ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF

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                  ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF
                        E-Mail Newsletter

                               No.65
             Issued by the Asian TOP Panel, May 2007

           The Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES)
           The Institution of Engineers, Indonesia (PII)
           The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME)
           The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers (KSME)

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    According to the agreement made in the 2nd Asian TOP Panel Meeting,
the ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF (E-mail newsletter) has now been edited
by the CMES for the year 2007.

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[Contents]

(1)Supplier Planning and Selection for New Product Collaborative Development
   (Source: CMES)
(2)Manufacture of Hypoid Gear Based on Computer Numerical Control Cutting
    Machine (Source: CMES)
(3)Modeling of Fuzzy Information in Quality Function Deploy (Source: CMES)
(4)Development of a New Coolant Mass Estimation Method for PWR Accidents
- Effectiveness of Primary Loop Level Meters Designed for a PWR (Source: JSME)
(5)Newly Developed Mid Engine Rear Drive Platform (Source: JSME)

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(1)Supplier Planning and Selection for New Product Collaborative Development

    HOU Liang HAN Donghui WEN Zhijia
    Department of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Xiamen University

It has been found that selecting proper participator to involve effectively in product development process at right time and to right extent is vital to the success of product collaborative development. The characteristics of product structure and the classification of resources and suppliers, and the relation between them are regarded as the main factors affecting the time and degree of supplier involvement. The definition of the degree of product innovation, the classification of components and involving suppliers are proposed. In order to find the relation between different types of components and involving suppliers, a mapping model and a design algorithm that describe the zigzag mapping process between product domain, decision domain and supplier domain are given. Considering the requirements of material supply chain and new product development, an index model including satisfaction, flexibility, venture and confidence indices for measuring the extent to which both the customer requirements and supplier capabilities match or mismatch is presented. The supplier's evaluation process and algorithm are proposed subsequently. Finally, an example of supplier selection in new carriage development is given.

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(2)Manufacture of Hypoid Gear Based on Computer Numerical Control Cutting Machine

    SU Zhijian College of Mechanical Engineering, Zhengzhou University
    WU Xutang College of Mechanical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University

Based on the conceptual model of the five-axis simultaneous CNC bevel gear cutting machine, a new machining theory for the function-oriented active tooth surface of hypoid gear is proposed. The equation of meshing, control equation of the tooth depth and the second order geometric parameters of the gear tooth surface are established. A new algorithm for determining the motion function of machine tool, cutter velocity and point radius of cutter is given. In this process, there is no need for calculating of the moving acceleration and the acceleration rate of the cutter. According to this theory, the second order geometric parameters of the gear tooth surfaces and the designed tooth depth can be generated accurately. At the same time, above-mentioned manufacture method for the hypoid gear is universal and can be used to manufacture many kinds of point mesh gears.

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(3)Modeling of Fuzzy Information in Quality Function Deployment

    REN Zhaohui SONG Naihui LI Xiaopeng
    WEN Bangchun CHEN Yizeng
    School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Northeastern University,

In the process of products design, most input information for quality function deployment always shows as the judgment, understand and evaluation of human, which possess the characteristics of fuzziness and language. The main idea of modeling of fuzzy information with house of quality is explained, and fuzzy integrating of custom needs and fuzzy modeling of products planning with HOQ are proposed. With the fuzzy expantion theory, the traditional quality house theory and method are applied into the fuzzy fields. The modeling of fuzzy information is discussed with fuzzy arithmetic, fuzzy decision-making. Thus, the fuzzy or qualitative information can be dealt with efficiently, and the significative decision in fuzzy circumstance can be made.

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(4) Development of a New Coolant Mass Estimation Method for PWR Accidents
     - Effectiveness of Primary Loop Level Meters Designed for a PWR -

   Mitsuhiro SUZUKI, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)

A new method to estimate almost all coolant mass change during a loss-of- coolant
accident (LOCA) in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) was developed as an important technique for accident management (AM) measures. An AM action to inject water into a PWR is required by a key parameter of core exit thermocouples (CETs) in many OECD countries but by a reactor vessel level meter in a few countries. It is obvious that the CETs can give no information on the primary coolant mass change but indication of core heat-up. The new method uses the primary loop (PL) level meters designed to measure water level in each steam generator (SG) outlet region, and the reactor vessel level indication system (RVLIS) in the Westinghouse-type PWR in addition to the pressurizer level meter. The author clarified through the ROSA/LSTF experiments that these three kinds of level meters are useful to estimate more than 80% of the total coolant mass change between the initial and core heat-up conditions. It is important to understand the role of PL level meters which almost cover an insensitive coolant mass detection range of the RVLIS before the core heat-up initiation.

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(5) Newly Developed Mid Engine Rear Drive Platform

Shinsuke KAWAMURA, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation Mini Car Product Development                                  Project

The mid engine rear drive platform using to “MITSUBISHI i” development project was undertaken with the aim of achieving high targets which were not possible to achieve with conventional designs within the regulated subcompact automobile
category ? namely, highly-modern styling in tandem with interior comfort, light
handling, a high level of riding comfort, and 360�?collision safety. By relocating
the power plant normally found under the front bonnet to the beneath the floor in the
luggage compartment, it became possible to simultaneously achieve a one-motion
silhouette profile, interior comfort, light handling, consistently high-quality
driving comfort, a longer passenger compartment, safety under collision from all
directions, long wheelbase, large wheels, small turning radius, and many other
high-level elements that would traditional have had to be traded off against each
other.

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Editor : Tian Ruizhu
           The Dept. of Internationa Affairs
           Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society