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Facilities

Advanced Design and Manufacturing Laboratory
This laboratory provides research opportunities in design ethodology,computer-aided design, analysis and manufacturing, and materials processing and manufacturing. Facilities include various computers and software, I-DEAS, Pro/E,ANSYS, MasterCAM, Mechanical DeskTop, SurfCAM, Euclid, Strim, ABQUS, and more.The machines include two Sanders Model Maker rapid prototyping machines, a BridgePort CNC Machining Center, a BOY 220 injection molding machine, an Electra high-temperature furnace for metal sintering, infiltration, and other heat treatment.

Biofluid Mechanics Laboratory
The biofluid mechanics laboratory conducts computational and experimental research on the dynamics of flow in the cardiovascular and respiratory system, and the effects of flow on biological processes, particularly hemostasis and thrombosis. Lab resources include high-performance engineering workstations, commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software, and basic experimental facilities including Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV), pressure and flow transducers, pumps, and microscopes.

Biomechanics Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on understanding the mechanical properties of human joints, characterization of the mechanical properties of biological materials, studies of human movements, and design and development of artificial limbs. Facilities include a 3-D kinematic measuring system, Instron testing machine, and microcomputers for data acquisition and processing. Additional biomechanical laboratory facilities are available at Moss Rehab Hospital.

Combustion and Fuels Chemistry Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on developing an understanding of both the chemical and physical factors that control and, hence, can be used to tailor combustion processes for engineering applications. Facilities include continuous spectroscopic reaction monitoring systems, static reactors, combustion bombs, flat flame burner systems, flow reactors, and complete analytical and monitoring instrumentation.

Combustion and Thermal-Science Laboratory
Research is conducted in the areas of (1) low temperature hydrocarbon oxidation, (2) cool flames, (3) auto-ignition, (4) flame instabilities, (5) flame
structure, (6) flame ignition, and (7) flame extinction (quenching). Cooperative research projects in microgravity combustion are ongoing with NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, to ascertain the effects of natural convection on the structure and stability of cool and premixed flames. New ways to improve fuel efficiency in practical combustors and recover waste energy in the transportation sector are also being explored.

Combustion Emissions/Engine Laboratory
In this laboratory the effects of engine operating variables, fuel type, ambient conditions, and control devices on engine performance and emissions are studied. The laboratory contains both diesel and spark ignition engines, as well as extensive engine and emissions monitoring instrumentation, including dynamometers and continuous gaseous emission analyzers. The laboratory has a high-pressure flow reactor for detailed kinetic studies of hydrocarbon oxidation processes in engines.

Composite Mechanics Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on the characterization of performance of composite materials. Current interest includes damage mechanisms, failure processes, and time-dependent behavior in resin-, metal-, and ceramic-matrix composites. Major equipment includes servo-hydraulic and electromechanical Instron testing machines, strain/displacement monitoring systems, environmental chambers, microcomputers for data acquisition and processing, composites fabrication facility, interferometric displacement gauge, X-radiography, and acoustic emission systems.

Drexel Plasma Institute
The Drexel Plasma Institute (DPI) was formed in 2002 to stimulate and coordinate research projects related to plasma and other modern high energy engineering techniques. Today the DPI is an active multidisciplinary organization involving 23 faculty members from 6 engineering departments working in close collaboration with School of Biomedical Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences and College of Nursing and Health Professions.

Heat Transfer Laboratory
The heat transfer laboratory is outfitted with an array of instrumentation and equipment for conducting single- and multiphase heat transfer experiments in controlled environments. Facilities include computer-controlled data acquisition (LabVIEW ) systems, a Newport holographic interferometric system with associated lasers and optics, image enlargers, power amplifiers, precision voltmeters, slip-ring assemblies, and an IBM RISC/6000 workstation for large-scale computing and simulation. A draft-free room is available with independent temperature control for carrying out natural convection experiments. An experimental test-rig is available for studying heat transfer from rotating surfaces. A bubble column has been recently built to study multiphase flow and heat transfer problems. Facilities are also available for measuring thermal conductivities of thin films using a thermal comparator.

Microcomputer Controls Laboratory
This laboratory provides an environment conducive to appreciating aspects of systems and control through hands-on experiments. They range from data acquisition and processing to modeling of dynamical systems and implementing a variety of controllers to control systems, such as DC motors and the inverted pendulum. Facilities also include microcontrollers such as Basic Stamp and the Motorola 68HCI 1. Active research is being conducted on control reconfiguration in the event of actuator failures in aircrafts.

Microgravity Combustion and Optical Diagnostic Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on advancing the understanding of sooting and radiation on droplet combustion, and nonintrusive soot diagnostic techniques. Facilities include a full-field light extinction apparatus, fullfield pyrometry apparatus, flat flame and laminar diffusion flame burners for fundamental burning measurements, gravimetric sampling and light extinction apparatus, and advanced digital image processing capabilities for physical and fractal measurements of particulates.This research is funded by various federal and industrial sponsors.

Non-Newtonian Fluid and Heat Transfer Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on the study of hydrodynamic and thermal performance of various non-Newtonian viscoelastic fluids in complex flow geometries. Facilities and equipment include a 20-foot-long recirculating flow loop with a 500-gallon reservoir tank and a thermal conductivity measurement cell. A complete data acquisition system provides fully automated experimental operation and data reduction. A state-of-the-art finite element code FIDAP running on a CDC 180 computer provides three-dimensional flow and heat transfer simulations of flows in complex geometrics, with a complete post-processing graphic capability backed by template.

Precision Instrumentation and Metrology Laboratory
This laboratory is focused on activities related to precision measurement, computer-aided inspection, and precision instrument design. Facilities include 3D Coordinate Measuring Machine (Brown & Sharpe) with Micro Measurement and Reverse engineering software, Surface Profilometer, and Laser Displacement Measuring System.

Program for Robotics, Intelligent Sensing, and Mechatronics (PRISM) Laboratory
The PRISM Laboratory is a state-of-the-art laboratory for pursuing research in the areas of medical robotics, haptic (sense of touch) and vision feedback through a
user interface for augmenting a surgeon’s capability in performing surgery, and visual servoing.The laboratory is equipped with a robotic arm, haptic interface devices, head-mounted display for immersion in the surgical environment, and dedicated hardware and software for the above research areas.

Rheology Laboratory
Emphasis in this laboratory is placed on developing tools for rheological property measurement of various non-Newtonian fluids, including friction-reducing viscoelastic fluids, molten polymers, coal-water slurries, ceramic slurries, and bonding cements for biomedical applications. A capillary tube viscometer, falling ball and needle viscometers, and Brookfield rotating viscometer are available. In particular, the capillary tube viscometer is designed to allow fully automated operation, thus avoiding time-consuming data collection procedures. A high-temperature and high-pressure capillary tube viscometer is under development, so that viscosities of advanced polymer materials can be measured at relatively high temperatures and shear rates.

Spray Combustion Laboratory
In this laboratory the atomization, mixing, and combustion processes of liquid sprays in turbulent swirl air flows are studied. Of particular interest are advanced gas turbine concepts such as lean direct injection (LDI). Using an image analysis technique and a Phase-Doppler/Particle Analyzer (PDPA), both qualitative and quantitative measurements of spray mixing and dispersion are performed. The emissions measurement and combustion analysis are also conducted using image analysis technique and gas chromatography (GC). Under various conditions of swirl flows and liquid spray injection in a confined geometry, combustion aerodynamics are investigated both experimentally and by using a computational method. In addition, combustion characteristics of electrically charged fuel sprays are under consideration in this laboratory. A particular application of this research is for fuel-injection internal-combustion engines. The spray pattern, the evaporation, and the combustion are strongly influenced by the charged electric density on the liquid droplet surface. Also, various methods of charging liquids with low electric conductivity are studied.

Spray Dynamics Laboratory
Work in this laboratory involves basic scientific research in the areas of turbulent flows, the combustion of liquid fuel sprays, and the development of laser diagnostics for these flows and sprays. The facilities include two monodisperse aerosol generation systems, a two-dimensional turbulent jet, and a laser Doppler velocimeter. In addition, a Rayleigh scattering system and a single particle counter have been developed in this laboratory to provide nonintrusive, in-situ measurements of gas density and droplet size distribution, respectively.

Rapid Product Development Center
This center provides fundamental research, educational instruction, and engineering services in product design and manufacturing, solid freeform fabrication, and computer-aided tissue engineering.The center is equipped with state-of-the-art CAD/CAE/CAM, medical imaging processing, and 3D reconstruction software, and a rapid prototyping system.The center is partnered with the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (an affiliate of the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership) to provide research and engineering services for the enhancement of the product competitiveness of manufacturing companies in the Delaware Valley.