Features Table of Contents

July 1998

feature articles

merging CAD with IT
Linking engineering processes with information-technology systems is helping Newport News Shipbuildingengineers deliver the right products on time to the right markets.

human-centric design
Advances in manikin software are enabling engineers to consider a fuller spectrum of user interactions with virtualproducts in the environments in which they will be deployed.

rp industry's growing pains
Worldwide rapid-prototyping system sales continue to swell, but as the industry ripens, competition is drivingsome players out of business.

closing in on cracks
A high-resolution digital camera providesfast, flexible imaging for photomacrograpy and microscopy.

current directions in meshing
The preparation of finite-element models for analysis is being increasingly automated, with new developmentsexpected to greatly advance the field.

luxury liners go green
As Royal Caribbean Cruises says bonvoyage to diesel engines in favor of aeroderivative gas turbines, passengers will be able to soak in the sights with less engine noise, vibration, and emissions.

surfing for virtual parts
New software on the Internet makesfinding the right component for a design project almost as easy as clicking and dragging.

foil air bearings cleared to land
Although their primary use has been in the air cycle machines of aircraft, foil air bearings show potential in land-based turbomachinery.