pittsburgh section bulletin - ieeeieee pittsburgh section bulletin, august 2011 volume 60 no. 8 page...

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin, August 2011 Volume 60 No. 8 of 14

Pittsburgh Section

Bulletin August 2011 Volume 60, No. 8

Included in this issue:

Bob’s Bytes ................................................................................................................................................. 2

Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Energy Applications: Optical Thin Films for High Temperature Gas Sensing and Magnetic Nanocomposites for High Frequency Power Electronics 3

Practical Arc Flash Reduction ................................................................................................................ 4

Section Picnic – Sept. 10 – Boyce Park (Commissioner’s Grove) ..................................................... 5

Wireless Communications Certification Exam ................................................................................... 5

Robotics & Automation: Research – Development – Applications .................................................. 7

Editor: Philip Cox, [email protected]; Contributors: Bob Brooks, Guy Nicoletti, Mike Oliver, Mey Sen, and

Dave Vaglia

All announcements for publication in a particular month’s bulletin are due to the Editor by the 20th of the

previous month. The accuracy of the published material is not guaranteed. If there is any error, please bring it

to the Editor’s attention. The Section’s web site www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/pittsburgh has past issues of the bulletin

and lots of other useful information

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.ewh.ieee.org/r2/pittsburgh


Bob’s Bytes

It is with a heavy heart this month that I mention the

resignation of our Treasurer and Women in Engineering

(WIE) Chair, Rin Burke, at the end of the year for work

& physical distance reasons. Rin has been an amazing

asset to our organization in so many ways. She has

breathed a lot of life into our WIE chapter and has

played a vital role in the formation and continuation of

the Components & Packaging & Electron Devices

chapter. I also want to take this opportunity to thank

Rin for her hard work and dedication.

So….if Rin is not leaving until the end of the year, why,

you ask, do I mention it now? Basically, Rin’s

departure means a lot of opportunity for new blood in

our section in a number of different areas. The Women

in Engineering chapter is very important to our section.

Engineering used to be a male-dominated field, but we

have an ever growing number of female engineers in

the Pittsburgh area (and everywhere else), and could

use more. The WIE does a lot of work to introduce

young women to the field and offers some opportunities

for camaraderie beyond the traditional nerd-fests. By

the way, while WIE is focused on the female engineer,

it is not gender exclusive. Any male can be a member

(maybe even chair – if your intentions are honorable).

Rin’s departure also leaves openings in the Executive

Committee. I’d ask our current section chapter and

committee chairs to consider running for these

positions, and would further ask members of the section

who are considering getting involved with the section to

think about possibly getting started in the Secretary role

to get your feet wet.

If you are interested in either of these opportunities

(WIE or Executive Committee), please contact me. I

can give you an idea what to expect, but will most

likely will invite you to a meeting where you can talk to

the section leadership and see firsthand what we do for

our profession.

Until Next Month

Bob Brooks – IEEE Pittsburgh Section Chair 2011

Section

Chair – Robert Brooks [email protected]

Vice Chair - Dr. Louis Hart [email protected]

Treasurer – Dr. Rin Burke [email protected]

Secretary - Dr. Jim Beck, [email protected]

Immediate Past Chair – Joe Cioletti PE, [email protected]

Awards Chair - Ralph Sprang, [email protected]

Webmaster – Gerry Kumnik, [email protected]

UpperMon Subsection

Chair: Dr. Natalia Schmid [email protected] (304) 293-9136; Treasurer/Secretary: Dr. David Graham [email protected] (304) 293-9692

Chapters

Communications Society – Co-Chairs: Phil Cox [email protected] (724) 443-0566 and Dr. Ajay Ogirala [email protected]

Computer Society – Chair: Ralph Sprang, [email protected]

Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology/Electron Devices Societies – Drs. Louis Hart and Rin Burke

Engineering In Medicine & Biology Society Co-Chairs: Bob Brooks (see above), Dr. Zhi-Hong Mao [email protected] (412) 624-9674

Electromagnetic Compatibility Society Chair: Michael J. Oliver [email protected] (814) 763-3211

Power & Energy & Industry Applications Societies Chair: Dave Vaglia, [email protected]; Past: Mey Sen, [email protected] 412-373-0117

Magnetics Society – Chair: Dr. Jimmy Zhu, [email protected]

Nanotechnology Society - Chair: Dr. MinheeYun [email protected]

Robotics Society – Chair: Dr. Guy Nicoletti [email protected] (724) 836-9922

Signal Processing Society – Chair: Dr. Ramana Kumar Vinjamuri;,[email protected]

Society on Social Implications of Technology Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E., [email protected] (724) 838-6492

Affinity Groups

GOLD – Chair: Jason Harchick [email protected]

Life Member – Chair: Bob Grimes, P.E. [email protected] (412) 963-9711

Women In Engineering – Chair: Dr. Rin Burke [email protected]

Committees

Consultants Network

Professional/Career Activities (PACE) Chair: Joe Kalasky, P.E. (see above)

Student Activities – Rajiv Garg, [email protected]

Membership Development – Dr. Karl Muller P.E., [email protected]

Publicity – Chair: Thomas Dionise, P.E. [email protected] (724) 779-5864





























Advanced Nanostructured Materials for Energy Applications: Optical Thin Films for High Temperature Gas Sensing and

Magnetic Nanocomposites for High Frequency Power Electronics

Speaker: Paul R. Ohodnicki, Jr., Chemistry and Surface Division, National Energy Technology

Laboratory

Date: August 11, 2011

Time: Social 6:30 PM, Program 7:00 PM

Place: Westinghouse Energy Center

RSVP: by August 8, 2011 to:

Dr. Rin Burke, [email protected] or 814-397-7058 - or-

Mike Oliver, [email protected] or 814-573-2812

Organizers: IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE), Affinity Group -and-

Electromagnetic Compatibility Society (EMCS)

Abstract Advanced nanostructured materials are playing an increasingly important role in a wide

range of energy related applications including catalysts for fossil energy generation, semiconductor

and metallic nanostructures for solar energy generation and energy efficiency, advanced energy

storage and batteries, and higher frequency power electronics for grid-scale power conditioning and

grid integration. Research at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is targeted towards

improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions through development of the next

generation of advanced fossil energy technologies for large-scale centralized power plants including

coal gasification, oxy-fuel combustion, solid oxide fuel cells, gas turbines, and CO2 capture and

sequestration. This talk will focus on two areas in which nanostructured materials play an important

role in areas of interest to NETL’s core mission: (1) Advanced high temperature gas sensor materials

for fossil energy process monitoring and control and (2) Magnetic nanocomposites for grid integration

of fuel cells in high frequency power conditioning systems.

Speaker: Paul Ohodnicki received his PhD from the Materials

Science and Engineering Department at Carnegie Mellon University

in 2008. He also holds Bachelor’s degrees in Engineering Physics

and Economics from the University of Pittsburgh. At Carnegie

Mellon University, Paul studied the effects of thermal processing of

Fe,Co-based magnetic nanocomposite inductor materials in the

presence of an applied magnetic field to tailor the magnetization

response for current sensing and high frequency power. He

subsequently spent approximately 2 years as a visiting research

scientist at PPG Industries working on optical thin film coatings for

solar energy generation and energy efficiency applications. During

his tenure, a novel solar control coating for improved energy

efficiency commercial windows (Solarban Reflective 100) was

patented and commercialized. After a brief stay as a Federal Project

Manager for the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA)

program at the National Energy Technology Laboratory, Paul




transferred to his current position as a Materials Scientist in the Chemistry and Surface Science

Division. His current research interests include the design, synthesis, and characterization of

nanostructured optical, electronic, and magnetic thin film materials systems for advanced fossil and

other energy-related applications

DIRECTIONS TO WESTINGHOUSE ENERGY CENTER

From Pittsburgh take Interstate 376 East (Parkway East). Take Exit 84A to Monroeville. Cross

Business Rt 22 at the traffic light and proceed on Rt 48 South (Moss Side Blvd) approx ½ mile (two

traffic lights). The 2nd

traffic light is at a 4-way intersection with an Exxon station on the right. Turn

left onto Northern Pike. Proceed approx 0.2 miles and turn right at the 1st traffic light onto

Westinghouse Dr. Travel 0.7 miles (past the guard stand) to the 3 flags where the building’s main

entrance is located. Parking in the evening will be plentiful. Use the main entrance and check with the

security guards inside. You will be directed to the proper room for your meeting.

From the PA Turnpike, take Exit 57 (Monroeville). After the toll plaza, get in the left lane to

get on Business Rt 22 West. At the first light, turn left onto Rt 48 South (Moss Side Blvd) and follow

the above directions.

Practical Arc Flash Reduction

Speaker: Bill Vilcheck P.E.

Date: Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Time: Social 6:30 PM, Program 7:00 PM

Location: Westinghouse Cranberry Woods Headquarters, Building 1 (Center Building)

RSVP: Required to Dave Vaglia, P.E. ([email protected]) by August 20, 2011 with each

attendee’s Name, Affiliation, email, and phone number. If you would like to receive

PDH, please bring a copy of this announcement for verification of your attendance. A

non-Member who would like to receive PDH is required to pay $10 to IEEE Pittsburgh

Section. A Member who would like to receive PDH is required to show membership

ID.

Sponsors: Power & Energy Society/Industrial Applications Society

Abstract: Industrial and commercial facilities have recognized that arc flash prevention is a part of a

complete safety program. Quantification of the arc flash hazard level and labeling procedures are a

major portion of this effort. When calculating the incident energy, the engineer must deal with two

main issues in addition to the burn hazard: blast pressure effect on the human body and worker

comfort or mobility with multilayer flash suits and associated flame-resistant (FR) protective

equipment. For work tasks where blast pressures and burn injuries may be lethal, reducing the energy

exposure to the worker is imperative. This can be achieved with either a change to the work method

or by engineering design. The presentation will describe the arc flash blast and discuss methods to

improve worker safety.

Speaker: Bill Vilcheck received his BSEE and MSEE from West Virginia University and has been

employed as a power systems engineer since 1975. He joined Eaton Corporation in 1998. As

Principal Engineer, he has been involved in all Power Systems Engineering activities and continues to


focus upon power quality engineering, energy management, electrical safety, and smart grid

technologies. Mr. Vilcheck is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and also is a senior

member of IEEE and member of the Pulp and Paper Industry Committee. He is a Professional

Engineer registered in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and co-author of several technical papers.

Directions: Take 79 North to the route 228 east exit. Stay in right lane and drive by Marriott Hotel (on

right). Turn right into Cranberry Woods facility and stay in left lane. Make first left into Westinghouse

Headquarters and drive straight through roundabout. Park in visitors parking places that are located on

either side of the entry road.

Section Picnic – Sept. 10 – Boyce Park (Commissioner’s Grove) Join us for a catered picnic lunch and activities such as Extreme Frisbee, water balloon toss, and egg

throwing contest.

Date: Saturday, September 10, 2011

Time: Noon – ? PM

Place: 675 Old Frankstown Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15239 (office). Commissioners Grove is about ¼ mile

from the office on your left. Please see #30 on the Boyce Park map at:

http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/maps/bpmap.pdf

Cost: No charge

RSVP: Required, to make sure there is enough food, to Mey Sen, email: [email protected] by 9/3.

DIRECTIONS TO COMMISSIONER’S GROVE

From Pittsburgh take I-376 East (Parkway East). Take Exit 84B to Plum. Cross Old William

Penn Highway at the traffic light. Cross Beaty Road at the STOP sign. Bear Right and turn right at the

next STOP sign to be on Center Road. After crossing over PA Turnpike (within a mile), look for Old

Frankstown Road on your right. Follow the direction mentioned above.

Wireless Communications Certification Exam

IEEE WCET® Certification Exam Applications Accepted for

Testing Period to be Held 2 – 29 October 2011

Virtual One-Day Course Highlights

“LTE for the Wireless Engineering Practitioner” on August 3

The IEEE Communications Society will hold the next IEEE Wireless Communication Engineering

Technologies (IEEE WCET®) Certification Exam from 2 – 29 October 2011 at Prometric testing

centers located worldwide. Eligible candidates are invited to visit www.ieee-wcet.org to learn about

IEEE Wireless Communications Professional® (IEEE WCP) credential benefits and program news,

gain access to the latest resource material, and complete registration applications, which are due by 16

September 2011.

http://www.county.allegheny.pa.us/parks/maps/bpmap.pdf


http://www.ieee-wcet.org/


As part of its continuing effort to expand the overall knowledge of wireless communications

professionals, ComSoc Training is offering a one-day virtual course dedicated to the evolution of

wireless communications technology and emerging IP networks on Wednesday, 3 August 2011. “LTE

for the Wireless Engineering Practitioner: Fundamentals & Applications” taught by Daniel Wong,

president of Daniel Wireless, LLC, will focus on end-to-end LTE systems including access networks,

wireless service architectures and policies, anticipated network management changes and the

implications of moving toward all IP-based networks.

The full-day course is available to IEEE/ComSoc members for $225 and to non-members for $275.

Individuals who complete the course will be awarded 0.6 IEEE Continuing Education Units.

Registration ends 27 July 2011. For more information visit www.comsoc.org/training.

In addition, IEEE ComSoc has also announced details for its next five-day “Virtual Intensive Course

on Wireless Communications” to be held 22-26 August 2011. Recommended for professionals with an

engineering or technology background as well as individuals with an appreciation for wireless

engineering practices, this course is specifically designed to provide a comprehensive overview of

network operations, the latest technological implementations and how different facets of wireless

communications fit into overall system designs. Visit www.comsoc.org/training for additional up-to-

date course and registration information.

“The IEEE WCET® Spring 2011 examination period was the most successful in the program’s history

and included numerous international candidates from nations ranging from the United States and

Canada to Israel, Taiwan and South Africa,” says Celia Desmond, IEEE WCET program director and

steering committee chairperson. “Recognized worldwide for its ability to enable practitioners to

demonstrate their thorough understanding of key wireless technologies from a global perspective, this

program is now firmly embedded as a powerful tool for furthering career development and supporting

an industry that continues to grow exponentially with the introduction of fast networks, smartphones,

and 4G mobile and broadband applications.”

To earn the IEEE WCP credential, individuals must pass the comprehensive IEEE WCET

examination, which is composed of 150 multiple choice questions and offered via computer at testing

centers worldwide. IEEE ComSoc recommends that candidates have a degree from an accredited

college or university and three or more years of graduate-level educational or professional wireless

communication engineering experience in order to be adequately prepared for the exam.

The US$500 fee ($450 for IEEE and IEEE ComSoc members) covers the application, processing

charges and “seat fee” for taking the test. In addition, a 75-question practice exam can be purchased

online by communications professionals who would like to gauge their preparedness for the official

exam prior to the next testing period.

For more information on the IEEE WCET program or to obtain the latest edition of The Wireless

Communications Professional® e-newsletter and/or a free copy of the Candidate’s Handbook please

visit www.ieee-wcet.org. Additional program details can be obtained from Marilyn Catis at

[email protected]. Visitors to the IEEE WCET website will also be afforded the ability to reach out

to global colleagues and peers as well as learn about the latest IEEE WCET Program initiatives

through the program’s LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter pages.

http://www.comsoc.org/training

http://www.comsoc.org/training

http://www.ieee-wcet.org/



Robotics & Automation: Research – Development – Applications

Fundamentals of Robot Kinematics

Part IV

(Continued from Part I)

Guy M. Nicoletti, MS, Ph.D., IEEE LM

Assoc. Prof. Emeritus, Engineering

University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg, Greensburg Pa

[email protected], [email protected]

Kinematic and Dynamic Analysis, Modeling and Simulation of a Robotic mechanism.

Figures 6a and 6b in Part III previously posted show a robot arm with rectangular and homogeneous

coordinate systems. In a real industrial application the motion of the robotic arm must be properly

controlled to move, an object to a desired position and orientation. To do this, each of the several

motors and drive trains in the arm must be adequately designed to handle the load, and the motor

speeds and angular positions must be properly controlled. Figures 7 shows such motions and

orientations and Figure 8 shows a typical motor and drive train for one arm joint. Knowledge of the

system dynamics is essential to design these subsystems and to control them properly.

Figure7a. A robot arm’s angular position Figure 7b. A joint motor drive.

To this end, we consider the simulation of the open-chain mechanism that is encountered in the robotic

literature. The two-link planar robot is a simple, two-degree-of-freedom mechanism that incorporates a

surprising amount of complexity in its dynamics. Figure 8 shows the pertinent geometric parameters

for this mechanism.




Figure 8. The two-link robot mechanism

We will derive the appropriate vector equations and dynamic equations for this mechanism. The

resulting dynamic simulation will have two inputs—the torques generated by the two motors.

From Figure 8, the vector equation is:

(11)

The corresponding x- and- y – components are shown below. Note that the form of these equations is

slightly different from those we have seen so far. The reason for these differences lies in the manner in

which the vector angles are been defined. In Figure 8 the angles are referenced to the orientation of the

previous link, not the global x-axis. This convention is common in robotics and arises from the fact

that sensors on robot arms measure the relative angles, not the absolute values.

( ) (12)

( ) (13)

Taking the derivative:

( ) ( ) (14)

( ) ( ) (15)

Rearranging in matrix equation form:

[ ] = [

( ) ( )

] [ ] (16)


This relationship between the joint rate and the end-effector velocities in Cartesian coordinates is well

known in robotics. The matrix in equation (16) is known as the Jacobian matrix, and it can form the

basis of a very effective control algorithm.

The derivatives of equations (14) and (15), (or equivalently equation (16)) lead to the following

acceleration equations:

( ) [( )

]

(17)

( ) [( )

]

(18)

Relations (17) and (18) form the basis of the dynamic simulation; they express the relationship

between the acceleration of the payload and the angular accelerations and velocities of the two joint

motors.

It is also important to establish the relationship between the acceleration of the centers of mass of the

two links and the joint variables. These relationships can easily be derived and summarized next.

(19)

( ) [( )

] ( )

( ) [( )

]

(21)

Dynamic Equations

Next, we will examine the free-body diagrams of each link separately. Figure 9 shows the free-body

diagram of the first link of the two link planar robot.

Figure 9. Free-body diagram of the first link of the two-link

planar robot shown in Figure 8.


From the free-body diagram of Figure 9, we can derive the following equations of motion for the first

link as follows:

(22)

(23)

Similarly, the free-body diagram for the second link is shown in Figure 10, and the equations of

motion follow.

Figure 10. Free-body diagram of the second link of the

Two-link planar robot shown in Figure 8.

(24)

(25)

( ) ( )

Finally, we examine the payload of the manipulator. Now, since the motion of the payload is directly

related to link2 (supported by link2), it could have been lumped with that link in Figure 8. However,

since the mass of the payload may change as the robot picks up different objects, and one may be

interested in the forces required to hold on to that payload, it may be more convenient to consider a

few more equations of motion so that the motion can be tracked separately. The free-body diagram of

the payload is shown in Figure 11.


Figure 11. Free-body diagram of the payload

In order to reduce the analysis only to two equations we consider the payload as a lumped mass,

therefore, we obtain:

(26)

(27)

Summarizing, from our analysis, we obtained six equations from the vector equations and eight

equations from the dynamic equations. In addition, since the motor torques will have to be considered

as inputs to the system, all these equations will be expressed in the following fourteen (14) unknowns:

[ ]

Next, in order to prepare for a system suitable for dynamic simulation, we will combine the 14

equations (six kinematic constraint equations and eight dynamic equations) in 14 unknowns and

express them in matrix form as

J C = K (28)

Where,

J=


C =


JC =

K =

Matrix equation (28) will be embedded in a Matlab function that in turn will be embedded into a

Simulink simulation. This process will be presented in the next Section, (Part V).

IEEE Pittsburgh Section Bulletin May 2011 Volume 60 No. 5 of 14

2011 Calendar – Meetings of IEEE Pittsburgh Section Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec

Executive

Committee

20

Panera,

Wilkins

Twp.

17

TBD

17

Panera Bread

Wilkins

21

Panera Bread

Wilkins

19

Panera Bread

Oakland

16

Panera

Miracle

Mile

21

TBD

18

Panera Bread

Oakland

15

TBD

20

WVU

Section 19

Eng. Week

13

History

Dinner

10

Picnic

Communic

ations

3

Network

Arch.

31

Network Arch

14-Wireless

5

Internet

22-Wireless

23

Dist.

Antennas

Computer

EMBS 18

Brain-

Computer

Interface

18

Human

Posture

8

Biometrics

15

Neural

6

Hand

Tracking

24

Skin-screw

electrodes

EMCS 11

Nano Mat.

PES/IAS 19

Capacitors

23

Storage &

Hydro

16

Voltage Reg.

14

PE License

13

History

Dinner

15

Eng.

Designs

9

Pirates

24

Arc Flash

Magnetics

Robotics 10

Advances in

Robotics

Sig.

Processing

18

Brain-

Computer

Interface

18

Human

Posture

14

Wireless

8

Biometrics

15

Neural

22

Wireless

6

Hand

Tracking

24

Skin-screw

electrodes

CPMT/ED 13

Cosmic

Social Impl

Technology

10

Advances in

Robotics

19

Legislative

Upper Mon 28

Cyber

Attacks

4

Wireless

14

Software

Women in

Eng’ing

11

Nano Mat.

Life Mem.

GOLD 14

PE License

PACE 19

Legislative

Student Act

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