Many applications for microengineered devices can be envisaged for actuators capable of doing work or transferring power. Millimetre order turbines are considered in this study for the development of torque and the possibilities for the delivery of work. A prototype microturbine, with overall thickness of less than a millimetre, was studied for its torque capabilities. The initial prototype was realized using precision mechanics although implementation of the turbine is planned using microengineering techniques. A viscous braking method was developed to measure the shaft torque of the turbine, demonstrating shaft coupling and the possibilities for power transfer. In order to validate the viscous braking method for torque measurement, a mechanical friction brake (dynamometer) was developed to compare the measurements obtained for a miniature electric motor of known characteristics. The results from this series of calibration experiments were then used to evaluate the performance of a microturbine prototype. The dynamometer torque measurements were found to closely agree with the manufacture's stated stall torque for the miniature motor of 1.8*10-4 N m. The viscous brake torque measurements were found to underestimate the motor torque by around 20% with slight variation related to the angular velocity of the shaft. Shaft torque measurements for the prototype microturbine were possible using the viscous brake but not the dynamometer. It was felt that 10-5 N m represented the lower limit for the dynamometer torque measurement while the viscous brake could address torques down to 10-8 N m. The fluid brake produced measurements of torque in the range of 10-7 N m for the microturbine. At this level only an order of magnitude accuracy is claimed because of some uncertainties with the fluid model used for the viscous brake torque calculation. The shaft torque range for the viscous brake was from 10-4 N m down to 10-8 N m; this might be extended by optimizing the fluid model.

Fuel economy measurement procedures being developed by tbe Transportation Systems Center of the Department of Transportation require flowmeters to measure the gasoline consumed by the engine of an automobile either on the road or on a dynamometer. The contribution of the National Bureau of Standards to this work was to ascertain the environment in which the flowmeters will probably be used, to develop procedures for measuring their performance in a laboratory simulation of that environment, and to carry out illustrative measurements on a number of flowmeters. This report discusses:(1) the environment of the flowmeter in an automobile, i.e., flowmeter temperature; fuel temperature, pressure, density, viscosity, color, opacity, flow pulsations, back flow, and swirl due to elbows; line voltage fluctuations; electromagnetic radiation from ignition; vehicle attitude with respect to the vertical; and vibration, (2) the test set-up and procedure used for eavluating and calibrating these meters in the laboratory under conditions simulating the automotive environment, (3) a discussion of possible sources and magnitudes of errors in the calibration, and (4) results of illustrative tests on seven flowmeters.

An organisation’s ability to change is vital to remaining competitive and maintaining agility in rapidly changing climates. There are a plethora of change management methodologies present in the literature that argue for particular courses of action when considering organisational change. However, previous research into organisational culture has identified that there can be cultural differences between organisations of similar size and that these play a significant role in the change management process. This proposes that some attempts to implement change will be more difficult than others and is especially true when considering change management methodologies that place an emphasis on collaboration against those that do not. This short essay discusses the types of organisational cultures that are reported in the literature, so that organisations can be characterised, and makes comparisons to existing change management methodologies so that readers can better evaluate appropriate methods of change in the future.

An organisation’s ability to change is vital to remaining competitive and maintaining agility in rapidly changing climates. There are a plethora of change management methodologies present in the literature that argue for particular courses of action when considering organisational change. However, previous research into organisational culture has identified that there can be cultural differences between organisations of similar size and that these play a significant role in the change management process. This proposes that some attempts to implement change will be more difficult than others and is especially true when considering change management methodologies that place an emphasis on collaboration against those that do not. This short essay discusses the types of organisational cultures that are reported in the literature, so that organisations can be characterised, and makes comparisons to existing change management methodologies so that readers can better evaluate appropriate methods of change in the future.

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