ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF

======================================================================

                  ENGINEERING NEWS IN BRIEF
                        E-Mail Newsletter

                               No.15
             Issued by the Asian TOP Panel, March 2003

           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)

======================================================================

About the Asian TOP Panel (ATOP)
    On August 29, 2001, presidents of four engineering societies
gathered　
in Japan to pave the way for stepped-up collaboration. They are Chinese
Mechanical Engineering Society, Institution of Engineers Indonesia,
Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Korean Society of Mechanical
Engineers.
    They agreed to establish the Asian TOP Panel (ATOP), which is a　
voluntary body and open to any Asian engineering society and
institution. At the first meeting, they decided to issue monthly E-mail
newsletter which you are reading now. It will carry short technical news
of Asian countries, and be distributed to all individual members of the
ATOP societies and institutions.
    ATOP will meet every two years. The next meeting will be held in
Korea in 2003.

======================================================================

[Contents]

(1)Volkswagen Sets up Gearbox JV (CMES)
(2) China's Bicycle Exports Continue to Rise (CMES)
(3) DMG Enters China's Machine Tool Market (CMES)
(4) KSME Board Members for 2003 (KSME)
(5) KSME 2003 Spring Annual Conference (KSME)
(6) Sponsored or Joint Conferences & Symposia in 2003 by KSME (KSME)
(7) Hyundai Teams with Industry Leaders in Fuel Cell Storage System (KSME)
(8) LG Electronics Ushering in the Era of "Global R&D" in China (KSME)
(9) Application of Fluid / Structure interaction to Tire Development (JSME)
(10) Genetic Algorithm for Multi-Objective Optimization (JSME)
(11) The use of CFD and EFD in a chemical company (JSME)
(12) Control Systems of Wind Turbines for High Quality of Power (JSME)

======================================================================

(1) Volkswagen Sets up Gearbox JV

German auto giant Volkswagen Group on Jan.28 launched a three-party
transmission joint venture in the city in an effort to cut its car
production costs in China, the world's fastest-growing car market.

Volkswagen said on Jan.28 in a statement it controls a 60 percent stake
in the US$96 million transmission joint venture, named Volkswagen
Transmission (Shanghai) Co Ltd.

Each of the German company's two Chinese partners - Shanghai
Automotive Industry Corp (SAIC) and First Automotive Works Corp (FAW)
- holds a 20 percent stake in the joint venture.

Volkswagen Transmission (Shanghai) Co Ltd is the German carmaker's
third manufacturing joint venture in China.

======================================================================

(2) China's Bicycle Exports Continue to Rise

China maintained its position as the world's top bicycle producer and
exporter in 2002.

Statistics show that Guangdong province in south China handled the
export of nearly 18 million bicycles valued at 530 million US dollars
last year alone, up 11.2 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively.

Exports via Guangdong mainly targeted the north American and Asian
markets, with the United States absorbing more than 9.78 million, or
54.6 percent of the total.

In many developed countries, bicycles are increasingly viewed as a
daily necessity. In recent years, in both Europe and the United States,
the demand for bicycles has maintained steady growth.

In the United States, for example, 260 million people purchase an
annual average of 15 million bicycles, one for every 16 people.

China manufactures more than one-third of the world's bicycles and
it contributes some 60 percent of the world's bicycle trade.

======================================================================

(3) DMG Enters China's Machine Tool Market

Deckel Maho Gildemeister (DMG), the world's second-largest machine
tool producer, has set its foothold in China's growing machine tool
market by opening its first production plant in the mainland.

The facility, opened on January 13 in southwestern Shanghai, is DMG's
11th production plant in its global operation, and its first outside Europe.

Annual production capacity at Shanghai's plant will reach 300 sets.
DMG is considering investing an additional US$3 million to establish a
research and development (R&D) centre in Beijing, said Tim Smith,
managing director of DMG Asia, adding the R&D centre could be
operational later this year.

The company will also establish within two years a nationwide sales and
service network, Smith said.

DMG will open regional offices in Beijing; Xi'an, Northwest China's
Shaanxi Province; Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province; and
Dongguan, South China's Guangdong Province, Smith said. "Stable growth
of the Chinese market (for machine tools) promises good business
prospects," Kapitza said.

China is the world's largest market for machine tools, accounting last
year for 19 per cent of the world's consumption, indicate DMG's statistics.

Meanwhile, China's machine tool production accounted for 9 per cent of
the world's total, the statistics indicate.

Market demand in China for machine tools is increasing, especially in the
water conservation, railways, highways and telecommunications sectors,
according to Jiefang Daily.

The Shanghai plant will help DMG promote its products in the "continuously
increasing" Chinese market, the manager from DMG said.:"Localization of
our products will reduce costs and ensure more 'competitive and
personalized' products and services for Chinese customers."

======================================================================

(4) KSME Board Members for 2003

The President, Vice-Presidents, and Executive Board Members of the
KSME for the year 2003 have been elected by the Council of Delegates
as follows.

President : Kang Yong Lee (kyl2813@yahoo.co.kr)
Vice President : Jung Yul Yoo (jyyoo@plaza.snu.ac.kr)
          Jung Kyu Kim (kimj@email.hanyang.ac.kr)
          Hyun Dong Shin (hdshin@kaist.ac.kr)
          Dae Un Lee (dae.un.lee@delphi.com)
          Byung-Joon Rho (rhobj@moak.chonbuk.ac.kr)
Executive Board Member
    General Affairs : Soo-Won Chae (swchae@korea.ac.kr)
               Chong Nam Chu (cnchu@snu.ac.kr)
                  Won Gu Joo (joo_wg@yonsei.ac.kr)
    Treasury : Gil-Moon Park (gmpark@mail.chosun.ac.kr)
        Kwang Min Chun (kmchun@yonsei.ac.kr)
    Activities : Ji Oh Song (sjioh@samsung.com)
        Jai Sug Hawong (jshawong@yu.ac.kr)
        Sang-Ho Suh (susang@sfel.ssu.ac.kr)
        Kyung-Chun Kim (kckim@pusan.ac.kr)
    Publications: Joon-Ki Chung (jkchung@wow.hongik.ac.kr)
            Kwan Soo Lee (ksleehy@hanyang.ac.kr)
            Seyoung Im (sim@kaist.ac.kr)
            Gun-Myung Lee (gmlee@nongae.gsnu.ac.kr)
            Byung Joon Baek (baekbj@moak.chonbuk.ac.kr)
Supervisor General : Kang Rae Cho (krcho@yonsei.ac.kr)
              Chang Ho Kim (festod@chollian.net)

======================================================================

(5) KSME 2003 Spring Annual Conference

The KSME 2003 Spring Annual Conference will be held from April 23
(Wed) to April 25 (Fri) at the Korea Maritime University in Pusan, Korea.
The deadline for submission of the paper and abstract is February 21
(Friday), 2003, and the revised paper submission is due on March 15
(Saturday), 2003. There will be oral and poster presentations and each
participant will be notified of his/her presentation format by the
organization
committee considering the numbers of the papers submitted. The details
can be found at the KSME homepage.
(http://www.ksme.or.kr)

======================================================================

(6) Sponsored or Joint Conferences & Symposia in 2003 by KSME

* ICONE-11 (Eleventh International Conference on Nuclear Engineering)

     April 20-23, 2003
     Tokyo, Japan
     URL: http://www.jsme.or.jp/pes/icone11

* 2003 JSME-IIP/ASME-ISPE Joint Conference on Micromechatronics for
Information and Precision Equipment (IIP/ISPS Joint MIPE)

    June 16-18, 2003
    Pacific Yokohama, Yokohama, Japan
    URL: http://jsme.or.jp/iip/IIP-ISPS-Joint-MIPE.html

* The 7th International Heat Pipe Symposium

     August 31- September 4, 2003
    Seogwipo KAL Hotel in Jeju-do, Korea.
     URL: http://www.heatpipe.or.kr ,
          http://www.heatpipe.or.kr/7ihps.htm

* The 7th AICFM-Fukuoka 2003

    October 7-10, 2003
    Fukuoka, Japan
    URL: http://fel.tec.fukuoka-u.ac.jp/AICFM7-Fukuoka

* IGTC (International Gas Turbine Congress) '03

    November 2-7, 2003
    Edogawa Tokyo, Japan
    URL: http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/gtsj/igtc

* International Symposium on Micro-Mechanical Engineering-Heat Transfer,
Fluid Dynamics, Reliability and Mechatronics

    December 1-3, 2003
    Tsuchiura and Tsukuba in Japan
    URL: http://www.jsme.or.jp/ted/ISMME.html

======================================================================

(7) Hyundai Teams with Industry Leaders in Fuel Cell Storage System

Hyundai Motor Co. is teaming up with its Daimler-Chrysler, Toyota, Ford,
Nissan and PSA Peugeot-Citroen to test and evaluate the performance of
a new high pressure hydrogen storage system for application in fuel cell
vehicles. The results of the evaluation will be used to build a database
which will be reviewed by world standardization committees for high
pressure hydrogen systems. The new fuel storage system will store
compressed hydrogen on-board vehicles at pressures of up to 700 bar
facilitating the design of fuel cell vehicles with a driving range that is
comparable to that of petroleum-powered vehicles. Current hydrogen fuel
storage prototypes used 350 bar pressure, limiting the vehicles operating
range. Increasing the pressure to 700 bar poses new technical and
standardization challenges. A cooperative effort among the world's leading
automakers will pave the way for establishing a global basis for standards
for a 700-bar storage system. The evaluation project is being managed by
Canada's Powertech Labs and the assistance of Kokan Drum of Japan.

======================================================================

(8) LG Electronics Ushering in the Era of "Global R&D" in China

LG Electronics has opened mega R&C Center (Head: Vice-President
Jeong-Rhul Lee) in Beijing, China on December 10th, 2002, heralding the
beginning of "Global R&D" era for LG Electronics. By establishing R&D
Center in Beijing - the heart of China and one of the leading global
centers, it not only offers symbolic value, but will serve as the engine for
driving global R&D operations of LG Electronics. Chinese government is
currently promoting Beijing and Shanghai as the linchpins of cutting-edge
industries, and Zhongguanchun Science and Technology District of Beijing,
where LG Electronics established its R&D center, has been designated as
the home of R&D complex for state-of-the-art industries to receive a
wide range of incentives and tax benefits. The area, therefore, is
considered as the best place for successful launching of R&D investment
in China. The newly created R&D Center will carry out research in four
core business areas of: * Next generation communications (GSM Handset,
3G/4G Telecommunicating Standards); * China-oriented TD-SCDMA;
* Information appliances (DTV, digital media); * Design. The Center will
also
oversee local research efforts in main business areas of its information
communication business such as CDMA handsets and systems as well as
electronics business including digital TV and digital media.

======================================================================

(9) Application of Fluid / Structure interaction to Tire Development

Eisuke Seta
Bridgestone Corporation, Tire Research Dept.
3-1-1, Ogawahigashi-cho, Kodaira-Shi, Tokyo 187-8531, Japan

Improvement of tire performance on several road surface conditions,
such as wet and snow covered roads, is required in tire design. Hence
numerical simulation solving fluid/structure interaction problem are
applied to analyze hydroplaning and tire performance on snow. FEM and
FVM are used to model a tire and fluid (water or snow) respectively.
Fluid deformation is calculated by the Eulerian formulation by solving
the complex interaction between fluid and tire tread pattern. Water is
modeled as non-viscous fluid and snow is modeled as an elasto-plastic
material. Drained water in tire tread pattern is predicted clearly by
hydroplaning simulation, and the track of tread pattern is observed on
predicted snow covered road by tire simulation on snow. Predicted
results are in good agreement with experiments. Numerical simulation
of tire performance is helpful tool for tire design, because it can predict
the behavior of various tire designs on wet and snow covered roads and
can clarify the mechanisms. We expect that this technology will serve
to make tire design easier and more efficient.

======================================================================

(10) Genetic Algorithm for Multi-Objective Optimization

Shinya Watanabe, Tomoyuki Hiroyasu, Mitsunori Miki
Doshisha University

In this topic, multi-objective Genetic Algorithm and its application are
introduced. The study of GA that is used for solving multi-objective
optimization problems has been researched actively and made great
progress. In recent years, several new algorithms for finding good
Pareto-optimum solutions with low calculation costs have been
developed. As the algorithms advance, reports of some applications
applying GA to the real-world problems started to appear.

In this topic, the GA simulation of the multi-objective optimization
problem of a diesel engine is described. This simulation used a
phenomenological model of a diesel engine with target objective
functions of the specific fuel consumption, NOx and the soot. The
design variable is the shape of injection rate graph.

From results of this simulation, the following advantages of GAs for
multi-objective optimization problems are confirmed.

・The GAs can find the Pareto optimum solutions with one trial.
・GAs can find the Pareto optimum solutions without setting excess
evaluation function.
・The solutions that minimize each objective are totally different
since there are trade-off relations between the objective functions.
The designers can choose solutions according to their preferences.

======================================================================

(11) The use of CFD and EFD in a chemical company

Kazumi Suzukawa, Ube Industries,Ltd.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become an important tool
in chemical process industries. Chemical plants used to design by
using steady state process simulators that are based on mass and
energy conservation laws. However, these chemical plants designed
by this way tend to produce material less quantity or lower quality
than expected. The scale-up of unit operations is very difficult
problems. This is
the reason why CFD becomes important tool in chemical process
industries. As an example, we have shown CFD result of a mixing
vessel with two impellers.

On the other hand, Experimental Fluid Dynamics (EFD) has become
important again in conjunction with CFD. Since the flow fields in
the unit operations are very complex, CFD result must be verified
by accurate experimental data. Multi-phase flows like bubble
columns and fluidized beds are examples of complex flow fields. We
have shown an experimental apparatus of bubble column reactor
for measurements. By use of EFD, we have realized that CFD is
a powerful visualization tool for unit operations, and that turbulence
model work as a filter that translate the complex flow field into
simple one. And to derive the benefits of using CFD in chemical
process industries, we must recognize that the flow simulation in
equipment does not give a direct answer to improve the equipment.

======================================================================

(12) Control Systems of Wind Turbines for High Quality of Power

Makoto IIDA, The University of Tokyo

It is said that the power of wind turbines is unstable because the
wind has sharp fluctuations in Japan. This paper introduce that
the Control Systems of Wind Turbines for High Quality of Power
such as the variable pitch control system and variable speed
synchronous generating system.

======================================================================

Editor: Shinnosuke Obi, International Affairs Committee
Published by The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
Shinanomachi-Rengakan Bldg, Shinanomachi 35,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0016, Japan

FAX : 81-3-5360-3508
All Rights Reserved, Copyright C 2003
The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers
URL:http//www.jsme.or.jp/English/