2011–2012 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Other laboratories around the campus can also be used by
mechanical engineering graduate students performing advanced
research.
Funded research activities of mechanical and aerospace engineering
faculty have recently included studies of efficient heat transfer/
insulation mechanisms in building environments, advanced HVAC
and fuel cell systems, integration of renewable energy sources into
residential and utility applications, computation of radiative transport,
computational mechanics with emphasis on nano-devices
and damage mechanisms in laminated composite structures,
development of experimental techniques for mechanical behavior
of advanced materials systems, biomechanics, laser applications
in bioengineering, turbulent boundary-layer structure, condition
monitoring and fault diagnosis in rotating machinery and turbulent
transport of moisture contained in air streams. Other studies have
involved combustion in porous media, novel spatial and spherical
mechanisms for part-orienting tasks, design and control of mobile
robots, response of occupants in automobile collisions, smart
composite structures with embedded sensors and optimization
of composites. Research projects have been variously supported
through grants from NASA, National Science Foundation, Defense
Nuclear Agency, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, Edith
Bush Charitable Foundation, Florida Solar Energy Center, Florida
Space Grant Consortium, Department of Energy and a number of
industrial affiliations.
Laboratories include the Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory
(RASSL); Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory (LOIL);
Fluid Dynamics Laboratory and the Aerospace Structures
138 Florida Tech
Laboratory. RASSL is equipped with several industrial robots as
well as a state-of-the-art autonomous mobile robot. In LOIL, the
current technologies in continuous wave and short-pulse lasers
and optics are used to develop new techniques for measuring and
characterizing material properties for biomedical and material
processing applications. The Fluid Dynamics Laboratory features
a low-speed, low-turbulence wind tunnel of open-return type,
with a square test section 0.535 m on a side and 1.6 m long. The
speed range is from zero to 42 m/s. The mean turbulence level
is a few hundredths of one percent at the lowest tunnel speeds.
The Aerospace Structures Laboratory features a drop-tower for
impact testing of structures and materials. This laboratory also
has a shaker table for the vibration testing of structures. There are
also ovens, vacuum pumps and other paraphernalia needed for the
custom preparation of material specimens from advanced composite
materials.
The Human-Centered Design Institute (HCDI) members are
faculty, permanent and visiting research scientists and graduate
students conducting research in cognitive engineering, advanced
interaction media, complexity analysis in human-centered design,
life-critical systems, human-centered organization design and management,
and modeling and simulation.
See the Institution Overview section of this catalog for further
information regarding the Dynamic Systems and Controls
Laboratory; the Laser, Optics and Instrumentation Laboratory; and
the Robotics and Spatial Systems Laboratory.