Innovative Projects Realized

Maximizing the performance of AltaSteel grinding rods through structural optimization

AltaSteel Ltd. is an innovative manufacturer of steel products for a variety of industries. Grinding rods are one

of main products of AltaSteel, which are made of high carbon steel and used to grind ores to the desired size. It

has been noticed that the grinding rods perform not consistently, which is believed to be caused by unknown

variations in microstructure during manufacturing. The objectives of this project are to 1) determine crucial

microstructural factors that govern the performance and consistency in performance of the grinding rods, and 2)

improve the grinding steel rods through optimizing both microstructure and macro-structure. This project would

directly benefit AltaSteel for improved products, optimized manufacturing process, and new knowledge for further

development. This project would also bring long-term benefits to Canada through training young technical

personnel and advancing materials technology for the steel industry, which supports many other industrial sectors,

such as mining, oil sands, oil and gas, manufacturing, transportation, and construction industries…

Employee Reactions to Talent Management

About 65 percent of organizations worldwide have talent management (TM) practices in place, with 5 to 10 percent of their employees being identified as a talent annually. Seemingly unhindered by a lack of empirical evidence, in recent years organizations have decided to include more and more employees in their talent pools, with the goal of making them more ‘inclusive’. Social comparison theory, however, states that being outperformed by a less exclusive élite group likely intensifies negative reactions of those being outperformed while diminishing positive reactions of the outperformers. TO BE CONT’D

The Institution of Esoteric Buddhism and the Economy of Religious Enterprise in Mid-Tang P

This research project tries to explore how the Esoteric School of Buddhism established, maintained, and reformed its sectarian institution in China from the mid-eighth to the early ninth century. The project will answer the question by showing how monastic business of the school was developed and adapted for the purpose of attracting patronage in drastically changing political and economic circumstances and how it was realized by the leaders’ creative interpretation of the school’s theology and soteriology. The project aims to showcase the vitality of economic concern in influencing the development of religious institution and ideology and the effectiveness of economic approach in the enquiry of the field of religious history. The outcome of the study is expected to help one partner organization to build a refined and elevated corporate culture and devise an advertising strategy that is informed by the evangelizing spirit of religions. TO BE CONT’D

The additive effects of foam rolling and Biofreeze on range of motion, pain threshold and submaximal force production task to failure

Research has shown that rolling muscles can increase flexibility without hindering performance as well as to heighten pressure pain threshold. It was also shown that topically applied gels, which contain menthol, result in a cooling sensation and reduce the sensation of pain. While both modalities are suggested to influence pain perception through different pathways, their interactive effects have never been examined. As such, with this study we aim to investigate the additive effects of foam rolling the muscles in addition to applying a topical gel containing menthol (Biofreeze) on pressure pain threshold, range of motion, and a submaximal effort task completed to exhaustion. Over four sessions participants will visit the laboratory and complete one of the four conditions: 1) foam roll, 2) apply biofreeze 3) foam roll + Biofreeze, 4) apply a placebo like cream to their dominant leg prior to being testing on the three outcome measures.

Development of an Industrial Design Workflow to Incorporate 3D Scanning for Manufacturing Tooling Processes – Phase II

Today’s modern industries aim at supplying premium quality products that can offer added performance value, lower weight, less environmental impact, decreased manufacturing and maintenance costs, increased durability and safety, and eventually higher customer satisfaction and market competitiveness. To achieve these goals, new-engineered materials such as glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRPs) are rapidly replacing traditional single materials such as steel and aluminum. The proposed MITACS research will develop best-practice engineering and management workflows to improve the efficiency, controllability and profitability of the polyester gelcoat and acrylic-coat glass-fibre reinforced polymer composite spray-up process, used in the manufacture of tub shower units at a leading composite manufacturer in B.C., Canada. Namely, research will focus on an emerging application of 3D scanning technology to accurately model and document GFRP moulds used in the tub shower manufacturing process, which have traditionally been ‘hand-made’ by senior technicians, and not based on a sustainable engineering approach.

Quality Assessment and Enhancement of Retinal Images

Babies who are born prematurely are at risk of developing a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity (RoP), which if left untreated, can lead to permanent blindness. RoP causes characteristic changes in the retinal vasculature,
which can be seen when looking into the eye. Because the infants need to be monitored regularly for this condition, and certain traits need to be carefully identified, a special camera is used to take a picture of the retina. These pictures can then be studied for signs of RoP by an ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, a number of factors cause the quality of the images to suffer, including incomplete development of the eye structure, uneven illumination, varying pigmentation of the retina, and simply, difficulty in taking the pictures. We propose to develop methods to measure the quality of these images and identify any degradation issues. TO BE CONT’D

Selective Spray Oxidation of Impurity Metals

This research project seeks to develop a novel method for selectively oxidizing impurities in metals. Using available plasma spray technologies, this project will determine a set of parameters to optimize the effect of oxidation in certain metal samples. Three sample metals to be tested are German silver, Sterling silver, and 18 Karat gold. The goal will be to target the oxidation of impurities present in these metals such as nickel and copper. By selectively oxidizing these impurities, we can more easily separate the impurities and be left with higher purity gold and silver in each respective test. Analysis of the oxidized samples is to be conducted to quantify the effectiveness of the spray oxidation process. Samples will be analyzed with the aid of McMaster University and the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM).

Moving to Breathe, Breathing to Move: An interdisciplinary study on the benefits of choral and dance exercise for people with neuromuscular conditions

In this collaborative project with Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC), we will design and run choir singing and dancing programs for people with neuromuscular conditions, in order to study whether it improves their quality of life and their ability to breathe. Both singing and dancing have been shown to have significant medical and quality of life benefits for people with other kinds of disabilities, but little research has been done with those who have neuromuscular conditions. This will also be the first study to include participants who rely on ventilation technology to breathe. Participants in this study will get to enjoy the benefits of singing and dancing. Practitioners, clinicians and participants will gain new insights into possible benefits of these kinds of physical activity programs. Further, we will publish useful protocols for running the most barrierfree, safe, beneficial, and meaningful singing and dancing programs for this population.

Electro-assisted anaerobic treatment of organic wastes

This project simultaneously addresses two of the world’s most pressing challenges, namely energy, and water

pollution &conservation. While this project focuses primarily on developing an innovative technological solution

to bioethanol waste management problems, it also opens the door for other agricultural and food industries to

adopt this enhanced fermentation technology both for making value-added products, and waste treatment. The

hydrogen economy is rapidly evolving due to the utilization of hydrogen as a clean energy source as well as a

valuable industrial gas that has uses in food and the oil industries among others. One of the main challenges of

biological hydrogen production from organics is the interference of hydrogen-utilizing bacteria, which convert the

hydrogen to methane and acetate in anaerobic dark fermentation processes. Recent developments have

demonstrated that acetate can be converted to hydrogen using special microorganisms, known as

exoelectrogens, that have the ability to transfer electrons, and are thus induced electrically by application of a

small voltage….

Smart Fitness Wearables for Safety and Performance

Measuring the workout intensity and duration is necessary to judge training effectiveness. For instance, a training modality called high intensity interval training (HIIT), involves exercising for short intervals with maximum intensity combined with longer low-intensity recovery intervals. This form of training would help the metabolism to use more fat as fuel, improving athletic endurance, and as opposed to traditional cardio exercises, can mitigate muscle loss. Similarly, measuring the force of impact and number of impacts is necessary to judge the health and safety of the athlete. This research investigates sensory systems, algorithms, and embedded computer platforms to acquire and utilize sensory data for monitoring, analysis, and processin

Next Generation PtM catalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

The production of optimised catalysts and catalyst layers for proton exchange membrane fuel cells is both labour intensive and time consuming. However, these materials and composites are of critical importance if proton exchange membrane fuel cells are to become commercially viable. Specifically, highly active catalysts are required in order to reduce platinum group metal content and system cost, while optimized catalyst layer designs are necessary to achieve high performance and robustness in operating cells. Recently, continuous flow reactors and rapid screening techniques have gained significant traction for the production of fuel cell relevant catalysts. These preparative techniques are easily scaled to the batch sizes required for prototype production, without the need to re-optimise the synthetic process. Additionally, these sorts of systems can also be coupled with in-line purification methods, producing high quality and high purity nanomaterials in a continuous manner. This project aims to first assemble a continuous flow droplet reactor to prepare optimized and clean fuel cell catalysts. This reactor will be used to rapidly screen synthetic conditions to prepare optimised fuel cell catalysts for Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs).

Greenhouse gas and volatile organic compound reduction using the SmogStop® coating

Sound barriers can be seen beside highways across Ontario and are designed to protect residents from the noise produced by traffic. However, these barriers do little in the way of protecting residents from the pollution produced by nearby vehicles. This project will help determine the ability of the SmogStop® barrier to reduce the level of exposure to GHGs and VOCs for those living close the major urban roadways. The partner organization is an R&D firm that would greatly benefit from the access to equipment and HQP that they would gain from a partnership with the University of Guelph.