Features Table of Contents

September 2000

feature articles

r_x for medical waste
Microwaves, steam, hot air, and scrubbers clean up the treatment of biomedical refuse.

designing across borders
How can engineers collaborate on projects from plants a world apart via separate computer systems? A product data management system acts as translator.

lost & foundry
An ancient art form exhumed by modern engineering tools makes possible hyperefficient gas turbines.

power to the people
A century of mechanical advances electrified the industrialized world.

full circuit
Edison lit up New York City; Westinghouse got Niagara Falls to work for Buffalo. Soon elements of their rival electrical systems may form a more perfect union.

lobster special
A crustacean look-alike under development may someday ply sea bottoms seeking underwater mines and other military hazards.

the quiet rebellion
Linux is an emerging technology that will affect many mechanical engineers. Here's what one advocate says you should know about it.

easing the strain
Finite element analysis is a key ingredient in keeping a popular theme park ride up and running.