Donahue - Group D - Flow Sensors

Flow Sensors

The topic of flow sensors happens to be an extremely broad one in the sense that there are countless types of flow sensors. And each type of sensor can perform different functions based on the measurement goal/task. A broad definition of a flow sensor can be expressed as a device that measures the rate of flow of a fluid. The particular type of fluid is again specific to the application or function.

As mostly civil engineers, we hear “fluid” and “fluid flow” and immediately think to our Fluids course, where we measured and analyzed the fundamentals and rates of water flow across a system. And this system was most usually a pipe. However, this is a very specific study in this area. In the process of completing this post, I’ve encountered some other very interesting, different, and innovative applications that use flow sensors. In an effort to provide new information, I'll present two different, specific examples in this post. 

One example of a simple yet important situation is when there are flow sensors that are used in pumps in residential and commercial applications. The situation is when there is a sink pump that is below ground and in turn, below the city water main line. The used water flows from the sink, shower, etc. and is stored by the pump. The flow sensor analyzes the rate and volume of fluid that enters and once the pump reaches near capacity, an additional sensor translates to the pump that it requires emptying by pumping the stored water up to the water main line, how ever many feet is required. This flow sensor is extremely imperative to the proper working of the system as a whole and as to not let the pump over flow.

Another very interesting, yet specific, example I encountered was intravascular medical devices that act as flow sensors inside the body, which measure blood flow and pressure. Pressure sensors are a topic that Esther describes comprehensively in her post and those concepts mixed with flow sensors make up these medical devices. They can be strategically placed to measure the blood flow and pressure for veins and major arteries. Once these measurements are taken, it is advantageous to the doctor and patient because then specific medical treatment plans can be formulated. The flow and pressure measurements are taken in various placed locations in veins and arteries. They are then relayed to the main system and doctors can determine if any occlusion (or blockage) is occurring and if so, where. The measurements taken are recorded in resistance and inductance simultaneously by the circuit by using frequency separation. By using proportions as well as comparisons to healthy, theoretical system measurements, doctors can translate the flow sensor results and make accurate medical conclusions. This is absolutely astonishing, considering the small size these sensors must be designed for use and accurate application.

Comments:

On Esther's:
Great post Esther! You did a really nice job explaining pressure sensors and discussing the many types, applications, and functions. I particularly liked the paragraph in which you discussed pressure sensors being used in smartphones. Touch screen pressure sensors on smartphones are used everyday by most of us, yet I didn't think of it when first thinking about pressure sensors. Like I mention in my post, I just immediately think of fluids and measuring flow and pressure. Really good job discussing so many types!


On Audrey's:
Audrey, good job on your post. It was well organized and well written. You did a great job presenting a comprehensive range of types of temperature sensors and you explained them in detail. By first presenting and defining everything and then going into the technical details, it makes for an easy to read and easy to follow post. Good job!

Resources:

[1.] Intravascular Pressure and Flow Sensor. Paul T. Feld. Patent US5873835. 29 Apr. 1993. Print. 13 Feb. 2014. Web.

[2.] Kolin, Alexander, Julius Grollman, Richard Steckel, and Harold Snow. "Determination of Arterial Blood Flow by Percutaneously Introduced Flow Sensors in an External Magnetic Field." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 68.1 (1971): 29-33. Web. 13 Feb. 2014. <http://www.pnas.org/content/68/1/29.full.pdf>.

Use of databases in design offices.

      Database has been wildly used in many different purposes. It is an organized collection of data to model relevant of reality in a way that supports processes requiring this information. The article I read that emphasis on how the database technology is important to the future engineering environments.

      In the real designing offices, database has become a great tool to reliably sharing data among different groups of people and applications. It has the ability to integrate software and record the documents to save as a background for future use. Both Engineering and manufacturing processes will need the database technology as an integrated software system to deal with cultural and procedural changes.

     The database technology improves the product development process by using its availability and consistency of data throughout the process. The consistency of data can be created to operate large information by storing and managing that information. Since the databases are set up, all users have the ability to access into the data and share the information.

     There is an example provided in this article, and determines the benefits that database contributes. In the regional design office, if a design team wants to create a product like a “mouse”, properly three engineering groups are going to have different jobs relate to this project. For an instance, one group needs to establish the interface requirements, while another decides what material is suitable for the product and a different group is responsible for packaging the product. Therefore, the process in designing this product is complex while having different computing environment. However, the database can solve this problem. Nowadays, design offices use database in order to save time in combing information because it will put everyone on the same computing environment and sharing the information. Each team member will see other’s source in the database. For an example, if you point out a structure beam on the site, the data base will tell you what the manufacturer for this beam is, when it built and other information you may need. That’s the way you can see how other people working on this beam. Besides that, database can compare different sources and make you pick the one more suitable for this project. Engineers can produce different types of products such as an airplane, a shop or a computer device, the creation of these facets are similar with respect to the database technology.

Comments on others:

To Tyler Woyshner:

I like the fact we don’t need to actually to learn SQL language. Instead, using specific software will code in the typical language for us. I think that is very helpful to use the SQL and saves a lot of time in learning a whole different language.

To Brian Benson:

Great explanation on SEED system. I agree with you it is an automatic system that could be easily to copy and paste the solution without applying the specifics to the projects.

Source:

“DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN ENGINEERING” Katherine C. Morris, Christopher Dabrowski, National Institute of Standards and Technology.

http://www.mel.nist.gov/msidlibrary/doc/morris92c.pdf             

Donahue - Group D - Uses of Databases in Design Offices

Donahue - Group D - Uses of Databases in Design Offices

A database is defined as “a structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways.” Databases are used in many fields of professional work. However, this post will focus on the uses of databases in design offices for engineering. In the engineering profession, databases can be found in almost any location because they are the fundamental basis for most of the design software tools that engineers use daily.

Aside from this obvious use in design offices, I decided to explore other uses and came across an article from ASCE. The article states that by 2025, the entire civil engineering profession will be enamored solely on fast tracking construction and development and deployment of technologies. Steps are already being taken in this field by designers and researchers, as technology continues to evolve itself and the engineering profession. Such benefits are listed, including improvements in the processes of design, engineering, building, and maintaining. Of course, these technological advancements will continue to push the limits of these facets and will also create new applications for engineers and designers to use.

Engineers are already seeing some of these advancements push the limits through the practice of “leveraging real-time access to living databases, sensors, diagnostic tools, and other advanced technologies to ensure informed [design] decisions are made.” Relating this all back to how databases can be used in design offices is simple: design offices use databases every day for “highly-integrated planning and construction tools” where “data flows freely and is available at all times, representing current conditions.” From there, as the design and construction advance, these databases will continually be updated and these current conditions analyzed, with the key benefit being that “latent defects are addressed early in the design, and flowed back into the parent database” and the analytical and design processes continue.

This is a classic example of the growing field of intelligent infrastructure (or even intelligent buildings, if you will). And while other technologies, such as sensors, are required to work in association, databases are at the forefront of this growing field. Data is always readily accessible on almost any device now and informed design and construction decisions can be made as a consequence. Accuracy and precision are also improved because important information is properly organized and stored, for all to access. To close, I always like to add in personal experience to help defend my commentary. In my three co-op experiences (all design firms), databases were utilized daily by all engineers. There were several databases, each with varying functions and purpose. These include shop drawing logs, master drawings, as-builts, design logs, etc. And of course, the information kept in these databases was specific to each.

The design logs were most intriguing because it utilized this concept I presented in this blog post of integrated design. Necessary HVAC information was continuous analyzed and updated in an existing building and it was datalinked into the model. Thus, as the database updated itself so did the model. It truly helped with the design process to avoid mistakes and defects and also created more ease for the engineer, as was discussed in last week’s posting. Depending on what information you were specifically interested in viewing or accessing, you could also just run a set of queries to narrow down the return from 16,000 entries to a more manageable number. This concept of queries and SQL is brought up in both Ivan’s and Audrey’s posts and is very comprehensive.

Databases are powerful tools and their application in design offices is astounding. And with ASCE hoping that this intelligent infrastructure (and I.B.) concept takes off by 2025 or earlier, it creates an excitement for future applications and the pushing of the limits of design.

Comments on Other Entries:

On Ivan’s Post:

    Great post, very comprehensive. Your first paragraph was very informative about the true definitions of various elements of general databases and then you defined specific ones such as RDBMS and their use of SQL. I really liked how you focused the remainder of your post on the comparisons and capabilities of relational databases and how they can improve the formulating of specifications. This is a benefit that a majority of the class will be specifically interested in as structural engineers.

On Audrey’s Post:

   Great job on your post about SQL. I’ve had some experience coding the queries of databases that were used in design offices and like you stated, it can be very complex sometimes and also requires some other programs/language for complete successful capabilities.

Resources:

[1.]  ASCE. "The Vision for Civil Engineering in 2025." Asce.org. ASCE, 2007. Web. 10

Feb. 2014. <http://www.asce.org/uploadedFiles/Vision_2025_-_New/TheVisionforCivilEngineeringin2025_ASCE.pdf>.

BIM for architects and engineers - Week 3 - Group D

The term Building Information Modeling (BIM) was first introduced in 1992, and has went from being a buzzword to a centerpiece of the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) world. With its implementation in the industry, communication has become a lot easier, though it is still far from perfect.

Throughout building history, 2D drawings have been the dominant mode of representation, which has led to many mistakes and onsite corrections since most of these drawings are inadequate.

BIM replaces these drawings with 3D virtual building models wherefrom the 2D drawings can be extracted. It changes the way that a representation is constructed, fundamentally changing the 2D line-by-line layout. A lot of issues can be eliminated with virtual 3D modeling and in the future; maybe it is the virtual model that is actually being used.

The process of building design is a very complex and collaborative exercise. It requires the knowledge and expertise of professionals in a multitude of areas.

BIM has the ability to connect all the contributors of the building process, and make a more effective workflow. Implementing BIM requires a lot of work, time and money, but as an old African motto says: “if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Some people might believe the shift isn’t worthwhile, but in the long run it is impossible not the adapt BIM into a standard practice as it will benefit all segments of the project. If all AEC contributors on a project work together, a lot of future problems can be prevented already in the design phase.

The design phase is the activity where a major part of the information about a project is initially defined. The traditional contract for architectural services suggests a payment schedule to be 15 % for schematic design, 30 % for design development, 55 % for construction documents and project supervision. The distribution reflects the weight usually required for the production of construction drawings. If BIM were implemented, then these numbers would be completely different.

Major BIM problems do definitely occur though, as computer programs and procedures are still in development. Even the truly pro-BIM authors of the BIM handbook says: “No program provides the broad spectrum of functionality needed for general concept design, and workflows are currently rough, requiring rigid modeling conventions to be followed or alternatively restructuring of the model. A smooth workflow using these tools is not quite a reality.”

The various ways of working and designing throughout the different phases of the building design requires a need for various design tools. A lot of 3D modeling programs is mentioned in chapter 5, but none of them works for the whole process. For example is a very initiative, free form geometry, and fast working sketching program, such as SketchUp or Rhino, needed for the conceptual design. If all you need to do is design and analyze, Revit would be way too heavy (like using a hammer to crack nuts). Revit is a great program, but you need to know what you want to create before starting, which makes it ideal for the integration of engineering services. The last two categories mentioned in chapter 5 are construction level modeling and design-construction integration, which Ryan has well covered in his post.

As almost everything else, building design is heading in a more sustainable direction than earlier. BIM is a great way to use analysis- and simulation tools to test a buildings performance, which gives the designer an opportunity to optimize the design considering sunlight, wind etc. and make the building more energy efficient.

I have been an intern at Henning Larsen Architects in their sustainability department (major Danish architectural company), and we used BIM to optimize the design of buildings simply by designing and situating correctly in relation to the surroundings and climate. The design itself reduced approximately 80 % of the original buildings energy consumption. The BIM model was always in center of focus when communicating with architects and engineers.

BIM is still fairly new technology, but it has a great future. I think one of the biggest challenges is making the transformation from one design phase to another, because the interfaces has to be so different and house so many different functions. Another challenge is having one big model, which everyone can work on and see how their work relates to others. Autodesk might be on their way to something big with their Vasari beta version. Hopefully it can be a big part of the concept design, and then the BIM workflow can easily continue in Revit.

Source:

Chuck Eastman, Paul Teicholz, Rafael Sacks, Kathleen Liston; “BIM Handbook, a Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers, and Contractors” Second Edition, foreword and Chapter 5; 2011

Comments: 
Ryan Donahue: I found your post very interesting as you take the view as a structural engineer instead of just writing a summary of the text. I am not sure I agree with you about firms being able to design entire buildings in Revit though. A great concept design needs to be made in a much more creative program than Revit, but else wise, I agree that it can be made entirely in Revit. 
It was great with the personal experiences about BIM implementing! Makes the post much more personal and easier to remember. 

BIM for Architects and Engineers-Week 3

       For this week, we need to read a chapter on the BIM Hand book. After reading the chapter 5: BIM for Architects and Engineers, I had a basic understanding of the BIM background and noticed how the technology has been changed throughout the history. As the early century, people used mode of drawing and sketching to determine the structure. After that, computer-aided design and drafting-CADD has been developed into the architecture, which terms out the BIM system eventually to improve the abilities and standards. This technology changes regional 2D model to virtual 3D building model, which changes the way that the representation is constructed and makes the structure more real than before.

       After reading a little background, the next section was explaining how the designing process work related to the owner, designer and contractors. A new option catches my eye that is Integrated Project Delivery (IPD), which is different than usual design-bid-build. It is the program put owner, designers and contractors into a single collaborative contract that terms out a cohesive team, which means any small movements is going to effect the whole team. The advantage for IPD is accepting the potential cost and benefits within the projects since they are working together, so any benefits from one department will effect the other two departments as well.

       This chapter focuses on the influences in design activities by using BIM, and dealing with feasibility and concept design. The BIM reduces the required time in producing the construction documents based on the relationship between effort and time. I think that is the main reason why we are using BIM to be the most powerful tools to deal with the designing because it saves time (owner’s and contractor’s). Besides that, in the later chapter talks about the BIM is designed for reducing errors that increase the accuracy in designing and saves cost in software investment.

       Further more, this chapter introduces much new IBM software that includes the Google SketchUp and Rhino. Both new software support the 3D freeform modeling, and very flexible to generating, editing and viewing the models. Personally, I like using the Google SketchUp because it can upload a 2D drawing from other applications and layout with 3D model format, which make you easily to determine the model from 2D to 3D. Besides that, this software provide the pen tool and eraser, this make me feel it’s free to draw anything on the paper and make them become virtual 3D model.       Over all, chapter 5 determines the benefits you can get from BIM in, and use images and tables to introduce the selection and evaluation of BIM authoring tools. I realized that each tool has it's own advantages, and using different tools to deal with different project that can make the work more efficiency rely on the cost estimation.


Comments:
    
To Ryan:
    Ryan, I like the way you discuss your own experience with BIM during your Co-up. Besides that, I agree with you about the thoughts on Revit. It does a great job in performing integrated modeling, but it has the weakness in structural design. By the way, it is a very detailed summery.

To Carvalho:
    Carvalho, your post is very detailed in discuss the 4D CAD. I clear see the advantage that 4D method can bring to us mostly making sure the project is on the track. By the way, I like the picture you pick to display the 4D software. 




Refferences:
BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers and Contractors. Authors: Eastman,Charles M.