MSOE researcher examines silting and contaminant lock in hydraulic valves
| Published: 04/12/2006 |
|
Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) has awarded Dr. Vincent Prantil the university's 2006-07 Otto Maha Faculty Research Fellowship. Prantil, an associate professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, was selected for his proposed research on "Analysis of Silting and Contaminant Lock in Hydraulic Valves Using Analogies to Granular Flow." The award will provide funding for release time and certain other expenses to carry out his research.
Particle contaminants blocking hydraulic flow through valves - or silting -- is likely responsible for 70 percent of failures in hydraulic systems. In his research, Dr. Prantil hopes to create a tool that predicts how solid particle contaminants inhibit flow through valves. This research will, in turn, help in the development of ways to minimize the contaminants' effects.
Prantil, who has been teaching at MSOE since 2000, holds a bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering, all from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. His research interests include micro-structural material modeling, and finite element and numerical analysis. His research work has included numerical implementation of polycrystal plasticity models for metals, geologic materials and constrained crystal systems, TRIP plasticity models for predicting heat treatment distortion and models for reverse loading of quasi-static granular materials. He was a senior staff member at Sandia National Laboratories-California in the Applied Mechanics and Materials Modeling departments for 11 years.
Prantil is the third Otto Maha Faculty Research Fellowship recipient. Previous recipients were: Dr. John Pakkala, MSOE assistant professor, who is investigating the "Analysis of internal combustion engine-sensor signals and their correlation with intake and exhaust valve position" (2005); and MSOE Professor Thomas Labus, who continues the "Development of a hydro-pneumatic pulsed jet demolition tool" (2004).
This award was made possible through a $5 million endowment in 2000 to MSOE by fluid power pioneer Otto J. Maha, a longtime Parker-Hannifin Corp. employee. Maha's early support of MSOE helped it establish fluid power education and laboratory facilities which became MSOE's Fluid Power InstituteTM. Established in 1962, and was one of the first universities in the nation to offer a degree in fluid power engineering. Today, it is a leading education, research and product evaluation facility and conducts numerous seminars on specific aspects of fluid power throughout the year. The purpose of the MSOE Otto Maha Faculty Research Fellowship award is to advance the state of the art in fluid power and motion control technologies by conducting research that can grow into a sustainable, externally funded program. For more information, www.msoe.edu/research.
-end-
MSOE is an independent university with about 2,400 students. MSOE offers 17 bachelor's degrees and seven master's degrees in the engineering, engineering technology, architectural engineering and building construction, computer, business and health-related fields.