However, in practice operating conditions may vary with ambient temperature or humidity. HVAC system efficiency can be improved significantly if fluid flow rates are adjusted in response to such changes. Armstrong Fluid Technology is a Canadian firm that has developed control systems to adjust the flow through building heat exchangers to maximize their efficiency. This project is being undertaken to optimize a heat exchanger system. The feedback control system will reduce the energy required for operating an HVAC system by approximately 30% and have a significant impact on Canada’s energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions.

Predicting failures in networking equipment using machine learning

This project is in collaboration with Ciena, an international company specialized in the supply of telecommunications networking equipment and software services. Electrical components produced by Ciena are important in many networking equipment such as routers or switches. Every year, a large number of components is produced. However, the production process may have some flaws, causing the production of faulty components. Detecting which components are faulty and what are the causes of the failures is a difficult and costly process and has been identified as a major challenge by Ciena in order to maintain a very low failure rate. Besides, failures can arise following a normal long usage of the component. Predicting when wear failures will occur in order to replace the equipment before it fails is also a challenge. This research project is within this context. The goal is to use state-of-the-art machine learning tools in order to improve the reliability of Ciena production process by detecting automatically faulty components as they are produced.

Active children today, healthy adults tomorrow: Getting serious about physical activity and physical literacy in our schools

As the intern, I will be taking on specific components of this evaluation as my own research contribution. These select components form the research project for which we are seeking Mitacs funding. Specifically, this research project, as a component of the overarching evaluation, will examine: 1) the role, bringing together their perspectives on implementation facilitators, barriers and contributions of partnerships in the development and implementation of the SPA-PL project and 2) the effectiveness of the key capacity-building component – Summer Institute – and the overall impact on pre and in-service teachers’ knowledge, confidence and physical activity-related practices.

The interim work and findings from this project will help the Childhood Obesity Foundation achieve their mission by increasing physical literacy and physical activity opportunities within the school day. The resulting data will inform provincial scale-up and be used to enhance future childhood obesity prevention and management programs.