MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Sensor, Computer Workstations and a 3D SynthaGram Monitor for Research in Virtual Engineering

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This grant provides support for the acquisition of a LDI CMM laser scanning probe kit, a cluster of six HP high-end dual-processor workstations and a 40'' glasses-free 3D monitor (SynthaGram 404) for multidisciplinary manufacturing-related research at the University of Michigan - Dearborn (UM-D). The requested instruments will form a fundamental infrastructure of a new virtual engineering laboratory, and will support ongoing research activities in virtual engineering, including accurate measurement or acquisition of manufactured parts, surface quality inspection and reengineering of broken parts, simulation of fracture and damage, analysis of manufacturing processes, intelligent engineering diagnosis and vision-based inspection or recognition. The main objective of these studies is to develop innovative algorithms for meeting the manufacturing society's growing demands for high accuracy and automation by making effective use of the extremely powerful sensor, computers and visualization device to be acquired. The outcome of the ongoing research activities will lead to: 1) a potential breakthrough in replacing touch probes with laser sensors mounted to coordinate measurement machines (CMMs); 2) a virtual surface quality evaluation system for sheet metal forming; 3) a refurbishing and reengineering system for broken parts; 4) an intelligent vision-based system for inspection and recognition; and 5) fuzzy learning for engineering diagnosis. The ongoing research will also contribute to the modeling of fatigue life of solder alloys and the understanding of deformation behavior from localized necking to fracture in metal forming by means of the requested computers and visualization device. The requested instruments will substantially strengthen the research infrastructure at UM-D, a non-Ph.D. granting institute, and will also significantly improve the education quality at UM-D through student design projects and research training. The community outreaching will inspire high-school students' interest in science and engineering, and broaden the participation of underrepresented black minority and female students in Dearborn and Detroit communities.