On the Cutting Edge Cleveland State engineering faculty and alumni are at the cutting edge of technology. Literally. The combined efforts of Majid Rashidi, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Solon-based The Robbins Company, which employs six engineering alumni in top positions, will result in the production of multiple units of a gigantic tunnel boring machine (TBM) that will be exported to China. “These days, it seems all we hear about is the American recall of unsafe products made in China,” notes Dr. Rashidi. “This is a unique twist — China has ordered a large quantity of highquality, locally manufactured TBMs. And Cleveland State is proud to be very much involved.” With more than 50 years of experience, Robbins is the world’s foremost developer and manufacturer of advanced, underground construction machinery. Its hard rock tunnel boring machines have been used worldwide to build the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) between England and France, a four-lane highway through the heart of the Himalayas, a subway tunnel in Hong Kong, and much more. The tunnel boring machines have even been featured on the Discovery Channel. “TBMs really are engineering marvels,” says Dr. Rashidi. “They
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can cut through granite, they automatically cement bodies of water, and they have conveyor belts that remove debris as work progresses forward.” So Dr. Rashidi was very much interested when he received a call in early summer from former student Gary Thomas, ’90, now chief drive-train design engineer at Robbins. “He told me Robbins had received a large order from China for TBMs but before they could be built, there was a two-year wait for bearings from Robbins’ supplier in Europe. And the cost per bearing would be $400,000,” Dr. Rashidi recalls. “Given my background in mechanical engineering and bearing design, Gary wondered whether I could design a large TBM bearing and maybe save Robbins some time and money. I was honored that Robbins would turn to Cleveland State and the Fenn College of Engineering and agreed to help — thinking that I probably needed to design a bearing about four feet in diameter,” he continues. Dr. Rashidi soon discovered that the TBMs
would be cutting holes with a 40-foot-wide diameter and that he needed to design a bearing with an 18-foot-wide diameter. “The challenge was larger than I expected,” he jokes. But by the end of August, he had designed a giant, three-axes, roller bearing that met Robbins’ critical need.