Superalloy Rescues MEMS Sensors

Superalloy Rescues MEMS Sensors Superalloy Rescues MEMS Sensors Superalloy Rescues MEMS SensorsEach day, the Internet of Things ecosystem spurs a greater amount of connected devices, cars gain greater autonomy, and high-temperature technologies generate more information that needs to be collected. But the MEMS sensors they rely on are made mostly from silicon, which doesnt stand up well to high heat.Researchers from Johns Hopkins Mechanical Engineering department created an alloy that they believe can be better. The whole design problem welches to take MEMS into more extreme environments, says Gianna Valentino, a mechanical engineering Ph.D. student who worked on the project.The team needed a materie that was as malleable as silicon but with better thermal expansion properties. So they started with nickel, which is already widely used in the superalloys of the macro world, and added molybdenum and tungsten to hamper nickels tendency to expand.If we could put more and better sensors i n jet engines, we could make them much more efficient and reliable. Prof. Gianna Valentino, Johns Hopkins University Plane-view TEM images of the as-deposited film. (A) Bright-field plane-view TEM image. (B) TEM-based orientation map. Image Johns HopkinsTo make the sheet as thin as possible, they used a well-established technique called sputter deposition. In short, they put a piece of the alloy in a vacuum and bombarded it with argon ions. Atoms pop off the chunk and get redeposited on the substrate below, forming a unique structure.Instead of a single crystal with all the atoms aligned in a specific way, it started to grow a layer, and then a layer was kinked next to where it should have of been. It then grew at an angle, and then kinked back. And then kinked back again, says Kevin Hemker, a professor of mechanical engineering, who led the research. With all the zigzagging, the layers that grew were very closely spaced. And that meant that the film they created was incredibly strong, three times the strength of high-strength steel.The new alloy can handle temperatures over 1,800 F. That means sensor can now go where theyve never gone before.The new alloy can handle temperatures over 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine the challenges associated with putting sensors in a jet engine a high corrosion, high temperature, high-speed environment,Hemkersays. If we could put more and better sensors in jet engines, we could make them much more efficient and reliable.More for You Read about the latest in Manufacturing and Design from AASME.orgCars, which are already loaded with sensors for airbag deployment, tire pressure, and accelerometers, among many other things, dont have any in arguably the most important place, the engine block. Currently the exact position of a drill bit as it goes underground is unknown to the companies operating itthe heat is too great to include a gyroscope. With the new alloy well know a lot more about whats going on with the dri lls and engines of the world, to say nothing of power plants and all things aerospace. Cross-sectional microstructure of the as-deposited film. Image Johns HopkinsThe alloy, since it is made from metal, is conductive as well as super strong. The appliances of the world stand to profit.Think of smart washing machines and fridges, says Hemker. If you want them to turn on when the power is cheapest, you wont have to throw on a big macroscopic solenoid. You could zulauf the power through a computer chip, but it has to have the capacity to run that kind of current. The new alloy has that capacity, where silicon does not.Hemker is now looking at how the alloy can be tweaked during the deposition process.The rate you sputter down, the temp of the substrate, and the pressure you use those are all parameters that we can vary, he says. Meanwhile, Valentino is creating a cantilever with photolithography, as a proof of concept for the material.When theyre done we may finally have a look into the hottest, most important parts of our world.Michael Abrams is an independent writer.Related content we think youll enjoyNano Engineerings New FrontierCreating Energy with Every Step You Take For Further Discussion

7 career lessons you can learn from TV pilot season

7 career lessons you can learn from TV pilot season7 career lessons you can learn from TV pilot seasonEvery year, about this time, the networks announce the new TV lineups and listings of shows that will debut in the fall. And every fall, the majority of those pilots disappear without as much as a whimper, never to be heard of again - unless its in the form of a punchline. Believe it or not, there are a lot of career lessons to be learned from the best and worst TV pilots.Here are some in no particular orderTheres no stigma to failA few years back screenwriter Noah Hawley wrote in The Hollywood Reporter about the great unknown secret of the TV industry, and it was sad. According to Hawley, about 92% of all TV pilots fail. And because so many shows fail or never see the light of day, something unexpectedly delightful happened - catastrophe is seen as experience, not acareer killer. Or as Hawley wrote in TV, the thinking goes, each step forward a writer-producer takes imbues him or he r with valuable job skills and authority. Once youve been The Boss, therefore, you remain A Boss, even after your show disappears.TV pilot lesson learned Keep the skills you learn on the way to improve your chances the next time around.A badeanstalt review isnt necessarily fatal to your careerWhen Friends debuted, it was dismissed as being fruchtweinly a Seinfeld rip-off. People didnt hate it, but they couldnt seem to find much to love about it. Critics, viewers, and the network gave the show a chance though, and Friends ended up being one of the longest-running sitcoms in TV history.TV pilot lesson learned One bad performance review shouldnt color your entire career. Try to improve and show just how far youve come.You can always find direction as you goEven the most die-hard Parks and Recreation fans will admit that the first season of the show was pretty awful. Also, boring. Oh, and there wasnt all that much character development or originality. Somehow the show picked up momentum - and rabid fans - and the show ended up a cult classic.TV pilot lesson learned Starting a new job, can be daunting. And sometimes when you start, it isnt all that clear where youll be going once you get there. Work with your team to keep improving and you might just end up a massive success.Work it. Then rework itPretty much anyone who loves Game of Thrones raves about the pilot it was thrilling and set the stage for the seasons to come. That said, it wasnt the original pilot. Wait, what? True story. The original pilot had a somewhat different cast and plot trajectory and by all reports was nothing short of awful.TV pilot lesson learned If you believe in something, give it your all. If it doesnt live up to your vision or expectations, dont be afraid to tear it down and start over again.Theres no cure for boringThe Wire is one of the most critically acclaimed shows of all times. People who love it sound almost reverential when discussing various plots and character relationships . People who hate it probably never got through that first excruciating hour.TV pilot lesson learned Even if you have the most innovative plan or project on earth, people wont be interested in it if you cant find a way to capture their interest. Start strong and build in interesting points as you go.Show dont tellIf there was ever a pilot that fully expressed the full range of emotions of the upcoming series it was the absolute perfection of The Walking Dead. The pilot didnt rely on dialogue or even gratuitous zombie scenes to express the full horror of what the world had become.TV pilot lesson learned If youre good at what you do, dont hold the bag. Dont brag about it, dazzle them with your skills instead.Dont stop believingBy the time that the pilot script for Mad Men made its way to the executives at AMC it had been bounced around for over eight years - and rejected at every turn. Somehow though, someone took a chance and Mad Men ended up being one of the most ground-breaking sh ows in the history of television.TV pilot lesson learned Just because something doesnt work for them, doesnt mean it wont work for you. If you believe strongly enough in the power of something, keep going until youve proven everyone else wrong. But choose wisely. You dont always want to be known as the champion of underdogs.

Learn the Basics of Music Demos

Learn the Basics of Music DemosLearn the Basics of Music DemosA music demo, or simply ademo, is a sample recording of your music. Usually, demos are rough recordings of songs and often do elend include an entire albums worth of material. Demos are frequently sent by bands to record labels to try and land a deal, but they have a few other uses as well. How Musicians and Songwriters Use Demos Demosof new songs can be given to producers before a band goes into the studio. The songwriter in a band may give rough demos of new songs to other band members. If a band or artist is looking for an werber or manager, the demo is a key tool to raise interest. And sometimes,a record label will allow the media to hear demo recordings to build some buzz around an upcoming release. When this does happen, usually only a select few media members will get to hear the demos, and generally, this happens when demos contain finished songs. In other words, songs that are still in the writing and tweaking stage dont often get played for people outside the band and label. Dont Spend Money on Production (At Least Not Yet) One of the most important things to remember about a demo, especially when you are getting started, is that it is not intended to be a finished product. There is no need to spend a lot of money in a recording studio to make a demo. Labels expect your demo to be rough, and no one is going to give you a record deal (or turn you down) based on the recording quality of your demo. Also, remember that a demo should be short. It should contain your best songs three or four is ideal. Demos offer a taste of your music, not your whole catalog. Whats more, when a label receives a demo with studio recorded songs, it may indicate the artist is naive about the way the music industry works. Despite your best intentions, this approach could raise questions about whether or not youre ready to undertake the humbling process of trying to get a music career off the ground. Spending money on a polished demo is not worth the investment, and may end up hurting your chances more than helping. Not Everyone Needs Your Demo A label has to be interested your kind of music to have any interest in releasing your record, so make sure you investigate the labels that you approach with your music. If your band has a sound like Metallica, for instance, dont send your demo to recording labels that work exclusively with hip-hop groups. Know What Youre Getting Into The worst thing you can do is send out a demo blindly. A lot of recording labels have very specific rules about demos that you have to follow if you want to make it through the door. Some require you to get permission to send a demo in the first place. Consider that unsolicited demos could get a label in legal trouble. If theyre not careful, someone could claim that the label ripped off the song form the demo. Demo policies can usually be found on label websites. Respect the rules. A demo doesnt have to be lo ng and drawn out to be effective. Rather, it should be a sample of your work. The goal is to give whoever it is youre trying to reach a taste, so they come asking for more.