Abstract: Heat in a drive system including a motor and a drive is removed using heat pipes in heat exchanging contact with the motor and the drive. The heat conducting element have at least one portion for receiving heat from the motor or the drive, and another portion to transfer heat to a heat exchange device that is spaced from the motor and drive. The heat conducting element may be a heat pipe or a heat spreader element.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for uniformly mixing fluid phases entrained in a porous material. A mixer may have a vessel and at least one porous material held by the vessel. At least one actuator may be acoustically coupled with at least one wall of the vessel for generating a wave. The wave effects mixing of at least two fluids in the porous material. The actuator may be a linear motor actuated with a control signal of predetermined frequency. The actuator may have a number of actuator pairs each including respective first and second actuators at respective first and second sides of the vessel. The actuators may be hinged for reciprocal movement. The actuators may be actuated to form a compression expansion wave to effect fluid motion in the porous material.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for uniformly mixing fluid phases entrained in a porous material. A mixer may have a vessel and at least one porous material held by the vessel. At least one actuator may be acoustically coupled with at least one wall of the vessel for generating a wave. The wave effects mixing of at least two fluids in the porous material. The actuator may be a linear motor actuated with a control signal of predetermined frequency. The actuator may have a number of actuator pairs each including respective first and second actuators at respective first and second sides of the vessel. The actuators may be hinged for reciprocal movement. The actuators may be actuated to form a compression-expansion wave to effect fluid motion in the porous material.

Abstract: A system computes occupancy estimates based on one or more inputs, including sensor data from one or more sensor devices, constraints on allowable occupancy levels, and one or more utility functions. An occupancy estimator organizes the sensor data, the utility functions and an occupancy estimate into an objective function and executes a constrained optimization algorithm that computes the occupancy estimate, subject to the constraints, such that the objective function is minimized. The computed occupancy estimate is provided as an output by the system to one or more control and/or monitoring systems.

Abstract: A power transmission system including a component having a surface and a plurality of micro-defects is provided. The surface has a distribution of asperities has a second resonance frequency distribution that is substantially outside of the resonance frequency distribution.

Abstract: Heat in a drive system including a motor and a drive is removed using heat pipes in heat exchanging contact with the motor and the drive. The heat conducting element have at least one portion for receiving heat from the motor or the drive, and another portion to transfer heat to a heat exchange device that is spaced from the motor and drive. The heat conducting element may be a heat pipe or a heat spreader element.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for uniformly mixing fluid phases entrained in a porous material.

Abstract: There is a method for modeling the surface fatigue life of a mechanical component. The method has the following steps: a) modeling the surface fatigue life of the mechanical component on an atomistic scale to form an atomistic model, b) modeling the surface fatigue life of the mechanical component on a mesoscale to form a mesoscale model, c) modeling the surface fatigue life of the mechanical component on a macroscale to form a macroscale model, and d) testing the surface fatigue life of the mechanical component. Feedback from the macroscale model is employed at least once to validate the atomistic model. Feedback from the macroscale model is employed at least once to validate the mesoscale model. Feedback from the testing is employed at least once to validate the macroscale model. There is also an interactive, multiscale model for prediction surface fatigue life or degradation rate for a mechanical component.

Abstract: A power transmission system including a component having a surface and a plurality of micro-defects is provided. The surface has a distribution of asperities. The component has a first resonance frequency distribution. The distribution of asperities has a second resonance frequency distribution that is substantially outside of the first resonance frequency distribution.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for uniformly mixing fluid phases entrained in a porous material.