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Bram Demeulenaere – Research Projects

Ongoing Projects

  • FWO academic research project G.0462.05 (2005–2008; EUR 225,000)

    • partners: PMA (Prof. J. De Schutter, promotor; BDM, co-promotor) and the division BC&N of the faculty of kinesiology and rehabilitation sciences (Dr. I. Jonkers, co-promotor)

    • role BDM: initiative, proposal & co-promotor

    • this project is geared towards discovering applications of convex optimization in mechanics and biomechanics. Several such applications have already been discovered, see the list provided under Current Research.

  • K.U.Leuven Optimization in Engineering Center (OPTEC) (2005-2010; EUR 2,500,000)

    • partners: four engineering divisions of the K.U.Leuven: SCD, PMA, NATW and BioTeC

    • role BDM: proposal & work package manager

    • the aim of this project is to carry out interdisciplinary research on engineering applications of mathematical optimization, with a particular emphasis on convex optimization. This project is the ’big brother’ of G.0462.05, which focuses more exclusively on (bio)mechanical engineering applications.

Past Projects

  • IWT industrial research project 040444 (2005–2007; EUR 800,000)

    • partners: Picanol N.V., PMA and FMTC

    • role BDM: initiative, proposal & work package manager

    • PMA’s work mainly focused on developing counterweight balancing techniques for the three main mechanisms in industrial rapier weaving machines.

    • counterweight balancing has been shown to have great potential for the so-called gripper mechanism (a spherical 4bar-mechanism): through balancing only this mechanism, the overall machine’s load on the machine floor was halved at top-speed. The balanced mechanism is now part of the new OptiMax, one of the fastest rapier weaving machines on the market.

    • the academic results (development of a powerful 3D counterweight balancing method) have not been published yet. A 2008 vulgarizing publication for a Belgian engineering magazine can be found here (in Dutch).

  • IWT industrial research project 000270 (2000–2003; EUR 1,200,000)

    • partners: Picanol N.V., PMA and WTCM (now Sirris)

    • role BDM: proposal & work package manager

    • PMA’s work mainly focused on the dynamic interaction between cam systems and the motor(s) that drive cam systems in industrial airjet weaving machines.

    • some of the main academic resuls have been described in this journal publication.