UWE Bristol Engineering showcase 2015
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An introduction to<br />
engineering<br />
Click here<br />
start your<br />
journey<br />
Image: We are taking centre stage in the<br />
development of the next generation supersonic<br />
car, BLOODHOUND SSC. Designed to smash<br />
the land speed record, the car will reach speeds<br />
of 1,000mph / Mach 1.4.<br />
Credit: Siemens NX
2<br />
It is a very great pleasure<br />
to introduce the work of<br />
our graduating students of<br />
<strong>2015</strong><br />
This catalogue contains the poster presentations from students across our<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> programmes showcasing their final year project work.<br />
It is inspiring to see the range of projects undertaken by our students<br />
and the quality and standard of the work they achieve by the time they<br />
complete their courses. The individual project is a capstone module<br />
that brings together the range of skills and knowledge they have<br />
acquired during their three, four or even five years at <strong>UWE</strong> <strong>Bristol</strong>. It is<br />
probably the piece of work that they will remember most from their<br />
degree, and for which they will feel the most pride in having achieved.<br />
Many will have worked with industry experts as well as academic and<br />
technical staff to complete their project, and they can all be justly proud<br />
of their achievements.<br />
I hope you will enjoy browsing the project posters and I am sure you<br />
will be inspired by what you see.<br />
Dr Catherine Hobbs, PhD FIMA<br />
Head of Department<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Design and Mathematics
3<br />
Celebrating the hard<br />
work and achievement<br />
of our students<br />
I am delighted to be able to share with you the creative and fresh thinking<br />
of graduating students from our engineering courses through this<br />
portfolio of poster work produced for this year’s Degree Show.<br />
The University of the West of England, <strong>Bristol</strong> is renowned for producing<br />
students who are capable of working well in industry and this year is no<br />
exception. We aim to equip our students with all the skills and knowledge<br />
they will need to be successful in their future careers.<br />
We work closely with a wide range of companies and organisations in the<br />
South West region where they have been actively engaged with various<br />
individual and group projects, offering work placements, internships,<br />
seminars and their presence in our Advisory Board.<br />
We work closely with Professional bodies to ensure qualities of our<br />
programmes are satisfying their standards. Our courses are<br />
either accredited by the respective professional bodies or we are working<br />
towards accreditation.<br />
The projects presented in this brochure have covered some real engineering<br />
challenges, including: design, manufacturing, simulation, modelling and<br />
testing using both theoretical and empirical methods from different disciplines;<br />
Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong>, Automotive <strong>Engineering</strong>, Electronic and<br />
Electrical <strong>Engineering</strong>, Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> and Robotics.<br />
This great outcome is the culmination of many years of dedication,<br />
drive and passion of our students for their subjects. I am sure that it will serve<br />
them well in their professional careers.
4<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> at<br />
<strong>UWE</strong> <strong>Bristol</strong><br />
The largest robotics laboratory in the UK is on our<br />
campus. Our neighbours include Airbus, Rolls-Royce,<br />
AgustaWestland and the MoD.<br />
Locations don’t get much better than that.<br />
Click here<br />
to jump to<br />
the course<br />
index<br />
Watch: <strong>Engineering</strong> www.uwe.ac.uk/edm www.uwe.ac.uk/study<br />
Careers<br />
Our graduates secure employment<br />
with leading multinational and UK<br />
companies across a diverse selection<br />
of industries. All of our courses<br />
have professional accreditations, or<br />
are working towards them, so you<br />
can you can be sure your skills are<br />
industry relevant.<br />
Facilities<br />
We have invested millions in the<br />
development and refurbishment<br />
of our aerospace, mechanical<br />
and electronics laboratories and<br />
workshops. Our new simulation area<br />
features new and updated vehicle<br />
and flight simulators.<br />
Partnerships<br />
We work with internationally<br />
renowned organisations, such as<br />
HP, Office for National Statistics and<br />
GE Aviation, to offer placement<br />
opportunities, live project work and<br />
careers advice.<br />
Teaching<br />
We ground all of our courses in<br />
real-world needs, and ensure<br />
our research, collaboration and<br />
partnership knowledge feeds directly<br />
back in to your course to make it<br />
practice-oriented and relevant to<br />
your future career.<br />
Student<br />
support<br />
Help with mathematics and<br />
statistics is available through daily<br />
espressoMaths drop-in sessions.<br />
You’ll also have a personal tutor for<br />
the duration of your course.
5<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> courses index<br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics<br />
Click your preferred sector to navigate to the right pages.
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
6<br />
Previous<br />
Next<br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Take me to...<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Increasing activity in civilian<br />
space flight, unmanned<br />
aerial vehicles, and the civil<br />
aviation sector has led to<br />
rising demand for qualified<br />
aerospace engineers.<br />
Where are our<br />
graduates now?<br />
Mechanical Engineer, London Marine Consultants<br />
Product Development Engineer, Aston Martin<br />
Graduate Engineer, Rolls-Royce<br />
Systems Engineer, Airbus<br />
Electronic Engineer, Jaguar Land Rover<br />
Destinations survey 2014 (DLHE Survey)<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics
Samuel Hill<br />
Meng Part A Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Oluwamayokun B. Adetoro<br />
Ph.D. Meng MRAeS<br />
Design and Numerical Analysis of a Scramjet Inlet<br />
This project is an investigation into Scramjet design and analysis with potential to expand the design to accommodate ramjet/scramjet<br />
transition at Mach 6. The literary review consisted of investigation into the application of scramjets, potential problems encountered<br />
while travelling at hypersonic speeds and possible design solutions. In order to validate the use of computational fluid dynamics wind<br />
tunnel testing ensued. The tunnel was modelled using the computational software ANSYS Fluent and comparison was made to real<br />
practical test results. Once this was completed the inlet was designed based on the ‘shock on lip’ criterion and oblique shock charts and<br />
equations were used to find the optimum geometry. This geometry was then analysed using ANSYS Fluent and the performance was<br />
evaluated.<br />
Computational Validation<br />
The supersonic wind tunnel in the universities fluid dynamics laboratory was<br />
analysed numerically in order to validate the use of computational software.<br />
The picture to the left represents the distribution of static temperature along<br />
the wind tunnel constructed through computational analysis. The results of<br />
which are very comparable to that of practical tests.<br />
Initial Design<br />
Hypersonic vehicle inlets harness the kinetic energy of the incoming air to<br />
generate shock waves the compress to oncoming air to a desired value<br />
perfect for combustion to take place. The design constructed for analysis was<br />
created by the use of the oblique shock relations. The equations which<br />
describe such will predict the aerodynamic characteristics succeeding a shock<br />
wave. These equations are used to predict the geometry which would create<br />
optimum conditions leaving the inlet.. This geometry is constructed through<br />
the use of CAD software SolidWorks and is shown to the left. The Inlet will be<br />
situated on the abdomen of the vehicle body to allow integration into a<br />
waverider vehicle design.<br />
Project summary<br />
This study will focus on the modelling and the design<br />
of the inlet section or isolator section whilst<br />
considering different flow conditions and operating<br />
conditions. This will predominantly be conducted<br />
using computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations,<br />
whist demonstrating the use of appropriate CFD<br />
solver, accurate modelling and appropriate<br />
assumption made; hence the results must be well<br />
validated.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The desired output of this project will be validation of<br />
use of numerical techniques as well as an inlet design<br />
from which future research can benefit from. If a<br />
company would wish to construct a hypersonic<br />
vehicle with this mission profile this project may be<br />
useful.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project has validated the authors use of<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamic Software. Secondly the<br />
use of oblique shock equations and charts are<br />
adequate for the construction of simple hypersonic<br />
inlet designs. The software ANSYS Fluent is capable of<br />
modelling the complex aerodynamics of hypersonic<br />
air intake as proven in the comparison section of this<br />
study, in which numerically generated results are<br />
compared to those calculated theoretical y.<br />
Computational Analysis<br />
Computational analysis is conducted on the specified geometry to analyse<br />
the performance of the designed inlet. The resulting performance is as<br />
shown:<br />
Theoretical CFD Run 1 CFD Run2<br />
Total Pressure Ratio 0.941187877 0.941942284 0.949762764<br />
Adiabatic Compression<br />
Efficiency<br />
0.672166124 0.708740605 0.741988651<br />
Kinetic Energy Efficiency 0.983289033 0.983306693 0.987638376
Rushit Vaishya<br />
BENG(Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Yuying Xia<br />
Metallic Wing Box Optimisation<br />
Project summary<br />
The weight has always been an important consideration while design aircraft components. Thus, it is always tried to achieve the minimum weight either through<br />
material or geometrical shape available in early design phase. Thus optimisation has always played a major role in the weight reduction. Preliminary design of a<br />
wing box required for the initial design was based on Airbus A320 wing. The design of skin-stringer panel plays a major role in wing box design and the dimension<br />
was based on guidelines provided by Nui for stiffened panel. The maximum lift is produced by the wings and acts opposite to the weight, thus generating bending.<br />
Thus, compression load occurs on upper skin panel while tensile load are subjected to lower skin panels. The ability to resist the compressive load for the upper<br />
panel can be obtained through a stability study and the critical buckling can be computed. The main objective was to optimise the metallic wing box especially the<br />
skin-stringer panel. In this thesis, the optimisation of a stiffened panel is carried out using trial and error method by changing the skin-stringer dimension under<br />
axial load intensity, maximum stress and wing tip displacement.<br />
General Layout of Wing<br />
Aircraft wing contains structural components such<br />
as spars, ribs, stringers, and wing upper and lower<br />
skins etc. which run all along the span.<br />
• Spar is often the main structural member of the<br />
wing box and mainly carries aerodynamic load<br />
during flight and on ground it carries weight of<br />
the and it mainly carries bending and torsional<br />
loads.<br />
Graph for total Shear force and Bending Moment is show below<br />
Shear Force<br />
&<br />
Bending Moment<br />
6000000.00<br />
5000000.00<br />
4000000.00<br />
3000000.00<br />
2000000.00<br />
1000000.00<br />
0.00<br />
0.00 2.00 4.00 6.00 8.00 10.00 12.00 14.00 16.00<br />
Shear Force<br />
Half Wing span(b/2)<br />
Bending Moment<br />
• The ribs are aerofoil shaped profile which supports the<br />
wing skin and transfer the air loads into the wing box.<br />
• Stringers are attached to the wing skins which run along<br />
the wing span from root to tip.<br />
• To avoid the excessive deflection of the skin, stringers<br />
are added in the longitudinal direction to withstand air<br />
and fuel pressure loads.<br />
MASS<br />
1380<br />
1360<br />
1340<br />
1320<br />
1300<br />
1280<br />
1260<br />
1240<br />
1220<br />
1200<br />
1180<br />
1160<br />
mass of wingbox<br />
initial, 1362<br />
1<br />
optimised, 1229<br />
Iterations Max.Stress (MPa) Tip Displacement ( u) (mm) strain ( E)(mm) Mass(kg)<br />
1 289300000 52360 0.3901 1362<br />
2 308900000 57940 0.4165 1290<br />
3 317700000 60400 0.4384 1262<br />
4 320100000 61130 0.4416 1255<br />
5 321300000 61460 0.4433 1251<br />
6 321700000 61610 0.4438 1250<br />
7 324300000 62270 0.4475 1242<br />
8 327900000 63630 0.4527 1230<br />
9 327800000 63780 0.4527 1229<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of this thesis involves optimisation of a<br />
stiffened panel of a metallic wing box for the<br />
minimum weight subjected to strength and stiffness<br />
constraint<br />
mm pppppppppp tt ss , bb ss = AA ssss ρρ ssss + AA ssss ρρ ssss LL<br />
• The aerodynamic load acting on the load is to be<br />
analysed and axial compressive loading is analysed<br />
analytically and numerically<br />
• The optimisation was performed to find the<br />
effective way of optimising the wing panels using<br />
iterative process by changing dimension of skinstringer<br />
geometry<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was observed that for the metallic panel subjected<br />
to axial compressive load, the panel efficiency can be<br />
improved by decreasing the stringers area across the<br />
wing span towards the tip maintaining the same<br />
stringer pitch and decreasing the number of<br />
stiffeners. This effectively reduces panel weight<br />
leading to save wing box weight. Moreover, the<br />
critical stress can be reduced when the flange length<br />
attached to the skin is increased and decreasing the<br />
web height.<br />
In the design of a metallic stiffened panel subject to<br />
axial compressive load, if the panel’s length is fixed,<br />
the relationship between compressive load and<br />
panel’s optimum configuration is:<br />
• When the compressive load is low, small stringer<br />
pitch and thin skin configuration is efficient;<br />
• When the compressive load is high, large stringer<br />
pitch and thick skin configuration is efficient.<br />
The final optimised design for wing box showed the<br />
overall weight reduction by 9.7% than the initial<br />
design.
Tom Willis<br />
MEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr David Richardson<br />
Design and Manufacture of a Composite Spar for a Flying Wing UAV<br />
Composite Materials<br />
A composite material is any material which is made up of two or more<br />
elements with properties different to those of the individual elements.<br />
Common examples include fibre reinforced plastics (FRPs) and concrete.<br />
Composite materials are an excellent choice for aircraft structures as they<br />
have the ability to withstand high loads for a much lower weight (Specific<br />
Strength) than currently used materials such as aluminium alloys.<br />
Design<br />
One of the key design requirements for this<br />
project is that the UAV should be able to<br />
breakdown into three main components (the<br />
fuselage and two wings) for transport and be<br />
easily re-assembled for flight. Because of this, the<br />
spar length should be a maximum of 400mm.<br />
The spar is initially modelled as a cantilever beam<br />
with a constant cross-section. The effect of taper<br />
and sweep is looked at later in the project. The<br />
cross-sectional geometry could take many forms<br />
such as circular or a typical I-beam shape.<br />
Finite Element Analysis<br />
FEA is used to perform analysis on tapered<br />
versions of the cantilever. It is particularly useful<br />
for highlighting areas of stress concentrations.<br />
Optimisation<br />
It is found the ‘C’-section and circular section spars are<br />
most applicable to this project and therefore these<br />
cross-section spars are taken forward to the<br />
optimisation stage.<br />
The ‘C’ section spar is split into five equal sections along<br />
the length. Each section is then analysed in bending<br />
with a 283.3N load (15g load at UAV MTOW)<br />
Each of the five sections then has the number of layers<br />
varied until the length of the spar has the same failure<br />
stress. This process is repeated with the spar split into<br />
four and three sections.<br />
It is found that the best solution is available when the<br />
spar is split into three sections with the number of<br />
layers being six at the spar root and reducing to four and<br />
two layers in the next sections.<br />
The circular section is also optimised similarly but by<br />
tapering the spar such that it theoretically fails in all<br />
locations simultaneously. It is found that best solution<br />
lies with a spar that has a 36mm diameter at the root<br />
and 11mm diameter at the tip.<br />
Presented with the possible options, the customer<br />
decided to proceed with the circular cross-section spar<br />
due to manufacturing considerations within the wing.<br />
Other advantages include superior durability, higher corrosion resistance and<br />
reduced part count due to the more complex part geometry achievable<br />
through manufacture.<br />
Current Usage<br />
Current usage of composite materials for wing spars can be seen on the<br />
Airbus A350 XWB and A400M. This project is studying wing spars on a much<br />
smaller scale, suited to a UAV of a wing span of 3.4m<br />
Manufacture<br />
Initially, a parallel carbon tube is manufactured<br />
using two different methods. One tube is made<br />
using a wet layup with vacuum consolidation and<br />
one is made using a pre-preg with heat shrink tape<br />
consolidation.<br />
Manufacture using the wet layup process was<br />
performed a few times allowing some to made<br />
with two layers, and some with four. This helped<br />
to identify problems faced during manufacture for<br />
the final product.<br />
It is found that pre-preg with heat shrink tape is<br />
the most appropriate method due to a better<br />
product finish and the simplicity of the process.<br />
This method is used to produce some test tapered<br />
spars.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation into the use of composite materials<br />
in the design and manufacture of a spar for an<br />
existing flying wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).<br />
The work in this project is carried out alongside other<br />
undergraduate projects which are working towards<br />
improvements to components within the same UAV.<br />
The spar is produced alongside the fuselage which<br />
provides some restrictions in size and geometry.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The overall aim of this project is to design, optimize<br />
and manufacture a composite spar for a flying wing<br />
UAV. To achieve this, several key aims are set out:<br />
• Literature review into existing use of spar structures<br />
and composite materials<br />
• Initial designs & CAD (Computer Aided Design)<br />
models<br />
• Structural calculations - Will it work?<br />
• FEA, optimisation and materials selection<br />
• Manufacture of test component(s)<br />
• Testing of component(s)<br />
• Re-design (based on test feedback)<br />
• Manufacture of final product<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project successfully investigated the use of<br />
composite materials for a spar on a flying wing UAV.<br />
The optimised design provides a component which<br />
meets all design requirements and has a factor of<br />
safety of three along the length of the spar.<br />
Methods of manufacture have been investigated and<br />
the most appropriate processes have been<br />
determined.<br />
Future work on this project includes investigations<br />
into bladder molding, testing of the spar to validate<br />
theory/FEA and considerations into larger scale<br />
design or larger production volumes.
Yomi Adegbola<br />
MEng Aerospace Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
David Richardson<br />
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF A COMPOSITE WING BOX (PART B)<br />
INTODUCTION<br />
The wing box is a structural component of an aircraft wing designed to provide support and rigidity to the wings. It is the primary<br />
structure of the wing which carries direct load and spreads them across the fuselage. Once the basic outline of the wing shape of an<br />
aircraft both in planform and cross section has been decided, a preliminary layout of the wing structure must be indicated to a sufficient<br />
stiffness, strength, and light weight with a good manufacturability. During flight, an aircraft wing experiences concentrated shear stress.<br />
Without adequate support, the wings would eventually fold up against the side of the plane.<br />
THE IDEA<br />
The idea behind this study is the new airbus A350 XWB which has about 52% of its component made of composite material.<br />
GKN manufactured and assemble the rear spar of the wing box using Out-Of-Autoclave (OOA) processes and materials which featured integrally stiffened skins,<br />
complex contours and four stringer shapes using vacuum bag technology and low cost tooling which is practicable when curing outside extreme autoclave<br />
environment.<br />
DESIGN<br />
The wing box was designed as a<br />
flat rectangular beam with one<br />
skin stiffener on one of the skins<br />
The spar consists of a web and a<br />
flange was designed as a simple<br />
section C-spar made of three<br />
layers (thickness of 0.82mm) of<br />
carbon fibre dry weave<br />
laminate: [±45,0/90, ±45].<br />
and the skin stiffener was<br />
designed as a ‘Z’ stringer to<br />
increase buckling and bending<br />
load.<br />
MANUFACTURE<br />
Just like the airbus A350 wing box<br />
parts, the wing box model<br />
fabricated during the course of<br />
this study was manufactured<br />
using vacuum bagging with a<br />
manual layup process. This<br />
process involved the use of dry<br />
woven composite fabric and then<br />
manually impregnating with resin.<br />
TESTING<br />
4-point bend tests were carried out for both the prototype<br />
glass fibre model and the final CFRP model. The box was<br />
tested with a stringer at the bottom skin and then flipped<br />
over on the other end to test the effect when it is on the<br />
top skin (picture in appendix). The Results from the test<br />
confirms ABAQUS results. The stringer was more effective<br />
on the bottom skin than on the top skin.<br />
Load (N)<br />
1200<br />
1000<br />
800<br />
600<br />
400<br />
200<br />
Effect of Stringer Position on Wing-box Displacement<br />
stringer on top skin<br />
Stringer on Lower skin<br />
Project summary<br />
This is an investigation into the design and<br />
manufacture of a composite wing box; to examine<br />
the practicability of various designs, manufacturing<br />
processes, and also to manufacture a structurally<br />
optimized small scale composite wing box using the<br />
university resources.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Composite analysis<br />
• Investigation into composite wing box designs and<br />
manufacture of member parts<br />
• Investigation into wing box structures,<br />
components and designs<br />
• Wing box manufacture (prototype and final<br />
model)<br />
• Structural analysis and optimization of parts and<br />
their significance in a wing box design.<br />
• Laboratory testing and results<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Extensive research was carried out and two wing<br />
boxes were designed, built and tested in which the<br />
test enabled a successful examination of skin<br />
buckling. The effect of the stinger in the beam<br />
structure was thus analysed. Also the design of the<br />
material fibre layup was optimized by modifying<br />
certain fibre properties to resist stresses in vital parts<br />
such as increase shear resistance in spar, increasing<br />
longitudinal stiffness in skins.<br />
0<br />
0 2 4 6 8 10 12<br />
Displacement (mm)
Research<br />
Research was carried out into the previous<br />
investigations in this area conducted by students at<br />
the University. Although previous reports had<br />
discussed the potential for the testing rig to influence<br />
the outcome of the tests, none had focused on<br />
benchmark testing prior to conducting the strain rate<br />
tests. The first part of this report concentrated on<br />
obtaining optimum design parameters to ensure that<br />
the apparatus used to conduct the strain rate tests<br />
would have little or no effect on the fabric testing.<br />
The second part focused on the manufacture and<br />
assemble of a bespoke rig capable of delivering strain<br />
rates beyond the capabilities of the Instron 3367<br />
machine (500mm/min crosshead velocity). Previous<br />
electron microscope analysis suggested the fibres<br />
were melting at the point of fracture and so the use<br />
of a thermal imaging camera during testing would<br />
help corroborate this hypothesis.<br />
Benchmark Testing<br />
The initial set of tests were designed to setup the test<br />
rig (An Instron 3367 Tensile testing machine) to<br />
establish the optimum testing parameters for the<br />
fabric . For this benchmark testing, a range of torque<br />
(60Nm – 160Nm) was applied to the clamps to<br />
establish a clear understanding of the effects of the<br />
varying torque on the test specimens. At varying<br />
torque values, the fabric suffered from varying failure<br />
modes. The ideal failure mode was where the<br />
specimen failed away from the clamp points and<br />
uniformly across its surface. A specimen that failed<br />
at the clamp’s edge was believed to have been as a<br />
result of the stress concentration points produced<br />
and a specimen that failed in a diagonal fashion could<br />
be due to a misalignment between the top and<br />
bottom clamps. It was assumed that the lower torque<br />
figure applied to the clamp would result in the fabric<br />
slipping from the clamps and the higher torque<br />
would yield a break close to the clamps.<br />
David Whale<br />
MEng Aerospace Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Effect of Strain Rate on the Tensile Properties of Nylon Fabrics<br />
From previous studies, Ashley Hudson noted in his<br />
findings that a torque of below 80Nm appeared to<br />
show the fabric slipping from the clamps .<br />
Extensive testing at the range of torques outlined<br />
above proved that this was not the case and that a<br />
torque of 140Nm provided the optimum testing<br />
clamp torque.<br />
It was assumed that the lower torque figure<br />
applied to the clamp would result in the fabric<br />
slipping from the clamps and the higher torque<br />
would yield a break close to the clamps. From<br />
previous studies, Ashley Hudson noted in his<br />
findings that a torque of below 80Nm appeared to<br />
show the fabric slipping from the clamps .<br />
Extensive testing at the range of torques outlined<br />
above proved that this was not the case and that a<br />
torque of 140Nm provided the optimum testing<br />
clamp torque.<br />
Bespoke Rig<br />
A new rig was manufactured at the university in<br />
order to carry out the high strain rates required.<br />
An Instron 8033 machine was used to provide the<br />
hydraulic supply to the actuator in the rig<br />
This allowed the strain rate to increase to<br />
20 000mm/min.<br />
Results<br />
The results contradict previous findings in that the<br />
breaking load capabilities of the fabric increases<br />
with strain rate. A more important note is the<br />
continuous appearance of sinusoidal behaviour at<br />
smaller intervals across 3 separate tests and on<br />
both rigs<br />
Load (N)<br />
Average Maximum Load per Strain Rate<br />
3,760.00<br />
3,740.00<br />
3,720.00<br />
3,700.00<br />
3,680.00<br />
3,660.00<br />
3,640.00<br />
3,620.00<br />
3,600.00<br />
3,580.00<br />
3,560.00<br />
3,540.00<br />
0.00 100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00<br />
Strain Rate mm/min<br />
Thermal imaging results showed that the material<br />
underwent fracture at the glass transition<br />
temperature and not at the melting point of the<br />
Nylon.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. John Kamalu<br />
Project summary<br />
This report encompasses tests undertaken for Invista<br />
Textiles into the behaviour of Nylon 6 6 when<br />
subjected to an increasing strain rate. Low strain rate<br />
testing, defined as being up to 500mm/min, has been<br />
carried out using an Instron 3367 machine whilst<br />
higher strain rate testing , 500mm/min+, was carried<br />
out on a bespoke test rig manufactured at the<br />
University of the West of England and powered using<br />
an Instron 8803 and two dual acting actuators<br />
connected via hydraulic hose. Thermal Imaging tests<br />
have been conducted to determine the temperature<br />
behaviour of the fabric when undergoing increasing<br />
strain rates.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Carry out benchmarking tests to achieve optimum<br />
testing parameters for the nylon fabric<br />
• Analyse the statistical reliability of the data by<br />
using randomised testing using lower and higher<br />
strain rates.<br />
• Manufacture and assemble a new test rig to<br />
produce high strain rates not achievable via Instron<br />
3367<br />
• Test fabric with respect to high strain rates,<br />
observe and record the change in tensile<br />
properties of the fabric.<br />
• Analyse fibres under Thermal Imaging to<br />
determine the micro behaviour of the pieces<br />
tested.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Optimum testing parameters have been<br />
obtained and the fabric appears to undergo a<br />
sinusoidal behaviour at 100mm/min<br />
displacement increments. The fabric also<br />
undergoes fracture at the glass transition<br />
temperature of the Nylon at approximately<br />
50°C
Matthieu Lannaud<br />
Beng (Hons) Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rui Cardoso<br />
MATLAB program – ‘AERO’<br />
Wing Box Aeroelasticity Analysis via MATLAB<br />
Below is shown the MATLAB code diagram for the analysis of the aeroelasticity of<br />
an idealised structure.<br />
The MATLAB code is based on three different methods.<br />
- The first one is the stiffness matrix method, from which one can calculate<br />
stresses and displacements of a various structures made of rods and constant<br />
shear panel elements.<br />
- The second method is the mass matrix method, which is similar to the<br />
stiffness matrix method. This procedure permits to construct the mass matrix<br />
of various elements (i.e. rods and quadrilateral elements) under the form of a<br />
structure.<br />
- The third method is the construction of the eigenvalue problem to perform<br />
the modal analysis of the given structure. This modal analysis permits to<br />
obtain the natural frequencies of a structure.<br />
VALIDATION of the MATLAB<br />
program<br />
The validation of the MATLAB<br />
code was achieved by simulating<br />
in ABAQUS different mode<br />
shapes for various structures.<br />
Comparisons between ABAQUS<br />
and the MATLAB program results<br />
permits to check the validity of<br />
the program<br />
MATLAB OUTPUT<br />
The MATLAB program permits to display the undeformed and<br />
deformed structure of a wing (i.e wing boxes).<br />
Mode 1 is the critical mode: its associated frequency is the<br />
shortest, and its period the longest. The first mode has the largest<br />
contribution to the structure’s motion.<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for<br />
paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
3 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for paragraphs of text).<br />
Space for your research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures, tables, diagrams,<br />
flowcharts, text<br />
Project summary<br />
Investigation, development and validation of a<br />
computer based aeroelastic analysis tool for the<br />
calculation and evaluation of the natural frequencies<br />
of an idealised wing box structure. MATLAB was used<br />
to create the automated analysis function. The code<br />
was generated by using the stiffness and mass<br />
matrices method, finite element analysis and modal<br />
analysis.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
- To develop an automated analysis function to<br />
analyse the natural response of a wing box for<br />
multiple degrees of freedom.<br />
- To create a straightforward graphic user interface<br />
(GUI) and a presentation format to present the<br />
data in a visual display for facilitated recording of<br />
simulations results.<br />
- To validate the final program by comparing the<br />
results with reference (Books, Finite Element<br />
Packages), for a range of structural models, to<br />
provide evidence to the accuracy of the developed<br />
program.<br />
- To present a critical evaluation of the program and<br />
provide a framework of suggestions for future<br />
improvements that can be made to further its<br />
scope and capabilities.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
- Results from the different simulations led to the<br />
conclusion that the MATLAB program produced<br />
acceptable results (disparities between 0% and<br />
8%)<br />
- However, it was demonstrated that the accuracy of<br />
the code greatly depends on the way the structure<br />
is implemented. A mesh convergence study<br />
highlighted the high disparities between structures<br />
that are meshed with one element per panel/rod<br />
and structures with higher mesh density.<br />
- Limitations of the program are therefore put in<br />
evidence, and recommendations on how to<br />
improve the program to give accurate results were<br />
derived.
Kouame Boris Joel Yao<br />
Beng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Design of a Border Security UAV/UAS<br />
Scenario<br />
The adaptability of Unmanned Aerial<br />
Vehicle<br />
(UAVs) has expended exponentially in the<br />
most recent decade because of<br />
advancement in the field and the need to<br />
protect the life of human from hazardous<br />
situations. In an overwhelmingly, military<br />
industry current UAVs scarcely begin to<br />
expose what’s underneath of their<br />
regarded situations. With advances in<br />
intelligence, surveillance and<br />
reconnaissance (ISR), optical payloads are<br />
apt to the task of border security<br />
monitoring. Hence new type of UAVs has<br />
to be developed to decrease UAV<br />
production cost and increase efficiency.<br />
Our design is a combination of Blended<br />
wing Body geometry, Solar Panel<br />
technology and new a mixture of ratio<br />
control and internet signal to command our<br />
aircraft.<br />
The Aims<br />
Our main focus on this project is to<br />
successfully design a new and efficient<br />
unmanned airframe using blend Wing Body<br />
techniques to be capable of undergoing<br />
intelligence, surveillance and<br />
reconnaissance designated missions.<br />
Comparing with conventional UAV, our<br />
BWB UAV should be able to operate<br />
efficiently and ecologically. Our blended<br />
wing body UAV should have more<br />
aerodynamics and structural benefice<br />
compare to conventional UAV’s<br />
configuration. Several existing UAV with a<br />
wing body are already in the market,<br />
therefore it has been considered to<br />
compare our airframe to the BAT<br />
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle formerly known<br />
as Killer Bee.<br />
Advantages<br />
• High structural weight.<br />
• Lift is generated from main body and wing section.<br />
• Streamlined shape between main body and wing<br />
intersection reduces interference drag.<br />
• Stress on blended wing body airframe is less than the stress<br />
on conventional airframe .<br />
• No tail section which reduce further drag.<br />
Disadvantages<br />
• Directional and pitch control issues as no tail are installed.<br />
• Moment arm length from the CG to the elevons and rudder<br />
is small.<br />
• BWBs poses challenges in the stability and control of our<br />
airframe.<br />
BWB UAV Internal Structure<br />
BWB UAV Internal View<br />
Cl vs AoA with Various Reynold Number<br />
Project summary<br />
This project described the conceptual and<br />
preliminary design of a blended wing body airframe<br />
whose mission will be the protection and surveillance<br />
of any potential and illegal on a country border . This<br />
project focused on the production of an efficient<br />
and aerodynamic airframe capable to detect and<br />
observe potential threats with his monitoring<br />
systems.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objective of this study is to design an highly<br />
efficient blended wing body UAV and manufacture<br />
the aircraft in next year. Our airframe is intended to<br />
be a very high performance electric ISR UAB capable<br />
of sustained steady flight using electric power from<br />
sun and the battery packs installed inside its body in<br />
order to extend its range, capabilities and<br />
performance. In order to achieve all of the above,<br />
several conceptual design calculations using Raymer<br />
Conceptual design book and etc… was set to be<br />
performed. And CFD analysis was conduced using<br />
Solidworks Flow Simulation and XFLR5 programs to<br />
optimize our design.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Our blended wing body UAV airframe is tailless<br />
design that integrates the wing and fuselage. It is<br />
most efficient airframe in the future due to the<br />
nature if its shape, its configuration shows some<br />
important aerodynamics advantages in lift and drags<br />
as compared to conventional type of UAVs. With the<br />
current desire for a greener and alternative source of<br />
energy aircraft is needed. Solar panel will be<br />
integrated in the centre body platform in order to<br />
increase the range of for our UAV by permanently<br />
recharging the battery pack of our UAV which is<br />
enough for any surveillance equipment needed to<br />
investigate borders. The ultimate goal is to<br />
revolutionize the way aircraft flies around the globe,<br />
to be more efficient and smarter with the way aircraft<br />
flies.
Junaid Khilji<br />
BEng Aerospace System <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Steve Wright<br />
Airliner Landing Gear Simulation<br />
Introduction<br />
landing gear of an aircraft is one of the most vital system of any aircraft, no matter its commercial or military. The key function of a landing gear of an<br />
aircraft is to support the entire weight of the aircraft during ground operations and while landing/take-off. No doubt predominant task of an aircraft is to<br />
fly with high degree of reliability and performance. However, the aircraft also have to spend a good time on ground for ground operations.<br />
This project was taken up to figure out any failure in landing gear systems and create a simulation for a landing gear. It is essential in modern engineered<br />
systems to develop a computational model for a successful design. The use of computational model allows investigating a much larger parameter space<br />
more efficiently and risk free than what would be possible by hardware realizations. The main challenge as a modeller is to identify and capture a detailed<br />
dynamic behaviour while maintaining the performance.<br />
Faultree Analysis<br />
Fault tree analysis will reduce reliability and safety risk<br />
assessments to represent graphically the logical interactions<br />
and probabilities of occurrence of components failures and<br />
other events in the system. The test was carried of extension,<br />
Emergency extension and for cruise mode to determine any<br />
failure in the system. The analysis for the system was created<br />
through first identifying a desired sequence of events that<br />
would lead to the correct functioning of all components into<br />
their desired states. It was discovered that system was not<br />
compatible.<br />
Simulink<br />
For modelling Matlab/Simulink tool was used. Simulink<br />
software contains Simulink Browser library of sinks,<br />
connectors, linear and nonlinear components and<br />
sources. The existing and accessible data were used to<br />
develop a model. These data were then entered in<br />
Simulink to define the subsystems. There are four main<br />
components/subsystems that together construct a<br />
landing gear: shock absorber, vertical strut, two bracing<br />
links. These components/subsystems are joined together<br />
by hinges/slots/ball connections and gear itself is<br />
connects to airframe through revolute joints<br />
Block model on the right was achieved .<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project was to construct a<br />
algorithms code for ‘Airliner landing gear<br />
simulation’.<br />
With a help of Matlab/Simulink tool a model<br />
has been conducted in a shape of block<br />
diagram and faulttree analysis carried out for<br />
any failure in the system.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Conduct a faulttree analysis.<br />
• Learn Matlab/Simulink software.<br />
• To use an industry and academia standard<br />
tool to develop a functional model of the<br />
physical parts of an airliner landing gear<br />
Extension/Retraction system.<br />
• To create scripted tests to fully exercise the<br />
simulation.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was observed in faulttree analysis that<br />
system is not compatible as one of the<br />
components failed.<br />
Model of landing gear simulation that was<br />
designed in Matlab/Simulink completely<br />
failed. The complexity of the design itself and<br />
Simulink tool make it hard to describe the<br />
system.
Alistair Montgomery<br />
BEng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Dr. Rui Cardoso<br />
An Investigation into the affects of Structural Idealisation on an Aircraft<br />
Wing Box<br />
Introduction<br />
Aircraft structures consist of a range of highly<br />
complex, detailed components, and as a result<br />
require a high level of structural analysis and<br />
testing to ensure the structure is able to<br />
withstand the many aerodynamic loads<br />
encountered in flight.<br />
In order for such high level models to be<br />
analysed efficiently both in terms of calculation<br />
complexity and computational hardware, in the<br />
preliminary stage of the analysis, models are<br />
highly idealised. This is the process of modifying<br />
a fully detailed model into a simple geometry for<br />
practical applications such as an FE analysis via<br />
the removal of unnecessary features and<br />
typography alterations.<br />
The wing acts as both a beam and torsion<br />
member. The internal structure of a wing<br />
consists of the main bending member know as a<br />
spar, lateral cross sections called ribs, and<br />
smaller axial members known as stringers or<br />
stiffeners.<br />
Idealisation Methods<br />
Two idealisation methods are conducted on the<br />
wingbox as part of this investigation. The<br />
equivalence area method, and the linear stress<br />
distribution method.<br />
In order to perform the idealisation assumptions<br />
are made to the geometry. Firstly the wingbox is<br />
considered to consists of only two load bearing<br />
elements; the wing skin, and longitudinal stiffeners<br />
or stringers.<br />
In a fully effective model we will consider the skin<br />
to carry shear stresses (τ) and direct stresses (σ)<br />
However when we simplify the model we assume<br />
the skin to have a zero thickness and as a result is<br />
only responsible for the shear stresses. It will also<br />
be assumed that for the stringers that the load<br />
carrying capabilities will be concentrated to a<br />
single point, this allows the assumption that the<br />
stress is constant for the entire cross-section of<br />
the stringer. This area of concentration is<br />
represented on the idealised geometry as a<br />
circular point and is known as a boom.<br />
Analysis and Results<br />
The analysis has been run on the wingbox profile<br />
of a cessna 172 skyhawk. The section spans from<br />
the front spar to the rear spar and consists of a<br />
section of length 2.54m from the wing root.<br />
After idealization it was concluded that the area<br />
equivalence idealization method provides a less<br />
evenly distribution of shear stresses with the<br />
wingbox. There are also significantly larger areas<br />
of stress at the location of the stringers. This is due<br />
to the area idealisation method creating booms at<br />
a greater distance from the original skin location<br />
that the linear stress idealisation method.<br />
Overall it can determined that the axial stress<br />
distribution idealisation method provides more<br />
accurate and consisted results, especially over the<br />
location of stringers and skin reinforcing members.<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation examines the affects that<br />
idealisation processes present to an aircraft wing-box<br />
via two alternate idealisation methods compared to<br />
the fully effective geometry. The analysis concludes<br />
how the idealised model’s results differ to the fully<br />
effective model with respect to their individual load<br />
paths, shear stress, principal stresses, displacement<br />
and areas of highly concentrated stress, allowing a<br />
review of the overall reliability and accuracy of each<br />
idealisation process.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives of the investigation will be to<br />
conclusively determine the which of the idealisation<br />
methods, linear axial stress distribution, or the<br />
triangular area equivalence method provide more<br />
reliable and accurate results to a comparison of an<br />
FEA model.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
There is a positive correlation between the maximum<br />
shear stresses within the panels of each idealised<br />
structure. The area equivalnce method has shown to<br />
consist of a less evenly distrubuted shear flow. With<br />
areas of concentrated shear stress at the location of<br />
idealised stringers. In conclusion, it has been<br />
determined that idealisation via linear axial stress<br />
distribution provides more accurate and reliable<br />
results compared to the triangular area equivalence<br />
method.
Andrew Adams<br />
BEng(Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Design <strong>Engineering</strong>)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Chassis Design and Testing for <strong>UWE</strong> Formula Student’s <strong>2015</strong> Chassis<br />
Introduction<br />
A design for a chassis/frame that is suitable for a<br />
single seated race car that would be competing<br />
in the FSAE event at Silverstone. The design will<br />
have to meet various requirements of the cars<br />
design along with the requirements laid out by<br />
FSAE. The project also includes methods of<br />
torsional stiffness testing and chassis design<br />
optimisation.<br />
Concept Design<br />
The design of the concepts went well, the concepts were designed based<br />
around of the inboard suspension mounting points, just how a chassis should<br />
be designed, after all the chassis’ role is to hold the vehicle together so the<br />
other component of the car will dictate the shape of the chassis. Two chassis<br />
concepts were made, one being a ‘slimmed down’ version of the other, to see<br />
how much of an effect the difference in weight has on the torsional stiffness of<br />
the chassis.<br />
Design Selection<br />
The design selection was based on which concept had the best specific<br />
torsional stiffness. The stiffness constant of the chassis was calculated then,<br />
that figured was divided by the mass of the chassis and the concept with the<br />
highest value would be put forward for development.<br />
Project summary<br />
Design Optimisation and Testing of <strong>UWE</strong><br />
Formula Students 2016 Chassis<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Study all available literature on chassis<br />
designs aimed at single seated race cars,<br />
along with attending relevant conferences<br />
to gain further knowledge<br />
• Study the competition regulations to<br />
ensure my design is suitable<br />
• Study the team’s previous chassis design<br />
to recognise the successes and failures of<br />
it<br />
• Develop multiple concepts for the design<br />
• Select the best concept using a marking<br />
system that takes into account torsional<br />
rigidity and functionality<br />
• Improve on the best concept where<br />
possible<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
From this project there has not been any<br />
sufficient evidence to say that specific chassis<br />
torsional stiffness is directly related to the<br />
mass of the chassis or the positioning and<br />
orientation of the chassis members, more of a<br />
combination of the both, however torsional<br />
chassis stiffness is directly related to the mass<br />
of the chassis.
Ben Rollings<br />
aerospace<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Mayo Adetoro<br />
Simulating machining in abaqus<br />
Project Summary<br />
This project researches into the use numerical<br />
simulations of machining covering the studies from<br />
the past and the current methods. Then a<br />
specification is produced from the research to lay out<br />
the values for a simulation in abaqus. The simulation<br />
is then prototyped with a large mesh and is checked<br />
for validity by comparison and improved. The results<br />
are then used to produce a refined simulation and it<br />
is evaluated.<br />
Stress<br />
800000000<br />
600000000<br />
400000000<br />
200000000<br />
A graph to show principle and von mises stress<br />
2E+09<br />
1.8E+09<br />
1.6E+09<br />
1.4E+09<br />
1.2E+09<br />
1E+09<br />
0<br />
0<br />
10<br />
20<br />
30<br />
40<br />
50<br />
60<br />
70<br />
80<br />
90<br />
100<br />
110<br />
120<br />
130<br />
140<br />
150<br />
160<br />
170<br />
180<br />
190<br />
200<br />
Frame number<br />
s12<br />
s33<br />
s22<br />
s11<br />
von mises<br />
Project Objectives<br />
This project aims to research into and<br />
simulate a cutting process using a<br />
computational approach then validate the<br />
results using experimental tests.<br />
Then based on the research into the field and<br />
the simulation results establish. Are modern<br />
FEA simulations accurate enough to predict<br />
real machining?<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion the aim to research and<br />
simulate a cutting process using a<br />
computational approach was achieved<br />
however it was not validated using<br />
experimental tests this was because the<br />
simulation proved to be far harder to get<br />
working correctly than hoped.
Benjamin Smith<br />
BEng (Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Manufacturing Pathway)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Mike Ackerman<br />
Innovative methods of harnessing wind power<br />
Energy tower (Downdraft chimney)<br />
Kite power<br />
High altitude wind turbine<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To asses the feasibility of alternative<br />
methods.<br />
• To propose a possible alterations to<br />
improve.<br />
• To calculate the potential power<br />
capacity and the possible global<br />
capacity.<br />
An Energy tower is a completely green energy<br />
source that doesn’t produce greenhouse gasses.<br />
Can generate winds of up to 80 km/h by spraying<br />
water into the top of the tower, which saturates<br />
the air, the dense air falls towards the base of the<br />
tower, powering several turbines. It operates 24<br />
hours a day and is fully reliable.<br />
Solar Chimney (Updraft)<br />
Solar updraft towers use the<br />
energy of the sun to generate<br />
power 24 hours a day. Large<br />
solar roofs similar to a<br />
greenhouse, trap the heat<br />
absorbed by the dark ground<br />
material, the heat rises<br />
towards a large tower In the<br />
center to power several<br />
turbines.<br />
Kite power is a very cheap method of<br />
generating power, using the same<br />
principles as a standard kite, it ascends<br />
flying in a figure of 8 which powers a<br />
generator located on the ground.<br />
Kite power is a very new concept with<br />
just a few prototypes in testing.<br />
There are two methods at achieving high altitude<br />
wind power, being a large aero foil or a helium<br />
filled structure. High altitude wind turbines have<br />
the potential to produce vast amounts of power<br />
with the possibility of harnessing the vast amount<br />
of energy available in the jet stream. Is ideal to<br />
provide power in emergencies or disasters, or<br />
even to supply remote communities with a<br />
reliable electricity source.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
There isn’t a environmentally friendly<br />
energy production method that can meet<br />
the global energy demand efficiently. It is<br />
rather a culmination of many different<br />
methods, some which can be used very<br />
widely around the world to mass produce<br />
power, and others which have specific<br />
niches, in which they are very effective<br />
energy production methods.
Christopher Farndon<br />
BEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Investigation, creation and validation of an inverse design code for twodimensional<br />
aerofoils using MATLAB<br />
Creation of MATLAB model<br />
After completing a thorough literature<br />
survey, it was decided that the most suitable<br />
method of inverse design for this project was<br />
the Modified Garabedian McFadden (MGM)<br />
method. This approach uses coefficient of<br />
pressure distributions to compute a residual<br />
value between a target and initial Cp<br />
distribution, with this driving an iteration<br />
process which optimises an initial aerofoil<br />
shape. The fundamental equation used to<br />
compute the aerofoil change is:<br />
AA δδδδ + BB ∂∂(δδδδ)<br />
∂∂∂∂<br />
− CC ∂∂2 δδδδ<br />
∂∂xx 2<br />
= CCCC tttttttttttt − CCCC iiiiiiiiiiiiii<br />
This second order ordinary differential<br />
equation can be solved using a central finite<br />
difference method for δδδδ (the change in<br />
aerofoil height) which can then be added to<br />
the initial aerofoil to create a new shape<br />
closer to the required aerofoil. This process<br />
is repeated in an iterative loop until the Cp<br />
residual is reduced to 0 (or a negligible value)<br />
indicating the aerofoil has been optimised<br />
correctly.<br />
Tri-diagonal sparse matrix created to solve the fundamental equation<br />
Validation<br />
With an inverse design method (MGM) created in<br />
MATLAB, this model was required to be validated to<br />
ensure the process was producing accurate and<br />
reliable results. This was done by comparing the<br />
output produced by the MATLAB model against two<br />
industrially established computational-fluid-dynamics<br />
(CFD) software packages: ANSYS Workbench v15 and<br />
Javafoil v2.23.<br />
For the ANSYS analysis, a target aerofoil was created<br />
in Solidworks, a computer-aided-design (CAD)<br />
program and then imported into ANSYS. The results<br />
of this and the Javafoil analysis can be seen above. It<br />
can be seen that overall the MATLAB model matches<br />
the general shape of both the ANSYS and Javafoil<br />
solutions, providing<br />
confirmation that the<br />
inverse<br />
design code created in<br />
MATLAB was<br />
implemented<br />
correctly and was<br />
producing dependable<br />
and trustworthy<br />
results.<br />
Testing<br />
The testing phase allowed the capabilities of the<br />
developed MATLAB inverse design code to be<br />
investigated. A variety of test series were<br />
created; each assessing a different aspect of the<br />
program’s functionality. The constants A, B and<br />
C seen in the fundamental equation were<br />
required to be determined experimentally, as<br />
well as the optimal value of the Cp error. Once<br />
these were determined, various tests were<br />
performed to observe the MATLAB’s success at<br />
transforming an initial aerofoil shape based on a<br />
variety of key aerofoil design parameters:<br />
camber, maximum thickness and the position of<br />
the maximum thickness.<br />
These tests were all passed with overwhelming<br />
success, with the inverse design code efficiently<br />
optimising the aerofoil shape to within an<br />
acceptable level of accuracy for any change in<br />
design criteria.<br />
The testing phase continued on to assess the<br />
MATLAB model’s ability to analyse viscous flows,<br />
where it also successfully passed this, increasing<br />
the flexibility and usefulness of the algorithm.<br />
3D representation of change in aerofoil shape over time.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project attempted to gain an<br />
understanding of inverse design methods<br />
when applied to the aerospace industry, by<br />
creating, validating and testing a working<br />
model from first-principles.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Overall project objectives:<br />
• Create an inverse design code in MATLAB.<br />
• Use computational-fluid-dynamics (CFD)<br />
to validate the output of the inverse<br />
design code .<br />
• Devise and complete a comprehensive set<br />
of test procedures to investigate the<br />
program’s ability to successfully optimise<br />
an aerofoil based on a variety of varying<br />
design criteria.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
An inverse design code was successfully<br />
created in MATLAB, before being validated<br />
and tested to confirm the program produced<br />
accurate and reliable aerofoil shapes. The<br />
developed program provided not only a<br />
useful aerodynamic design tool, but also<br />
served as an opportunity to observe the<br />
concepts and principles associated with<br />
inverse design first hand by creating a<br />
working model first-hand.
David Baez Kasolis<br />
BEng (Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Implementing a Forward Swept Wing configuration on an existing UAV<br />
Platform<br />
The RQ-4 “Global Hawk”, was chosen as the most appropriate testebed to carry the implementation on, as it provided a good amount<br />
of data on its operational capabilities. The data was used to support the CFD cases on which a set of 3 FSW setups will be compared<br />
against the actual set of wings fitted to the Global Hawk.<br />
Wing Selection was carried using a 2D Flow Analysis code. & wings were compared and classified according to their capabilities.<br />
Finally the best 3 wing were selected for the next phase of the project, that would include a more thorough analysis. Material testing<br />
was also carried using Finite Element Analysis to identify the capabilities of the chosen wing when dealing with aerolasticity issues<br />
Results<br />
The set of results obtained when the final chosen<br />
wing was compared to the actual wing used by the<br />
UAV, confirmed an increase in maneuverability and<br />
lift production, it also benefits from an extend<br />
stall point of approximately 8 degrees.<br />
The picture on the left illustrates how the<br />
flow travel trough the wing, when using a<br />
FSW or a Back swept wing configuration.<br />
This flow distribution enable the FSW to<br />
remain maneuverable at high angles of<br />
attack , since the root of the wing tends<br />
to stall first, thus enabling the wing tips<br />
to con<br />
CFD Testing<br />
All selected wings , were tested at<br />
multiple angles of attack to obtain a<br />
clear representation on how<br />
beneficial a FSW will be when<br />
travelling at cruise speed. Pressure<br />
contours illustrate the distribution<br />
of High and long pressure all along<br />
the wing. It was observed that FSW<br />
configuration were able to keep<br />
producing lift when subjected to<br />
high angles of attack<br />
Capabilities of the FSW configuration are: Increased maneuverability at<br />
high angles of attack, a reduction in lift induced drag when travelling at<br />
transonic or supersonic speeds.<br />
A Final wing was chosen to be adopted as the FSW for the Global Hawk.<br />
The S 1223 showed exceptional performance when compared to other<br />
selected wings throughout the CFD testing phase<br />
Data Validation<br />
After CFD testing was<br />
completed, the data obtained<br />
needed to be validated,. The<br />
validation enables designers to<br />
check if the data does correlates<br />
to what the model would<br />
experience in a free flight<br />
situation.<br />
A practical validation was<br />
carried which involved wind<br />
tunnel testing<br />
Structural testing<br />
FSW configuration do suffer aerolasticity problem<br />
generated mainly at the wing tips<br />
(Divergence/twist) due to the nature of the flow.<br />
In early stages of conception the materials able to<br />
counteract this hindrance added a considerable<br />
weight penalty. Present day material like<br />
Aluminum Alloys and composites, allow the wing<br />
to be stiff enough to avoid a wing fracture.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Pritesh Narayan<br />
Project summary<br />
Forward swept wings provide a range of<br />
aerodynamical advantages over the more<br />
standard wing configurations. Conception<br />
dates back to the world war 2 period, where<br />
development was based in Germany. The<br />
concept was then explored again in the early<br />
80’s when the Americans conceived the<br />
Grumman X-29 FSW Testbed, which<br />
demonstrated exceptional capabilities.<br />
It is believed that with the advancement in<br />
materials and design tools of the industry ,the<br />
concept becomes once again worthy of<br />
exploration.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the project is to investigate how<br />
FSW can aid to increase the aerodynamical<br />
performance of a UAV.<br />
The project involves a comprehensive<br />
computational fluid dynamics analysis, and<br />
multiple data validation methods.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was clearly demonstrated that the chosen<br />
UAV testbed , does benefits from the<br />
aerodynamical capabilities of the FSW<br />
configuration.<br />
Material testing indicates that , previous<br />
aerolasticity issues that affected FSW can be<br />
solved with the use of composite material s,<br />
without adding any weight penalty to the<br />
structure.
Daniel Norton<br />
BEng(Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Design) (SW)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. John Kamalu<br />
An Investigation into the Morphology, Stoichiometry and Distribution of<br />
Secondary Phase Intermetallic Particles Found in a 2XXX-Series Al-Alloy<br />
and Their Effects on Corrosion Performance<br />
The main inhibitor and disadvantage that the light metals, predominantly 2XXX, 6XXX, 7XXX series Al-Alloys, have when compared to<br />
composites and titanium alloy parts is that they are prone to exhibit relatively poor corrosion performance (Sukiman et al, 2012). As a<br />
pure metal, aluminium is highly reactive, with an affinity for oxygen. Pure aluminium has very good corrosion resistance due to its<br />
naturally forming oxide layer making it highly resistant to most environments (Aluminium Federation, 2011). However, when it is alloyed<br />
with other elements, this inherent corrosion resistance is often lost. A number of research papers have attributed the poor corrosion<br />
behaviours of these alloys to the material’s microstructure and the chemistries of the precipitates within it<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation that looks to evaluate and quantify<br />
links that exist between the morphology,<br />
stoichiometry and distribution of secondary phase<br />
intermetallic particles that are found in a 2XXX-Series<br />
Al-Alloy and their effects on the corrosion behaviour<br />
of these materials in service.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The experimental testing should quantitatively<br />
evaluate the effects of corrosion in a number of<br />
different electrochemical systems, determined by the<br />
Airbus case study.<br />
The most common types of corrosion in 2XXX<br />
series aluminium alloys due to electrochemical<br />
reactions are pitting corrosion and intergranular<br />
corrosion (SAPA, 2013). Not only are these two of<br />
the most common forms of corrosion, they can<br />
also be two of the most destructive if not carefully<br />
accounted for in design. Not all aluminium alloys<br />
are so susceptible to the intense pitting attack<br />
seen in a number of studies on Al2024. The<br />
alloying elements are often suggested to have a<br />
significant effect on the rate of depletion of the<br />
passive film coating the parts.<br />
An intermetallic particle is a solid-state phase<br />
within an alloy matrix which has a chemistry that<br />
is different to the surrounding matrix. These<br />
particles form during the solidification of the alloy<br />
and are affected by a number of factors, namely<br />
chemistries and changes in temperature.<br />
Some of these precipitates have a very precise<br />
composition with significantly different properties<br />
to the surrounding matrix – these are termed the<br />
intermetallic phase. A large number of smaller<br />
intermetallics can be detrimental in terms of<br />
corrosion performance, however, up to a point<br />
they offer significant improvements in strength by<br />
pinning grain boundaries (Saddock, 2008). As such<br />
it is consider these effects in the analysis of<br />
microstructural characteristics and be aware of<br />
them when interpreting results.<br />
57 samples were tested and findings showed<br />
significant levels of pitting and intergranular attack<br />
on all samples. The first above show the result of<br />
the corrosion experiment. The third image is a<br />
micrograph of the intergranular attack in an Al-<br />
Bronze sample.<br />
From the clustering analysis the following have<br />
been found:<br />
Particles are primarily clustered along grain<br />
boundaries – which coincide with the theory that<br />
large constituent particles have been mechanically<br />
broken down during forming. It is possible to<br />
identify a number of linear clusters which network<br />
in the direction of rolling, the direction of the grain<br />
elongation. These particles are frequently closely<br />
packed with little to no space between particles. It<br />
is worth noting that in the clustering analysis it<br />
was found that “16% of particles have a neighbour<br />
within 8.36μm” – the distance below which the<br />
corrosion is considered to be exacerbated in the<br />
form of a galvanic couple. While the increase in<br />
rate has not been quantified, the corrosion tests<br />
suggest that the impact would be considerable<br />
given the stark difference in depth of attack<br />
between pitting and intergranular attack.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• AA2024-T3 experiences extensive stable pitting<br />
and intergranular corrosion when exposed to a<br />
dilute acid such as NaCl.<br />
• The rate of pitting corrosion at a site appeared to<br />
reduce or stop altogether following the initiation<br />
of intergranular attack. It is thought that the pit<br />
has repassivated.<br />
• The clustering analysis concluded that the<br />
intermetallics within AA2024-T3 appeared to be<br />
clustered in linear networks.<br />
• The machine vision analysis method can be used<br />
as an effective method for estimating the<br />
corrosion behaviour of the material however it<br />
requires a greater amount of data to improve its<br />
reliability.
Emily Morris<br />
BEng (Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> Design<br />
Project Supervisor;<br />
Dr Chris Toomer<br />
A Study into Wind Farm Resource Modelling<br />
Project Summary<br />
This project was carried out in order to analyse current wind farms in existence and the<br />
regulations and procedures surrounding their development. This then lead to the testing of certain<br />
turbine features using computational analysis techniques. The theory and calculations utilised by<br />
the computational methods were researched in order to gain a thorough understanding of the<br />
influence of the variables involved .<br />
Experimental Procedure<br />
The software utilised in this project was WindFarmer, an industry level<br />
software which uses data obtained from maps and geographical<br />
surveys to plot arrangements of potential wind farms and find the<br />
optimal layout. Once a turbine layout has been created the software<br />
runs various analysis calculations and outputs performance and<br />
feasibility data for the site. The outputs are determined by the user<br />
depending on the area of study required. Several experiments were<br />
carried out into the effects of a wake produced by a primary turbine<br />
on the performance of a secondary turbine.<br />
Case Study—Middelgrunden, Copenhagen<br />
Middelgrunden is a large offshore wind farm consisting of 20<br />
turbines located 4.6 km offshore from Copenhagen Harbour,<br />
Denmark. The 20 turbines produce a site with 40 MW capacity, this<br />
is the equivalent of 20,000 Danish homes. All 20 turbines are<br />
identical B76/2000 turbines .manufactured by Bonus Energy. These<br />
are triple bladed horizontal axis turbines with a rated wind speed of<br />
15 m/s<br />
Project Objectives<br />
· Research current wind farms and<br />
highlight areas that can be improved.<br />
· Research into current industry<br />
standards and practices.<br />
· Carry out thorough testing and<br />
analysis using WindFarmer software<br />
into the effects of wake flows on<br />
secondary turbines.<br />
Project Conclusions<br />
From the investigations carried out<br />
within the course of this project it can<br />
be seen that the location of greatest<br />
wake influence, from an initial to a<br />
secondary turbine, is within a 30 m<br />
range either side of the central turbine<br />
location, when the two turbines are<br />
spaced at a distance of 48 m<br />
separation. This result is specific to the<br />
turbine analysed and applies to the<br />
conditions present at the location<br />
studied at an altitude of 400 m above<br />
sea level with a prevailing wind from<br />
the West.
Elisha Nyakabau<br />
Beng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
An Investigation into Auto-Stabilisation of a Helicopter<br />
This project looks at the creation of an automatic stabilisation system for a helicopter, a single rotor helicopter to be specific. The<br />
behaviour of helicopters is complex and understanding the mechanisms at work requires numerical modelling and simulation, only<br />
through this can the flying qualities and stability be identified. Once identified can an augmentation system be designed to stabilise<br />
the aircraft and improve the handling qualities.<br />
Project summary<br />
Creation of a mathematical model for simulation<br />
Analysis of dynamic stability at different flight<br />
conditions<br />
Design and testing of a linearized feedback<br />
controller<br />
Assessment of helicopter stabilisation methods<br />
An understanding of control theory is required to be able to create an<br />
automatic flight controller that is capable of trimming the aircraft in a wide<br />
range of flight modes such as hover where a helicopter is most unstable. The<br />
project covers some of the basic control theory required before undertaking<br />
the design of such a controller.<br />
2 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for paragraphs of text). Space for your research,<br />
theory, experiments, analysis, simulations, pictures, tables, diagrams,<br />
flowcharts, text<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To first gain an understanding of helicopter flight<br />
dynamics and simulation modelling<br />
Creation of a validated dynamic model of a<br />
helicopter using Simulink<br />
Trim and Linearization of the model<br />
Asses the dynamics of the helicopter<br />
Use classic feedback control techniques to develop a<br />
linear controller<br />
The Modelling<br />
The software used for modelling is<br />
Simulink and Matlab. The model<br />
used is based on Nasa single rotor<br />
helicopter model.<br />
The Helicopter<br />
The simulation model is configured<br />
to the Bell AH-1G Huey Cobra.<br />
The Huey Cobra is a 2 bladed<br />
military helicopter and has been in<br />
service since 1971.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Modelled and Simulated a Bell AH-1 Helicopter.<br />
Designed and simulated a working Stability<br />
Augumentation System (SAS) with ATT (Attitude<br />
Retention System)<br />
SAS<br />
The Stability Augmentation System is modelled<br />
using full state feedback (pole placement). Linear<br />
Quadratic Regulation (LQR) used to gain the<br />
optimal gain matrix K which is used to close the<br />
loop<br />
ATT<br />
Attitude Retention System, forms the outer loop of<br />
the linearized controller and provides flight modes<br />
for the pilot such as Attitude hold and Altitude<br />
hold.<br />
Displacement<br />
Lateral displacement due to random velocity disturbances at 104 kts with SAS<br />
0.08<br />
Lateral Displacement (ft)<br />
0.06<br />
0.04<br />
0.02<br />
0<br />
-0.02<br />
-0.04<br />
-0.06<br />
-0.08<br />
-0.1<br />
-0.12<br />
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200<br />
Time (t)
Josh Sleeman<br />
BEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Steve Wright<br />
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Stabilisation System Development<br />
Hardware Selection<br />
After consideration of many different quadcopter frames that<br />
are available on the market the Turnigy Micro Quad V3 kit was<br />
chosen, because of the small frame the control of the<br />
quadcopter becomes more manageable and is good as a starting<br />
point for a first quadcopter project, the design of the<br />
quadcopter could easily by scaled up to a larger size when the<br />
small one is working correctly.<br />
Motor Control Theory<br />
The control of the motors will be achieved once the orientation data has been received at the MCU. A method of control is<br />
used to take the current orientation data from the IMU and the current: throttle, altitude, pitch, roll and yaw that is being<br />
demanded from the user interface and turn this into a response for the motors to act upon. It is first very important to<br />
understand how this will work before any software can be written, the basics of this is shown in the motor control diagram<br />
shown below.<br />
Hardware and Software Implementation<br />
The hardware implementation consisted of<br />
connecting all the hardware up in the correct way<br />
in order for it to function correctly. This is shown in<br />
the diagram below in the form of a circuit diagram.<br />
This diagram has been numbered in order to<br />
explain the different hardware and its integration.<br />
2<br />
1<br />
3<br />
4<br />
The microcontroller that has been selected for the quadcopter system is the<br />
Arduino Uno and this will be used to control the quadcopter system. An<br />
inertial measurement unit (IMU) can be used to capture the orientation data<br />
needed to stabilise the quadcopter, this input data can then be used to<br />
calculate the response needed to stabilise the system using the motors. In<br />
order to have communication with an external user interface the HC-05<br />
Bluetooth module will be used, this enables short range wireless<br />
communication, this can be upgraded to a Wi-Fi system if longer range is<br />
needed.<br />
The first stage of this is the mapping of the throttle in to a percentage, the same is then done<br />
to the orientation data. Once the orientation input is in terms of a percentage this is then<br />
multiplied by a gain in order to control the response. This response is then summed to give an<br />
offset for the motors output to change to. The final stage is to map the percentage back to<br />
the motor limits.<br />
Number 1 in the diagram is the lithium polymer<br />
battery which supply’s the power for the circuit.<br />
Number 2 in the diagram is the Arduino Uno MCU,<br />
this piece of hardware supply’s all the data signals<br />
to all the components. Number three in the<br />
diagram is the Bluetooth Module, this component<br />
is supplied from the lower voltage supply and<br />
communicates with the Arduino via the serial pins<br />
5<br />
6<br />
(Rx & Tx). Number 4 in the diagram is the inertial<br />
measurement unit, this sends the orientation data<br />
to the MCU. Number 5 on the diagram is the four<br />
esc’s, these control the speed of the motors The<br />
final part of the diagram numbered number 6 is the<br />
motors which are connected to the esc’s by three<br />
wires, by changing these wires around the<br />
direction of the motor can be changed, this is very<br />
useful if a motor is turning in the wrong direction.<br />
The software implementation is all about bringing<br />
the different parts of the software together. This is<br />
done by working in a methodical way and bringing<br />
the software from the main components into one<br />
file of code. In terms of what has been achieved in<br />
this project, the software of the orientation system<br />
has been combined with the control software in<br />
order to give a system that can stabilise its self.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been undertaken into<br />
the design, development and operability of<br />
an autonomous stabilisation system designed<br />
for a Quadcopter unmanned aerial vehicle.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the investigation is to design an<br />
unmanned aerial vehicle stabilisation system.<br />
This stabilisation system will be incorporated<br />
into a Quadcopter UAV and will be able to<br />
autonomously allow the UAV to take off and<br />
hover in stable flight. The main objective of<br />
the system is to automatically stabilise the<br />
quadcopter.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The auto-stabilisation for a quadcopter UAV<br />
has been developed from the use of<br />
commercial off the shell hardware and<br />
software. Parts of the specification have<br />
been achieved with further work required to<br />
finish the other objectives of the project. The<br />
Quadcopter developed can react to<br />
orientation changes within its environment<br />
and make corrective movements.
James Baseley<br />
BEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Jason Matthews<br />
“AN INVESTIGATION INTO HOW ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND<br />
TOPOLOGY OPTIMISATION CAN MAKE THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY MORE<br />
EFFICIENT”<br />
Project Details<br />
After some research into the current state of the art methods and technologies, it is clear that there is a lot of work that can be carried<br />
out to investigate the use of topology optimisation in the aerospace industry. The project is split into design & analysis, optimisation,<br />
and manufacture & testing of a jet engine bracket as an example component to demonstrate the process effectiveness both financially<br />
and environmentally on an example Airline and therefore the industry as a whole.<br />
Design and Analysis<br />
Initial Component – GE Jet Engine Bracket<br />
The bracket is analysed in its original form so<br />
that a direct comparison can be gained from<br />
the optimised version:<br />
Important aspects of FEA were carried out<br />
including a mesh study of different mesh types<br />
and densities in order to fine the most<br />
effective mesh for time and accuracy. The<br />
graph below shows the mesh convergence:<br />
Optimisation<br />
Otpimisation process utilised “Solidworks<br />
Optimisation,” an automatic dimensions<br />
constraining method:<br />
…and also a “user” optimisation method that<br />
involves the manual removal of excess, non-load<br />
bearing material:<br />
Each time the finished geometry is reanalysed<br />
until the mass reduction is satisfactory with the<br />
same structural capabilities.<br />
The final optimised component demonstrated<br />
nearly a 70% mass reduction over the original<br />
version<br />
Manufacturing & Testing<br />
Both optimised and original parts were additive<br />
layer manufactured using the fused deposition<br />
modeler. They were then tested in a tensile test<br />
machine to prove that they could experience the<br />
same loads before fracture.<br />
Results<br />
Results showed that the optimised version could<br />
perform as well as the original version, validating<br />
the study.<br />
A 70% reduction in mass of all metallic parts on an<br />
aircraft resulted in approximately $190million in<br />
savings to Etihad Airways’ Boeing 787 family.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project shows how topology optimisation<br />
can be used with additive layer<br />
manufacturing to make the aerospace<br />
industry more efficient by means of design,<br />
analysis, optimisation, manufacture and<br />
testing<br />
Project Objectives<br />
- Read into methods of additive layer<br />
manufacturing and topology optimisation<br />
- Design and analyse a suitable component<br />
from the aerospace industry<br />
- Use an optimisation process to reduce the<br />
part mass while sustaining structural<br />
integrity<br />
- Manufacture and test the original and<br />
optimised components for validation<br />
- Assess the impact the study could have on<br />
the aerospace industry<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
There is still much to validate when it comes<br />
to using the chosen optimisation method, as<br />
well as further areas of research that could be<br />
carried out that would either support or<br />
expand on what has been discovered.<br />
However, more importantly this project has<br />
successfully provided a baseline for further<br />
studies and has achieved the investigation of<br />
how using topology optimisation with<br />
additive layer manufacturing can make the<br />
Aerospace Industry more efficient.
Batteries<br />
Electrochemical batteries are energy storage<br />
devices, which are able to convert chemically<br />
stored energy into electrical energy during<br />
discharging. They are divided in two subgroups,<br />
the primary batteries are non-rechargeable and<br />
secondary batteries are rechargeable.<br />
Typically, there are three types of batteries that<br />
are mostly used for airplanes that are driven by<br />
electrical motors, and these are the following:<br />
- Nickel Cadmium (NiCd)<br />
- Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH)<br />
- Lithium Polymer (LiPo)<br />
Mehmet Esat Erzurumluoglu<br />
Solar Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)<br />
B.Eng. Individual Project UFMFX8-30-3<br />
Aerospace Engineer (Design)<br />
Introduction<br />
Compared to other transport vehicles, aircraft can be classified as low emissions producers. An typical mid-ranged Airbus consumes 2785 litres kerosene per<br />
100 kilometres. Calculated per person every passenger needs 2.9 litres kerosene per 100 kilometres (Airbus, 2014). The best case is to reduce the fuel<br />
consumption to zero and for that it is necessary to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Solar cell technology lends itself as a suitable application which<br />
can support the propulsion system with energy. Using solar cells in the transport aircraft category is less effective because the energy produced by the solar<br />
cells is only a fraction of the energy from fossil fuels. For small aircraft like a model aircraft or an unmanned aerial vehicle where the payload is less, such an<br />
energy supporter as solar cells could be imagined. The application of unmanned aircraft will increase in the future, particularly in missions where an aircraft<br />
operates in dangerous areas or under excessive stress. Through the elimination of the pilot and miniaturization of the aircraft the cost of a flight task is reduced<br />
or new missions are possible .<br />
Conventional configuration<br />
The main wing is before the centre of gravity and the tail with their<br />
rudder is after the centre of gravity. An aft-mounted tail offers<br />
stability but produces a small down force in normal flight. In the<br />
past most solar powered aircraft were in conventional configuration<br />
and nearly all motor-gliders and gliders have a conventional<br />
configuration<br />
Aerofoil selection<br />
For my UAV I had investigated a suitable aerofoil<br />
and chose the best on that will give the<br />
following.<br />
An aerofoil capable of producing high lift at very<br />
low speeds.<br />
An aerofoil design capable of carrying as much<br />
payload as possible<br />
An aerofoil capable of being launched from a<br />
low height and obtaining cruise speed<br />
Minimum number of three aerofoils will be<br />
analysed for comparison.<br />
Solar cell arrangements<br />
Minimum of 6x12=72 solar cells required to be<br />
placed on the wing and other suitable places on<br />
the UAV.<br />
So we need 12 groups of 6 parallel connected<br />
solar cells for our motor to have efficient power<br />
input without relying on the additional energy<br />
from the battery<br />
Shadow effect<br />
It was found that high wing configuration would be the best suited<br />
to get maximum sun ling we could and also more flat surfaces to<br />
attach solar panels. And avoiding dihedrals and sweeps for the time<br />
being them to<br />
Literature review<br />
During my background reading I took in to<br />
concentration last 45 years of solar powered<br />
aircrafts and tried to list them in order to see<br />
their potential improvements as time<br />
progresses and technology advances . And state<br />
of the art UAVs<br />
Wind tunnel, Javafoil and CFD results<br />
At wind speeds of 10 m/s, Wind tunnel data shows us that NACA<br />
2410 and 23015 show signs of instability, whereas NACA 4412<br />
remained stable at this speed.<br />
Judging from the wind tunnel data javafoil and cfd results, we can<br />
conclude that NACA 4412 was the overall more stable wing as it<br />
performed well at both wind speeds.<br />
Supervisor: Dr. Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
Project summary<br />
Solar powered aircraft and UAV have been made known over<br />
the last 45 years and flying with pure solar energy now a<br />
common reality but it is still not viable produce and sell them on<br />
commercial scale for the public interest. Most of the inventors<br />
were engineers in areas like electronics or mechanics. With the<br />
increasing number of Aerospace engineers there will be more<br />
redevelopment in this field and aerodynamic aspects will no<br />
longer be neglected and these products and these aircrafts will<br />
not be left to mechanical or electronically engineers. To create a<br />
UAV you would need to combine all these engineering<br />
disciplines as I did mechanics and electronic in my previous<br />
studies in A-levels would be ticking all the boxes t start this<br />
project alone. The aim of this project is to improve the current<br />
state of solar powered aircraft.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of this project is to improve the current state of solar<br />
powered aircraft.<br />
And have a possible application of the product like Atmospheric<br />
research, Earth observation, monitoring of air and water<br />
pollution, traffic monitoring , location tracking can all performed<br />
by a high resolution camera and instruments mounted on a<br />
solar powered aircraft<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It had been a long journey of but gladly it came to an end I<br />
would have liked to build the UAV if I had time and funding<br />
required. During this project I had used some research and work<br />
i did in previous years to help me save time as we are on final<br />
year we had many other work to concentrate and revise for<br />
exams and handle in dozen coursework. Therefore some of the<br />
works provided may contain group work which i was thoroughly<br />
involved in, I had used some spread sheets calculator to work<br />
the maximum lift we used in Airbus coursework we did in<br />
semester 1 to help me with the. Lastly I had input from the<br />
wings weeks project we did in year 2 so to do this project id did<br />
require a lot of input from my previous year experiences and<br />
works as it was vital to finish a project this big.<br />
Cost estimation of the project - solar powered UAV prototype.<br />
£210 solar panels flexible ones £70 for the glass type<br />
£20 electric motor<br />
Batteries £100<br />
system hardware control and aviation £100<br />
Remote control £100<br />
aileron motors £20<br />
Aerofoil lathe + technician £30, foam £10, film cover £5 & beam<br />
£5.<br />
fuselage £100<br />
<strong>UWE</strong> resources workshop, electric and machines irons (free)<br />
Labour cost 30 hours £210<br />
This gives a sum of £700 assets and £210 worth of my time if I<br />
were to create this prototype therefore it wouldn’t be ideal<br />
project to be accepted if the end product made was not worth<br />
more than £1000.
Nicola Reed<br />
BEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Manufacturing)<br />
Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Additive Manufacturing<br />
Materials<br />
Additive Manufacturing (also known as AM) is a layering fabrication process which uses many different materials to build a wide variety of products across<br />
many industries. This project will investigate the theory and practise of using fibres (glass and carbon fibre) to reinforce structures printed using AM methods.<br />
Additive Manufacturing has quickly emerged as a technology of the future. The ability to ‘print’ objects layer by layer has become a fabrication method which<br />
60% of businesses (within the engineering and design sectors) are currently utilising (Hammond, 2014). It is because of this that this project investigates<br />
whether it is possible to produce fibrous printed structures by using additive manufacturing methods, thus increasing the market for these machines. With AM<br />
manufacturing technologies becoming more common within businesses and the home, increased resources are being invested in the research and<br />
development of 3D printers to ensure that the technology continues to progress and become accessible and affordable for all.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr David Richardson<br />
Project summary<br />
This project investigates whether the addition<br />
of fiber reinforcement affects the mechanical<br />
properties of an additively manufactured<br />
structure, also whether the build orientation<br />
of a 3D printed sample affects these key<br />
properties.<br />
Research<br />
Thorough research was carried out into all aspects of 3D printing and a<br />
comprehensive literature review was written. It was at this point in the<br />
project it was decided that it would not be possible to combine the fibrous<br />
reinforcement with the 3D printing filament. This was due to the logistics of<br />
combining them in an evenly dispersed way. The machine being used for this<br />
investigation utilizes the Fused Deposition Modelling method, the fibers may<br />
also have caused issue with ‘pulling out’ of the matrix polymer material;<br />
another reason why this was not feasible within this investigation.<br />
At this point in the project it was decided that Epoxy resin samples would be<br />
manufactured, and the fibers added to the mixture – these would then be<br />
tested to determine the affect on the Mechanical properties of the<br />
additional reinforcement.<br />
It was also decided that different build orientations would be investigated<br />
and samples be tested to determine whether this parameter affects the<br />
properties of the printed sample. The below diagram shows the FDM<br />
machine used for this investigation.<br />
Method<br />
Using the relevant ISO a test plan was created, CAD model drawn and .STL file<br />
sent to the technicians to be printed. Following the successful manufacture of<br />
the samples in each build direction they were then received for testing. The<br />
machine used for testing can be seen below.<br />
Each sample was measured and tested.<br />
(this included the samples<br />
manufactured from Epoxy resin).<br />
The results of the testing concluded<br />
that the addition of the fibers improved<br />
the Mechanical properties (Young’s<br />
Modulus and Yield Strength) of the<br />
samples. It can also be concluded that<br />
the build direction does also affect the<br />
Mechanical properties of a sample.<br />
Further testing needs to be carried out<br />
to determine whether it is<br />
possible to combine the 3D printed<br />
Polymer material with the fibrous<br />
reinforcement.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigate how reinforcement can affect<br />
Epoxy mold samples<br />
• Deign and manufacture test samples to be<br />
printed on an Additive Manufacturing<br />
machine<br />
• Investigate the logistics of the addition of<br />
fiber reinforcement to 3D printer polymer<br />
material<br />
• Research the effect of the build orientation<br />
on the Mechanical properties of 3D printed<br />
materials<br />
• Tensile test the manufactured samples and<br />
record the resultant Mechanical properties<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The addition of fibers to the epoxy samples<br />
increased both the Yield Strength and the<br />
Young’s Modulus. From this it can be<br />
concluded that the addition of fibers to a 3D<br />
printed polymer material would therefore<br />
enhance the Mechanical properties of an<br />
Additively Manufactured printed sample. It<br />
can also be concluded that the build<br />
orientation does affect the Mechanical<br />
properties of a 3D printed sample.
Abigail Dalby<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Systems)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Pritesh Narayan<br />
Extending the Range of a Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) without the<br />
use of a Satellite<br />
Satellites are primarily used because of the range that can be achieved, allowing communication with the vehicle from the other side of<br />
the world. The main disadvantage being the cost of setting up a satellite system and maintaining the satellite system, this can cause a<br />
few hours use of the satellite to cost thousands of pounds. High network latency due to the distance the data has to travel is also a<br />
problem and also the need for specialised satellite terminals to communicate with the satellite.<br />
The original idea for this project came from using the mobile network to control<br />
the UAV. One of the most widely available networks is the mobile network; this<br />
can be access in most countries around the world. Originally developed primarily<br />
for transmitting voice (1G) currently includes 2G EDGE & GPRS, 3G and 4G. Each<br />
standard provides different bandwidths and ranges. This idea was extended to<br />
include WIFI as a way to improve the bandwidth.<br />
System Design<br />
The system design is based on UK<br />
regulation and research into<br />
communication bandwidths. The<br />
communications methods chosen<br />
were WIFI, mobile network work<br />
and creating a fully autonomous<br />
system for when the UAV is<br />
outside communications range.<br />
Autonomy Level and Range<br />
The bandwidth required to operate<br />
in different autonomy levels along<br />
with the ranges calculated from the<br />
case study give an overview of how<br />
the system would operate.<br />
Network<br />
Technology<br />
Case Study<br />
A case study of the WIFI standard 802.11g<br />
was built. Data rates are achieved with<br />
varying modulation types. The model was<br />
used to evaluate the BER (Bit Error Rate) of<br />
the transmission. The link budget<br />
calculation was applied and ranges<br />
compared with bandwidth available.<br />
Upload Speed<br />
(Mbps)<br />
Download Speed<br />
(Mbps)<br />
EE<br />
4G 3.1 9.2<br />
3G 0.4 2.5<br />
O2<br />
4G 3.6 9.8<br />
3G 0.4 2<br />
3<br />
4G 5.2 8.4<br />
3G 0.7 3.4<br />
Vodafone<br />
4G 2.2 11.2<br />
3G 0.3 2.2<br />
T-Mobile 2G 0.236 0.236<br />
Bandwidth (Mbps)<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
Physical<br />
Layer<br />
ERP-<br />
DSSS<br />
ERP-<br />
OFDM<br />
ERP-<br />
PBCC<br />
DSSS-<br />
OFDM<br />
Range vs Bandwidth<br />
Range (m)<br />
Use<br />
Data Rate (Mbps)<br />
Mandatory 1, 2, 5.5, 11<br />
Mandatory 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54<br />
Optional 1, 2, 5.5, 11, 22, 33<br />
Optional 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54<br />
Project summary<br />
The main aim of this project is to design a<br />
system that can extend the range of the UAV<br />
without the use of a satellite. It will primarily<br />
focused on the communication between the<br />
UAV and the operator. This project<br />
investigates the advantages and<br />
disadvantages of using wireless existing<br />
infrastructures (for example the mobile<br />
network), building a new infrastructure and<br />
using autonomous flight to allow the UAV to<br />
travel beyond the range of the operator.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research regulations around flying a UAV<br />
in up airspace and investigate the impact<br />
this will have on the design of the system.<br />
• Select a method for implementing<br />
different autonomy levels and the data<br />
rates required for each mode.<br />
• Produce a case study proving the<br />
feasibility of the different communication<br />
methods for between the ground station<br />
and the UAV.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• The project was proven to be feasible<br />
however much more work is needed on<br />
the hardware side.<br />
• All of the numbers are theoretical and<br />
therefore need to be proven to be close to<br />
real world values.<br />
• A combination of 4 layer of autonomy will<br />
be needed to achieve the maximum range.
Andy Lang<br />
MEng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Pritesh Narayan<br />
The Design of a Tri-Rotor UAS Optimised for Forest Fire Surveillance<br />
Background<br />
Unmanned aerial vehicles have been utilised in a<br />
variety of natural disaster data acquisition tasks for<br />
over a decade, predominantly in post disaster use.<br />
The type of disaster environments that the<br />
technology has been deployed ranges from<br />
hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis. Although a<br />
great deal of the platforms were envisioned to<br />
assess the severity of the natural disasters,<br />
offering video footage from various angles<br />
unobtainable by other methods, some were used<br />
to provide detailed evaluation in critical<br />
environments.<br />
Practical Analysis<br />
All Tri-Rotor manoeuvres refer to the thrust force<br />
generated by each rotor through manipulation of<br />
their individual speeds. The relationship between<br />
the thrust force and the rotational speed is a<br />
complex one which takes into account various<br />
elements in the powertrain design. A thrust<br />
analysis was performed on multiple propellers.<br />
CFD Analysis<br />
To further assess the validity of the results, a CFD<br />
analysis was implemented to add another<br />
dimension to the investigation. In order to achieve<br />
this, the motor and propeller assembly was<br />
modelled in SolidWorks in a simplified manner.<br />
These were then put through a simulation and<br />
compared to physical and theoretical results.<br />
Design and Build<br />
The MK-III Tri-Rotor below was rapid prototyped<br />
and assembled in 24 hours, after previous versions<br />
outlined prospective areas of improvement. The<br />
final UAS is incredibly stable and has a flight time<br />
of up to half an hour and is fully capable of First<br />
Person View (FPV) flight.<br />
Further Work<br />
One of the main decisions for selecting a Tri-Rotor<br />
airframe was because of the theoretical endurance<br />
supremacy over other Multi-Rotor systems.<br />
However, as the study has progressed the<br />
underlying theory has been identified to have<br />
sources of error which could have led to an<br />
inaccurate decision. Therefore, the development<br />
of the Quad-Rotor system illustrated is currently<br />
underway to compare the endurance of each UAS<br />
in a practical assessment<br />
Project summary<br />
The primary aim of this investigation is to design a<br />
UAS capable of undergoing the task of monitoring<br />
forest fires in Ontario. The system is a combination of<br />
a stable Multi-Rotor platform which facilitates the<br />
desired flight characteristics, and a sensory payload<br />
which is essential to perform the desired task. The<br />
investigation is a result of encompassing various<br />
research objectives and fabricating an efficient design<br />
capable of achieving positive results in the scenario<br />
set by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Aviation<br />
Forest Fire and Emergency Services, Ontario.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Perform a Thrust Analysis<br />
• Undertake a Hardware and Sensor Selection<br />
Process<br />
• Design, Build and Test a Tri-Rotor UAS<br />
• Fly a Mission Demonstration<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
An investigation into the design of a Tri-Rotor UAS<br />
utilised for a particular flight scenario has been<br />
conducted and specifications have been established<br />
to define necessary flight characteristics. The<br />
majority of the project at this stage has been driven<br />
by research, both through a literature survey and<br />
exploration into a wide focus area. The prerequisite<br />
knowledge of rapid prototyping from Part A of the<br />
project helped fuel the iterative design process of the<br />
Tri-Rotor facilitating the opportunity to explore new<br />
applications within the field and exploring valuable<br />
experimentation potential. After acquiring a<br />
perception of the wide subject area of Multi-Rotor<br />
remote sensing platforms and how their synergies<br />
between functionality and flexibility benefit the<br />
design process, the theoretical and practical<br />
assessments could be recognised.
Design Model & Simulation<br />
The design model and simulation<br />
will take part within MATLAB and<br />
Simulink. Written code and<br />
Simulink models will emulate a<br />
guidance, navigation and control<br />
system once developed.<br />
Abigail Glover<br />
Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Undergraduate Final Year Project (MEng A)<br />
Investigation and Development of Control and Communications<br />
Systems of UAVs for use within Precision Agriculture<br />
Background<br />
The use of advanced control and autonomous systems are, at present, a major part of our society to and their uses are ever becoming<br />
ever increasingly important. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and other Unmanned Vehicle Systems have been a large focus mainly<br />
within Aerospace and Military Defence, but now the possible roles and capabilities for unmanned autonomous systems, are majorly<br />
advancing within the civil and commercial sectors. Applications offered are as such: mapping, surveillance, scientific data gathering,<br />
search and tracking operations (such as forest fire monitoring) and as for the focus area for this project, Precision Agriculture.<br />
AN IDEAL SYSTEM<br />
The ideal autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) system,<br />
would enable a vehicle to autonomously follow and track, a specified<br />
path, in the case of a UAV this would be to maintain a desired altitude<br />
and heading without exceeding the constraints set for the system for the<br />
desired tasks that may be required from it – depending on its use,<br />
whether this is for surveillance of crops for example or surveillance of an<br />
specific area that may wish to be examined.<br />
Aircraft Model<br />
Calculating coefficients and<br />
motions of the UAV, including all<br />
of the Aerodynamic equations<br />
and calculations for forces and<br />
motion, Rotations Matrices,<br />
Velocities, Positions, Euler and<br />
Angular calculations that occur<br />
during the Simulation to output<br />
results from the desired aircraft.<br />
Path Following<br />
Given a set of predetermined waypoints,<br />
this is important when looking at the field<br />
of precision agricultures, as the UAVs may<br />
have a set and guided path that may be<br />
required to follow. Knowing the position<br />
currently held by the UAV, will allow for<br />
path tracking algorithms to give the<br />
desired heading (angle).<br />
Autopilot<br />
A controller will allow the UAV<br />
to following a particular<br />
heading, and hold an altitude<br />
– a steady and smooth flight is<br />
always the desired outcome<br />
from a system, and along with<br />
the path tracking being able to<br />
hold an altitude will be an<br />
important step towards this<br />
Further Development<br />
The system is currently still in development from the<br />
first year of the project and will need more time to be<br />
a fully working system. The next steps of development<br />
are to finish the Autopilot system and build upon the<br />
Path Following routines, to think about implementing<br />
an IMU and wind turbulence systems. Implementation<br />
with the Flightgear or XPlane interface will allow for<br />
better analysis of the system.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Project summary<br />
The primary aim of the investigation is to<br />
design and develop a Control system for a<br />
UAV, which can be developed into a system<br />
that multiple UAVs can use and work<br />
cooperatively together. These will be capable<br />
to perform tasks such as surveillance within<br />
Agricultural production. Some of the ideas<br />
will be an extension of a number of previous<br />
publications, where work on UAVs and<br />
Unmanned Autonomous systems have been<br />
developing over the last decade. The project<br />
proposes to explore wider ideas and<br />
opportunities to present possible solutions<br />
for methods of use of UAVs and unmanned<br />
vehicle systems together in agriculture.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
(MEng A Project Scope)<br />
• Investigate required specifications and<br />
explore the limitations of UAVs and other<br />
vehicles alike that can be used for Precision<br />
Agriculture.<br />
• Investigate current methods for navigation,<br />
guidance and control of UAVs and explore<br />
how these can be developed into use in<br />
project area.<br />
• Design a prototype UAV Control system<br />
(Guidance, Navigation and Control).<br />
• Development of a prototype UAV Control<br />
system using MATLAB/Simulink.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project is still in development although<br />
prototype systems are currently designed and<br />
being developed. All research objectives were<br />
completed. Further development of the<br />
systems are required.
Barry Bartlett<br />
MEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Design & Analysis of Composite Repair Patches – Part B<br />
Project Supervisor: Ramin Amali<br />
This investigation involves producing a mathematical representation on how the physical orientation of a composite<br />
patch alters Tsai Hill factor of safety of a repaired composite panel under tensile loading. Initially a literature review of<br />
previous studies was conducted. A square composite panel was designed, with a length of 1m. An area of material<br />
was removed from the centre to represent an afflicted area, in need of repair.<br />
Using FEA, the relationship between Stress Concentration<br />
factor and the Fibre Orientation of a single layered notched<br />
composite patch was established. With this data, a means<br />
of theoretically simulating a patch repair method on a<br />
notched composite panel was discovered. By using the<br />
localised stress concentration factors for each layer, the Tsai<br />
Hill Factor of Safety (FOS) of a repaired composite panel<br />
could be determined, before and after a patch is applied. A<br />
relationship between the patch size and the Tsai hill FOS<br />
was then determined using FEA analysis<br />
Stress in Direction 1/Pa<br />
8500000<br />
8000000<br />
7500000<br />
7000000<br />
6500000<br />
6000000<br />
5500000<br />
Stress in Direction 1 vs Patch size<br />
5000000<br />
450 550 650 750 850 950 1050<br />
Length of each side of the Patch/mm<br />
K1<br />
12.00<br />
10.00<br />
8.00<br />
6.00<br />
4.00<br />
2.00<br />
0.00<br />
K1 Between 0 and 180 Degrees Fibre Orientation<br />
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200<br />
Fibre Orientation/Degrees<br />
A relationship between the patch size and the Tsai<br />
hill FOS was then determined using FEA analysis. It<br />
was shown that the local stress in direction 1 of a<br />
notched panel converged when the patch had a<br />
length of 700mm. This length was chosen for<br />
analysis of patch orientation on Tsai Hill FOS. Using<br />
a notched panel of 4 layers, each with a 45 degree<br />
fibre orientation, FEA analysis was conducted to<br />
determine how patch orientation and fibre<br />
orientation manipulated the Tsai Hill FOS. This was<br />
done for a patch of 2 layers with the same fibre<br />
orientation.<br />
Results show that for this scenario, the<br />
optimum patch orientation is 33<br />
degrees for a patch of two layers, each<br />
with an identic fibre orientation, The<br />
maximum change in Tsai Hill was 0.91%<br />
in these three cases, with an increase<br />
average of 0.55% overall<br />
Tsai Hill FOS<br />
A final study shows that there is a<br />
polynomial relationship between fibre<br />
orientation of a patch and the Tsai hill<br />
of a panel.<br />
Tsai Hill<br />
2.6<br />
2.4<br />
2.2<br />
2<br />
1.8<br />
1.6<br />
1.4<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
Conclusion<br />
Graphical Illustration of Equation 6 between -50 and 50<br />
Degrees Patch Orientation<br />
1.41<br />
1.405<br />
1.4<br />
1.395<br />
1.39<br />
1.385<br />
-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50<br />
Patch Orientation<br />
All 45 Panel, 2 Layer Patches<br />
Tsai Hill vs Fibre Orientation<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80<br />
Fibre Oreintation of Patch
Barry Clarbull<br />
MEng Aerospace Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Gary Atkinson<br />
Polarised Light in defect detection – Part B<br />
Shape from Polarisation<br />
The polarisation of light is a<br />
phenomenon that can not be<br />
detected by the human eye, for this<br />
reason it is still a relatively new and<br />
exciting technique within computer<br />
vision.<br />
Polarised light by reflection and<br />
refraction<br />
Light can be polarised in three ways,<br />
the image above shows how light is<br />
polarised by reflection, refraction<br />
caused by a direct reflection, known<br />
as specular polarisation and is shown<br />
above. Polarisation can also be<br />
caused by subsurface scatter, known<br />
as diffuse polarisation and shown<br />
below.<br />
These different types of polarisation<br />
have slightly different theory and<br />
produced different amounts of<br />
polarisation.<br />
In this process a series of images<br />
were captured using a linear polariser<br />
at various angles. As the polariser is<br />
rotated the intensity of the light<br />
transmitted through it increases and<br />
decreases and thus can be thought of<br />
as acting like a Sine wave.<br />
Calculations were completed to<br />
obtain a the phase angle of the<br />
polarised light, the degree of<br />
polarisation on the object, and the<br />
zenith angle of the surface normal.<br />
From this data it is then possible to<br />
reconstruct the object in3D.<br />
A Snooker ball to be reconstructed<br />
Phase angle image of a hemisphere<br />
The Zenith angle at various points on<br />
the sphere<br />
The zenith angle is the angle from the<br />
perpendicular, around to the surface<br />
normal. This is shown in the diagram<br />
below.<br />
The data shown can then be<br />
combined to show a vector at every<br />
pixel. However as the phase angle is<br />
only know up to 180° there is two<br />
directions where this is true, meaning<br />
that there is an ambiguity which<br />
needs solving. This is a concave/<br />
convex ambiguity and for this project<br />
is solved by manually telling the<br />
image which direction the vectors are<br />
meant to be pointing, because of this<br />
a ridge can be seen on the top of the<br />
reconstruction.<br />
3D Reconstruction of sphere<br />
The 3D reconstruction above is<br />
produced purely from diffuse<br />
polarisation. A few anomalies are<br />
visible on the art on the sides, as well<br />
as a small flat on the top caused by<br />
image saturation. However the<br />
surface finish is smooth, and the<br />
shape is quite well represented.<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project was to investigate the use of<br />
polarised light as a means of shape recovery and<br />
quantify whether it could be adequately used for<br />
detecting shape defects. As the project is very<br />
complex much more emphasis was placed on<br />
optimising shape recovery and 3D reconstruction.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigate the use of diffuse polarised light as a<br />
method of shape reconstruction.<br />
• Investigate specular polarisation and the<br />
difference in the degree of polarisation that can be<br />
obtained.<br />
• Investigate pure specular reflection.<br />
• Assess the use of polarised light as a method of<br />
defect detection.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion good data was obtained to quantify a<br />
shapes geometry using shape from polarisation was<br />
very good. A 3D reconstruction was produced using<br />
diffuse polarisation theory, however flaws in this<br />
reconstruction are still present so the quality is not<br />
good enough to use to asses for defects.<br />
Further study would drive this project to combine it<br />
with other techniques such as shape from shading to<br />
automatically solve the concave/convex ambiguity<br />
and to produce a much more consistent part.<br />
Over all the project was a success and provided lot of<br />
interesting data.
Chun-Wai Wong<br />
Meng Aerospace System <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Pritesh Narayan<br />
Android Software Interface Development for Flight Test Capturing<br />
The aims of the project is to create an interface that would allow the<br />
students to capture flight test data without compromising their and others<br />
safety. The app must be simple to use and useable when the pilot is<br />
experiencing heavy payload on multitasking.<br />
During the Flight test, the phone must be bonded to the aircraft and must<br />
not be held in for the sensors (IMU) to work. Therefore the interface must<br />
take this into account, as many user are used to use their phone while<br />
holding it, when the phone is held at arm length most people will find it hard<br />
to do simple task, such as typing and selecting options.<br />
The task the student need to<br />
perform during the flight test:<br />
Climb Performance Descent Performance<br />
Phugoid<br />
Steady Heading Sideslip<br />
Roll Mode<br />
Height Control Task<br />
Spiral Mode<br />
Heading Control Task<br />
Short Period Mode Roll Control Task<br />
Dutch Roll Mode<br />
The software takes into the<br />
account of vision perspective,<br />
peripheral vision, screen size<br />
and many other aspect are<br />
taken into account<br />
Different test requires different screen, as<br />
some task just relies on logging, other relies on<br />
give a feedback on the task. A new rating<br />
system was made to replace the Cooper-<br />
Harper Handling Qualities Rating Scales where<br />
the majorities of the numbers are not generally<br />
used by the students flying.<br />
Some Android programing is required to create<br />
the interface, the basic language used is JAVA.<br />
This language was not taught in lectures in the<br />
Aerospace module, so much of the language is<br />
self learnt<br />
Start<br />
Selection<br />
Screen<br />
Ordering<br />
Screen<br />
Long Press<br />
Project summary<br />
To design and develop an android based<br />
smartphone application to enable flight test<br />
data capture<br />
Project Objectives<br />
•Safely allow for selection of flight mode for<br />
data capture with minimal overhead during<br />
single pilot in command operations<br />
•Design and implementation of a Head Up<br />
Display (if applicable) which enables the pilot<br />
to command the aircraft safely (e.g. use of<br />
checklists and collision avoidance) and<br />
execute flight test data capture in controlled<br />
airspace<br />
•Validate the solution using a survey of pilots<br />
as well as in flight testing<br />
•Develop a metric to translate qualitative<br />
pilot feedback into quantitative comparative<br />
data<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Over 80% of user that tested the application<br />
found it comfortable using it than the<br />
standard interface from a data capturing<br />
software available in the android market.<br />
Data Saved<br />
Short Press<br />
Test Screen<br />
2<br />
Test<br />
Section<br />
Test Screen<br />
1<br />
Return<br />
Button<br />
Skip<br />
Button<br />
Long Press<br />
END<br />
Short Press<br />
Test Screen<br />
2
Cerys Evans<br />
MEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rui Cardoso<br />
DEVELOPMENT OF A NUMERICAL CODE FOR STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF<br />
WING STRUCTURES<br />
Element Types Used<br />
Wing Spar<br />
Initial implementation<br />
Pin-join bar – Truss in 2D space<br />
Displacement in the X and Y axis<br />
Developed code<br />
Pin-join bar – Truss in 3D space<br />
Displacement in the X, Y and Z axis<br />
Wing Skin<br />
Developed code<br />
Thin plate - Membrane in 2D space<br />
User Interface<br />
Main wing box analysis graphical user interface<br />
Graphical user interface for creating the<br />
structural information file<br />
Testing and Results<br />
The space truss and membrane elements were<br />
both tested and compared to literature and<br />
Abaqus CAE with very good comparison of results.<br />
When the truss and membrane elements were<br />
combined in a two dimensional structure the<br />
results were also very good to the expected results<br />
from literature and Abaqus CAE.<br />
When a three dimensional membrane element is<br />
used in, the results are not a good comparison to<br />
the expected results in the Z-axis. Twisting of a box<br />
beam is found when a load is aplied to the two top<br />
nodes on the end of the beam in the –Y-axis.<br />
Project Summary<br />
To develop a numerical code in MATLAB to analyse<br />
structural components of an aircraft wing. The code<br />
should be able to calculate the displacement, strain,<br />
stress, rotation, twist, shear flow and bending critical<br />
loads and modes.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Understand the finite element method<br />
• Develop and implement the stiffness matrix of<br />
wing box structural elements<br />
• Produce structural analysis of shear flows,<br />
deflection, rotation and twist angles of wing box<br />
elements<br />
• Develop a clear and easy to read visual output of<br />
the results data<br />
• Automatic saving of results data and visual output<br />
in an appropriate format<br />
• Validate code by comparison of results with<br />
Abaqus CAE<br />
• Quantitative analysis of accuracy of the of results<br />
• Critical evaluation of the developed numerical<br />
code<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A code has been developed that uses simplex<br />
triangular elements on a membrane plate to model<br />
wing skins, and a space truss has been implemented<br />
to model wing spars and ribs.<br />
The membrane and truss elements work well<br />
individually and together on any two dimensional<br />
plane. The code does not work for three dimensional<br />
membrane elements.
Chiu Wo Cheung<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (System)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Quan Min Zhu<br />
Modelling and Control of Airbus A320<br />
Project Summary<br />
The aim of this project is to model an Airbus A320 by using a computer; before this can be done research of the aircraft manufacture data needs to be done<br />
first. Therefore using data collected from the internet and book; the data results can be applied to values from equation and formulae to calculate the flight<br />
results for the aircraft. From these, the calculated data is then computed in to software known as MATLAB and Microsoft Excel in order to develop a program<br />
which can fit with the proposed dynamic models. Moreover, operating the MATLAB and Microsoft Excel data can demonstrate the developed prototype and<br />
algorithm for the Airbus A320. Furthermore, the relevant data can be collected from operating MATLAB; the data will then run the program to show how the<br />
system works, after the program has computed this information, a graph diagram will show the motion of the aircraft.<br />
Longitudinal Stability Derivatives consider the following derivatives:<br />
Aerodynamic Derivatives (CC XX0 and CC ZZ0 ), Speed Derivatives (CC XXuu , CC ZZuu and CC mmmm ), Angle of Attack Derivative (CC XXαα , CC ZZαα and CC mmαα ),<br />
Rate of Angle of attack Derivatives (CC ZZαα̇ and CC mmαα̇ ) and Pitch Rate Derivatives (CC ZZqq and CC mmqq )<br />
Longitudinal Motion consider the Phugoid Motion and Short period Oscillation:<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the investigation will be achieved through<br />
the following six keys objectives<br />
• Review up-to-data art of Airbus-A320<br />
• Develop basic flight dynamics modelling techniques<br />
• Develop MATLAB programs to fit the proposed<br />
dynamic models with the measured data<br />
• Learn to operate the MATLAB to demonstrate the<br />
developed prototype and algorithm<br />
• Collect relevant data from operating MATLAB<br />
• Prepare a user-friendly demo/program manual<br />
Variable X Z M<br />
u<br />
w<br />
Variable Y L N<br />
v<br />
r<br />
p<br />
XX uu = QQQQ<br />
mmuu 0<br />
2CC XX0 + CC XXXX ZZ uu = QQQQ<br />
mmuu 0<br />
2CC ZZ0 + CC ZZZZ MM uu = QQQQcc̅<br />
II yy uu 0<br />
XX ww = QQQQ<br />
mmuu 0<br />
CC XXXX ZZ ww = QQQQ<br />
mmuu 0<br />
CC ZZZZ MM ww = QQQQcc̅<br />
II yy uu 0<br />
wẇ XX wẇ = 0 ZZ wẇ = − QQQQcc̅<br />
2mmuu 0<br />
2 CC ZZαα̇ MM wẇ = QQQQcc̅2<br />
2II yy uu 0<br />
2 CC mmαα̇<br />
q XX qq = 0 ZZ qq = − QQQQcc̅<br />
2mmuu 0<br />
CC ZZZZ MM qq = QQQQcc̅2<br />
2II yy uu 0<br />
YY vv = QQQQ<br />
mmuu 0<br />
CC yyyy LL vv = QQQQQQ<br />
II yy uu 0<br />
CC llll NN vv = QQQQQQ<br />
II zz uu 0<br />
YY rr = QQQQQQ<br />
2mmuu 0<br />
CC yyyy LL rr = QQQQbb2<br />
2II xx uu 0<br />
CC llll NN rr = QQQQbb2<br />
2II zz uu 0<br />
YY pp = QQQQQQ<br />
2mmuu 0<br />
CC yyyy LL pp = QQQQbb2<br />
2II xx uu 0<br />
CC llll NN pp = QQQQbb2<br />
2II zz uu 0<br />
CC mmmm<br />
CC mmmm<br />
CC mmmm<br />
CC nnnn<br />
CC nnnn<br />
CC nnnn<br />
Lateral Stability Derivatives consider the following derivatives:<br />
Angle of sideslip Derivatives (CC yyyy , CC llββ aaaaaa CC nnββ )<br />
Yaw Rate Derivatives (CC yyrr , CC llll aaaaaa CC nnrr )<br />
Roll Rate Derivatives (CC yyyy , CC llpp and CC nnpp )<br />
Lateral Motion consider the Dutch Roll, Spiral Mode and Roll mode:<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This report has demonstrated how to model an<br />
Airbus A320 by using the equation and formula in<br />
order to calculate the two different stability<br />
derivatives, which are longitudinal stability<br />
derivatives and lateral stability derivatives. After all<br />
the stability derivatives have been calculated, type in<br />
all the details about the Airbus A320 into the MATLAB<br />
software, therefore the longitudinal Motions<br />
(Phugoid mode and Short period oscillatory) and the<br />
lateral Motion (Dutch roll, spiral mode and roll mode)<br />
will be determined. Also the result has shown that<br />
the longitudinal motion is considered in the x<br />
direction which is the aircraft forward direction and<br />
the z direction which is the climb and descent<br />
direction. Moreover, lateral motion is considered in<br />
the y direction which is about the aircraft turning left,<br />
right and the x direction which is the aircraft’s<br />
forward direction. In addition, this report gives an<br />
overall idea of the aircraft analysis and shows how<br />
results can be produced from MATLAB. Therefore, a<br />
reasonably accurate evaluation for the Airbus A320<br />
and a user-friendly manual can be provided for the<br />
potential user.
David Kilvington<br />
MEng. Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
An Investigation into the Detection and Measurement of Water<br />
Concentration in Jet Fuel using Absorption Spectroscopy Techniques<br />
Introduction<br />
This dissertation investigates the possibility of<br />
using optical technology, harnessing<br />
absorption spectroscopy techniques to<br />
identify water, jet fuel layers and measure<br />
water concentration within jet fuel, for use<br />
within an aircraft fuel system. In part A of this<br />
report a study was undertaken to identify<br />
water, jet fuel and kerosene layers and<br />
measure water concentration within<br />
kerosene and jet fuel using an UV/VIS, FTIR<br />
spectrometer between wavelengths 4000-<br />
600 .<br />
What is Spectroscopy?<br />
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction<br />
between radiated energy and matter. It<br />
measures the level of rational intensity as a<br />
function of wavelengths. Studying the<br />
frequency ranges that are absorbed or<br />
reflected through a substance provide<br />
important clues to the functional groups,<br />
which are present. Functional groups absorb<br />
at similar frequencies in many different<br />
compounds, so an absorption pattern can be<br />
provided as a finger print of the molecule.<br />
Water in Aircraft Fuel Tanks<br />
Water within an aircraft fuel system can cause<br />
serious issues for aircraft operators, such as<br />
microbial growth, forming in water hydrocarbon<br />
divergence layers, blocking pump filters. The<br />
capacitance based fuel quantity measurement<br />
systems can malfunction due to the disparity in<br />
the dielectric constant of jet fuel and water. With<br />
commercial aircraft operating at temperatures<br />
below -50˚C free water will form ice, causing<br />
defects in fuel system equipment. These<br />
complications increase aircraft turnaround times,<br />
operator’s expenditure and in rare cases have<br />
safety implications.<br />
Absorption spectrum of anhydrous Jet A-1 between 4000-<br />
600ccmm −11 with resolution 4 ccmm −11 with zinc selenide fixed<br />
path length cell<br />
Absorption spectrum of deionised between 4000-600 ccmm −11 at<br />
4 ccmm −11 resolution with zinc selenide fixed path length cell<br />
Experimental Method<br />
10 ml test samples of kerosene and jet fuel (type<br />
jetA-1) with different water concentrations were<br />
created using differing ratios of anhydrous and<br />
saturated samples.<br />
Water concentration was directly measured in<br />
the anhydrous, saturated and standard kerosene<br />
and jet fuel samples with a Karl Fischer<br />
coulometer.<br />
Experiments were carried out using an UV/VIS<br />
spectrometer fitted with a fixed length zinc<br />
selenide spec cell between 4000-600 cm −1<br />
wavelengths. Scans of kerosene, jet fuel and<br />
water were taken for analysis. Measurements of<br />
anhydrous and saturated blends were taken<br />
between 4000-3000 cm −1 ; with a background<br />
scan of the cell with anhydrous sample present,<br />
so corrected absorbance could be calculated. The<br />
peak height of the corrected absorbance at the<br />
different water concentrations was measured.<br />
Major Findings<br />
• 4000-3000 cm −1 wavelengths is the most<br />
viable region within the UV/VIS spectrum<br />
for analysis of water in jet fuel<br />
• Measurements undertaken between 4000-<br />
3000 cm −1 found there was positive linear<br />
correlation between corrected absorbance<br />
peak heights against water concentration.<br />
• The kerosene and jet fuel samples<br />
absorbance increased at the same gradient<br />
with increased water concentration, but<br />
the kerosene sample was offset with<br />
higher absorbance for a given<br />
concentration<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Norman Ratcliffe<br />
Project Summary<br />
Airbus are investigating possible alternative fuel<br />
gauging technologies that would be an improvement<br />
on the current capacitance systems. This body of<br />
work hopes to shed light on the possibility of applying<br />
optical sensors using absorption spectroscopy<br />
techniques to measure water concentrations and<br />
levels within a fuel system. This system is hoped<br />
could offer additional attribute’s in:<br />
• Distinguishing between water, fuel and air<br />
• Characterise the type and chemical composition<br />
of fuel<br />
• Detect and measure water concentration<br />
The system may be more intrinsically safe with only<br />
light entering the fuel tank and be able to detect and<br />
measure water levels within the fuel system. These<br />
benefits could improve overall aircraft performance<br />
and safety.<br />
This report will investigate the ability of absorption<br />
spectroscopy to identify water, fuel layers and make<br />
accurate measurements of water concentrations<br />
within fuel<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aims for part A of the project to be completed<br />
are as follows:<br />
• To measure water concentration in jet fuel and<br />
kerosene at a range of concentrations using an<br />
FTIR Spectrometer between 4000-600<br />
• To identify the best region on this spectra for<br />
analysis of water concentration.<br />
• To identify clear definition between water, jet fuel<br />
and kerosene within the absorption spectrum<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The central implication of this study is that it is<br />
possible to detect water and jet fuel in by UV/VIS<br />
absorption spectroscopy between wavelengths of<br />
4000-3000 and that it is possible with a certain level<br />
of error to measure water concentration up to<br />
saturation level. This could be applied to an optical<br />
detection system for use within an aircraft fuel<br />
system.
Dennis Mahlstedt<br />
Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Design Characteristics of Ram- and Scramjets<br />
Aims of Investiganiton<br />
At part A of the individual engineering project the aim of the investigation was to develop a design method for a simple wedged type<br />
ramjet/scramjet intake by using isentropic flow relations and to test it with the help of computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Thereby the<br />
intake should be capable to operate in a started condition at the design Mach number of MM = 4, without generating spilled flow.<br />
In this part of the project the goal is to improve the CFD setup from part A, so that the operational limits of the intake design can be<br />
investigated. Thereby the influence of an applied backpressure at the outlet of the intake will be analysed, to find out, if the intake can<br />
run as a ramjet or scramjet depending on the pressure setting. Furthermore the design method should be evaluated on its applicability<br />
by comparing with CFD results and improved if appropriate.<br />
Mach number over x position for different cases of back pressure.<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for<br />
paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for<br />
paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
Conclusion<br />
From the findings made so far it can be concluded, that the used method to design the<br />
intake geometry is too simple and more in the meaning of a trial and error approach.<br />
Moreover the current method does not produce a guaranteed ramjet of a pre-known<br />
efficiency.<br />
The method of characteristics (MoC) is a numerical approach that is applicable to<br />
supersonic cases but problematic when used for subsonic problems, since it is not possible<br />
to apply a back pressure. So it is not practical to calculate an entire ramjet flow field with<br />
the MoC. Thus, a more accurate method needs to be worked out, that uses a modified<br />
method of characteristics and is able to calculate subsonic and supersonic flow.<br />
Average pressure at the out duct over set pressure value and the pressure<br />
difference<br />
Project summary:<br />
This part, of the individual engineering project called<br />
part B deals with the design characteristics of ramand<br />
scramjet engines. At the first part of the report<br />
important design parameter and findings made in the<br />
first part, part A, were summed up. These concern<br />
information on the chosen inlet- and compression<br />
type, the calculation of flow properties, using<br />
isentropic flow relations, as well as a recap of the<br />
results from computational fluid dynamics simulation.<br />
Subsequent to this, three simulations, with a new<br />
setup that should ensure more stable solver<br />
characteristics, were conducted. One is the<br />
application of different back pressures to the outlet<br />
of the intake, the second simulation contains an<br />
extended, straight throat region and the last one an<br />
additional bleed air exit. Thereby the influence of<br />
these changes on the flow field has been<br />
investigated.<br />
For the purpose of evaluation, the findings from the<br />
simulation were compared to the Area Mach-Number<br />
rule to see if similarities exist. Furthermore, due to<br />
the high spillage that is generated in front of the<br />
intake, the contraction ratio between the lip captureand<br />
throat area was investigated by applying the<br />
specific Kantrowitz criteria.<br />
Finally it was found, that the Mach number at the<br />
intake-duct could be controlled by the backpressure<br />
set at the outlet boundary condition. So that it is<br />
possible to adjust the flow to an entirely subsonic or<br />
supersonic velocity. Thus it can be switched between<br />
ram- and scramjet mode. As a possible reason for the<br />
choked flow the contraction ratio between the lipand<br />
throat area should be considered, since it is<br />
located below the range, where an inlet start should<br />
be possible.<br />
The influence of the bleed exit and the extended<br />
throat region were not investigated in depth, because<br />
of the unstable solver characteristics leading to early<br />
abortion of the simulation.
Etoyemi Odunlami<br />
Meng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Systems <strong>Engineering</strong>)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Aruna Palipana<br />
Wind Turbine Operational Aspects<br />
This project is aimed at identifying suitable renewable energy solutions for rural areas of Nigeria where there is no established energy infrastructure. Wind<br />
energy, solar energy and biomass energy options will be explored. At present, biomass is used as cooking fuel and ways of using biomass to produce green and<br />
sustainable electricity will be studied. Social impact such as enhancement of quality of life and creation of employment opportunities as a result of proposed<br />
energy solutions will also be studied. Finally, the applicability of proposed solutions in other countries will be evaluated.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project is aimed at identifying suitable renewable energy<br />
solutions for rural areas of Nigeria where there is no established<br />
energy infrastructure. Wind energy, solar energy and biomass<br />
energy options will be explored. At present, biomass is used as<br />
cooking fuel and ways of using biomass to produce green and<br />
sustainable electricity will be studied.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Wind energy, solar energy and biomass energy<br />
options will be explored. (Other forms of renewable<br />
energy not just Wind Energy).<br />
Solar and wind data for Nigeria will be gathered and<br />
data on biomass availability will also be collected.<br />
Suitability of different designs of wind turbines.<br />
Existing solar and biomass applications will also be<br />
studied with the aim of choosing the appropriate<br />
technologies and also to identify possible<br />
Horizontal axis wind turbines, also shortened to HAWT, are<br />
the common style that most of us think of when we think of<br />
a wind turbine. A HAWT has a similar design to a windmill; it<br />
has blades that look like a propeller that spin on the<br />
horizontal axis<br />
This concept involves using a small wind turbine with a maximum<br />
power of 1.5KW to be used to pump water; this is to help farmers in the<br />
rural areas of southern Nigeria. The largest water source in the region is<br />
the Lake Niger and its influents the Niger and Benue River. Because of<br />
the lack of water supply pipes, many farmers have to fetch water<br />
outside their homes, such as at a communal well or at a neighbouring<br />
farm.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The conversion of the abundance of renewable<br />
resources to energy will be rewarding, given the large<br />
availability of the resources in the country. Utilization<br />
of these resources has not been given serious<br />
implementation attention in Nigeria as if the fossil<br />
fuel will be continuing forever. It is important for<br />
Nigeria to look inward to see that the future<br />
generations will not be put at disadvantage through<br />
the continued exploitation of fossil resources by<br />
exploring alternatives energy sources. The energy<br />
challenge of Nigeria will be a thing of the past if the<br />
abundant resources in the country is tapped and used<br />
to generate electricity. Although, there has been an<br />
upscale of activities by government towards<br />
increasing the energy mix within the country for<br />
electricity production through renewable sources.
Florian Raabe<br />
MSc Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Analysis of the Condensation within the double skin of a commercial<br />
airliner<br />
Introduction<br />
A common problem commercial airliners are<br />
dealing with is the condensation within the double<br />
skin during cruise at an altitude of 37,000ft. The<br />
condensation occurs due to the relatively cold<br />
temperatures of about -56.5°C on the outside<br />
which lowers the temperature within this gap and<br />
causes the moisture within the air to condense on<br />
contact with the inner surface of the outer skin..<br />
As the water now adds up to the total weight of<br />
the aircraft as it sticks to the insulation blankets or<br />
accumulates in certain parts within the double<br />
skin, it consequently increases the fuel<br />
consumption. To cope with this problem the<br />
Swedish company CTT Systems finally came up<br />
with a system called Zonal Drying System (ZDS),<br />
which will be described in detail in the paper but<br />
basically functions by removing moisture from the<br />
air and blowing dried air into the double skin and<br />
thus reduces the amount of condensation.<br />
Due to the complexity of the geometry and the<br />
relating difficulty to set the according simulations<br />
up the evaluation of the condensation will be<br />
approached step-by-step. In addition to this the<br />
step-by-step approach will start off with a very<br />
basic and simplified fuselage compartment in<br />
order to verify the setup from Part A.<br />
Subsequently the geometry will be refined as well<br />
as investigating and integrating proper<br />
condensation into the model. Finally it will also be<br />
described what needs to be considered for setting<br />
a run up for a reference flight. This is to not miss<br />
out important things and to accurately capture the<br />
variations in condensation due to a varying<br />
temperature gradient across the gap of the double<br />
skin. On top of that a few possible simplifications<br />
that can be done to address computational issues<br />
will be outlined.<br />
Condensation<br />
Due to the intention to monitor the physical<br />
condensation going on within a geometry, there<br />
have been different approaches :<br />
1. Following a steam jet tutorial from ANSYS (not<br />
suitable)<br />
2. Applying heat and mass transfer models as<br />
well as drag models upon three fluid pairs (not<br />
suitable)<br />
3. Wall condensation example supplied by ANSYS<br />
support<br />
The initial example provided by ANSYS is shown in<br />
the picture below. It turned out that this example<br />
is working and enables determination of the actual<br />
water at the bottom wall but needed to be<br />
modified to better match the conditions of the<br />
problem analysed in this investigation.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Summarising this paper, the most important point<br />
shown, is the fact that condensation is very<br />
complex and there are numerous ways of<br />
approaching this specific thermodynamic topic.<br />
The final wall condensation example successfully<br />
simulated condensation that can be analysed and<br />
monitored by the mass of H2O at the bottom wall<br />
due to the sink function. According to the<br />
approaches to condensation conducted before, it<br />
was shown that these cases have not been<br />
completely wrong but simply do not represent the<br />
given problem properly. Moreover, it is concluded<br />
that one needs to be very careful when setting a<br />
condensation case up, as there are numerous ways<br />
to approach condensation.<br />
Also reviewing the initial simulations with the aid<br />
of approaching the condensation case contribute<br />
to a better understanding of the processes going<br />
on, even though, the used a homogeneous flow<br />
field. Finally it can be said that the investigation<br />
done in this paper form a good basis to further<br />
analyse the condensation within the double skin of<br />
an aircraft. It was shown how a homogeneous flow<br />
field will behave within a fuselage’s geometry as<br />
well as how to monitor the actual mass of<br />
condensed water. The actual mass of water then<br />
can be analysed in specific<br />
parts of the geometry by specifying individual<br />
surfaces and thus can solve the question of the<br />
hot spots of condensation.<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this study was to broaden the<br />
knowledge gained in Part A of this Thesis and<br />
to further investigate the condensation that<br />
takes place within the double skin of a<br />
commercial airliner. Accordingly the<br />
condensation has been approached stepbystep<br />
and was finally realised with the aid of a<br />
wall condensation example for a simple box.<br />
The step-by-step approach now includes a<br />
refinement process of the geometry as well as<br />
the integration of condensation and using<br />
inhomogeneous flow fields.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
It is intended to demonstrate the differences<br />
of e.g. the water volume fraction or flow<br />
direction and the corresponding velocity due<br />
to different temperature gradients. Also it is<br />
intended to finally show the condensation or<br />
condensation rates for a reference flight and<br />
to outline the differences.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Finally it can be concluded that integrating<br />
the condensation can be quite complex as<br />
there are different ways of condensation<br />
which require different setups.
Findlay E. Jenkins<br />
MEng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Steve Wright<br />
UAV Quadcopter Control Modelling & Software Co-Simulation<br />
Introduction:<br />
This project is looking at the mechanics and flight characteristics of a quad rotor helicopter<br />
UAV, with two main aims; to develop a stabilisation system to stabilize the UAV under normal<br />
conditions and when confronted with wind factors and also to research the creation of a<br />
network bridge to enable co-simulation of two software programmes, Matlab and Scilab and<br />
their dynamic modelling packages Simulink and Xcos respectively.<br />
Quad rotor helicopter stability has always been an issue for the development of the UAV, but<br />
due to the increase of modern microprocessor technology, usage has been growing within<br />
the civil and military sectors. Quad copter flight before electronic assistant was very difficult<br />
since it requires a large amount of workload from the pilot; the electronic stabilisation<br />
system aids the quadcopter to help it fly autonomously.<br />
Project Outline:<br />
Both of the project objectives were completed. The quadcopter model was modelled into<br />
two parts, the Dynamics aspect within Xcos (Scilab) and the Control aspect within Simulink<br />
(Matlab).<br />
The Bridge was successfully made, data is able to be sent over the network through<br />
client/server technology, the quadcopter simulation co-simulates in real-time.<br />
The control system utilizes PID technology for the control aspects of the system. The PID<br />
controllers were manually tuned to suit the system requirements.<br />
Investigation was also undertaken to see how the PID control system deals with external<br />
disturbances such as wind.<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of the project was to create a control system<br />
for a quadcopter UAV, using two different types of<br />
software; Matlab and Scilab.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
There were two main goals for the MEng Part A;<br />
1. Create a quadcopter model in two halves within<br />
Scilab and Matlab, the model will use PID control<br />
to deal with external disturbances such as wind.<br />
2. Create a network connection between the two<br />
programmes to join the quadcopter model.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The success of the project relied heavily on the<br />
working bridge connection between the two software<br />
Matlab and Scilab.<br />
The PID controllers were deemed sufficient for the<br />
quadcopter system, the analysis of the system<br />
response proved that PID controller was suitable for<br />
quadcopter application.<br />
The testing for Wind disturbance showed the power<br />
of Matlab and how complex the quadcopter model<br />
can become. The model was able to cope with small<br />
wind disturbances, the control configuration will have<br />
to analyzed and re-configured in order for the model<br />
to cope.<br />
Matlab was able to provide a animation GUI which<br />
allowed the user to visual on screen the flight<br />
behavior, and the quadcopter attitude when<br />
confronted with certain factors.
Ismail Karawia<br />
MEng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Steve Wright<br />
Design and Co-Simulation Of A Quadcopter Stabilisation System<br />
Introduction:<br />
This project will investigate Quadcopter dynamics and flight characteristics and a suitable<br />
simulation of a stabilisation system will be produced. The main idea is to use two different<br />
software packages (Scade Suite and Matlab/Simulink) and getting them to communicate in<br />
real-time to produce the simulation as opposed to using just one program. Aspects<br />
addressed will include the production of the stablisation system, understanding and building<br />
certain models using both software packages and finally building a connection or bridging<br />
both programs to get them to communicate and produce the simulation in real-time. Analysis<br />
of the system as a whole and the results obtained is also addressed in this report.<br />
Over the years small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or better referred to as simply UAVs have<br />
become more and more popular. The size of these vehicles as well as the nature in which<br />
they operate makes them perfect for carrying out a variety of tasks ranging from dangerous<br />
military bombing runs or surveillance missions to simple academia related experiments for<br />
research.<br />
Outline:<br />
Aspects from both models are shown in the figures including the Plant model, one of the PID<br />
controllers, an animation GUI used and the communication protocol considered<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of the project was to create a control system<br />
for a quadcopter UAV, using two different types of<br />
software; Simulink and Scade Suite.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
There were two main goals;<br />
1. Create a quadcopter model in two halves within<br />
Scade Suite and Simulink, the model will use PID<br />
control and State Space representation to model<br />
the Quadcopter.<br />
2. Create a network connection between the two<br />
tools to allow communication between both.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The First objective was achieved and a suitable<br />
prototype of the Plant and Control models were<br />
constructed.<br />
The second part was unsuccessful as real-time<br />
communication between both tools is almost<br />
unachievable. There are alternatives however as<br />
Scade can generate suitable code for integration in<br />
Simulink using S-Functions.
Jonathan A Everard<br />
MEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project supervisor<br />
Dr Rui Cardoso<br />
Analysis and optimisation of cut-outs in a fuselage<br />
Introduction<br />
In aerospace design, it is critical that weight is saved throughout the aircraft wherever possible, whilst<br />
maintaining strength.<br />
Weight can be saved throughout an aircraft through minimising stress concentrations, as these weaken<br />
components and require reinforcement.<br />
It is therefore beneficial to analyse these stress concentrations, and to be able to optimise the design of<br />
components to reduce their impact on the overall weight of the component.<br />
This investigation in particular sets out to investigate the different methods of analysing the stress concentrations<br />
that occur in a fuselage with cut-outs, and to optimise the design of such cut-outs in order<br />
to reduce the weight of the fuselage as much as possible. Cut-outs in a fuselage are essential. Cut-outs<br />
include things such as doors, to windows, to access panels for internal components and workings of an<br />
aircraft.<br />
Project outline<br />
Two stages of this investigation were completed. The first: to analyse the effect of cut-out shapes on<br />
the stresses in the local section. The optimal shape was determined and carried through to further sections<br />
of the investigation. Reinforcement methods for reducing the stress concentrations in the area<br />
were also tested. Graphs were produced in order to determine the best reinforcement in terms of<br />
strength to weight ratio. The best reinforcement was then optimised to save as much weight as possible.<br />
The second stage largely draws on the conclusions of the first. For the second stage analysis was conducted<br />
on a fuselage section that included a central wing box. The geometry of this wing box affects the<br />
stresses around the cut outs in the local vicinity. The geometry was therefore optimised in order to reduce<br />
the maximum stress in the section. The results and conclusions from stage one were then implemented<br />
here, and the effects of the reinforcements in particular analysed.<br />
The contour plots shown depict the stresses around the cut-outs themselves, and the newly reinforced<br />
fuselage geometry section.<br />
Project Summary<br />
The project set out to investigate and optimise the<br />
effect of the geometry design of a fuselage on the<br />
shear stresses around cut-outs.<br />
Project objectives<br />
The main stage one goal will be to analyse the<br />
stress concentrations around cut-outs for a fuselage<br />
under typical loads experienced over a standard<br />
flight envelope. Flat plates with equivalent<br />
loads and geometries will be tested in FEA software<br />
Abaqus CAE and compared to theoretical<br />
hand calculations.<br />
The main goal for stage two year one is as follows:<br />
Analysis will be conducted on a fuselage section<br />
that includes the forces present from the centre<br />
wing box. This central, crucial geometry will be<br />
modelled and its effect on the stresses and stress<br />
concentrations around cut-outs analysed.<br />
Project conclusion<br />
The accuracy of the FE results greatly depends on<br />
the quality of the mesh. The reinforcement techniques<br />
outlined in stage one prove that adding material<br />
strategically to the area of stress concentration<br />
can drastically improve the performance of<br />
the component overall. This practice usually increases<br />
the component’s strength to weight ratio.<br />
This is a desirable trait in the aerospace industry.<br />
Stage two of this investigation proves that it is possible<br />
to reduce both the mises stress and the shear<br />
stress in the fuselage section, particularly around<br />
the cut-outs.
Jens Rucker<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Systems <strong>Engineering</strong>)<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Assessment of the Me 262’s performance during one engine operation<br />
Introduction<br />
The shown Me 262 is a replica from the<br />
Messerschmitt Foundation in Germany.<br />
In cooperation with them, this project is simulating<br />
the behaviour of the first axial flow engine<br />
powered aircraft of that times. It was faster than<br />
every existing aeroplane but had a lot of problems<br />
regarding the reliability of the engines (Jumo 004).<br />
As a replica it has to be certified as well and this<br />
project supports the process of conforming the<br />
regulations of the one engine operation with the<br />
help of engineering simulations and calculations<br />
based on the theory of the equations of motion of<br />
an aircraft.<br />
Research and concept<br />
The part B was based on the results from part A,<br />
where the dynamic model in MATLAB revealed<br />
some issues with the controllability. Therefore, the<br />
development was pushed into a realtime<br />
simulation model with Simulink. Based on the<br />
equations of motion and new estimated moments<br />
of inertia as essential inputs to the model.<br />
Consequently, the research focused initially on a<br />
method to estimate accurate moments of inertia<br />
(these have been the major uncertainty in part A)<br />
and later on the program Simulink to understand<br />
the software principles and the design steps.<br />
Changes to part A<br />
Initially, new findings concerning the MOI´s have<br />
been implemented to the models of part A.<br />
Additionally, the three models have been<br />
integrated to one comprehensive model with an<br />
extracted m-file for aircraft and condition<br />
parameters. This way it is possible to implement<br />
another model easily.<br />
Simulink Model Development<br />
The development was created step by step, where<br />
initially linear forces along the x-axis such as thrust<br />
and drag have been considered. Later the forces<br />
along the z-axis and the moments have been<br />
added and the equations of motion have been<br />
updated to consider more factors and to improve<br />
consistency.<br />
Throughout the development a variety of<br />
modifications and additional effects have been<br />
implemented. One example is the additional<br />
rolling moment due to the sideforce of the vertical<br />
tail (see next figure) and with specific calculations<br />
it was possible to visualise the movements with a<br />
simplified aircraft by Simulink.<br />
Results<br />
From the developed model it is possible to extract a<br />
variety of results such as angular rates, moments,<br />
forces or speeds and accelerations. The following<br />
figure shows the resulting moments after an engine<br />
failure with the initial oscillation in yaw:<br />
For the assessment of the one engine performance<br />
it is important to have a look at the angular rates as<br />
direct outcome as response to the moments.<br />
Here it can be seen that the Me262 oscillates in yaw<br />
and then changes the yaw angle (blue line) and the<br />
roll angle changes significantly (yellow line).<br />
Verifications have been performed with the<br />
engineering simulator at <strong>UWE</strong> and the software X-<br />
Plane. Overall many results can be reviewed with<br />
uncertainties in mind due to simplifications and<br />
missing effects.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project dealt with the assessment of<br />
performance in the case of an engine failure<br />
of the German WWII aircraft Me262 by<br />
Messerschmitt. This was done with the help<br />
of Simulink realtime simulations based on the<br />
theoretical equations of motion and the<br />
different moments acting during the<br />
asymmetric thrust situation<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The deeper understanding of the flight<br />
mechanics and the performance as well as<br />
the simulations of the aircraft should reveal<br />
dynamic results which enables the evaluation<br />
of the behaviour qualitatively and<br />
quantitavely with specific values such as<br />
minimum control speeds during one engine<br />
operation.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The development of the Simulink model<br />
offered some challenges and a significant<br />
amount of time was spent on debugging the<br />
model. After all there are uncertainties due to<br />
missing effects or simplifications. However, it<br />
is possible to assess the tendencies of the<br />
aircraft. The current model shows an initial<br />
oscillation in yaw and over the time it enters<br />
the spiral dive, which is a logic outcome and<br />
all values such as roll and yaw rates can be<br />
evaluated separately and in the big picture.
Joshua Aaron Philip George<br />
M.Eng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Automated Analysis of an Idealized Wing<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rui Cardoso<br />
The ultimate aim of this investigation is to produce a spectrum of automated code using the Matrix Displacement<br />
Method. The high-level technical computing language ‘MATLAB’ will be used to assimilate generalised Finite<br />
Element methodology for: 2D rod, 3D rod, 3D Truss, and 3D shell structures. The results should demonstrate a<br />
systematic approach to building a code and clearly identify weaknesses. A study will be investigated into the<br />
effectiveness of the code in comparison with previous works and apply the code with examples from text books<br />
to assure precision.<br />
Structural design encompasses the systematic analysis of stability, strength<br />
and rigidity of a structure. Harmonising operational requirements with<br />
vigorous regulatory safeguards is one of the many challenges engineers face,<br />
where often iterative design optimizations are coupled with costly side<br />
effects. These manifest not only in monetary terms but effectiveness in<br />
fulfilling the design criterion.<br />
The development of the code demonstrated a systematic approach and<br />
weaknesses were identified and developed upon at each stage.<br />
The 2D Truss script proved highly effective in terms of accuracy, with the<br />
greatest deviation of error amounting to 0.0712%.<br />
The Space Truss script achieved as good as 0.0664% margin of error,<br />
though the weakest analysis amounted 5.231%. Deviation for this was<br />
unfounded as this was anomalous in comparison to the rest of results<br />
achieved, by a factor of 2 to the next weakest result realised.<br />
Personal Goals<br />
• Demonstrate theories and concepts presented in the advanced study<br />
in Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
• Achieve holistic knowledge of Finite Element Methods/Analysis and<br />
computer programming language using MATLAB; leading to practical<br />
implications and constraints<br />
• Exhibit a rigorous independent investigation with definition, design<br />
and delivery<br />
• Develop strategic project management techniques<br />
Detailed in this research is a development of finite<br />
element applications, using the technical computer<br />
language MATLAB. The methodology adopted was<br />
that of the matrix displacement method, which is<br />
most suited for this particular type of programme. A<br />
preliminary investigation was conducted to exercise<br />
procedural finite element methods and convey<br />
meaning by abstract and succinct code and the<br />
main research developed a tool that can be applied<br />
to an idealized wing box with rod elements and<br />
shear panels. The environment allowed for data to<br />
be called on from Microsoft Excel and<br />
autonomously interpreted by the MATLAB script.<br />
Due to irregularity of material behaviour caused by<br />
unforeseeable circumstances or manufacturing,<br />
physical testing will almost always prove to be the<br />
most reliable source for analysis. Practical<br />
experimentation is validation in itself, numerical<br />
tools compliment examination and relieve the<br />
frequency in which practical investigation must be<br />
conducted, saving time and money<br />
The research carried out in this report (Part B) is focused on Finite Element<br />
methodology, construction of a structural analysis code for 2D rod, 3D rod &<br />
3D Truss, and 3D shell structures. Some information presented in Part A has<br />
been used to support some concepts discussed that would be beneficial to<br />
the reader for grasping a better understanding and condemn the sole use of<br />
this research (Part B) valuable in its entirety
Efficiency of modern day commercial aircraft<br />
has reached a stagnation point.<br />
Improvements in computational fluid<br />
dynamics has allowed for highly effective<br />
aircraft characteristics to be obtained and<br />
proficiency barriers broken with one<br />
exception, the speed. Attempts at breaching<br />
into such high speed areas as supersonic and<br />
hypersonic flow have resulted in wasteful and<br />
inefficient systems. This report investigates<br />
into the possibility of implementing a ‘reverse<br />
design process’ in order to design a vehicle to<br />
capture the pressure along the lower surface<br />
and increase the vehicles overall efficiency,<br />
along with its applicability to commercial<br />
travel. Such vehicles are known as<br />
Waveriders.<br />
A Waverider is a vehicle designed around the<br />
shock of an arbitrary Mach number, therefore<br />
resulting in a higher obtainable lift force and a<br />
higher L/D ratio. This method allows for a<br />
Waverider to be perfectly optimised for a<br />
specific Mach value; however, if such a design<br />
were to deviate from the calculated Mach<br />
limits, it would become less efficient in flight<br />
as a result of induced drag and a resultant loss<br />
of speed would result. This vehicle has the<br />
ability to perform both in high-supersonic and<br />
hypersonic flow conditions, and can also be<br />
termed as a vehicle that has an attached<br />
shock along its entire leading edge in<br />
comparison to other hypersonic designs<br />
where the shock is separate. Such a design is<br />
generated from a know flowfield created by<br />
an axisymmetric shape such as the cone<br />
below:<br />
Liam Parker<br />
M.Eng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The Design and Evaluation of a High-Speed Supersonic<br />
Waverider using CFD Streamline Tracing Techniques<br />
A streamline tracing technique was used<br />
using CFD as the below image signifies.<br />
Such a streamline tracing technique is used for the<br />
lower surface, allowing the following Waverider<br />
geometries to be generated.<br />
The shock along the compression surface<br />
is shown below:<br />
Four designs were analysed and the<br />
resultant values can be seen below:<br />
Waverider Lift<br />
Design (N)<br />
1 957<br />
392<br />
2 967<br />
219<br />
3 988<br />
677<br />
4 100<br />
108<br />
0<br />
Drag (N) L/D Total Total<br />
(2dp) Elements Nodes<br />
263602.4 3.632 34642987 5800565<br />
275013.7 3.517 34536845 5799234<br />
282382.9 3.5012 34568372 5810234<br />
293539.5 3.410 34918753 5810356<br />
The optimal design has been rendered<br />
below:<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Chris Toomer<br />
Project Summary<br />
Efficiency of modern day commercial aircraft has reached a<br />
stagnation point. Improvements in computational fluid dynamics<br />
has allowed for highly effective aircraft characteristics to be<br />
obtained and proficiency barriers broken with one exception, the<br />
speed. Attempts at breaching into such high speed areas as<br />
supersonic and hypersonic flow have resulted in wasteful and<br />
inefficient systems. This report investigates into the possibility of<br />
implementing a ‘reverse design process’ in order to design a<br />
vehicle to capture the pressure along the lower surface and<br />
increase the vehicles overall efficiency, along with its applicability<br />
to commercial travel. Such vehicles are known as Waveriders. Six<br />
Waverider designs were constructed within this report.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The first objective of this report is to create a Waverider design<br />
through analytical and mathematical means, in order to determine<br />
whether the idea of shaping a vehicle around a shock does indeed<br />
improve its efficiency. The second objective is to see if further<br />
improvements in the aircrafts efficiency can occur through other<br />
means and techniques employed on high-speed aircraft, along with<br />
a view to determine whether Waverider technology is a feasible<br />
option for future commercial travel.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was concluded that a lower wetted surface does not guarantee a<br />
more efficient vehicle (resulting from less drag). A vehicle with a<br />
lower surface area returned with a lower aerodynamic efficiency of<br />
3.298, a difference of 0.334 in comparison to Design one.<br />
However, this may be in relation to the reduced length of the<br />
vehicle which transpired due to the loft cut technique used for<br />
Waverider generation.<br />
Design one appeared to follow the trends of Kutchemann’s<br />
formula, confirming the deterioration of efficiency with Mach<br />
number. However, Ferguson’s Waverider appeared to increase<br />
with Mach number. The initial Mach number the Waverider was<br />
designed around may have been higher than the maximum value<br />
observed from Figure 51, therefore its efficiency may dip after such<br />
a point in order to match the trend calculated by Kuchemann.<br />
Therefore to conclude, obtaining an ideal solution for such a design<br />
is unfeasible upon following a non-iterative process. Nevertheless,<br />
Waveriders do produce higher levels of flight efficiency in<br />
comparison to standard supersonic and hypersonic configurations,<br />
therefore they do appear to be the optimal approach in achieving<br />
efficient, high-speed vehicle configurations for future high-speed<br />
travel in the future.
Morgan Harmer<br />
MEng Design Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Project Given by MBDA<br />
Vortex Switching<br />
Project Outline<br />
Many simulations were run successfully, offering insight into the formation of<br />
symmetrical vortices. Although simulations were run at supersonic speeds, it was found<br />
that Mach number had little effect on the type of vortex generated. Increased speed<br />
was found only to have the effect of stretching the vortex longitudinally.<br />
Simulations were run with two different incidence angles, α=10° and α=40°. The α=10°<br />
results were found not to fully generate vortices. However a ‘vortex bubble’ did appear<br />
under inspection. This vortex bubble is shown below at Mach 2.<br />
Right<br />
This image shows the vortex core<br />
region generated around a 3 calibre<br />
long tangent ogive at Mach 2 with an<br />
incidence angle of 40°.<br />
Introduction<br />
A large amount of research has gone into the design and<br />
production of so called “Super Agile” missiles. These “Super<br />
agile” missiles allow a military aircraft to target threats within a<br />
much larger scope than the traditional air-to-air missile. This<br />
results in missiles being required to regularly experience<br />
excessive angles of attack. When a missile is operating at a large<br />
angle of attack (i.e. over 10°) one or more vortices may attach<br />
from the nose along the port or starboard side. Depending on<br />
how the vortices attach, the missile can experience an<br />
unpredictable variety of pitch, roll and yaw moments. The<br />
sketch left demonstrates the formation of asymmetric vortex<br />
shedding as a result of a high angle of attack.<br />
Project summary<br />
This Project aimed to understand the<br />
behaviour of asymmetrical vortex shedding<br />
from the nose of a slender body such as a<br />
missile at medium to high incidence.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objective of this investigation was<br />
to answer the question; once asymmetrical<br />
vortices have developed with one side more<br />
dominant than the other, can they switch?<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The experiments proved inconclusive. Only<br />
symmetrical vortices developed, and were<br />
found to be stable.<br />
From reading articles and technical reports,<br />
others have found that asymmetrical vortices<br />
at the nose, like symmetrical ones, are stable.<br />
From the same sources, it was found that if a<br />
critical roll angle was reached, the vortices<br />
may switch.<br />
Next years work will further investigate this<br />
area.
Michael Hartmann<br />
Meng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Design and evaluation of a wind tunnel test rig to investigate leading<br />
edge suction for engine–airframe integration<br />
Introduction<br />
Aviation is subjected a steady expansion and predictions are indicating an even increasing growth rate leading to rising demand of fuel.<br />
Thereby airport limitations due to noise and local air quality are impending this trend, whereas the increasing fuel prices cause higher<br />
operational costs. These arising issues are guiding future aircraft designs, because the impact of commercial propulsion systems<br />
becomes even more pronounced. Approaches to these expectations may rely on a variation from the common aircraft configurations<br />
and change over to a consolidation of airframe and engine. Resulting synergy effects could then be exploited by closely coupling the<br />
engines with the airframe. This project will take up this process and further investigates attainable improvements of integrated<br />
propulsion and also directs the attention to arising drawbacks<br />
The already present suction force on a aerofoil in motion<br />
leads to the idea of mounting the engine close to the<br />
wing, since an increased flow velocity of the inlet region<br />
should cause a pressure drop, based on Bernoulli’s<br />
equation. Hence, an increased suction should be noticed<br />
at the LE, which is dependent on the lip shape.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project investigates the application of distributed<br />
propulsion to an aircraft by performing wind tunnel<br />
tests with an own developed integrated engine<br />
design. It elaborates whether distributed propulsion<br />
is feasible to improve propulsion systems of aircraft<br />
being in service today by having a look at efficiency<br />
criteria. The design of a test rig for later wind tunnel<br />
tests is done and documented. First measurements to<br />
judge the suitability of the test rig are conducted and<br />
possible improvements are worked out.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
- Investigation of leading edge suction force variation<br />
on test rig using the <strong>UWE</strong> wind tunnel<br />
All investigations have been done in the wind tunnel of the<br />
University of the West of England. Thereby, a variation of the<br />
wind tunnel velocity, thrust setting and leading edge deflection<br />
has been done, to work out overall improvements. By having a<br />
tapping point based manometer indication implemented on<br />
the test rig, the pressure distribution along the test section can<br />
be evaluated.<br />
The wind tunnel rig is equipped with four electric<br />
driven fans, which are simulation real engines. As<br />
these fans are located inside the box, the air is<br />
sucked from the leading edge into the engine.<br />
Therefore the leading edge suction force will<br />
change and an improvement will be worked out.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Concluding, this investigation has shown<br />
potential benefits of integrated engineairframe<br />
design, by conducting a series of<br />
wind tunnel tests using a tailored test rig.<br />
Thereby, attention was directed to the LE<br />
suction force, for which a dependency of LE<br />
droop was investigated. The evaluation<br />
process has suffered from certain errors of<br />
the measurement systems, as well as,<br />
coupling effects caused by the interference of<br />
propulsion unit and wing section. Overall, this<br />
project can conclude, the droop LE as not<br />
being the only instrument to obtain a better<br />
performance.
Michael Symons<br />
MEng - Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> Design<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rui Cardoso<br />
THE VALIDATION AND OPTIMISATION OF A WINGBOX USING FINITE<br />
ELEMENT ANALYSIS PART B<br />
Background<br />
The modern engineer can now computationally model the product and analyze and optimize it, simulating the test procedure. However, before the proceedings of this the<br />
computational model must first be validated with the test. Finite element analysis (FEA) is an example of technology advancement and has become a common usage in<br />
design development.<br />
This type of analysis is particularly used for aircraft wing design such a wing-box which is made of structural elements (spar, skin and stringer). Design engineers use FEA to<br />
simulate the wing-box and optimize the most suitable use of these elements.<br />
One behavior engineers evaluate in wings is buckling. Buckling is a failure caused by a compressive load that exceeds the materials compressive stress abilities. This<br />
commonly occurs in the wing spar and skin.<br />
Composites are also analyzed and optimized. To formulate the material properties and computationally evaluate the composite behavior to suitably consist of the most<br />
efficient layup and thickness; there are evaluation techniques available that are largely used in industry; one being Tsai-Hill failure criterion that formulates the factor of<br />
safety of each ply in the composite, given its lamina properties.<br />
Initial Designs<br />
The design used for<br />
analysis was a wing-box<br />
with 2 C-section spars.<br />
One made form Carbon<br />
Fiber and the other from<br />
Fiber Glass<br />
ABAQUS Model<br />
The initial designs were simulated using<br />
FEA software ABAQUS<br />
Experiment<br />
A four point bend was<br />
tested on the models<br />
and validated using<br />
ABAQUS simulations<br />
Spar Buckling and<br />
Roller load vs Wingbox<br />
stiffness<br />
Project summary<br />
This report details the investigation and<br />
development of a preliminary design that was<br />
analyzed experimentally and subsequently<br />
validated using finite element analysis in a<br />
straightforward and user-friendly manner. In<br />
addition to being optimized to perform<br />
effectively in regards to its initial buckling<br />
performance previously evaluated.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the project was to simulate and validate an<br />
experimental outcome of a wing design performance<br />
under controlled conditions using finite element analysis.<br />
The design was then optimized to improve the buckling<br />
performance of the design using Tsai Hill Criterion and<br />
wing structural elements.<br />
Validation of the Carbon Fiber Wing-box<br />
The glass Fiber and Carbon Fiber models were validated to a good degree<br />
of accuracy [shown below the glass fiber which has a mean disparity of<br />
3.8%]<br />
Roller Contact Force (N)<br />
160<br />
140<br />
120<br />
100<br />
80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
-20<br />
Comparison of FEA and Experiment Data on Wing-box<br />
displacement under a uniform load<br />
0 2 4 6 8 10 12<br />
Displacement (mm)<br />
FEA<br />
Experiment<br />
Optimization<br />
The Carbon Fiber wing box was then brought forward for Design optimization.<br />
Applying Stringers and ribs to the design the following conclusions were found:<br />
• the stringer is more affective on the parts where the main stress involved is<br />
compressive. At the top skin where it buckles mainly from load in the y-<br />
direction, the stringer is not as effective.<br />
• Concluding the optimization to reduce buckling; max buckling occurs at the<br />
skin end and where the load is applied. It’s more suitable to apply a rib at<br />
these locations. If the location of load concentration is known, reinforcing<br />
that point is the most efficient and effective option.<br />
Tsai Hill:<br />
FF. OO. SS. =<br />
TT xx<br />
σσ 2 xxxx − σσ xxxx σσ yyyy + TT xx 2 2<br />
σσ yyyy<br />
2<br />
TT yy<br />
+ TT xx 2 2<br />
ττ xxxx<br />
2<br />
SS XXXX<br />
Tsai Hill Criterion was used and modelled in MATLAB to optimize the most<br />
suitable layup to use, sticking with an applied load but the variable being the<br />
layup proportion.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Overall, it was concluded that a design under<br />
a complex experimental procedure, simulated<br />
in FEA can be validated to a good degree of<br />
accuracy, respectively; to later be optimized<br />
to improve its buckling performance. The<br />
ABAQUS simulations successfully simulated<br />
spar buckling for the Carbon Fiber model. The<br />
disparity mean ranged from 5% to 9%. The<br />
accuracy for load required to displace the<br />
roller for the Carbon fiber wing-box had an ok<br />
agreement (mean disparity no greater than<br />
35%). The ABAQUS models were able to<br />
simulate the buckling behavior affectively and<br />
a Tsai Hill code was produced in MATLAB to<br />
successfully formulate and optimize the<br />
layup.
Max Floyd Noronha<br />
MEng Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Design and Development of an Android application to automate the<br />
collection of Flight Mode Data<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
This project focuses around the android<br />
built smartphones in the design and<br />
development of an android application<br />
to automate flight data acquisition in<br />
order to calculate the various dynamic<br />
flight modes of an aircraft in flight.<br />
As part of the ‘Flight Mechanics B’<br />
assignment in year 3 (Bachelors), the<br />
task was to monitor and record the<br />
flight data in-flight using flight test<br />
worksheets in order to manually<br />
calculate the dynamic flight modes of<br />
an aircraft, i.e. Roll mode, Phugoid<br />
Mode, etc., to eventually determine the<br />
dynamic stability of the aircraft. This<br />
project was taken up in order to<br />
simplify the process of flight mode<br />
calculation through the use of<br />
smartphone technology. This involves<br />
making use of java programming<br />
software to create an android<br />
application which enables the user to<br />
automatically calculate the various<br />
dynamic flight modes by a click of a<br />
button. This not only adheres to the<br />
safety requirements in-flight but also<br />
eliminates the need for the pilot to<br />
manually record the data allowing the<br />
pilot to concentrate on flying the<br />
aircraft.<br />
RESEARCH<br />
This project’s research investigates the different sensors<br />
on-board the smartphones which could aid with the<br />
relevant collection of the flight data as well as how<br />
sensor fusion and filtering techniques can affect the<br />
acquisition of the raw flight data.<br />
Which sensors included in most Smartphones can be<br />
used to simulate the dynamic flight modes?<br />
The various sensors included in smartphone devices<br />
need to be investigated in order to determine which<br />
flight modes can be calculated via smartphone<br />
technology. Smartphone device have some limitations<br />
in terms of calculating airspeed data. This will be<br />
investigated to determine cost-effective solutions to<br />
counter this issue. Different sensors provide different<br />
forms of data, hence investigation into which data form<br />
would be useful for this project in order to get the final<br />
output for each flight mode will also be conducted.<br />
Can Sensor Fusion be implemented to improve fight<br />
data acquisition?<br />
Investigation will have to be conducted on sensor fusion<br />
methodologies to fuse the data acquired from the<br />
independent sensors to improve the accuracy of the<br />
flight raw flight data to further increase the accuracy of<br />
the output. Filtering techniques will also be investigated<br />
in order to reduce the amount of background<br />
interference affecting the flight data<br />
SUMMARY OF RESULTS<br />
To summarise the tests conducted, similar<br />
instances were encountered where the device did<br />
not measure all the acceleration forces to carry<br />
out the computations for output, which led to the<br />
conclusion that the accelerometer’s sensitivity was<br />
too low. In some tests, vibration influenced a key<br />
role in interfering with the data such as in the<br />
aircraft and with the robot arm, hence further<br />
investigation on how to filter out these vibrations<br />
via a band-stop filter will have to be carried out.<br />
Through the multiple testing equipment used to<br />
test and validate the android application, a<br />
number of issues were discovered which brought<br />
about the opportunity to address them and<br />
improve the functionality of the application. After<br />
implementing the required adjustments to the<br />
application’s program code, it can be concluded<br />
that if the test in an actual aircraft was to be<br />
repeated, the outputs computed would be more<br />
reliable and accurate.<br />
Amplitude (°)<br />
8<br />
6<br />
4<br />
2<br />
0<br />
-2<br />
-4<br />
-6<br />
-8<br />
-10<br />
Vibration Test Results<br />
1<br />
13<br />
25<br />
37<br />
49<br />
61<br />
73<br />
85<br />
97<br />
109<br />
121<br />
133<br />
145<br />
157<br />
169<br />
181<br />
193<br />
205<br />
217<br />
229<br />
241<br />
253<br />
Time (ms)<br />
FUTURE WORK<br />
• Improve accelerometer’s sensitivity<br />
• Employ filtering techniques to attenuate unwanted<br />
vibrations<br />
• Improve flight data acquisition by fusing<br />
accelerometer and gyroscope sensors<br />
• Integration a anemometer with the Flight recorder<br />
to obtain airspeed data<br />
Y<br />
X<br />
Project summary<br />
This project was aimed to determine the dynamic<br />
stability of an aircraft through the use of smartphone<br />
technology by designing and developing an android<br />
application that was capable of automating the<br />
acquisition of raw flight data using the smartphone’s<br />
sensors. Extensive research was carried out<br />
investigating the sensors included within the<br />
smartphone devices so as to determine which<br />
dynamic flight modes can be determined through<br />
smartphone technology. Additionally, to improve the<br />
quality of the data, investigation on various sensor<br />
fusion methodologies and filtering techniques was<br />
conducted.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of this project is to determine an aircrafts’<br />
dynamic stability when it experiences a disturbance<br />
in the air. This project looks in to the design and<br />
development of an android application which can<br />
automate the acquisition of raw flight data through<br />
the use of smartphone sensors and subsequently<br />
calculate the various dynamic aircraft flight modes.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Due to multiple issues encountered relating to the<br />
application not properly computing the output for<br />
the flight modes, the program will have to be delved<br />
into more deeply on how to increase the<br />
accelerometer’s sensitivity and improve the<br />
functionality of the application to produce more<br />
reliable and accurate results. Also by using a bandstop<br />
filter, the quality of the flight data acquired can<br />
be greatly increased by blocking out the unnecessary<br />
vibration frequencies. From the observations and<br />
analysis made during the testing phase, it can be<br />
concluded that the android application developed<br />
thus far requires further work to enable improved<br />
functionality is diverse environments.
Oliver Marks<br />
MEng Aerospace Manufacturing <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr David Richardson<br />
Integrated Composite Rib to Cover Interface Development<br />
Introduction<br />
As the technology behind commercial civil aircraft becomes more advanced<br />
so too does the need to develop the design of the components within them<br />
(Kroo, 1995). Not only with respect to driving down cost but also as the result<br />
of ever tightening regulations on fuel efficiency and environmental impact. As<br />
a result the need to move away from ‘conventional’ configuration aircraft<br />
designs and towards a new optimised lightweight design becomes ever more<br />
paramount.<br />
Wing box covers are comprised of a curved wing skin with a number of ‘T’<br />
shaped stringers (Airbus A350) bolted to it, these stringers are designed to<br />
increase the skin’s ability to withstand buckling loads through an increase in<br />
stiffness. In contrast to the spars in order to increase the deposition rate the<br />
skins are manufactured using UD prepreg through an ATL process (explained<br />
in 4.2.1.2) during which the material is deposited onto a curved tool surface<br />
which controls the outer surface of the wing.<br />
The rib components in the lateral wing box are assembled in the chord-wise<br />
direction and help to keep the aerofoil’s aerodynamic shape during flight<br />
where the aerodynamic loads and pressures are working to deform the wing.<br />
These parts are crucial as they effectively connect the different parts of the<br />
structure together subsequently providing a load path between them. This<br />
load path is shown in figure 10, during service the ribs are subjected to both<br />
tensile and compressive forces due to the torsion and bending present in the<br />
wing structure, these loads are commonly referred to as ‘Brazier Loads’.<br />
Analysis<br />
The product designed within this project is what’s known in industry as a rib<br />
foot, this is the component within the wing box which accommodates the<br />
fixing between the rib and the cover.<br />
Finite Element analysis was carried out on the conceived concepts to establish<br />
a detailed knowledge of how they would perform in service. These designs<br />
were patented as was the corresponding manufacturing process, resulting in<br />
a total of four registered patents.<br />
Thermal analysis of the desired tooling concept was also completed with a<br />
view to using thermal expansion to consolidate the composite from which the<br />
part was manufactured.<br />
Project summary<br />
Development of a novel rib foot concept in<br />
terms of structural performance and<br />
manufacturability.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Literature Review on design and<br />
manufacture with composites.<br />
• Blank sheet design of Rib-to-Skin<br />
Attachment component capable of being<br />
manufactured at rate.<br />
• Initial design review/down-selection.<br />
• Initial Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of<br />
down-selected concepts.<br />
• Further down-selection of final concept<br />
based on FEA findings.<br />
• Detailed FE optimisation and sizing of<br />
final concept taking into account weight,<br />
waste, rate and structural performance.<br />
• FE modelling of thermal expansion tooling<br />
concept.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The objectives of the project were all met<br />
and a final optimised design was produced<br />
for test. This design outperformed all<br />
competition in terms of performance and<br />
also when considering the ease of<br />
manufacture of the component compared to<br />
conventional designs.
Paven Bhatti<br />
MENG Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Development and Implementation of Magnetometer Drift Correction<br />
in an IMU Navigation System<br />
Project Brief<br />
This MENG project focuses on the implementation of a<br />
yaw drift correction method for a standard IMU system.<br />
The results from any testing will be critically analyzed to<br />
determine whether the system would be suitable for<br />
implementation into a UAV fly-by-wire system. This is the<br />
second of a two-phase project designed to complete an<br />
IMU system capable of being tested in a scale glider. If<br />
this project were successful it would create the potential<br />
for creating a completely independent fly by wire<br />
system, capable of long-term flight, as well as readily<br />
available use in GPS dead signal zones such as<br />
mountainous terrain.<br />
Project Aims and Objectives<br />
The aim of this second phase of a two-phase project is to complete<br />
the goal of creating a completely independent IMU system, with<br />
the potential of implementation into a fly by wire system to create<br />
an independent navigational system capable of long-term flight. It is<br />
aimed to understand and implement an internal yaw drift<br />
correction method onto a standard IMU. Following this it is aimed<br />
to test the successful implementation and collect data that can be<br />
analyzed from an aircraft’s navigational perspective, and following<br />
that attempt to implement the finished IMU system into a basic<br />
servo responsive code that would react to the change in pitch, roll<br />
and yaw. It is also aimed to continue the DO-178 B as well as CAA<br />
safety requirements outlined in phase one of the project.<br />
Phase 2’s objectives are detailed below<br />
Assemble and run the chosen IMU configuration with yaw drift<br />
corrective method<br />
Successfully implement a code to react to changes in the sensory<br />
data from the IMU<br />
Use the created code to fly the UAV glider to a predetermined<br />
location, with the optional aid of the controller design chosen<br />
Introduction<br />
Previously in this project research was undertaken in order to understand<br />
the concept of creating a fly by wire system capable of navigating a UAV,<br />
or similar craft through a predetermined set of co-ordinates in space. The<br />
previous results showed that without the aid of a GPS system to correct<br />
the “drift” in the yaw axis the IMU was incapable of determining its own<br />
position in space accurately for longer than a few seconds before the<br />
margin of error was large enough to render its data output invalid.<br />
In the second phase of this project, suitable yaw drift correction methods<br />
will be explored. The traditional GPS drift correction method will be<br />
compared to the use of magnetometers, which will be used in an attempt<br />
to placate the need for a GPS device. Magnetometers may be able to<br />
accommodate the IMU’s need for drift correction as it is capable of using<br />
the geomagnetic field as a constant vector with which to gather a<br />
reference point. It is hypothesized that knowledge of the earth’s<br />
magnetic field-patterns may be able to be used to correct the drift<br />
obtained by the IMU’s ability to determine its position in space during<br />
motion. Assuming a magnetometer can sufficiently replicate the GPS’s<br />
effects, the functioning stabilization system will then be implemented<br />
into a UAV navigational code to test and demonstrate the success of the<br />
system, in order to gain proper data with which to compare the two<br />
methods of yaw drift correction.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion the majority of the aims and<br />
objectives of this phase of the project were<br />
fulfilled. The IMU now has an independent<br />
method for obtaining yaw drift correction,<br />
and that method is accurate enough to be<br />
tested in a UAV or similar test bed in order to<br />
assess its ability to lead an active-servo<br />
control system.<br />
There were drawbacks with the<br />
implementation of the Kalman filter into an<br />
IMU code, which resulted in the requirement<br />
to use an external magnetometer instead of<br />
one that was available and working in the<br />
MPU9150.
Patrick Busch<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Systems <strong>Engineering</strong>)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Chris Toomer<br />
Correction, calibration and evaluation of real measured data of<br />
aeroplane behaviour<br />
Introduction<br />
This study is the third in a series of masters´ theses<br />
on the topic of position, attitude and control input<br />
measurement during flight, particularly during spin<br />
of aircraft. This master´s thesis is designed to assist<br />
the PhD thesis of Steffen Schrader (University of<br />
Applied Sciences Osnabrueck) on the topic of spin<br />
prediction and simulation.<br />
Spinning<br />
Spin is a flight mode that can be referred to as<br />
autorotation around a vertical axis on a downward<br />
path. In order to enter a spin<br />
the aeroplane must be stalled<br />
and at the same time have a<br />
sufficient yaw rate or sideslip<br />
angle. When a stall occurs,<br />
the critical angle of attack<br />
is exceeded and the airflow<br />
over the wing is separated<br />
and becomes turbulent. The<br />
lift produced decreases<br />
Fig. 1: Spin<br />
considerably and hence the equilibrium of forces is<br />
unbalanced. Due to the mentioned sideslip angle<br />
or yaw rate, one wing will be stalled more than the<br />
other, resulting in a lower lift force and hence the<br />
aeroplane will start to roll in the direction of the<br />
more stalled wing. As a result from this rolling<br />
motion, a pitching and yawing moment will be<br />
induced. The drag on the more stalled wing will<br />
increase and support the rotation around the<br />
vertical axis as the aeroplane descends rapidly.<br />
Principle of Measurement<br />
To obtain position and attitude information of an<br />
aeroplane during every moment of its flight, the<br />
acceleration, measured on three axes by<br />
accelerometers, is integrated twice and the<br />
angular rate, measured around three axes by a<br />
gyroscope, is integrated once.<br />
Using the equations of motion the velocity and<br />
displacement can be calculated from the<br />
acceleration:<br />
v=∫a dt<br />
r=∫v dt<br />
And attitude is calculated from angular rate:<br />
θ=∫α dt<br />
Sentio32<br />
The measurement system implemented to record<br />
accelerations and angular<br />
rates basically consists of<br />
the Sentio32 platform and<br />
a Motion Sensor Board,<br />
which contains the actual<br />
gyroscopes and<br />
accelerometers. The Mid Fig. 2: Sentio32<br />
Sweden University designed the Sentio32<br />
hardware platform to provide a compact wireless<br />
sensor network platform that is IEEE802.15.4<br />
standard compatible and provides a high<br />
performance on local processing power. The<br />
sensors used during the measurements regarding<br />
this investigation are the capacitive 3D<br />
accelerometer KXSD9-2520 manufactured by<br />
KIONIX and two gyroscopes made by InvenSense,<br />
the IDG500 and the ISZ500.<br />
Statistical Analysis<br />
In order to obtain optimum results a universe of<br />
50 measurements was build and a statistical<br />
analysis was performed. From this data calibration<br />
curves were elaborated.<br />
Fig. 3: Statistical Analysis<br />
In order to verify the capabilities of the sensor in<br />
the second phase of the thesis flight test were<br />
conducted in two airplanes.<br />
Fig. 4: Test Aircraft, Citabria and Cessna C150<br />
Basic flight test were conducted in the C150, those<br />
consisted of rolling, pitching and yawing the<br />
airplane. Finally actual spin tests were conducted<br />
in the approved Citabria Campion.<br />
Examples of the recorded data are shown in the<br />
following figures.<br />
The cockpit<br />
instuments were<br />
captured during<br />
the basic flight<br />
tests to have a<br />
refference when<br />
evaluating the<br />
sensor data. For<br />
the spin tests an<br />
outside<br />
reference was<br />
required.<br />
Fig. 5: Inflight recordings<br />
The result, a complete recording of a spin can be<br />
seen in Fig. 6 below.<br />
Fig. 3: complete spin recording<br />
Project Summary<br />
This thesis deals with the improvement of a low-cost<br />
inertial measurement unit (IMU) for aeroplanes,<br />
which is already implemented in the Sentio32<br />
hardware platform and mounted to a 4-seated<br />
general aviation aeroplane. The correction as well as<br />
the calibration of the measured data, is the main<br />
topic of this project. The basic errors of the<br />
accelerometers and gyroscopes are elaborated based<br />
on a static test and can be traced back to a random<br />
offset of the accelerometer data and a linear drift in<br />
the angular rates. Different correction methods are<br />
applied based on a calibration curve derived from a<br />
set of measurements or a trend prediction from the<br />
measurement itself. Errors induced my motion and<br />
rotation are examined and corrected in the same way.<br />
In the end the elaborated corrections are applied<br />
flight tests that were undertaken during the course of<br />
this investigation.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The Main Objectives are:<br />
- comparison of four similar sensors<br />
- statistical analysis of the universe<br />
- generation of a calibration curve<br />
- evaluation of the functioning of the calibration curve<br />
- conduction of flight tests to verify sensor data<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion one can say that in the course of this<br />
investigation findings were made that did not match<br />
the desired outcome. Nevertheless the work done<br />
was not in vain. The results found exclude the<br />
Sentio32 sensor for use in the exact determination of<br />
aircraft position and attitude during flight and<br />
especially during spin. This is a valuable result since it<br />
indicates that another sensor has to be selected and<br />
installed before continuing with the inflight<br />
measurements of spin characteristics.
Ronald Arakal<br />
Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Manufacturing)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. David Richardson<br />
Design And Manufacture of Fuselage and Skid for Flying Wing UAV<br />
Fuselage design<br />
Manufactured parts<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project was to design a<br />
fuselage and skid for a predesigned and<br />
manufactured wing. Design and manufacture<br />
appropriate tooling and produce the fuselage<br />
and skid.<br />
Mould manufacture<br />
Fuselage moulds<br />
Acrylic mould for the bulkhead and skid<br />
Project begins with modelling a fuselage design using CAD. The<br />
design is finalised depending on the operating conditions and<br />
manufacturing capabilities.<br />
Next step is to manufacture the mould and the components.<br />
Over the course of manufacturing , Various changes are made to the<br />
mould and technique of manufacturing. This is decided by reviewing<br />
the process and component.<br />
After satisfactory parts are produced, it is assembled together using<br />
adhesives.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To understand the concept of design for<br />
manufacture and produce the required<br />
components.<br />
To manufacture the components and identify<br />
issues and suggest solutions<br />
To understand concurrent engineering and<br />
manage time and resources to carry out this<br />
project efficiently using the resources<br />
available<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project identified the various issues that<br />
arose and successfully tackled them.<br />
The components were designed and<br />
produced using the principle of design for<br />
manufacture and concurrent engineering
This project was a<br />
development of an algorithm<br />
to help control pilots of UAVs<br />
to perform a safe forced<br />
landing for any emergency for<br />
UAVs.<br />
For this project a smart<br />
mobile phone will be used to<br />
sense the data from the<br />
sensors integrated on the<br />
phone i.e. accelerometer,<br />
gyroscope and GPS. The<br />
mobile phone will be<br />
integrated on the UAV.<br />
Salim LOUNIS<br />
MEng Aerospace System <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
An additional function of the developed<br />
system is the ability to utilise the<br />
smartphones sensors for telemetry data.<br />
This allows the application to be used as<br />
a backup telemetry system should it be<br />
required.<br />
The advantage of using Google Maps is<br />
to eliminate the poor image quality due<br />
to the increase of the frame rate when<br />
the UAV fly are low altitude<br />
Forced Landing Algorithm Development And<br />
Implantation On An On-Board Android-Based Smartphone Device<br />
This Algorithm was developed<br />
on Simulink using Computer<br />
Vision Toolbox to analyse<br />
Google Maps images and<br />
display safe landing Sites.<br />
Algorithm Improvement<br />
Processing Time (s)<br />
1.8<br />
1.6<br />
1.4<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
0.8<br />
0.6<br />
Application Development Architecture<br />
Resolution Vs Processing Time for Lower Quality Images<br />
Size [10 10]<br />
Size [40 40]<br />
size [70 70]<br />
Size [100 100]<br />
Size [130 130]<br />
Size[160 160]<br />
Size [190 190]<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Pritesh Narayan<br />
Project summary<br />
The main aim of this project is to develop a forced landing<br />
algorithm and implement it on an on-board android-based<br />
smart phone that allows the UAV to safe land at the<br />
closest landing sit at any time during the flight.<br />
Performance of the algorithm outcome was tested which<br />
concluded that hardware specification will dictates the<br />
image resolution of algorithm<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To investigate how OpenCV library can be<br />
implemented on an Android operating system<br />
• To explore how to use edge-detection<br />
methodologies on an on-board smartphone<br />
• To examine and analyse the performance of the<br />
algorithm using real-time data<br />
• To investigate how to deploy and debug the<br />
algorithm on an Android operating device and<br />
other open source devices, such as Raspberry Pi2,<br />
and compare the performance of the devices and<br />
the algorithm<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The aims of this project were to successfully<br />
develop an algorithm, which helps command<br />
pilots of UAVs to safely deal with forced<br />
landings in emergency situations, by using an<br />
android operating system. This project was a<br />
continuation of BEng project ,Improvement<br />
were successfully conducted to operate the<br />
algorithm in Near-Real-Time system. This<br />
algorithm was tested using a MacBook Pro(i7)<br />
to analyse it performance.<br />
This algorithm also been debugged on<br />
Android OS and Raspberry Pi2<br />
0.4<br />
Size[220 220]<br />
0.2<br />
0<br />
0 2 4 6 8 10 12<br />
Number of frames<br />
Raspberry Pi2 Development<br />
Processing time Vs. Image Resolution
Steve Tiley<br />
Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle: Vortex Control Analysis<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Eur. Ing. Dr. C.hrisToomer<br />
Project summary<br />
This study involved the CFD analysis of an Unmanned<br />
Combat Air Vehicle designated Stability And Control<br />
CONfiguration (SACCON) produced by the NATO<br />
Applied Vehicle Technology board.<br />
Wings of a high aspect ratio will begin to exhibit<br />
separated flow at high angles of attack stalling parts of<br />
the wing and causing a reduction in lift.<br />
On delta wings (or wings of low aspect ratio) this<br />
separation tends to occur near the leading edge and<br />
unlike the case for low sweep or high aspect ratio wings<br />
this separation does not cause a reduction in lift. Instead<br />
the flow rolls up into a vortex which sits on the wing’s<br />
upper surface.<br />
Both models of the SACCCON geometry used for<br />
this experiment were made by Jana-Sabrina<br />
Stucke as part of a PhD using SolidWorks.<br />
The mesh created for the half model geometry<br />
features 2.27 million elements on the advice of Dr.<br />
Raj Nangia, with greater density around the model<br />
surface in order to better capture the flow around<br />
it.<br />
Instead of reducing lift as might be expected from<br />
separated flow these vortices actually produce lift. They<br />
do this by causing air to flow up and over them before<br />
plunging down again. This increases the speed of the<br />
flow and hence causes a lower pressure above the wing .<br />
The literature study shows that<br />
there has been a great amount of<br />
various work conducted on the<br />
SACCON. Other papers (e.g. Luckring<br />
and Boelens, 2012) have mentioned<br />
the existence of these vortices and it<br />
is the behaviour of these vortices<br />
that is of interest to this study.<br />
The code used is CFX, and is used in<br />
steady state viscous Euler and turbulent<br />
RANS mode at medium turbulence<br />
intensity using the Shear Stress<br />
Transport (SST) turbulence model, and<br />
is run to the default convergence below<br />
1.0E-4 variable values, which was found<br />
to be sufficient for all cases.<br />
Of key interest were the formation and structure of<br />
leading edge vortices and their effect on the<br />
aerodynamic behavior of the SACCON model.<br />
A number of CFD analyses were conducted using<br />
ANSYS CFX at sea level conditions with a velocity of<br />
Mach 0.14 with varying angles of attack from -10 to<br />
20 degrees.<br />
Post-processing of the simulations aimed to visualise<br />
the vortices and quantify their effect on the model’s<br />
lift and drag characteristics, and chord-wise pressure<br />
distributions.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Set up and run a number of CFD simulations to<br />
model the leading edge vortices indicative of swept<br />
wing models of the SACCON type.<br />
• Assess the vortices, quantifying their size and<br />
strength in order to judge their effect on the<br />
aerodynamic behaviour of the model.<br />
• Calculate the key aerodynamic behaviours of the<br />
model i.e. lift, drag, and pressure.<br />
Vortex growth from 8 degrees (left), 12 degrees<br />
(middle), and 16 degrees (right).<br />
Comparison of skin fiction streamlines<br />
from Tomac and Stenfelt (2014) (left)<br />
and the vortex visualisation from this<br />
study (right) indicating that the vortex is<br />
indeed the cause of the separation line<br />
near the leading edge.<br />
The effect of vortices of the section lift<br />
coefficient can be seen. As the vortex<br />
moves inboard with increasing angle of<br />
attack the peak section lift also moves<br />
inboard and increases in magnitude.<br />
Streamline plots indicate laminar flow at 4 degrees<br />
angle of attack (left) and turbulent flow at 14<br />
degrees angle of attack (right)<br />
Pressure distributions show the effect of vortices on<br />
increasing the lift, between 28 % span (left) and 42%<br />
span (right) an increase in pressure difference is<br />
seen.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
ANSYS CFX and the methods presented in this study<br />
are viable for the analysis of leading edge vortices on<br />
the SACCON model.<br />
It is clear how the leading edge vortices react to<br />
changing angle of attack and how the vortex changes<br />
the aerodynamic behaviour of the model.<br />
The methods used are however not viable for angles<br />
of attack greater than 15 degrees and at far outboard<br />
span-wise locations.
Sören Schwert<br />
MEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Quick Reference Application for Airline Pilots<br />
Background<br />
To assure the safety of the flight, the flight crew<br />
and all passengers, airline pilots are obligated to<br />
ensure that their aircraft meets all requirements<br />
for airworthiness. The checks that are performed<br />
also include a visual inspection of the exterior of<br />
the aircraft during a walkaround. On this outside<br />
check, which has to be conducted before every<br />
flight, a pilot examines his aircraft for damages,<br />
leaks, wear and tear and everything else that<br />
could affect its reliability.<br />
Application Interface<br />
The interface has been designed with a clear<br />
structure to the information and a sense for<br />
direction of movement, in order that navigating<br />
the application would be intuitive and would not<br />
require extensive training for new users.<br />
Editor Modus<br />
To enable authorised users to amend and modify<br />
existing information or to add and delete content,<br />
an editor mode has also been implemented into<br />
the application.<br />
Project summary<br />
Before each flight, a pilot has to check the exterior of<br />
his or her aircraft during a walkaround. In the event<br />
that the pilot comes across a problem with an item<br />
on the aircraft’s exterior, he or she has to consult one<br />
of the many manuals or lists. Since there are<br />
numerous objects on the outside of an aircraft, it can<br />
be a tedious and time consuming task to navigate<br />
through the extensive documentation and to find the<br />
required entry.<br />
Motivation<br />
It can be a laborious task for pilots to find<br />
guidelines, a required entry in the Operating<br />
Manual or the Minimum Equipment List, for nonstandard<br />
items they encounter during the<br />
walkaround. It often means skimming through<br />
extensive documentation, or asking for a<br />
technician, to determine whether a specific<br />
problem compromises the airworthiness of the<br />
aircraft or under which conditions it can still be<br />
operated. This process often causes delays which<br />
are expensive for the airline.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
We aimed to develop a working software solution<br />
that helps pilots find information quickly and<br />
efficiently. This mainly entails investigating the level<br />
of knowledge that is required to be presented to the<br />
user and researching interaction methods that make<br />
the application as intuitive to use as possible. Other<br />
important issues to be considered are the design of<br />
the interface and how all the information is<br />
presented to pilots, in order to be comprehensive but<br />
still quickly readable and easily understandable.<br />
Solution<br />
The goal of an international European airline is to<br />
provide their pilots with an application for their<br />
Electronic Flight Bag computers that leverages<br />
today’s technologies to help pilots find essential<br />
information and data more quickly and effectively.<br />
This Quick Reference Application should collect all<br />
the distributed information necessary during the<br />
outside check into a short description for each<br />
item, should enable a quick assessment of an<br />
item’s condition and should also include<br />
references to the corresponding documentation.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
While developing the Quick Reference application,<br />
several interaction patterns and user guidance<br />
methods have been investigated. A working software<br />
solution was implemented that puts great focus on<br />
intuitive navigation and a modern visual identity.<br />
During final evaluation and testing, if was found that<br />
the application fulfils the company’s expectations and<br />
requirements and will go forward into on-the-job<br />
user testing within the airline in the summer.
Thomas Latimer<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Benjamin Drew<br />
Design of a Human Powered Vehicle<br />
Chassis<br />
The chassis shape was decided upon based around<br />
the research that was conducted in the literature<br />
survey.<br />
Modelling<br />
The chassis needed to be analyzed in FEA with the<br />
front forks of the design on to test to see if the<br />
structure would fail under loading.<br />
Final Design<br />
The final design was integrated into one complete<br />
model and then run again through CFD to check<br />
the alterations that were made didn’t impact the<br />
drag value. The values obtained from CFD could<br />
then be used to calculate the final achievable<br />
output velocity.<br />
Project summary<br />
To design a human powered vehicle that is capable of<br />
beating the current land speed record of 83Mph. The<br />
aim was to achieve the theoretical value of 85Mph. In<br />
part A the outer body shell was designed so part B<br />
was focused around the internals and the power<br />
output of the vehicle.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives for this project were to design the<br />
gearing system, steering system and internal chassis<br />
of the vehicle and then validate these using FEA, CFD<br />
and theoretical calculations to ensure that the<br />
current speed record can be achieved and beaten<br />
Here is the final chassis design that was developed<br />
so that the gear train and steering system could be<br />
designed based around this simple shape.<br />
Steering<br />
The model didn’t fail and displayed a very low<br />
value of deflection meaning that it was sufficient<br />
for the task and that the design process could<br />
continue<br />
Gear Train<br />
In order to achieve the high speeds just through<br />
pedaling alone a sophisticated gear train system<br />
needed to be design to ensure that the RPM input<br />
at the crank could be achieved by the rider.<br />
This drawing below shows how the gear train<br />
configuration was designed.<br />
The values of Cd that came from the analysis was<br />
0.06 and once this was used to calculate the<br />
velocity which came out at 42m/s.<br />
Render<br />
This is the final render of the HPV design which<br />
represents what it will look like once a prototype<br />
of the design has been manufactured<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project was successful. All three aspects of the<br />
design were completed and brought together as one<br />
and integrated well. The complete chassis was then<br />
integrated into the initial bodywork design which had<br />
to have slight alteration to ensure the chassis fits<br />
inside. Then this was put through CFD and then the<br />
theoretical output speed calculated which came out<br />
at 42m/s which is above the current land speed<br />
record which means that this is something that is<br />
achievable. The next stage of this project would be to<br />
manufacture a prototype of this and look at testing to<br />
see if the practical data matches up with the<br />
theoretical data.<br />
The steering assembly here shows how the<br />
steering configuration works with the chassis<br />
design and how the movement articulates and<br />
allows the wheels to move.
Tristan Maddick<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Analysis of Design and Applications of Pulsed Detonation Engines<br />
Introduction<br />
Pulsed Detonation Engines are engines which utilize pulsed detonations to<br />
provide thrust. They have a similar basic operation to pulse jets with the<br />
major difference being that pulse jets use the deflagration process.<br />
Deflagration is a relatively low pressure process with the flame travelling at<br />
subsonic speeds, causing the fuel to ignite through heat transfer. Detonation,<br />
on the other hand, is a high pressure process where the flame travels at<br />
supersonic speeds; ignition of the fuel is caused by the high pressure present<br />
as the shockwave moves down the combustion chamber. Due to the fact that<br />
Orifice Plate Investigation<br />
The aim of the following experiments was to obtain a better understanding<br />
of the use of orifice plates as a DDT device and to investigate the effects of<br />
changing the blockage ratio of the DDT device. The experiments tested a<br />
range of blockage ratios that is varied by changing the diameter of the holes<br />
on the plate. By completing experiments across a range of blockage ratios<br />
results were produced that provided further information on how the<br />
blockage ratio affects the detonation process and what the optimum<br />
blockage ratio could be.<br />
Results<br />
The graph shows that from the experiments completed that the best<br />
blockage ratio was 77.68 (single hole). The graph also clearly shows the<br />
difference in power between the single hole and multi-hole configurations.<br />
Furthermore, by plotting a line of best fit on the graph the initial hypothesis<br />
stating that an optimum blockage ratio could be found is confirmed and is<br />
approximately 80. As an additional observation it would be expected that if<br />
multi-hole experiments were completed for each of the same blockage ratios<br />
as the single hole values similar power differences would be registered<br />
resulting in a line of best fit parallel to the single hole one.<br />
Applications<br />
Pulsed Detonation Engines have large number of potential applications<br />
because of their versatility as an engine. PDEs are well suited to speeds of up<br />
to about Mach 4. At these speeds they have many advantages over solid<br />
rocket motors such as increased range or payload. Whilst turbojet and<br />
turbofan engines provide a long range and heavy payload they are<br />
considerably more expensive when exceeding Mach numbers of around 2-3<br />
and ramjets and other ducted rockets require solid rocket engines to achieve<br />
detonation is an almost constant volume, high pressure process PDEs provide a<br />
high thermodynamic efficiency, reducing fuel costs . The engine is described as<br />
pulsed as the oxidizer-fuel mixture has to be replenished in the detonation<br />
chamber between each detonation wave. The engines are capable at operating<br />
at a range of frequencies but when operating at frequencies over 100Hz the<br />
engine can provide almost constant thrust. The first year successfully produced<br />
a detonation reaction using Computational Fluid Dynamics and found that<br />
orifice plates provided the optimum engine output for the devices tested to<br />
initiate detonation.<br />
Power (W)<br />
The following experiments were completed with the orifice plates:<br />
1. Multi-hole, 77.68 blockage ratio<br />
2. Single hole, 77.68 blockage ratio<br />
3. Single hole, 85 blockage ratio<br />
4. Single hole, 90 blockage ratio<br />
5. Single hole, 95 blockage ratio<br />
1000<br />
900<br />
800<br />
700<br />
600<br />
500<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
Average Power<br />
0<br />
65 70 75 80 85 90 95 100<br />
Blockage Ratio<br />
Single Hole<br />
Multi-hole<br />
the speed at which the ramjet can take over, increasing the complexity.<br />
Furthermore, due to the fact detonation is an almost constant volume, high<br />
pressure process PDEs provide a higher thermodynamic efficiency which<br />
reduces fuel costs. PDEs can also be designed as air breathing engines which<br />
require a more simplistic design. Additionally, there is a reduction in weight, as<br />
the oxidiser doesn't have to be stored onboard, which increases fuel efficiency<br />
or allows extra weight to be used to enable greater speeds, increased ranged or<br />
a heavier payload.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project researched the major problems<br />
associated with Pulsed Detonation Engines and<br />
looked into practical solutions. The experiments<br />
completed were aimed at producing the optimum<br />
detonation reaction and power output achievable by<br />
Pulsed Detonation Engines. Finally, the project<br />
focussed on the potential applications of the Pulsed<br />
Detonation Engine.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Further investigation into the use of orifice plates<br />
as a Deflagration-to-Detonation device.<br />
2. Improve the transient setup of the computational<br />
experiments.<br />
3. Use computational methods to analyse the<br />
stresses and noise levels produced by the<br />
detonation reaction.<br />
4. Research the potential applications of the Pulsed<br />
Detonation Engine.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The main conclusion from the orifice plate<br />
experiments completed were completed using two<br />
different configurations of the orifice plate, single<br />
hole and multi-hole, with the same blockage ratio<br />
value. It was expected that they would produce<br />
similar, if not the same results, but multi-hole<br />
configuration produced approximately 150 Watts less<br />
power over 0.01 seconds. Despite both configurations<br />
having the same blockage ratio; it was concluded that<br />
as the multi-hole configuration contains a series of<br />
smaller holes the flow experiences a greater area<br />
reduction compared to the single hole configuration.<br />
The remainder of the completed experiments<br />
involved testing a range of blockage ratios for orifice<br />
plates, investigating the hypothesis that an optimum<br />
blockage ratio existed. It was clear from the final<br />
graph produced that for orifice plates the optimum<br />
blockage ratio value is approximately 80.
Travis Chamberlain<br />
MEng Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> Design<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. David Richardson<br />
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF A COMPOSITE WINGLET’S TOOLING<br />
USING ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING<br />
Introduction<br />
Additive Manufacturing (AM) has been in<br />
existence for thirty years and was primarily used to<br />
create prototypes for products, usually for testing<br />
purposes. Now, the state of the technology means<br />
AM is able to print out fully serviceable parts, with<br />
its main use being for Rapid Prototyping (RP).<br />
Rapid Tooling (RT) is a technique used to bypass<br />
the manually manufactured mould stage, thus<br />
reducing lead times and to allow the manufacture<br />
of composite materials using AM printed moulds.<br />
In recent years, composite materials have even<br />
been printed, but the materials are very expensive<br />
and are an unviable choice for small companies<br />
and hobbyists. Hence the need for RT still exists.<br />
Mould Design<br />
A mould was designed using Solidworks which<br />
came in two main halves: the top and bottom<br />
halves. Because the moulds were too big to print<br />
in <strong>UWE</strong>’s FDM printer, the top and bottom halves<br />
had to be split in two pieces to be printed<br />
separately and then assembled to form the full<br />
mould.<br />
The mould was designed so that either vacuum<br />
bagging or bladder inflation can be used. The two<br />
halves had self-aligning features to align the four<br />
sections together into one complete female<br />
mould.<br />
Manufacturing<br />
The first few lay-ups were created using the<br />
vacuum bagging technique, but this kept causing<br />
too much resin to be drawn out of the composite,<br />
making it flexible and giving it a poor surface<br />
finish. The lay-up was changed to more natural<br />
method without the use of a vacuum pump. The<br />
resulting winglet halves were of much better<br />
quality, thus this was the preferred lay-up method<br />
for future manufacturing.<br />
The wax used as a release agent was ineffective<br />
because it seeped into small pores on its surface<br />
(created by the FDM printing process). This<br />
rendered the release agent useless. Acetone was<br />
applied to the mould surface to slightly melt its<br />
surface, sealing the pores that plagued previous<br />
lay-ups.<br />
Dry areas were a frequent problem throughout<br />
the manufacturing process. At first, more resin was<br />
added to the composite but for the top mould, this<br />
was due to its complex curvature and not because<br />
of a lack of resin.<br />
Analysis<br />
Both the mould underwent structural analysis<br />
(using FEA) to determine if it could withstand one<br />
atmospheric pressure from the vacuum pump. FEA<br />
was also conducted for the winglet to see if it<br />
could survive a 10 N force acting upon its tip.<br />
Both were shown to endure the maximum<br />
stresses, giving a safety factor 7.5 for the mould<br />
and 1.9 for the winglet.<br />
Maximum<br />
Stress<br />
AM and CNC Cost and Lead Time Comparison<br />
Carbon Fibre Winglet Produced with AM Tooling<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been carried out to determine<br />
the effectiveness of Additive Manufacturing for<br />
producing tooling for a carbon fibre winglet as<br />
apposed to a conventional, automated machined<br />
process. The mould was cheaper and quicker to<br />
manufacture via Additive Manufacturing than the<br />
conventional method of automated machining.<br />
The assembled winglet made from the mould was not<br />
perfect, but was of good enough quality to warrant<br />
its use as a prototype, highlighting the mould’s main<br />
strength in being able to create quick and cheap<br />
composite parts for illustrative purposes.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Design a full-scale winglet mould that can be used<br />
for different lay-up techniques.<br />
2. Structurally analyse the full-scale mould to<br />
determine if it will be suitable for vacuum pump<br />
lay-ups.<br />
3. Manufacture a lightweight, functional full-scale<br />
winglet of a good surface finish.<br />
4. Analyse the full-scale winglet in terms of its<br />
structural properties and the mould’s design and<br />
manufacturing process.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
1. The winglet was lightweight (with a weight loss of<br />
70.3% over an ABS 430 printout), but did not have<br />
a good surface finish; hence it is not of a<br />
functional quality.<br />
2. In terms of the ABS 430 mould, its low cost, low<br />
lead time, high design flexibility and resilience to<br />
vacuum pump pressure makes it an attractive<br />
alternative to CNC machining.<br />
3. Additionally, the winglet has stayed true to its<br />
aerofoil and demonstrates AM’s potential, such<br />
that a mould from a more accurate FDM printer<br />
may be able to produce higher quality parts.
Valentin Erb<br />
MEng – Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Systems <strong>Engineering</strong>)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Pritesh Narayan<br />
Assessment of the Me262’s slow flight performance – PART B<br />
Introduction<br />
On the basis of the project concept developed in<br />
PART A of the project, the assessment of the slowflight<br />
characteristics of the Me262 aircraft was<br />
continued.<br />
Based upon the CATIA geometry created in the<br />
first part of the project, a rapid-prototyped scale<br />
wind-tunnel model was created using Fused<br />
Deposition Modelling (FDM), suitable for the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
subsonic wind-tunnel.<br />
The same geometry was used in the particle-based<br />
CFD software XFlow to set-up respective<br />
simulations to reflect the wind tunnel tests.<br />
Simulations and tests were run at speed of 15-35<br />
m/s (Re=2e5).<br />
In a final step, the plane was simulated in real<br />
scale to create a basis for the comparison to real<br />
world flight test data at 68 m/s (Re=6e6).<br />
Validation<br />
Before any testing with the Me262 geometry was<br />
done, the wind tunnel and XFlow were validated<br />
using 2D and 3D NACA0012 simulations from<br />
Ansys Fluent. All tests showed a good agreement<br />
between the different tools. The Figure below<br />
shows the validation lift curve from XFlow and the<br />
wind tunnel tests:<br />
Experimental Set-Up 1/18<br />
For the XFlow simulations of the wind tunnel tests<br />
of the Me262, the same set-up was used as in the<br />
NACA0012 validation tests. The two figures below<br />
show the corresponding set-ups:<br />
Besides numerical results, also visual flow<br />
patterns were assessed with woolen threads.<br />
Furthermore, the influence of the surface<br />
roughness of the wind tunnel model was tested,<br />
together with other parameters.<br />
Experimental Set-Up Real Scale<br />
As for the real-scale simulations, an unconstrained<br />
free flow domain was used, which is shown below,<br />
which shows the aircraft in full stall at an angle of<br />
16°:<br />
Results<br />
The scale results from the wind tunnel and XFlow<br />
simulations showed a good agreement in terms of<br />
lift coefficients and also stall angle and zero lift<br />
angle. Also visual flow patterns could be identically<br />
seen in the wind tunnel and the simulations. A<br />
significant influence of surface roughness, speed<br />
dependency or turbulence intensity could not be<br />
identified.<br />
The 1/18 scale model was found to stall at an<br />
angle of 7° and C Lmax of 0.67.<br />
During the real-scale simulations a different<br />
behavior was experienced, as it stalled at 12°<br />
with a C Lmax of 0.9. These differences can be well<br />
explained by the influence of Reynolds-Number<br />
and show the limitations of wind tunnel tests.<br />
The final XFlow simulations showed a good<br />
agreement with historical data, but revealed some<br />
issues with underlying test-flight data.<br />
In the Figure below, the comparison between the<br />
two scales is seen:<br />
All in all the experimental set-up proved to deliver<br />
the desired data and a qualitative statement about<br />
the stalling characteristics could be made.<br />
However, they also revealed some inconsistencies<br />
in the test flight data and suggest a further<br />
analysis of the aircraft and also a consideration of<br />
high lift devices, normally found on the aircraft.<br />
Project summary<br />
The investigation undertaken assesses the<br />
design of the Messerschmitt Me262 aircraft<br />
towards lift generation at high angles of<br />
attack in clean configuration.<br />
Experiments were conducted in XFlow CFD<br />
and a wind tunnel, using a rapid prototyped<br />
model at a scale of 1/18. Finally , the aircraft<br />
was simulated in real scale . The experimental<br />
approach was validated with a NACA0012<br />
wing geometry.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Besides validating the CFD software against<br />
the <strong>UWE</strong> wind tunnel, it was targeted to<br />
obtain the lift curve for the basic Me262<br />
aircraft and assess the stalling angle and<br />
maximum lift coefficient. The difference<br />
between scale wind tunnel tests and real<br />
scale simulations were demonstrated.<br />
Furthermore, the capabilities of up-to-date<br />
CFD software were shown and assessed.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In terms of experimental approach, the<br />
project showed and demonstrated the<br />
suitability of XFlow and wind tunnel tests for<br />
the assessment of lift generation.<br />
Validation of the approach was achieved and<br />
the geometry of the Me262 could be<br />
assessed and evaluated.<br />
However, particular attention had to be paid<br />
to the simulation set-up to obtain consistent<br />
data.
Zebadiah McLeod<br />
Masters in Aerospace Systems <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Pritesh Narayan Aerodynamics Lecturer<br />
A look into the effects of Electromagnetic interference from mobile<br />
phone use on-board aircrafts and the effectiveness of Electromagnetic<br />
Shielding materials used in aircrafts<br />
Introduction<br />
Leading on from the work done last year the need to<br />
enhance the shielding effectiveness of the materials<br />
used during the construction of aircrafts was a concern.<br />
This concern is addressed here and investigative looks<br />
into the new materials used for constructions such as<br />
carbon fibre are addressed along with descriptive<br />
information on the future of the use of such materials<br />
in the aerospace industry. The integration of carbon<br />
fibre and its metallic rival aluminium has seen many<br />
problems arise as the two materials are not compatible<br />
and adverse corrosion can lead the aircraft to be<br />
uncertified due to the dangers that can occur if left<br />
unchecked.<br />
Conclusion<br />
The shielding effectiveness of aluminium and steel are<br />
good but of course the industry has moved towards<br />
other materials namely carbon fibre. Although actual<br />
integration of carbon fibre and metal was not achieved<br />
in this paper the literature research showed that it was<br />
the way forward when it comes to improving the<br />
shielding capabilities of carbon fibre as it is a major<br />
safety issue if carbon fibre is used on aircraft as it<br />
currently is. The threat from navigation systems being<br />
interrupted and even the treat of lighting strikes is<br />
enough cause for concern. Another major concern that<br />
was realised in the literature survey was the fact that<br />
the integration of metal and carbon fibre was more<br />
complicated than first anticipated by the aerospace<br />
industry. The major funding now for the research on<br />
integrations tactics is being given by the big aerospace<br />
companies for instance Airbus Germany to find a<br />
solution to the problem.<br />
Power Received Watts<br />
DBm in -<br />
0.0014<br />
0.0012<br />
0.001<br />
0.0008<br />
0.0006<br />
0.0004<br />
0.0002<br />
140<br />
120<br />
100<br />
80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
Relationship Between Power Received<br />
and Power Transmitted 800Mhz<br />
0<br />
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2 2.2 2.4<br />
Power Transmitted<br />
Free Space Path Loss<br />
0 2 4 6 8 10 12<br />
Distance in Km<br />
Se…<br />
Series1<br />
Relevance<br />
Throughout this project the relevance of<br />
study has been a one of safety the<br />
uncertainty of the harmfulness of EMI to<br />
aircraft equipment hassled me to<br />
undertake this project. Also with the<br />
shielding capabilities the aim of which is to<br />
allow for the use of mobile phones not to<br />
be dangerous when emitting unintentional<br />
radiation to the venerable parts of the<br />
aircraft systems.<br />
Research<br />
The research and analysis done in the report<br />
was done in order for us to better understand<br />
the risks associated with the use of mobile<br />
phone devices and other PEDs whilst on-board<br />
aircrafts. The rationale of the regulations in<br />
place today is another factor for the research<br />
undertaken in the report. Many question the<br />
effectiveness and the logic for disallowing the<br />
use of mobile phones on board aircraft and<br />
they feel the risk, if any, is minimal and not<br />
realistic enough that restrictions should be in<br />
place for such a long period of time. The main<br />
objective of this report was to report/show with<br />
statistical analysis the risks associated with the<br />
avionics ban on certain types of PEDs.<br />
Project summary<br />
The Project summary is to effectively verify<br />
the data that was obtained in the first part of<br />
the project done last year. Leading on from<br />
last year is the need to establish a link<br />
between the materials used in aircraft<br />
production and the shielding effectiveness.<br />
These issues are addressed in the project.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To set up experiments to test the shielding<br />
capabilities of new materials such as<br />
Carbon Fibre<br />
• Compare the data from the theoretical<br />
model and real model<br />
• Use the Excel model to calculate a new<br />
worst case scenario<br />
• Use Excel model to determine the validity<br />
of the results from the spectrum analyser<br />
• Create an experiment to test shielding<br />
effectiveness of the carbon fibre<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The theoretical model that was modeled in<br />
the Microsoft software EXCEL was compared<br />
to the actual experiments done last year. The<br />
findings are presented in the report
Ramjet Model<br />
Robert Sawford<br />
Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Using the isentropic shock equations to determine the exact shock solutions<br />
for various deflection geometries for the inlet deflection angle, the optimum<br />
inlet geometry could be produced with the idealised ‘shock on lip’ design<br />
scenario. This produces maximum flow capture, therefore resulting in the<br />
highest potential mass flow rate into the intake.<br />
The ramjet model was laser cut from 6mm thick sheets of acrylic and bonded<br />
together using acrylic cement to form an acrylic weld between the faces of<br />
the acrylic components. Further reinforcement was provided by integrating<br />
four steel rods through the ramjet model to provide further structural<br />
integrity to the model.<br />
Ramjet CFD Testing<br />
A Design Study into Using Air Breathing Propulsion to Produce a Single-<br />
Stage-to-Orbit Design Capable of Achieving Mach 25<br />
Using ANSYS CFX the same ramjet model was created for CFD testing to<br />
compare and validate the CFD model. The model was created in a simple 2D<br />
cross section so as to minimise computational effort, while still producing<br />
interesting results.<br />
However the contraction ratio to capture area for the inlet was too high,<br />
resulting in the inlet becoming unstarted. A condition characterised by the<br />
presence of a normal shock upstream of the inlet.<br />
Hypersonic Waverider Testing<br />
The waverider testing was conducted at Mach 3.0 and Mach 5.0. the goal of<br />
the tests was to determine the effect of different leading edge wedge angles<br />
had on the engine operation, as well as assessing the performance under<br />
shock spillage conditions and shock ingestion.<br />
The waveriders utilised variable inlet geometry in the form of an extending<br />
lower engine cowl that would be able to catch the leading edge shock<br />
generated from the waverider body, thus producing maximum flow capture<br />
for the engine intake. Additionally the performance was assessed and<br />
compared for the condition whereby the flow is allowed to spill over the<br />
edge of the engine cowl, reducing shock capture but preventing the shocks<br />
from becoming ingested.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Chris Toomer<br />
Project summary<br />
A ramjet model was designed and<br />
manufactured for testing in the supersonic<br />
wind tunnel. The model was used for<br />
comparison and validation of the same<br />
simulated test using ANSYS CFX. Furthermore<br />
the project transitioned into testing various<br />
waverider designs with variable inlet<br />
geometry under a variety of inlet conditions<br />
at different Mach numbers.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To design and asses the engine performance<br />
of a ramjet scramjet propelled hypersonic<br />
waverider through various Mach regimes up<br />
to Mach 25.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The use of acrylic as the primary material for the ramjet<br />
model proved to be too fragile. The laser cutter distorted<br />
the geometry around the leading edges, partially melting<br />
the acrylic and thus making it brittle. Future models will<br />
utilise CNC milled inlet geometry sandwiched between<br />
acrylic panels, increasing robustness while still allowing<br />
the internal shock structure to be visualised.<br />
From the hypersonic and high supersonic testing of<br />
the waverider designs, the numerical accuracy of the<br />
solutions around areas of high changes in state and<br />
energy is lower than is required for a CFD solution<br />
that industry can use to supplement physical testing.<br />
However the structure of the oblique shocks,<br />
compression and nozzle behaviour from the vehicle<br />
forebody as well as the expansion and shocks<br />
generated by the waveriders wake is displayed by the<br />
simulation, providing insight into the behaviour of the<br />
waverider at these Mach regimes. As outlined by<br />
Segal, running the inlet under spillage conditions<br />
produces a more stable combustion environment<br />
than when the shocks are ingested into the engine.<br />
However this more stable environment is created<br />
with the sacrifice of reduced compression, and as a<br />
consequence may not be sufficient to produce the<br />
thrust requirements for accelerating into higher<br />
hypersonic Mach regimes.
SUMIT SUNIL WATHORE<br />
BEng (Hons) AEROSPACE ENGINEERING (MANUFACTURING)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
University of the West of England, <strong>Bristol</strong><br />
WAVE DRAG REDUCTION FOR HIGH SPEED FLIGHT<br />
Investigating 3D Rounded Shock Control Bump to Reduce Wave Drag on Transonic and Supersonic Aerofoil.<br />
In the era of everything is accelerating, aircrafts are actually flying at the slower speed than they use to do. Commercial air travel has not gotten any faster<br />
since 1960s, (Hoagland K., MIT 2014). Main reason is the fuel economy going faster cost more fuel per mile it is all about drag factor and can be overcome with<br />
effective drag reduction technology. With drag reduction just not only it will increase fuel economy but also the operation range of an aircraft. Very few<br />
attempt on 2D and 3D shock control bumps (SCBs) have been investigated on transonic aero foil and none on the Supersonic aero foil. Though research has<br />
been carried at leading aerospace industries but still there not much information available on internet for performance of the SCBs on supersonic aero foil,<br />
fixed SCBs is cost effective and simple method to reduce wave drag and get maximum performance for high speed flights.<br />
Project summary<br />
Computational simulation to investigate the<br />
performance and the effectiveness of 3D rounded<br />
shock control bumps on transonic and supersonic<br />
aerofoil was undertaken; two chord wise variables for<br />
the shock control bumps were varied in conjunction<br />
with tangentially bump height, and chord wise<br />
location. The primary aim of dissertation to reduce<br />
wave drag is successfully achieved.<br />
what is drag ?<br />
Profile Drag – Profile drag produce due to friction and turbulence in the<br />
viscous fluid.<br />
Induced Drag – induced drag occurs due to the lift development in the<br />
aircraft.<br />
Wave drag – wave drag is produce due to the formation of shock waves in<br />
supersonic and transonic flight.<br />
Limitations – in this research only<br />
one SCBs buffet is used to<br />
concentrate on its performance and<br />
the angle of SCBs buffet are<br />
changed to see the performance,<br />
this limits the investigation on the<br />
sets of design SCBs on the aerofoil.<br />
LIFT TO DRAG RATIO<br />
9<br />
8.087<br />
8<br />
7<br />
6<br />
5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
8.36<br />
L/D VS HEIGHT OF THE BUMP<br />
The dissertation carried out with limited resources and<br />
on the 3D aerofoil with finite span<br />
To be tested in the supersonic wind tunnel to verify its<br />
effectiveness experimentally and then more modification<br />
is to be done .Few tests for hypersonic speed shows<br />
diverse results, more work with hypersonic aerofoil with<br />
SCBs is must Rounded SCBs at various locations and<br />
different design pattern should be tested.<br />
8.38<br />
8<br />
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5<br />
7.54<br />
HEIGHT OF THE SCB<br />
6.44<br />
% of drag decrease<br />
Shock wave can be defined as sharp<br />
change of pressure in narrow region<br />
when travelling through a medium<br />
(here air for an aircraft) due to high<br />
speed.<br />
When aircraft travel in low speed less<br />
than 0.8 Mach the air ahead of an<br />
aircraft get separated from its path.<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
-10 -5<br />
-10<br />
0 5 10 15 20<br />
-20<br />
-30<br />
-40<br />
NACA 66-206 at 4*10^5<br />
AOA<br />
NACA 66-206<br />
at 4*10^5<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1) Investigation of SCBs performance on the transonic<br />
and supersonic wing. Main focus on the supersonic<br />
flights, and selecting the rounded SCBs location and<br />
height of bump.<br />
2) Reduction of wave drag using rounded bump<br />
3) Aircraft design optimization for best possible<br />
configuration to get maximum speed of much beyond<br />
the conventional aircrafts.<br />
4) To look into the<br />
Potential benefits of using rounded bumps on<br />
different sections of aircraft to control flow over and<br />
reduced total drag.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Rounded shock control bumps are more effective on<br />
supersonic aerofoil than transonic because the<br />
reduction in shock strength in supersonic shock is<br />
greater. The SCBs are effective for reducing wave drag<br />
in supersonic flight but the drag on transonic flight is<br />
not much affected by the shock wave.<br />
Simulation Model has been validated using the<br />
published experimental results obtained for DFVLR-<br />
R4.<br />
The results demonstrated that an active contour<br />
bump, which could change height and move to follow<br />
the shock wave, would likely be required for<br />
application on an aircraft
Shuo Tang<br />
Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> B.Eng - Design<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Mayo Adetoro<br />
Investigating “Fan Blade Out” of a jet-engine with Finite Element Method<br />
Background<br />
Safety has always been the primary concern for the major manufacturers.<br />
Millions of pounds are invested in order for new aircraft components to pass<br />
the safety test. Many of them such as Jet-engines have to undergo a<br />
destructive fan blade out test, where a fan blade of a Jet engine is released<br />
from the hub while the engine is running at maximum power. Then the<br />
casing has to fully contain the blade fragments for the test to pass. FAA has a<br />
requirement stating all of the new Jet engines have to pass the test in order<br />
to be used on a commercial airline. After the test is done, all components of<br />
those Jet-engines are discarded, in the name of safety. As of <strong>2015</strong>, a Jet<br />
engine costs around $15 million.<br />
By understanding the behaviour of Jet engines during the blade off test and<br />
creating a simulation using Finite Element software that accurately simulates<br />
the process, the traditional fan blade off test may one day be replaced.<br />
Research<br />
Research was done for the following topics<br />
• Cause of a fan blade out<br />
• Material used for Jet engine fans<br />
• Material properties<br />
• Damage Mechanics<br />
Two Simulations were created based on the research conducted.<br />
Results<br />
The first simulation was based on FAA standard conditions where an engine,<br />
whilst travelling at 0.85 cruise velocity has continue to operate and complete<br />
its journey after withstanding a 4lb bird impact.<br />
The second simulation was to see the effect of a fan blade out event, but it<br />
was stopped by the containment case as it was supposed to.<br />
Simulation<br />
Soft Body - Bird<br />
Hard Body - Rock<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation develops a method of simulating a<br />
“Fan Blade Out” scenario of a jet engine using<br />
Abaqus. By using experimental parameters, a model<br />
simulating continuum damage mechanics that occurs<br />
during a fan blade off event is made.<br />
This method developed so far looks promising and<br />
further development to improve its accuracy can be<br />
looked into.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research the mechanics behind a fan blade out<br />
event<br />
• Familarise with the Finite Element software<br />
Abaqus<br />
• Gather the experimental data for material used<br />
• Simulate an engine ingestion/fan blade out event<br />
In Abaqus<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The simulation created so far accurately simulates the<br />
damage mechanism of a fan blade during an event of<br />
a foreign object ingestion. But its clear that more<br />
work needs to be done to validate the experiment.
Introduction<br />
The detection of Volatile Organic<br />
Compounds (VOCs) has, for several<br />
decades, been a huge area in sensor<br />
research. Exposure to these<br />
compounds can lead to various health<br />
issues and are widely found across<br />
various work places, making them<br />
important to detect. It is known that<br />
many VOCs are found in the exhaled<br />
breath, urine, faeces and skin<br />
emanations of human beings; and that<br />
there is evidence to suggest that the<br />
presence of specific volatiles in these<br />
are related to cancer.<br />
The system to be created is essentially<br />
a mimicry of the mammalian olfactory<br />
system, using a sensor to mimic the<br />
nose, and an analysis of results along<br />
with pattern recognition to mimic the<br />
brain.<br />
The reaction that occurs upon the<br />
surface of a heated metal oxide when<br />
it comes into contact with a volatile<br />
causes the conductivity of the MO to<br />
change. This phenomenon can be<br />
measured, and used to detect VOCsin<br />
the air.<br />
Cataluminescence is the emission of<br />
light during the catalytic oxidation of<br />
organic compounds, in this case the<br />
metal oxide sensor serves as a catalyst.<br />
Thom Clark<br />
BEng (Hons) Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (Design)<br />
The Fabrication of a Gas Sensing Device<br />
Combining Measurements of Cataluminescence<br />
and Conductivity change<br />
Initial Design<br />
The old chamber is shown above, as<br />
can be seen, it consists of a bolted on<br />
lid, no means of securing other than<br />
fixings that were added after it was<br />
made and the inside is full of sharp<br />
corners, not desirable for any flow.<br />
After a few stages of configuration, the<br />
design consisted of a cylindrical inside,<br />
screw on lid, linear air inlet-outlet, and<br />
built in bolt holes for fixing. The sensor<br />
sits on the end of the bolt, which is<br />
screwed into the chamber, opposite<br />
this is the inlet for the gas<br />
chromatography column.<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamics<br />
A small amount of basic fluid<br />
dynamic analysis was undertaken<br />
to determine the optimum<br />
arrangement for the chamber.<br />
It was found to be an arrangement<br />
that encouraged circulatory flow,<br />
when the sensor bolt was<br />
horizontal, which was incorporated<br />
in the manufactured design.<br />
Other Equipment<br />
To measure the light emission from<br />
the CTL, a photomultiplier tube was<br />
required, a PMT is a device that<br />
detects photons, and amplifies<br />
them using the photoelectric effect<br />
to emit a current.<br />
The module sourced as part of this<br />
project was the Hamamatsu H7828<br />
photon counting unit, which was<br />
connected to a pulse counter to<br />
record its emissions.<br />
Pulse Count Reading (kHz)<br />
100<br />
90<br />
80<br />
70<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
The Atmospheric Chamber<br />
The second chamber was designed to<br />
detect trace amounts of VOCs in the<br />
atmosphere, it differed from the other<br />
one with the sensory bolt screwed in<br />
through the lid, positioning it opposite<br />
the photocathode of the PMT once<br />
the chamber was screwed onto it.<br />
Equipment Testing<br />
The experimental equipment was<br />
tested using an old, basic sensor<br />
chamber, adapted to fit the PMT.<br />
Pulse Response of Nitrotoluene Vapour<br />
against Time<br />
0 20 40 60 80 100 120<br />
Time from sample injection (s)<br />
This graph shows the difference in<br />
pulse response after the injection of<br />
three different concentrations. Of<br />
course the highest concentration<br />
showed the best response.<br />
Saturated<br />
Diluted<br />
Air<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Norman Ratcliffe<br />
Project summary<br />
This project involved the design of two sensor<br />
chambers to detect the presence of Volatile Organic<br />
Compounds, using a combination of the<br />
measurements of the conductivity change of metal<br />
oxides and the emission of cataluminescence (CTL).<br />
The starting point for design was an old gas sensor<br />
chamber designed for use in the applied sciences lab<br />
2G5; hence certain criteria were to be fulfilled in the<br />
new design, based upon the experiences of the old<br />
chamber’s use.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objectives for this project were:<br />
• To design two sensory chambers that combine the<br />
detection capabilities of CTL and conductivity<br />
change; one for medical diagnostics, connected to<br />
a gas chromatograph and one for detecting VOCs<br />
in the atmosphere<br />
• To source the required apparatus, such as a<br />
photomultiplier tube module<br />
• To improve upon the previous chamber’s design,<br />
making it easier to use in experimentation<br />
• Perform aerodynamic analysis upon the flow<br />
inside the chamber, identifying undesirable flow<br />
effects and attempting to reduce them<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Both chambers were designed with what is thought<br />
are optimum designs, based on findings from various<br />
bits of investigation throughout the project and the<br />
results from CFD. However, it was planned from the<br />
start of the project that the chambers would be<br />
manufactured and then tested to validate their<br />
design. Due to unfortunate circumstances neither of<br />
the chambers were manufactured in time, meaning<br />
that the experimental analysis and comparison with<br />
the old chamber could not occur. Despite this, the<br />
design met the desired criteria and was improved in<br />
several ways.
Step 1<br />
Yousaf Raza Bokhari<br />
Aerospace Design BEng<br />
The Design and Manufacture of a composite BMX Frame<br />
Design 1: Monocoque Frame<br />
Design 2: Lug and Tube design<br />
Step 2 Step 3 Step 4<br />
The major test results needed to show key performance areas in both frames were unable to be obtain because of many problems occurring during the FEA<br />
and the testing of the constructed pieces. The results obtained from those two calculations showed the stiffness of the frame is able to compare and compete<br />
with some current and past frames. The biggest aim of this investigation, to manufacture a complete carbon fibre BMX frame was achieved even without the<br />
optimum tooling for manufacture. The mould from the previous year can be immensely improved. A better alternative would be to have a similar mould made<br />
of aluminium. The benefit of this is it allows decreases the time needed to do a layup and to cure since the use of prepreg material becomes as option. Also,<br />
although an aluminium mould is much more expensive than the current fibre glass mould, it has a much longer life before defects start to show in the mould<br />
like the fibre glass mould already has. The longevity of the aluminium mould is worth the cost as it would definitely be better for value than the fibre glass.<br />
This investigation showed it was able to determine the optimum technique for manufacture. The wet layup technique excelled in many qualities a modern<br />
BMX frame should have. The finished frame was light and can be made even lighter if the correct amount of resin is applied with better tooling. The frame was<br />
very strong and stiff with only 2 layers, where as if it was 4 layers, it would compete with modern frames in terms of stiffness while still kept relatively light.<br />
The surface finish was one of the best outcomes of this investigation.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. David Richardson<br />
Project summary<br />
An analytical approach was taken to<br />
investigate the design and manufacture of<br />
two composite BMX frames. Solidworks was<br />
used to model the monocoque frame and lug<br />
and tube frame and attempted to analyse the<br />
model using finite-element. The monocoque<br />
frame was manufactured using the wet layup<br />
internal bladder method and the lug and tube<br />
frame was manufactured using prepreg rollwrapping<br />
method. A use of testing techniques<br />
help determine the stiffness. Theoretical and<br />
actual results are compared to and a good<br />
understand benefits and problems of<br />
different manufacturing method were<br />
achieved.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To design a composite BMX frame.<br />
• To analyse loads and stresses within the<br />
BMX frames.<br />
• To analyse and compare the composite<br />
monocoque frame and the lug and tube<br />
frame.<br />
• To determine the optimum tooling for<br />
manufacture.<br />
• To determine the optimum technique for<br />
manufacture.<br />
• To manufacture a composite BMX frame.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Overall, the most appropriate method of<br />
manufacture was the wet layup internal<br />
bagging and from the results show a<br />
monocoque frame seems to be superior than<br />
the lug and tube but a fair analysis was not<br />
made in this investigation so the question of<br />
whether monocoque frames are superior<br />
than lug and tube frame is still open to<br />
investigation.
Yiu Yeung Law<br />
Beng – Aerospace <strong>Engineering</strong> (System)<br />
Modelling and control of Boeing 777-300 ER<br />
Introduction<br />
This dissertation gives an overall simple idea on modelling and control of an aircraft, the respective advantages and<br />
disadvantages used for the Matlab/Simulink on analyzing aircraft system. This paper presents the tests using the data of<br />
Fixed wing aircraft Boeing 777-300ER as it is one of the biggest commercial aircraft in the world which is matching the goal<br />
of the project, to give a safety traveling experience for human. The main aim of the project is to produce a generic procedure to<br />
identify a dynamic model from flight simulator and demonstrated with Matlab/Simulink software and to provide a demo procedure<br />
and manual for potential users. The Aircraft<br />
Base on the information from Boeing (<strong>2015</strong>) [1], Boeing 777 is the largest twin engines fixed wing<br />
aircraft in the world and has a seating capacity for 301 to 386 passengers. The 777 family consists of<br />
six different models, with the ability to fly point-to-point non-stop to bypass crowded and busy hub<br />
airports. It has a range capability of 9,700 km to 17,395 km.<br />
The Boeing-300ER is one of the models in 777’s family with the largest range while ER is the name<br />
stands for extended range. It features raked and extended wingtips with a wing aspect ratio of 9.0.<br />
The Boeing 777-300ER is powered with an increased fuel capacity and a maximum thrust of 115,300<br />
lbf (513 kN) and the maximum range is 14,492 km. The Boeing 777-300ER can fly approximately 34<br />
percent farther than the Boeing 777-300 with a full load of passengers and cargo. The first -300ER<br />
was delivered to Air France on April 29, 2004 and it is the best-selling 777 variant, having surpassed<br />
the Boeing 777-200ER. Based on the report of world airliner census (2014) [3], there are 493<br />
Pilot’s field of view<br />
aircrafts in service in July 2014.<br />
Boeing 777-300ER<br />
Simulink system<br />
Dutch Roll test result<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Quan Min Zhu<br />
Project summary<br />
The process of modelling and control of<br />
system for the aircraft is often done by<br />
using a computer, using the data of<br />
aircraft performance. Where the process<br />
is normally of continuous time nature and<br />
the dynamical system is mostly describes<br />
in terms of the differential equations. This<br />
dissertation presents recent<br />
developments in the modelling and<br />
control using flight simulator to collect the<br />
data and Matlab/Simulink software to<br />
analysis<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Review up-to-date art of Merlin flight<br />
simulator and Boeing 777-300ER.<br />
• Learning to operate the<br />
Malab/Simulink to prepare step by step<br />
manual.<br />
• Present basic flight dynamic and<br />
modelling techniques.<br />
• Collect relevant data from<br />
Matlab/Simulink.<br />
• Develop Matlab programs to fit the<br />
proposed dynamic models with the<br />
measured data.<br />
• Prepare a user-friendly demo/program<br />
manual.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Based on the demands of modern human<br />
society, aircrafts have become more and<br />
more complicated. By getting aircraft data<br />
from the internet or Java-foil, aircraft<br />
performance can be simulated with the<br />
use of excel or Matlab/simulink. This<br />
paper has written to give a belief idea on<br />
how modelling and control of an aircraft is<br />
and to provide a user-friendly demo for<br />
public user.
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
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<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic engineering is as<br />
important to our society and<br />
to our lives as other careers<br />
that we are more familiar with,<br />
such as medicine or law. Think<br />
analogue, digital, consumer<br />
products, embedded systems<br />
in cars and aircraft, power and<br />
grid systems, and robotics.<br />
Almost everything we do and<br />
use has electronic engineering<br />
connected to it in some way.<br />
Get accredited<br />
All of our courses are either accredited by<br />
the respective professional bodies or working<br />
towards it.<br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics
Harry Lawrence Tekena<br />
BEng Electronics <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Optimisation Of Solar Panels<br />
Introduction<br />
Solar power is one of the few renewable, low-carbon resource energy system of power generation and the prospects of photovoltaic technology looks the most<br />
promising amongst all the unconventional energy sources aforementioned and available today. Solar Energy has a very large, inexhaustible source of energy<br />
(the sun), so the amount of energy that can be harvested can be said to be limitless thus it presents both the scalability and the technological maturity to meet<br />
the ever-growing global demand for electricity (IDTechEx, <strong>2015</strong>).<br />
The Method of Solar Panel Tracking<br />
The primary tracking method of the sun is the method<br />
of photoelectric tracking. However, in this design, the sunlight angle data is<br />
not tested from the real time data, but from the statistic data released by the<br />
local government. On the one hand, in Nigeria, sunlight is sufficient and<br />
seldom blocked by the cloud, so that the statistic data is fairly enough for this<br />
design (Sunday, 2012). On the other hand, the Arduino microcontroller is<br />
able to communicate with other software, and if it is required to work based<br />
on real-time data, this design is flexible to expand for communication<br />
between a real data providing system or software, which is more flexible and<br />
will significantly reduce the calculation load so that will increase the<br />
response speed with more precision. The procedure for solar panel tracking<br />
design diagram and the programming methodology for the design is<br />
illustrated below<br />
Fig. 1 Design Procedure<br />
Fig. 2 Programming Methodology<br />
AUTOMATION HARDWARE PLATFORM<br />
Represented below is the layout of the interfacing between the PLC<br />
automation software and the hardware for the slew drive positioning and<br />
tracking mobility mechanism. With reference to this layout, the current<br />
azimuth and elevation angle positions of the solar concentrator can be<br />
detected using a tilt sensor, angle sensors, shaft encoders, or Hall magnetic<br />
pulse encoder (Gerro Prinsloo, 2014)<br />
Fig 3 Control block commanding a solar concentrator through DC motor<br />
driven slew drives (Siemens, 2011b)<br />
Microcontrollers<br />
The most important feature of microcontroller is the function, which is not a<br />
chip to achieve some logic function, but an integrated computer system. It<br />
has been widely used in many areas, such as intelligent instrument, real time<br />
industrial control, communication equipment, navigation system and family<br />
appliances. A general Arduino microcontroller shown in Fig.4.<br />
Fig. 4 Arduino Microcontroller (AM, <strong>2015</strong>)<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project is top design and develops a<br />
responsive and optimized solar panel based system<br />
that follows the sun’s position to achieve maximum<br />
efficiency all day/year long. This effectively means<br />
that the solar panel is kept perpendicular to the sun<br />
throughout the year to make it more efficient. The<br />
basic concept is developing a tracking system which is<br />
implemented by program that access and preload<br />
metrological precise location data of the sun from the<br />
internet by using Arduino MCU with an Arduino Wi-<br />
Fi/Ethernet shield that drives the actuators to control<br />
the tracker movement.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives of the project include the following:<br />
• Implement and design dual axis solar tracking<br />
system;<br />
• Generate block diagram of the architecture of the<br />
software platform;<br />
• Design control algorithms for stepper motors,<br />
controllers and gear box;<br />
• Implement PSU: voltage regulator;<br />
• Generate feedback control algorithm;<br />
• Overall unit compact and portable.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• The basics approach of this project was developing<br />
a responsive solar tracking system using intelligent<br />
user interface for the tracking the sun The overall<br />
aim of the project and the general outline was<br />
clearly understood.<br />
• The design is electrically efficient and the basic<br />
hardware and mechanics have been implemented.<br />
• The Pin specification and circuit schematic for the<br />
motor drive have been carried out.<br />
• The design allows two degree freedom of<br />
movement (one for the Azimuth and the other for<br />
the horizontal movement).
Yingling.Zhuo<br />
Beng(HONS) Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Self-tuning PID Controller Design For a Continuously Stirred Tank<br />
Reactor<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Professor Quan Zhu<br />
System Block Diagram<br />
Self-tuning PID Controller with CSTR Model<br />
Self-tuning Controller compare with PID Control<br />
shows different states of the two curves. The blue curve and green curve are<br />
self-tuning control result and PID control result, respectively. The result<br />
shows, at same conditions, simple PID controller is unable to control the<br />
temperature to target value, it will reach about 531.5 K after a sharp rise and<br />
hardly to reach the target value, while the self-tuning PID controller has reach<br />
the target value after oscillation.<br />
System Architecture<br />
The ‘Step’ is system reference input signal. The ‘adaptive controller’ is selftuning<br />
PID controller, which is the core part of the system, it works to<br />
estimate real-time parameters of system, calculation controller parameters<br />
and controlled variable. ‘CSTR Subsystem’ is controlled object. ‘Output<br />
result’ shows system output yy. ‘Output result1’ shows reactant<br />
concentrations. ‘ID parameters’ shows system parameter estimates. The<br />
‘adaptive controller’ has three inputs and two outputs.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project shows how a self-tuning PID controller to<br />
control the temperature for the continuously stirred<br />
tank reactor (CSTR) and behaviour in a desired<br />
manner. Also, the project shows all steps which<br />
included in the process, the following step are<br />
modelling, simulation and analysis of difference of<br />
controller parameter in order to identify the ideal of<br />
the controller parameters. In addition, this project<br />
will on basis of a practical example tries to use a<br />
modelling of CSTR for control input and the<br />
temperature output will have a feedback loop to pass<br />
though the PID controller, and the PID controller will<br />
auto adjust the heating temperature. Therefore, the<br />
temperature can be maintained at the set<br />
temperature of the reactor. All the process will be<br />
built in Simulink.<br />
Compare Two Self-tuning<br />
Controllers Data Table<br />
According to the table, these data<br />
show when the sample time is<br />
set 1ss, systems hardly to reach the<br />
target value. Also results of 0.1ss<br />
and 0.05ss are similarly. But when<br />
the sample time is chose 0.1ss, the<br />
system is easier to control.<br />
CSTR model<br />
This method is taking the advantage of the condenser heat transfer system. In<br />
order to establish a mathematical model of CSTR can be assumed to be an entirety<br />
product, below will show the following step of this method:<br />
(1) The mixing is completed.<br />
(2) The flow volume of into the material and outflow the material are same.<br />
(3) The chemical reaction in the reactor is an irreversible exothermic reaction in<br />
first order reaction.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• CSTR working principle analysis<br />
• Self-tuning PID controller design<br />
• Simulation of Self-tuning PID controller with CSTR<br />
• Collect relevant data from simulation<br />
• Prepare a user-friendly demo/program manual<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The control result is depending on the different<br />
mathematical methods. In this project, two different<br />
self-tuning controllers have been chosen for control<br />
the system, which are zzzz2pppp and pppp2aa_1Controller.<br />
According to the data from the table, zn2pi has been<br />
chosen to control the CSTR system and shown a good<br />
result in this project .
Ahmed Baraka<br />
BEng (Hons) Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Hassan Nouri<br />
STATCOM Inverter Switching Techniques: Investigation Using<br />
MATLAB/Simulink<br />
1. Overview<br />
Static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) allows full utilization of existing power generation and transmission facilities. DC/AC inverter is a key component of<br />
the STATCOM device. The inverter takes a DC voltage from a battery, a solar panel or any DC storage devices as input, and converts it into an AC voltage output.<br />
This conversion is globally useful especially in places where the electrical infrastructure is not well-developed, since it provides a reliable mechanism to power<br />
up AC appliances like electronic medical instruments in case of system failure or brownouts. This research focuses on investigating various Pulse Width<br />
Modulation (PWM) switching schemes used for STATCOM inverter.<br />
2. Single phase DC/AC inverter<br />
MATLAB/Simulink has been used to design the building block for Sinusoidal PWM (SPWM). Signals, generated by SPWM drive the DC/AC inverter. As a<br />
results, the inverter produces an output current, which is only distorted by 0.54%. This means that most of the energy stored in batteries, or solar panels<br />
will be transformed into a desirable form with minimum losses, thus, increasing the efficiency of the inverter.<br />
Project summary<br />
The main aim of this project is to investigate and<br />
compare different Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)<br />
switching techniques for the purpose of identifying<br />
the total harmonics distortion (THD) of the output<br />
current waveform. The technique with the least THD<br />
is to be used to study the performance of STATCOM.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To investigate various available switching<br />
techniques used for STATCOM inverters.<br />
• To simulate available switching schemes on a<br />
multilevel, single phase and three phase inverter<br />
using MATLAB/Simulink.<br />
• To demonstrate the phase shifting properties of<br />
the generated waveform by studying the<br />
performance of STATCOM.<br />
3. STATCOM Performance<br />
Ideally, the voltage level at the customer end needs to be maintained at a certain level, regardless of any changes to the nature of the load. However, the load<br />
bus bar faces variations in voltage level, when new loads are connected to the grid. The two main loads are: inductive loads, which cause the voltage at the<br />
customer end to drop down, and capacitive loads, which cause the voltage at the customer end to go up. This problem is overcome by connecting the<br />
STATCOM device to the system to act as a guard, which keeps the voltage maintained regardless of the nature of the load.<br />
3.1 Inductive loads<br />
3.2 Capacitive loads<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• Upon simulation and investigation, sinusoidal<br />
PWM has proven to be a very practical and<br />
reliable switching technique.<br />
• On a small scale, sinusoidal PWM can be used to<br />
drive inverters to transform the continuous<br />
current produced by the photovoltaic cells into<br />
alternating current, ready to be directly absorbed<br />
into the electricity distribution grid.<br />
• On a large scale, the sinusoidal PWM inverter can<br />
be used to design a closed loop control system<br />
that compensates the flow of reactive power in<br />
existing systems, thus, stabilising the voltage<br />
level.
Shrey Hirpara<br />
BEng Electronics <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Electronic Ear - Investigation and Implementation of computational<br />
models of a human ear.<br />
Introduction<br />
Automatic speech recognition can be defined as the ability of an independent electronic system to translate a spoken language into a<br />
readable text in real time. It recognition has gained a lot of importance over last decade The need for efficient speech recognition<br />
system has become essential in current day applications. An effective approach to solve this problem would be to model the human<br />
cochlea which will give an insight in to how humans perceive speech. The human cochlea is responsible for converting the sound energy<br />
in to electrical signals which is the inherent reason for hearing. The cochlea model designed in this investigation is based on the Lyon's<br />
Cochlea gram model.<br />
Design Parameters<br />
As seen in Figure 2, 3 inputs and a audio input are added together which pass through the gain then the filterbank<br />
(inside the subsystem). 36 filters are used in the filterbank with one Lowpass filter, 34 Bandpass and one Highpass<br />
filter. They are set up in cascaded parallel configuration as seen in figure 3. The white boxes represent the filters<br />
and the yellow boxes represent the spectrum scopes after each filter to observe its output. All filter outputs are<br />
added together to form the final signal. Two models are designed where one used FIR filters and the other uses<br />
IIR.<br />
Results<br />
Figure 1. Depicts Lyon’s cochlear model.<br />
Figure 2. Shows the designed cochlear<br />
model in Simulink.<br />
As seen in figure 4, the output graph shows all the frequency components of the input signal which are at 1kHz,<br />
10kHz and 15kHz. Simulation using real life sound was also conducted using the ‘Audio Device’ block in figure 2,<br />
where the output showed all the frequency components. Individual filters were also tested with the passband and<br />
stopband frequencies. The filters worked as expected. A comparison was put up between the implementation of<br />
FIR and IIR filters bank designs which concluded in very similar output results.<br />
Figure 3. Depicts the filterbank inside the<br />
subsystem..<br />
Figure 4. Shows the output signal<br />
using the spectrum scope.<br />
Project summary<br />
This thesis is targeted at designing and implementing<br />
a software electronic model of the human ear.<br />
Initially, the human ear is studied along with all its<br />
functions. Two effective computational ear models,<br />
Lyon’s and Patterson’s are investigated while Lyon’s<br />
model is chosen to design the ear model. The<br />
software simulations are done using Simulink. Since<br />
the human ear has the audible range of 20Hz to<br />
20kHz, the total frequency range in the model is also<br />
the same. The segregation of the frequency bands<br />
among the filters are divided according to the<br />
sensitivity of the human ear.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Study of the human auditory system which is the<br />
root of this research.<br />
• Investigate the existing achieved auditory<br />
research and learn the Lyon’s auditory model.<br />
• Design the cochlea gram based on cascade only<br />
Lyon’s cochlear model on Simulink.<br />
• Validation of various components of the design<br />
under different conditions such as:<br />
‣ Response to human speech: Human ear has better<br />
sensitivity to speech when compared to other<br />
frequencies. This test will help in test it.<br />
‣ Response to the entire hearing spectrum<br />
‣ Response to frequencies outside the hearing<br />
spectrum<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The anatomy of human ear was analyzed. Various<br />
filter designs such as FIR, IIR and their<br />
implementations were studied by simulating on<br />
Simulink and understanding the responses. The<br />
spread factor was derived such that the response of<br />
one filter does not affect the response of other filters<br />
because all of them are mutually coupled. The<br />
completed design was then subjected a number of<br />
tests across all the corners of the input spectrum. The<br />
results obtained matched the understanding of the<br />
Lyon’s cochlea model.
Rhys David<br />
Beng Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor: Nigel Gunton<br />
An Investigation Into the use of Open Source Alternatives for the Altera<br />
NEEK (Nios II Embedded Evaluation Kit)<br />
The Altera NEEK is an FPGA-based, touch screen development board which is<br />
full of great hardware specs and peripherals. However, the intended<br />
operation of the device uses an closed-standard app-based GUI, whereby the<br />
designer is able to produce a range of different specific-use apps with<br />
Altera’s Quartus II software, to be stored in a connected SD card, which the<br />
GUI displays when the device is powered on. The App Selector GUI is not<br />
editable or configurable to the user, and leaves the functions and usefulness<br />
of the device limited.<br />
The main goal of this investigation was to find and implement an open<br />
source, alternative operating system for the NEEK, in the process removing<br />
the closed standards which hold it back.<br />
The two big focuses of the investigation were the advantages of open source<br />
software, and also the flexibility and power of FPGAs.<br />
The big difference separating the NEEK from popularised hobby project<br />
micro-computers such as the raspberry pi, is that the NEEK is built around a<br />
Cyclone III FPGA. This makes the device far more flexible in its uses, as the<br />
actual hardware of the device can be manipulated for different tasks.<br />
Of the many open source options out there, uCLinux was chosen to be<br />
installed onto the device. uCLinux is a commonly used, stripped-down<br />
version of the Linux 2.0 kernel, which was designed originally for micro<br />
controllers, but its small footprint and wide range of compatible porting<br />
options makes it a popular choice in many projects.<br />
The operating system was implemented by using an openly available<br />
hardware build as the default, and using U-Boot (a board-specific<br />
configurable bootloader for operating systems) for configuring the flash<br />
environment, and for downloading binaries via TFTP (Trivial File Transfer<br />
Protocol) to also be stored in flash.<br />
At boot, a converted .rbf (raw binary file) of the .sof hardware build is loaded<br />
from flash to configure the FPGA. Then, uCLinux boots from flash. uCLinux<br />
has so far been configured to run a few commands on its own at boot,<br />
including running a touch screen configuration utility, and a basic graphical<br />
user interface, with a terminal window.<br />
In the future, it is hoped that this project can be taken further, to configure<br />
uCLinux to be able to control the hardware on the FPGA for any tasks it<br />
requires, e.g. extra processing power if a task is especially challenging, or<br />
logic blocks if required.<br />
Project Summary<br />
An investigation has been made into potential open<br />
source alternatives for Altera’s touch screen, FPGAbased<br />
development board: the Nios II Embedded<br />
Evaluation Kit, and the closed standards implemented<br />
as default on the device.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To find and integrate, or implement from scratch, a<br />
hardware design for an open source operating<br />
system.<br />
• To install an open source operating system onto<br />
the device.<br />
• To explore the potential of an FPGA device being<br />
controlled by Linux<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
An open source alternative for the Altera NEEK has<br />
been found and implemented, in the form of uCLinux,<br />
a scaled down version of Linux based on the 2.0<br />
kernel. From the implementation, the following<br />
conclusions may be drawn.<br />
• The NEEK proves as a stable base for Linux to work<br />
with, and the two seem to work very well together.<br />
• Although a version of U-Boot was not found that<br />
included the necessary configuration files for the<br />
NEEK, adding board configurations is not an overly<br />
complicated procedure, and once the files were<br />
added and errors solved, u-boot seemed to work<br />
well for allowing the board to load the hardware,<br />
and then uCLinux, with plenty of options for<br />
configuring further, if need be.<br />
• By simply editing the way in which uCLinux boots,<br />
it was shown how flexible Linux is as a platform,<br />
and how easily configurable its file system is,<br />
proving it was a good candidate for the alternative<br />
to Altera’s standards.
Nigel Godwin<br />
BEng (hons) Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
There are many requirements that a 6502<br />
microprocessor clone should fulfil. These include<br />
appearance, operation, behaviour and timings.<br />
Hardwired Control Units<br />
The control unit of each CPU uses combinatorial<br />
and sequential logic to generate the CPU’s internal<br />
and external control signals. These control signals<br />
cause the CPU to perform the desired microoperations<br />
in the correct order to fetch, decode<br />
and execute the instructions in the processor’s<br />
instruction set<br />
Microsequencer Control<br />
A Microsequencer stores its control signals in a<br />
lookup ROM, the microcode memory. By accessing<br />
the locations of the ROM in the correct order, the<br />
lookup rom asserts the control signals in the<br />
proper sequence to realize the instructions in the<br />
processor’s instruction set.<br />
The Decision<br />
Microprocessor Type 6502 Clone<br />
When considering the two design concepts<br />
introduced in Chapter 6, a decision was made<br />
relating to a desired approach toward the cloning<br />
of the 6502. The decision was governed by the<br />
result of the investigators research, coupled with<br />
his personal career based needs and<br />
requirements. With this in mind, it was decided<br />
that a hardwired control system would be<br />
implemented.<br />
In my normal working capacity as a lecturer, I am<br />
being considered for the delivery of an<br />
introductory level of VHDL as a new subject area<br />
of learning for my students. With this in mind, I<br />
saw the possibility of improving my own<br />
knowledge of the basic concepts of hardware<br />
design language and its usage. I therefore decided<br />
that a TTL logic design, originally constructed by<br />
Ruud Baltissen would be implemented.<br />
RTL Diagram of 74LS393<br />
Euroboard 1<br />
There was four connectors used in the design of<br />
this board. They are identified by using the<br />
prefixes: con1_, con2, con3, con4. Each connection<br />
pin was then identified individually, e.g.,<br />
con1_reset, con1_rdy, and so on.<br />
The integrated circuit designs that were included<br />
in this board were:<br />
74ALS32<br />
74ALS573<br />
74LS688<br />
74LD125<br />
74ALS04<br />
These were then converted to schematic symbols<br />
and inserted into the schematic and connected<br />
accordingly.<br />
Enlarged section of Euroboard 1 showing<br />
converted symbols for designed integrated circuits.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been performed to examine the<br />
practicalities involved in cloning a 6502<br />
microprocessor by using Hardware Description<br />
Language. The cloned system is designed to use ‘Old<br />
School’ techniques, rather than the on-board tools<br />
that are incorporated into the Altera software<br />
package that was used. Although the design is not<br />
fully completed, all testing that has been carried out<br />
has confirmed the viability of the approach. It is<br />
considered that when completed, the design could be<br />
used as an educational aid to introduce new students<br />
to the possibilities that VHDL can offer when used in<br />
its most basic form.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this investigation into cloning a 6502<br />
microprocessor is do design a processor which, when<br />
linked to the necessary peripherals will be able to<br />
allow archive games for Commodore 64 and Atari<br />
home computers to be played.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Although this investigation was never going to derive<br />
a working 6502 due to the necessity of additional<br />
peripheral components, it has fully accomplished its<br />
desired outcomes.<br />
The investigator, due to work requirements needed<br />
to be able to embrace the topic of VHDL from the<br />
point of basic principles and practices. By designing<br />
the TTL logic integrated circuits from scratch, the<br />
investigator has learned various methods of<br />
combining bot combinational and sequential logic<br />
within the VHDL environment.<br />
The individual integrated circuit designs, when tested,<br />
all worked correctly, therefore suggesting that when<br />
connected into the schematic design files, a<br />
successful result will ensue.<br />
The exploration into the use of blocks and conduits to<br />
combine individual schematic design files by way of<br />
connectors was very successful, with the investigator<br />
successfully connecting the necessary circuit board<br />
designs, via the use of the backplane.
Ji Qiu<br />
BEng (Hons) Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Quan Min Zhu<br />
Application of Hidden Markov Model to Locate Soccer Robots<br />
Introduction<br />
The Hidden Markov Model is a statistical model with unobserved and independent states. This project aims to advance the applicable algorithms by Hidden<br />
Markov Model as a basis for predicting the probabilities in location of soccer robot’s trajectories. Moreover, the algorithm adopts Hidden Markov Model as a<br />
means of estimating and predicting position of soccer robot with given map and sensory data. Finally, computational experiment approach was used to<br />
demonstrate the analytical results with MATLAB simulations.<br />
Rolling-Back Algorithm<br />
As Hidden Markov Model shown in Figure 1, the dynamic process for the<br />
probability in total states can be described as below:<br />
<br />
pp 1 tt + ∆tt = ww 1,1 pp 1 tt + ww 2,1 pp 2 tt + ⋯ + ww nn,1 pp nn tt<br />
pp 2 tt + ∆tt = ww 1,2 pp 1 tt + ww 2,2 pp 2 tt + ⋯ + ww nn,2 pp nn tt<br />
…<br />
pp nn tt + ∆tt = ww 1,nn pp 1 tt + ww 2,nn pp 2 tt + ⋯ + ww nn,nn pp nn tt<br />
Where tt (0, 1, 2 … ) is the discrete time index. When tt = 0, pp 1 0 = 1,<br />
pp ii 0 = 0(ii = 2,3, … , nn)<br />
Application in Predicting<br />
Suppose that the original situation is like figure right hand side. Assume that<br />
up move is the direction to goal. That is, the connect probability from<br />
beginning state to up state is the largest one. Generally, left and right<br />
directions are the same value and down direction has the least probability.<br />
Blue and red rectangles mean different teams when the circle one represents<br />
the soccer robot which is analysed carrying the soccer ball. As other robots<br />
are obstacles, blue and red rectangles are unwalkable.<br />
Computational Application<br />
This simulation generally contains three<br />
parts as follows:<br />
• Field specification<br />
• Determine transition probability matrix<br />
• Position prediction<br />
This progress can be organised as an<br />
excellent self-adaptation control system.<br />
The rolling-back algorithm defaults that the<br />
Markov Model discussed here satisfies<br />
homogeneity. But in actual practical<br />
application, the stochastic sequence may<br />
not satisfy the homogeneity. Under this<br />
situation, perhaps overlying the predicting<br />
probabilities of different orders should be<br />
considered together, because these<br />
probabilities may donate to the prediction.<br />
Furthermore, the influences of these<br />
probabilities of different orders on the<br />
prediction can be different in fact. In order<br />
to improve the system, this kind of<br />
considerations should be taken into<br />
account. That is to say, these predicted<br />
results of different orders should be<br />
superimposed with different weighting<br />
factors.<br />
Assume that the probability of initial state of<br />
the system can be represented by a vector PP ss .<br />
After ∆tt = 1 times, the relationship between<br />
PP ss and the expected probability vector<br />
PP ss (tt + 1) = (aa 1 , aa 2 , aa 3 … aa nn ) could be<br />
described as the equation (Rolling-Back<br />
Algorithm)below:<br />
PP tttttttttttttttttttt ∈ PP ss (tt) PP ss tt + 1 = PP ss tt WW mmmmmm<br />
Where WW is a matrix.<br />
• Step 1: Calculate the probability by Hidden Markov Model<br />
Algorithm.<br />
• Step 2: Find the best trajectory by compare these<br />
probabilities above.<br />
• Step 3: The robot could make a decision for next step.<br />
Hence, the available state should be detected again at the<br />
same time and calculate the initial probabilities originally<br />
from present state to next step in expected state.<br />
Figure 3: Example simulation<br />
Figure 1: Markov Chain<br />
Figure 2: Simple example<br />
Project summary<br />
This project adopts a Hidden Markov Model as a basis<br />
for predicting the probabilities in location of soccer<br />
robot’s trajectories, and uses computational<br />
experiment approach to demonstrate the analytical<br />
results with MATLAB simulations.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Take critical survey on the up-to-date status of the<br />
relevant research and applications.<br />
• Tailor the theory of Markov chains into a<br />
condensed pack for the problems.<br />
• Select parameter estimation algorithms.<br />
• With MATLAB, design program to implement the<br />
numerical algorithms with initial demonstration<br />
of the computational effectiveness and accuracy.<br />
• Apply the Markov model and its parameter<br />
estimation algorithm to soccer robot’s localisation<br />
for further bench test of the theoretical results.<br />
• Design user friendly manual to run the<br />
demonstration programs.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project has formulated a research problem<br />
(location of soccer robots), proposed a solution<br />
procedure (based on Hidden Markov Model), and<br />
finally used computational experiment approach to<br />
demonstrate the analytical results with MATLAB<br />
simulations. With the research understanding,<br />
Hidden Markov Model has been a very useful<br />
framework to accommodate predicting problems<br />
encountered in many stochastic systems, which its<br />
applications in soccer robot location could promote<br />
many other interesting research issues as well as<br />
increasing the robot intelligence. Once again this is<br />
the beginning stage presented in the paper and<br />
comprehensive future studies have been planned<br />
accordingly.
Emmanuel Egerue<br />
BEng Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Brian Carse<br />
Research of Photovoltaic Systems for Different Types of Buildings<br />
Introduction<br />
A solar cell is a semiconductor device which is nothing but a P-N junction diode and can convert sun light into electrical energy. When a<br />
solar PV module is in touch with sunlight, it generates voltage and current at its output terminals.<br />
In recent years, this technology has become highly effective because of less maintenance and continuous availability of solar energy in<br />
the cleanest form.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project seeks to research how to design a<br />
photovoltaic system for a set of buildings.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objective of this project is to<br />
research the design photovoltaic systems for<br />
different types of buildings.. To do this, the<br />
following would have to be done:<br />
• Estimating the number of PV modules that<br />
would be needed.<br />
• Calculating the size of the inverter.<br />
• Calculating the number of batteries that<br />
would be needed.<br />
• Calculating solar charge controller sizing.<br />
• All the equipment necessary to construct a<br />
model generation set for the given set of<br />
buildings would have to be considered.<br />
• The cost analysis would also have to be<br />
considered.<br />
Figure 1: How a Solar Panel Works<br />
Monocrystalline Silicon<br />
• The commercial cells of the highest efficiency<br />
are made from monocrystalline silicon.<br />
• Typical modules would convert 15% of the solar<br />
radiation received into electrical energy.<br />
• Cells are blue or black, and generally have<br />
rounded corners.<br />
Multicrystalline Silicon<br />
• Cells are generally blue and square.<br />
• This gives the cells a glistening appearance and<br />
gives a clean high-tech image.<br />
• Multicrystalline silicon is cheaper than<br />
monocrystalline silicon, but there is a trade-off<br />
between cost and efficiency.<br />
Figure 2: Solar Panels on Some Houses<br />
Amorphous Silicon<br />
• Amorphous silicon does not have any long<br />
range crystal structure, and as a result its<br />
modules have low efficiencies of between 4%<br />
and 6%.<br />
• Laboratory efficiencies can be as high 11.8%,<br />
but they have not yet been reproduced<br />
commercially on large area modules.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• Much electricity can be generated even<br />
under overcast conditions.<br />
• They reduce CO 2 emissions , and are the<br />
renewable energy technology best suited<br />
for use within the urban environment.<br />
• Generating electricity from your own roof<br />
leads to an independence from the<br />
electricity grid and protects from future<br />
price rises.
Ben Daffurn<br />
BEng – Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
Voltage Spike Generator for Qualification Testing<br />
Background:<br />
Modern aircraft systems contain many pieces of complex electronic<br />
equipment; vital aircraft systems that would originally have been mechanical<br />
have been replaced with electrical alternatives . Voltage spikes have always<br />
been present in the electrical systems on aircraft; however this huge increase<br />
in complex integrated electronic equipment has meant that the need to<br />
provide protection against them is now more critical.<br />
To ensure a high standard of safety, a number of aviation authorities exist to<br />
ensure that international best practices are followed; the Federal Aviation<br />
Authority (FAA) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are two such authorities.<br />
Before an item of electronic equipment is allowed to operate as part of an<br />
aircraft in flight, compliance must be shown to the rules and regulations set<br />
out by the FAA or CAA. There are a number of aviation standards/<br />
specifications available that can be followed to demonstrate this compliance.<br />
A Voltage Spike:<br />
A Voltage Spike is a short duration high voltage pulse and is most commonly<br />
caused by electric motors. Spikes can be several hundred volts in amplitude<br />
and generally only last for a few microseconds.<br />
For qualification test purposes the characteristics of the voltage spike are<br />
defined by industry standards, typically DO-160G for civil and MIL-STD-461F<br />
for military platforms. A typical voltage spike can be seen above.<br />
Research:<br />
The background research that was conducted into voltage spike generator<br />
looked into; the common causes of voltage spikes in aircraft electrical<br />
systems , the effects of voltage spikes and methods of voltage spike<br />
generation. Additionally detailed research was conducted into the<br />
qualification test standards DO-160G and MIL-STD-461F. These commonly<br />
used standards were used to derive the requirements fort he voltage spike<br />
generator.<br />
The Design:<br />
The block diagram above shows the top level system design for the voltage<br />
spike generator. The fundamental components include a resonant circuit to<br />
define the characteristic of the spike, a low pass filter to provide the<br />
required source impedance and a microcontroller circuit to provide timing<br />
functionality / a user interface.<br />
Prototype:<br />
A prototype is currently being developed as proof of concept of the design.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project details the design and<br />
development of a voltage spike generator that<br />
complies with the applicable aviation<br />
standards.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the project was to design and<br />
develop a voltage spike generator that is<br />
capable of safely and reliably generating and<br />
applying a voltage spike to the Equipment<br />
Under Test (EUT). This included:<br />
• Compliance to the applicable aviation<br />
standards, primarily DO-160G.<br />
• Verification of the design.<br />
• Accompanying documentation ,including a<br />
user manual, to enable calibration,<br />
electrical safety checks and release of the<br />
Test Equipment (TE) before use.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
As a whole, the project was a success. Despite<br />
not all of the project objectives being met in<br />
the available time frame, extensive simulation<br />
and analysis has provided confidence that the<br />
design will safely and reliably generate<br />
voltage spikes, that comply with the<br />
applicable aviation standards.
Benjamin Fatunmise<br />
Meng Electronic engineering<br />
WSNs using the ZigBee, with emphasis on communication<br />
This project embarks on the study of wireless technology, in particular the investigation of the implementation of a wireless monitoring<br />
and control system, with a special emphasis on communication. The monitoring and control of an Incubator was targeted as a case<br />
study. The wireless protocol that was considered was the ZigBee. The radio which was used to support the ZigBee was the XBee. “The<br />
XBee is a brand of radio that supports a variety of communication protocols, Including ZigBee, 802.15.4,Wi-fi,among others”<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Three tests were performed:<br />
• The first was a WSN network with<br />
digital/analogue temperature and humidity sensor<br />
where an open loop and closed loop system were<br />
studied in depth.<br />
• The second was a test of the received<br />
signal strength (RSSI) at various distances bearing in<br />
mind the factors such as; line of sight (LOS) and<br />
Non-line-of sight (NLOS).<br />
• The last was a measure of the packet<br />
delay(round trip time) in a point to point network<br />
RSSI(dBm)<br />
-30<br />
-35<br />
-40<br />
-45<br />
-50<br />
-55<br />
-60<br />
-65<br />
-70<br />
-75<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Distance(meters)<br />
-37<br />
-39<br />
-42<br />
-43<br />
-50<br />
-55<br />
RSSI LOS<br />
RSSI NLOS<br />
-60<br />
-65<br />
-70<br />
-70<br />
-73<br />
-75<br />
All three of the tests proved successful when using<br />
the analogue and digital components. From each test,<br />
valid conclusions were made, these were;<br />
• With the increase in distance the<br />
communication will falter. It will falter much more if<br />
there are obstructions in the way of the XBee<br />
modules line of sight.<br />
• Most of the delay in the round trip<br />
time is caused by the acknowledgement that needs<br />
to be sent from the coordinator when it receives the<br />
packet from the router.<br />
• A closed loop system implemented<br />
within a WSN can help recognize and resolve issues in<br />
which in this case can be a high<br />
temperature/humidity.<br />
-80<br />
-80<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Signal strength vs distance<br />
1. Successful wireless Connection (a working wireless sensor<br />
network)<br />
2. Parsing and data acquisition<br />
3. Analyse wireless Signal (data transmission rates and packets)<br />
4. Closing the wireless loop<br />
Final thoughts!!!<br />
it would have been interesting to see the “Internet of things” implemented in some<br />
type of manner. One aspect that would aid curiosity is “what if the Wireless<br />
incubator system could be controlled from a smartphone?” There are many devices<br />
currently which send information to a cloud(online) for people who are miles away<br />
to view. This is the extent of wireless technology currently. An instance where this<br />
would prove beneficial is if you had to leave the incubator running for a long period<br />
of time, the individual would need to monitor the incubator some way. If the<br />
individual could monitor whilst being on the move, that would prove to be the<br />
most ideal situation. Methods to achieve this would be extremely informative,<br />
pleasing and exceedingly helpful to the everyday individual.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project as whole revolved around the<br />
communication of wireless sensor networks. The aim<br />
of project was to put the wireless connections to the<br />
test under various conditions testing its limits and it<br />
strengths. Between the three most prominent<br />
wireless protocols (WI-FI, Bluetooth and ZigBee),<br />
ZigBee was the protocol favored for this project<br />
simply due to its low power consumption, simple<br />
network deployment, low installation costs and<br />
reliable data transmissions. For a communications<br />
project involving a WSN this would be the most ideal<br />
solution
Jack Bottomley<br />
BEng – Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
Solid State PCB Valve Design<br />
Aircraft need the ability to control the flow of liquids around the entire airframe; examples include re-directing or stopping the flow of<br />
fuel and air in the air conditioning as well as controlling the amount of fuel being provided to the engines. Until now, mechanical valves<br />
have been implemented to do these processes, however as technology develops in the aviation industry, there is becoming a need for<br />
smaller, lighter and more reliable solutions.<br />
Printed circuit boards are commonly used in a variety of applications due to their versatile functionality; however until now they have<br />
never been used to control a solid state valve. Opening a valve that controls the flow of a liquid between two chambers, using only a<br />
PCB is a new concept, which has not yet been developed. This method has the potential to replace the mechanical alternative if the<br />
concept is feasible.<br />
Design<br />
Once all the possible ideas for the PCB valve had been compared and selected the design<br />
stage was completed. Auto cad was used to design the physical parts and they were sent<br />
off to be manufactured for a strong , high temperature material called polyimide.<br />
A reactive filler was designed to hold the a plug into the board, which would deform and<br />
open the valve once heated to 140◦c via the PCB tracks. Calculations were made for track<br />
width and circuit designs were made so that the system would work as required once the<br />
PCB was powered up from a power supply.<br />
Research<br />
Initial research into possible solutions was completed. The<br />
materials and set-up for the PCB and valve were chosen after<br />
looking into different options. Materials such as Zirconium<br />
tungstate (Zr(WO 4 ) 2 ) which display characteristics of<br />
negative thermal expansion ,were considered but rejected<br />
due to high cost and difficulty of manufacturing them to<br />
required specification<br />
Build & Test<br />
After all the separate parts of the system had been manufactured, they could be<br />
brought together and integrated ready for testing and verification. A circuit breaker<br />
was used for circuit protection and added safety. A weight was applied to the PCB<br />
valve to represent the force being applied to the valve from water trying to pass<br />
through. The valve was then opened on command, allowing the weight to fall,<br />
demonstrating that the valve could be used to open and control the flow of water.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project was to research then design and<br />
build a prototype PCB board that has the<br />
ability to open a valve ,allowing the flow of a<br />
liquid to be controlled.<br />
This project was initiated so that a modern<br />
solution could be developed with a view of<br />
replacing a mechanical valve that is currently<br />
used for this application.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objective of this project, was to prove a<br />
conceptual idea that a valve can be controlled<br />
by a PCB using minimal components. The aim<br />
was to design and build a prototype that<br />
could be verified against the requirements,<br />
proving that there are alternative options to<br />
using a relatively unreliable mechanical valve.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project was successful in the fact that a<br />
prototype was manufactured and tested. The<br />
concept was proven to be a valid idea that<br />
with further development could be used for<br />
future applications within the aviation<br />
industry.<br />
Out of five tests, the system worked correctly four times, giving it an 80% success<br />
rate. The test results were analysed against requirements so that the success of the<br />
project could be determined.
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<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
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Electrical and<br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Imagine a world without<br />
electricity or electronic devices.<br />
It is easy to see why electrical<br />
and electronic engineering<br />
is vital to our survival and<br />
the development of future<br />
technologies. Electronic<br />
engineers play an important<br />
role in the design, development,<br />
distribution and eventual<br />
recycling of numerous everyday<br />
products. As a result, qualified<br />
electrical and electronic<br />
engineers are always needed.<br />
Apply<br />
knowledge<br />
We work closely with leading blue chip<br />
employers such as HP, Airbus UK, Agusta<br />
Westland and GE Aviation.
Mezyad Alotaibi<br />
Beng (Hons) Electrical and Electronics <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Hassan Nouri<br />
Transformer Bank Unbalance: Practical Issues and Solutions<br />
Project summary<br />
This project will explain dissimilar single phase<br />
transformers issues and faults in a common bank. The<br />
parameters that are studied to see the effect they have on<br />
the network and which parameter is causing the problem.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1) Understanding the problem.<br />
2) Construct the network using PSCAD.<br />
3) Construct and simulate networks to better<br />
understanding<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The results for this condition when the load is<br />
un-balanced show that the third harmonic<br />
(150 Hz) is dominant factor in the neutral<br />
current. This is also the case for the<br />
conditions when the leakage reactance, the<br />
power factor, active power, and the reactive<br />
power are increased in the transformer<br />
(leakage reactance) and the load side<br />
respectively.
Noor Mazni Ahmad Hamidi<br />
Meng Electrical Electronic<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Gary Atkinson<br />
Pedestrian Detection for a Reversing Camera<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
Pedestrian Detection one of the system that widely applied especially for safety and surveillance area. So that, the propose of this<br />
investigation is to explore methods and ways by using computer vision with some specification that will assist driver to reduce the risk<br />
of a people being run over by a reversing vehicle. There are many system provided same application but each system has advantages<br />
and disadvantages. This project is involved of change in detection, image processing, camera calibration and computer vision. This<br />
investigation will start with to detect pedestrian around car that are static and then will look forward to detect the presence of people<br />
around the cars while the cars is moving.<br />
Method Approach<br />
Initially, there are some different potential method can be<br />
considered to detect an object in an image. One of them is by<br />
using thresholding method.<br />
Thresholding is a process of converting a grayscale input<br />
image to bi-level image by using optimal threshold. This<br />
method is used in this project.<br />
4 Computer Vision<br />
Computer vision has become a high-profile<br />
subject in recent time. It is a field that<br />
includes methods for acquiring, processing,<br />
modelled and understanding image and data<br />
from the real world in order to produce<br />
numerical or symbolic information. Computer<br />
Vision System Toolbox provides a<br />
comprehensive set of algorithms and<br />
functions for object tracking.<br />
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research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
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paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
Project summary<br />
This project aimed to use computer vision<br />
approach by using image processing toolbox.<br />
This project it will concentrate to camera that<br />
we build on car to detect presence an object<br />
behind the car with high scale and accuracy.<br />
This detection will enable the driver to be<br />
alerted if a pedestrian were stray behind the<br />
vehicle.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To provide high quality pedestrian detector in order<br />
to overcome accidents.<br />
To conduct a study the existing systems which rely on<br />
detecting any object close to the cat.<br />
To investigate and study the method by using<br />
computer vision toolbox.<br />
To study and investigate different point of pedestrian<br />
in many scene by using image processing form.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Computer vision provided a good method in some<br />
application. The development of computer vision<br />
help human to study and obtain some result in order<br />
to compare and synchronize with the real world. This<br />
project is the beginning of something that could<br />
ultimately give an idea to provide a better system in<br />
term of human safety or pedestrian detection system<br />
application
Ross Sanders<br />
Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Electric power train for Formula Student electric car<br />
What is formula student?<br />
Formula Student (FS) is Europe's most established educational motorsport<br />
competition, run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Universities<br />
from across the globe are challenged to design and build a single-seat racing<br />
car in order to compete in static and dynamic events, which demonstrate<br />
their understanding and test the performance of the vehicle.<br />
Electric car entry class<br />
This is the first year that <strong>UWE</strong> have had an electric car design team. Formula<br />
student teams can be entered in one of two classes, class one and class two.<br />
Class one teams enter with a fully built car that can compete in the dynamic<br />
events such as acceleration and endurance test. Class two teams do not have<br />
a full car but compete in the static events which judge the design of the car<br />
based on the engineering undertaken and the business decisions made by<br />
the team. A class two entry is considered to be capable of being entered as a<br />
full class one entry in 12 months’ time. This is the time considered necessary<br />
to build the car from the designs produced for class two entry. Formula<br />
student rules allow only one class one entry per university so the petrol team<br />
will enter a class one car this year and the electric team will enter a class one<br />
team next year.<br />
Car design<br />
The <strong>2015</strong> <strong>UWE</strong> formula student electric car is designed to use four hub<br />
mounted motors that drive the wheels through a single ratio planetary gear<br />
box.<br />
The motors chosen are Bosch MS102D0800 which can provide up to 45Nm of<br />
torque and has a rated power of 16kW. The motor is powered by three by a<br />
phase AC supply.<br />
Battery selection<br />
The car uses 324 Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) batteries that have<br />
a total weight of 40Kg to provide the motors with up to 133A (the maximum<br />
permitted by formula student rules) at 600V. The batteries have a total<br />
capacity of 6KWh, which is enough power to complete the 22Km endurance<br />
event at Silverstone.<br />
Motor controller<br />
The motor controller is a variable frequency power inverter that converts the<br />
DC power from the batteries into three phase AC with a variable frequency<br />
to control the speed of the motors. The controller a Cypress pSOC to<br />
generate PWM signals that represent sine waves to control a high power<br />
IGBT module. The IGBT chops the DC power supply to produce an AC supply.<br />
The resistance and inductance of the motor filters the PWM signal into a<br />
pure sine wave that powers the motors most efficiently.<br />
As one motor is uses to drive each wheel of the car the speed of all the<br />
motors must be adjusted during cornering to provide maximum traction. To<br />
achieve this the steering angle is measured and used as input to an algorithm<br />
that calculates the speed required by each wheel. Each of the four motor<br />
controllers can communicate over a CAN bus connection to transmit<br />
information about motor temperature and motor position. The CAN bus is<br />
also used to send torque and speed demands to each motor controller .<br />
Project summary<br />
Design a motor controller system for the <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>UWE</strong> Formula Student electric race car.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Develop a motor controller system for a four<br />
wheel drive hub motor based electric car. The<br />
controller must supply three phase AC power<br />
at a variable frequency from a battery source.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A motor controller system was developed<br />
that provided Pulse Width Modulation<br />
encoded three phase power to the motor. The<br />
controller used a Cypress Programmable<br />
System on Chip to control a Hex packaged<br />
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor to provide<br />
up to 150A at 600V (peak to peak) to the<br />
motor.
Benedict Merrett<br />
BENG Electronic and Electrical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
Investigation Into the Automisation of an Aquaponics System and the<br />
Scalability of That System.<br />
Design<br />
The system is designed to reduce energy consumption through clever design<br />
features. Having the plant tank above the fish tank for instance, allows the<br />
water in the plant tank to drain without the use of a pump.<br />
The design uses a pump to circulate water up to the plant tank, a simple siphon<br />
will drain all the water from the tank. The use of a siphon as opposed to a valve<br />
will reduce the overall power consumption of the system.<br />
In order to regulate the fish tank temperature there is a temperature sensor<br />
located in the middle of the tank. There is a heating element to increase the<br />
temperature. The cooling system uses a pump to force water though an<br />
external pipe coil.<br />
A RGB sensor serves two functions: measuring turbidity and chemical analysis<br />
of the tanks. The sensor will be mounted to the side of the fish tank with a<br />
servo. This allows the sensor to be flat against the tank wall for turbidity<br />
measurements and angled back for chemical tests. If the turbidity or chemical<br />
readings are out of limits a warning message will be displayed on the LCD.<br />
The chemical analysis is<br />
carried out using a robot<br />
arm to dip paper strips<br />
into each tank and place<br />
them in front of the RGB<br />
sensor. The paper strips<br />
will be dispensed by a<br />
printer-like device which<br />
dispenses test strips one<br />
at a time. The system<br />
uses a Altera Cyclone 3<br />
FPGA mounted on aDE0<br />
as the CPU. VHDL and C<br />
code was written and<br />
programed to the DE0.<br />
Left is a schematic of the<br />
electronics.<br />
Results<br />
The system implemented is automated and meets most of the requirements.<br />
However it does not run the test routine as early on in the testing phase it was<br />
found that the robot arm was not suitable. The implemented system is shown<br />
below.<br />
Scalability<br />
It was determined that the system is scalable for large scale food production<br />
with a couple of modifications. It was also deemed non scalable for interstellar<br />
aquaponic systems as there are a number of features that would need to be<br />
added. However this project does show that a FPGA controlled would be<br />
suitable for this application.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project was an idea brought about by a<br />
free lecture. The goal of this project is to build<br />
a fully automated aquaponic system<br />
controlled by an FPGA and look at the<br />
scalability of the system for commercial food<br />
production and long term space travel.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Build an aquaponic system to these<br />
requirements:<br />
• Maintain a constant temperature in the<br />
plant tank.<br />
• Take readings of chemicals in fish tank and<br />
plant tank, (Acidity, Ammonia, Nitrate and<br />
Nitrite).<br />
• Monitor turbidity of the water.<br />
• Provide feedback to user.<br />
• Circulate water from fish tank to plant tank<br />
(as a minimum, the full volume of water<br />
every two hours).<br />
And assess the Scalability of the implemented<br />
system for commercial food production and<br />
long term space exploration<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The report reaches the conclusion that the system<br />
designed could be scaled up for use in commercial<br />
systems. However, although it would be possible to<br />
have an FPGA based aquaponics system in space, due<br />
to the complexity of the system needed for space<br />
exploration too many modifications would be needed<br />
to deem it scalable for this purpose.
Chris Sandhurst<br />
BEng(Hons) Electrical & Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
The Design of a Fault Tolerant Simulated Aircraft Yaw Servo Controller<br />
Introduction<br />
Control loading systems also known as force feedback systems are used in<br />
flight simulators around the world to improve the fidelity of the simulation.<br />
This is achieved by the application of force by the flight model through the<br />
controls into the user replicating the force feel characteristic experienced by<br />
a pilot when flying the real aircraft in order to better simulate the motion<br />
cues, workload and real life stresses and strains experienced by a pilot flying<br />
a real aircraft to produce a higher fidelity simulation. The task here was to<br />
design a control loading computer to control the existing ELU93002 actuator.<br />
Modelling of the Actuator<br />
In order for a controller to be designed, and even more so for analytical<br />
redundancy to be feasible an accurate mathematical model of the actuator,<br />
motor and servo amplifier had to be produced. Initially efforts were made to<br />
produce the model from datasheets using the standard model for armature<br />
controlled DC motors, however this proved problematic. An acceptable<br />
model based on experimental data extracted from the actuator was<br />
eventually used.<br />
A<br />
b<br />
L1<br />
C<br />
c<br />
N<br />
a<br />
L2<br />
B<br />
Servo Control<br />
With a usable model, a controller to improve the performance of the<br />
actuator was devised. Without a tuned controller the performance of the<br />
actuator was slow and inaccurate due to the prominence of a dead band in<br />
the system for small changes in the reference.<br />
Controllers of different types were researched including PID, PI, PD, and<br />
fuzzy. The solution that was settled upon was that of PD control for it’s<br />
simplicity when implemented with the tachometer on the actuator, negating<br />
the need to synthesis a derivative term.<br />
This was implemented using analogue components (LM741 op-amps) and<br />
potentiometers to allow the gains to be varied. Analogue conditioning<br />
circuitry was also produced to prepare the signals generated by the actuators<br />
sensors for use in the controller.<br />
Sine Wave1<br />
0.262<br />
degs >> volts<br />
Plant<br />
0.0901<br />
n1<br />
-0.1639<br />
n2<br />
Estimator<br />
10<br />
Voltage Amp1<br />
l22<br />
8.41<br />
Voltage Amp<br />
Tacho Controller Gain (derivative)<br />
X2'<br />
1<br />
s X2<br />
Integrator2<br />
-90.623<br />
0.139<br />
Tacho Error Trigger<br />
Pot (Degs >> volts)<br />
X2<br />
L21<br />
-1682.1155<br />
tf(5.9058,[0.0154 1])<br />
0.262<br />
X1'<br />
Motor<br />
Tacho Error<br />
l11<br />
>= 1<br />
1<br />
s X1<br />
Integrator1<br />
-181.771<br />
Pot Error Trigger<br />
1<br />
s Motor Posn Rads<br />
Integrator<br />
Tach W >> V<br />
0.0573<br />
Pot Error<br />
>= 1<br />
1.496/(2*pi)<br />
Gain2<br />
1.496/(2*pi*0.0573)<br />
TachoVolts >> degs/sec<br />
Real/Estimator Velocity<br />
2011.905<br />
DC gain velocity<br />
Real/Estimator Position<br />
2011.905<br />
Arm Posn<br />
DC gain position<br />
X2<br />
Est. Arm Posn<br />
1<br />
Constant1<br />
0<br />
Constant<br />
|u|<br />
Abs1<br />
|u|<br />
Abs<br />
>=<br />
Tacho Error Threshold<br />
>=<br />
Posn Error Threshold<br />
Fault Detection<br />
Error State<br />
Real/Estimator Error<br />
Analytical Redundancy<br />
Analytical redundancy was used to devise a method for error detection in<br />
the tachometer and potentiometer sensors. This was achieved through the<br />
use of State Space control theory and the development of a state estimator<br />
in Simulink that could predict the states of one sensor based on the output<br />
of the other. By comparing the state values from the estimator and from the<br />
real sensors, any significant discrepancy could be interpreted as a senor<br />
having failed. With further work faulty sensors could be replaced by<br />
estimated data to maintain function of the actuator.<br />
Force Feedback<br />
A basic force feedback system was designed to allow a basic spring force to<br />
be applied to the servo. This utilized four strain gauges on the actuator arm<br />
in a Wheatstone bridge configuration and a feedforward or open loop type<br />
controller.<br />
State Value (Degrees and Degrees/sec)<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
Error Detection of Disconnected Pot. Signal<br />
Fault Detected<br />
Arm Velocity<br />
-20 Est. Arm Velocity<br />
Arm Position<br />
-40<br />
Est. Arm Position<br />
Error Detected 1<br />
Error Detected 2<br />
-60<br />
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1<br />
Time (Seconds)<br />
Project summary<br />
Control loading systems are used to enhance<br />
simulation experience in modern aircraft flight<br />
simulators by loading the simulated flight controls<br />
with forces that provided a force feedback<br />
characteristic similar to that of a real aircraft. Fault<br />
tolerance in such systems is designed to allow them<br />
to continue to function, at least in a degraded<br />
fashion, in the event of a low level fault such as a<br />
sensor failure. Traditionally fault tolerance in such a<br />
system would use physical redundancy, however this<br />
project seeks to develop fault tolerance through the<br />
use of analytical or model based redundancy.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
This project seeks to design a fault tolerant control<br />
loading computer to provide force feedback using the<br />
Fokker ELU93002 actuator for use in the<br />
AgustaWestland Technology and Simulation<br />
engineering simulator. To achieve this the following<br />
objectives must be met.<br />
• Determine accurate model of the Fokker ELU93002<br />
actuator, servo amplifier and motor.<br />
• Investigate, design and build a controller to control<br />
the positional response of the Servo Actuator.<br />
• Design and build an outer controller to control the<br />
force applied by the actuator.<br />
• Investigate and implement analytical redundancy<br />
to govern the behavior of the actuator in the event<br />
of a fault.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
An analogue positional servo controller was<br />
successfully design and tested. Force feedback was<br />
also achieved, replicating the feel of a spring using<br />
the analogue controller. Fault detection using<br />
analytical redundancy was demonstrated using the<br />
Simulink model, showing that the use of state<br />
estimators for this purpose is practical and<br />
achievable.
Dan Thorn<br />
BEng Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Hassan Nouri<br />
Simulation of Lightning Strikes to an AW101 Helicopter using PSCAD<br />
Software<br />
Introduction<br />
The main objective of this report looks to investigate the dissertation topic of 'Simulation of lightning strikes on AW101 helicopter using PSCAD software'. The<br />
report analyses the effects of an initial lightning surge onto various aircraft materials. The modeling and simulation of the materials and lightning surge is done<br />
using PSCAD software.<br />
Investigation<br />
The main aspects of the lightning that needed to be<br />
understood to model the lightning surge are:-<br />
• Peak Value.<br />
• Rise Time.<br />
• Rate of Decay.<br />
The resistivity and permeability of each material was<br />
established for each material to enable them to be modelled in<br />
an electrical form. The calculations for resistivity and<br />
inductance were investigated and the correct formulas<br />
recognised and used.<br />
Modeling and Simulation<br />
Using the tools in PSCAD the materials were<br />
modeled into an electrical form, resisters and<br />
inductors were used to form equal sections. Using<br />
time and exponential functions the lightning surge<br />
was modeled and connected to different nodes on<br />
the material model. Various different<br />
configurations were examined including:-<br />
• Different strike locations.<br />
• Good and bad Bonds.<br />
• Different materials.<br />
Results<br />
Multimeters were positioned at each node and<br />
given an identity from 1 to 5 for the rows and A to<br />
C for the columns. Data labels were used to plot<br />
each of the meters readings from the individual<br />
nodes , the readings were plotted onto graphs<br />
measuring current against time and the following<br />
measurements were taken:-<br />
• Peak time<br />
• Peak Current<br />
Project summary<br />
This dissertation presents the analysis of lightning<br />
strikes on different materials used on an AW101<br />
helicopter. The report investigates the effects of an<br />
initial lightning surge onto various materials in<br />
different configurations. PSCAD software has been<br />
used to model, simulate and analyse the peak<br />
currents induced onto the different materials. Various<br />
strike locations, lightning levels and material<br />
configurations have been simulated and analysed.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Understand lightning characteristics.<br />
• Understand different material compositions.<br />
• Understand calculations required to model<br />
materials.<br />
• Model electrical representation of materials.<br />
• Model lightning surge.<br />
• Simulate lightning surge onto the different<br />
materials.<br />
• Investigate the current effects with different<br />
injection levels, strike locations and materials.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Modeling and simulating lightning strikes onto<br />
various materials was successful. The current effects<br />
on the various materials were measured in different<br />
configurations and the results were good, the<br />
waveforms matched the lightning surge<br />
characteristics and the current levels changed<br />
depending on the setup. In conclusion I believe that<br />
the dissertation gives a good baseline for continued<br />
research into not only the lightning and aircraft<br />
interaction but also lightning’s interaction with any<br />
structures and materials, it gives an introductory but<br />
insightful view into the effects that lightning can have<br />
on external structures which could be carried on into<br />
any further investigations.
George Close<br />
Beng Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Can Exercise Equipment Be Used To Help Fuel Britain’s Growing<br />
Electricity Demand?<br />
Introduction<br />
This project is an investigation into the feasibility of taking an<br />
existing concept of attaching a small generator system to a<br />
stationary exercise bike. The concept is a simple one, people are<br />
using these machines voluntarily to get fitter, yet all their energy<br />
they output into the machine is dissipated as heat through<br />
resistance. So why not try and capture back some of that energy?<br />
The project started with a literature review of related areas of<br />
research, as well as looking at existing products available and in<br />
use today. There were some past research papers that also looked<br />
the feasibility of this concept, yet after calculations of energy<br />
produced against costs to build new systems or retrofit existing<br />
bikes , it was found that the cost-efficiency of the idea made it<br />
unreasonable.<br />
The market leading existing product in terms of claimed standard<br />
power produced was the Human Dynamo. It utilises both the<br />
arms and the legs via two pedaling crankshafts, thus increasing<br />
the power input to the system from the user and therefore<br />
increasing the electrical output to around 200W for a standard<br />
workout. The company also claims the generator is 70% efficient.<br />
My Design and Calculations<br />
My design of the generator system was based on researching the<br />
main individual components that make up the system, and then<br />
selecting the best one available. I finalised on a DC generator, of<br />
individual efficiency of 85%, followed by a Lead-Acid battery, of<br />
individual efficiency 90% and finally an inverter to turn the DC<br />
electricity stored in the batteries into the correct AC form of 230V<br />
at 50Hz, which had an individual efficiency of 82%. The combine<br />
rating came together to give the system an overall efficiency<br />
rating of 63%.<br />
Next I had to calculate what the average use of an exercise bike<br />
at the gym was each day. Data showing there is 6112 gyms<br />
currently in the UK, with a membership base of 8.3 million. This<br />
gave 1357 members per gym. Research suggested that 67% of<br />
people with a membership don’t go, and those that do go, only<br />
31.5% like to use a stationary bike. This gave<br />
((1357 x 0.67) x 0.315) = 140 people use a bike at each gym<br />
Data also showed that they attend on average twice a week.<br />
Assumptions were made that all 140 people worked out an hour<br />
on a bike both times they visit the gym a week. This gives 280<br />
hours of bike use a week, averaged out at 40 hours a day, with an<br />
assumption made that each gym had 10 bikes, so each bike was in<br />
use for 4 hours a day. Combined bike use of 40 hours a day across<br />
the UK gives 40 x 6112 = 244,480 hours of power production a<br />
day.<br />
Data was found to show the average human can sustain 233W<br />
pedaling output for one hour. Combing my system efficiency,<br />
hours of power production a day and the average human pedaling<br />
output, the following calculation of possible energy produced can<br />
be made:<br />
233 x 0.63 x 244.480 = 35.9 kWh produced a day<br />
Project summary<br />
The project was set out to determine whether an<br />
existing concept of attaching small dynamos to<br />
stationary exercise bikes to generate electricity was<br />
viable enough to be scaled up nationally across all<br />
gyms and try and offset the power-hungry nature of<br />
them, and if possible, supply excess power to the<br />
grid.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Objectives of the project were:<br />
• Determine the effectiveness of existing systems,<br />
and take this forward to outline a design proposal<br />
for a generator system to use for this project<br />
• Theoretically calculate the efficiency of said<br />
design proposal<br />
• Calculate the average use a stationary bike gets a<br />
day in any gym in the UK<br />
• Research the theoretical mechanical energy<br />
outputs of an average person pedaling<br />
• Combine the results from the three previous<br />
points to attain the possible national daily<br />
production of electricity purely from stationary<br />
bikes<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The results of the objectives were found as follows:<br />
• Theoretical DC generator system had efficiency of<br />
63%<br />
• If there were 10 of these bikes in each gym across<br />
the UK, calculated use would be 4 hours a day =<br />
40 hours total<br />
• Theoretical 1 hour maximum-effort mechanical<br />
energy output via pedaling for average human<br />
found to be 0.299 hp = 233W<br />
• Combined numbers across UK’s 6112 gyms:<br />
233W output x 63% efficiency = 147W electrical<br />
output<br />
6112 gyms x 40 hrs use = 244,480 hours a day<br />
production<br />
244,480 hrs x 147W = 35.9 kWh produced a day<br />
• Not a large enough amount of energy produced
Phan Giang Thai Ngoc<br />
BENG (HONS) ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
DR. HASSAN NOURI<br />
Investigation into impact of pre-insertion resistors in Circuit breakers<br />
Modelling representation and concept<br />
Once when in use (open / close), switch time break causing<br />
impacts to the circuit, called the overvoltage. The<br />
methodology of analyzing the effects of the pre-insertion<br />
resistor and pre-insertion inductor on the 138 KV<br />
transmission line was modelled and simulated using PSCAD.<br />
The full model of the transmission line circuit with bus line<br />
and all component in PSCAD shown in the figure.<br />
Result:<br />
In this study, the 138 KV transmission line with break<br />
time switch is built in PSCAD. The pre-insertion<br />
impedance is considered in this project. The different<br />
value of components are changed in many case. The<br />
result in PSCAD is shown that:<br />
I. Overvoltage in circuit which has break time switch<br />
II. Uncontrolled overvoltage in transmission line<br />
III. Controlled overvoltage in transmission line<br />
I. Pre-insertion resistors<br />
II. Pre-insertion inductor<br />
IV. Comparison<br />
Project summary<br />
This project present the analyzing of pre-insertion<br />
impedance in a 138V transmission line using<br />
PSCAD/EMTDC. 50 ohm resistors and inductors 20mh<br />
turn is inserted into the circuit. Overvoltage will be<br />
measured at remote bus and capacitor bus what call<br />
phase to phase overvoltage and ground to phase<br />
overvoltage. A comparison is shown to see the best<br />
method for different cases.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• PSCAD Familiarization<br />
• Understand the 1-phase circuit.<br />
• Understand the 3-phase circuit<br />
• Understand the circuit with break time<br />
switch<br />
• Understand the transmission line<br />
• Analyzing the waves voltage in<br />
uncontrolled and controlled voltage.<br />
• This project will study the analyzing and<br />
the comparison the voltage in circuit.<br />
The complete line model consists of several<br />
sub model representing the following<br />
elements:<br />
1. Transmission line and circuit components.<br />
2. Break time switch are installed the closed<br />
function.<br />
3. Pre-insertion resistors and pre-insertion<br />
inductor with different values<br />
4. Voltage wave table.<br />
Ground to phase uncontrolled overvoltage wave<br />
Ground to phase pre-insertion resistor overvoltage<br />
wave<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Over 3 study optimal control circuit voltage of<br />
transmission lines with break time switch.<br />
Three ways are: fixed inductor, pre-insertion<br />
resistor and inductor pre-insertion. Each<br />
method has its own advantages and<br />
disadvantages. Finally, pre-insertion inductor<br />
is chosen as the most complete method to be<br />
used.<br />
Phase to phase pre-insertion resistor overvoltage<br />
wave<br />
Pre-insertion inductors.
Louis Fixsen<br />
MEng Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Material and Distance Analysis Using Static Eliminators<br />
In conjunction with Fraser Anti-Static Techniques Ltd.<br />
Static eliminators have a variety of applications<br />
such as in the production of plastics, paper,<br />
clothes and micro-electronics. Static electricity can<br />
be dangerous to personnel, damaging to<br />
components or simply affect a garment’s<br />
appearance.<br />
Over the past summer I worked for Fraser Anti-<br />
Static Techniques Ltd, a company that produces a<br />
wide range of equipment that controls static<br />
electricity. I was involved in the production of a<br />
piece of testing equipment for their newest series<br />
of static eliminator bars, the B-series.<br />
The new series has an adaptive controller inside<br />
the bar – this provides feedback that could be<br />
used for a variety of measurements. Fraser Anti-<br />
Static wanted someone who could investigate the<br />
uses for this additional functionality but could not<br />
dedicate the time to a possibly fruitless pursuit<br />
themselves.<br />
The research involved studying electrostatics and<br />
the processes involved in static elimination, the<br />
construction of a test rig, establishment of a<br />
methodology for experimentation and large<br />
amounts of programming in MATLab in order to<br />
automate the entire process.<br />
The initial phase of the investigation consisted of<br />
developing a method for obtaining results, with<br />
the goal of constructing a test rig that meant<br />
reliable measurements with a fixed material and<br />
distance could be obtained.<br />
A list of parameters that could be varied on the<br />
bar and in the environment was created. The<br />
charging voltage is the primary parameter that can<br />
be changed, affecting the amount of charge that<br />
will be deposited on the material.<br />
Electrical eliminator bars have small metal pins -<br />
commonly made of tungsten or similarly robust<br />
metals - called emitters that produce positively<br />
and negatively charged ions in a corona around<br />
each pin. They operate at high voltages up to and<br />
in excess of 30 kilovolts. The ions are charged air<br />
particles that have either gained or lost electrons<br />
from interacting with the emitters.<br />
How long it takes for the charge to dissipate and<br />
the voltage at the surface of the material to drop<br />
to certain level is the charge decay. Different<br />
materials show different charge decay<br />
characteristics, meaning that through<br />
measurement and analysis a material might be<br />
able to be identified based on an observed decay.<br />
The static eliminator was used to charge and<br />
discharge the material, with the voltage from the<br />
current measurement ‘C-SENSE’ module giving a<br />
relative measure of the current at the bar’s pins.<br />
Measurements were obtained using a PicoScope<br />
digital oscilloscope connected to debug outputs<br />
from the bar. The bar was controlled using a<br />
MATLab script that also controlled the<br />
oscilloscope. The material beneath the bar was<br />
charged and discharged whilst the oscilloscope<br />
gathered data.<br />
Distance estimation using the B12 bar appears to<br />
be possible. If the material is known then the peak<br />
value of the charging and discharging decays give a<br />
good indication of the distance – within a certain<br />
range.<br />
Curve fitting tools would allow for accurate<br />
material and distance estimation. Individual<br />
parameters cannot be used to differentiate<br />
between different curves, each material was found<br />
to have an identifiable decay curve with noticeable<br />
characteristics. Use of curve fitting would allow<br />
these to be stored and compared against new<br />
data.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this research investigation was to discover<br />
how effectively an electrical static eliminator bar<br />
could be used for material and distance analysis.<br />
Initial work included a literature survey and research<br />
into static eliminators, charge decay and other topics.<br />
A test rig was designed and constructed in order to<br />
produce repeatable measurements to assess the<br />
reliability results. MATLab scripts that handled bar<br />
control and data acquisition were written. Data was<br />
analysed and used to write a script that could<br />
estimate what material was beneath the bar or the<br />
distance between the bar and material, which was<br />
partially successful<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Construct a test rig that allowed for repeatable<br />
measurements.<br />
• Obtain reliable results using the bar to charge and<br />
discharge a material.<br />
• Conduct large scale data acquisition with multiple<br />
materials and distances.<br />
• Find parameters that varied with material and<br />
distance.<br />
• Use these in script to estimate material or<br />
distance.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The investigation was mostly success. Measureable<br />
changes in voltage from the C-SENSE module were<br />
recorded relative to the current draw at the pins of<br />
the static eliminator bar with changes in distance and<br />
material. It was not possible to create a script that<br />
could estimate using simple parameters, more<br />
complex data analysis is needed. It is significant that<br />
through analysing feedback from the bars the type of<br />
plastic that is beneath the bar, or the distance<br />
between the bar and material can be given. It means<br />
that development of even more ‘intelligent’ bars is<br />
possible.
Rhodri Taylor<br />
BEng (Hons) Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Hassan Nouri<br />
Fault Detection & Modelling of Solar PV Modules<br />
Introduction<br />
The consumption of non-renewable energy<br />
sources, such as oil & gas have been rapidly<br />
increasing for a number of years and with these<br />
being a finite resource there has been a drive for<br />
alternative energies in recent years. .<br />
Solar PV cells convert sunlight into direct current<br />
(DC) electricity using semiconductor materials,<br />
mainly silicon. The conversion of solar energy by<br />
this method is seen as a favourable option as it is<br />
a direct conversion; this means that there are no<br />
mechanical moving parts or environmental<br />
emissions during the conversion from sunlight to<br />
electricity. However, PV cells have a number of<br />
certain drawbacks such as low power-rating, high<br />
cost, low reliability, etc. The low reliability is due<br />
to the possibility of a fault being hidden in the<br />
solar PV array, reducing its lifetime and<br />
efficiency.<br />
It is these common PV faults that this<br />
investigation will focus on, testing fault modelling<br />
& detection techniques using PSCAD and<br />
creating a HMI management system for remote<br />
monitoring.<br />
PSCAD Modelling<br />
Two PSCAD PV array models were designed as<br />
part of this investigation, one was used to<br />
replicate previous experimental results and the<br />
second was based on a grid-tied PV array. Fault<br />
models were also developed to simulate a typical<br />
DC arc fault.<br />
Fault Detection<br />
Various fault detection methods were used<br />
during this investigation to detect all of the<br />
simulated faults. An FFT was used to analyze the<br />
harmonics of the PV system current. Analysis of<br />
these results also showed that certain faults can<br />
be identified by fluctuations of individual<br />
harmonic components.<br />
During a parallel arc fault the 3 rd and 5 th<br />
harmonics peaked unlike during other faults<br />
allowing not only the detection of the fault but<br />
the type of fault can be identified also.<br />
HMI Monitoring System<br />
The HMI monitoring system designed in this<br />
investigation is based on the Siemens WinCC<br />
platform and uses an S7-1200 CPU to handle the<br />
fault detection and management of the<br />
networking interface. This system allows the<br />
remote monitoring of a PV array and provides<br />
live diagnostic information to the user.<br />
Project summary<br />
The main aim of this investigation is to model and<br />
simulate various faults & fault detection techniques<br />
that commonly occur in solar PV modules and arrays<br />
and to develop a system to remotely monitor and<br />
manage a PV installation.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To create a simulation module of a typical PV array to<br />
test fault detection.<br />
To develop a DC arc fault model in PSCAD and verify<br />
results.<br />
Replicate experimental results using the designed<br />
PSCAD models.<br />
Test common PV faults on grid-tied system using<br />
PSCAD simulation models.<br />
Design HMI management system for remote<br />
monitoring of PV array on Siemens platform.<br />
Collate results & findings of different faults and<br />
detection techniques.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This investigation involves the design of accurate<br />
PSCAD models of a grid-tied PV array and replication<br />
of experimental fault models.<br />
These designed fault models are verified against the<br />
experimental work that they are based on.<br />
Various fault detection techniques are used to detect<br />
the simulated faults in PSCAD including the use of a<br />
FFT.<br />
A HMI management system is also designed to allow<br />
the remote monitoring and detection of a typical PV<br />
array.
Stuart Andrews<br />
BEng Electrical and Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
Multifunction Test System for the GE Aviation ELMS Computing and<br />
Communications Unit<br />
Introduction<br />
A large number of the engineering processes<br />
carried out on the GE Aviation site at Bishop’s<br />
Cleeve in Cheltenham are concerned with not only<br />
the development and integration of new<br />
technologies into power systems, but also the<br />
sustainment of previously designed systems. One<br />
such product is the Electrical Load Management<br />
System used on the Boeing 777, developed in the<br />
1990’s and still in use worldwide today: in life<br />
service and repairs for systems supplied to the<br />
aircraft manufacturer are essential for the<br />
maintenance and service of the aircraft.<br />
Part of this system comprises of a Computing and<br />
Communications Unit which controls the power<br />
distribution through the load management panel.<br />
This line replaceable unit is also covered for repair<br />
and replacement of each unit that is found to be<br />
faulty. However, a significant number of faulty<br />
units returned give “No Fault Found” on standard<br />
test equipment solutions, leading to thousands of<br />
pounds of testing and diagnosis time spent by<br />
engineers. Because of this, a test solution is<br />
required to more accurately diagnose the faults on<br />
returned units to save money and increase the<br />
business profit margin on these failed units: this<br />
study focuses on the design and development of a<br />
diagnostic suite to achieve this functionality.<br />
Development<br />
Company processes and procedures are driven by<br />
guidelines and standards laid out both by federal<br />
and government agencies and laws. Although it is<br />
not necessary to go through the same extensive<br />
processes necessary for qualification for flight, all<br />
test equipment developed must be developed in<br />
accordance with TS-PRO-001, the companies<br />
process document defining “the process and<br />
requirements for <strong>Engineering</strong> and Technology<br />
(E&T) test solution development”. This process<br />
document applies to all test systems development<br />
and build projects in accordance with AS9100C<br />
and ISO9001 quality standards.<br />
The test systems engineering lifecycle follows the<br />
“V” diagram , and illustrates an idealised flow<br />
through the lifecycle. In practice, the flow is<br />
iterative and repeatable.<br />
Documentation<br />
As with all industry standard equipment the<br />
project was fully documented during<br />
development, including circuit diagrams and a full<br />
requirements specification.<br />
Architecture<br />
The architecture of the MFTS can be illustrated as<br />
a functional block diagram. The system is designed<br />
with flexible hardware that can be configured as<br />
an ARINC629 Bus Analyser, card tester and flight<br />
data/OFP delivery facility.<br />
The core of the MFTS is designed around a<br />
standard CCU “test board” currently used in<br />
diagnostic test equipment: it is controlled by a<br />
Raspberry Pi Model B single board computer using<br />
the tester boards background debug mode<br />
interfaces. The “test board” is also known as a<br />
“golden card”, which is a card that is known to<br />
have no defects and 100% functionality.<br />
Custom boards were constructed to expand and<br />
enhance the capacity and abilities of the<br />
Raspberry Pi Model B (RPi B). There will be two<br />
main upgrade elements: General Purpose<br />
Input/Output (GPIO) expansion and a differential<br />
interface for distribution of the RS485 SPI<br />
capabilities.<br />
Project summary<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> sustainment activities throughout a<br />
products service life can prove to be the most<br />
lucrative or costly part of the lifecycle. Performing<br />
cost out activities on such processes can drastically<br />
improve the profit margin of the product in question:<br />
diagnostic testing and repairs times need to be kept<br />
to a minimum to achieve this goal. This study<br />
focusses on the design of a new test equipment<br />
fixture for a GE Aviation unit currently in service to<br />
enable diagnostics on failed units and cards returned<br />
with defects to expedite one such process.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The purpose of this project is to design and begin the<br />
implementation of a prototype test system for the<br />
ELMS2 CCU/CCC units. It is intended that the<br />
specifications set forth in this project will provide a<br />
suitable hardware/software baseline for further tests<br />
to be developed for, with the report acting as a guide<br />
and specification for the developed hardware.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A prototype test system for the ELMS2 CCC/CCU has<br />
been studied and developed, including hardware<br />
requirements, creation of the system architecture,<br />
design and implementation of prototype hardware<br />
modules and integration of the initial board layouts.<br />
Some verification of the prototype has been carried<br />
out. Small scale commercial SBCs can provide a<br />
suitably stable platform for non-qualification or nonformal<br />
testing with accompanying hardware.<br />
Scientific Linux may be a good future alternative to<br />
standard Windows solutions for future test fixtures.<br />
The concept of the MFTS is shown to have clear<br />
advantages over the current system in place:<br />
development is costly in the short term, but the cost<br />
benefit would outweigh the development resources<br />
needed in the long term.
Sarah Parsons<br />
BEng Electrical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Dr Hassan Nouri<br />
An Investigation into Lightning Current Distribution in Helicopter Rotor Blades<br />
Lightning is an atmospheric electrical phenomenon which presents multiple threats to aircraft safety. Across the world commercial and military helicopters are<br />
frequently exposed to the threat of lightning strikes while performing in-flight operations.<br />
Currently the only way to confidently assess the full effects of lightning on aircraft materials, structures and equipment is to carry out high and low level<br />
current and voltage testing. This, as expected, can be expensive and time consuming and so in an ideal world assessments would be carried out using computer<br />
modelling software, thus asking the following question:<br />
Can computer modelling software be used to accurately and reliably determine the damaging effects of lightning as an alternative to expensive and time<br />
consuming testing?<br />
Project summary<br />
By carrying out this investigation, although limited to<br />
a particular helicopter tail rotor blade, it should be<br />
possible to establish if computer modelling software<br />
can be used as an accurate and reliable method for<br />
assessing and understanding current distribution and<br />
its heating effects, thus providing an alternative or<br />
addition to testing.<br />
Modeling and Simulation<br />
2D INDCAL modelling software was<br />
used to calculate the current<br />
distribution within the blade. The<br />
model had to be as representative of<br />
the actual blade as possible. This<br />
included identifying the material types,<br />
sizes, thicknesses and resistivity’s.<br />
High Current Testing<br />
A series of tests whereby current, of<br />
matching peak amplitudes to those<br />
simulated in INDCAL, were injected into<br />
the tip end of the blade, whilst<br />
measuring the characteristics of the<br />
current flow within each conductive<br />
element.<br />
Injected current levels included:<br />
10kA, 20kA, 40kA, 80kA and 120kA.<br />
High Speed Thermal Camera<br />
A thermal camera (30fps) captured surface temperature as<br />
current was injected into and passed through the blade.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Utilise a computer modelling program to gather<br />
analytical data<br />
Conduct a series of physical lightning tests and<br />
measure the results<br />
Compare modelled analytical data with measured<br />
results<br />
Evaluate degree of accuracy and determine<br />
whether the model accurately and reliably represents<br />
the physical test<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The tip end INDCAL model behaved in good linear<br />
fashion between 10kA and 120kA injected current<br />
and all modelled currents multiplied up<br />
approximately proportionately. This modelled<br />
behaviour was well reflected in the bench and<br />
chamber tests when injecting current into all<br />
conductive elements combined .<br />
Simulated Results vs Measured Results<br />
The peak currents measured by Rogowski coil 3 during high current chamber<br />
testing were all within a 10% tolerance of the simulated peak currents predicted<br />
by INDCAL within the erosion shield and lead weight added together.<br />
The peak currents measured by Rogowski coil 1 during high current chamber<br />
testing were within a 10% tolerance of the simulated peak currents predicted by<br />
INDCAL within the tip end model containing 3 plies of carbon only.<br />
The current injected into a helicopter rotor blade, or<br />
any aircraft part, will always tend to find and utilise<br />
the path of lowest impedance where inductance does<br />
not play an important part. Depending on the<br />
lightning strike location and the design, or lack of,<br />
protective measures installed, breakdown of<br />
materials and flashover to more conductive elements<br />
can occur.
Kyriakos Eleftheriou<br />
BEng Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Nigel Gunton<br />
Heart Rate Electronic Monitoring Device<br />
Human’s heart pumps oxygenated blood from the arteries and receives ‘used’ blood from the veins. All the human organs and tissues<br />
need oxygen and nutrients, and produce byproducts such as waste and carbon dioxide, which need to be removed from the body. The<br />
heart of a human is a never ending working muscle that does that job. The rate or the speed that heart works, is known as ‘heart rate’<br />
and is measured in Beats per Minute (BPM). Generally, one may consider this process-sending and receiving- blood as one counted in<br />
units of beats per unit time.<br />
Project summary<br />
This is a project about developing<br />
A heart rate Monitoring Device<br />
With the use of an IR LED, OPT101<br />
Amplifier and Photodiode<br />
The idea of this sensor, is to develop one which can be similar to a proximity<br />
sensor. Proximity sensors can detect the distance between the sensor and<br />
the detected item. The proximity sensor is consisted of one led and one<br />
photodiode. The LED sends a signal, and the photodiode detects that signal.<br />
When that signal changes or disappears, the photodiode works like a resistor,<br />
varying the voltage. That change in voltage is vital for the input detection.<br />
Printed Circuit board was chosen to<br />
be fabricated, due to the eye<br />
pleasing effects, and the reduction<br />
of space and errors as well. Double<br />
sided PCB design was chosen as well<br />
If that sensor is placed on a finger as is, nothing will happen. But, if the<br />
signal is amplified, giving some gain to it, then the flow of the blood in the<br />
fingers’ arteries may be detected.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the project is to detect and<br />
produce a device to real time track the heart<br />
rate<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A heart rate monitor has been implemented,<br />
enabling the detection of heart rate and<br />
plotting a real time graph with the<br />
Detection of the number of Beats per<br />
Minute.
AbdulAziz M Ibraheem<br />
B.Eng Electronics <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Design of an Internet of Things Infrastructure Using the Intel Galileo<br />
Internet of Things<br />
The Internet of things can be referred to as the inter-connectivity of devices, machines and people to maximise functionality using<br />
Internet protocols. Some concepts that work hand-in-hand with the IoT include “Smart Objects/Things”, “Machine-to-Machine (M2M)<br />
Communication” and “Wearable Technology”<br />
Intel Galileo<br />
The Intel Galileo is a micro-controller based on a 400MHz 32-bit Intel Pentium-class system, the Intel Quark SoC X1000 application<br />
processor.It is Arduino-certified development board based on Intel’s x86 architecture, designed for the maker and education<br />
communities<br />
Project summary<br />
The concept of the Internet of Things has<br />
ushered a new era of human -<br />
device/machine interaction.<br />
In this project, the Intel Galileo development<br />
board was used to design a simple and<br />
affordable, yet scalable IoT infrastructure that<br />
can be adopted for most environments<br />
Using the Arduino IDE<br />
The Intel Galileo is an Arduino software compatible development board, it<br />
therefore runs most arduino sketches and is compatible with most Arduino<br />
Uno shields.<br />
Using the Intel XDK<br />
Intel® XDK IoT Edition lets you create and test applications on Intel® IoT<br />
platforms. It provides code templates for creating new applications that<br />
interact with sensors, actuators, and so on, enabling you to get a quick start<br />
on developing software for your Intel board.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives can be divided among the<br />
main building blocks of the IoT infrastructure<br />
• The “Things”<br />
• The Gateway<br />
• The Cloud/Web Service<br />
Experiment 1: Weather Station<br />
• Connect the Intel Galileo to the Internet over<br />
WiFi<br />
• Read Temperature and Humidity using a DH22<br />
sensor<br />
• Transmit the data to an web based monitoring<br />
station<br />
Experiment 2: Remote Feed Display<br />
• Connect the Intel Galileo to the Internet over<br />
WiFi<br />
• Connect to the Gmail API and request for the<br />
no. of unread emails for the attributed account<br />
• Using the Adafruit GFX API for OLED LCD<br />
screens, print the number of unread emails<br />
received from the Gmail API<br />
Experiment #3: Communicating with the XBee<br />
(ZigBee Protocol)<br />
• Set up an XBee network with a coordinator and<br />
a router<br />
• Connect to the Intel Galileo to the coordinator<br />
in the XBee network<br />
• Communicate between the Galileo and the<br />
XBee router<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Some of the milestones I was able to reach using the<br />
Intel Galileo as of the time of completing this report<br />
include:<br />
• Setting up the mPCIe WiFi and Bluetooth and<br />
configuring it via the Linux kernel<br />
• Transmit and receive data via Ethernet and WiFi<br />
• Setup an XBee Transmit and receive data<br />
• Setup and develop applications using the Arduino<br />
IDE and the Intel XDK (Iot Edition) IDE<br />
• Transmit data to a web server<br />
• Stream data from a web server<br />
• Implement a full stack IoT platform
Angelos Kyriakoudis<br />
BENG(HONS) ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Sabir Ghauri<br />
Petrol Station Automatic Payment<br />
An old motto is saying that time is money (Benjamin Franklin, 1748), in nowadays the life move fast<br />
and everybody want to act as fast as it can. In petrol stations especially in peak times, the time that<br />
needed to fill up a vehicle is too much. the procedure is simple but lengthy because firstly it is<br />
needed to fill up and then to go inside to pay at the cashier. The Petrol Station Automatic Payment<br />
System will use RFID technology to achieve the wireless connection between user (the owner of the<br />
Car or Motorcycle) and the merchant (Petrol Stations).<br />
Project summary<br />
It was examined if it is possible to use a low<br />
cost and simple technology as RFID to<br />
achieve reliable and secure communication,<br />
with scope to replace the tradition payment<br />
in petrol stations<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Study all the previous work that has been<br />
done.<br />
• Find, analyze and improve disadvantages<br />
of previous system,<br />
• Develop Hardware and Software for<br />
complementation of this system<br />
• Examine the practicality of the system<br />
• Create a hardware parts of the system<br />
• Write the software coding of the system;<br />
How it works<br />
When the user will stop to the petrol station and use the nozzle, the connection will be established and allow to the user to fill up his<br />
car and leave without any delay. The system that will recognise the user and allow to him to fill up his vehicle and it will take the<br />
payment from his account automatically<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The research showed that it is feasible to be<br />
done with RFID technology, after those<br />
results it was considered the place that it is<br />
possible to fit the system on vehicles and in<br />
petrol stations to achieve reliable and safety<br />
standards.
SHARIFAH FARAHANA FITRAH SYED IDRIS<br />
MENG ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING<br />
ENERGY STORAGE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT<br />
A study of the benefits of retrofitting cardiovascular exercise equipment of a gym with human energy<br />
harvesting technology and an analysis of installation of PWM buck-boost converter for battery charge controller.<br />
PWM Buck-Boost Controller for<br />
Battery Charger<br />
The controller of a buck-boost converter has its own purpose of controlling<br />
the output voltage and protecting the converter by limiting the output current<br />
to a predetermined value. The normal mode for controlling only regulates the<br />
output voltage for example; the controller need to control the converter to<br />
keep the current from going over the maximum limit if the loads like the<br />
converter output voltage causes the current run over the limit. A current<br />
regulation is important in the control system of the buck-boost converter and<br />
has priority over all the other tasks including the voltage regulation as it<br />
functions for safety. Besides, preserving the current below its maximum is<br />
important to protect the converter and load from overheating. Therefore,<br />
PWM is a key element in controlling the buck-boost converter.<br />
When supply voltage is close to the desired load voltage, the converter is<br />
set to buck-boost operation. In this mode, S1 and S4 work as a group (C1)<br />
and S2 and S3 work as another group (C2). To charge the inductor,<br />
controller C1 is closed and C2 are open. C1 is open and C2 is closed to<br />
engage the inductor discharge cycle. In this mode, average load voltage<br />
VV oooooo equals D(1-D) VV ss . This implies that output voltage can be changes to<br />
more or less than the supplied voltage. Table shows the summary of power<br />
converter operation.<br />
DC motorgenerator<br />
set<br />
Project Supervisor(s)<br />
DR. ROHITHA WEERASINGHE<br />
DR. MOKHTAR NIBOUCHE<br />
Project summary<br />
This paper presents an energy harvesting with energy<br />
storage for exercise equipment system. In this study,<br />
the author demonstrates how it is possible to<br />
generate useful electricity with an exercise bike<br />
system. In addition this study deals with a buck-boost<br />
converter and the inverter to stabilize the generated<br />
voltage and charge batteries with it. The system<br />
consists of a DC motor power generator and highly<br />
efficient energy harvesting circuit implemented in<br />
PSCAD/EMTDC software and developed as a<br />
prototype. By introducing a PWM control technique<br />
into the DC-to-DC Buck-Boost Converter, the energy<br />
harvesting circuit can adjust the duty ratio of the<br />
converter following the variation of the input voltage<br />
and the voltage of energy storage element to get high<br />
energy conversion efficiency.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To investigate the design and implementation of<br />
energy harvesting system with energy storage that<br />
harvest the motion energy being generated by<br />
exercise equipment’s user in a gym and converting<br />
it to electrical energy. implement a good battery<br />
charger to extend the battery’s life. However, this<br />
general objective can be broken down to four<br />
more specific objectives that would together<br />
achieve the overall goal of the project:<br />
To design the energy harvesting system in PSCAD<br />
simulation software,<br />
To analyse the efficiency improvement with the<br />
installation of energy storage in power system,<br />
To design buck-boost PWM converter charge<br />
controller converter<br />
Flow of Energy Storage Exercise Equipment using Energy<br />
Harvesting Concept<br />
Buck-boost<br />
controller<br />
Battery<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
To conclude, this study has developed a PWM buckboost<br />
charge controller for the energy storage of<br />
energy harvesting energy system that is implemented<br />
in a gym. The advantage of this method is definitely<br />
for battery safety; prolong the battery’s life, and by<br />
using this controller the battery will be not<br />
overcharged.
NUR SAFWANAH MOHD AZHARI<br />
MEng ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING<br />
MODELLING AND CONTROL THE SPEED OF DC MOTOR SYSTEM IN<br />
SIMULINK<br />
Introduction<br />
The underlying concept of an automatic control system has played an important role in the advance of engineering and science. Control<br />
methods are used whenever some quantity, such as velocity, speed, temperature, altitude or heat flow, must be made to behave in<br />
some desirable way over time. Moreover, the automatic control system is much better than the human-controlled operation in terms of<br />
efficiency, accuracy and reliability. The system will be demonstrate by using computer simulation . The controller is required to obtain<br />
the required parameters such as to minimize the steady state error and to control the maximum overshoot of the system. The design &<br />
simulation studies used to demonstrate the basic theoretical feasibility of the system used by PID controller and state-space method<br />
approach.<br />
The DC motor modelling is done by summing the torques acting on the rotor<br />
inertia and integrating the acceleration to the velocity and also Kirchhoff’s laws<br />
to armature circuit. The mathematical modelling of DC motor can be<br />
constructed by using four basic equations of DC motor [24] . Therefore, the<br />
dynamic parameters of the motor are explained and described by the following<br />
equations:<br />
dd<br />
vv aa = RR aa II aa tt + LL iiii tt<br />
aa<br />
dd tt<br />
+ ee bb tt --- (1)<br />
ee bb tt = KK bb ww tt --- (2)<br />
TT mm tt = KK tt ii aa tt --- (3)<br />
dd<br />
TT mm tt = JJ ww tt<br />
mm<br />
dd tt<br />
+ BB mm ww tt --- (4)<br />
GG ss =<br />
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr ssssssssss<br />
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa vvvvvvvvvvvvvv<br />
(9)<br />
Therefore the transfer function can be simplified into below expression:<br />
GG ss = WW(ss)<br />
=<br />
--- (10)<br />
VV aa (ss)<br />
KK tt<br />
rrrrrr/ssssss<br />
LL aa ss+RR aa JJ mm ss+BB mm + KK bb KK tt VVVVVVVV<br />
dd<br />
dd tt<br />
ww<br />
ii<br />
=<br />
−BB mm<br />
JJ mm<br />
−KK bb<br />
LL mm<br />
yy = 1 0 ww ii<br />
KK tt<br />
JJ mm<br />
−RR aa<br />
LL aa<br />
ww<br />
ii<br />
+ 0 VV --- (12)<br />
+ 0 1<br />
LL mm<br />
VV --- (11)<br />
Parameter PI controller PID controller State-space: state feedback<br />
Steady-state error Less Less Less<br />
Settling time (Ts) 7.28sec 8.24sec 4.0sec<br />
Overshoot 34% 28.4% 10%<br />
Rise time (Tr) 1.13sec 0.907sec 0.855sec<br />
Step response Stable Stable More Stable<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
PROF. QUAN MIN ZHU<br />
Project summary<br />
This thesis is dedicated on the control system design<br />
in modelling and controls the speed of DC motor<br />
system in simulink, with the goal of obtaining a<br />
reliable speed control system. The speed control is<br />
regarded as one of the most important element in<br />
industrial field, for instance in process control,<br />
electrical system in home and especially in electromechanical<br />
system. Dynamic DC motor speed<br />
simulations include all the design parameters that<br />
influence the way in which a DC motor responds to<br />
the external environment. It can be done by<br />
demonstrating the mechanism and dynamics of the<br />
speed of DC motor for a period of time. In order to<br />
obtain required parameters, there are two methods<br />
that have been chosen as a control method which<br />
are; PID controller and State-space method. Several<br />
modes can be represented as feedbacks (speed, input<br />
voltage, velocity, etc.) to optimize the severity of<br />
performance. Both the model of the flowing process<br />
and of the control law is validated by a virtual<br />
detailed simulation environment.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
-Implement one of the matured control<br />
strategies by using Matlab software<br />
-Define the mathematical modelling to find<br />
the equations and transfer function of the<br />
plant system. Modelling and analyst the<br />
system without controller.<br />
-Design and implement two methods of controller for<br />
DC Motor to improve the performance<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
-The designing and simulating of DC motor speed<br />
control system has been done using the MATLAB<br />
software, most of the vital calculated results have<br />
also been double checked using the MATLAB<br />
simulation to prove the physical parameters of the<br />
system.<br />
-Discuss about the comparison of two controllers<br />
between PID controller and state space method<br />
approach
Zongyuan Tao<br />
Electrical and Electronic (Beng)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Q. M. Zhu<br />
Neural Networks Based Control System design for a continuously stirred<br />
tank reactor<br />
Introduction<br />
In modern industry, continuously<br />
stirred tank reactor (CSTR) is widely<br />
used to produce polymer due to its low<br />
cost, highly efficient ability of heat<br />
exchange and stability of product<br />
quality . In general, CSTRs are<br />
controlled to operate around a certain<br />
equilibrium point linked to the optimal<br />
output or optimal productivity of a<br />
process to pursue a high conversion<br />
rate and maximize economic<br />
benefits.Therefore, designing a proper<br />
control system for CSTR is really<br />
significant. As a control target, CSTRs<br />
are highly non-linear, dynamic and<br />
influenced by many unfavourable<br />
factors. Therefore designers cannot<br />
use those traditional control methods<br />
for linear system to solve CSTR easily.<br />
The neural network based control<br />
system has the superiority that it has<br />
the high adaptability and the ability of<br />
self-learning. These features give<br />
neural network control the ability to<br />
solve the nonlinear situations.<br />
Therefore, choosing neural network<br />
based control is an effective scheme to<br />
solve those problems in CSTR system.<br />
A common type CSTR<br />
Design steps of a neural network based<br />
NARMA-L2 controller<br />
Step1 Construct the neural network: Set<br />
the number of neurons in hidden layer,<br />
the sampling time and the total input<br />
number of the controller include delayed<br />
plant input and delayed time output.<br />
Step2 Generate training data: a large<br />
number of random step inputs are<br />
created and then acted on the plant<br />
model. These inputs and the<br />
corresponding outputs will be recorded<br />
and collected as a data set by MATLAB.<br />
Step3 Neural network training: the neural<br />
network is trained by using the generated<br />
training data. The BP (Back<br />
Propagation)algorithm is used to adjust the<br />
weights within each neurons.<br />
A neural network based NARMA-L2 control system<br />
Simulation results<br />
It can be noted that NARMA-L2 neural control has the lowest<br />
maximum overshoot<br />
(peak value 481.5 K)<br />
and shortest<br />
regulating time (less<br />
than 1/3 of the other<br />
two’s) within these<br />
three methods. It<br />
indicates that NARMA-<br />
L2 neural control has<br />
superiority in stability<br />
and rapidity.<br />
Comparison with other two types of controllers<br />
Step 1<br />
Step 2<br />
Step 3<br />
Influence of the network structure<br />
The performance of 3 NARMA-L2 controller<br />
can be shown by the waveforms below. It<br />
can be noted that the controller with 13<br />
neurons in hidden layer is better than the<br />
other two controllers which have 9 and 17<br />
neurons respectively in hidden layer. The<br />
best number of neurons in hidden layer may<br />
depends on the complexity of the model.<br />
Temperature<br />
Controller output<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this study is to design a proper neural<br />
network based control system for a CSTR and to make<br />
initial computational experimental demonstrations<br />
based on MATLAB.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Take critical survey on the relevant researches.<br />
• Choose a sensible model to theoretically guide the<br />
design of control system, build it properly by using<br />
MATLAB Simulink.<br />
• Research and learn the theory of artificial neural<br />
network and neural network based control in<br />
order to select a proper method within variety of<br />
neural network based CSTR control methods. The<br />
neural network based NARMA-L2 control is chosen<br />
in this project.<br />
• Design the neural network based NARMA-L2<br />
controller using MATLAB Simulink and then test<br />
and modify the design in controlling the model,<br />
sort out the simulation results.<br />
• Analysis the simulation results, comparing the<br />
control performance with the other control<br />
methods.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In this project, a neural network base NARMA-L2<br />
controller is designed and well controlling the CSTR<br />
model based on MATLAB. The model which<br />
appropriately reflects the non-linearity of CSTR is<br />
built based on Simulink. It indicates that neural<br />
network based NARMA-L2 controller has the ability<br />
to solve non-linear systems. By comparing the control<br />
performance with the traditional PID control and selfturning<br />
PID control, the high stability and rapidity of<br />
network based NARMA-L2 controller have been<br />
reflected. Furthermore, the influence of the structure<br />
of neural network within NARMA-L2 neural controller<br />
is discussed.
Thomas Hutchings<br />
BENG ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Nigel Gunton<br />
The Development of an Inexpensive Race Timer<br />
What is RFID?<br />
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an<br />
automatic identification method, relying on storing<br />
and remotely retrieving data using devices called<br />
RFID tags. An RFID tag is a small object that can be<br />
attached to or incorporated into a product, animal<br />
or person. RFID tags contain antennas to enable<br />
them to receive and respond to radio-frequency<br />
queries from an RFID reader or interrogator.<br />
How Does it Work?<br />
The basic passive RFID tag is made up of an<br />
inductive antenna and an RFID microchip. The<br />
reader sends out a Radio Frequency (RF) wave<br />
through an antenna, which is then induced into<br />
the coil of the tag.<br />
This induction provides power to the device, which<br />
in turn enables the device to communicate<br />
wirelessly with the reader. When read, the<br />
transponder sends the information stored on the<br />
internal chip.<br />
RFID Spectrum<br />
RFID readers and transponders are designed to<br />
work at specific frequencies. The specific<br />
frequency is dependent on the application and the<br />
industry in which the system is to be used.<br />
Typically, the higher the operating frequency, the<br />
longer the read distances. The read range of an<br />
RFID system however, is also dependent on the<br />
type and size of antenna used and the type of<br />
transponders used. Systems with longer read<br />
ranges will normally cost more than systems with<br />
shorter ranges<br />
Research into how far the system would need to<br />
read determined that UHF was the best suited<br />
carrier frequency. The reason being is that<br />
frequencies above UHF are very difficult and<br />
expensive to use, and the read distances of the<br />
lower frequencies are not great enough.<br />
Racer Detection System<br />
Finding a UHF RFID reader with application<br />
information under budget was extremely difficult .<br />
Therefore, to demonstrate concepts a LF RFID<br />
reader was used instead.<br />
The Innovations ID-12LA was selected.<br />
An LED is connected to Pin 5 which illuminates<br />
when a 125 kHz RFID tag is in range. An LED on pin<br />
10 will illuminate when the ID-12 has successfully<br />
read the tag. The data received from the tag is<br />
then sent down the serial bus through pin 8 to the<br />
RX pin on the Arduino Uno.<br />
Software On an Arduino UNO was created to<br />
display the data onto a computer terminal. The<br />
next stage of the project would have been to use<br />
this data to start and stop a series of timers in a<br />
excel spreadsheet. However, due to time delays<br />
though out the project this was not explored.<br />
Project summary<br />
Currently many races at club and charity level are<br />
timed using manual methods. For example an<br />
operator using computer software may enter times<br />
and number of racers as they cross the finish line.<br />
Manual methods are prone to human error. For<br />
example, competitors may be missed as they cross<br />
the finish line, or times may be entered incorrectly.<br />
This Project was carried out in conjunction with The<br />
Forest of Dean Lions Club, which seeks a low cost<br />
system that is capable of automatically timing<br />
participants in cycle events.<br />
Initial research determined RFID would be the best<br />
technology to be used.<br />
The research ultimately determined that a lower cost<br />
solution was feasible. However, it was out of the<br />
scope of the £50 budget provided by the University<br />
and The Forest of Dean Lions Club was only willing to<br />
contribute any funding towards the project after a<br />
working prototype was produced. Due to budget<br />
restrictions and time delays, a fully featured<br />
prototype was not constructed.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of this project is to determine the feasibility<br />
of developing a low cost prototype race timer.<br />
• The system shall cost less than £50, the maximum<br />
University funding<br />
• The system shall automatically detect and identify<br />
each racer as they cross the finish line<br />
• The system shall record an accurate time to within<br />
0.1 Seconds.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This has been a most interesting and rewarding<br />
project. Although time constraints prevented<br />
completion of the project, the critical design stages<br />
that have been completed have shown the feasibility<br />
using a low-cost RFID system to time racers.
Charles Taylor<br />
BEng (Hons) Electrical/ Electronic <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Hassan Nouri<br />
Real Time Fault Analysis of AC Induction Motors<br />
Introduction<br />
Water companies can face large prosecutions and<br />
fines if the water or sewerage quality parameters<br />
goes outside of the consented limits. Any<br />
unforeseen breakdowns in mechanical or electrical<br />
equipment can result in critical items of plant<br />
being left un-operational for periods of time whilst<br />
a repair is carried out, leaving the plant exposed to<br />
potential failures<br />
This project set out to investigate, design and build<br />
an instrument that can monitor real time<br />
condition of plant and to detect potential failures<br />
at their inception.<br />
There are various methods of fault detection<br />
though they often tend to rely on mechanical<br />
instruments which are inherently expensive to fit<br />
and maintain. The use of motor current signature<br />
analysis to carry out real time fault diagnosis is<br />
one that has been widely researched and proven.<br />
Common Faults That Were Identified<br />
Below is a list of common faults that regularly<br />
occur in items of plant in the water treatment<br />
industry.<br />
Electrical Faults<br />
Electrical Over load, nine to ground fault, Line to<br />
line fault, two phase line to ground fault, three<br />
phase line to ground fault, unbalanced supply<br />
voltage, over voltage, under voltage and single<br />
phasing<br />
Pumps Failures<br />
Impellor blockage, Non return valve failure and<br />
Pressure head loss due to pipe burst or rupture<br />
Mechanical Faults<br />
Bearing failure, Motor Unbalanced load or rotor<br />
shaft misalignment<br />
Fault Signature Analysis<br />
In order to be able to identify various current fault<br />
signatures a number of real life experiments on<br />
various pieces of electrical equipment on Wessex<br />
Water’s Sewerage treatment works was set up.<br />
Additionally current signatures were collected on<br />
both healthy and unhealthy equipment and a<br />
comparison made between the two. The<br />
signatures were logged and collected using a<br />
Power Quality Analyser. The data for each test was<br />
then download into Matlab where a Fast Fourier<br />
Transform was carried out to display the current<br />
signature harmonics.<br />
Fuzzy Logic<br />
A hybrid fault identification algorithm was<br />
developed based on the fault identification<br />
method of fuzzy logic but with the added ability to<br />
self learn and back propagate as the Neural<br />
Network does.<br />
Hardware Design<br />
A design by Microchip for a three phase energy<br />
meter with integrated DSPIC was used to become<br />
the Pump Condition Monitor Tool. A PCB was built<br />
to provide three phase 415V voltage and current<br />
signatures .<br />
Software Design<br />
The PCM tool was designed to communicate its<br />
current status, power quality parameters and fault<br />
alarms via Modbus to a Programmable Logic<br />
Controller.. Additionally a Graphical User Interface<br />
was also built to allow the user a detailed insight<br />
into the condition of a pump as it is running.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project set out to investigate, design and<br />
build a system that can monitor real time<br />
condition of pant and to detect failures of<br />
plant at their inception.<br />
The instrument is intended to be used by<br />
utility company's so is required to be able to<br />
communicate via Modbus to a Programmable<br />
Logic Controller<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives of this project were to<br />
investigate a method of carrying out real time<br />
fault analysis of AC induction motors, in<br />
particular the centrifugal pump widely used<br />
by utility company's.<br />
Once a method of fault identification had<br />
been established an instrument needed to be<br />
designed and built that would work on any<br />
centrifugal pump as a stand alone unit, 24<br />
hours a day and that would integrate and<br />
communicate with a Programmable Logic<br />
Controller to alert operational staff of the<br />
need to carry out potentially invasive<br />
maintenances at the faults inception.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project proved to be a good success. A<br />
method of detecting and identifying all of the<br />
faults required was achieved. A instrument<br />
was built that was able to operate on three<br />
phase pumps and detect failures.<br />
The instrument was able to communicate via<br />
Modbus to a Programmable Logic Controller.
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
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<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Engineers play an important<br />
role solving the 21st century<br />
problems faced by industry<br />
and society. As a result, there<br />
is high demand for graduates<br />
with a broad-based approach to<br />
engineering problem-solving<br />
and a sound understanding of<br />
multi-disciplinary projects.<br />
The city of<br />
<strong>Bristol</strong><br />
<strong>Bristol</strong> is a vibrant city, steeped with culture,<br />
heritage and the arts. From its waterfront, you can<br />
see the Clifton Suspension Bridge - Brunel’s famous<br />
feat of engineering.<br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics
Omafume Niemogha<br />
Bsc Hons <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Prof. Quan Zhu<br />
Modelling and Control Of Water Tank Level In Virtual Reality<br />
Environment<br />
Introduction<br />
modelling and control of water tank levels in virtual reality environment is done to review the differences between a practically controlled system and a virtual<br />
system, by creating and testing a coupled water tank system in a reliable replication of reality. Water level control in tanks and flow rate of liquid between tanks<br />
are a major concern in various processing industries. Coupled tank system is considered in this project, because it is an application of a level control system,<br />
often used in industries.<br />
Single Tank System<br />
Water is fed into tank from pump at a voltage, V, water level decreases as it<br />
exits at the bottom of the tank, a point is reached where the measured<br />
variable drops below the set point. This creates a positive error signal. Valve<br />
is opened and water is subsequently injected into the tank, and the level<br />
rises. Once the water level rises above the set point, a negative error signal is<br />
developed. The negative error signal causes the controller to close the valve.<br />
Single Tank System<br />
Single Tank Model In Virtual Reality<br />
Coupled Tank System<br />
For a coupled tank system, water flows from Tank 1 to Tank 2, the same<br />
control strategy for the single tank system is applied, with the aim being to<br />
model a fixed water level in tank 2, by alternating the voltage fed to Tank 1 .<br />
This system is designed as a second order single input single output (SISO)<br />
System.<br />
Variables<br />
H = height of the tank.<br />
Vol =volume in the tank.<br />
V =voltage applied to the tank.<br />
Constant Parameters<br />
A = cross sectional area of the tank.<br />
b = constant related to the flow rate<br />
into tank.<br />
a = constant related to the flow rate<br />
out of tank.<br />
.<br />
Differential Equation<br />
dd dddd<br />
VVVVVV = AA = bbbb − aa HH<br />
dddd dddd<br />
Coupled Tank System Coupled Tank System In Virtual Reality<br />
Flow Balance Equations for Tank 1 and Tank 2<br />
TTTTTTTT 1 = QQ ii − QQ 1 = ddVV 1<br />
dddd = AA ddHH 1<br />
dddd<br />
TTTTTTTT 2 = QQ 1 −QQ oo = ddVV 2<br />
dddd = AA ddHH 2<br />
dddd<br />
Project summary<br />
This project investigates the latest art of<br />
virtual reality control schemes and<br />
applications in water tank, by implementing<br />
MATLAB and V-REALM builder software. A<br />
coupled tank system is simulated and<br />
controlled in Virtual reality.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
‣ Study the differences between Practical & Virtual<br />
Modelling & Control.<br />
‣ Investigate the latest art of virtual control schemes<br />
and applications in water tanks.<br />
‣ Implement one of the matured control strategies<br />
by Matlab programming.<br />
‣ Test the specific application for controlling the<br />
water tank levels.<br />
‣ Study and discuss about the advantages and<br />
disadvantages in design a water tank controls in<br />
virtual reality environment.<br />
‣ Compare and then make development changes<br />
based on the previous studies.<br />
‣ Describe some types of fundamental virtual<br />
control system.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Virtual modelling and control have been used<br />
to control water level in tank. Virtual<br />
modelling is important as it enables engineers<br />
to design, control, and correct various errors<br />
which may arise in manufacture. The results<br />
obtained meet the required design<br />
requirement.
Liam Lane<br />
BSc (Hons) <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Richard Stamp<br />
Joint Strike Fighter bearing heater process improvement study<br />
Introduction<br />
This study is to achieve a cost improvement for Rolls-Royce PLC ,<br />
<strong>Bristol</strong> when assembling the bearing components which are used<br />
to build the JSF135 3BSD module. This is the Joint Strike Fighter<br />
aircraft which is a fighter jet which is used by the USA. It is similar<br />
to the harrier jump jet as it takes off vertically. It achieves this from<br />
rotating a swivel exhaust duct over 90 degrees to face the ground<br />
during take-off and returns facing the rear of the aircraft when in<br />
flight. This exhaust duct is built at Rolls-Royce PLC ,<strong>Bristol</strong> and is<br />
called a 3BSD (Three Bearing Swivel Module. This module is built<br />
up from three scarfed casings and three bearings. An interference<br />
fit is carried out to build up part of the bearing module and this<br />
uses a heater to carry out a heat shrink interference fit. This study<br />
aims to identify and implement a cost saving to the component<br />
heating process of this assembly.<br />
JSF 135- Joint Strike Fighter<br />
3BSD – Three Bearing Swivel duct<br />
Original bearing heat-shrink process<br />
The original bearing heater that was used only had the capacity to heat one<br />
bearing component at anytime and caused a job queue. The heater was also<br />
immobile and took up a lot of space on the shop floor build line. It couldn’t be<br />
moved around and was located on the ground and presented itself as a health<br />
and safety trip hazard.<br />
Original bearing heater<br />
Bearing heat-shrink process solutions<br />
Three independent heating methods were<br />
reviewed and analyzed in terms of cost and<br />
time savings to replace the original bearing<br />
heat process. Concepts were designed to<br />
replace the original heating process and the<br />
original heater to eradicate any health and<br />
safety issues. Three solutions were compared<br />
and the chosen solution was to use the ‘dual<br />
bearing component’ heating method. Tooling<br />
trails were then undertaken to prove this<br />
tooling.<br />
Tooling Trials<br />
With the dual bearing component heater equipment procured, tooling trials were<br />
carried out to ensure the heater worked effectively so that it could prove tooling<br />
repeatability and could operate to heat the bearing component as required. The<br />
trial consisted of heating the bearing component to its required temperature as<br />
normal and thermocouples were placed at three equi-space positions on the<br />
bearing component to measure the temperatures during the trials. The tooling<br />
worked effectively for one of the tooling trials but not enough repeatable results<br />
were concluded from the three trials, so re-work and re-testing will be required. It<br />
is concluded that thermocouple errors and heater controller units caused the<br />
tooling problems.<br />
Project summary<br />
The Rolls-Royce PLC,<strong>Bristol</strong> is responsible for building<br />
The Joint Strike Fighter three bearing swivel duct<br />
module. This module is moving to Rolls-Royce<br />
Indianapolis in July <strong>2015</strong> for a increase of production<br />
and a cost improvement activity is required to reduce<br />
the build cost.<br />
This project investigated and developed solutions for<br />
saving cost/time when carrying out an interference fit<br />
as part of a bearing build process. The interference fit<br />
is carried out but heat shrink fitting the components.<br />
A review of the heating process has been completed.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
•An investigation to implement a process<br />
improvement to reduce by costs into the Joint Strike<br />
Fighter build line, by reviewing inefficient bearing<br />
interference fitting methods.<br />
•Research and review methods of heat shrink fitting<br />
and design three new heating methods to carry out<br />
the required an interference fit.<br />
•Finalize a new bearing heater method and<br />
demonstrate cost savings to the business and carry<br />
out tooling trials to prove new tooling.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The conclusion result in a new method of component<br />
heating being used with a new heater design. The<br />
new heating method saves Rolls-Royce PLC<br />
approximately 35% of the cost compared to the<br />
previous heating method and saves Rolls-Royce PLC<br />
50% of the build time taken.<br />
Tooling trials for the new tooling proved that the new<br />
tooling operated as required, but the test result were<br />
not repeatable so re-work and re-testing is required<br />
so that the tooling can be implemented into the build<br />
process.
David R Irvine<br />
Bsc <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rui Cardosso<br />
The M-K Analysis and its Accuracy at Determining Sheet Metal Ductility<br />
Limits via Forming Limit Diagrams.<br />
Introduction<br />
The Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) outlines the ductility limits of a specific sheet metal in reference to the principle in plane strain<br />
directions . These diagrams allow for designer and manufacturers alike to determine if a material or process is capable of being made.<br />
The report for this project details the various methods of procuring the necessary data to create these diagrams along with methods to<br />
construct the curve. A series of ABAQUS models were used to carry out numerical analysis to determine its effectiveness.<br />
Theoretical modelling<br />
The Marciniak-Kuczynski Model is a broadly excepted way of modelling inhomogeneity<br />
in sheet metal it does this by creating a groove (seen right) through the model with a<br />
different thickness to the rest of the model usually between 90% and 99% of the<br />
original thickness . If this sheet is then subjected to a critical load the necking will<br />
originated in this new groove area.<br />
FLC<br />
The forming limit curve (FLC) seen left, consists of three main sections:<br />
• The mono axial extension where minor strain is 0 this is usual the lowest point on<br />
the diagram<br />
• Tensile extension the area to the left of the y axis depicting the sheet under a<br />
stretching process and is mainly straight .<br />
• The biaxial extension the area to the right of the y axis consists of many different<br />
strain rates causing it to curve and depicts such things as stamping.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project compare d the capabilities,<br />
accuracy and ease of creating FLDs with a<br />
variety of methods including simulations and<br />
physical experiment<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The project set out to observe the pros and<br />
cons of each analytical method, outline the<br />
methodology behind these processes<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project found while there are many<br />
methods to create forming limit diagrams<br />
some are better suited to certain situations<br />
like deep drawing in useful when dealing<br />
with highly plastic metals and hemispherical<br />
punch is well suited to thin brittle sheets. FEA<br />
solutions are great but definitely need some<br />
kind of physical experiment behind them to<br />
validate the strain localization location. And<br />
assist in geometry decisions.<br />
Press testing<br />
The main testing method for deriving FLDs is via press testing consisting of deep<br />
drawing experiments and punch testing. The premise of theses tests is subject a<br />
series of test blanks of the sheet metal in question to a pressing force until the<br />
fail. The blanks vary in shape giving the different strain paths needed to create<br />
the forming limit curve.
Sef Riaz<br />
BEng<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Design and implementation of a firefighting robot<br />
Three different types of sensors were implemented these were proximity sensors for the purpose of obstacle avoidance of the robot,<br />
a smoke sensor to enable the robot to detect is a large fire is giving off emissions, and an IR sensor that is tuned to the wavelength of<br />
fire. The sensors will be interfaced with the commonly used robot platform in the labs called the MARCO. The brain of the MARCO Is<br />
a DE0 Nano board which contains an FPGA.<br />
2 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for heads, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
Project summary<br />
The purpose of this project was to design<br />
and implement different types of sensors and<br />
interface them with an FPGA and a robot<br />
platform. Using VHDL and C programming, a<br />
firefighting functionality was implemented.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Design and implement different types of<br />
sensors that will be useful for mobile robots<br />
and fire detection systems i.e proximity ,<br />
near-IR, UV, Smoke. These sensors need to<br />
be tunned and filtered such that they can<br />
function effectively when interfaced with the<br />
FPGA<br />
Figure above shows a waveform of<br />
the proximity sensor that was<br />
implemented . It works by using a<br />
collpits oscillator to pulse IR LEDs<br />
at 1KHz and a high-pass filter with<br />
a cut-off frequency of 500Hz was<br />
used to filter out all voltage signals<br />
produced from ambient light.<br />
Using VHDL a different hardware configuration<br />
was implemented on the FPGA such that the<br />
hardware/sortware control of the robot could be<br />
optimised.<br />
On the right is a 2DOF robotic<br />
manipulator which the sensor will be<br />
mounted on . This will allow the robot to<br />
scan the room for IR emissions that may<br />
correspond to EM radiation emitted<br />
from a flame.<br />
Figure above shows the voltage drop produced when a<br />
low pass filter of very specific cutoff frequency is<br />
implemented and the output of a flame sensor is passed<br />
through it . The cut-off frequency was 6Hz this attenuated<br />
weak signals which entered the sensor at an angle hence<br />
producing a highly directional flame sensor<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This was a relatively successful project which<br />
involved the implementation of three<br />
different types of sensors and successfully<br />
integrated them with the MARCO. However<br />
the robotic manipulator was only<br />
implemented with one degree of freedom<br />
however there is a lot of further work that<br />
can be done on this project . For example<br />
implementing a machine to machine<br />
communication system between different<br />
robot units such that a swarm of firefighting<br />
robots can be used to patrol a large area or<br />
building.
Peter Batchelor<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> BSc(Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Steve Wright<br />
An Analysis of an Airbus A320 Fuel Management System<br />
Introduction<br />
This project was to initially study aircraft-level reliability of the Airbus A320 fuel management system. Failure rate information for the<br />
components of the system could not be obtained, so the aim changed to analyse which sub-systems and components have the largest<br />
effect on overall system reliability. It uses industry software, Isograph Reliability Workbench, to design and analyse fault trees.<br />
The Fuel Management System<br />
The FMS has several tasks:<br />
• To constantly keep the engines fed with fuel.<br />
• To ensure the condition of the fuel.<br />
• To distribute fuel to the desired tanks during refuelling.<br />
• To allow the fuel to be removed during a defuel.<br />
This study focused on the critical failure of the FMS, that it stopped supplying<br />
fuel to the engines.<br />
Project summary<br />
To perform fault tree analysis of an Airbus<br />
A320’s Fuel Management System using<br />
industry tools to pin point sub-systems with<br />
the largest effect on overall system reliability.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Specify the Fuel Management System<br />
• Construct fault tree design<br />
• Build the fault tree and analyse outputs<br />
• Research failure rate information<br />
• Investigate fault tree software<br />
Fault Tree Design<br />
A fault tree comprises of a top gate,<br />
with other events of gates feeding<br />
into it. These gates act as logical<br />
operators, manipulating the failure<br />
rate information and providing an<br />
overall failure rate for the system at<br />
the top as well as sub-system failure<br />
rates from secondary gates. The<br />
bottom of each tree are events.<br />
These take in failure rate numbers.<br />
Analysis<br />
Data was gather from various sources and inputted into the<br />
model. The output top gate figure was close to the predicted<br />
overall failure rate, which helped prove the model was<br />
viable. Analysis showed that the main failure point was<br />
technician error in filling the pipe connectors, although<br />
other systems stopped this from impacting overall reliability.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• That even without specific failure rate<br />
information, fault trees allow analysis of<br />
systems to pinpoint hot spots of failure<br />
easily and effectively and allow new<br />
designs to be implemented and tested.<br />
• Specific failure rate information for<br />
components is nearly impossible to obtain.<br />
• Isograph Reliability Workbench and<br />
FaultTree+ are good software allowing a<br />
high degree of analysis but have poor<br />
interfaces.
Matthew Tucker<br />
Bsc <strong>Engineering</strong> (Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Ruth Jones<br />
Minimal <strong>Engineering</strong> Definition<br />
54 Sheets<br />
860 Hours<br />
Typical Turbine Blade 2D Definition<br />
35% Reduction<br />
43 Sheets<br />
553 Hours<br />
Project summary<br />
Rolls-Royce are seeking to reduce costs and improve<br />
operational efficiency in all areas. An area of large<br />
cost within the design process is the creation of two<br />
dimensional drawings to convey the definition<br />
required to manufacture/inspect the parts to the<br />
manufacturer. This report looks into how the cost and<br />
lead time of this task can be reduced whilst still<br />
adhering to regulations.<br />
£48,160<br />
+<br />
Example of reduced definition<br />
due to implementation of GOM<br />
over CMM<br />
£30,982<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Primary Aim<br />
Reduce amount of definition on two dimensional<br />
drawing.<br />
Objectives<br />
• Set limits to work within.<br />
• Assess the influencing factors determining the<br />
form of the drawings.<br />
• Assess the feasibility of these main influences<br />
changing.<br />
• Assess the benefits of changing these influencing<br />
factors.<br />
• Compare the potential solutions.<br />
• Define the best overall solution with associated<br />
cost and time savings to build a case for changing<br />
the current process.<br />
• Pursue the implementation of the final solution.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Within Rolls-Royce processes and particular<br />
constraints It is possible to reduce the amount of 2D<br />
definition by approximately 35%.<br />
This is achieved by:<br />
• Implementing a ‘smarter’ drawing format.<br />
• Change inspection method from CMM to GOM<br />
scanning.<br />
• Omitting irrelevant information.
Lukas D. Blum<br />
BSc. (Hons) <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mrs. Ruth Jones<br />
Analysing trends and increasing customer focus in business-to-business<br />
marketing communications<br />
Introduction<br />
This research investigates the trends and preferences in the following key media used for business-to-business (B2B) marketing communications: social media,<br />
print media, websites and E-mail updates. Primary data was gathered by conducting an online customer survey as well as a corresponding survey targeting the<br />
marketing staff of ABB. By comparing the data of both surveys correlations and discrepancies in the use of the individual media were spotted. The data<br />
gathered was analysed using Microsoft EXCEL as well as further tools for analysis such as the Net Promoter Score (NPS). It was possible to identify gaps in ABB<br />
Motion’s marketing efforts and the customers’ expectations and derive multiple suggestions for improving the customer focus and thus the impact of the<br />
marketing communications (as listed below).<br />
Trend analysis<br />
The respondents of both surveys were asked to rank the current importance<br />
of print media, social media, websites and E-mail updates from their<br />
professional perspective. The results are visualized on the right hand side.<br />
The same method was used to assess the future importance of the media.<br />
The analysis revealed the high importance of websites for current and future<br />
marketing communications.<br />
Increasing customer focus<br />
By comparing the customers’ preferences/expectations of the use of<br />
communication media with the marketing efforts undertaken by ABB Motion<br />
potential gaps were investigated. The graphs on the right hand side picture<br />
the customers’ desired frequency of E-newsletters as well as the frequency<br />
ABB Motion sends out E- newsletters.<br />
By deriving suggestions on how to bridge those gaps the customer focus of<br />
the marketing communication the customer focus will be increased.<br />
Suggestions for improvement<br />
• Constantly improve the website to improve ease of navigation<br />
• A smaller, yet more frequent newsletter would be an option to stay in<br />
touch with the customers more often<br />
• Increase the number of success stories in order to communicate<br />
• Decrease Flyer campaigns. Flyers are not in high esteem from the<br />
customers’ perspective. Brochures are the medium of choice for the<br />
customer<br />
Customer Survey<br />
Q.: How often would you like to receive<br />
ABB Motion‘s E-newsletters?<br />
Customer Survey<br />
ABB Survey<br />
Q.: How often do you/your team<br />
send out E-newsletters?<br />
ABB Survey<br />
Limitations<br />
• Only applicable for the automation industry<br />
• All surveys were distributed using electronic media such as E-mail and<br />
social networks. As a result there might be an existing bias towards<br />
respondents who already embrace the usage of an online<br />
communications<br />
• Limited number of responses may impact the informative value<br />
Project summary<br />
This research project investigated the trends and<br />
preferences in business-to-business marketing<br />
communications. The study used ABB Motion as a<br />
case study to facilitate the investigations.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The project aims to investigate current and future<br />
trends in the use of selected marketing<br />
communication media. Analyse the customer focus of<br />
ABB Motion’s current marketing communication<br />
efforts and ultimately derive suggestion how to<br />
improve ABB Motion’s marketing efforts.<br />
The primary data for the research was gathered using<br />
customer survey and a corresponding ABB survey.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• Websites are the most important medium for<br />
marketing communications now and in the near<br />
future<br />
• Print media have a bigger importance in the<br />
business-to business sector than suggested by the<br />
literature<br />
• Social media are not considered to be of great<br />
importance for marketing communications, by<br />
both: customers and marketers. However they<br />
bear potential to engage with the customer and<br />
establish a relationship<br />
• ABB marketers are reluctant to send out E-<br />
newsletters with a high frequency. The study<br />
indicates however that 36.7% of customers would<br />
like a weekly or fortnightly newsletter<br />
• A lot of customers are interested in fact based<br />
information conveyed in case studies
Design and Structural Analysis of a Roll Over Protection<br />
System<br />
An investigation has been carried out<br />
to examine how the structural<br />
components of a rollbar affect its<br />
performance in a rollover crash. A<br />
range of roll bars were designed in<br />
SolidWorks. Some of these models<br />
were selected for testing in Abaqus<br />
FEA (Finite Element Analysis).<br />
Various methods of testing were<br />
attempted in Abaqus, and the<br />
simulations that were carried out<br />
showed relationships that would be<br />
expected from similar real world<br />
scenarios. From the results of these<br />
simulations the best design elements<br />
were selected and combined in a final<br />
design. This final design will be used<br />
next year as the starting point for the<br />
second half of this masters project, in<br />
which the roll bar will be<br />
manufactured.<br />
From looking at all of the relevant literature and<br />
existing products, a good selection of roll bar<br />
prototypes were designed. The testing of proved<br />
to be very difficult, however good results were<br />
eventually obtained, which showed that<br />
backstay spacing has a major impact on frontal<br />
impact resistance. The optimum backstay<br />
spacing was found to be 0.4m for this<br />
application. Various diagonal members were<br />
tested, and the X bracing option, despite being<br />
the heaviest, was the clear favourite. this can be<br />
seen in the results as it maintained the lowest<br />
maximum deflection in all but one test.
Student Name: Ben Gordon<br />
Student Number: 08970917<br />
Module Number: UFMFX8-30-3<br />
Supervisor Name: R. Stamp<br />
Award: BSc (Hons) <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Date: 16 th April <strong>2015</strong><br />
Investigation title: Feasibility of implementing Angle Based Tightening tools onto JSF 3BSM assembly line<br />
Introduction<br />
The highly respected Harrier Jump Jet is<br />
nearing the end of its programme and is being<br />
replaced by the new Short take off and<br />
vertical landing aircraft the Joint Strike<br />
Fighter, the replacement aircraft has a swivel<br />
exhaust duct for hover and vertical take-off.<br />
This exhaust duct uses new technology and<br />
materials to make the product versatile and<br />
light weight. Rolls-Royce plc has identified<br />
the Joint Strike Fighter 3 Bearing Swivel<br />
Module exhaust duct with high costs as a<br />
potential new benefactor for this new<br />
technology and cost saving. However,<br />
introduction of these complex tools into the<br />
aerospace assembly environment has<br />
particular challenges; the volumes are low,<br />
and the product highly complex, with a high<br />
degree of design definition and assembly<br />
standards to adhere to.<br />
As a result, Rolls-Royce plc has chosen Joint<br />
Strike Fighter 3 Bearing Swivel Module as a<br />
pilot project for the new Angle Based<br />
Tightening wrenches to be implemented on.<br />
Bluetooth safety & security<br />
Investigation Objectives<br />
The aims of this investigation are:<br />
• Investigate market leading tightening methods.<br />
• Analysis and mitigation of any operational differences<br />
between wired and wireless tools.<br />
• Investigate the impact on existing staff and consider<br />
how is best to address the culture change.<br />
• Recommend tool location within the existing factory<br />
layout.<br />
• Investigate Operational strengths and weaknesses of<br />
Angle Based Tightening<br />
• Calculate the business benefit and cost savings.<br />
• Implement Angle Based Tightening onto the Joint<br />
Strike Fighter 3 Bearing Swivel Module production<br />
assembly line and prove capability and verify with a<br />
First Article Inspection Report.<br />
• Manage the project in order to deliver a successful and<br />
relevant conclusion within the Rolls-Royce agreed<br />
project time frame, as depicted in the project Gantt<br />
chart and document in a report whilst adhering to<br />
University timescales.<br />
‘LIVE’<br />
MEASUREMENT &<br />
DATA CAPTURE<br />
Project Summary<br />
It is crucial for Rolls-Royce plc to recognise,<br />
develop and utilise new technology in order<br />
to maintain its competitive edge and industryrenowned<br />
high standard of quality, whilst<br />
simultaneously achieving hi quality. In doing<br />
so, a reduction in build times can be extracted<br />
along with additional cost savings, resulting<br />
in a more competitive product – especially in<br />
today’s harsh global financial and business<br />
climate. This is why wireless Angle Based<br />
Tightening wrenches or ‘ABT Wrench’s’ (as<br />
they are termed within Rolls-Royce plc) are<br />
being investigated, and ultimately a<br />
replacement for the current Intellifast<br />
wrenches used today at Rolls-Royce plc<br />
<strong>Bristol</strong>.<br />
Conclusion<br />
The data collected during the first production<br />
Angle Based Tightening build was marginally<br />
better than expected and presented no<br />
surprises. It was best suited for there to be a<br />
trolley for the equipment so it can be wheeled<br />
to each work station when needed on<br />
assembly, this set of tooling has led to a<br />
40.60% reduction in operations for the flange<br />
tightening processes, which equates to a<br />
reduction of 60 hours per build and a total<br />
cost saving of £85,530.00 whilst increasing<br />
efficiency, quality and repeatability, this<br />
saving could potentially rise to £99,750.00.
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
95<br />
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<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics<br />
Mechanical engineers<br />
play an important role in<br />
many of the products in<br />
the world around us. This<br />
involvement can range from<br />
design, manufacture and<br />
development, through to the<br />
management or marketing of<br />
products. With a degree in<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong>, you<br />
have the opportunity to use<br />
your skills in whatever sector<br />
you wish.<br />
90%<br />
of our BEng (Hons) / MEng Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> students are in work or further study<br />
six months after graduating.<br />
unistats.com 2014
Xubin Han<br />
Equivalent system and<br />
dynamics equation of system<br />
By using equivalent unit method to each component<br />
of the multi-body system, the equivalent mass<br />
matrix M can be derived from element mass matrix<br />
m. The equivalent mass matrix M was determined<br />
by the element mass matrix and relation<br />
matrix Q n, m , which shows the relationship between<br />
system possible displacements and unit nodal<br />
coordinates. From<br />
T T F P − F g = T T F − F = 0<br />
can derive the dynamics equation of system as:<br />
T T M R = T T F<br />
Since R was the possible displacement vector of<br />
system and each component was not entirely<br />
independent<br />
R = T q<br />
R = T q + T q<br />
The reason for building R = T q was for solving<br />
the equation easily.<br />
Therefore, the generalized coordinate’s style of<br />
dynamics equation was:<br />
T T M T q + T q = T T F<br />
With tensor, the dynamics differential equation of<br />
system can be shown as:<br />
i<br />
k<br />
T ik M ij<br />
T jk q k + T jkq k<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Mechanical Arm: analysis<br />
= T ik F i<br />
i<br />
The dynamic performance of engineering mechanical<br />
arm and intelligent control<br />
the comparison of step response while no controller and after adding PID controller. It<br />
could be found that, after adding PID control, the peak y p =1 and it meant no overshot;<br />
the peak time t p =4.8s; the regulation time t s =3.8s and the steady-state<br />
error e ss =0.0036. Compared with the original system, the response time and settling<br />
time are greatly reduced.<br />
the comparison of moving arm's open-loop Bode plot. From the plot, it can be found<br />
that the magnitude margin G m =71.8dB, the crossover frequency of<br />
magnitude ω g =86.4rad/sec, the phase margin P m =87.2deg and the shear<br />
frequency ω c =0.29rad/sec. Compared with the original system, the cutoff frequency<br />
becomes larger and with wider bandwidth. It means the highest frequency range<br />
becomes larger while the boom subsystem operating and it gets faster response and<br />
better dynamic performance.<br />
the sine tracking curve of moving arm's PID control system. After adding PID control<br />
system, for one thing, the sinusoidal tracking signal is substantially no attenuation and<br />
phase delay, for another, the set value can be achieved in a short period of time.<br />
Therefore, it can satisfy the requirements of control in real operations.<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Professor Quanmin Zhu<br />
Project summary:<br />
My research including the modelling method of<br />
multi-body dynamics equations of the engineering<br />
mechanical arm and especially I mainly discussed<br />
the equivalent finite element method and the<br />
relevant theory.<br />
According to the trajectory tracking control<br />
expression of the manipulator bucket and the control<br />
theory, set up the PID control model to run the<br />
mechanical arm. Using MATLAB to simulate and<br />
do the calculation for the controlling model and<br />
analysing the steady state error and dynamic<br />
response error of system<br />
Project object:<br />
My report use theory related to mechanical arms as<br />
the main basis, which mainly related to the multibody<br />
dynamics, flexible multibody dynamics, PID<br />
control, I use the theory to study the modelling and<br />
simulation of mechanical arms motion intelligent<br />
control.<br />
Project conclusions:<br />
(1) the motion law of engineering mechanical arm,<br />
the engineering mechanical arm multibody<br />
system dynamics equation base on equivalent<br />
finite element method has been derived.<br />
(2) Specifically, after discoursing the equivalent<br />
force system and the actual force system, the<br />
equivalent system dynamics equation has been<br />
derived in detail.<br />
(3) the PID control model of hydraulic excavator’s<br />
mechanical arm has been built with modelling<br />
and simulation of MATLAB<br />
(4) after the control system adding PID controller,<br />
the response speed of system became faster<br />
obviously, also the system had stronger ability of<br />
tracking the change of input parameters base on<br />
keeping the stability of system. All in all, the<br />
PID control system can achieve the requirements<br />
of control faster than the original system.
Convective heat transfer coefficeint<br />
(W/m2K)<br />
Thermal conductivity (W/mK)<br />
Wasim Ahmed<br />
BEng – Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Automotive Thermoelectric Generator and Heat Exchanger Design<br />
Analysis, Using Computational Fluid Dynamics, For Exhaust Gas Waste<br />
Heat Recovery.<br />
Introduction<br />
The "Energy Crisis" has become a major challenge in front of engineers across the globe due to rapidly increasing demands and consumption of energy. For<br />
almost two hundred years, the main energy resource has been fossil fuel and will continue to supply much of the energy for the next two and half decades.<br />
Worldwide oil consumption is expected to rise from 80 million barrels per day in 2003 to 98 million barrels per day in <strong>2015</strong> and<br />
then to 118 million barrels per day in 2030.The investigation carried out in this report focuses on different methods of waste heat recovery systems, to give a<br />
brief overview of the project background and relation heat recovery systems have to transportation. An internal combustion engine can be taken as an<br />
example, the engine has an efficiency of around 30%, where 30% is wasted in cooling water; 10% loss is unaccountable and 30% is wasted as exhaust gas.<br />
Wasted heat in the form of exhaust gas heat is what we will concentrate on in particular within this project. The aim is to capture the wasted heat via some<br />
form of heat transfer process, temporarily store this heat and convert this heat into electrical energy in order to increase overall efficiency of an engine and<br />
therefore reduce fuel consumption.<br />
Automotive Thermoelectric Generators<br />
A Thermoelectric generator is a heat recovery system incorporated into the<br />
exhaust of a car that is used in conjunction with the internal combustion<br />
engine. The exhaust pipe contains a block consisting of thermoelectric<br />
materials with a hot side heat exchanger and cold side heat exchanger. A<br />
Thermoelectric Generator is used to convert thermal energy from different<br />
temperature gradients existing between hot and cold ends of a<br />
semiconductor into electric energy that can be used to power various<br />
electrical purposes within the car, This phenomenon was discovered by<br />
Thomas Johann Seebeck in 1821 and is called the ‘Seebeck effect’.<br />
Heat Exchanger Numerical Modelling<br />
A rectangular plate fin heat exchanger of a specific geometry<br />
and dimension was numerically modelled using Excel. Changes<br />
in fin geometry dimension were made for the heat exchanger<br />
component and effects that this had on the efficiency and heat<br />
transfer convective coefficient were recorded from results,<br />
represented graphically and discussed. An optimum fin design<br />
and geometry was found from numerical modelling and put<br />
forward for CFD analysis to make comparisons to the initial<br />
design.<br />
CFD Analysis Hot Side Heat Exchanger<br />
From Numerical modelling we found that increases in fin thickness led to<br />
greater convective coefficient values and temperature drop across the hot<br />
side heat exchanger, which allowed greater heat transfer possible, which<br />
would in turn increase the power output from the thermoelectric generator<br />
device. Both designs were modelled, analysed and compared using CFD<br />
analysis results. Boundary conditions were input in CFD from experiments<br />
carried out in a research study ‘Automobile Exhaust Thermo-Electric<br />
Generator Design & Performance Analysis’. Comparisons were also made to<br />
the results found from the experimental study against CFD.<br />
Thermoelectric Module Numerical modelling<br />
Thermoelectric material consists of p-type and n-type semiconductors. When<br />
the hot exhaust from the engine passes through the exhaust, charge carriers<br />
of semi conductors within the generator diffuse from the hot side of the heat<br />
exchanger to the cold side. When this happens, a temperature difference is<br />
created between the two surfaces of the block resulting in a net charge; such<br />
a temperature difference is capable of generating 500-750W of electricity.<br />
Numerical Modelling was carried out on the HI-Z HZ-20 thermoelectric<br />
module and various temperature dependant properties were recorded<br />
graphically against varied temperature differences. Behaviour of these<br />
properties were then analysed and discussed.<br />
Fin Thickness vs Convective heat transfer<br />
coefficient<br />
98<br />
96<br />
94<br />
92<br />
90<br />
88<br />
86<br />
1 2 3 4 5<br />
Fin thickness (mm)<br />
Fin thickness vs<br />
convective heat transfer<br />
coefficient<br />
2.2<br />
2.15<br />
2.1<br />
2.05<br />
2<br />
1.95<br />
1.9<br />
1.85<br />
1.8<br />
1.75<br />
Thermal conductivity vs Temperature<br />
difference (cold surface temp 30 degrees)<br />
70 100 130 160 190 220 250 280 310 340<br />
Temperature difference (degrees)<br />
Thermal conductivity vs<br />
Temperature difference<br />
(cold surface temp 30<br />
degrees)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
Project summary<br />
1. Background research into Automotive Thermoelectric<br />
Generators and their components.<br />
2. Numerical modelling of hot side heat exchanger<br />
component and performance output for varied fin<br />
geometries.<br />
3. Numerical modelling of thermoelectric module<br />
component at varied temperature differences.<br />
4. Proposed redesign model to be carried forward for<br />
CFD analysis, comparisons made from CFD of original<br />
design, redesign and experimental results gathered<br />
from research study.<br />
5. Any relevant validations made from CFD to numerical<br />
modelling.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objective of the project is to gather an understanding,<br />
by using numerical and computational techniques, into<br />
how changing the design of an automotive thermoelectric<br />
generator component can enhance the performance<br />
output of the device. By the end of this project we would<br />
have gathered an understanding of the components used<br />
in automotive thermoelectric generators and how they<br />
work at different temperature and flow boundary<br />
conditions<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
From research into the study carried out on<br />
automotive thermoelectric generators performance<br />
and analysis, the first stage of CFD analysis on the hot<br />
side heat exchanger component was able to prove<br />
the accuracy and correlation of the results gathered<br />
from the experiment carried out on the initial design.<br />
Furthermore, carrying out the redesign process for<br />
CFD analysis, a performance output increase of<br />
24.27% was found in heat transfer from redesign of<br />
the hot side plate fin heat exchanger. Which in turn<br />
from research carried out would lead to a greater<br />
power output from the thermoelectric generator<br />
device.
Drag Coefficient (Cd)<br />
Tristan Ingham<br />
Beng - Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Mike Ackerman<br />
Wind Tunnel Development<br />
The University of the West of England’s wind tunnel has not been previously used commercially to test objects with complex profiles<br />
(such as vehicles) due to uncertainties in its performance.<br />
The data acquisition software currently used is 20 years old, limiting the testing capabilities of the wind tunnel as a result. With<br />
computing power advancements new software is available that can perform a wide range of data analysis tasks in a short time period.<br />
Research into a suitable software package for development would be highly beneficial and could vastly improve the capabilities of the<br />
wind tunnel.<br />
Certain equipment had not been calibrated in recent years such as the force balancing system. This is another source of uncertainty in<br />
the results produced by the wind tunnel, so testing had to be carried out to investigate the sensitivity of the mass balance system. This<br />
would allow the operators of the wind tunnel to know what level of accuracy is acceptable with their results.<br />
Dead Weight Testing<br />
Dead weight testing was the primary method used to investigate the<br />
accuracy of the force balance readings. Several tests were run to investigate<br />
the Lift, Drag, Lateral forces and the Roll, Yaw, Pitch moments. A range of test<br />
apparatus had to be constructed with the use of pulleys to induce pure<br />
moments and lateral forces. The deviation of the readings with the expected<br />
results were calculated to give an indication to the results an operator of the<br />
<strong>UWE</strong> wind tunnel could expect.<br />
Measuring the Tunnel Turbulence Intensity<br />
Turbulence can have an influential impact on results. It was therefore<br />
necessary to examine the tunnel turbulence intensity. This was achieved<br />
through two testing methods.<br />
One method used was with hot wire anemometry. This involves a very fine<br />
wire with a current passing through it. Fluctuations in the velocity are picked<br />
up by this hot wire probe and can be used to calculate the turbulence<br />
intensity.<br />
The first method used was with turbulence spheres. The spheres detect<br />
turbulence when the drag coefficient drops to a value of 0.3. From this the<br />
effective Reynolds number can be found using the graph plotted below. The<br />
turbulence factor can then be derived which in turn allows the turbulence<br />
intensity to be found.<br />
0.6<br />
0.5<br />
0.4<br />
0.3<br />
0.2<br />
0.1<br />
Turbulence Sphere Test Results<br />
0<br />
10000 100000 1000000<br />
Reynolds Number<br />
Small Turbulence Sphere Cd<br />
Large Turbulence Sphere Cd<br />
Small Turbulence Sphere Cd<br />
(2005 Data)<br />
Aerofoil Design Results<br />
Comparison<br />
Another method of testing was to<br />
use data carried out by the<br />
National Advisory Committee for<br />
Aeronautics (NACA ). The NACA<br />
0012 aerofoil design was chosen<br />
and manufacture with an aspect<br />
ratio of 6 as can be seen in the<br />
image to the right with the model<br />
assembled in the wind tunnel.<br />
Strut Drag Force Analysis<br />
The force balance struts that are<br />
used to secure models in the wind<br />
tunnel and transfer the forces<br />
exerted by the model exert their<br />
own drag force.<br />
A series of tests were run to<br />
investigate the magnitude of the<br />
drag force. ANSYS CFX was used to<br />
provide a comparison which<br />
provided a clear illustration of the<br />
vortices produced by the force<br />
balance struts (pictured right)<br />
Project summary<br />
The accuracy and repeatability of the<br />
University of The West of England wind<br />
tunnel has not been validated, to the degree<br />
that the wind tunnel is not currently<br />
commercially available.<br />
The aim of the project is to investigate the<br />
uncertainty in the results produced by the<br />
wind tunnel and the other components such<br />
as the force balancing system.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main project objective is to measure the<br />
repeatability and precision of the wind tunnel<br />
to determine the result accuracy of the tunnel<br />
force balance system.<br />
Another aim of the project was to conduct<br />
research into suitable new data acquisition<br />
software to add new testing capabilities of<br />
the wind tunnel.<br />
Understanding where the turbulence hot<br />
spots occur in the wind tunnel at certain wind<br />
speeds is another task along with research<br />
into applicable methods to mitigate them.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
From research taken LabView would be the most<br />
suitable software package for use with the <strong>UWE</strong> wind<br />
tunnel.<br />
The deviation in the force balance readings were<br />
found as a guide for future operators of the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
wind tunnel as to what level of deviation is<br />
acceptable.<br />
The table to the left contains the deviation values<br />
gathered.
Roy Lewis<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. John Kamalu<br />
Design and Manufacture Principles of a Longboard<br />
Long boarding is a form of being at the brink of disaster while maintaining the illusion of control.<br />
A longboard is similar to a skateboard except it has a longer wheelbase, and bigger wheels. They are used primarily for hobby and sport and for some people as<br />
a main form of transport. The design of the long board would usually focus on two main objectives: stability at high speed and being able to have a tight turn<br />
angle. There are various types of ride styles ranging from simple cruising to downhill speed. These different ride styles change the design and material<br />
composition of the board.<br />
This is because the two objectives contradict each other. In order for the board to be stable at high speed it would need a low centre of gravity and a high<br />
stiffness. On the other hand the lower the board is, the less leverage there is to make tight turns and, the stiffer the material the more spring energy will be<br />
lost from the material. A shorter wheel base usually provides more stability at the cost of losing tighter turning angles, which the longer wheel base boards can<br />
achieve. When the wheel comes in contact with the underside of the board, this is known as wheel-bite, it throws the rider from the board, so should be<br />
avoided within the design.<br />
Aims<br />
• To review the current materials used for the<br />
manufacture of long boards, and the effects of the<br />
material properties on the performance of long<br />
boards.<br />
• To study the effects of shape, stress and strain<br />
distributions on long board performance.<br />
• To carry out computer simulations of different<br />
combinations of materials, shape and long board<br />
performance in order to select an optimum design.<br />
• To manufacture an optimised long board design.<br />
• To carry out experimental tests on an optimum<br />
long board aimed at specific market group.<br />
Red grip tape with cut out<br />
heartbeat attached to carbon<br />
fibre woven and carbon fibre UD<br />
Fibreglass woven<br />
PVC Foam inner core<br />
Fibreglass woven<br />
Carbon Fibre UD and<br />
Carbon Fibre woven<br />
England is trying to reduce the amount of people driving vehicles by creating more cycle paths and incentives. These new paths offer a safer riding environment<br />
for longborders.<br />
By eliminating certain problems associated with longboarding such as wheel bite and weight. It makes the longboarding experience a more enjoyable one.<br />
Longboarding is an art you don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great.<br />
Project Scope<br />
further improving longboard design by comparing a<br />
current top of the range plywood longboard, when<br />
loaded with 784.8N(80kg) to a new design made of a<br />
composite sandwich structure. The plywood<br />
longboard showed a deflection of -22mm and the<br />
composite structure -27mm. The result shows that it<br />
is possible to quite closely replicate the deflection<br />
and increase the aesthetics, of the plywood board<br />
with the use of software tools such as Abacus (FEA)<br />
and Solidworks. Other problems were faced such as<br />
weight; it was found that by using a composite<br />
sandwich structure a reduction in weight of 40% is<br />
obtainable for a longboard of similar size to the<br />
plywood model.
Ryan Coulthard<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Neil Larsen<br />
Small Engine Fuel Injection System Development<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been undertaken into the development of fuel injection system for a small engine.<br />
The chosen system incorporates both mechanical and electrical components; a throttle body and injector housing has been designed, manufactured and<br />
fitted to the Honda GC 160, single cylinder four-stroke engine. The mass of air is measured by a mass-air flow sensor, which via a PIC microcontroller and in<br />
conjunction with a known air-fuel ratio, can calculate the fuel needs of the system, and the relevant opening time for the fuel injector to satisfy the<br />
requirements.<br />
Housing Design<br />
The housing for the fuel injector, throttle valve and mass-air flow sensor was developed successfully. After<br />
defining the specification required, an iterative design process was used over two versions.<br />
The fuel injector bracket had to hold the injector at the correct angle without allowing movement. There is a two<br />
stage hole to fit the dimensions of the injector and a top section to hold it down.<br />
The throttle butterfly valve is elliptical in shape so that it is unable to turn past the fully closed position, a spring<br />
system is included to return to the full closed position after partial opening.<br />
The sensor section has a larger internal bore to create room for the mass-air flow sensor. Like for the fuel injector<br />
a bracket was created to keep the sensor in position and with the correct orientation.<br />
Housing Manufacture<br />
The housing was manufactured by 3D printing in ABS Plastic.<br />
Mass-Air Flow Sensor<br />
PIC Microcontroller<br />
Mass-Air Flow Sensor<br />
The mass-air flow sensor (Left) operates by a hot film process. The sensor<br />
outputs a voltage ranging from 0-5v, the output voltage increases as air flow<br />
increases. To get accurate results the sensor needed to be calibrated, this was<br />
done by passing controllable and measurable air flow, up to 6.67x10 -3 m 3 /s,<br />
through the manufactured housing with the sensor inside. The results were<br />
graphically represented for the range of air requirements for the engine (Right).<br />
The value for mass-air flow in conjunction with the mass air-fuel ration means<br />
the mass of fuel required can be calculated.<br />
PIC Microcontroller<br />
The microcontrollers role is to analyse an input<br />
voltage (output voltage from sensor) and output<br />
an opening time for the fuel injector. At this stage<br />
a choke was introduced to increase output time<br />
by 10%. This was tested by having a controllable<br />
input voltage and seeing if an LED would flash for<br />
the correct relative time. This was a success and<br />
a positive proof of concept with the choke button<br />
also increasing opening time as planned.<br />
Final Assembly<br />
All parts were combined in their intended places<br />
to ensure everything fit as planned. The housing<br />
attached to the engine the sensor was powered<br />
and the PIC received the output voltage.<br />
Unfortunately the engine was not in an<br />
operational condition to run and time was not<br />
available to fix it in time. This meant the system<br />
was never fully operational for its intended<br />
purpose<br />
Final Housing Design Assembly<br />
Sensor Calibration Graph<br />
Complete Final Assembly<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• The correct amount of fuel and air should be<br />
supplied. Depending on the rotational speed of<br />
the engine and the air-fuel ratio, the<br />
requirements change.<br />
• Ease of operation. It should be a simple system to<br />
use; after the engine is started there should be<br />
minimal human input to keep the engine<br />
operating. .The system must be able to change<br />
quantity of fuel injected to adapt to a change in<br />
air mass flow.<br />
• Small size and lightweight. This system is for a<br />
small engine so the developed parts should not<br />
impede on intended usage.<br />
• Relatively cheap. The main reason that<br />
carburettors are preferred in smaller engines is<br />
because of the lower cost to use. The fuel<br />
injection system should be of simple enough<br />
design that its cost is not prohibitive<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The vast majority of this investigation meets the<br />
initial expectations. All aspects, mechanical and<br />
electrical, have met their aims and specifications.<br />
The only part not area that has not been fully<br />
explored at the conclusion of Part A of the MEng<br />
investigation is that a full demonstration of the<br />
operation for the developed fuel injection system<br />
was not achieved. Due to time constraints and the<br />
engines condition only a complete assembly of the<br />
constituent elements was accomplished.
Temperature (°C)<br />
Temperature (°C)<br />
Temperature (°C)<br />
Henry Thompson<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rachel Szadziewska<br />
Incorporating Storage Heaters into Building Fabric<br />
Figure 3 – Diagram showing wall design produced in AutoCAD Revit..<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD)<br />
A transient CFD model was created to simulate the<br />
air flow within a room. Figure 7 shows the geometry<br />
used. Once this model was working correctly the<br />
geometry was altered to simulate the wall case. This<br />
geometry is shown in Figure 8.<br />
Project summary<br />
Currently modern storage heaters are the choice<br />
heating system to go into new flats due to their safety<br />
as well as their relatively low cost for electricity. The<br />
thesis details a history into thermography ,an overview<br />
into building techniques and regulations involved with<br />
the construction of dwellings and successful design and<br />
development of a 2-Dimensional mathematical model.<br />
A timber frame wall panel was constructed as a test rig<br />
in order to complete thermal analysis of normal storage<br />
heater operation and compare this to the storage<br />
heater operation when inside a wall. Finally a<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamics model has been<br />
designed and developed to accurately simulate how<br />
placing a heater inside a wall affects the performance.<br />
Figure 1 - Diagram showing position of thermocouples.<br />
Internal Operation of the Storage Heater<br />
To understand the internal operation a series of<br />
thermocouples were placed inside of the heater<br />
shown in Figure 1. Simultaneously a 2-D semiimplicit<br />
mathematical model in order to simulate<br />
the operation. An example of the equation is<br />
shown below.<br />
Wall Design<br />
In order to incorporate the heater into the building<br />
fabric a timber frame panel wall was designed and<br />
constructed shown in Figure 3.<br />
Figure 7 - Image showing geometry used for CFD heater<br />
simulation.<br />
Figure 9 - Image showing geometry used for wall<br />
simulation.<br />
Various data lines were plotted on CFD-Post in order<br />
to compare the simulations. An Example of these<br />
results is shown in Figure 9.<br />
30.0<br />
Comparison of How Temperature Varies Between Simulations After 180 Minutes<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this project is to design and develop a<br />
new innovative approach to heating solutions within a<br />
dwelling in particular to investigate how incorporating a<br />
storage heater into the building fabric affects the<br />
performance and the heat output of the heater<br />
compared to standard operation.<br />
T 0 t+1 = θ T 0 t 1 − 2Fo x + Fo x 1<br />
+ Fo x2<br />
2<br />
+ 1 − θ T 0 t 1 − 2Fo x + Fo x 1<br />
+ Fo x2<br />
2<br />
t+1<br />
t+1<br />
∆t k 1 T 2 ∆t k<br />
ρ<br />
∆y 1 Cp 1 ∆y 1<br />
1 + ρ 2Cp 2 ∆y<br />
+<br />
2 T 4<br />
2<br />
ρ<br />
∆y 1 Cp 1 ∆y 1<br />
T t+1 1 + T t+1 2<br />
2<br />
2 + ρ 2Cp 2 ∆y 2<br />
2<br />
2<br />
3 +<br />
∆t k<br />
1 +<br />
1<br />
∆t k<br />
ρ<br />
∆y 1 Cp 1 ∆y 1<br />
1 + ρ 2Cp 2 ∆y<br />
+<br />
2<br />
2<br />
ρ<br />
∆y 1 Cp 1 ∆y 1<br />
2<br />
2<br />
2 + ρ 2Cp 2 ∆y 2<br />
2<br />
2<br />
k 1 T t t<br />
2 − T 0<br />
+ k 2 T t t<br />
4 − T 0<br />
∆y<br />
T t t<br />
1 ∆y 2<br />
1 + T 3 + ∆t<br />
ρ 1 Cp 1 ∆y 1<br />
+ ρ 2Cp 2 ∆y 2<br />
2<br />
2<br />
In order to validate the solution obtained from<br />
mathematical model a series of graphs were<br />
created in order to compare. An example is shown<br />
in Figure 3 which demonstrates a strong<br />
correlation<br />
600<br />
500<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
0<br />
Comparison of Node 7 for Different Experiments and Semi-Implicit Model<br />
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400<br />
Time (minutes)<br />
Experiment 1 Experiment 2 Semi-Implicit<br />
Figure 2 – Graph showing comparison of thermocouple results for nodes seven.<br />
Figure 4 - Image showing thermal camera experimental<br />
setup.<br />
Figure 5 - Image showing equipment setup for<br />
Experiment 2.<br />
Experimental Testing<br />
To measure how the heater performance is<br />
affected a FLIR E60 thermal imaging camera was<br />
used. Two experiments were set up shown in<br />
Figure 4 and Figure 5. Using the camera software<br />
analysis tool an average temperature was attained<br />
from the two experiments. Figure 6 shows both<br />
experiments following the same trend with varying<br />
magnitudes.<br />
140<br />
120<br />
100<br />
80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
Comparison of Thermal Camera Results<br />
0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400<br />
Time (minutes)<br />
Experiment 1 Experiment 2<br />
29.0<br />
28.0<br />
27.0<br />
26.0<br />
25.0<br />
24.0<br />
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0<br />
Distance From Heater (metres)<br />
Heater Simulation<br />
Figure 9 – Graph showing CFD-post result comparison after 180 minutes.<br />
Wall Simulation<br />
The results indicate that on average, during<br />
forced convection periods, a 4.3% drop in heat<br />
occurs in the room. CFD results successfully<br />
simulate the effect the heater exerts on air flow<br />
in the room. These results demonstrate a<br />
temperature difference on average of 1.3%. This<br />
difference is acceptable, since in most dwellings<br />
this percent change in temperature attains by<br />
simply leaving the door open.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This thesis has outlined successful design, development<br />
and testing of an innovative heating solution for a<br />
dwelling. Thermocouple results indicate that internal<br />
heater performance is unaffected by placement in the<br />
wall and a comprehensive 2-D mathematical model<br />
accurately represents the internal workings of the<br />
heater. Furthermore a test rig that has been successfully<br />
designed and constructed has enabled a direct<br />
comparison with the heater when covered.<br />
To conclude, the installation of a storage heater into the<br />
building fabric is a viable option to heat all dwellings.<br />
The in-wall heater may improve the aesthetics of<br />
heating devices in a dwelling while also maximising<br />
space. With development, a double-vented heater could<br />
heat two rooms at once, reducing the number of heat<br />
sources, which in turn will minimise investment and<br />
maintenance cost for the homeowner.<br />
Figure 6 – Graph showing comparison of thermal camera results.
Christopher Ovaletor<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
There is a need to detect the lens of hidden cameras in order to eliminate<br />
piracy. One of the main problems is that of false positives, i.e. mistaking shiny<br />
objects within a busy scene for cameras. No method has yet been determined<br />
that deals with the issue of false positives and this project will involve<br />
extensive research into these application areas. Experimental work aimed at<br />
developing and testing a robust method for lens detection in a busy<br />
environment with emphasis on been able to distinguish between the lenses<br />
of a video camera and other objects will be undertaken. Research consisted of<br />
understanding the problems they pose, review and examination of current<br />
systems and/or machines been used to combat these problems. Experiments<br />
were conducted under controlled conditions and the images captured were<br />
analyzed for patterns and particle composition. An algorithm was created<br />
aimed at effectively distinguishing between video camera lenses and other<br />
test objects.<br />
Number of objects<br />
500<br />
450<br />
400<br />
350<br />
300<br />
250<br />
200<br />
150<br />
100<br />
50<br />
0<br />
Number of detected objects<br />
Hidden lens and camera detection<br />
Experiments<br />
In order to perform an initial analysis experiments were carried out on a<br />
wide variety of test objects that could be present in a setting where<br />
identification of hidden camera lenses was required. Measurements were<br />
made and the setting was kept controlled at all times. Both static and<br />
dynamic experiments were carried out. The dynamic experiments were<br />
carried out by marking 5 set positions on a straight line and moving the<br />
torchlight from left to right along the line.<br />
Analysis<br />
Both the static and dynamic experiments were a success. Analysis was<br />
carried out on the cropped images using NI Vision Builder (NIVB). NIVB<br />
interprets images mathematically. Parameters that were of direct relevance<br />
to the project i.e. suitable for particle analysis were used to create an<br />
algorithm for processing the images and the results were collated on excel<br />
and analysed. Significant patterns and value differentials were detected. The<br />
parameters that provided the best ways of eliminating false positives were<br />
noted.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Melvyn Smith<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project was to find an effective way to<br />
detect video camera lenses in a cinema setting with<br />
primary focus on been able to distinguish between<br />
the video camera and other shiny objects which can<br />
give false positives. Research and investigative work<br />
was carried out and results analysed to determine<br />
the possible parameters of image analysis that could<br />
be viable solutions.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Research of optical principles like linearity,<br />
reflection and spectral reflection.<br />
2. Research of previous work done related to the<br />
project.<br />
3. Investigation into the methods which can be used to<br />
detect hidden cameras or bugs.<br />
4. Image processing techniques will be investigated.<br />
5. Static and dynamic experiments will be carried out<br />
to fully ascertain the difference in reflection patterns.<br />
6. Tests will be carried out on images to identify<br />
patterns and conduct particle analysis. Results will be<br />
collated and analysed using excel.<br />
7. Experimental work in various settings will be carried<br />
out to test new or improved methods using vision<br />
equipment and software.<br />
8. An algorithm supported by experimental results will<br />
be proposed aimed at distinguishing between the<br />
video camera lens and other objects.<br />
9. Areas of improvement and further work will be<br />
stated.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
1. The reasoning behind the project was fully<br />
identified. The issue of false positives was noted as the<br />
area of utmost focus .<br />
2. Some of the recent inventions in the field were<br />
assessed in detail.<br />
3. A thorough knowledge of the use of equipment’s<br />
was attained as well as a working knowledge of the<br />
NIVB software.<br />
4. All experiments were carried out under controlled<br />
conditions and conducted successfully. Image analysis<br />
produced significant results.<br />
5. An algorithm was created that worked perfectly for<br />
all the images captured successfully identifying only<br />
the video camera lens in all cases both static and<br />
dynamic.
Ben Pearson<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Ramin Amali<br />
Introduction<br />
The system constructed in this project is<br />
intended to be used to calibrate hospital urine<br />
flow meters. The simulator will pump precise<br />
quantities of water at constant or varying<br />
rates. The varying rates of flow will follow a<br />
flow pattern that is parallel to how a healthy<br />
patient or a patient with a health issue would<br />
urinate. The system as a result could then be<br />
used for training purposes to help<br />
Design and Manufacture of a Urology flow Simulator<br />
Research<br />
Preliminary research needed to be done before the<br />
design stage and manufacture could commence. This<br />
was carried out on existing pumping systems and<br />
how they could be modified to perform the required<br />
tasks. Although this design is unique the system is<br />
made up of commonly used components . Therefore<br />
it is necessary to look at how to use these<br />
components and their compatibility they are with<br />
each other.<br />
The control system needed research into how the<br />
type of controller was needed and how the controller<br />
worked. Along side this, research was needed on<br />
different electrical components, to enable user<br />
interface for a user to control the prototype.<br />
Design of the Mechanical system<br />
The design of the Urine flow simulator<br />
implemented fluid mechanics so as to alter the<br />
rate at which the piston would positively displace<br />
a liquid, creating a positive displacement pump.<br />
A ball screw was chosen in order to reduce the<br />
friction. As a consequence a smaller motor could<br />
be used making it more energy efficient.<br />
Design of the Control system<br />
The system uses an Arduino Uno board to control<br />
the devise. The Arduino board hold all of the<br />
necessary information for the prototype to<br />
become stand-alone. The Arduino then transmits<br />
this information to the motor controller, the<br />
solenoid valve and the LCD display, while<br />
receiving information from the rotary encoder,<br />
the micro switches and the LVDT<br />
Current Systems<br />
Currently there are no systems like this to calibrate<br />
the flow meters, instead there are bottles that have<br />
fixed orifices that let air in and water out. These<br />
propose a problem creating constant flow rates.<br />
Firstly, because the air filling the bottle as bubbles<br />
create a pulsing effect on the flow out and secondly<br />
preventing the flow rate from being varied.<br />
Manufacture of the Mechanical system<br />
The building process of the main simulator unit consisted of 3 major sections; the<br />
bearing and gear configuration, the motor with the supporting slotted tube and<br />
the cylinder section, including the piston. The device was designed so that all the<br />
major components could be manufactured using a lathe or a milling machine.<br />
The water storage tank is the next process in the constructed of the simulator.<br />
The manufacture of the electrical system occurs alongside the mechanical<br />
construction.<br />
Project summary<br />
The following research is a continuation of previous<br />
work that designed a urology flow simulator. The<br />
purpose of the simulator is for Southmead hospital to<br />
calibrate and test their current urology equipment.<br />
The system will also help with training purposes,<br />
being able to produce a variety of flow rates that will<br />
simulate certain conditions. This research documents<br />
the manufacture of the system, including controlling<br />
techniques used to program the system. Testes are<br />
run on the simulator, and from this, future research is<br />
required.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives were to produce a working prototype<br />
of a flow simulator that could produce the following<br />
tolerances;<br />
Table 1: This Table Shows the System Requirements<br />
Parameter<br />
Guideline value<br />
Accuracy for flow rate<br />
Accuracy for voided volume<br />
Range for flow rate<br />
Range for voided volume<br />
Minimum flow reproducible<br />
Bandwidth of flow signals<br />
± 0.1ml/s<br />
± 0.2 ml<br />
0 – 50 ml/s<br />
0 – 500 ml<br />
0.5 ml/s<br />
0 to 10 Hz<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A device was conceived for a urine flow simulator.<br />
This revolved around an in depth series of<br />
calculations in order to choose the appropriate<br />
components including manufacturing techniques.<br />
Preliminary testing was completed so as to obtain an<br />
insight into how the product performed with<br />
different flow characteristics.<br />
Testing<br />
The Prototype was used to produce both<br />
constant and varying flow rates, below is the<br />
feed back response to three constant inputs.<br />
The results highlight an issue with using the<br />
gearing system due to it causing hysteresis in<br />
the output response. The output of the device<br />
was measured from the Transducer attached to<br />
the side of the devise which measures the<br />
distance of the piston within the cylinder. It is<br />
assumed that the fluid is completely<br />
incompressible and at this early stage in testing<br />
this is the most accurate method,<br />
The next step will be to improve the prototype and<br />
carry out more extensive testing. A further aim is to<br />
further develop the control system for the assembly<br />
to enable it to fully simulate a urology flow.
Prakash Alagendram<br />
Beng(HONS) - Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Aruna Palipana<br />
A study on existing air-conditioning systems used in houses in Malaysia<br />
Introduction<br />
Nowadays, energy generation is mainly supplied by non-renewable energy sources. Malaysia has a large source of natural gas and coal, thus leading to a large<br />
proportion of energy production. However, these two resources are non-renewable and will decrease eventually. One of the vital environmental issues<br />
resulting from energy consumption is the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) which causes global warming. In tropical countries, the average energy consumption<br />
of a building reaches 233KWh/m 2 /year in which 60% of it is consumed by air conditioning system. Being a tropical country, Malaysia had about 7.3 million<br />
residential in 2010 and is expected to rise by about 150,000 each year. One of the common factors which affect energy consumption in domestic sectors is<br />
increased number of air-conditioners. Energy consumption increases when more air-conditioners are turned on.<br />
Thermal insulation<br />
A proper insulation material is essential in order to achieve a reduced<br />
cooling load and adequate comfort level. A proper insulation material<br />
will also reduce the emissions from power plant. 77% of the energy<br />
consumption can be saved with the installation of roof and wall<br />
insulation. There are various types of insulation material available in<br />
Malaysia such as fiberglass (rigid), urethane (rigid), Perlite, extruded<br />
polystyrene, urethane, fiberglass-urethane, cellulose, Rock wool and<br />
polystyrene.<br />
Ducted air-conditioning system<br />
Air distribution system would be a<br />
good way in which the cooled air<br />
from the air-conditioning unit can be<br />
distributed uniformly to the rooms or<br />
spaces that need to be cooled. The<br />
main component in an airdistribution<br />
system is duct system.<br />
The duct system carries cold air from<br />
the air-conditioning unit to the<br />
rooms or spaces and carries the<br />
return air back to the air-conditioning<br />
unit for recycling. A properly<br />
designed ducted system can maintain<br />
uniform temperatures throughout<br />
the house efficiently.<br />
Air Handling Unit (AHU)<br />
Air Handling Units (AHU) is a device which is<br />
used to supply and circulate fresh air around<br />
a building, and to remove old dry air as a<br />
part of HVAC. It is usually connected to an air<br />
distribution ductwork. For heating or cooling,<br />
AHU is connected to a boiler or chiller from<br />
which hot or cooled water is received for<br />
heat exchange with incoming air.<br />
Determining the suitable material for<br />
thermal insulation<br />
Polystyrene has the highest energy savings of<br />
92.07% while fiberglass has the lowest energy<br />
savings of 85.54%. Therefore, polystyrene was<br />
selected as the most suitable material for<br />
thermal insulation since it is the most energy<br />
saving option. It can save energy up to 92.07%<br />
with an optimum thickness of 0.139m for a<br />
period of 20 years.<br />
Duct dimensions<br />
The duct dimensions required for the<br />
design of duct system for a doublestorey<br />
terraced house in Malaysia is<br />
shown in table below. Circular ducts<br />
were used for this study because:<br />
Circular ducts are more air-tight than<br />
rectangular ducts.<br />
Installation cost is lower.<br />
Less space is needed for duct system.<br />
Pressure drop is lower in circular duct<br />
system.<br />
Future work<br />
Solar energy is been widely used<br />
in houses in Malaysia and<br />
therefore solar powered airconditioning<br />
system could be an<br />
alternative way of cooling<br />
system. In the future, water can<br />
be used as a refrigerant for this<br />
air distribution design system. In<br />
the future, this design can be<br />
further expanded by designing<br />
ductwork for few houses.<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation is to find alternative ways of cooling<br />
system which can be used so that it can reduce the<br />
energy demand.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
These alternative ways has to be energy efficient. It<br />
also has to be socially and economically viable.<br />
The alternatives ways of cooling system are as below<br />
• Ducted air conditioning system<br />
• Insulation<br />
• Ways to replace individual small air-conditioners<br />
used in each room/each house by supplying cold<br />
air from a central system to several rooms/several<br />
houses.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In this study, the most suitable insulation material<br />
which can be used in houses in Malaysia is<br />
Polystyrene. It has the highest percentage of energy<br />
savings compared to other materials used in this<br />
study. It has an energy savings of 92.07% with an<br />
optimum thickness 0.139m for a period of 20 years.<br />
In a ducted air-conditioning system, a proper duct<br />
size and design is needed to move the right amount<br />
of air to each room/space with less noise. In this<br />
study, the total cooling load required for a doublestorey<br />
terraced house is 5.434 tons (RT). A central air<br />
handling unit (AHU) will be installed in the house and<br />
the cooling air produced in the AHU will be<br />
distributed to various rooms/spaces in the house<br />
through duct. In this study, circular duct was used<br />
instead of rectangular duct.<br />
In conclusion, thermal insulation on walls and ducted<br />
air-conditioning system can reduce the energy<br />
demand and thus achieving the aims of this project.
Mohammad Rizal Suhaini<br />
BEng in Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Low Pressure Well Recovery System by Using Waste Gas at Oil Rigs<br />
Tukau and West Lutong Oil Field Location<br />
In Sarawak, the East of Malaysia there are currently 10 offshore blocks held under exploration or have<br />
exploration commitments, including one deepwater block. Oil and gas productions from Sarawak<br />
account for approximately 23% and 52% of the country's total production respectively.<br />
The Sarawak Basin covers a wide area both onshore and offshore the State of Sarawak that has been<br />
divided into several geological provinces, namely the West Baram Delta, Balingian, Central Luconia,<br />
Tinjar, Tatau, West Luconia and SW Luconia and SW Sarawak Provinces. Each one of these provinces is<br />
unique in terms of hydrocarbon playtypes.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
Project summary<br />
Every year abundance amount of waste<br />
natural gas have been released to the<br />
atmosphere by flaring method. The carbon<br />
foot prints of the flared waste gas is one of<br />
the biggest contribution to global warming. In<br />
this thesis, investigation had been done to<br />
capture the waste gas and store into the<br />
depleted reservoir by implementing gas<br />
reinjection method. The captured waste gas<br />
will be use for enhancement oil recovery and<br />
reserve for future use.<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for<br />
paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
The amount of waste gas flared into the atmosphere from Tukau and<br />
West Lutong Field. In 2005, 1.8 million cubic metre of waste gas is<br />
produced per day, in the following years reduced because of slow<br />
productivity and demand. In 2010 the field operator had also reduced<br />
major maintenance work or shutdown and as a result the waste gas was<br />
reduced to 1.1 million cubic metres per day.<br />
Oil Reservoirs are appealing as good<br />
storage sites since they are known<br />
to have geological seal that retained<br />
liquid and gas hydrocarbons for<br />
millions of years. Waste gas<br />
reinjection can serve as an<br />
economical way to dispose of<br />
uneconomical gas production on an<br />
oil reservoir.<br />
Gas lift is used in fields that exhibit heavy oil,<br />
poor permeability and irregular faultiness<br />
such as wax scale build up and heavy<br />
corrosion of tubing. Gas lift method is widely<br />
used in Malaysia oil field EOR due to<br />
simplicity of design and interchangeable gas<br />
lift valves sizes.<br />
According to Petronas Carigali Sdn<br />
Bhd, 70% off all oil wells in the Tukau<br />
and West Lutong Fields require some<br />
form of artificial gas lift, with only a<br />
very few containing enough pressure<br />
for oil to rise to the surface without<br />
stimulation.<br />
4 Column Grid<br />
Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
(Bold for headings medium for<br />
paragraphs of text). Space for your<br />
research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures,<br />
tables, diagrams, flowcharts, text<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To investigate the technical and economic<br />
feasibility for enhancement oil recovery using<br />
excessive associated natural gas produced<br />
during oil production. Reducing waste gas<br />
flaring and reinjection into depleted reservoir.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Excessive natural waste gas capture is suitable<br />
for a small scale oil field which are lacks of<br />
pipelines and surface storage capacity. The<br />
depleted reservoir available in the field are<br />
suitable as a natural storage. As a result the<br />
CAPEX and OPEX can be at minimum. Utilising<br />
the existing oil rig facilities with minimal<br />
modifications for reinjection and increase oil<br />
productivity
Liam Wakefield<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
OPTIMISATION OF BLADDER MOULDING TECHNIQUES DURING<br />
COMPOSITE MATERIAL MANUFACTURING<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr David Richardson<br />
Project summary<br />
The purpose of this project was to investigate the<br />
principles and practices of bladder moulding within<br />
the field of composite material manufacturing.<br />
Bladder fundamentals<br />
Bladder moulding is often used for the production<br />
of composite parts. Uniform consolidation is<br />
provided via Pascal’s Law of Fluid Pressure<br />
Transmission, making the method ideal for<br />
producing hollow structures.<br />
The most significant criteria governing bladder<br />
moulding are:<br />
• Mould geometry.<br />
• Drape properties of reinforcing fabric.<br />
• The extent to which the bladder fills the mould<br />
cavity.<br />
Moulds featuring sharp corners will often produce<br />
poor results as surface friction at the mould walls<br />
prevents the bladder from reaching into the<br />
extremities of the mould. Whereas rounded<br />
features will deviate less from the design shape,<br />
creating a much smaller area in which air and<br />
unsupported resin can accumulate.<br />
When reinforcing fabrics with poor<br />
drape/conforming properties are used in<br />
combination with less than ideal mould shapes<br />
weak, unsupported resin areas and pockets of<br />
trapped air form as shown above. Here it is clear the<br />
fabric is bridging the “V” rather than following it.<br />
The solution to this problem is to either use a preforming<br />
tool with a disposable polymer bladder or<br />
create a bladder with a shape tailored to the mould<br />
cavity.<br />
Materials choice and Cost Analysis<br />
Bladder moulding is traditionally performed with<br />
disposable plastic films which are fabricated into<br />
inflatable tubes. These bladders are so thin and<br />
light that they are frequently left inside the part<br />
after manufacture.<br />
Even when removed after use, these bladders are<br />
often irreversibly expanded or degraded by the<br />
resin.<br />
This necessitates making a new bladder for each<br />
new part, greatly increasing the time and expense<br />
involved producing multiple products.<br />
Analysis showed that the accumulation of labour<br />
and material costs makes polyurethane less cost<br />
effective than Latex after 8 or more parts are<br />
produced. Silicone becomes more cost effective<br />
after 18 or more parts are produced.<br />
Latex is one of the more common materials used to<br />
produce reusable bladders, being easier to work<br />
with than silicone and cheaper.<br />
Latex bladders also tend to expand further than<br />
the silicone equivalent. It is for these reasons that<br />
Latex was chosen as the material from which the<br />
prototype bladders would be made<br />
Silicone bladders are not without their uses<br />
however. Silicone is more resistant to chemical<br />
attack from epoxy and vinyl ester resins. It is also<br />
better able to the +180ᵒC temperatures often<br />
employed while curing pre-impregnated materials.<br />
Manufacturing method<br />
Having established the underlying physical<br />
principles governing bladder moulding and<br />
selected a suitable material, the next step was to<br />
ascertain a method of manufacture.<br />
After some poor initial results applying Latex by<br />
hand, the method of dipping a silicone core (a.k.a.<br />
a master) was tried and found to have favourable<br />
results.<br />
It quickly became apparent that any damage or<br />
flaws on the master were transferred in detail to<br />
the bladder. The photograph on the right of a<br />
bladder in testing clearly shows the start of a<br />
“ballooning” fault originating at a point where<br />
gouges in the master were located, near the first<br />
“O” ring.<br />
A second attempt to manufacture a bladder with a<br />
more challenging shape proved much more<br />
successful, owing largely to the master being in<br />
much better condition and not over heating the<br />
liquid Latex during application. This proved the<br />
potential for large, high quality, reusable bladders<br />
to be manufactured through this method.<br />
Specific effort was placed in this project on the<br />
determining a method of manufacture of bespoke<br />
reusable bladders, which could be used to improve<br />
the quality of laminates and the reliability of the<br />
manufacture of said laminates at <strong>UWE</strong> through<br />
bladder moulding.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research existing bladder moulding techniques<br />
and materials.<br />
• Identify and record faults or problematic<br />
regions/geometries of existing composite moulds.<br />
• Investigate and determine how different design<br />
features affect the effectiveness of bladder<br />
moulding.<br />
• Evaluate the cost benefits of using reusable<br />
bladder materials.<br />
• Investigate and determine a suitable method of<br />
reusable bladder manufacturing for use in <strong>UWE</strong>’s<br />
workshops.<br />
• Produce, test and evaluate a prototype bladder<br />
manufactured from reusable materials.<br />
Project Conclusions<br />
• Reusable bladders do offer significant cost benefits<br />
over disposable bladders for the production of<br />
multiple composite parts.<br />
• Sharp corners will adversely affect the conformity<br />
of a part produced by bladder moulding if steps<br />
are not taken to form the reinforcing fabric before<br />
the resin is applied or use a bladder specific to the<br />
mould cavity.<br />
• A method of manufacturing bespoke, reusable<br />
bladders was found that is suitable for use in<br />
<strong>UWE</strong>’s composites workshop
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Karen Li<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Tushar Dhavale<br />
4D-CT Respiratory Motion Phantom Manufacture<br />
Introduction<br />
Phantoms are medical devices that mimic and simulate a part of a body. The use of phantoms in radiation oncology are used by medical<br />
physicists as a substitute for human tissue. The various types of phantoms used have evolved with time in terms of shape, material ,<br />
mechanism and composition. The purpose of the said phantom is to conduct a quality check and assurance for medical imaging<br />
equipment, such as the 4D-CT.<br />
The investigation being carried out attempts to re-design and develop a respiratory motion phantom; for the benefit and usage to the<br />
NHS radiotherapy team. The final design should be able to meet the list of requirements shown under project objective.<br />
Project summary<br />
The NHS radiotherapy team requires a<br />
respiratory motion phantom that would<br />
enable a quality control check on their 4D-CT<br />
scan, to ensure that the systems are running<br />
as expected.<br />
Lung and Breathing Phantom<br />
The NHS radiotherapy team had design a lung phantom that represents the<br />
outlines of the lung with tumors inside, shown at the right. The lung<br />
phantom would require a drive unit that would enable it to move with<br />
respects to the breathing waveform, shown below. The breathing phantom<br />
also known as the infrared reflectors , are detected and recorded by the<br />
infrared camera that is stationed at the end of the CT table.<br />
Concept Design and Development<br />
There are a variety of stationary<br />
phantoms that could be adjusted and<br />
created to fit the requirements. For<br />
this reason, several concept design<br />
sketches were sketched and have<br />
been redesigned based on the<br />
requirements. Research such as: the<br />
material, manufacture, motor<br />
selection and the cost analysis were<br />
made and checked throughout this<br />
project. Each phantom designed was<br />
made into a CAD file using Solidworks.<br />
Cam Design<br />
A human breathing waveform is a<br />
sinusoidal function. However an<br />
irregular sinusoidal can occur when the<br />
patient is having difficulties breathing,<br />
or s/he were coughing during the<br />
procedure. Two cams were designed to<br />
produce both desired waveforms. These<br />
cams are the drive of the phantom as<br />
they not only move the lung phantom<br />
but will be moving the infrared<br />
reflectors to produce the outcomes<br />
shown on the right.<br />
Modeling Stage and Final Product<br />
With a selected material (acrylic) and a manufacture technique (laser cutter) the first phantom<br />
was created, shown right. In total, three models were produced. Each model was tested and<br />
further developed, based on the end users feedback. Two models proved to be successful in<br />
terms of fulfilling some of the requirements, but unreliable at times due to its assembly. But with<br />
careful precision and recalculation to eliminate the error, the final phantom was made and given<br />
to the NHS radiotherapy team.<br />
2.5<br />
2<br />
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Sinusoidal Cam Waveform<br />
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0.5<br />
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Angle of the cam (Degree)<br />
Irregular Sinusoidal Cam Waveform<br />
Angle of Cam (Degrees)<br />
Project Objectives:<br />
The main objective is to produce a respiratory motion<br />
phantom and for it to be able to fulfill the list of<br />
requirements conducted by the end users:<br />
- To produce a frequency of a range of 10 – 20<br />
Breathes per Minute (BPM) although 5- 20 BPM<br />
would be desirable.<br />
-Be able to produce a smooth irregular and sinusoidal<br />
breathing waveform.<br />
- Low maintenance and cost to produce.<br />
-The drive unit should be able to move the ‘lung<br />
phantom’<br />
- The CT image should be able to produce clear<br />
definition of the tumor and of its range.<br />
- Produce a platform for the infrared reflectors that<br />
can move in a linear vertical axis whilst having some<br />
ties with the lung phantom.<br />
-An amplitude of up to 2cm in both the breathing<br />
waveform and lung phantom.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, the calculations made to define<br />
the outcome prove to be a success. The final<br />
phantom was able to achieve the list of<br />
requirements. Compared to some of the<br />
commercialized phantoms, this was by extent<br />
the cheapest to manufacture, and with low<br />
maintenance needed.
Dom Dececio<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> (MEng)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Jason Matthews PhD<br />
Background Research<br />
A variety of previous research studies were<br />
reviewed covering both Additive Layer<br />
Manufacture (ALM) and Bio-Inspired structures.<br />
The biological structures included bamboo, bone,<br />
honeycomb, nautilus shell and spider’s web<br />
Computer Aided Design (CAD)<br />
Ideas were generated following a background<br />
literature review. This resulted in the creation of<br />
CAD models replicating the associated biological<br />
structures.<br />
Bamboo CAD model<br />
Understanding the process limitations of the Additive Layer<br />
Manufacture Process to support the optimisation of Bio-Inspired<br />
structures<br />
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)<br />
FEA was carried out on all of the CAD models to<br />
identify the strongest models under specific<br />
loading conditions.<br />
Bone CAD model under curved face compression<br />
Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM)<br />
The best performing model following an<br />
evaluation was the bone model. This was<br />
produced using the Universities' Fused Deposition<br />
Modeler, where plastic pellets were melted<br />
through a hot nozzle and precisely layered to form<br />
the desired shape.<br />
FDM produced bone model<br />
Physical Testing & Data Analysis<br />
Once the models were physically produced using<br />
FDM it was possible to compression test and<br />
measure the loads taken by the structures<br />
ABS plastic models under compression in <strong>UWE</strong> lab<br />
Project Summary<br />
An investigation was carried out in order to establish<br />
the effectiveness of producing biologically inspired<br />
structures using Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM). It<br />
was hypothesised that the direction of the deposited<br />
plastic (build orientation) would have a significant<br />
role in the outcome of the part’s mechanical<br />
performance.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Observe the state of the art for current biologically<br />
inspired structures.<br />
• Observe the state of the art for Additive Layer<br />
Manufacture (ALM) techniques.<br />
• Study of a range of biological structures for<br />
possible investigation/development.<br />
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to evaluate structural<br />
behaviour including torsion, bending and<br />
compression testing.<br />
• 3D CAD modelling of selected structures, followed<br />
by the creation of Fused Deposition Modelling<br />
prototypes.<br />
• Physical compression tests for comparison against<br />
FEA.<br />
• Creating of an evaluation matrix in order to assess<br />
mechanical properties.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• The build orientation has played a key role in the<br />
structures mechanical performance.<br />
• The best performing structure was a model based<br />
on animal bone.<br />
• The best performing layer orientation was in fact<br />
axial to the direction of force in both horizontal<br />
and vertical compression testing.<br />
Nautilus shell model<br />
Iso clipping view showing higher stress regions<br />
Graph showing compression test results
Hou Yue Long<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Jason Matthews<br />
Introduction<br />
This project is Constraint-based modelling-application to the conceptual design of an aircraft. A constraint-based methodology which is successfully applied to<br />
a variety of engineering problems from a wide range of disciplines. Initially conceived from investigations of the engineering design process, the methodology<br />
has helped design engineers to identify and understand the initial limitations placed upon a system.<br />
The aircraft conceptual design phase is most important part of the aircraft design process. It is activities are characterized by the definition and comparative<br />
evaluation of numerous alternative design concepts potentially satisfying an initial statement of design requirements.<br />
Aircraft design obviously depends on the reliable calculation of numbers. Actually, this project to design a system only input aircraft passengers and range,<br />
then output all values, such as Max take off, Wing loading or fuselage length. To identify the relationship between all the equation is very important part to<br />
solve this project. Next step to design a programming and use constraint- based modelling to produce full design of civil transport aircraft from output values.<br />
Methodology<br />
A formal methodology is very useful in a project, because it is important to<br />
explain what research methods you used to collect your information. Having<br />
a clear methodology is often deemed important. Clearly outlined directions<br />
and procedures tend to increase consistency, and to create work which can<br />
be repeated elsewhere, which is an important characteristic of rigorous<br />
scientific research.<br />
This project research about Constraint-based modelling-application to the<br />
conceptual design of an aircraft. First, according to the literature, books and<br />
internet to realize aircraft information and Constraint-based modelling<br />
application. Second step try to collect parameter of aircraft, then analysis<br />
these parameter. Third step understanding logic of this project and find out<br />
equations direction and indirection relationship with passengers and range.<br />
Next step, use excel to make a table and try to link the all equations together.<br />
Final step apply Constraint-based modelling to product the aircraft value and<br />
geometry.<br />
Result and graph<br />
Constraint-based modelling-application to the conceptual design of an aircraft<br />
This flow chart is very clearly to show this project<br />
methodology. First of all, need going to collect a lot of<br />
information from literature, books and internet. There<br />
are specific knowledge of the aircraft, including aircraft<br />
materials, structure and the number of passengers and<br />
range. Collection and analysis of data, and to find the<br />
relationship between them. This project main<br />
requirement about just enter passengers and range,<br />
then output aircraft values. So it need to find the<br />
relationship equation with passengers and range.<br />
According to the passengers and range to drive<br />
equation of aircraft. Use Excel to create a table, link the<br />
all equation together, list all parameter and equation.<br />
Follow the excel table logic to design programming.<br />
According to the programming output value use<br />
constraint-based modelling to product aircraft<br />
geometry.<br />
Project summary<br />
1. Understand current state of art constraint- based<br />
modelling.<br />
2. Development a constraint-based design in suffice<br />
environment.<br />
3. Realize aircraft design processes and produce full<br />
design of civil transport aircraft.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Appreciate the overall design process.<br />
2. Have experience in assisting in the development of<br />
aircraft design from constraint- based modelling.<br />
3. Understand the programming logic and apply it in<br />
constraint- based modelling.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
That realize Constraint is very important to<br />
distinguish the goals of this research from related<br />
work. A lot of applications use constraints in this way<br />
as an efficient expression of a design.<br />
According to the programming output aircraft<br />
values, to construction a aircraft geometry. Use<br />
programming to connect every, two point to<br />
construction one line, find out fist point x, y<br />
coordinate, then find out second x,y coordinate.<br />
Finally construction.<br />
Realize aircraft design processes and produce full<br />
design of civil transport aircraft. Such as maximum<br />
take off weight, fuselage, wing loading and tail<br />
Aircraft design totally three parts 1. conceptual<br />
design 2. preliminary design 3. Detail. Realize another<br />
constraint based modelling programming language.<br />
According find out aircraft equation relation with<br />
passengers and range, to design programming. From<br />
the programming output value to produce full aircraft<br />
geometry. Then application constraint-based<br />
modelling to optimization aircraft.<br />
This programming language is quite similar like C<br />
programming. Same like another programming inputcalculation-output.<br />
Input only two parameters,<br />
numbers of passengers and range. Use the "function"<br />
format to connect every equation, then use output<br />
language to output aircraft values.
William Lovell<br />
Mechanical engineering BEng<br />
Project Supervisor: Jason Mathews<br />
Design and structural analysis of an agricultural trailer chassis<br />
Aims<br />
The aim of this project is to establish a suitable design specification for a medium distance road haulage semi-trailer, design an appropriate chassis using CAD<br />
and to verify the model using finite element analysis.<br />
This model should be capable of further work allowing the designer to go on to optimise the design to save cost and weight.<br />
Top-Down Design<br />
The design approach that will be used for this project is a Top-down<br />
modelling approach, this is due to the chassis itself being designed from<br />
scratch and as yet no standard components being added, once the axles and<br />
other standard parts are added to the assembly a combination of Top-down<br />
modelling and bottom up modelling will be used.<br />
Bottom-up modelling is a good technique for integrating commercial<br />
components into an assembly, where only a few parts linking already existing<br />
parts are unique, for example design brackets to hold a number of<br />
components, where most of the parts are purchased components and<br />
therefore will not change in the design.<br />
The Top-down technique, also known in SolidWorks ad “in-context”, it is used<br />
by designers and engineers when designing from scratch with multiple<br />
unique parts. Also when designing an assembly with the need to make<br />
multiple changes to the a Top-down is preferred. Using the Top-down<br />
approach it is possible to relate parts and parameters. In the case of the<br />
trailer design, basic dimensions will be set out from the design specification<br />
and then from there the parts will be added, this adds flexibility to make any<br />
design changes necessary with ease.<br />
Finite Element analysis<br />
The analysis being carried out on the trailer is to verify the levels of stress<br />
through the part under standard loading conditions, as the trailer is expected<br />
to remain in the elastic domain a linear stress analysis will be used.<br />
If the analysis were undertaken to predict how the part would fail in a nonelastic<br />
range then a non-linear analysis would be used.<br />
The goal for this set of analysis will be to achieve a factor of safety of 4<br />
throughout the trailer. Where this cannot be achieved the strain energy will<br />
be double checked to ensure that the part will not deform elastically.<br />
The visualization above shows stress concentrations in the drawbar area,<br />
during the project this area was reduced using stiffening plates to achieve a<br />
lower value of stress and a more robust design.<br />
Final Design<br />
Below is an image of the final design with trailer bed and axles for<br />
visualization. To fully complete the design axles will need to be specified and<br />
mounting established onto the chassis.<br />
Project summary<br />
This study outlines the body of work<br />
undertaken by the author when designing<br />
and validating the design of a new agricultural<br />
trailer chassis, relevant and applicable to JCB.<br />
It presents a step by step process of design<br />
from determining the design specification to<br />
development and improvements of the<br />
model.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To achieve the above aim, the following<br />
objectives need to be investigated<br />
• Understand the basic laws governing trailer<br />
design<br />
• Understand the typical application for the<br />
trailer<br />
• Produce a full design specification for the<br />
trailer<br />
• Design the trailer chassis in Solid Works<br />
• Complete a comprehensive structural<br />
analysis of the chassis using dynamic loading<br />
conditions with FEA<br />
• Make the necessary changes and<br />
improvements to the chassis<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project achieved Its key objectives and<br />
has resulted in a good basic chassis design,<br />
from here axles must be selected and then<br />
mounting and more stress analysis must be<br />
carried out. Also Weld stresses should be<br />
analysed and verified further .
Thamer Alanezi<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> (Beng)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
Design of a Vertical Axis Wind Turbine for Urban Use<br />
Project summary<br />
How did mankind notice wind? Is it because of its impact on agriculture or the way it carries clouds and changes the weather?<br />
In this report a study of different air foils, power outputs and a design of a 3 straight shaped Blade Darrieus vertical axis wind turbine<br />
(VAWT) for house use in urban areas. The design was carried out using QBlade, Workbench and Fluent solver to establish a comparison<br />
for air foil parameters and ratios. Results of different air foils behaviour against angle of attack and a discussion of how different angles<br />
affect a specific air foil were presented.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The reason behind this project is to design a<br />
computational fluid mechanics (CFD) model<br />
using ANSYS software and compare computer<br />
generated results to the theoretical ones.<br />
The purpose of this project is to provide a<br />
clear study of the vertical axis wind turbine.<br />
This project aims to explain how vertical axis<br />
wind turbine behaves and its durability when<br />
tested under different wind conditions.<br />
Investigating the components of the vertical<br />
axis wind turbine (VAWT) may improve the<br />
structure, lower structural weaknesses and<br />
increase the power output of the system.<br />
Figures<br />
Figures Show 3D visualisation of<br />
blades connected to the rotor,<br />
airfoil, pressure distribution on air<br />
foil NACA 0018, velocity on air<br />
foil NACA 0018 and Qblade view<br />
of air foil NACA 0018 at 15˚<br />
angle of attack with respect to<br />
changing value of power<br />
coefficient.<br />
Installation Location<br />
Met Office maps of wind speed<br />
average shows that the North West<br />
coast of Scotland, northern Welsh<br />
Bangor area and Cairngorms<br />
National Park Mountains have the<br />
highest values of data collected<br />
between 1981 and 2010.<br />
Previously mentioned areas have a<br />
wind speed average that ranges<br />
from 15 knots to even higher than<br />
25 knots. That range equals to 7.7<br />
m/s to higher than 13 m/s.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
To sum up, QBlade software was facing crashes<br />
during analysis operations several times. That led to<br />
an introduction to the basic charts of lift-drag<br />
coefficients. Further work was curried using ANSYS<br />
Workbench modules of geometry, design modeller,<br />
mesh, fluent and results. Meshing module step was<br />
carried successfully for both NACA 0012 and NACA<br />
0018 air foils. The only problem stoped the<br />
investigation of the air foil NACA 0012 was that the<br />
Fluent solver continued iterations infinitely which<br />
terminated any further study of the sample. The<br />
VAWT design process relied on the selection of air foil<br />
NACA 0018 after looking at the analytical results<br />
maintained by both QBlade charts and Fluent results.<br />
Location of installation varies depending on many<br />
conditions but the report provided recommendations<br />
for several locations arranged by preference and wind<br />
speed. That decision was made to give the chance for<br />
comparison as final decision cannot be made until<br />
further contact with the related authorities.<br />
Generator choice was made after careful calculations<br />
for the ability and requirements of the design.
Toby Renton<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Aruna Palipana<br />
CFD and Experimental Analysis of Air Jets and Air Sheets and Design<br />
Enhancements to Reduce Turbulent Separation<br />
Introduction<br />
Linear nozzles are widely used in various areas in the modern engineering<br />
world; they are extensively useful in industry primarily in deposition devises,<br />
e.g. printers, film application, dusters. This technology has recently been<br />
applied to the personal hygiene sector, applications including highly effective<br />
hand driers. In these devices the flows are described as air blades or air<br />
sheets, suggesting that the flow is a continuous thin filament of air. Over<br />
short distances the flow is expected to remain compact, though<br />
experimental data provides proof that over large distances the jet expands .<br />
This investigation aims to use theoretical and CFD modelling techniques to<br />
design an optimized nozzle structure which will reduce jet expansion over<br />
distance.<br />
Procedure<br />
The design procedure was broken up into two distinct stages:<br />
Phase 1) all aspects of the nozzle geometry will be studied to model their effects<br />
upon the flow emitted, these will continuously be compared back to a base case<br />
to provide evidence of their positive or negative flow construction<br />
characteristics. The aspects investigated in Phase 1 include; the external shape,<br />
internal structure shape, internal structure size and internal structure location.<br />
Once this is completed a basic nozzle design will be acquired.<br />
Phase 2) the nozzle design derived from Phase 1 will be taken as the Phase 2<br />
base case minor tweaks to the general geometry will be made to model the<br />
impact and those tweaks which are effective will be implemented in the final<br />
design.<br />
Practical Analysis<br />
Two experimental procedures were performed to understand the<br />
air sheet structure emitted from a real linear nozzle .<br />
- Pitot tube analysis gave defined for the flow centreline velocity<br />
decay with relation to the axial distance away from the nozzle<br />
outlet.<br />
- Tuft analysis is a flow visualisation technique which means it<br />
does not provide real flow values, it is a method of visualising<br />
the flow direction across the jet profile.<br />
The results of these two experiments could then be used in<br />
conjunction to produce an experimental jet profile plot which<br />
would be comparable to CFD vector plots.<br />
Project summary<br />
A computational fluid dynamics investigation was<br />
undertaken to study the effects of nozzle design upon<br />
the turbulent separation of nozzle emitted air jets<br />
and to assess whether there were better potential<br />
designs to increase the focus. Computerised Fluid<br />
Dynamics (CFD) simulation models results, which<br />
were deemed more reliable than the experimental<br />
results, demonstrated that based upon exit<br />
velocities some distance from the nozzle the flow<br />
shape could be focussed by the insertion of a<br />
hemispherical shape into the nozzle itself with the<br />
best focusing performance generated from the use of<br />
a tear-drop shape. Whilst more work is required to<br />
properly validate the conclusions the results suggest<br />
a more effective nozzle design may be achievable<br />
which could have industrial significance.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The study concluded that:<br />
1) CFD simulation predicted flow characteristics<br />
reasonably well, but that there were divergences<br />
between experimental and simulated CFD results.<br />
There were shortcomings in both methods and<br />
overall more faith was put in the simulated CFD<br />
results.<br />
2) From the simulated CFD results the insertion of a<br />
tear drop shape in the nozzle throat had the effect<br />
of focussing the flow, increasing velocity and<br />
reducing air sheet separation. An optimal nozzle<br />
design for reduced turbulent separation is<br />
proposed.<br />
3) More work is required to better match the<br />
experimental results to CFD simulated results and<br />
only when there is a convergence between the<br />
methodologies can confidence be placed on the<br />
conclusion that the proposed optimal nozzle design<br />
will have better flow focusing characteristics.<br />
4) If subsequent work proves the assertion that flow<br />
can be focussed under the proposed nozzle design<br />
then this could have significant benefits in the<br />
industrial sectors which utilise nozzles that benefit<br />
from accurate focussed emission jets.
Samuel Wort<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Ben Drew<br />
Vibration Fixture Design for ‘Bookend’ Style Fixtures<br />
Vibration Fixture<br />
The purpose of a vibration fixture is to act to as an interface between a shaker<br />
and a sample being tested. An ideal vibration fixture would have no resonant<br />
frequencies, within the frequency spectrum of the test being conducted.<br />
However this rarely achievable with large fixtures or tests carried to 2000Hz.<br />
Existing Fixture<br />
Using modal analysis, FEA and theoretical calculations the existing bookend<br />
fixture was calculated as having a fundamental resonant frequency between<br />
121Hz and 127Hz.<br />
New Design of Fixture<br />
The data obtained from analysing the existing fixture was used as a<br />
benchmark to design a new fixture. The proposed final design would be of a<br />
cast and machined magnesium construction and have an estimated overall<br />
mass of 271kg. Which would allow test levels up to 19g n, to be carried out<br />
with a sample mass of 50kg, using PARC’s 964 shaker system.<br />
By carrying out FEA and theoretical calculations, it is envisaged that this<br />
fixture design would have a resonant frequency in the 450Hz to 500Hz region<br />
and a resonance in the 400Hz to 450Hz region with a 50kg sample attached.<br />
Analysis Original Fixture Proposed Design<br />
Modal 127.03Hz -<br />
Calculated 123.47Hz 492.12Hz<br />
FEA 121.77Hz 475.85Hz<br />
Project summary<br />
Based on current user experience, Product<br />
Assessment and Reliability Centre’s large bookend<br />
fixture has a fundamental (first) resonant frequency<br />
of 100 – 150Hz, even as low as 30Hz under certain<br />
conditions. Using theoretical calculations, simulation<br />
and analysis of the existing fixture. A new fixture has<br />
been designed which increases the fundamental<br />
frequency above 450Hz.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
As no analysis of the existing fixture had been made<br />
one of the first aims was to understand the dynamic<br />
behaviour of the existing fixture. This was carried out<br />
using calculations, model analysis and FEA. The FEA<br />
carried out has allowed a judgment to be made as to<br />
the viability of using FEA in fixture design.<br />
The 2 nd aim was to re-design the existing fixture<br />
which is referred to as bookend fixture or L-type<br />
fixture, without affecting the overall size of the face<br />
plate (0.815m x 0.77m). The outcome of this aim is a<br />
concept design that could be put into manufacture<br />
when the need arises, that will have a significantly<br />
higher fundamental resonant frequency. The ideal<br />
scenario would be to have a fundamental frequency<br />
in excess of 500Hz.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was determined that the existing fixture has a<br />
resonance below 150Hz with FEA and theoretical<br />
calculations reinforcing this. By designing a fixture<br />
which is made from cast magnesium it is anticipated<br />
that a bookend fixture of this size and style would<br />
have resonance frequency in 450Hz to 500Hz range.<br />
Yet the ideal approach to vibration fixture design is to<br />
design an unique fixture for every sample tested. As<br />
this can take into account sample mass, test levels<br />
and frequency range. However this approach is often<br />
cost prohibitive.
Sean Christoph Gordon<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Appolinaire C. Etoundi<br />
Automated Exoskeleton Arm System<br />
Introduction<br />
Stroke is the most common cause of severe disabilities in the<br />
developed world. Over 1/3 of stroke victims sustain long-term<br />
moderate to severe disabilities including motor limitation in the<br />
extremities with hand function often impaired following stroke and<br />
only 14% of stroke survivors recover full sensory motor function in the<br />
arm.<br />
Design Aspects Chosen Option Reason<br />
Body Off-the-shelf design (anglepoise lamp) Simple, readily available, less time<br />
spent on designing the body and more<br />
on the core system.<br />
Spring System None Provided in the option chosen for the<br />
Body criterion.<br />
Actuation System Servomotor (miniscule version) Not too bulky, very cheap, easy to<br />
interface.<br />
Detection System Strain Gauges Easy to use, testing rig available in<br />
laboratory, cheap.<br />
Microprocessor Arduino (Uno) Simple, basic, cheap.<br />
Evaluation<br />
The potentiometer served as the stand-in for the strain gauge due to resource<br />
limitations. The LCD that was linked to the potentiometer would, in actual<br />
fact, be linked to the strain gauge but would function in the same way. The<br />
motor used was not as strong or large as it should have been (again, limited<br />
due to resource) to accommodate for a bigger weight and size however, the<br />
connections would remain the same regardless. An increase in power output<br />
may be necessary to power such a motor which has been proven that it can be<br />
done with the Arduino Uno<br />
Through the calculations and the feasibility of the<br />
system, the data transfer that occurred can be<br />
interpreted with a good degree of reliability. For<br />
example, if a load of 150g was applied to the arm of<br />
the patient, the strain gauge would read 56µε which<br />
would equal a value of around 4.3V. This value would<br />
be sent to Arduino (which would be displayed on the<br />
LCD screen) and the motor would move by around<br />
60°. The arm would be raised by the same amount<br />
and thus, the weight would have been lifted up. The<br />
same applies for situations where the arm flexes to<br />
equate a weightage of 150g.<br />
Theoretical Data<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
Comparison between Different Theoretical Data Entries for 50kg Body Weight<br />
0 15 30 45 60 90<br />
Angle of Arm from Vertical (degrees)<br />
Weight (g) Distance Moved (degrees) Voltage (V) 10-bit code<br />
105 8 3 590<br />
112 16 3.2 629<br />
120 24 3.4 668<br />
125 32 3.6 707<br />
132 40 3.8 746<br />
140 48 4 785<br />
145 56 4.2 824<br />
153 64 4.4 863<br />
162 72 4.6 902<br />
169 80 4.8 941<br />
175 88 5 980<br />
Torque (Nm)<br />
Energy (J)<br />
Power (W)<br />
The theoretical calculations made further<br />
enhances the data that would be gathered for<br />
such a situation. If the patient weighs 50kg and<br />
has the average arm length of 0.4m, the torque<br />
produced by his/her arm to move by 60° would<br />
be 9.05Nm. Subsequently, the energy produced<br />
would equate to 8.98J and the power value<br />
would be 3.16W. Compiling all the information<br />
would allow the physiotherapist to prescribe<br />
more suitable exercises and monitor recovery<br />
rate.<br />
Project summary<br />
Using exoskeletons for therapy for stroke patients is<br />
not a new concept. However, most exoskeletons<br />
make use of a controller and are usually specifically<br />
controlled by the doctors rather than the patients.<br />
Having an automated system for these exoskeletons<br />
would allow the patients more independency from<br />
the doctors to help promote a healthier form of<br />
recovery.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The system would connect the biceps of the arm to a<br />
motor that would drive the arm. The project is aimed<br />
towards stroke patients who possess at least partial<br />
motor control in their arm. Attaching a strain gauge<br />
to the arm would mean that for any change in strain,<br />
the strain gauge would read that value and translate<br />
it into a motor movement by means of a<br />
microprocessor. This would allow the patient to drive<br />
their arm by means of just wanting to move their<br />
arm.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The automated system was built, tested and proved<br />
that it can work. Though actual skin-mounted strain<br />
gauges were not used, the feasibility of the system<br />
was still proved nevertheless. The theoretical<br />
calculations made would allow for the system to<br />
successfully predict the force, torque, energy and<br />
power of the arm with variability in the weight and<br />
position of the arm, in any combination whatsoever.
Introduction<br />
Stephen Callan<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The Comparison between the effectiveness of Retrofit enhancements<br />
and Energy Management on large buildings to that of smaller<br />
commercial offices and retail units.<br />
The investigation aims to determine whether retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of buildings are effective and to what extent. To<br />
do this the author will apply various energy efficient techniques and low carbon and renewable technologies to two case studies; one<br />
model will be of a smaller dwelling or office, the other a large or commercial building such as a hospital. This will lead to a direct<br />
comparison of energy savings for the two buildings whilst also looking at the economic and social implications of the changes.<br />
What is Retrofitting?<br />
Retrofitting a building or green retrofit is a<br />
term used when describing the renovation or<br />
modernisation of an existing building, when<br />
said renovations are aimed at improving the<br />
buildings overall efficiency and in doing so<br />
lowering its carbon footprint. Retrofits can be<br />
applied to all types of buildings from the<br />
common household to hospitals. The are many<br />
different techniques that can be used to lower<br />
a buildings energy efficiency, these can be as<br />
simple as switching to LED light bulbs or more<br />
complex solutions such as using photovoltaic<br />
cells or installing heat pumps. These<br />
techniques will be explored in more detail later<br />
in the report.<br />
Model of Small Domestic Dwelling<br />
Instead of using a small commercial building it<br />
was decided that using a rural domestic dwelling<br />
would be more suitable for this investigation.<br />
This would mean that the two compared models<br />
would be at complete opposite ends of the<br />
property scale, not only in terms of size but also<br />
in terms of use and investment potential.<br />
The Dwelling would have its airtightness<br />
improved, a new boiler installed and upgraded<br />
fabric. The would also be a test simulation to see<br />
how effective Photovoltaic Cells and 2kW roof<br />
mounted wind turbine would work.<br />
Model Of Large Building: N-Block<br />
For the Large building model. It was decided that<br />
the best option was to go with one of the university<br />
buildings, known as N-Block. N-block was chosen<br />
due to it being one of the largest options available,<br />
readily available drawings and building information<br />
to model from and was familiar to the author which<br />
would aid in giving an accurate representation of<br />
the building.<br />
The retrofit of this model would benefit from the<br />
installation of ground source heat pumps,<br />
Photovoltaic Cells , a 6kW wind turbine, improved<br />
fabric and an increase in airtightness.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Aruna Palipana<br />
Project summary<br />
The investigation aims to determine whether<br />
retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of<br />
buildings are effective and to what extent.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigate the effectiveness of retrofitting<br />
buildings in comparison to their size.<br />
• Learn how to use the modelling and<br />
simulations techniques in Integrated<br />
Environmental Solution – Virtual<br />
Environment (IES-VE).<br />
• Secondary aims involve looking into the<br />
economic implications (Initial costs and<br />
savings over time), time constraints, social<br />
impacts and whether or not demolition<br />
and redeveloping the building is a<br />
better/realistic option.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, the size and type of building<br />
does effect what can and cannot be done in<br />
terms of retrofitting buildings. The biggest<br />
lesson learnt during the investigation is that<br />
each retrofit project is different due to<br />
investment costs associated with different<br />
sized buildings. The most effective treatment<br />
for small buildings is to increase thermal<br />
efficiency through fabric changes and<br />
airtightness. Whilst larger buildings benefit<br />
more from improvements made to their<br />
heating and cooling systems. This said every<br />
building is different and should be treated as<br />
an individual project and planned accordingly.
Rodrigo Bulhões Ribeiro de Sá Dias<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Design and project of a rack for aircraft tyres storage<br />
Introduction<br />
During many years, the desire of fly was just a dream for<br />
humanity. One of the most important invention ever is the<br />
aircraft. Today, thousands of flights are conducted around<br />
the world and it became the easiest way to go from one<br />
place to another. Maybe the most critical item in an<br />
aircraft in terms of security are the tyres .Tyres are critical<br />
items for safety because, in addition to supporting the<br />
weight of the aircraft on the ground, should absorb much<br />
of the shock of the aircraft on the runway, in landing,<br />
acceleration, sudden decelerations and large temperature<br />
variations. At high altitudes, temperatures support can<br />
reach 55 degrees below zero, at high altitude, while<br />
withstand temperatures more than 80 degrees above zero<br />
during landing or over 100 degrees in a rejected take-off<br />
(RTO - Reject Take-off). Therefore, tyres need to be very<br />
well inspected and stored.<br />
Tyres damage and storage<br />
The storage of tyres is the focus of this work. The<br />
organization and the logistic handling with tyres is as<br />
important as the design of the rack and the others<br />
related equipment. The more well maintained the<br />
storage site and the surrounding are, the more easily is<br />
to guarantee a good condition of tyres. New or<br />
retreated tyres and tubes should be stored in dry place,<br />
cool and without direct sunlight. Temperatures should<br />
be between 32°F (0°C) and 85°F (30°C). Fluorescent<br />
lights, electric motors, electric welding equipment,<br />
battery chargers, electric generators and similar should<br />
be taken away from tyre because these equipment<br />
create ozone and it has a bad effect on rubber. Another<br />
deteriorating effect on rubber is the contact with oil,<br />
gasoline, jet fuel, hydraulic fluids or similar<br />
hydrocarbons. A special attention should be taken for<br />
not lay tyres on floor in which these contaminants can<br />
be in contact<br />
For storage aircrafts, it is important to protect the tyres<br />
with metallic covers and move the plane often, to avoid<br />
the "flattening" of the tread.<br />
The project<br />
It was designed two types of racks, each one for a<br />
range of tyres. The idea was to create a concept that<br />
could store 4 tyres, but two more structures can be<br />
stacked, totalizing 12 wheels.<br />
To the structural analysis, just the largest rack was<br />
considered. This was the critical situation<br />
because in this case the structure is subject to<br />
higher pressures and it supports more weight.<br />
Once the structure was dimensioned with profiles<br />
of 30x40x2mm in the most critical area and with<br />
profiles of 30x30x2mm in the trusses, the<br />
boundary conditions for the analysis can be<br />
determined. The figure below shows the stress<br />
distribution considering stacked racks and<br />
diagonal trusses.<br />
The same analysis was done with the same<br />
type of rack but using vertical trusses<br />
instead of diagonal trusses to investigate<br />
which design is more reliable.<br />
Maximum stress in this new structure was<br />
3.567 × 10 7 N/m², which results in a security<br />
factor of approximately 9.8, and it allows to<br />
reduce the thickness of the profiles.<br />
Furthermore, taking in account the<br />
deformations, the maximum displacement<br />
was 0.382 mm, about 10 times lower than<br />
using diagonal trusses. Therefore, the results<br />
were very satisfactory.<br />
Traceability<br />
To help in documentation and tyre traceability,<br />
it was developed a computer program to be<br />
utilized by the employers responsible to<br />
maintenance and transport of the tyres. . The<br />
program was developed in Python and it<br />
allows to follow operations such as removal,<br />
storage and database of the tires just typing<br />
the tyre serial number.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Tushar Dhavale<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been accomplished to develop a<br />
new alternative of a rack to store aircrafts wheels.<br />
This new design is necessary because there are some<br />
problems related to lay tyres on floor during too<br />
many time causing distortion and damage. Therefore,<br />
what is propose in this work is a rack where the tyre<br />
lay on rolls that are rotated by a drill or a crank.<br />
Traceability is another important point and it is<br />
purposed to use a Python programming and a<br />
raspberry pi device. This allows the mechanic or<br />
another responsible, to know where the tyre is as<br />
well in which rack it is and all the details about<br />
inspection.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this project is to develop a new<br />
design of rack to store aircraft tyres. It will be<br />
achieved through the realization of several subaims.<br />
Some of them are itemised below.<br />
1. Study all available literature concerning to<br />
tyres characteristics, since manufacturing until<br />
storage and maintenance.<br />
2. Build a 3D model of the rack and calculate the<br />
specifications of the design components.<br />
3. Simulate different designs to choose the most<br />
reliable and analyse stress and deformation.<br />
4. Programing the traceability system.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A new design of a rack to store tyres was developed.<br />
Each one of the aims were achieved to project the<br />
system. The rack structure was analysed using the<br />
SolidWorks tool and it is secure for the loads applied.<br />
The first structure, with the diagonal truss, has<br />
greater value of deformation when compared with<br />
the second structure. Therefore, this project was<br />
successfully in terms of the designs, and the selection<br />
of the components. The reduction system is what<br />
makes possible to turn the tyres using a drill or a<br />
crank. It is not necessary to do this using human force<br />
and this represents comfort to the operator and more<br />
security, reducing accidents. The traceability<br />
development is another achievement of this project.<br />
It is a simple, low cost and efficient system that<br />
allows organization and a better management.
Loh Zhe Han<br />
MENG Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Tushar Dhavale<br />
Seeds Material Handling<br />
Background<br />
Seed tapes are a pre-sown product that is made<br />
of two layers of very thin paper attached together,<br />
holding rows of seeds in between.<br />
The method of seed transportation needs to be<br />
able to evenly distribute seeds in neat rows, and<br />
for the seeds to be roughly equidistant from each<br />
other within the same row.<br />
Seeds come in all shapes and sizes, often<br />
demonstrate poor flow characteristics, and are<br />
difficult to handle.<br />
Vibrating Feeder Design<br />
An adaptation of the linear vibratory feeder was<br />
designed for the investigation. One speaker would<br />
be used to drive the platform along the x-axis, and<br />
two speakers would drive the platform along the<br />
y-axis. The speakers are essentially actuators or<br />
pistons that rapidly move the platform in their<br />
respective directions. By controlling the phase<br />
shift, the direction of the platform’s movement<br />
can be regulated.<br />
Time (s)<br />
Test Results<br />
The speakers are connected to an amplifier, and<br />
their amplitudes are controlled by the “Volume”<br />
control.<br />
Firstly, tests were performed to measure the phase<br />
shift at which the seeds flowed the best. A good<br />
indicator of the quality of feeding is the difference<br />
in time for the first and last seeds to travel the<br />
entirety of the platform. A small time difference<br />
demonstrates good feeding characteristics<br />
because it means the body of seeds is travelling<br />
relatively uniformly. The most appropriate phase<br />
shift was found to be 270 degrees, at which the<br />
platform is making an anti-clockwise circular<br />
motion.<br />
80<br />
70<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
Frequency (Vol. 4-10)<br />
Project summary<br />
The project is based on the method of<br />
transportation and placement of seeds in the<br />
manufacturing process of seed tapes.<br />
An investigation was conducted to explore<br />
alternative methods utilizing technologies<br />
from different fields of engineering to<br />
improve the process.<br />
A transportation system is then designed and<br />
analysed.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The vibrating feeder was proposed as a<br />
solution to the seed transportation problem.<br />
The aims of the investigation are:<br />
• Design and assemble a prototype vibrating<br />
feeder<br />
• Verify the performance capabilities of a<br />
vibrating feeder to transport seeds<br />
• Experimentally establish the relationship<br />
between frequency, amplitude, and phase<br />
shift for a uniform feed rate<br />
Linear vibratory feeders, such as the one pictured<br />
above, use an electromagnetic drive to excite the<br />
system. Vibratory feeders are used in food<br />
engineering to transport bulk material that often<br />
do not flow well. It is also used in other industries<br />
to transport ores, coal, aggregate, sand, powders,<br />
etc.<br />
Vibrating feeders employ pulsating current to<br />
operate. When this current passes through, the<br />
armature is pulled, and the transmitted force<br />
vibrates the tray. Magnetic attraction between<br />
the electromagnet and the armature occurs when<br />
current is allowed to flow, at which the trough<br />
and vibrator unit are then attracted to each other.<br />
The power input to the speakers control the<br />
amplitudes of the vibrations. The speakers’ setup<br />
is better for an experimental system and proof-ofconcept,<br />
as it allows quick tweaking and<br />
adjustments. It also allows the platform to be have<br />
different directions of motion. The<br />
electromagnetic drive is only capable of motions in<br />
one dimension, whereas the speakers can move<br />
the platform in oval and circular paths as well.<br />
0<br />
7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22<br />
Frequency (Hz)<br />
Vol. 4 (First seed) Vol. 4 (overall) Vol. 5 (first seed) Vol. 5 (overall)<br />
Vol. 6 (first seed) Vol. 6 (overall) Vol. 7 (first seed) Vol. 7 (overall)<br />
Vol. 8 (first seed) Vol.8 (overall) Vol. 9 (first seed) Vol. 9 (overall)<br />
Vol. 10 (first seed) Vol. 10 (overall)<br />
The test to determine the best frequency for the<br />
platform to vibrate at was performed at a range of<br />
“volumes”, to observe the performance of<br />
different frequencies at a range of amplitudes of<br />
the platform’s motion. From observances, the<br />
platform fed the seeds most uniformly at 19 Hz,<br />
“Volume” 5, with the lowest time difference<br />
percentage of 37.8% (the average ∆T% is 65.7%).<br />
The tests were first performed with basil seeds.<br />
Sweet pepper seeds and giant sunflower seeds<br />
were also tested on later, at the found optimal<br />
settings. They also flowed well.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A prototype that utilises two directions of<br />
excitation in the vibrating system was<br />
designed. A variety of seeds were used as test<br />
samples, and the system successfully<br />
transported each type of seed.<br />
Experimentation showed that a low<br />
frequency, high deflection vibration system<br />
was the most effective system to transport<br />
seeds in a controlled manner.<br />
The vibrating feeder was a successful proofof-concept,<br />
and could be considered for<br />
implementation in industry.
William Parry<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> MEng<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Aruna Palipana<br />
Environmental Impact of City Traffic Problems and Low Cost Solutions to<br />
Such Problems<br />
Introduction<br />
There are many problems with the UK road network causing reduced traffic flow, congestion and higher emissions, with government and councils proposing<br />
solutions which could cost the tax payer money and take finances away from other important parts of UK public services. This project propose low cost<br />
solutions to such problems and also the environmental benefit of these solutions.<br />
Project summary<br />
Finding methods of improving current traffic<br />
systems<br />
Station road left turn to Filton Avenue, Filton<br />
This left turn was analysed and it was found that there was a high demand<br />
for the left turning however, there was a unnecessary stationary traffic that<br />
could compromise air quality and reduce traffic flow. A left filter was<br />
proposed as it would be possible to allow this traffic to flow for a majority of<br />
the traffic light sequence. An increase in length for the designated left lane<br />
and the relocation of a bus stop were also suggested to improve traffic flow.<br />
Cyclists impact on traffic flow<br />
To show the effect cyclist have on<br />
traffic flow an experiment was<br />
planned to find the average speed<br />
of vehicles with and without<br />
bicycles in front of the vehicles. A<br />
50m length of road was used and<br />
timings were taken to find the<br />
speeds. The average delay caused<br />
by the cyclists was found to be<br />
3.350 seconds.<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Using the average speeds for both<br />
with and without bicycles it was<br />
possible to find the corresponding<br />
emissions at these speeds in grams<br />
per kilometers (this was for a<br />
specified light duty vehicle). This<br />
was divided by the length used in<br />
the experiment and the extra mass<br />
of CO2, produced by the vehicle,<br />
caused by the cyclist was found.<br />
Addition of filter<br />
light<br />
Relocation of bus<br />
stop<br />
Increase<br />
lane<br />
length<br />
It was found that on average, over<br />
the 50m, that 2 grams of extra CO2<br />
were produced when following a<br />
cyclist. This is a relatively low value<br />
however with <strong>Bristol</strong> having a large<br />
number of cyclists it is important to<br />
look at this on a larger scale. This<br />
experiment showed the importance<br />
of cycle lanes being used correctly.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Evaluating problem traffic locations and<br />
aiming to improve traffic flow and air quality<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Over the course of the project, many problem<br />
locations around north <strong>Bristol</strong> were looked<br />
into. This meant that in the entirety of Brisotl<br />
the number of problem locations would<br />
surely increase. The cost of changing all these<br />
areas may come to a large amount. Maybe<br />
changes to the entire road network and driver<br />
behavior (like the speed limit reduction) could<br />
provide more large scale cost effective<br />
benefits.<br />
Reduced speed limits effect on traffic flow<br />
Over the past year many areas of roads in <strong>Bristol</strong><br />
have lowered there speed limits 20 mph. This<br />
scheme aims to encourage transport via walking<br />
cycling and public transport. There is also evidence<br />
to support the theory that city traffic travels more<br />
efficiently when travelling at 20mph.<br />
Approximate date that large 20 mph<br />
sign were painted on the road surface<br />
If traffic is theoretically flowing better then there<br />
should be a decrease in NO2. Data for NO2 levels<br />
over the past three years was studied and it was<br />
noted that after the introduction of road signs<br />
there was lower than average levels of NO2. This<br />
provides evidence that this change may increase<br />
traffic flow. However, this decrease in NO2 was<br />
seen recently and more research is needed.
Thomas Ward<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Drivetrain Development of an Electric Formula Student Vehicle<br />
Introduction<br />
The project compares different types of<br />
drivetrain used through motorsport to find an<br />
optimal solution for an electric formula student<br />
vehicle. The vehicle will be entered into the<br />
2016 championships at Silverstone by the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
formula student team.<br />
Formula Student<br />
The Formula Student championship brings<br />
together teams from across the world to<br />
compete in dynamic and static motorsport<br />
events. The event originated in America as the<br />
Formula SAE championship before commencing<br />
annually in the UK in 1998.<br />
The teams are challenged to build a single seat<br />
race car, and are judged on aspects of the<br />
vehicles design and performance. Judges award<br />
marks for vehicle cost efficiency, ingenious<br />
engineering solutions, business presentations<br />
and thoroughness of designs, the cars also<br />
compete in acceleration, handling and<br />
endurance events. It gives students the<br />
opportunity to learn a wide variety of skills from<br />
a real, tangible project.<br />
The cars are of an open-wheeled ‘formula’ style,<br />
built to meet a set of rules defined by the<br />
Institute of Mechanical Engineers.<br />
The teams build their cars during the academic<br />
year, before competing in the summer each<br />
year. New cars must be built each year, with a<br />
new chassis at least every two years.<br />
Going Electric<br />
The team plan to complete with an electric<br />
vehicle from 2016 due to how the current<br />
ruleset is, it is possible to build an electric car<br />
with higher performance than the petrol<br />
powered entrants. This involves a complete<br />
redesign including research into new motors<br />
and drivetrain systems.<br />
The Motors<br />
The car will use four motors, one contained<br />
within each wheel hub to drive the car. They<br />
should provide the equivalent of around<br />
100bhp, and make the car capable of reaching<br />
100kmph in under 3.5seconds.<br />
The team will custom make the motor casings,<br />
shafts and cooling systems, to integrate with<br />
the drivetrain.<br />
The Gearbox<br />
A reduction gearbox will also be contained<br />
within each wheel. To create an extremely<br />
compact and lightweight system an epicyclic<br />
gear solution was chosen. This has been the<br />
most complex part of the system to design,<br />
involving creating a intricate analytical<br />
simulation of the system to model the<br />
dimensions and stresses.<br />
The final CAD model of the system shown above.<br />
It is made up of the cars upright, motor, and<br />
epicyclic gearbox. The parts are all intended for<br />
manufacture during the next academic year.<br />
The gearbox was also 3D printed to check its<br />
functionality and help describe how an epicyclic<br />
gearbox functions.<br />
In this arrangement the motor is connected to<br />
the central gear and the outside turns the<br />
wheels of the car.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project is to research, design and build a vehicle<br />
drivetrain. The drivetrain is intended to be used in an<br />
electric vehicle (EV) bespoke made by students at the<br />
University of The West of England (<strong>UWE</strong>) for use in<br />
the Formula Student championship. It is intended for<br />
the university’s first electric powered entry involving<br />
a radically different drivetrain to previous cars. The<br />
project contains research into different drivetrain<br />
options, and a comparison of their advantages and<br />
disadvantages. These comparisons will help the<br />
decision making process with respect to the choice of<br />
design, but other factors such as the offers of<br />
sponsorship in components may also be taken into<br />
account. Over the course of the study the drivetrain<br />
will be developed and optimised to suit the needs of<br />
the vehicle. The report will go on to look more<br />
thoroughly at a possible final design for the project.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To design a drivetrain system which conforms to the<br />
latest Formula Student rules and regulations, and<br />
must work with the overall design of the vehicle. It<br />
must be lightweight, and provide the best possible<br />
performance when built within the timeframe and<br />
budget limitations of the <strong>UWE</strong> Formula Student team.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project has culminated in a successful design to<br />
be used in a Class 2 entry to the formula student<br />
championship this July (<strong>2015</strong>).<br />
The project will continue next year in a masters<br />
thesis, and be built for use on a car next year.
Richard Burr<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> q q q q q q<br />
q 0<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rui Cardoso<br />
To Assess and Compare Mechanical Presses and Hydraulic Presses<br />
Introduction<br />
Presses are used to deform a material so that a<br />
different geometry can be obtained from the<br />
original. A forming press works by applying<br />
pressure to a material to flatten, form, draw,<br />
pierce, trim or blank that material. This is<br />
performed by a ‘ram or slide’ which closes with a<br />
bed. Attached to the ram and bed are the two<br />
different parts of a press tool known as a die. The<br />
upper member of the die is attached to the ram<br />
and is driven by the press into the lower half of<br />
the die which is attached to the bed. The die is<br />
used to shape the material into the part that is<br />
required.<br />
Presses can be used to form a wide range of<br />
products from sheet metal such as cooking pots,<br />
car doors and car bonnets to cutlery and even<br />
coins. Press forming is widely used in many<br />
industries as it can produce quality parts almost<br />
continuously enabling mass production of<br />
products. Different types of presses include the<br />
mechanical press, hydraulic press and the<br />
pneumatic press. The name of the press comes<br />
from the drive component of the press.<br />
Forming Processes<br />
There are different metal forming operations<br />
which can be conducted with a press these include<br />
cutting, bending, forging and deep drawing. At the<br />
moment most presses are designed for one of<br />
these processes as the requirements for each<br />
process differ. One of the differences is the<br />
kinematic requirements for each process such as<br />
the ram velocity, accezleration and the ability to<br />
apply the load along the whole stroke<br />
Mechanical Press<br />
The main factor in a mechanical presses<br />
mechanism is changing the rotary motion of the<br />
motor into the linear motion of the slide. Another<br />
is the length of stroke. It is about balancing these<br />
factors while keeping the size of the mechanism to<br />
a minimum so that the machine is as compact as<br />
possible. There are several different types of<br />
mechanical presses these include the crank,<br />
knuckle joint.<br />
Slider Crank<br />
The slider crank mechanism is one of the most<br />
common mechanical drive systems for a press<br />
because of its relatively simple design. Its slide<br />
motion is the one of the most important factors in<br />
its selection and how changing parameters affect<br />
this<br />
Vertical Displacement (m)<br />
Slider Position From Top of Storke (m)<br />
Knuckle Joint Press<br />
The knuckle joint mechanism has a motion path<br />
different to the slider crank when compared with<br />
the slider crank and this makes it more suitable to<br />
other forming operations<br />
1.4<br />
1.35<br />
1.3<br />
1.25<br />
1.2<br />
1.15<br />
1.1<br />
2.5<br />
2<br />
1.5<br />
1<br />
0.5<br />
0<br />
Position of Slider With Respect to the Crank Angle For Differing<br />
Length Ratios Of Crank to Connecting Rod For A Non-Eccentric<br />
Configuration<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400<br />
Angle of Crank (degrees)<br />
Knuckle Mechansim Velcoity of Slide for a Changing Crank Angle<br />
Displacement<br />
Velocity<br />
-0.2<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400<br />
Crank Angle (Degrees)<br />
Ratio 1:1.25<br />
Ratio 1:1.5<br />
Ratio 1:1.75<br />
Ratio 1:2<br />
Ratio 1:3<br />
Ratio 1:4<br />
Ratio 1:5<br />
1.6<br />
1.4<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
0.8<br />
0.6<br />
0.4<br />
0.2<br />
0<br />
Velocity (m/s)<br />
Hydraulic Press<br />
A simple hydraulic press has a piston in a cylinder<br />
with an incompressible fluid both above and<br />
below. The pressure is changed both in the top<br />
and bottom of the cylinder to move the cylinder<br />
up and down. This piston interns drives the ram<br />
up and down (Anon, 1999). The pressure is<br />
controlled through a system of valves, such as the<br />
pressure relief valves, which both release and hold<br />
the pressure where it is desired along the stroke.<br />
To utilize the basic principle of the hydraulics and<br />
ensure that the system will be able to achieve the<br />
desired aims of the process it is being designed for,<br />
the hydraulic circuit is built. This hydraulic circuit<br />
generally contains several different components.<br />
These include the cylinder, hydraulic fluid,<br />
reservoir, pumps, valves and pipes.<br />
There are different setups that can be used to<br />
create characteristics for the cylinder which is the<br />
hydraulic component that actually moves the ram.<br />
One form of hydraulic circuit that could be used is<br />
shown below.<br />
Project summary<br />
Presses are used in a variety of process to produce a<br />
range of products. There are many different types of<br />
presses including the mechanical and hydraulic press.<br />
Both these machines have the same basic function to<br />
produce a part from a work piece. This report looks<br />
into the advantages and limitations of both the<br />
mechanical and hydraulic press both against each<br />
other and in respect to the process they are being<br />
used to perform. This shall be first discussed in<br />
general terms looking at the different processes they<br />
can complete and the way in which they do. Then<br />
using a given set of parameters such as load and size<br />
shall be used to see which machine will be the most<br />
suitable for these given parameters.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The predominant aim of this report is to compare the<br />
mechanical and hydraulic press doing this by<br />
modelling different drive systems for each. Linked to<br />
this aim is to look at how some individual<br />
components can be altered to either improve or<br />
change the attributes of these components. Another<br />
aim is to look into which presses can be used for<br />
different manufacturing processes. Looking into what<br />
limits them in terms of what it can be used for.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Having modeled the different presses and applied these<br />
models to the given parameters the hydraulic press was<br />
the most appropriate choice. However the models could<br />
have been more detailed to give a better reference point<br />
for the conclusion taken. Although the predominant<br />
finding was that although the hydraulic press was the<br />
most suitable choice for the parameters the choice of<br />
press changes depending on the parameters chosen.<br />
Although a servo press could be the happy medium<br />
between the mechanical and hydraulic as it utilises the<br />
advantages of both
SAMUEL OLAKOYEJO AGORO<br />
MENG Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
ANALYSIS, MANUFACTURING STRATEGY AND DESIGN OF SEED’S<br />
MANUFACTURING PROCESS<br />
PROJECT SUPERVISOR<br />
DR TUSHAR DHAVALE & MR SAM MILLINGTON<br />
INTRODUCTION<br />
This project is in collaboration with Seed<br />
Developments Ltd. Seed produces biodegradable<br />
seed tapes and pre-sown associated products, to<br />
help their customers’ plant crops quick, fun and<br />
easily. The seed tape is sandwiched with<br />
biodegradable paper with a line of seed in the<br />
middle, with an easy detachable cross section that<br />
separate the seed tape into a straight line. The tape<br />
biodegrades after it has been buried in soil, leaving<br />
the seed to grown as the user laid it out. Seed<br />
Development supplies seeds to large companies<br />
and distributors across the globe, and also<br />
specialises in supplying bespoke promotional seed<br />
products for brands such as McDonalds and much<br />
more.<br />
This project continues from the initial problem (Part<br />
A), which was to develop the Thumper (pressing<br />
machine) by making it work efficient and removing<br />
unnecessary change up time and extending<br />
manufacturing process. The previous problem has<br />
been solved but the ‘thumper’ is unsafe and runs<br />
inefficient. Therefore, the objective of this<br />
continued project (Part B) is obtained. This project<br />
designs a new press machine and implement it in<br />
the manufacturing process; indicating the benefits<br />
the new design has to offer and the reconfiguration<br />
of the manufacturing system (via VSM).<br />
The system of a trolley is developed to attach the<br />
blades and place product to be pressed, as shown<br />
in figure above. The cutting pad is attached onto<br />
the press head to stop the press head from<br />
scratches and preventing the blades from being<br />
damage on impact; therefore the polyethylene<br />
board is mounted to the press head as a sacrificial<br />
bored. The seed tape is placed on the trolley, then<br />
rolled under the press head. As indicated in the<br />
photo above, the black sponge fabric is placed to<br />
cover the blade. The set of blades cuts through the<br />
fabric as specified, and is replaced over time. The<br />
set up of the thumper can be seen on the image<br />
below below.<br />
Extensive amount of pressure it enforced on the<br />
trolley which presses/cut the product but also<br />
damages the polyethylene board which is attached<br />
to the press head. The polyethylene board is<br />
damaged by the high pressure from the blade after<br />
the product has been cut through, damaging the<br />
board. With continuous production and indentation<br />
onto the polyethylene board, it results to being<br />
replaced after 2-3 days of usage.<br />
FINAL PRESS DESIGN<br />
Figure 4.5 shows the 3D model of the press<br />
machine. The appearance takes from a simple<br />
shape of a press with the pneumatic<br />
cylinders. The total height of the press<br />
machine is at 175cm and the height of the<br />
press table is at the waist (of the operator) for<br />
ease of use. The pneumatic cylinders are<br />
nearer to the frame to have less deflection<br />
effect to the structure. The ‘ON’ and ‘OFF’<br />
switch are just under shoulders level for clear<br />
ability to be read by the operator. The safety<br />
guards are transparent to enable the operator<br />
to see the work piece.<br />
In this design, a press table will is used as a safe<br />
stop figure in the event where excessive pressure<br />
is being applied to the work piece. This table<br />
design embodies a load cell and 2 belleville<br />
washers (figure below). The load cell is to<br />
calculate the amount of force in the table while<br />
the belleville washers enables compression to a<br />
degree stopping that load cell from getting<br />
damaged.<br />
PROJECT SUMMARY<br />
Increased production will result in an increase in<br />
profit which needs to be taken into account when<br />
calculating the payback period. The new press<br />
machine operates safer and fast than that of the<br />
‘Thumper’, it requires less space in the factory and<br />
requires less power. Investing on the new press<br />
machine will not only increase productivity but<br />
protects the operator and the machine from injuries<br />
or destroying its self. The implementation of lean<br />
manufacturing results in a continuous production and<br />
eliminating non-value adding activity such as storing<br />
the seed tape while it has not completed production.<br />
By eliminating inventories or buffers, the factory runs<br />
smoothly and also possesses the ability to shear<br />
operators and machines within the factory. No<br />
inventory or buffers also result to a clear factory as<br />
there is no product left at a production process for<br />
hours.<br />
The reduction of operators also saves the company<br />
money; if the manufacturing modification is<br />
approved. However this reduction doesn’t mean the<br />
workers are laid off due to the implementation of this<br />
new concept but productivity can be maximized if the<br />
extra hand is used including the investment of more<br />
machines. At the end of this project, the analysis of<br />
manufacturing process and the implementation of<br />
the new press machine, productivity will increase by<br />
18.5% and the reduction of operators and down by 3.<br />
The new value stream map can be seen on Appendix<br />
B.<br />
PROJECT CONCLUSION<br />
The aims of the investigation are to design a press<br />
machine and implement the design on to the<br />
manufacturing process. To do this, the required force<br />
is investigated and experimented. Then the press<br />
machine is designed to this specification also<br />
including a safe system. At the end of the project, the<br />
manufacturing productivity has been increased by<br />
18.5%; better than that of the present factory.
Matthew Edwards<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
A Study on four-wheel-steering in road vehicles.<br />
Project summary<br />
This study is to investigate how a four wheel steering (4WS) system affects a vehicles performance. Two different types of 4WS were investigated during this<br />
study, in phase and out of phase 4WS. In phase steering is when both the rear and front wheels steer in the same direction once a stimulus is given. Whereas<br />
out of phase 4WS is when the rea wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels for a given steering input. Both types of 4WS systems where used<br />
over a range of ratio between the front and rear wheels. These different ratios where used to investigate the effect that both types of 4WS had on different<br />
vehicle characteristics when the vehicle is travelling around a corner.<br />
The chosen vehicle:<br />
For the vehicle modelling an Audi A5 Coupe 2.0 TDI 177hp quattro<br />
from 2012 – <strong>2015</strong> was selected. The information regarding the<br />
specification of the vehicle was found at (cars-data.com, <strong>2015</strong>). The<br />
information taken from this website was the mass of the vehicle, at<br />
1510Kg, and the wheelbase, at 2.751m. Another piece of<br />
information needed was the corner stiffness coefficient, which was<br />
found in Wong J.Y. stated as (2008, p. 381) “The corner stiffness of<br />
each of the front tyres is 38.92kN/rad (8750lb/rad) and that of the<br />
rear tyres is 38.25kN/rad (8600lb/rad).”<br />
Steady State cornering:<br />
The first area which was investigated during this project was for<br />
steady state cornering, which occurs once a vehicle has settled into<br />
a constant radius corner. Once a vehicle is travelling around a steady<br />
state corner it is easy to compare the different characteristics of in<br />
phase, out of phase and two wheel steering. During this stage of the<br />
investigation many different variables where looked at, such as the<br />
off-tracking and the yaw velocity of the vehicle. Many of the<br />
different variables enabled other more complex variables to be<br />
calculated, such as the slip angles of both the front and rear tyres.<br />
Transient cornering:<br />
The study then moved on to start looking at transient cornering,<br />
which is what happens immediately after a steering input is given.<br />
During this period key characteristics of the vehicle can be<br />
observed, such as the change in the yaw velocity and lateral<br />
acceleration. These variables will give a good idea on how the<br />
vehicle will be travelling around a corner, as well as what size corner<br />
radius the vehicle can travel around.<br />
Steering angle (rad)<br />
yaw velocity (rad/s)<br />
2.75<br />
2.5<br />
2.25<br />
2<br />
1.75<br />
1.5<br />
1.25<br />
1<br />
0.75<br />
0.5<br />
0.25<br />
3.5<br />
3<br />
2.5<br />
2<br />
1.5<br />
1<br />
0.5<br />
0<br />
3<br />
0<br />
A chart showing how the steering angle changes with the corner radius over a range of steering<br />
ratios, at a velocity of 5mph.<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120 130 140 150<br />
Corner radius (m)<br />
A graph to show how the yaw velocity changes against the vehicle velocity over a range of steering<br />
ratios, when the steering angle was 15 degrees.<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100<br />
vehcile velocity (mph)<br />
sr = -0.8<br />
sr = -0.6<br />
sr = -0.4<br />
sr = -0.2<br />
sr = 0<br />
sr = 0.2<br />
sr = 0.4<br />
sr = 0.6<br />
sr = 0.8<br />
sr = 1<br />
sr = -0.8<br />
sr = -0.6<br />
sr = -0.4<br />
sr = -0.2<br />
sr = 0<br />
sr = 0.2<br />
sr = 0.4<br />
sr = 0.6<br />
sr = 0.8<br />
sr = 1<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Benjamin Drew<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this thesis is to investigate the<br />
effectiveness of four-wheel-steering in road cars, by<br />
evaluating the vehicle's handling, agility and stability<br />
when cornering. The effectiveness will be determined<br />
by the extent of any improvements to the handling,<br />
stability or agility, such as higher cornering speeds or<br />
a smaller turning circle. This will be achieved with the<br />
use of mathematical models. These models will take<br />
into account various different parameters, allowing a<br />
comparison between four-wheel-steering and twowheel-steering.<br />
The handling of the vehicle concerns<br />
the ability to negotiate a corner, which is regarding<br />
the vehicle speed, corner radius and turning angle. A<br />
vehicle's agility is its ability to negotiate a corner at<br />
speed, so the quicker it can corner the more agile the<br />
vehicle is. Also the vehicle stability is to do with the<br />
slip angle and the side-slip angle, as the lower these<br />
values are the more stable the vehicle is.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion of the results you can see that out of<br />
phase steering is beneficial for a vehicle at lower<br />
speeds. This is because the vehicle is able to turn<br />
quicker and manoeuvre around tighter corners. If a<br />
vehicle has these characteristics than it is more suited<br />
for city driving, as the majority of the obstacles the<br />
vehicle will have to overcome are based around the<br />
turning circle of the vehicle. Therefore, as out of<br />
phase steering has the effect of shortening the<br />
wheelbase of a vehicle it will become more practical<br />
for larger vehicle to use within a city. This means that<br />
vehicles such as vans will have better<br />
manoeuvrability, therefor delivering and transporting<br />
goods will become easier as the van will be able to<br />
drive through tighter roads. However out of phase<br />
4WS is less beneficial for travelling along motorways<br />
at high speeds. For a vehicle travelling along<br />
motorways and at high speeds in phase steering<br />
would be more beneficial. This is because the vehicle<br />
will be less sensitive to a steering input, meaning the<br />
vehicle is less likely to spin out of control because of a<br />
sudden increase in the steering angle. This means<br />
that a vehicle will benefit from both in phase and out<br />
of phase four wheel steering if it is involved in both<br />
motorway and city driving.
Kawayne Learmond<br />
MEng Mechanical engineering<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Chassis Design For Formula Student 2016 Electric Car<br />
Introduction<br />
The contents of the study consists of many topics combining to achieve the aims and objectives. The initial start of the study was initiated by implementing a<br />
literature survey of past studies done on chassis designing abiding to SAE rules. The literature survey served as a foundation of the study of which ways was<br />
discovered how to improve and produce a great performance chassis. From that it was decided a combination of two types of chassis would be used,<br />
Aluminum honeycomb sandwich panel as a monocoque shell and tubular spaceframe inside. Aluminium honeycomb provides high strength to weight ratios<br />
compare to convention tubular spaceframe tubes used in formula student racing competitions. The most important loading case on the chassis is the combine<br />
bending and torsion gathered from the research. Other contents of the project involve calculating forces on the chassis, designing the chassis is solidworks and<br />
finite element analysing to verify the performance and validity of the chassis design. This study also involved manufacturing and testing of an aluminium<br />
honeycomb sandwich panel in three point bending test.<br />
Solidworks CAD modelling of the tubular spaceframe<br />
In previous <strong>UWE</strong> formula student chassis they have<br />
only created a tubular spaceframe chassis, due to its<br />
simplicity to build. The tubular spaceframe structure as<br />
shown in picture to right was created around the 95 th<br />
percentile male, and triangulated to stiffen the<br />
structure. The tubes was created by creating wire<br />
sketches then use the structure member tool to turn<br />
them into tubes.<br />
Manufacturing aluminium honeycomb panel<br />
The manufacturing of the aluminium honeycomb<br />
sandwich panels was fairly simple and short in labour<br />
time, although it takes 24 to cure for the epoxy used to<br />
bond the aluminium honeycomb core to the aluminium<br />
sheet metal skins. This validate the choice of material<br />
to make the chassis with in the study.<br />
Abaqus FEA Von mises stress<br />
To simulate the chassis in different loading<br />
conditions, the forces that could affect the<br />
chassis performance was calculated. The<br />
combined bending and torsion loading<br />
reaction force on the rear axle was 1620N<br />
and the front axle was 1037N simulating<br />
these reaction forces on the chassis<br />
produced Von mises stress of 124MPa<br />
shown in figure 3 is which is below the<br />
material yield stress of 150MPa<br />
Solidworks CAD modelling of the final Chassis<br />
After the tubular spaceframe was created, 3D<br />
sketches was drawn around it has the shape of<br />
the final chassis. The surfacing tool was then<br />
used to create the initial surface of the<br />
honeycomb panels then afterwards was<br />
thickened to the thickness of the panel<br />
calculated, which is good enough for FEA<br />
simulation. The design was challenging and<br />
successful.<br />
3 point bending test<br />
Study of the honeycomb panel during<br />
testing as setup shown in picture to left ,<br />
there was skin delamination at 7.9kN as<br />
shown on the graph to the right at point<br />
B. the honeycomb panel starting yielding<br />
at 6.5kN and produced a yield stress of<br />
19.5MPa, greater than stress produced in<br />
Abaqus from SAE forces on front and side.<br />
Abaqus FEA displacement<br />
The Finite element analyse of the chassis<br />
under combine bending and torsion loading<br />
shown also the displacement and prove that<br />
the chassis is really rigid, with its low<br />
displacement at 6.64mm , lower than the<br />
required maximum displacement of 25mm.<br />
This investigation can show that the 3D<br />
model can actually be created following<br />
further improvements in the second year of<br />
the study, mostly weight reduction.<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation involves the research, design and<br />
analysis of the 2016 <strong>UWE</strong> formula student electric racing<br />
car chassis. The <strong>UWE</strong> formula student team compete<br />
yearly in the formula SAE event and the team needs a<br />
great performing chassis Abiding to the SAE rules <strong>2015</strong>, so<br />
that is what is done in the study.<br />
Computer Aided design (CAD) and Finite Element Analysis<br />
(FEA) software was used to create, test and evaluate the<br />
chassis. This identified the characteristics to prevent<br />
failure that could occur while racing.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Detailed research into chassis designing and<br />
manufacturing<br />
• Research and calculate the forces that chassis will<br />
be under for simulate in Abaqus<br />
• Create realistic 3D CAD model in Solidworks<br />
• Finite Element Analyse the chassis model in<br />
Abaqus<br />
• Develop knowledge in Automotive structures<br />
• Create a foundation for the study to carry-on into<br />
the second year of it<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
After the creation and FEA of the chassis model, it<br />
was verified that combination of Aluminum<br />
honeycomb sandwich panels and tubular space frame<br />
can produce a great performing chassis.<br />
The results from the FEA simulations showed that the<br />
chassis as more torsional stiffness than <strong>UWE</strong> 2013<br />
chassis and slight increase in weight before<br />
optimization of the chassis.<br />
The greater torsional stiffness will contribute to the<br />
improved handling of the car and ability to with stand<br />
loading with small deflections.<br />
This year’s study was a success and can be developed<br />
and improve into the second year of the study.
Jonathan Powell<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Design of the <strong>2015</strong> Formula Student Chassis<br />
Introduction<br />
The current <strong>UWE</strong> formula racing team has already<br />
designed and successfully competed with a<br />
petroleum car and is now looking to expand into<br />
using an electric vehicle alongside the already<br />
successful petroleum team. Some conceptual<br />
designs for an electrical vehicle have been<br />
produced in the past but have never been entered<br />
into any events and have only been intended as<br />
learning exercises. The aim of this project is to<br />
design a chassis for an electrically powered racing<br />
vehicle to compete in class two events and to<br />
eventually be part of a fully working vehicle.<br />
Research<br />
The first stage of the research was to find what<br />
features improve a chassis performance. It was<br />
found that one of the most important properties<br />
of a chassis is it’s stiffness as this greatly affects<br />
the handling of the vehicle.<br />
Stiffness<br />
The stiffness of a structure relates to the<br />
deflection that a structure undergoes when a load<br />
or force is applied to it. The stiffness of a vehicle<br />
chassis directly affects its handling and vibration<br />
behaviour. It is important to ensure that large<br />
forces do not cause the chassis to deflect in large<br />
enough amounts that may seriously impact the<br />
vehicles performance.<br />
.<br />
Solidworks 3D Design<br />
A design for the <strong>2015</strong> FSAE chassis was<br />
produced from scratch using the CAD modeling<br />
software Solidworks, The first step was to build<br />
a wireframe structure for the chassis around<br />
the driver and the selected powertrain<br />
components.<br />
A 3D model was then produced to ensure that<br />
all of the components fitted properly.<br />
Autodesk Finite Element Analysis<br />
A detailed set of FEA simulations were done in<br />
Abaqus to highlight areas of the chassis that<br />
could be improved by adding extra frame<br />
members to improve the stress distribution.<br />
Project summary<br />
The purpose of this project is to design and<br />
model a chassis to eventually compete in the<br />
<strong>2015</strong> FSAE student racing event, as part of the<br />
<strong>UWE</strong> racing team. The FSAE competition is an<br />
event where a team of students design and build<br />
their own race car to compete in the event. A<br />
unique design for the chassis will need to be<br />
developed and modelled in 3D simulation<br />
software, as the vehicle <strong>2015</strong> is intended to use<br />
an electrical power train with four electrical<br />
motors. As a result of this the chassis will need<br />
to have adequate support for both a battery bay<br />
and the four electrical motors.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigate the engineering principles behind<br />
chassis design.<br />
• Investigate the forces and stresses that are<br />
expected in a chassis during a race and ways<br />
mathematically calculate them.<br />
• Produce a chassis design for the <strong>UWE</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
Formula Student car.<br />
• Perform a structural Analysis using FEA software.<br />
• Produce a refined chassis design that meets all<br />
safety requirements and has a high performance.<br />
Composites<br />
To produce a lightweight vehicle, the chassis was<br />
designed from advanced aluminium honeycomb<br />
composite material.<br />
Final Design Testing<br />
Testing of the final design involved using FEA to<br />
simulate the effects of the vehicle crashing or<br />
rolling over.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The study produced a viable chassis design that<br />
based on FEA testing and Force calculations meets<br />
the safety requirements put in place. The project<br />
also provided a good knowledge base for further<br />
work to improve the design as the <strong>2015</strong> vehicle<br />
develops.
Jack Mitchell<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> - MEng<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
“An investigation into the conceptual design of a semi-automated, commercially<br />
Fueling system design<br />
The delivery of fuel was required to be automated and perpetual in<br />
order to remove human input. An Archimedes screw was implemented<br />
for this use. The following equations were used to determine key design<br />
parameters<br />
1 VV tt = 2ππ2 3<br />
RR oo<br />
wwhwwwwww KK<br />
KK<br />
= tan θθ aaaaaa, VV tt iiii tthww vvvvvvvvvvvv oooo eeeeeeh bbbbbbbbbbbb<br />
2 Ʌ = 2ππRR 0λλ<br />
KK<br />
3 ρρ = RR ii<br />
RR 0<br />
4 αα = tan −1 RR 02ππ<br />
Ʌ<br />
5 ββ = tan −1 RR ii2ππ<br />
Ʌ<br />
viable, food smoking unit”<br />
Required Insulation Thickness<br />
To determine the required thickness<br />
of insulation between the inner and<br />
outer shell the following equation<br />
was used;<br />
xx = kk h ∙ TT ∞ − TT ss<br />
TT ss − TT aaaaaa<br />
The insulation is shown installed<br />
below.<br />
Final Design<br />
The final render of the design is<br />
shown below, incorporating all the<br />
years work into one assembly.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project investigates the design of a food<br />
smoker, with a detailed analysis of existing<br />
research and journals to provide a basis of<br />
initial research. Comparisons are made to<br />
build knowledge and support investigations,<br />
in order to produce a specification. Concept<br />
designs were created and developed,<br />
resulting in a final design. Use of further,<br />
supporting, research aided in the design<br />
process and allowed the calculation of<br />
required geometries for the chosen design.<br />
CAD modelling was used throughout the<br />
design process to graphically represent the<br />
work. A simulation package (Abaqus CAE) was<br />
used in the final parts of the report to analyse<br />
thermal efficiency within parts of the system.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research into viable methodology for reduction of PAH<br />
emissions during pyrolysis<br />
• To produce a product that will operate without human<br />
input for up to 10 hours<br />
• Design of an automated fueling system<br />
• Conduct thermal analysis simulations<br />
Display of temperature distribution across pyrolysis plate<br />
All temperatures in<br />
Kelvin<br />
Graph showing required cycle times for two different plate thicknesses<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The use of automated systems allows the complete<br />
removal of user input, simplifying a process that would<br />
otherwise require constant attention in an industry where<br />
time is a valuable commodity.<br />
User safety and end product quality have been a<br />
consistent motivation during the design process; leading<br />
to the implementation of systems such as radiant heating<br />
(to reduce PAH emission), smoke intensity controls (to<br />
vary smoke deposition and eventual end product flavour),<br />
as well as adherence to relevant British standards<br />
necessary to maintain a product suitable for use in a<br />
commercial/industrial environment. Work conducted in<br />
the first year of the project has provided a solid basis to<br />
work from in the second year, giving rise to suggestions for<br />
further research and design requirements.
Joshua Ukaegbu<br />
MEng- Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Appolinaire Etoundi<br />
Design of an Exoskeleton arm to assist upper limb movement<br />
Exoskeleton Simulation<br />
The main aim of the simulation was to determine<br />
the feasibility of the initial exoskeleton design. By<br />
simulating the forces the exoskeleton would be<br />
subject to when holding the weight of a human<br />
arm. The maximum deflection and stresses could<br />
then be analysed, showing important information<br />
like any points of failure on the design.<br />
Deflection Analysis<br />
the forearm support experiences the most<br />
deflection, this is due to the fact it is the part<br />
directly experiencing the force due to the weight<br />
of the users arm. On top of this, the material the<br />
forearm support is constructed from has a large<br />
effect on the amount of displacement present.<br />
When constructed from aluminium the maximum<br />
deflection experienced was 51.18mm, and the<br />
minimum deflection experienced was 1e-30mm.<br />
This was too large of a deflection and failure<br />
occurred.<br />
When Steel was used the simulation showed that<br />
a maximum deflection of 17.06mm was present<br />
when the exoskeleton was constructed from<br />
stainless steel. Considerably less deflection than<br />
when aluminium was used for construction. The<br />
minimum displacement present is 1e-30 mm.<br />
For Titanium the locations of the maximum and<br />
minimum displacements were the same for both<br />
the aluminium and the titanium. However the<br />
maximum displacement had a value of 28.23mm,<br />
which was still considerably less than the<br />
deflection observed for aluminium, but more than<br />
the observed deflection for stainless steel. The<br />
minimum deflection was 1e-30 mm.<br />
Displacement (mm)<br />
60<br />
50<br />
40<br />
30<br />
20<br />
10<br />
0<br />
Displacement across length of forearm support<br />
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1<br />
Parametric distance along forearm support (x)<br />
Improvements to the Design<br />
Aluminium<br />
Titanium<br />
Stainless Steel<br />
The inspiration for this hinge joint came from the<br />
<strong>Bristol</strong> robotics laboratory, where they were<br />
working on a similar sort of joint. The joint has a<br />
range of motion of 170°, which is an improvement<br />
over the 160° range of motion for the forearm<br />
support in the original design. The joint consists of<br />
two independent parts, connected by a advanced<br />
axle. The diagrams below illustrate this, along with<br />
a engineering drawing to show how each part fits<br />
together<br />
This improved mechanical ball and socket joint is<br />
much more robust than the original design. It has<br />
two points of contact, which will make it a much<br />
stronger joint, it should have the capabilities to<br />
uphold the weight of an average human arm.<br />
However the added points of contact do mean it<br />
has a slightly less range of motion than the first<br />
design, it should allow a complete 360° of motion<br />
in the coronal/frontal plane but only around 60° of<br />
motion in the transverse plane.<br />
Project summary<br />
Exoskeletons are robotic suits or mechanical<br />
structures that can be attached to the human body<br />
for a variety of different functions. People with<br />
serious disabilities can now perform movements<br />
and functions that would never have been possible<br />
without the aid of exoskeleton suits. Stroke is a<br />
serious problem in the western world, as it can leave<br />
sufferers with limited motor abilities. This project<br />
focuses on the design of an exoskeleton arm to aid<br />
in the movement and rehabilitation of stroke<br />
sufferers who have partially lost movement in their<br />
arms.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• The main aim of this project is to design a<br />
mechanical arm exoskeleton that will help patients<br />
affected by strokes regain motion in their arms.<br />
• the second objective of this project is to design an<br />
exoskeleton arm that is aesthetically pleasing; that<br />
attracts potential customers, and encourages them<br />
to enjoy its use.<br />
• So during this project a comfortable and<br />
ergonomic system will be developed for the<br />
attachment of the exoskeleton, to the arm of the<br />
user.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• Range of motion is very important, to create a<br />
comfortable exoskeleton with a wide range of motion,<br />
the joints of the exoskeleton should replicate those in<br />
the human body.<br />
• The most common materials used to construct<br />
exoskeletons are steel, aluminium, and titanium.<br />
To create the most efficient exoskeleton, a<br />
combination of these materials should be used.
James Pickup<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Laura Maybury, in association with MBDA<br />
Bonding in pressure vessels<br />
An investigation in to the plausibly of permanently bond together a pressure vessel with epoxy adhesive.<br />
The existing pressure vessel design is assembled<br />
with screw-in bolts but according to MBDA’s<br />
observations this tends to leak, losing it internal<br />
pressure. It is thought that this is due to the<br />
screws loosening over time, reducing the force<br />
holding the lid down tight. MBDA wish to solve<br />
this problem by finding a way of permanently<br />
bonding the pressure vessel parts together,<br />
ensuring that it does not leak or explode under the<br />
internal pressure of 10 bars, as well as meeting all<br />
necessary criteria.<br />
The overall aim of this two year investigation is to<br />
prove the plausibility of assembling a pressure<br />
vessel with adhesive bonding, while reaching all<br />
necessary performance requirements. This first<br />
year focuses on the stress of the bond and show<br />
whether the internal pressure will cause failure of<br />
the pressure vessel.<br />
The properties of the bonding method was<br />
researched and the bonds tested through<br />
analytical calculation, modelling in finite element<br />
analysis and practical experimentation.<br />
A practical element to this study is necessary to<br />
allow for ‘real life’ tests to verify the results and<br />
predictions from computer analysis. In order for<br />
this to be possible there must be a set of results<br />
that can be directly compared. The practical tests<br />
will be design in a way that will be easily replicated<br />
in the FEA modelling, by breaking down the<br />
combinations of different stresses into their<br />
individual components. The types of stress in the<br />
bond will be found by studying the different ways<br />
a joint can fail. It is therefore important for the<br />
practical testing to include all aspects of joint<br />
stress, as well as accurately portraying the real life<br />
reactions for each type of stress so that the output<br />
values can be compared.<br />
The parts of the pressure vessel were built in<br />
Abaqus and then assembles surface to surface and<br />
meshed according to the tested methods of the<br />
previous section, with the mesh becoming fine<br />
closer to the bond, and a very fine mesh of three<br />
elements thick for the layer of epoxy.<br />
By removing the parts of the pressure vessel,<br />
leaving only the epoxy the stress distribution is<br />
clearly visible. The highest levels of stress are at<br />
the inner surface, reducing at the radius increases<br />
through the pipe wall as seen below.<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation is based on the<br />
improvement of an existing pressure vessel<br />
design, built by MBDA. The existing design of<br />
the pressure vessel fastens an lid to the main<br />
container with bolts. Unfortunately, MBDA<br />
have noticed a reduction in pressure, as the<br />
vessels leaks. A possible solution to this<br />
leaking is to redesign the vessel with a<br />
permanent bonding method.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Through a combination of analytical<br />
calculations, FEA modelling and practical<br />
calculations it is hoped to prove the<br />
plausibility of using an epoxy resin to provide<br />
a permanent bond to assemble the pressure<br />
vessel.<br />
The thick wall pressure vessel equations, shown<br />
above, were used to give an initial estimate of the<br />
levels of stress expected in the container. These<br />
results were then validated in FEA Abaqus.<br />
In order to prove that the pressure vessel will not<br />
explode from the adhesive failing under the internal<br />
pressure, it is necessary to build a complete vessel<br />
model within the FEA software, Abaqus. This complete<br />
model will include a solid part layer representing the<br />
epoxy in the assembly. This is the only way to test the<br />
whole pressure vessel, as it has not been possible to<br />
obtain nor destructively test a fully sized, real pressure<br />
vessel.<br />
It is important to consider any possible error there<br />
may be in the comparison results, but even with<br />
the stress error doubling the current results the<br />
epoxy would still hold the applied forces.<br />
Critical results<br />
Von Mises Stress: 8.63 x 1.2 = 10.356 MPa<br />
Reserve factor: 30.1 x 10.356 = 2.90<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The final figures of stresses expected in the<br />
epoxy bond compared to the maximum<br />
stresses of the epoxy show it is capable of<br />
withstanding the internal pressure.
Joshua Milton<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> (MEng)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Melvyn Smith<br />
Using Computer Vision to Calculate the Cobb Angle of a Scoliosis Patient<br />
Currently, the NHS is experiencing budget cuts in many sectors. Due to the large amount of X-Rays taken each year,<br />
any method to drastically reduce the number of X-Rays taken would ease the strain in many other sectors. Each X-<br />
Ray costs the NHS on average £27, with this figure the total cost per year in the UK due to scoliosis X-rays can be<br />
estimated at £103.842 million. The potential health risks of X-Rays are well known, the ionising radiation produced<br />
causes cancerous cells to develop. This thesis explores the development of computer vision and tests to see if a<br />
screening method can be used to replace X-Rays when calculating the Cobb angle of Scoliosis patient's.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objective of the thesis is to propose<br />
and test a screening method based on<br />
computer vision techniques that can calculate<br />
the Cobb angle of a patient suffering from<br />
Scoliosis.<br />
The Cobb Angle and its Calculation<br />
In order to measure the Cobb angle a line must be<br />
drawn parallel to the most tilted vertebra at the<br />
top of the curve. Then a similar line is drawn at the<br />
most tilted vertebra at the bottom of the curve.<br />
For each parallel line a perpendicular line is drawn<br />
from one end of the line towards the centre of the<br />
curve so that the lines cross from each end of the<br />
curve. The angle where the lines cross is the Cobb<br />
angle.<br />
The Cobb angle measurement is the gold standard<br />
of scoliosis evaluation endorsed by Scoliosis<br />
Research Society. It is used as the standard<br />
measurement to quantify and track the<br />
progression of scoliosis.<br />
Methodology Study<br />
The methodology study identifies the optimum<br />
method of collecting data. Three methods have<br />
been identified as potential ways of collecting the<br />
raw data of the spine location and ultimately the<br />
Cobb angle. The ASUS Xtion Pro Live depth camera<br />
is the computer vision device used to collect the<br />
data of the authors torso. The data produced by<br />
each of the three methods is compared to a recent<br />
X-Ray of the author. The X-Ray produced a cobb<br />
angle of 33 degrees. The most accurate data<br />
collection method was found to be the cross<br />
sectional method. The is method uses the depth<br />
data form the ASUS camera to produce several line<br />
graphs looking at the cross section of the torso on<br />
MATLAB. From the graphs the location of the spine<br />
was recorded so the spine could be constructed in<br />
Solidworks. Once the spine was reconstructed the<br />
Cobb angle was calculated at 32.83 degrees<br />
Optimum Distance Study<br />
The optimum distance study identifies the<br />
optimum distance for the torso of the patient to<br />
be away from the camera. The cross sectional<br />
method is used between the distance of 1000 -<br />
1800mm at increments of 200mm. At each point<br />
the Cobb angle determined is compared to that<br />
found by the X-Ray. The Cobb angel found at<br />
1000mm was found to be most accurate with an<br />
error percentage of 0.51 %.<br />
Variety of Cobb Angles Study<br />
The final study aims at assessing the cross<br />
sectional method used in the previous study with<br />
different severities of Scoliosis. Three models are<br />
manufactured with different Cobb angels using<br />
chicken wire and paper mache. The cross sectional<br />
method is used to determine the Cobb angle. All<br />
three cases using the cross sectional method<br />
produced an error percentage of under 2.5%.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The ASUS Xtion Live Pro was chosen as part of<br />
a feasibility study to assess whether it can<br />
perform to the standard of an X-Ray.<br />
In the feasibility study it was found that a<br />
cross sectional method that used MATLAB<br />
and Solidworks had the potential to find the<br />
Cobb angle with a low percentage error. This<br />
data collection method was tested in two<br />
more studies in order to assess the accuracy<br />
of the technique with the distance from the<br />
patient as a variable and then the severity of<br />
the patient’s case as the variable.<br />
The results were promising with an optimum<br />
distance found at 1000mm and a low<br />
percentage error of no more than 2.33% for<br />
all the variety of scoliosis cases.<br />
For the method to be seriously considered to<br />
potentially replace X-Rays for calculating the<br />
Cobb angle in Scoliosis patients a larger study<br />
would need to be taken to produce more data<br />
as the study only approached one human<br />
torso and model torsos.
Heather Arnall<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Ramin Amali<br />
Repair of Filament Wound Composite Pipes<br />
Modelling the pipe repair in ABAQUS<br />
An internal pressure of 6MPa were applied to the<br />
pipes, which had one end of the pipe closed to<br />
consider both the longitudinal and hoop stress.<br />
Partitions were used to model the removed<br />
damage and wrap. The wrap has a fibre<br />
orientation of [0 90 0 90]s, whilst the pipe is [54.75<br />
-54.75]4 and glass fibre properties were applied to<br />
both. An intensive mesh study found that a global<br />
mesh of 7mm was required to be applied to satisfy<br />
nominal stress. The region surrounding the hole<br />
was refined with 15 elements per line and four<br />
additional lines were applied to structure the<br />
mesh, providing a mesh of 8,860 elements.<br />
Pipe parameter investigations<br />
Three different pipe diameters (0.1m, 0.3m and<br />
0.5m) were considered to determine the FOS of<br />
the pipes when undamaged, damaged and<br />
repaired. The FOS damage reduction factor, FOS<br />
wrap gain factor and FOS overall reduction factor<br />
were then obtained.<br />
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Formulas were created through plotting each of<br />
these factors against pipe diameter. Two additional<br />
diameters (0.08m and 0.2m) were analysed to<br />
determine the formulas have an accuracy of 95%.<br />
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Glass fibre Air Units<br />
Poisson’s Ratio 0.3 0.03 -<br />
Young’s Modulus - 0.01 MPa<br />
long. modulus E1 120 - GPa<br />
trans. modulus E2 8 - GPa<br />
shear modulus 6 - GPa<br />
long. tension Xt 1800 - MPa<br />
long. comp. Xc -1200 - MPa<br />
trans.tension Yt 80 - MPa<br />
trans. comp. Yc -200 - MPa<br />
shear S 150 - MPa<br />
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−11.69DD 2 + 9.016DD + 1.1013<br />
FFFFFF aaaaaaaaaa dddddddddddd rrrrrrrrrrrrrr<br />
3.1873DD 2 − 2.1499DD + 0.708<br />
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2.7236DD 2 − 1.2208DD + 1.0848<br />
Formulas for pipe thickness for thin walled<br />
pipes were obtained through the same process for<br />
three pipe thicknesses: 3mm, 4mm and 5mm. Pipe<br />
thicknesses of 2mm and 3.5mm were modeled to<br />
determine formula accuracy of 99% for following<br />
repair, whilst 66% for following removal. The<br />
overall FOS reduction factor was constant for<br />
varying thicknesses, this was also confirmed<br />
through modelling a 0.3m diameter pipe with<br />
thicknesses of 3mm and 15mm.<br />
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0.0174TT 2 − 0.178TT + 2.1234<br />
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−0.0066TT 2 + 0.0669TT + 0.449<br />
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−0.0012TT 2 + 0.01TT + 1.01TT + 1.0109<br />
Investigation into damage removal<br />
Damage should be removed with a circular cut<br />
out, but this is not always possible. Three cut out<br />
areas were considered, finding that using a square<br />
cut out at 45 degrees reduces the FOS following<br />
damage removal by 40%, but does not significantly<br />
affect the FOS following repair compared to a<br />
circular cut out. The three circular cut outs<br />
(diameters: 30mm, 50mm and 70mm) were used<br />
to create the formulas shown. By analysing a 0.4m<br />
damage diameter it was found that the accuracy<br />
for the FOS following damage removal was 72%,<br />
whilst 99.98% for following repair.<br />
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−222.32dd 2 + 27.23dd + 0.839<br />
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117.05dd 2 − 14.232dd + 1.1695<br />
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2.6216dd 2 − 0.2097dd + 1.2382<br />
Wrap Width W (mm)<br />
Investigation into wrap dimensions<br />
Nine different wrap thicknesses were considered<br />
between 2.4mm and 28mm and as expected as<br />
the wrap thickness increased, so did the FOS<br />
following repair. Three different wrap thicknesses<br />
(4, 8 and 13mm) and three different damage sizes<br />
(0.3m, 0.5m and 0.7m) were then used for an<br />
extensive trial and error method to determine the<br />
required wrap width for each scenario to obtain<br />
the following graph.<br />
Wrap width for damage diameters less than 0.07m<br />
400<br />
350<br />
300<br />
and wrap thicknesses less than 13mm<br />
W = 100000d 2 - 6500d + 305<br />
250<br />
200<br />
150<br />
W = 112500d 2 - 8500d + 263.75<br />
100<br />
50<br />
0<br />
W = 75000d 2 - 5500d + 187.5<br />
0.03 0.04 0.05 0.06 0.07<br />
Damage diameter d (m)<br />
13mm Wrap thickness 8mm Wrap thickness 4mm Wrap thickness<br />
Investigation into adhesives<br />
Epoxy and Polyester test pieces were produced<br />
and tensile tested to find the failure of the<br />
polyester pieces were less predictable, at a lower<br />
stress and more catastrophic. From these<br />
experiments the young’s moduli were obtained<br />
and used to FEA model the adhesive used when<br />
repairing composite pipes (polyurethane was also<br />
considered). It was found that the adhesive<br />
material had no effect on the FOS following repair,<br />
but there was S 11 . Varying thicknesses were<br />
considered to see that when plotted against S 11<br />
there was a quadratic relationship.<br />
Project summary<br />
Composite pipes are used in a variety of industries<br />
and put under a variety of loads. If loaded too much<br />
then damage or failure could occur. Composite pipes<br />
can be repaired through the use of a composite wrap,<br />
however it is important to ensure the procedure is<br />
done correctly to ensure a good quality repair.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this investigation is to use FEA<br />
software to determine the effect of the parameters<br />
involved in filament wound pipe repair during both<br />
the removal of damage and the application of the<br />
wrap. Investigations will consider pipe diameter and<br />
thickness, damage size and shape, wrap thickness<br />
and optimum width and adhesive material and<br />
thickness.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In this project over 150 FEA models were used to<br />
investigate the effect of the repair parameters.<br />
Formulas, which will save time and ensure correct<br />
repair methods, have been created to predict the FOS<br />
following damage removal and following repair for<br />
varying pipe diameters, circular cut out sizes and<br />
optimum wrap width. It was found that if the pipe is<br />
thin walled then the pipe thickness has no effect on<br />
the FOS following repair. It was also found that<br />
removing damage with a square cut out reduces the<br />
FOS following damage removal by 40% compared to a<br />
circular cut out, but there was no significant<br />
difference in FOS once the pipes had been repaired.<br />
As expected as the wrap thickness increased the FOS<br />
following repair increased. From the adhesive study it<br />
is suggested that an Epoxy adhesive should be used in<br />
the repair of composite pipes due to a higher<br />
ultimate strength and a less catastrophic failure than<br />
polyester. FEA confirmed this by finding the least<br />
stress was caused through Epoxy, compared to<br />
Polyester and Polyurethane.
Owain Robert Fullerton<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Seismic receiver cooling fin development<br />
Seismic drilling has been around for many years and plays a crucial part in modern society. Whether it’s carrying out<br />
seismic surveys or drilling for fossil fuels there will always be a requirement to use proven exploration techniques to<br />
support energy and scientific projects. As technologies improve, methods and techniques for gathering information<br />
about this seismic world will change but the fundamental principles remain the same. Large holes need to be bored deep<br />
into the earth’s crust. Inevitably, problems will be encountered when taking on such a large engineering task, one of the<br />
difficulties being the extreme pressures and heat that the bore tool will be exposed to.<br />
For the initial stage of testing, experimental tests were carried out on basic geometries and provisional ‘mock’ tools to ensure that Ansys workbench was<br />
primarily being used correctly with the ideal setup. Also these preliminary tests help to validate the accuracy of the results and estimate an error percentage.<br />
This included;<br />
exporting from computer aided design software (CAD)<br />
Meshing the components to achieve highest realistic levels of accuracy without over computation to save time and valuable computing power/memory (Setting<br />
the analysis and mathematical models up to achieve highest levels of accuracy possible (conduction, convection, radiation? Transient/steady?)<br />
Use of Excel to calculate heat transfer coefficient for the fluid/solid interface<br />
Use of Excel to calculate wall film coefficient<br />
Use of Excel to carry out theoretical calculations of experiments to gain ball park figures of temperature change and heat flux across test components to validate<br />
CFD results<br />
Using acquired data to form graphs for ease of comparison and to evaluate initial findings<br />
Conclusion to analyse advantages and disadvantages and also to improve future testing methods.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been taken in conjunction with<br />
Avalon Sciences Ltd (ASL) to develop the design of<br />
their existing heat sink fins specifically used to help<br />
aid cooling of their seismic receivers.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Use of CFD analytical techniques to find bench<br />
mark performance figures<br />
• Create new fin designs and test using CFD<br />
• Further validate chosen design with the use of<br />
finite element techniques<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• Computational methods are an effective way of<br />
testing new designs accurately without having to<br />
build prototypes and carry out extensive physical<br />
testing. Different parameters can be set to help<br />
predict how a concept design may perform in<br />
desired environments.<br />
• By increasing surface area of the tool body thermal<br />
efficiency can be improved.<br />
Design concept 5 achieved the best results. From the table<br />
above the results were averaged and the favoured concept<br />
achieved an overall improvement of 11.71%<br />
The favoured concept modifications are pictured on the left.<br />
• The most efficient design of the investigation was<br />
concept design 5 which delivered an average of<br />
11.71% improvement across the 4 tests, this<br />
design has longer fins but also much narrower<br />
recesses, the ridge between the recesses has been<br />
narrowed slightly (this design may not be as<br />
efficient when tested with a denser well fluid).
Introduction<br />
Although aeroplanes were made to<br />
spend most of time flying, one of the<br />
most critical item to maintain their<br />
security plays its work on land: the tires.<br />
Though tires have an important role,<br />
they are frequently neglected and<br />
forgotten which can end on tragedies.<br />
Tires are critical items for the security<br />
for several reasons: support the weight<br />
of the aeroplane on the ground, absorb<br />
part of the impact between aircraft and<br />
airstrip with intense accelerations and<br />
decelerations and large variations of<br />
temperature.<br />
Thus, tires demand a special attention<br />
on their maintenance, inspection and<br />
storage in order to prevent damages and<br />
optimize their life.<br />
Problems caused by poor storage<br />
Many problems can be caused by<br />
inadequate storage, such as: tread<br />
separation, groove cracking, rib<br />
undercutting, ozone or weather<br />
checking/cracking, sidewall separation,<br />
etc.<br />
A tread separation can be seen below:<br />
Osvaldo Akiyoshi Kobayashi<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project and Design of Storage Rack for Aircraft Tires<br />
Design, Modelling and Simulation<br />
For the rack design a concept with capacity<br />
to store four tires and be stackable was<br />
developed.<br />
Two types of racks were designed according<br />
to the range of tires, but for structural<br />
analysis the largest one was considered,<br />
since can be assumed as the critical case in<br />
due to supporting larger pressure, larger<br />
dimensions, thus, larger bending moments.<br />
The analysis also considered the most<br />
critical situation for the rack that is on the<br />
ground, since it will support another two<br />
stacked racks.<br />
The structures were dimensioned with<br />
profiles of 30x40x2 mm for bars where the<br />
forces are higher and profiles of 30x30x2<br />
mm for trusses, both of them made of steel<br />
1020, totalizing a weight of 25 kN to<br />
support.<br />
Then, using specific boundary conditions for<br />
the problem, von Misses criteria and “iso<br />
clipping” tool, through the software<br />
SolidWorks, the following simulation was<br />
obtained.<br />
Maximum stress: 3.567 × 10 7 NN mm 2<br />
Maximum displacement: 0.382 mm<br />
Factor of security obtained: 9.8<br />
The structure supported all the load pressure of two racks stacked with<br />
all tires without ruptures or any propensity to fatigue.<br />
Traceability Program<br />
The main objective of traceability is to provide the story, usage and<br />
location of a single product or a set of products through a unique<br />
number of identification.<br />
In order to assist on documentation and tracking of tires, a computer<br />
programme was created, which will be utilized by employees in charge of<br />
maintenance and tires transport, helping to organize the inventory.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been done to develop a whole<br />
new storage rack for aircraft tires. This new design<br />
was necessary in order to solve some problems<br />
caused by poor storage which causes distortion and<br />
folds over the rubber. On this storage rack, the tires<br />
lay over rollers and can be rotated by using a drill or<br />
human force which decrease the probability of<br />
formation of folds or distortion on the tires in due to<br />
an equal pressure over all their parts.<br />
Traceability is another differential: using a computer<br />
with the programme developed, the operator can<br />
track and search the exact location of a specific tire,<br />
as well as its information about inspection and<br />
maintenance.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The purpose of the project is to become capable to<br />
create a whole storage rack that rotates the tires in<br />
order to prevent folds over the tire rubber and<br />
extend their life cycle with a traceability programme<br />
to track and find information about tires stored.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• A new design of a storage rack was developed as<br />
expected. Observing similar projects enabled us to<br />
find a differential for this rack, which is store tires<br />
with quality and control of process without high<br />
efforts to rotate tires, doing it manually or<br />
automatically.<br />
• The rack designed has the capacity to store four<br />
tires and also can be stacked with the maximum of<br />
two others racks. The structure was modelled and<br />
simulated using the software SolidWorks and could<br />
support all the load required.<br />
• The project also reached successfully on design<br />
and selection of proper components. The<br />
reduction system allows the operator to rotate the<br />
four tires at the same time using low human force<br />
or using a drill, facilitating the process of<br />
maintenance and security.<br />
• The traceability programme developed was very<br />
efficient, simple, with easy layout and can be used<br />
without any difficult to find any tire or information.<br />
This totally contribute to the organization and the<br />
process of supply chain industry.
Marcius Antonio<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
Design of a storage rack for aircraft wheel and tyre assemblies<br />
Introduction<br />
The increasingly number of aircrafts, be it for civil<br />
or military purpose has increased large enterprises’<br />
concerns with respect to the management,<br />
maintenance and care with components that are<br />
replaced or removed from these aircrafts.<br />
Based on these needs aircraft company’s hangars<br />
raised the need of a system to accommodate<br />
replaced assemblies of aircrafts. In the aircraft<br />
industry, there is the recurring need that the wheel<br />
assemblies be stored in adjustable racks. It is also<br />
required that the rack presents a feature allowing<br />
assemblies to be rotated and inspected easily<br />
about every two or three months<br />
Aircraft tyre care and maintenance<br />
It is crucial for the proper tyre performance that<br />
had taken the necessary precautions with the<br />
assembly regarding to its storage and<br />
transportation. Due to operational carelessness,<br />
or negligence to follow the instructions, some<br />
defects may develop on the tyre, as follows:<br />
Design of structure<br />
The main frame of the rack has a rectangular<br />
shape. This layout was chosen mainly due to the<br />
fact that it should be stackable. Two types of<br />
frames were modelled to execute simulations and<br />
evaluate which would be the definitive frame.<br />
Once the structure<br />
was designed with<br />
hollow profiles (1020<br />
steel) having 30x40x2<br />
mm the main profile<br />
and 30x30x2 mm the<br />
trusses, applicable<br />
B.C for static loads<br />
were set.<br />
Simulation results<br />
The mechanism works similarly to dumpers,<br />
however, without any viscous fluid inside. The<br />
spring, with not very high stiffness, is coupled to a<br />
rounded plate in one side and the other end is<br />
fixed to an adjustable plate. A soft roller engaged<br />
to the inner edge is responsible for supporting the<br />
assembly in an upright position and rotates<br />
together with the tyre.<br />
Traceability device and program<br />
When started up, the program stores user name.<br />
Only authorised personnel must be allowed to<br />
access the registry and make any change and then<br />
give five buttons with the following features:<br />
store or remove a wheel, logoff, shut down the<br />
device and research on database. In order to<br />
store, the user must fill the serial number of the<br />
tyre, internal pressure, current date, the number<br />
of rack and in which bay it will be stored. There is<br />
also the possibility to add extra information about<br />
the tyre condition, such as defects or<br />
imperfections noticed by the operator.<br />
Project summary<br />
This work aims to design from an storage rack<br />
for tyre and wheel assemblies to be used in<br />
aircraft hangars and develop a device and<br />
software to assist the assemblies traceability<br />
and management.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Design an optimum rack to store and<br />
protect aircraft tyres<br />
• Design mechanisms assist stored tyre<br />
rotation manually or automatically<br />
• Develop traceability device and program<br />
• Implement components that will fill<br />
requirements<br />
Project specifications and requirements<br />
• Protection from UV light;<br />
• protection from damage when moving tyre<br />
• protection from spilled degrading fluids;<br />
• Place tyre on flat surface to prevent permanent<br />
distortion<br />
• do not allow tyre to rest one upon the other.<br />
removal turns a difficult task.<br />
• storeroom must be free from air current, as<br />
these bring in fresh sources of ozone;<br />
• Store away from fluorescent lights and electric<br />
generators, battery chargers.<br />
The highest Von Mises stress observed for the left<br />
frame is approximately 6.237x10 7 N/m² and<br />
3.567x10 7 N/m² for the right side one, which gives<br />
almost 10 of factor of safety.<br />
Rotation mechanisms<br />
The manual rotation will be performed using a crank<br />
system engaged directly to the roller shaft (when<br />
black pin is out). When the pin is inserted, the outer<br />
translucent cylinder, welded to the pulley, will<br />
transfer the torque to the crank handle shaft, which<br />
is engaged to the roller’s shaft; thus, the drill, with<br />
hexagonal tip can engage to the hexagonal hole and<br />
perform the rotation.<br />
Final Design<br />
It has a relatively<br />
compact area in relation<br />
to the amount of<br />
assemblies that it can<br />
store. The total<br />
dimensions of the rack<br />
are 2.020x3.629x1.898<br />
m, which is suitable to<br />
airplanes’ hangars.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project goals were achieved satisfactorily,<br />
fulfilling most of the requirements that were<br />
stablished by the aviation companies and tyre care<br />
and maintenance manual. The deliverable at the<br />
end of the project is a design of a storage rack for<br />
aircraft tyre and wheel assemblies, which were<br />
developed according to specifications and<br />
requirements from the stakeholder and conditions<br />
for proper storage.<br />
The traceability program and device were<br />
successfully developed with robustness and an<br />
interface with easy operation.
Munther Alabdullah<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
Project Methodology<br />
The project methodology based on establishing mathematical model explains the amount of electrical energy that generated by using solar power, the<br />
efficiency of solar receivers as well as the consumption of power during the generation process.<br />
As previously mentioned in chapter one & two, Kuwait is considered a rich country in solar energy due to the high temperatures according to Statistics from the<br />
Department of Meteorology, as well as Kuwait consume very large quantities of water and fuel for electric power generation Kuwait consume very large<br />
quantities of water and fuel for electric power generation, where the financial waste in electricity consumption reached a very high numbers is unprecedented<br />
in the history of Kuwait. The cost of production up 3.2 billion dinars, while pricing is hardly equal to 160 million, which means that the financial waste over 95%<br />
due to pricing is the lowest in the world. So, there is a need to use an alternative and renewable source in order to generate the electrical power with low cost<br />
and use of resources.<br />
Mathematical model<br />
The modelling is large scale “(PV), photovoltaic” systems for energy<br />
generation. The main elements of this model are “(MPPT), Maximum Power<br />
Point Trackers”, solar inverters as well as solar panels. These elements are<br />
integrated to system of simulator providing power grid and weather models<br />
in addition to combustion power plants simulation.<br />
A software environment has been developed for modelling solar inverters,<br />
photovoltaic panels as well as “(MPPT), maximum power point trackers”.<br />
These elements are integrated to APROS. APROS gives accurate and detailed<br />
modelling of combustion power plants, weather models as well as power<br />
grid simulation. A first test operates to a real system of energy generation is<br />
offered in this modelling. These simulations have been performed in the<br />
Euro-Energest project, in order to decrease consumption of energy in car<br />
industry.<br />
7000<br />
6000<br />
5000<br />
4000<br />
3000<br />
2000<br />
1000<br />
0<br />
actual power<br />
The effectiveness of solar energy use in commercial boilers in electrical power plants<br />
actual power Wh/m^2<br />
actual power Wh/m^2<br />
0.9<br />
0.8<br />
0.7<br />
0.6<br />
0.5<br />
0.4<br />
0.3<br />
0.2<br />
0.1<br />
0<br />
Efficiency<br />
Efficiency<br />
efficiency of the system per month<br />
Now the actual amount of heat<br />
absorbed from the sunlight can be<br />
evaluated using the values of the<br />
efficiency as shown in the following<br />
figure , these values will be used to<br />
evaluate the outlet temperature of the<br />
water .<br />
Results<br />
In the previous figure the solar collectors will be used for the pre heating of<br />
the water in the boiler power plant, where the temperature provided from of<br />
the solar collectors depends directly on the weather conditions in Kuwait,<br />
the temperature in Kuwait in summer very high during six months and rich<br />
more than 45° in July and August, the design of the preheated process will<br />
be obtained as shown in the following:<br />
The temperature of the sunlight will be assumed as variable depending on<br />
the statistical data of metrological department in Kuwait<br />
3 Average solar radiation in Kuwait based on month (F. Q. Al-Enezi,2011)<br />
heat can be absorbed by the heat exchanger ( Wh/m^2). Can be<br />
evaluated depending on the solar intensity<br />
Summary<br />
The project will focus on the effectiveness of using the solar<br />
energy in commercial boilers; also this project will introduce<br />
solutions for solar power to replace existing gas-fired steam<br />
turbines. The research will study the techniques that are used<br />
to generate the energy using commercial boilers in steam power<br />
plant. Also the different case studies for the use of solar energy<br />
in electrical power generation field in order to find the<br />
possibility of using solar energy and its benefits in power<br />
generation in Kuwait. The methodology will start with a<br />
mathematical model that can be used to find the amount of<br />
energy that can be generated by using solar power in Kuwait<br />
depending on climate conditions, and the efficiency of solar<br />
receivers as well as the consumption of power during the<br />
generation process.<br />
Objectives<br />
Review definition of solar energy as well as its importance.<br />
Studying the technique that is used to generate the electrical<br />
energy using steam turbines in steam power plant.<br />
Investigation into the Kuwait fuel (gas as well as oil) and water<br />
consumption in order to generate electrical power.<br />
Studying different case studies for the use of solar energy in<br />
electrical power generation field.<br />
Studying the possibility of using solar energy and its benefits in<br />
electrical power generation in Kuwait.<br />
Studying different methods that used to generate the electrical<br />
power using solar power to replace existing gas-fired steam<br />
turbines<br />
Develop recommendations that can be taken into account in<br />
future work.<br />
Conclusion<br />
For our future, it is necessary now to diversify our sources of<br />
energy. If we do not decrease or stop our dependence on fossil<br />
fuels and react now the future is in harm, while coal and oil<br />
resources will be real exhausted.<br />
All sources of the energy have an effect on the environment.<br />
Concerns about global warming and the greenhouse effect,<br />
energy security and air pollution, have led to rising development<br />
and more interest in the sources of the renewable energy such<br />
as wind, solar, wave power, geothermal, and hydrogen.<br />
Kuwait consumes very large quantities of water and fuel for<br />
electric power generation, where the financial waste in<br />
electricity consumption reached a very high numbers is<br />
unprecedented in the history of Kuwait. This project studies the<br />
project study the technique which it is utilized to create the<br />
energy by using commercial boilers in steam power plant and it<br />
studies the development of solar energy in Kuwait in order to<br />
discuss the advantage and the capability of applying solar<br />
techniques and systems to create a replenished clean energy<br />
because Kuwait is considered a rich country in solar energy due<br />
to the high temperatures according to Statistics from the<br />
Department of Meteorology.
Max Wright<br />
BEng – Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Jason Matthews<br />
Conceptual Design of a UAV for Non-Civilian Operations<br />
Introduction<br />
Currently in use by the British Army to combat the global war on terror is the<br />
Desert Hawk 3 (DHIII), an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle developed in 2006 by<br />
Lockheed Martin. The DHIII is designed to be a portable, hand launched and<br />
skid recovered, versatile surveillance device with changeable payloads. This<br />
device was an update to the original Desert Hawk carried out by the Skunk<br />
Works team at Lockheed. The original was heavier and could stay in the air<br />
for thirty minutes less than the DHIII.<br />
The DHIII’s use in Afghanistan has primarily been reconnaissance, providing<br />
eye in the sky surveillance and situational awareness. Used by artillery units,<br />
often in Forward Operating Bases, their purpose is base security, the support<br />
of infantry patrols and target acquisition for artillery and air strikes. They can<br />
be a vital weapon in a units arsenal and can change the tide of a battle;<br />
knowing an enemies whereabouts and movements is key to success in<br />
combat.<br />
Problems With The Desert Hawk 3<br />
Upon communication with a British Army Royal Artillery Unit some problems<br />
were indentified:<br />
•It can't be used in rain<br />
•It can't be used in fog<br />
•It becomes unstable in winds over 15 knots<br />
•It struggles in temperatures below -5 and above +50<br />
•The endurance can be reduced when the batteries are affected by heat<br />
damage<br />
Modeling<br />
A desert Hawk 3 model was constructed on SolidWorks:<br />
Airfoil Selection<br />
The program Xfoil was used to determine an appropriate airfoil . This<br />
program produced 2D coefficients of lift and drag at various angles of attack<br />
(AOA) for 3 selected airfoils, NACA 2412, NACA 6412 & NACA 8414.<br />
Cl/Cd<br />
120<br />
100<br />
80<br />
60<br />
40<br />
20<br />
0<br />
Cl/Cd vs AOA<br />
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17<br />
AOA<br />
NACA 2412<br />
NACA 6412<br />
NACA 8414<br />
After NACA 8414 was chosen, wing parameters were decided upon and 3D<br />
lift values were determined . Once appropriate parameters were selected<br />
SolidWorks models were constructed for the improved design. The<br />
subsequent design the Marsh Harrier I.2 is shown below.<br />
Flow simulations were conducted applying side winds to the two UAVs to<br />
determine displacement and head wind to determine lift and drag values,<br />
the data gathered was analyzed. The pictures below detail a contour plot and<br />
flow trajectories for the DHIII simulation.<br />
Project summary<br />
To determine a solution to the problems,<br />
weight was added through the changing of<br />
materials and the adding of heavier and<br />
more powerful engine. Airfoil selection was<br />
conducted using Xfoil and wing geometry was<br />
decided upon.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objective of the project was indentify one<br />
or more problems with the Desert Hawk 3<br />
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and work to find a<br />
solution. The negatives with the UAV were<br />
determined to be its susceptibility to wind<br />
and wet conditions.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion the project was a success in that<br />
it provided a solution to the designated<br />
problem. <strong>Engineering</strong> methods were<br />
employed using theoretical and experimental<br />
calculations to detail the difference in<br />
displacements when adding weight to the<br />
UAV. Although there were other options<br />
adding weight to the UAV proved most<br />
feasible given the limited information<br />
accessible.<br />
There are many further improvements that<br />
would be applied to the design if it were<br />
being taken further, firstly symmetrical airfoils<br />
for the tail would be selected to provide<br />
stability. Further work would be conducted to<br />
improve the design of the wing likely tapering<br />
them towards the ends to reduce induced<br />
drag produced at the tips. Manufacturing<br />
processes would be studied to indentify the<br />
most appropriate technique to apply in order<br />
to provide the best product.
Joshua Giffin<br />
BEng – Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
DESIGN OF A PRODUCT CAPEABLE OF UTILISING COMPUTER WASTE HEAT<br />
Introduction<br />
The computer industry is a very large one with the vast majority of people using them daily. Such computers generate and output heat due to<br />
inefficiency's. My project is based around designing a component to utilize this waste heat converting it back into useable power. This component is<br />
designed to be set up and left within a computer case, charging reusable battery's overtime, these can be detached and taken around with the user to<br />
charge devices on the go.<br />
While it is true that almost all components within a computer that run on electricity generate heat, it’s clear that the main heat emitting components<br />
within modern computers are the CPU and GPU, due to the fact that in comparison to the other components they need much more power in order to<br />
operate, after initially looking at ways to capture and utilise the heat from each component individually, I discovered water-cooling and started creating a<br />
design capable of utilising the heat from all components as it’s being transferred through a water-cooling loop.<br />
Concept<br />
This project investigates and leads to the design of a closed loop design that has similarity's<br />
with the Rankine cycle. The design consists of a shell and tube heat exchanger that transfers<br />
heat into the closed loop design from the computers water-cooling loop, a generator to take<br />
advantage of generated velocity's and a water-cooling radiator to cool the coolant , allowing<br />
pressure differentials to occur and movement within the loop to occur.<br />
Background Research<br />
My initial research was into computers and their main heat<br />
emitting components. This lead me into water-cooling<br />
designs and hence ultimately to my final design idea.<br />
I was then able to look into and determine values such as<br />
the water-cooling loops mass flow rate alongside average<br />
ambient / computer running temperatures. Which were<br />
later used within the heat exchanger design process.<br />
Heat Exchanger Design<br />
An eight step design process was used to design the heat exchanger, this started off with<br />
me specifying the mass flow rate and each flows inlet and outlet temperatures which were<br />
determined by research and logical evaluation. A shell and tube design was used due to it<br />
being compact, this feature ties in nicely with this design due to the limited space available.<br />
Following this the LMTD correction factor was determined. I decided to I chose to use a<br />
staggered flow pipe design over an in-line design due to the fact that staggered flow<br />
designs create more turbulence, something my design logically does not have much of due<br />
to low flow speeds and compact spaces. Turbulence will theoretically help my design<br />
transfer heat more efficiently.<br />
Further Work<br />
Future work for this project includes additional investigations into generators alongside optimizations in order to improve how much<br />
power can be generated over a given time period. Additionally, methods of velocity manipulation could be investigated and if suitable<br />
implemented into the design.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project revolved around the design of a<br />
component that is capable of generating<br />
useable power over time, this component is<br />
to be set up within a computer case and run<br />
using a computers waste heat.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• The component is to be designed to take<br />
advantage of the current mounting system<br />
within computer cases, that are otherwise<br />
used for attaching radiators or fans.<br />
• To fully investigate all factors that would<br />
impact my design, including; mass flow rate<br />
of a computers water-cooling loop,<br />
standard pipe sizing's, heat dissipation<br />
techniques in a small area.<br />
• Design of a closed loop system, that<br />
involves a heat exchanger, generator and<br />
cooling system, in order to run in a similar<br />
fashion to the Rankine cycle.<br />
• To have the fluid flow throughout my<br />
design naturally through pressure<br />
differentials due to temperature changes.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, the conducted background<br />
research and investigations have been<br />
informative and successful ultimately leading<br />
me to my current design, involving a heavily<br />
optimized heat exchanger that is well suited,<br />
size and performance wise to being used with<br />
computer cases after many iterations and<br />
optimizations throughout the process.
Daniel Nicklin<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Formula Student V-Twin Engine Supercharger Feasibility<br />
Introduction<br />
Recently electric vehicles have begun to dominant<br />
due to the advancement of the technologies<br />
involved, but the majority are entered by<br />
established teams with a significant budget. Teams<br />
that have continued to enter combustion vehicles<br />
are moving towards smaller and lightweight<br />
overall packages in order to stay competitive. This<br />
trend has large emphasis on engine downsizing,<br />
with team favouring single and twin cylinder<br />
motorcycle engines over the traditional four<br />
cylinder.<br />
Self-Supercharging<br />
Teams over the past few years have produced<br />
innovative solutions for increasing power by either<br />
modifying existing off the shelf systems or even<br />
manufacture bespoke components. A novel<br />
approach to supercharging is possible by utilising<br />
one or more of the cylinders as a reciprocating<br />
piston pump, taking atmospheric air and<br />
compressing it before it enters the remaining<br />
combustion cylinders. This approach has been<br />
attempted on a variety of car and motorcycle<br />
engines with mixed results and is commonly<br />
known as “self-supercharging”.<br />
Initial Performance Calculations<br />
All components of the intake system have the<br />
ability to restrict the amount of air that an engine<br />
is able to induct. The effectiveness of the entire<br />
process is measured by n v , volumetric efficiency.<br />
η v<br />
=<br />
Actual mass flow rate<br />
Theoretical mass flow rate = 2 m a<br />
ρ a,i<br />
V d N<br />
This equation relates the measured actual mass<br />
flow rate to the potential theoretical mass flow<br />
rate. The volumetric efficiency of the standard<br />
combustion cylinder is typically be in the range of<br />
80 to 90 percent. However it is expected that the<br />
efficiency of the engine would increase to well<br />
over 100 percent due to the increase in inlet air<br />
mass flow rate generated by the piston pump.<br />
Variable Value Units<br />
Piston Pump VE 80%<br />
Stock Engine VE 90%<br />
Boosted Engine VE 160%<br />
Boost Gauge Pressure 125.42 kPa<br />
Power Output 75.48 kW<br />
Torque 90.10 Nm<br />
Initially for a simple model, an optimistic value of<br />
80% was chosen for the volumetric efficiency of<br />
the piston pump. If the engine can induct the<br />
charged air at the same rate that it is produced<br />
then its volumetric efficiency will increase to<br />
160%. This allowed for basic engine parameters<br />
such as the effective compression ratio and<br />
increase in power to then be calculated.<br />
Ricardo Simulation<br />
The piston pump section was simulated using the<br />
Ricardo software using a typical port flow<br />
development scenario. The operation of the piston<br />
pump was tested over a range of engine speeds<br />
and against varying pressure ratios. Initially the<br />
actuation of the valves was logical and simple, but<br />
later optimised based on cylinder filling theories.<br />
System Configuration<br />
The individual components with varying specific<br />
functions were all linked together to form a<br />
complete system, known as a powertrain.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation into the suitability of a selfsupercharger<br />
motorcycle engine for use in the<br />
Formula Student competition. Utilising a V-Twin<br />
motorcycle engine, a modification was made to the<br />
intake system so that one of the cylinders only<br />
compresses and moves intake air. It effectively act as<br />
a supercharger providing charged air to the now<br />
single combustion cylinder. With the increased<br />
airflow, especially at high engine speeds, the engine<br />
is theoretically able to burn more fuel and produce<br />
more power.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research the fundamentals of combustion<br />
engines, focusing on the intake system and its<br />
components<br />
• Explore the benefits of a piston pump<br />
supercharger on a restricted engine<br />
• Test components of the intake system 1D<br />
simulations<br />
• Research valve timing for supercharged<br />
applications and make improvements<br />
• Design and evaluate an improved cylinder head for<br />
the supercharged cylinder<br />
• Model the entire system that would be suitable for<br />
use in the Formula Student competition<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Through the use of computer based simulation and<br />
analysis, sections were tested and optimised based<br />
on generally accepted theories of fluid flow and<br />
dynamics. While the simulation of the system as a<br />
whole was unsuccessful, the piston pump and<br />
cylinder head arrangement were developed through<br />
optimisation of the valve timing. The technique of<br />
using one of an engine’s cylinder for forced induction<br />
is an interesting principle and provides great scope<br />
for further work.
Charlotte Alford<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Tushar Dhavale<br />
Wind Turbine Design and Optimisation<br />
Introduction<br />
One of the main problems facing the world today is<br />
energy consumption – where it comes from and the<br />
effect obtaining this energy has on the atmosphere.<br />
A great deal of work is being carried out with<br />
renewable energy sources to maximise their use<br />
and reduce the UK’s net carbon emissions. This<br />
project takes this idea to a level where it can be<br />
utilised by the general public: for charging devices<br />
such as mobile phones in off-grid situations.<br />
Section 1: Wind Data Analysis<br />
Wind speed in the UK varies a considerable amount,<br />
not only throughout the year but throughout the<br />
day. It was found that the higher wind speeds<br />
generally fall into the winter months when domestic<br />
power consumption is higher. The mean wind<br />
speed was found to be 2.53 m/s with the 99 th<br />
percentile being 7.94 m/s. This range of wind<br />
speeds was used for testing the optimisation model.<br />
Section 2: Optimisation Model Testing<br />
The optimisation model shown on the left was<br />
used to vary the bucket chord length, bucket<br />
overlap, number of stacks and the number of<br />
blades. The end plates contained a series of<br />
holes that the blades could be pushed into in<br />
various positions. The whole device was fixed<br />
to a permanent magnet axial generator which<br />
allowed for power output analysis. These tests<br />
also demonstrated strengths and flaws in the<br />
model which were incorporated into the final<br />
design.<br />
Section 3: Position<br />
A smoke stream was passed over a model of a<br />
traditional Icelandic tent to demonstrate the<br />
way the air travels around the tent. The<br />
information from this test was used to<br />
recommend possible locations which would<br />
maximise the rotational speed of the turbine<br />
and therefore power output. This was verified<br />
using Ansys Fluent and the following positions<br />
concluded.<br />
Section 4: Final Design<br />
The final design, when fully assembled will be<br />
approximately 2.5m tall (subject to generator<br />
size). This packs down so that all the blades<br />
are stored within a single tube to which the<br />
monopod sections may also be attached. This<br />
tube, including end caps, measures just<br />
0.5m x 0.15m – a size which is easily<br />
transportable even in rucksacks.<br />
Assembled Turbine<br />
2.5 m<br />
Packed Turbine<br />
0.15m<br />
0.5 m……<br />
0.5m<br />
To mount, the monopod has a spike at its based<br />
which can be pushed into the ground by standing on<br />
the foot pad. For stability, there is a plate below the<br />
generator which has three holes for guy ropes to be<br />
attached to. When these are pegged to the ground<br />
in a triangular configuration, the model will be<br />
secured against the oncoming wind. The brightness<br />
of these guy ropes also serves as a safety feature.<br />
The blades are made mainly from kite parts including<br />
carbon and glass fibre poles, rip stop for the blade<br />
itself and spar grabbers to join it together.<br />
Key features of the final design include:<br />
• The turbine packs down so that its components<br />
are contained so they won’t be damaged or lost.<br />
• The product lightweight for portability.<br />
• The turbine can be assembled and disassembled<br />
by one person.<br />
• The turbine has features which maintain the users<br />
safety including guy.<br />
• The end plates of the model fold down to form<br />
the end caps of the tube which contains all of the<br />
blades and uprights rolled up.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project seeks to develop a design for a Savonius<br />
Wind Turbine which is suitable for charging common<br />
electronic devices in off-grid situations via USB<br />
output. It is light weight and can be assembled and<br />
disassembled by one person.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research the use of wind power as an energy<br />
resource and briefly compare it to other power<br />
sources. Compare the different types of wind<br />
turbine.<br />
• Collect and analyse wind speed data to<br />
demonstrate the range of wind speeds the final<br />
product may experience along with the modal and<br />
mean wind speeds.<br />
• Using a subsonic wind tunnel, test the effect of<br />
varying parameters including bucket overlap and<br />
chord length, stacking and number of buckets.<br />
• Model air flow over a tent using Ansys Fluent and<br />
smoke stream testing in the wind tunnel, to<br />
demonstrate the best position to achieve<br />
maximum power output from the wind turbine.<br />
• Use the information above to develop a design for<br />
a light weight, portable wind turbine.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
All of the objectives above were achieved and<br />
resulted in a design which suitable for its function as<br />
well as being aesthetically pleasing.<br />
The next stage of this project would be building a<br />
prototype and testing in the wind tunnel and<br />
developing the design further in order to reduce<br />
costs. It could also include developing the design so<br />
it is suitable for a more permanent position, for<br />
example on the roof of a house or industrial unit.
Adam Caldwell<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. David Richardson<br />
The Structural Optimisation of Carbon Fibre Composites and Interfaces<br />
Introduction<br />
Hollow tubular composites can be found<br />
across a wide array of sporting<br />
applications. The most prominent example<br />
of this manufacture can be seen in the<br />
mass production of carbon fibre road bike<br />
frames for both professional cyclists and<br />
fans alike. Although an expensive<br />
alternative to its metallic counterpart,<br />
composites offer superior strength and<br />
stiffness capabilities. These factors,<br />
twinned with the component being very<br />
low in weight, make the use of composites<br />
a tantalising proposition for designers and<br />
engineers.<br />
In this investigation<br />
multiple T-section<br />
handlebar<br />
components<br />
(example shown in<br />
Figure 1) and<br />
footplate prototypes<br />
have been produced<br />
using bladder<br />
inflation moulding<br />
(BIM). Having<br />
developed the<br />
design of the<br />
footplate a wet<br />
layup vacuum<br />
technique was then<br />
also employed.<br />
Figure 1 – Carbon,<br />
Aluminum & Steel<br />
handlebars<br />
Handlebar Manufacture & Testing<br />
A total of six handlebars were produced over<br />
the course of the project, with three of<br />
those being used for testing. The ply<br />
orientation and material layup were driven<br />
by the differing forces acting on various<br />
areas of the component (bars, T-Section and<br />
stem) during use. Following completion of the layup<br />
the part was left to cure for 2 hours at a temperature<br />
of 180°C . One bend test (see Fig 2a and 2b) and two<br />
compression tests served to inform future<br />
production and anaylsed each of the components<br />
mechanical capability compared to calculated values<br />
for maximum stress and deflection.<br />
Figure 2a & 2b – Stem bend test setup on Instron 4204<br />
Various issues were encountered and overcome<br />
during manufacturing e.g. material pinching within<br />
tool, air leakages. Testing on the fourth handlebar<br />
showed each of the bars themselves could<br />
withstand a maximum force of 924.5N, equating to a<br />
weight of approximately 94kg per bar.<br />
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)<br />
Using Abaqus/CAE software regions of the handlebar<br />
were modelled to investigate areas of high stress<br />
concentration and measure deflective behaviour (Fig<br />
3). These values were then validated against<br />
Figure 3 – Stress Contour Plot from LH handlebar in Torsion<br />
theoretical calculations and studied alongside the<br />
testing data. Through collation of this information it<br />
was then possible to optimise the design of the<br />
component and ensure maximum performance.<br />
Footplate Manufacture & Testing<br />
A prototype scooter footplate was initially<br />
manufactured by means of BIM using glass fibre<br />
(GFRP)and incorporated a polystyrene foam core in its<br />
neck (See Fig 3a and 3b). Although this did result in<br />
excellent axial stiffness, issues with the air bladder<br />
meant consolidation of the deck was difficult and<br />
another less complicated concept was pursued.<br />
Figure 3a & 3b – GFRP neck section and core cut out<br />
The second footplate prototype omitted the integrated<br />
metal headset and instead featured a swept neck (See<br />
Fig 4) with a PVC foam core running the length of the<br />
component. A hollow composite headset was later<br />
glued to the part using an aircraft grade structural<br />
adhesive. With two layers of 0/90 weave carbon fabric<br />
either side of the core, the cured component exhibited<br />
excellent flexural stiffness – reaching a maximum load<br />
of 1429.27N during a 3-point bend test (shown below).<br />
Figure 4 – 3-point bend test on scooter deck<br />
Project summary<br />
The primary aim of this investigation was to<br />
structurally enhance and optimise the design of an<br />
existing micro scooter handlebar. Following a<br />
focused design, build and test campaign of the<br />
composite handlebars, a secondary study was then<br />
undertaken to evaluate and develop the<br />
manufacturing method utilised to produce scooter<br />
footplate components.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Structural optimisation of the composite layup for<br />
scooter handlebars.<br />
• Undertake Finite Element Analysis study<br />
• Manufacture a optimised handlebar component<br />
• Develop practical laboratory skill<br />
• Validate optimisation through testing<br />
• Evaluate the embodiment of a headset within the<br />
scooter footplate (through research and<br />
manufacturing trials)<br />
• Enhanced design and manufacture of scooter<br />
footplate<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
All project goals have been successfully achieved,<br />
including the principal objective of producing a<br />
structurally optimised handlebar component that is<br />
also aesthetically pleasing. After undertaking a<br />
research study and various manufacturing trials, an<br />
alternative footplate design and manufacturing<br />
process was implemented. Although exhibiting<br />
excellent mechanical characteristics and surface<br />
finish in the deck section , the footplate lacks the<br />
necessary stiffness and strength in the neck region –<br />
thus highlighting this as a key area for improvement<br />
with any further investigations. A study aimed at<br />
combining the two components into one scooter<br />
assembly is also highly recommended.
Zac Eddie<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Urban Farming: An Aquaponic Solution for Food Production<br />
The Problem<br />
In the 40 years between 1959 and 1999 the world population increased from<br />
3 billion to 6 billion people. By the year 2050 it is estimated that this<br />
population will have grown to almost 9 billion and although the annual<br />
growth is slowing down long-range predictions show that the world<br />
population may continue to balloon to 36 billion by 2300. Alongside this<br />
continued growth, the percentage of people living in urban areas has also<br />
been steadily increasing and by 2030 the United Nations forecast that of the<br />
8 billion people living on the planet over 5 billion will be living in urban<br />
centres. To facilitate this growth world food production needs to increase<br />
between 70-100% between now and 2050 despite the available arable land<br />
on the planet slowly running out.<br />
Project summary<br />
With the world population steadily increasing and<br />
available arable land decreasing, this project was<br />
centered around finding a viable solution to urban<br />
farming. Moving agriculture to city hubs could greatly<br />
reduce carbon emissions through eliminating food<br />
miles and make use of currently wasted space.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Review current research into urban farming<br />
• Design an aquaponic system that is:<br />
• Modular<br />
• Carbon Neutral<br />
• Self-sustaining<br />
Figure 7 – Side View<br />
Uses<br />
As a single module the system could be placed in the garden, it was designed<br />
to only fill 50% of the average UK garden space. In this configuration it would<br />
sustain 62.5kf of mature trout and 1200 heads of lettuce although any<br />
species of vegetable or fruit could be grown. When connected together the<br />
system could provide for entire apartment blocks in city centers or provide<br />
local produce to local businesses. The system could also be employed in<br />
developing countries to offer a reliable and simple to use food source. Each<br />
system contains removable panels that allow the connection of three other<br />
fish tanks to the main tank which allows the system to grow infinitely big<br />
when the space available allows.<br />
The Solution<br />
An aquaponic system is one in which a symbiotic between plants and fish is<br />
used to produce edible plants and fish. The waste products from the fish is<br />
broken down by bacteria in the water to the nutrients required by the plants.<br />
The plants are grown in a soilless grow bed medium and absorb the nutrients<br />
provided by the fish which would otherwise be harmful to fish. The fish<br />
provide nutrients for the plants, and the plants filter the system for the fish.<br />
This method of agriculture uses over 90% less water than traditional farming<br />
practices at the system is sealed. Once water is in the system it never needs<br />
to be replace apart from losses due to evaporation. The system designed in<br />
this project relies on gravity to draw water from the fish tank into the grow<br />
beds and from the grow beds into the secondary fish tanks. The only moving<br />
parts are four pumps to move the water back into the main tank,. These are<br />
powered by 6 solar panels that provide enough energy in 5 hours of sunlight<br />
to power the pumps continuously.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A system was designed that powered entirely by solar<br />
power and is capable of sustaining 62.5kg of mature<br />
trout and 1200 heads of lettuce. As a single module<br />
this system could fit in the average UK garden and<br />
when joined together could be used to fill any space.<br />
It was also found that the system could be used in<br />
developing countries where access to fresh water is<br />
limited.
Thomas Halford<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Stress Analysis of Locomotive Coupling Rods and<br />
Their Suitability for Fabricated Manufacture<br />
Locomotive Coupling Rods<br />
Introduction<br />
The project looks at the feasibility of manufacturing steam<br />
locomotive coupling rods by fabrication as opposed to the<br />
traditional as forged method. Locomotive Coupling rods connect all<br />
the wheel sets on a locomotive together as seen in the picture<br />
above.<br />
The main motivation for this project is the difficulty in finding spare<br />
parts to replace lost or damaged locomotive parts. Several<br />
locomotives are missing their original coupling rods and this will<br />
prevent them being eventually restored. However, the forging<br />
method originally used is not financially viable for small numbers of<br />
components. During the second world war the main locomotive built<br />
by the Germans for the war effort had coupling rods fabricated from<br />
three pieces. Research showed the failure rate of the these<br />
fabricated components was no higher than the forged equivalent.<br />
This sparked the idea that new coupling rods could be fabricated<br />
from three pieces welded together.<br />
The benefits of this method are outlined below:<br />
•No expensive forging dies required<br />
•The three separate parts can be made on smaller more common<br />
workshop machines.<br />
•The fabrication method could be used to repair damaged parts for a<br />
fraction of the price of a new part.<br />
This project will look specifically at the feasibility of manufacturing a<br />
coupling rod for a Hunslet 50550 class locomotive (pictured above).<br />
The rod has been modelled in Catia Version 5 Cad software, this can<br />
be seen below. The project looks at manufacturing the part from<br />
three pieces, with the welded joints where indicated below.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
In order to ascertain whether manufacturing coupling rods by fabrication was<br />
feasible the following work was undertaken:<br />
•Fatigue analysis of original “as forged” rod. The results of this will provide the<br />
bench mark to compare a fabricated rod to.<br />
•Strength case for “as forged rod”- This section looks at the severe loading<br />
which occurs in the coupling rod when a slipping locomotive regains adhesion<br />
suddenly.<br />
•Fatigue analysis of the fabricated Rod- This section carries out fatigue analysis<br />
on the fabricated rod.<br />
•Strength case for the fabricated rod- This section takes the same strength<br />
case applied to the forged rod and applies it to the fabricated rod.<br />
•Production Feasibility-This section looks at the production implications of<br />
manufacturing the coupling rod by fabrication from three pieces as well as<br />
some approximate costing.<br />
Stress Analysis<br />
Loading<br />
In order to carry out any stress analysis the loads the coupling rods experience<br />
had to be calculated. The loads experienced were a product of the cylinder<br />
steam pressure and speed of the locomotive attained. The forces in the rod<br />
are continually alternating between tension and compression . The stresses<br />
seen are a combination of bending stresses caused by the rod’s inertia and<br />
direct stresses caused by torque Transmission. However the stresses change<br />
depending upon the speed, cylinder pressure and direction of the locomotive.<br />
Original Forged Rod-Stress Analysis<br />
In order to analyse the fabricated rod it was first necessary to ascertain the<br />
stresses in the original forged component. Due to the variation in loads seen<br />
depending upon speed, cylinder pressure and direction of travel. A fatigue<br />
spectrum had to be devised based around 12 fatigue cases. From this the max<br />
and min stresses were determined at a number of sections in the regions near<br />
where the welded joints would be ideally placed. The graph showing load<br />
against rotation produced a sinusoidal form that was offset due to the positive<br />
bend moment from the rods own weight. It was therefore necessary to use<br />
the Modified Goodman failure criteria to find the equivalent fatigue stress<br />
otherwise the results would have been pessimistic. A stress life (S-N) curve<br />
had to be constructed for the EN3 material which was deemed to be the<br />
closest material to the original material used for the forgings. This can seen on<br />
the graph highlighted in blue. Miner’s Law for cumulative fatigue damage was<br />
then used to assess the part for fatigue damage. The loads for the strength<br />
case for when the locomotive slips and then regains adhesion were then<br />
determined. This was done by resolving the torques acting on the wheel sets<br />
of the locomotive during this sudden recovery of torque. This produced a<br />
torque reacted by one coupling rod, the compressive force experienced by the<br />
rod could then be worked out. The critical buckling force was subsequently<br />
worked out in both planes of the rod with the parabolic buckling formula. The<br />
critical buckling force in y-y direction being significantly less than the x-x. From<br />
this factors of safety could be worked out for the respective planes of the rod.<br />
Project Supervisor-Rui Cardoso<br />
Fabricated Rod-Stress Analysis<br />
Due to the presence of the welds a stress concentration factor needed to<br />
be applied to the S-N curve. This factored down curve can be seen below<br />
in red. This S-N curve was then used to determine the new damage for<br />
the fabricated rod.<br />
The strength case was then calculated for the fabricated rod by using the<br />
critical buckling load previously determined divided by the stress with<br />
stress concentration factor applied. A stress concentration of three was<br />
used as before in the fatigue analysis.<br />
Production Feasibility<br />
The feasibility of manufacturing a coupling rod from three pieces was<br />
discussed in this section. It was concluded that a jig would be required to<br />
restrain and position the three piece rod during the welding process. It<br />
would also be necessary to stress relieve the fabricated rod post welding<br />
by heat treatment, this would be necessary to remove the residual stress<br />
induced by the welding. During this treatment the rod should remain in its<br />
jig , this would avoid excessive twisting or bending due to the part<br />
relaxing. It was also recommended that the profiles for the three piece<br />
rod were water jet cut to avoid producing a heat affected layer that<br />
would then need to be removed by machining due stress implications.<br />
Project Conclusions<br />
• Fatigue analysis shows that a fabricated rod would be capable of<br />
withstanding the same life in service as the original forged rod<br />
without failure.<br />
• The strength case demonstrated that a fabricated rod still had<br />
healthy margins of safety and was therefore acceptable from a<br />
static strength perspective.<br />
• The manufacturing feasibility study showed that a fabricated rod<br />
could be manufactured with the aid of a jig however, a one piece<br />
profile could be manufactured for the same amount of money.<br />
However it would be more cost effective to repair an existing rod<br />
through the fabrication method.
Introduction<br />
Rafael Alberto de Araujo Silva<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
DEVELOPMENT OF A REDUCING WEAR SYSTEM TO STORED MILITARY AIRCRAFT TIRES<br />
The life of a tire depends directly on its<br />
storage conditions. Even if manufacturer’s<br />
recommendations are strictly followed, the<br />
lifetime is going to be compromised<br />
depending on how long tires will be stationary<br />
in storage. The stress produced by its own<br />
weight can cause severe damage. A well-built,<br />
automatic-manual, cheap and durable storage<br />
rack will be developed to maximize tires<br />
lifetime.<br />
The above figure shows the final built rack cell. It was designed to carry<br />
up to 3 cells (one above another) and a total of 12 aircraft wheels, each<br />
wheel weights up to 200kg. The wheels will be spinning approximately<br />
3333 00 by rollers located below each tire. The rollers are connected to a<br />
transmission system which can be powered manually or automatically<br />
by a portable drill. A reduction was calculated and simplified in a two<br />
pulley and belt transmission, if there is no available power, it can be<br />
turned manually by its operator. The structure was dimensioned to be<br />
constructed by 30x40x2mm (lower bars) and 30x30x2mm (upper bars)<br />
quadratic profiles of AISI 1020 Steel, which is fairly cheap but enough<br />
to carry everything safely.<br />
To reduce side friction, a spring system was added to adapt the wheel<br />
to a quarter cell space.<br />
An structural analysis was simulated and the results seemed to be fair.<br />
σσ<br />
yy = 33 . 555555 xx ee 77 NN 22 /mm<br />
Factor of Safety: 9.8<br />
Maximum Displacement: 0.382mm<br />
Project Supervision:<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
Project Summary<br />
A research on how to reduce wear of<br />
aircraft wheels when stored in racks has<br />
been accomplished. A storage aircraft<br />
wheel rack was intensely developed with<br />
computer modelling and computer-trials.<br />
The tests showed that the rack will work<br />
at a very low cost and with a versatile<br />
power source.<br />
It was also developed a traceability<br />
program which is capable of multiple<br />
functions being able to store multiple<br />
data from wheels and its characteristics<br />
such as model, location storage dates.<br />
A few restrictions have to be made due<br />
to a not complete prototype which will<br />
be build in the future.<br />
Aim of the Study<br />
A reduced lifetime in aircraft<br />
tires has been detected over<br />
the past decades, a versatile<br />
solution to reduce stress over<br />
the body of a tire when it is not<br />
in activity (storage conditions)<br />
must be created. The aim of<br />
this study is to develop and<br />
produce a simple, low-cost<br />
system which can provide a<br />
longer lifetime to military tires.<br />
In addition to it, a fast and<br />
simple traceability system<br />
should also be developed;<br />
creating a practical<br />
environment which the<br />
operator is allowed to store<br />
the necessary data of each<br />
different wheel.<br />
Common problems caused by improper storage conditions.<br />
Groove Cracking and Rib Undercutting can be seen in the<br />
figure respectively.<br />
Rack Construction<br />
A traceability program was also created. The program itself has a database<br />
capable to store data of each wheel (localization, manufacturer, date and<br />
storage time, wheel number, storage status). It was developed in Python which<br />
is a simple language and the device chosen was a raspberry pi due to its low<br />
cost and efficiency to this operation.<br />
Conclusion<br />
After different assumptions trying to find a numerical solution to the storage<br />
problem, it was observed in the calculations that the storage racks are safe<br />
enough to carry any sized tire of the military aircraft industry. The<br />
transmission system created is very simple and efficient to the operation,<br />
being both manual and automatic, the operator will have no difficult to spin<br />
heavy wheels. The traceability program itself represented a very successful<br />
part of this report. It was well-built and tested, the software responds as it<br />
was ideally predicted.
Rhys Jones-Mathias<br />
Beng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Aruna Palipana<br />
Harnessing Energy from draining the pool<br />
Energy Harnessing and Recovery in Gymnasiums<br />
Pool water is replaced every seven to ten days meaning that around 562500<br />
Litres of water at 29°C drains out from the building. It may be possible to<br />
recover some of that heat using heat exchangers. However the time in which<br />
the draining would take place, outside of the facilities operating times,<br />
means that there may not be a demand for preheated water on the site.<br />
height of the water changes as the pool drains.<br />
As the height decreases the volume flow rate and therefore the mass flow<br />
rate also decreases.<br />
Figure 9 shows how the power produced will change as the height of the<br />
water falls<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
Effect of Change of height on Power<br />
0.8<br />
Height of Water (m)<br />
0.6<br />
The energy produced based on an<br />
average power output of 294.2 W is:<br />
PPPPPPPPPP . tttttttt<br />
EEEEEEEEEEEE kkkkk =<br />
1000<br />
0.4<br />
0.2<br />
0<br />
700<br />
600<br />
500<br />
400<br />
300<br />
200<br />
100<br />
0<br />
Power (W)<br />
Recovering Waste heat from grey water<br />
Heat exchangers are used to transfer heat from one medium to<br />
another. For this application the heat exchanger could be used<br />
to transfer heat from the greywater from the showers to pre<br />
heat the water which is going to be used in the showers.<br />
The main disadvantage of the parallel flow heat exchanger is<br />
that the cold fluid exiting the heat exchanger can never<br />
exceed the lowest temperature of the hot fluid and tends to<br />
the temperature of the hot fluid leaving the heat exchanger.<br />
This is a distinct disadvantage if the purpose of the heat<br />
exchanger is to raise the temperature of the cold fluid.<br />
Pre heated warm,<br />
21.23°C<br />
Max Temp. leaving<br />
the shower at 45 °C<br />
Greywater in, 28 °C<br />
Mains Water<br />
entering, 12 °C<br />
As a result of<br />
observations and<br />
calculations it is<br />
possible to conclude<br />
that the temperature of<br />
the water entering the<br />
heat exchanger will be<br />
raised from to 21 °C<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation was undertaken into David Lloyd<br />
Leisure Cardiff to identify current energy saving areas<br />
of the facility where energy is available and could be<br />
harnessed. Examples of where energy had the<br />
potential to be harnessed were elliptical machines in<br />
the gymnasium and the spin studio. Another aspect<br />
of the study was to identify where energy was being<br />
wasted and could be recovered. Areas that were<br />
considered were the hot tub and showers.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Identify areas in the chosen gymnasium facility where<br />
energy could be harnessed, with greater emphasises<br />
on recovering waste heat energy as a result of the<br />
previous research;<br />
Identify current energy saving methods;<br />
Identify technology which could harness this energy;<br />
Identify how much energy could be harnessed;<br />
To look into the ways in which the chosen gymnasium<br />
reduces their energy consumption and possible<br />
technology which could be implemented to reduce<br />
their energy costs.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Overall it is difficult to harness and recover a<br />
meaningful amount of energy although both are<br />
possible. The high initial costs mean that the<br />
outcome of this study show it would not be<br />
financially viable at this time. For example, time to<br />
pay back the capital cost of retrofitting the spin<br />
studio would most likely be longer than the service<br />
life of the equipment. However, as fossil fuels reduce<br />
further, there will inevitably be an increase in the<br />
amount of research and development into energy<br />
harnessing and recovery. This will hopefully lead to a<br />
reduction in the cost of the technology which is<br />
currently available.<br />
Figure 8<br />
Greywater out, 16 °C
Richard Halladay <br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> BEng (Hons) <br />
Project Supervisor <br />
Mrs. Rachel Szadziewska <br />
The Study and Calcula0on of the Pre-‐ Load and <br />
Pre-‐Load Effects Developed In A Bolted Connec0on <br />
What Is Pre-‐load & Why Do It? <br />
Bolts are preloaded in tension to a predetermined level which applies a considerable force between the ma;ng surfaces, known as the <br />
faying surfaces. The slip resistance depends on the coefficient of fric;on between the surfaces and the preload. Thus the prepara;on <br />
and protec;on of the faying surfaces and the installa;on of the assembly are both important in this type of connec;on. In general, non-preloaded<br />
bolts are acceptable for the majority of standard connec;ons as the small amount of slip associated with the clearance hole <br />
in which the bolt is located has no impact on the structure. <br />
Force Development in a Threaded body. <br />
As the applied pre-‐load increases, the center of the body beings to react to <br />
this force. The thread however remains rela;vely unloaded, as can be seen <br />
below. <br />
Preload Tes0ng <br />
The main test of the project was the <br />
pre-‐load test. Below can be see the rig <br />
GA & FEA screen shot. The use of FEA <br />
throughout the project was paramount <br />
in ensuring the rigs were strong enough <br />
for the applica;on. <br />
Project summary <br />
The Primary objec;ve of this inves;ga;on is <br />
to tailor already exis;ng bolt pre-‐load <br />
equa;ons to more specific bolt types. When <br />
calcula;ng the pre-‐load in a bolt, most <br />
common equa;ons are designed to allow for <br />
all types of bolt and finishes. Because the bolt <br />
types and condi;ons are known, any chosen <br />
equa;on can be adjusted to suit specific bolt <br />
types, resul;ng in more accurate equa;ons <br />
for theses bolts <br />
Project Objec0ves <br />
Tensile Tes0ng. <br />
A major part of the project was the tensile tes;ng of the bolts to determine <br />
the bolt yield. This brought up the issue of stress concentra;ons due to the <br />
threads. Below are some images taken from the tests & the test results. <br />
Results. <br />
On the following two graphs can <br />
be seen the torque Vs force <br />
results, taken directly from the <br />
Preload test & then the correc;on <br />
factor graph produced at the end <br />
of the project. <br />
Using various different theore;cal & prac;cal <br />
tests, generate a graph of correc;on factors <br />
based on the fric;on value of the bolt. <br />
Project Conclusion <br />
The final chart of correc;on values produced <br />
from the tes;ng clearly demonstrates the use <br />
of such data, as well as how simply it can be <br />
presented for use in the field. Where the <br />
chart can be improved is through the input of <br />
more data. Not only would this increase the <br />
accuracy of the current points, but would also <br />
broaden the field of informa;on available.
Knock Sensor (Bosch)<br />
Vishnu Viswanatha Menon<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE, PRE-IGNITION SENSING<br />
Pre-ignition is an abnormal combustion occurring in an automotive engine’s combustion chamber when there is an ignition prior<br />
to the spark plug firing. Spark plugs, exhaust valves, metal asperities such as edges of head cavities or piston bowls are parts which<br />
can absorb high temperatures and where deposits can build up lead to pre-ignition. Knock sensors detect vibrations from parts of<br />
the engine block caused by knocking combustion pressure waves. When a knock is detected, signal is sent to the ECU (Engine<br />
Control Unit), where it will respond by changing the spark plug firing by a predetermined number of degrees.<br />
Engine tests were performed on a Rover Engine with a Bosch knock sensor fixed onto the engine.<br />
Figure shows the data received from<br />
the knock sensor on a screen using a<br />
Picoscope.<br />
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was<br />
utilised to anlayse the vibration signal<br />
and produce a frequency based signal<br />
Graph generated by MATLAB<br />
using ‘fft’ function depicts<br />
various frequencies present in<br />
the engine vibration<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
NEIL LARSEN<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation was done on a type of<br />
abnormal combustion called as pre-ignition<br />
occurring in a spark ignited engine. A<br />
detailed study on existing knock sensors and<br />
its functions were done. Mathematical<br />
algorithms using Fourier transforms were<br />
developed in a software called MATLAB to<br />
identify particular frequencies from a<br />
random noise signal. Engine runs were<br />
performed to collect data and these data’s<br />
were fed into MATLAB to validate the<br />
functionality of the algorithm. Further<br />
research was carried out on microprocessors<br />
to implement the algorithm so as to<br />
counteract pre-ignition.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Understand previous work done on detecting<br />
pre-ignition by major automotive companies<br />
Select a proper method of pre-ignition<br />
detection.<br />
Conduct engine tests using Engine test stand<br />
Analyse Test results using a suitable method<br />
Research on a suitable method to counteract<br />
pre-ignition<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Pre-ignition is an uncharacteristic<br />
combustion occurring in an engine<br />
combustion chamber and it is vital to provide<br />
measures so as to prevent it from happening.<br />
Engine tests were performed to analyse the<br />
vibrations produced using a knock sensor.<br />
Results from the engine tests provided<br />
enough evidence to validate the use of Fast<br />
Fourier Transform (FFT) to analyse the noise<br />
signals from knock sensor.
Robert Hilliard<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Micro-combustion Fuel cell Design<br />
Difficulties of micro-combustion<br />
• Close to wall flow means more losses of heat and other energy leading to<br />
flame quenching<br />
• Manufacturing with small tolerances can prove challenging<br />
• Moving Parts involved in power generation are difficult to accommodate<br />
• Laminar boundary flow dominates means adequate mixing hard to<br />
achieve<br />
Concept<br />
The concept chosen to investigate is a Swiss-roll micro-combustor. Spiraling<br />
the inlets together with the outlets means that heat can be recuperated and<br />
so Reduces the effect of the heat losses to the wall. It also aids in mixing.<br />
Project summary<br />
The demand for portable power is ever<br />
increasing, with devices requiring more<br />
power that lasts longer. This project explores<br />
an alternative to electrochemical battery cells<br />
that utilizes the high energy density of<br />
hydrocarbons. Combustion of hydrocarbons<br />
release a large amount of energy, which has<br />
been the foundation of many large scale<br />
power processes throughout recent history.<br />
Scaling traditional processes down comes<br />
with its own problems and this project aims<br />
to deal with them.<br />
Temperature K<br />
3000<br />
2500<br />
2000<br />
1500<br />
1000<br />
500<br />
0<br />
Temperature against time<br />
0 1 2 3 4 5 6<br />
time (s)<br />
Results<br />
• The small temperature of the lines<br />
show lots of heat can be transferred<br />
back into the inlet<br />
• Straight sections show eat transfer<br />
follows a linear pattern<br />
• Boundary conditions can be<br />
treacherous as can be seen by the rise<br />
in the outlet<br />
Start up times are low which is<br />
essential in portable applications<br />
Centre<br />
exit<br />
Turbulence is induced in the<br />
changing diameter of the<br />
combustion chamber. Helps with<br />
combustion<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Choose an appropriate Design concept<br />
that directly reduces micro-combustion<br />
shortfalls<br />
• Create a model for computational analysis<br />
• Use sound <strong>Engineering</strong> reasoning to<br />
validate and justify model results<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, it can be seen that the<br />
challenges intrinsic to this technology are<br />
many and tough to conquer. What can be<br />
seen is that by spiralling flow paths together a<br />
substantial amount of heat can be<br />
recuperated and that this heat recuperation<br />
follows a linear pattern for the most part.<br />
With more work combustion can be modelled<br />
so that the influence of a simulated spark has<br />
less effect on the overall result.
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Kevin Daniel<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Suspension Design for an Electric Race Car<br />
The chosen topic for this project is the designing of a suspension system<br />
for the formula car. A Suspension system is a critical part to road and race<br />
vehicles to get the ultimate performance package. By having a wellbalanced<br />
set up and superior upgrades it’s possible to have a more<br />
competitive car than other competitors. The vehicle suspension system is<br />
responsible for driving comfort and safety as it carries the vehicle body<br />
and transmits all forces between body and the road. But for a formula<br />
racing car, comfort is least of the priority and the main aim for it is to<br />
optimise the performance of the car during straight line sprints as well as<br />
driving around corners.<br />
The vehicle suspension system mainly consists of wishbones, springs and<br />
shock absorbers. The spring in the suspension isolates the body from the<br />
irregularities on the road and the shock absorbers damps the oscillations<br />
of the body and the wheels. The geometry of the wishbones determines<br />
important aspects of the design such as the instant centre and roll centre<br />
which have a massive effect on the overall performance<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this project was to construct<br />
a suspension that will optimise the<br />
performance of the car as much as possible<br />
with a simple design.<br />
Project summary<br />
VSusp was used to analyse the<br />
geometry then the data from this was<br />
used to make a 3D sketch of the<br />
suspension system on SolidWorks. The<br />
CAD solid parts were modelled around<br />
this 3D Sketch. Carbon fibre suspension<br />
were also manufactured<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The objectives were achieved because the all<br />
the geometrical design aspects were within<br />
the ideal parameters. The suspension is light<br />
weight too because of the carbon fibre being<br />
used as the material for the construction of<br />
A-Arms
Jack Bevan<br />
Mechanical engineering<br />
Project supervisor<br />
Dr Tushar Dhavale<br />
Snowboard layup design and performance.<br />
An investigation has been accomplished, which assessed the current state of snowboard design and the extent to which it has<br />
developed since its genesis. The focal point and end goal was to establish the way in which the layup of a snowboard affects how the<br />
board rides. Research was done into the key component parts of board manufacture, and it was discovered that each element<br />
performed a very specific and individual role. These roles were further explored and it was found that the effect of each component part<br />
was very noticeable and is highly considered by the manufacturer during the design of a snowboard.<br />
The project was aimed towards studying the stiffness of the board (considered by some to be the life of the board) and studying the<br />
difference in the stiffness or ‘pop’ of various board styles and ages. This greatly determines how the board performs and what the board<br />
is specialised for. Looking to the future of the project and the second year of study to come, it is intended that more attention will be<br />
paid to some of the other aspects of the boards, and their role in the boards’ performance.<br />
Finally the overall aim of this project would be to design and manufacture a physical snowboard as a finished product that encapsulates<br />
all of the knowledge gained though testing, design simulations and experiments over the course of this 18 month dissertation.<br />
The process of bringing a series of component parts together to create a snowboard and applying resin in preparation for it to go into a<br />
heated press.
James Hook<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Benjamin Drew<br />
Designing non-circular gears for use in power transmission<br />
Introduction<br />
Discretisation<br />
Figure 1: Steve Caplin, 2014<br />
Project summary<br />
Non-circular gears represent a potential point of improvement for any drive<br />
train with a non-constant cycling torque profile. The gears can be used to<br />
smooth the input torque profile to improve efficiency and reduce vibration.<br />
However there is also design limitations involved in producing these gears.<br />
Theory<br />
When non-circular gears are applied to torque bearing applications they can<br />
be used to change the shape of the output torque profile for a cycle-based<br />
system, such as a 2-stroke engine. This is done through the varying gear ratio<br />
across the course of the rotation of the gear. To do this a simple gear ratio<br />
formula is used.<br />
rr ii = TT ii<br />
× rr<br />
TT oo<br />
oo<br />
Where TT oo = torque output TT ii = torque input<br />
rr oo = radius of output gear rr ii = radius of output gear<br />
MATLAB model<br />
MATLAB was used to apply the gear theory across a discretised model of the<br />
gear. This allows complex gear shapes to be designed quickly. To apply the<br />
above formula the following code was used. where a “for” loop has been<br />
used to apply the formula at all the discretised node points of the gear<br />
shape.<br />
Where mp = matrix position irm = input radius matrix ogr = output gear ratio<br />
Itm = input torque matrix dotm = desired output torque matrix<br />
References<br />
Steve Caplin, (2014). Nautilus gears [image]. Available at: http://www.3dgeni.us/nautilusgears/[Accessed<br />
10 November 14].<br />
The model uses a finite number of data points to represent the shapes of the<br />
gears. At each data point there is a radius value so as to define the shape of<br />
the gear at that point. So this can give an approximation to the shapes of the<br />
gears. This has the disadvantage that in the space between the node points<br />
is unknown so assumptions have to be made.<br />
Example<br />
Here is the gear shape for a system with a sinusoidal input torque profile.<br />
Below shows the effect of the above gear profile on the output torque<br />
profile.<br />
This project involved producing a general MATLAB<br />
model to design non-circular gear pairs. The model is<br />
applicable to both chain/belt driven gear pairs and<br />
directly meshing gear pairs. Additional factors<br />
including applying limiters and determining the<br />
chain/belt stretch where also considered.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aims of this project where to produce a MATLAB<br />
model that could determine the extent of the benefit<br />
of non-circular gear pairs, and determine the<br />
potential applications.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Across the development of the MATLAB model the<br />
effectiveness of the gears has been assessed to a<br />
certain extent. It is also clear from the theory that<br />
each gear type is applicable to different applications.<br />
So to a certain extent some of the limitations have<br />
been recognised. Without testing, the gains cannot<br />
be easily quantified. So at this stage of the project the<br />
aim has been met.
James Schofield<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor Rachel Szadziewska<br />
Investigation to improve the cooling rate of bicycle brake pads.<br />
Background information<br />
At the start of the investigation the report carried out an extensive literature review covering topics ranging from the equations governing heat transfer to the<br />
history of brake pads. The research found that a lot of experimentation and reports had been produced aimed at improving the rate of cooling in the rotor of a<br />
brake disc system but few studies had been undertaken in the field of brake pad cooling. Therefore the report decided to investigate several theoretical ways<br />
that a brake pad could increase its cooling rate.<br />
Theoretical model<br />
An explicit mathematical theoretical model was produced for the investigation to aid in the<br />
design of new brake pads. The theoretical model was used to determine the cooling rate of<br />
the original brake pad design and then to help produce two new brake pad designs and then<br />
model their cooling rate. The theoretical model used was a nodal analysis model where the<br />
heat flux passing into each of the nodes was determined over a discrete time step.<br />
Experiments that were carried out<br />
The report carried out several experiments. The first experiment which was carried out was to<br />
determine experimentally the thermal conductivity of the brake pad material as this value is not<br />
released by manufactures . This value could then be used to accurately model the cooling rate of the<br />
brake pads. The report then measured experimentally the cooling rate of the three designs by<br />
heating the brake pads to a known temperature and then filming them cool using a thermal imaging<br />
camera. The results of which can be seen in the figure in the center of the page. The report then<br />
carried out wear testing using an experimental rig.<br />
Discussion of results<br />
The three different brake pad designs had the same cooling rate<br />
experimentally, this was a surprise as theoretically the different designs had a<br />
different cooling rates.<br />
The wear experimentation that was carried out showed that the brake pads<br />
designed by the report failed to handle the shear stress that was present<br />
during the braking procedure and the therefore the designs were not valid.<br />
Figure to the left: Shows a design 1 brake pad cooling in<br />
1 minute intervals, and the representative thermal key.<br />
The maximum temperature in each image is notated with<br />
a red triangle.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been carried out to<br />
determine the cooling rate of current brake<br />
pad designs and to produce two new<br />
innovative designs which have a n improved<br />
cooling rate<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To design a new bicycle brake pad with an<br />
improved cooling rate compared to the<br />
current brake pads on the market<br />
• To determine the validity of these designs<br />
• To determine the wear characteristics of<br />
the brake pads<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The report concluded that the brake pads that were<br />
produced with the new innovative designs. Did not<br />
perform better than the original brake pad design on<br />
which they were based. This was due to a number of<br />
factors, one of these factors was the air flowing over<br />
the brake pads not passing through the ventilation<br />
holes f the brake pad.<br />
The brake pads that were produced also failed to<br />
perform as well in the wear testing that was carried<br />
out when compared to the original brake pads. This<br />
was due to the added stress concentration’s that were<br />
placed through the friction material in the form of<br />
ventilation holes.
David Nason<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Optimisation of a Microfluidic Flat-Plate Thermal Solar Collector Design<br />
Through Computational Fluid Dynamics Analyses<br />
Introduction<br />
This investigation follows on from an<br />
investigation into combining solar energy<br />
enhancing techniques with microfluidics.<br />
After producing several potential designs<br />
incorporating microfluidics with both<br />
thermal solar collectors and photovoltaic<br />
solar panels, it was decided that the best<br />
course of action was to use a design for<br />
thermal solar collector.<br />
The selected design then needed to be<br />
optimised in order to give the collector<br />
maximum efficiency capabilities.<br />
Design<br />
The design that was analyzed was the<br />
simple replacement of 10mm risers in a<br />
thermal solar collector, with layers of<br />
copper containing thousands of<br />
microchannels. The idea behind this is that<br />
the fluid in the centre of the risers would<br />
be cooler than that at the heated pipe wall.<br />
This system provides the heat to be spread<br />
to all parts of the fluid. This idea eventually<br />
led to the deduction that an effective way<br />
to increase collector efficiency was to<br />
minimize the difference in temperature<br />
between the average collector temperature<br />
and the fluid inlet temperature.<br />
Testing<br />
Computational fluid dynamics tests were<br />
completed in order to test various<br />
configurations of collector to establish<br />
which provided the most optimal results.<br />
Results<br />
The simulations proved that the optimal<br />
configuration uses two layers of<br />
microchannels with dimensions 0.29 x<br />
0.145mm. This configuration showed<br />
improved results of reduced heat loss in<br />
comparison to results of the test<br />
performed on a conventional solar<br />
collector design. The implications for this<br />
configuration show a profound potential<br />
for the reduction of heat losses in a<br />
thermal solar system, which would lead to<br />
an increase in conventional solar collector<br />
efficiency. For all collector plate fluid<br />
temperatures that this system could be<br />
exposed to, there is a fixed temperature<br />
difference between that fluid temperature<br />
and the adjacent collector plate<br />
temperature.<br />
Heat maps were found for various<br />
configurations from the CFD tests<br />
Above is a heat map for the optimal design<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation has been performed with the aim<br />
of c of completing an optimised design of the<br />
absorber within a glazed flat-plate thermal solar<br />
collector incorporating microfluidics that would aid<br />
the efficiency of the collector.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives of this investigation were to:<br />
•Perform an in-depth analysis of heat losses that occur in<br />
conventional thermal solar collectors<br />
•Analyse in detail all the variable properties of the design<br />
•Perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses on<br />
various configurations of the design.<br />
•Analyse all results and compare to results from<br />
conventional collector testing.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The investigation has been successful, in that the<br />
main aim of the study was to complete an optimized<br />
design of the absorber within a glazed flat-plate<br />
thermal solar collector incorporating microfluidics<br />
that would aid the efficiency of the collector.<br />
Heat map for a conventional configuration of thermal solar<br />
collector
David Dobinson<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Rachel Szadziewska<br />
Optimisation of the Airflow Characteristics within Bike Radiators<br />
Simulation of Simplified Model<br />
A simplified model was generated<br />
through the application of numerical<br />
solutions. Once simulated through CFD<br />
visualisations displayed the pressure<br />
and velocity recorded. The velocity<br />
visualisation displays an approaching<br />
velocity of 30m/s resembling the<br />
motorcycle travelling at 60mph. From<br />
the simplified model results it could be<br />
seen that due to the pressure drop an<br />
increase in velocity is increased<br />
through the fin passages. A small<br />
boundary layer is also displayed<br />
particularly on the bottom of the fin<br />
passages which reduced the heat<br />
transfer efficiency. Research suggests<br />
that if an increase in velocity is<br />
obtained through the fins an increase<br />
will be achieved within the heat<br />
transfer dissipation rate.<br />
Final Radiator Design<br />
Through the investigation many<br />
features and geometry structures<br />
were tested leading up to the final<br />
design. From the visualisations<br />
displayed an increase in velocity<br />
through the fin passages has been<br />
achieved. The radiators structure<br />
was adapted with the addition of a<br />
change to the overall geometry,<br />
converging fin passages, stagnation<br />
point reduction and a nozzle<br />
feature. Through the investigation<br />
it was leant that by increasing the<br />
pressure drop from the inlet and<br />
outlet of the fin passages the a<br />
higher velocity is obtained. The<br />
graphs below display the average<br />
velocity and pressure recorded<br />
compared against the basic<br />
radiator model. From the graphs a<br />
velocity increase of 7m/s has been<br />
induced within the radiator due to<br />
the new design features being<br />
applied.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been undertaken into the<br />
optimisation of the airflow characteristics through a<br />
motorcycle radiator. An understanding into how<br />
airflow is controlled and the desired characteristics<br />
has allowed for the development of a radiators design<br />
for sufficient heat transfer. Efficient heat transfer can<br />
be achieved through the application of exterior<br />
features but due to a motorcycles space and weight<br />
restrictions within the frame, exterior features are<br />
undesirable. An investigation has been undertaken<br />
into how the radiators geometry can be adapted<br />
within its interior structure for the optimisation of the<br />
airflow.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The project shall investigate into the behaviour of<br />
airflow characteristics within a radiator system. This<br />
shall provide an understanding into how airflow is<br />
controlled and the desired characteristics required for<br />
sufficient heat transfer through a wall surface. This<br />
will enable the geometry conditions for controlling<br />
airflow being applied to innovative designs for<br />
experimental testing. Current developments within<br />
the manufacturing industry shall provide in-depth<br />
knowledge into the possibilities of manufacturing<br />
complex designs for the development of future<br />
radiator systems.<br />
0.1<br />
50<br />
45<br />
40<br />
35<br />
30<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
0.05 0 -0.05<br />
Length (m)<br />
-0.1<br />
Velocity (m/s)<br />
800<br />
600<br />
400<br />
200<br />
0<br />
0<br />
-200<br />
-400<br />
-600<br />
-800<br />
Length (m)<br />
-0.1<br />
Pressure (Pa)<br />
Basic<br />
Model<br />
Second<br />
Final<br />
Design<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Computer aided software enabled the numerical<br />
approach for analysing airflow behaviour through an<br />
array of different innovative designs collecting data<br />
through visualisations and graphs. The innovative<br />
designs were based from research investigating the<br />
main features inducing different airflow behaviours<br />
along with manufacturing processes available for<br />
producing complex designs. The research was taken<br />
forward and through airflow management an<br />
increased performance within a simplified radiator<br />
system was achieved.
Benjamin Williams<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Melvyn Smith<br />
Computer Vision For Scoliosis Diagnosis<br />
The Condion<br />
Scoliosis is the curvature of the spine. The condion<br />
comes in different forms. Angle, posion of curve, and<br />
rotaon can also be present.<br />
The diagnosis begins with an observaonal analysis where<br />
the contours of the persons back are idenfied for abnormalies.<br />
Abnormalies that suggest the presence of scoliosis<br />
would be as shown boom right.<br />
The severity may be judged by the Cobb method of measuring<br />
the angle of the curve. This is conducted by the<br />
measurement of an x-ray.<br />
The key requirements in the diagnosis of the condion<br />
are a means to understand the chances of development<br />
of the condion as well as classifying the condion at its<br />
current state.<br />
Children are most likely to have a progression of the condion<br />
as it oen progresses more so during growth. The<br />
use of the Risser sign is a good indicaon of the skeletal<br />
maturity and as it esmates growth rate.<br />
Summary of Current Situaon<br />
Variety of condion and mulple methods of diagnosis<br />
leads to complexity in decisions for forward<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
movement with regards to its treatment<br />
Likelihood of over-referrals to specialists.<br />
Time taken up not just by over referral but by con-<br />
nuous check ups<br />
Too many people who have the condion and it<br />
goes undetected<br />
Constant checkups especially for children<br />
Restricon in diagnoses<br />
Requirements<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Capable of performing mulple diagnosis methods<br />
on a paent at one me including severity and likelihood<br />
of developing<br />
Be quick to diagnose, efficient and cheap.<br />
Require no training<br />
Increase awareness, especially to children<br />
Means of transferring it to be used at home<br />
Summary of Findings<br />
Method Advantages Disadvantages<br />
Kinect Easy computaon as greyscale<br />
Proof of use of human<br />
tracking<br />
Unaffected by light<br />
Effecve depth measure<br />
and at appropriate distance<br />
Stereo<br />
Vision<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Use of certain algorithms<br />
can lower computaon<br />
Able to use matlab to produce<br />
algorithms which is<br />
simple to learn and use<br />
Some stereo cameras capable<br />
of creang image<br />
Camera Cheap<br />
Camera easy to use<br />
Available soware<br />
Good calibraon of images<br />
Further scope<br />
Using this at home to measure the progression of a pa-<br />
ents spine possibly through use of a game for use with<br />
the Kinect.<br />
The Kinects great tracking power could also be used in<br />
order to produce a means of physiotherapy to help with<br />
related back pain.<br />
This could be used not just for scoliosis but with the consideraon<br />
of any physiotherapy exercise a person could<br />
be tested by such a game or device which will help them<br />
perform them most efficiently.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Soware relies upon computer<br />
operang system<br />
Difficulty in geng correct<br />
soware<br />
Wire when used<br />
Difficulty dealing with occlusions<br />
Unable to use if with sunlight<br />
or shadow<br />
More room for error with<br />
back being of consistent<br />
colour and not much varia-<br />
on of geometry<br />
Difficult to take photographs<br />
from same distance<br />
away<br />
Many images need to be<br />
taken<br />
Time to complete procedure<br />
long<br />
Project Summary<br />
The study explores the jusficaons for implemenng<br />
a means of scoliosis for the development<br />
and improved diagnosis of scoliosis.<br />
The invesgaon compares the types of<br />
computer vision which could be used based<br />
on the requirements and feasibility of each<br />
one.<br />
Project Objecves<br />
The objecve of this study is to idenfy the<br />
best imaging system as an early stage of<br />
screening for such condions as scoliosis.<br />
Areas of invesgaon have been, looking<br />
into the condion, understanding what it is<br />
and how current methods of its diagnosis<br />
can be developed. This provides grounds to<br />
base the rest of the study on which is looking<br />
into three possibilies of computer vision<br />
techniques; The Kinect, Stereo Vision<br />
and Soware aided photography.<br />
Project Conclusions<br />
Each method has their advantages and disadvantages<br />
if applied to screening scoliosis.<br />
There is feasibility in the use of computer<br />
vision as a way of screening although there<br />
would be no suggeson that it would completely<br />
replace radiographs.<br />
There appears to be feasibility in the classificaon<br />
and therefore diagnoses of all methods.<br />
There is a wide scope for further development<br />
of computer vision, mainly Kinect it<br />
would appear for physical exercise tracking<br />
and self monitoring.
Nick Macey<br />
Mechanical engineering<br />
Project supervisor<br />
John Kamalu<br />
Increasing the durability of resin based handholds<br />
used on artificial climbing walls<br />
Current climbing holds are mainly<br />
constructed out of a polyurethane resin,<br />
which is fairly durable, but tends to<br />
become increasingly brittle with age<br />
which can lead to chipping or cracking.<br />
Lack of ductility will lead to sudden failure<br />
especially when being fastened to uneven<br />
surfaces. Larger holds are often hollowed<br />
out to reduce their weight, though this<br />
can lead to reduced tensile and<br />
compressive strength, increasing<br />
instances of failure.<br />
Establishing failure parameters<br />
Poor handling:. Dropping of holds and<br />
loose storage can cause fractures It can<br />
also result in chipping; sharp edges left on<br />
chipped handholds can be dangerous as<br />
potential harm to the climbers is a high<br />
possibility.<br />
Over tightening holds when reattaching<br />
holds to the wall. This can cause an<br />
internal fracture, which can cause failure<br />
during use<br />
Surface smoothing, brand new climbing<br />
holds have a surface finish similar to<br />
sandpaper, prolonged use of handholds<br />
will result in the multitudes of hands and<br />
shoes wearing away the high friction<br />
surface, leaving behind a smooth and<br />
slippery handhold<br />
Testing Samples<br />
Samples of polyurethane were tested to destruction<br />
Stress vs 20strain of all 4 Samples<br />
Stress (Mpa)<br />
15<br />
10<br />
Sample 1<br />
5<br />
Sample 2<br />
0<br />
Sample 3<br />
-0.002 0 0.002 0.004 0.006 Sample 0.0084<br />
-5<br />
Strain<br />
Prototype handholds were created and simulations<br />
Project Summery<br />
The aim of this project is to investigate<br />
the properties of current climbing<br />
handholds and attempt to select a<br />
material and design that would create<br />
climbing holds with a longer life span<br />
without increasing the overall cost.<br />
Objectives<br />
1. To carry out an in-depth investigation<br />
of the problems currently associated with<br />
artificial climbing handholds.<br />
2. Carry out laboratory work to compare<br />
the strength and wear properties of<br />
current products and also establish failure<br />
parameters.<br />
3. Carry out computer simulation and<br />
prototype testing<br />
Conclusion<br />
Damage from climbing aids, mainly ice<br />
axes. Ice axes are highly destructive<br />
towards handholds causing chipping,<br />
scratches and sharp edges. Due to the<br />
short lifespan of holds used in this nature,<br />
Ice axe training is usually carries out on<br />
holds that have been retired<br />
Polyethylene Terephthalate (unfilled,<br />
semi-crystalline) is a viable replacement<br />
material for polyurethane, as it meets all<br />
the mechanical parameters set out in CES,<br />
is almost 3 times cheaper and due to its<br />
relatively low melting point compared to<br />
polyurethane, which does not have a<br />
liquid phase, Handholds can be recycled<br />
and recast.
Nathan Kohle<br />
BENG Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
“The Suitability of cooling R Block Lecture Theatre<br />
with an Underfloor Air Distribution (UFAD) System”<br />
Figure 1- Building Simulation Model<br />
• After modelling the building, the cooling<br />
load was found for the Lecture Theatre<br />
when it was occupied by a given number of<br />
people. This will be carried out by running a<br />
simulation within the ‘Apache’ model of IES.<br />
• After obtaining a value for the Lecture<br />
Theatre Cooling Load, a value for the UFAD<br />
system cooling load (See Figure 2) was<br />
found. This was carried out by running a<br />
simulation in ‘Apache’ that has been linked<br />
with ‘ApacheHVAC’; the module where the<br />
UFAD system is modelled.<br />
The first phase of the ‘practical’ side of the<br />
project was to model the building within<br />
IES-VE (See Figure 1). This is simulation<br />
software used to model the energy behavior<br />
of buildings.<br />
Figure 2- Schematic of UFAD System<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this investigation is to see if an<br />
Under Floor Air Distribution (UFAD) system<br />
could be utilised for cooling the R Block<br />
Lecture Theatre. This will be discovered by<br />
utilising building simulation software,<br />
Integrated Environmental Solutions -Virtual<br />
Environment (IESVE), to model and carry out<br />
simulations of the room’s energy<br />
consumption.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Develop a base knowledge of: the project<br />
background, HVAC systems and how UFAD<br />
systems function<br />
• Understanding of various modules of IES-<br />
VE software was required<br />
• Simulations calculating the cooling load of<br />
the Lecture Theatre were completed<br />
• A simulation was carried out to confirm<br />
the maximum cooling load of a UFAD<br />
system and whether it would be fit for use<br />
on the Lecture Theatre<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• The peak cooling load of the Lecture<br />
Theatre was 14.170 kW<br />
• The maximum cooling load of the UFAD<br />
• system is 16.23 kW<br />
• These figures stated prove that a UFAD<br />
system WILL work if installed in the<br />
Lecture Theatre
Yiap Mun Lu<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mr Patrick O’Flynn<br />
Zero Carbon Hospitality Pods: Solar Water Heating<br />
The evacuated tube collector offers a means of providing high<br />
temperature operation with high efficiency. Thermosyphon systems work<br />
because of natural convection. Water flows through the system when<br />
warm water rises because they are lighter as cooler water sinks due it<br />
being heavier. The collector must be installed below the storage tank so<br />
that warm water will rise into the tank. No pumps or motors are involved<br />
in these systems.<br />
The ultimate development of solar energy totally depends on how the technicality and<br />
scientific problems are approached and solved not to mention the economic and<br />
political aspect of it. 82% of the energy used in households is for space or water<br />
heating. Less than a third of all housing stock in Great Britain had central heating in<br />
1970. Thirty years later, the proportion had risen to 89%. Within the zero carbon<br />
hierarchy, minimum levels of energy efficiency for the building envelope will be<br />
required. At present Code level 6 requires a heat loss parameter of 0.8 W/m2 K to be<br />
achieved, which is comparable to the building fabric and airtightness requirement of<br />
the PassivHaus standard [10]. To achieve the current standard, excellent U-values for<br />
all of the fabric elements, levels of airtightness<br />
Project summary<br />
The UK government is committed to sustainable<br />
growth and the green agenda. This is demonstrated<br />
through various legally binding targets and standards,<br />
from which the Climate Change Act 2008 (CCA) is<br />
considered one of the most important. The Act<br />
mandates an 80% reduction in CO2 from the 1990<br />
levels, which are used as a baseline, by 2050[1]<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The ultimate aim of this investigation is to<br />
develop a zero carbon energy concept for<br />
water heating in hospitality pods. The<br />
investigation involves an in-depth study and<br />
analysis of the most common ways of solar<br />
water heating applications. The regulations<br />
for zero carbon buildings and the parameters<br />
also must be studied in order to present an<br />
acceptable concept. While considering<br />
hospitability pods, the proposed concept<br />
must be suitable for a temporary<br />
accommodation.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Thermosyphon phenomena combined with evacuated<br />
solar thermal collectors design has proven to be more<br />
efficient and appropriate for the problem.
MUHAMMAD HUSSAIN<br />
BENG MECHANICAL ENGINEERING<br />
Investigation and Feasibility of a PV-T Solar-Powered Absorption Cooling<br />
System with a Dehumidifying Wheel in Dubai; (UAE)<br />
Introduction<br />
The increase in electricity consumption particularly during summer because of the wide-ranging use of air-conditioning systems<br />
and the risk of global energy shortage augmented the attention of scientists towards solar energy in the recent years. There is<br />
13% increase of electricity consumption per capita in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 8275.67 kWh in 1992 to 9388.58<br />
kWh in 2011 (World Bank 2014). The annual global irradiance stated by GeoModel Solar Energy (2011) is 1800kWh/m 2 .<br />
Though, utilizing the solar energy to constrain cooling processes is very striking especially in Dubai, United Arab Emirates where<br />
the solar radiation is at its peak. The best way of using solar radiation is to convert it into thermal and electrical energy passing<br />
through Photovoltaic-thermal solar collector and use it to drive thermal cooling cycle that is Absorption cooling and a<br />
dehumidifying system. The passive cooling uses sources of renewable energy such as sun’s radiation in order to provide the<br />
cooling and other household needs for example lightning and ventilation.<br />
Results & Analysis<br />
The results achieved for the<br />
performance of absorption cooling<br />
system through mass and energy<br />
balance equations. The moisture load<br />
for dehumidification is calculated for a<br />
building. The absorbent used is Lithiumbromide<br />
(Li-Br) based on its case study<br />
while considering the control strategies<br />
to prevent crystallisation. All<br />
calculations and results were created<br />
on the basis of solar radiation in Dubai .<br />
Variables Values Units<br />
Qevaporator 325 kW<br />
Qgenerator 395.36 kW<br />
Qcondenser 351.6 kW<br />
Qabsorber 348.55 kW<br />
Heat exchanger solution 131.46 kW<br />
Pump work<br />
0.0095<br />
3 kW<br />
COP<br />
0.8220<br />
35613 -<br />
Area of PV-T solar collector 2179 m^2<br />
Power of the system 326.9 kWp<br />
Recovery period 7.98 years<br />
Efficiency/COP<br />
1.6<br />
1.4<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
0.8<br />
0.6<br />
0.4<br />
0.2<br />
0<br />
Thermal Regeneration Evaluation<br />
50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95<br />
Heating Water Setpoint (°C )<br />
Thermal COP<br />
Solar Fraction<br />
Regenerator<br />
Thermal COP<br />
Collector<br />
Efficiency<br />
Average Total<br />
Cooling<br />
Average Latent<br />
Cooling<br />
Final Designing Evaluation<br />
A detailed description of PV-T solar collector is retrieved with its drawbacks and solutions. The cooling energy is assumed as 325kW and all energy and mass<br />
equations of generator, absorber, evaporator and condenser are calculated on its basis. The area of a solar collector is obtained to be 2179m 2 and a PV phase<br />
power output of 326.9kWp. The energy at generator is achieved 395.36kW which resulted system’s Coefficient of Performance as 0.822. The heat source of Li-Br is<br />
reviewed at different temperatures and its problems are explained with a relevant solution. The cooling load is also calculated by assuming the size of building and<br />
using different strategies of shading factors to windows, walls and roof. The solar declination angle is 17.69° with a total cooling load 14.025kW and total<br />
dehumidified air is obtained to be 132.9m 3 /min. The internal concentration is also stated at different evaporator temperature which helps to classify the<br />
behaviour of a solution and its controlled limit. Also the evaluation of absorption cooling system with thermal regeneration is explained and concludes that<br />
increasing efficiency leads to the reduction in thermal COP and solar fraction but also increasing the average cooling load and regenerator thermal efficiency.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. ARUNA PALIPANA<br />
Project Aims<br />
To overview solar PV-T assisted absorption cooling<br />
system with a desiccant dehumidifying wheel in<br />
order to have a maximum cooling with minimum<br />
energy consumption.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To investigate and obtain results of energy<br />
transferring through Photovoltaic-thermal solar<br />
collector.<br />
• To analyze absorption cooling system in Dubai<br />
based on its results of performance assisted with a<br />
thermal phase of collector.<br />
• Obtain the moisture load and reduce the level of<br />
humiidity through desiccant dehumidifier assisted<br />
by a PV phase of solar collector.<br />
• Obtain the economic feasibility and pay-back<br />
period of a complete cooling & dehumidifying<br />
system.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The investigation and feasibility of a Solar PV-T<br />
Absorption Cooling system with a dehumidifying<br />
wheel conclude that this system is an environmental<br />
responsive operation ideology with zero energy<br />
consumption and a COP of 0.822 which is an effective<br />
value of a cooling system. The concept of PV-T solar<br />
collector can help generate two forms of energy<br />
through a single unit with a backup strategy of cooling<br />
even at night. The solar cooling system does require<br />
more space but the payback value makes it stronger<br />
and a valuable appliance. Overall, the system based<br />
on its results, theoretical research and final designing<br />
concept proves that it can be used practically at both<br />
small and large-scale. Therefore, it is practicable in<br />
Dubai; United Arab Emirates weather conditions and<br />
an intensive effort needs to be planned to publicise<br />
this green technology in market.
Kavishanth Sivanesarasa<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
The Efficiency of Temporary Settlements<br />
Another positive outcome of this investigation is<br />
that this refrigerator can also be used for medical<br />
use as well such as to store vaccines. In a case like<br />
Glastonbury Music Festival, keeping medical<br />
equipment and vaccines refrigerated is quite vital<br />
and hence with further study, this design would be<br />
beneficial to users in many ways.<br />
The ultimate aim is somehow achieved with the presentation of the 3D model of the<br />
Solar Absorption Refrigerator Concept. It has been sized down compared with the<br />
models which are very similar in the market. However, one of the desired goals was to<br />
calculate the sizes of each component involved in the absorption refrigeration cycle<br />
such as the condenser, absorber, pump and generator etc. This was not achieved but<br />
the sizes of the components were assumed as advised by the supervisor as the main<br />
focus is on making the system portable and energy efficient. Also the solar panel<br />
designed is also slightly larger compared with the refrigerator, however this still is an<br />
‘acceptable’ size for temporary applications. Since size was a primary concern in the<br />
aim of the project, with the 3D model it can be demonstrated that this goal is achieved<br />
with room for improvements.<br />
This project looks at how solar energy<br />
and solar radiation can be harvested to<br />
produce electricity and heat to power a<br />
refrigerating system that is to be used for<br />
Glastonbury Music festival which last for<br />
five days. Because of the invention of the<br />
renewable source into the system, the<br />
carbon emission is reduced hence<br />
environmental damage is reduced; the<br />
use of solar energy in the proposed<br />
system eliminates the need of a power<br />
grid system. This was part of the desired<br />
goal and is achieved.<br />
Project summary<br />
Investigation of energy efficient solar absorption<br />
system with the case of Glastonbury Music Festival<br />
Project Objectives<br />
This investigation includes analysis of solar<br />
collectors, in-depth study of vapour<br />
absorption refrigeration process and the<br />
components involved in the proposed design<br />
and analysis of efficiency of the proposed<br />
concept. A 3D model of the proposed design<br />
is also developed.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The ultimate aim is achieved with the presentation of<br />
the 3D model of the Solar Absorption Refrigerator<br />
Concept. It has been sized down compared with the<br />
models which are very similar in the market.
José Roberto Canuto Vasconcelos Junior<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
Design of a Modular Storage System for Aircraft Tires<br />
Rack system<br />
The whole system was modeled using computer aided design,<br />
including the wheels that would fit the system, this model was<br />
used later on in the FEA simulation of the system under the loads<br />
that the system would encounter when under operation, the rack<br />
was Designed using Solidworks.<br />
Python programing<br />
An python was created to assist in the traceability aspect of<br />
the system, the program would be used by the maintenance<br />
employees, helping in the inventory organization and tracking<br />
of the tyres. The program receives information about tires<br />
status and location when it is removed or stored in a rack,<br />
recording the tyre history as it is removed and stored in the<br />
system.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project consisted in the development of a storage<br />
system for aircraft tyres. The system includes an<br />
mechanism that rotate the tyres by the means of a<br />
wireless drill or by the means of a hand crank, the<br />
structure provides the tyres with protection against the<br />
storage ambient and also includes dedicated computer to<br />
provide the users of the hack the ability to record and<br />
track inventory.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
It was requested for our team to design a modular rack<br />
system to store aircraft wheels and tyres, it was the<br />
specified that the rack must be stackable and allow the<br />
storage of 4 tyres and include means of tracking and<br />
recording the history of each tyre.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
the outcome of the project was satisfactory, even under<br />
the time constrains the team was able coordinate to<br />
Design a system that successfully met the criteria<br />
specified, the next step would be to create a small scale<br />
prototype of the system including a working version of the<br />
tracking unit. Overall we believe that our solution to the<br />
problem is truly adequate and efficient<br />
FEA analysis<br />
The structure was tested in software under the<br />
load of the heaviest military aircraft wheels . And<br />
after testing a few truces designs the team was<br />
able to find an optimal structure for the problem
Jamie Bustin<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr John Kamalu<br />
Design and Analysis of a Composite American<br />
Football Helmet<br />
Introduction<br />
Concussions and head injuries are a primary<br />
concern in the sport of American Football<br />
[Langlois, Rutland-Brown & Wald, 2006]. Helmet<br />
advancements have focused on soft inner<br />
protection. Lighter helmet = safer sport [de<br />
Lench, B, 2013]. A composite comparison will be<br />
made due to their general strength-to-weight<br />
ratio advantage. Impact performance is a<br />
concern and will be investigated.<br />
Design<br />
Composites possess superior stiffness<br />
properties compared to current Polycarbonate<br />
Thermoplastics. CLA performed. Stiffness<br />
matrices identified for failure criteria. FEA<br />
designed. Section of helmet used to simplify<br />
node structure. Plate defined. Finest mesh<br />
possible of (n=10) – limited by ABAQUS Student Edition -<br />
used. Force calculated = 470MPa.<br />
Experiments<br />
Ball bearing impact simulated. Tsai-Wu & Tsai-<br />
Hill failure [Kolios & Proia, 2012] occurred in all<br />
composite samples. Polycarbonate<br />
Thermoplastic did not fail. Analysis done<br />
through ANSYS – ABAQUS.<br />
Figure 8.4: Tsai-Wu Failure<br />
Analysis<br />
Figure 8.19: Max Tensile<br />
Stress (Aramid)<br />
Figure 8.5: Max Tensile<br />
Stress (Polycarbonate)<br />
Composites not suitable as football helmet<br />
shell. More advanced hybrid composites show<br />
positive potential.<br />
Project Summary<br />
FEA Comparison of Composites to<br />
Polycarbonate in ballistic impact<br />
performance.<br />
Composite performance not adequate to<br />
make up for strength-to-weight advantages.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To identify composite laminate ballistic<br />
impact performance through FEA.<br />
To consider existing technology and consult<br />
current literature.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Composite weaker despite superior<br />
stiffness characteristics.<br />
Stress distribution key factor.<br />
Hybrid laminate potential.<br />
Figure 8.2: ABAQUS Section<br />
& Projectile<br />
Figure 8.42: Football Helmet<br />
Reference Geometry [CADBase,<br />
2014]
Mohd Raffy Fatlly<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Abdessalem Bouferrouk<br />
A generic overview of aircraft drag reduction<br />
Introduction<br />
Besides having a direct impact on aircraft performance,<br />
drag reduction has a spectrum of positive effects<br />
particularly on the economic viability and environment<br />
sustainability. To illustrate, it has been reported that<br />
fuel consumption contributes approximately 22% of<br />
the Direct Operating Cost (Rennaux, 2004). This means<br />
that even with minor reduction in drag, greatly from<br />
minor reduction in drag, large operational ranges could<br />
be achieved.<br />
Apart from having positive impact on economy, drag<br />
reduction also means low emission of carbon dioxide.<br />
Thus, it is important to realise that the survivability of<br />
future civil aviation would be greatly dependant on the<br />
effort done to sustain the environment in the present.<br />
Theory<br />
Types of drag and its drag contributions<br />
Comparisons of Wing-Tip Devices and Wing-Tip Extensions<br />
Based on the data obtained from a study conducted by Whitcomb (1977), the results<br />
indicate that winglets have better performance as compared to tip extensions. However,<br />
it was only the case with short tip extensions. Quoted from the experimental work done<br />
in 1983, 12% increase in aspect ratio is required in order to decrease the drag by 5%.<br />
Henceforth, this indicates that for the same amount of drag reduction, winglets would<br />
be the best option as winglets would have a smaller and lighter chord than the wing tip.<br />
Project summary<br />
A considerable amount of studies have been carried<br />
out over the past decades concerning the reduction<br />
of aerodynamic drag on civil aircraft<br />
In the context of subsonic flow under cruise<br />
conditions, skin friction account approximately a half<br />
of the total drag while vortex drag contributes about<br />
one third of the total drag<br />
The paper will present a generic overview on the<br />
various concepts of parasitic drag and lift-induced<br />
drag on civil aircraft. A brief summary of each method<br />
will be given and their pros and cons will be discussed<br />
from fluid mechanics points of view.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The primary objective for this paper to provide a<br />
generic overview on the approaches that have been<br />
proposed to reduce aerodynamic drag particularly on<br />
parasitic drag and lift-induced drag. Furthermore, this<br />
study aims to present the historical background of<br />
each method. Different challenges of each method<br />
will be analysed and comparison of their<br />
performance will be evaluated.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It is apparent that two methods have shown great<br />
results in reducing skin friction drag; Hybrid laminar<br />
flow control (HLFC) and riblets have produces a<br />
satisfying level or drag reduction in certain<br />
applications. The use of riblets reduce 2% of drag<br />
while HLFC reduce drag approximately 10%<br />
It can be concluded that Hybrid laminar flow control<br />
is the most promising technique in reducing skin<br />
friction drag. On the other hand, the best approach<br />
to reduce lift-induced drag is by employing wing-tip<br />
devices with (2%) drag reduction. From previous<br />
comparisons, it has been determine that winglets<br />
would be the best option as compared to other<br />
devices.
Bader Altamimi<br />
BEng (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Mokhtar Nibouche<br />
Harvesting The Mechanical Energy Of Exercise Machines<br />
Gears specifications:<br />
To double the speed at the output, a gear box designed<br />
specifically for this purpose.<br />
Serial No Pitch circle<br />
Da<br />
Number of<br />
teeth<br />
Module Pressure<br />
Angle<br />
Gear 1 128 32 4 20<br />
Gear 2 96 24 4 20<br />
Gear 3 96 24 4 20<br />
Gear 4 204 36 4 20<br />
Gear 5 204 36 4 20<br />
Gear 6 96 24 4 20<br />
Gear 7 96 24 4 20<br />
Gear 8 64 16 4 20<br />
Solid works Simulation On Gears<br />
The results of the simulation shows the maximum stress<br />
effect on the design and it’s lower than the yield stress ,<br />
with a factor of safety 21.89.<br />
Simulink<br />
In order to evaluate the concept of person powered the power<br />
generation using gym equipment like a treadmill, an investigation is<br />
required to determine the feasibility of the project. The figures shows<br />
the efficient of the output power depending on different operation<br />
speed.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project is about using one type of renewable energy sources to<br />
produce electrical energy. Energy produced from the movement of<br />
persons over a treadmill machine which is a mechanical energy and<br />
was converted into an electrical energy by using a generator. The<br />
generated electrical energy was then used to power other<br />
electrical systems within the sport clubs.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aims of this project is to investigate the validity of converting<br />
the waste mechanical energy produces by trainer’s movement on<br />
exercise machines in sport clubs into electrical energy through<br />
using an electrical generator and then using this energy to run<br />
other electrical devices. This can be achieved through<br />
implementing the following objectives:<br />
- Illustrate some of the human made energy sources like<br />
mechanical energy from exercise machines.<br />
- Take the Treadmill as a case study and measure the produced<br />
energy from it.<br />
- Perform a mathematical analysis for the energy convergence.<br />
- Prepared a PDS to identify the treadmill specifications, material,<br />
dimensions and components<br />
- Develop a CAD model for the treadmill specially the mechanical<br />
energy harvesting system.<br />
- Discuss the obtained results to check its validity.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Mechanical energy from treadmill was successfully converted into<br />
electricity using an electromagnetic dynamo generator along<br />
coupled with the gear box that elevates the input rotational speed<br />
of the treadmill shaft. The final electrical circuit delivering power to<br />
a heavy duty battery was found to be 300 Watt at its peak.<br />
Furthermore, analysis was done on different mechanical parts used<br />
in the energy harvesting system and factor of safety of those<br />
elements were found.<br />
Some of the items which could be run with<br />
this kind of electricity are:<br />
Electronic Item<br />
Noise Cancelling Headphones 0.1<br />
Fluorescent Bulb 13<br />
Laptop computer 50<br />
Power needed to run from treadmill<br />
(Watt)<br />
Microwave oven 750 – 1100
Overview of Four Wheel Steering:<br />
Adam Green<br />
Beng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The concept of Four Wheel Steering (FWS) is a<br />
chassis control method that was first considered for<br />
mass production in the mid-1980’s by some<br />
Japanese manufacturers. The systems did not last<br />
long in production and were discontinued in<br />
production vehicles until Porsche reintroduced the<br />
ability to steer the rear wheels In their high-end<br />
performance cars. Considering the purpose of these<br />
cars is to be fast it makes sense that there is an<br />
advantage to be gained in performance by using<br />
FWS. Therefore the purpose of this project is to<br />
investigate to what extent the advantages are to be<br />
gained from using FWS for a performance vehicle.<br />
Vehicle Equations of Motion:<br />
Using the bicycle vehicle model the equations of<br />
motion are deduced from Newton’s second law of<br />
motion and the manipulation of simple laws of<br />
geometry. The equations are rewritten using state<br />
space form to allow them to be modelled more<br />
efficiently in Simulink. The inputs to the equations<br />
are front and rear wheel steering angle, and the<br />
outputs are lateral velocity and yaw rate.<br />
Rear Wheel Steering Control Strategies:<br />
Proportional FWS - Steering the rear wheels as a<br />
constant function of the front wheels<br />
FWS with Feedback Control - Steering the rear<br />
wheels in order to achieve a desired yaw rate value.<br />
FWS with Rear Advance - Steering the rear<br />
wheels out of phase at the beginning of turn in,<br />
followed by in phase instantaneously afterwards.<br />
Four Wheel Steering for Performance Vehicles<br />
Vehicle Modelling & Simulation:<br />
An improved response is defined as less yaw<br />
oscillation, decreased time to steady state, less yaw<br />
overshoot and greater lateral acceleration. If the<br />
use of FWS depicts any of these desired<br />
characteristics, then an advantage can be seen from<br />
using FWS.<br />
Vehicle model<br />
Simulink vehicle model<br />
Simulation Results:<br />
Proportional FWS – TWS Yaw Rate Comparison<br />
FWS with Feedback Control Simulink Vehicle<br />
Model<br />
FWS with Feedback Control – TWS Yaw Rate<br />
Comparison<br />
It is seen on the graph that FWS with Feedback<br />
Control shows decreased settling time, less yaw<br />
rate oscillation and less yaw rate overshoot. This<br />
shows greater vehicle stability through a corner<br />
when compared to TWS. Therefore an improved<br />
vehicle response has been achieved through use of<br />
FWS.<br />
Global Displacement Vehicle Path Modelling:<br />
What can be seen from the S-bend turn modelled<br />
is that FWS adheres to the desired vehicle path<br />
more effectively than TWS. This provides further<br />
evidence for the lower stability of a vehicle using<br />
TWS compared to FWS and thus provides further<br />
evidence for the advantages that are gained from<br />
using FWS in a performance vehicle.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Benjamin Drew<br />
Project summary<br />
The project investigates ways of how to improve a<br />
performance/motorsport vehicle’s handling<br />
performance through the use of FWS. Vehicle<br />
response to different rear axle steering control<br />
strategies shall be modelled using Simulink<br />
simulation software and the results shall be compared<br />
to that of a TWS vehicle. The potential benefits that<br />
can be seen from using an integrated chassis control<br />
system are discussed and analysed. Conclusions based<br />
on the simulation results were used to conclude to<br />
what extent FWS has a positive impact on vehicle<br />
response.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Develop an understanding of what FWS is and<br />
how FWS has been used in the past<br />
• Produce a Dynamic vehicle model with FWS using<br />
Simulink simulation software.<br />
• Investigate different rear axle control strategies and<br />
their effects on vehicle system response<br />
• Compare lateral velocity, lateral acceleration and<br />
yaw rate system responses to conventional TWS<br />
• Plot TWS, FWS and desired vehicle paths using<br />
global positioning coordinates<br />
• Analyze the results to deduce if an improved<br />
response has been achieved through the use of<br />
FWS<br />
• Conclude to what extent FWS has effected the<br />
vehicle response and if an improved response has<br />
been achieved.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The results achieved in the investigation were that in<br />
theory there are significant advantages to be gained<br />
for a performance/motorsports vehicle using FWS.<br />
This was shown through the improved response to<br />
yaw rate oscillations, time taken and stability through<br />
transient conditions shown both on the yaw rate<br />
graphs and vehicle path plots. However the results are<br />
bound by the simplicity of the vehicle model used in<br />
the investigation. Introducing further degrees of<br />
freedom to the vehicle model is predicted to further<br />
improve vehicle response.
Vinicius da Silva Duarte<br />
Beng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong> Project of a storage rack for Military Aircraft Tyres<br />
Background<br />
Despite the exponential global aviation growth,<br />
most of the tires are not stored following the<br />
manufacturer recommendations what causes an<br />
increase in the maintenance and decrease of the<br />
tires life.<br />
This project investigates the improvements that<br />
can be made in the current way the tires are<br />
stored by designing a whole new rack that address<br />
some of the problems the tires can face while<br />
stored.<br />
Improvements were made like introducing a<br />
rotating system, therefore the tires will not suffer<br />
distortions caused by the tire weight on long term<br />
storages and blocking most of the ultraviolet light<br />
that could hit the tire by adding metal sheet on<br />
the rack sides. As important as protect the tires<br />
from the environment is to track when they<br />
arrived, when they were removed and their status,<br />
therefore a traceability system was implemented.<br />
Design<br />
One of the main concerns was about the tire<br />
storage is the deformation that can occur when<br />
they are stored for a long time. To solve that<br />
question a pulley system was designed , the<br />
responsible for the maintenance can turn the<br />
crank and all the tires will rotate or he can take off<br />
the screw that transmit the crank movement and<br />
fit a drill or electric screwdriver into a hexagonal<br />
hole to rotate the tires.<br />
For this project other small parts had to be chosen<br />
and several calculations were made in order to<br />
choose the most appropriate products, for example<br />
the bearings that will make sure the roller run<br />
smoothly. They were decided after calculations of the<br />
reliability it would offer, the load factor it would carry<br />
and the rating life they would have. The chosen<br />
bearing dimensions can be seen below.<br />
Simulation<br />
Various designs were tested in order to ensure that<br />
the rack would be able to carry the weight of another<br />
2 racks full of the heaviest tires on top of it. The<br />
following image is the final design distortion<br />
simulation and the result was a 0.382 mm distortion,<br />
almost 10 times better than the first design<br />
simulation that resulted in a 3.6 mm distortion.<br />
Traceability<br />
To help the documentation and tracking of the<br />
tires a computer program was created, it would be<br />
utilized by employees who are responsible for the<br />
maintenance and storage of the tires, helping to<br />
keep the storage organized. The program would<br />
receive information about the condition and<br />
location of the tires every time they are removed<br />
our stored in one of the racks and this way<br />
creating a tire database and history like shown<br />
below.<br />
Final Design<br />
After several simulations and calculations was<br />
possible to come with a final product that can be<br />
seen in the following image.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project consist in a design of a new storage rack<br />
for tires that would allow them to be easily rotated<br />
to avoid distortions that can be caused in long term<br />
storages due to the high weight of a tire and wheel<br />
assembly. It also include a tracking system for the tires<br />
using a portable computer to create a database for the<br />
tires, that would help the management and care of several<br />
tires in a storage.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Project a storage rack that allow tires to be<br />
rotated easily<br />
• Implement a tracking system to the rack<br />
• Address most of the requirements present in the<br />
manufacturers maintenance and care manual<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A very innovative traceability system was<br />
implemented and the designed rack protect the tires<br />
from most of the degrading chemicals and agents<br />
that can be present in a storage.<br />
The rack can hold four tires and can have two other<br />
racks on top of it what make it very space efficient.<br />
The problem about the tire distortion was solved by<br />
implementing a manual and semi-automatic method<br />
for rotating all the tires.<br />
The ultraviolet light degradation and contact with<br />
degrading chemicals as hydraulic fluids, fuels and<br />
other solvents was addressed by adding metal sheets<br />
around the sides of the rack.<br />
The final product offer a lot of innovations and<br />
protect the tires more than other similar projects, if<br />
released in the market it would be a competitive<br />
product
Stress (Pa)<br />
Stress (Pa)<br />
Tom Leggett<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Design of a Prosthetic Ankle using Composite Materials<br />
Design Stage 1 – Basic shape and dimensions<br />
This design allowed flexibility in achieving the<br />
defined requirements of the prosthetic ankle. The<br />
main benefit is that there is no complicated pivot<br />
mechanism required to achieve dorsiflexion and<br />
plantar flexion. The curved shape acts as both a<br />
spring and a pivot for energy return and imitation<br />
of ankle mechanics.<br />
Design Stage 2 – Angles and Radii<br />
The basic design has been created, with some<br />
dimensions being constant and others being the<br />
variable. The table below indicated which<br />
dimensions are which:<br />
Constant Dimension<br />
Top Section Length (70mm)<br />
Variable Dimension<br />
Radius of Curve (r)<br />
Bottom Section Length (80mm) Angle of Top Section (θ 1 )<br />
Thickness (3.75mm) Angle of Bottom Section (θ 2 )<br />
Width (80mm)<br />
7.00E+06<br />
6.00E+06<br />
5.00E+06<br />
4.00E+06<br />
3.00E+06<br />
2.00E+06<br />
1.00E+06<br />
0.00E+00<br />
Outside Centreline Stress - Varying r<br />
a45b10r20 a45b10r30 a45b10r35<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250<br />
True Distance Along Path<br />
Design Stage 2 – Results<br />
35° produced less<br />
variation between the<br />
two peaks as well as a<br />
lower maximum value<br />
of 4.6 MPa. An angle of<br />
0° for the lower section<br />
would make it parallel<br />
to the floor<br />
encouraging flat foot to<br />
occur. It was therefore<br />
decided that an angle<br />
of 5° for θ 2 would be<br />
chosen for design stage<br />
2. It was found that the<br />
bending machine could<br />
only bend to a<br />
minimum diameter of<br />
50mm Therefore 25mm<br />
radius was chosen<br />
Design Stage 3 – Composite Layups<br />
Epoxy resin and E-glass were the chosen matrix<br />
and reinforcement for layup testing. 7 layups were<br />
tested with the aim of achieving stresses close as<br />
possible to that of the project objective.<br />
[0 5 /90 2 /90/90 2 /0 5 ] Layup 7 had a slightly lower<br />
stress over the load area due to the increase of 0°<br />
plies, but a much higher stress on the outside and<br />
inside centreline. The peak values were 3.05 MPa<br />
and 3.1 MPa for the outside and inside<br />
respectively. The stresses along the edges<br />
exhibited the same results but with a higher peak<br />
stress of 3.45 MPa for both the inside and outside.<br />
The outside centreline and edge strains mimicked<br />
the previous graph shapes but with a doubled<br />
peak value of 0.95E-03. The increased flexibility of<br />
layup 7 is summarised by the massive increase in<br />
deflection to 4.2mm under loading. The final<br />
results of layup 7 provide a successful design.<br />
4.00E+06<br />
3.50E+06<br />
3.00E+06<br />
2.50E+06<br />
2.00E+06<br />
1.50E+06<br />
1.00E+06<br />
5.00E+05<br />
0.00E+00<br />
Stress for Varying Layups - Outside Edge<br />
[0/0/0/45/-45/45/-45][0][-45/45/-45/45/0/0/0]<br />
[0/90/0/45/-45/0/0][0][0/0/-45/45/0/90/0]<br />
[0/0/0/0/0/90/90][90][90/90/0/0/0/0/0]<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250<br />
True Distance Along Path (mm)<br />
Final Product Manufacture and Testing<br />
The inside edge clearly shows signs of the fibres<br />
buckling, especially on the outside face of the<br />
laminate. The simulations and these results agree<br />
that the maximum compression occurs at the<br />
bottom of the curved section, at half way along<br />
the entire length of the model.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Ruth Jones<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation into the design of a prosthetic ankle<br />
using composite materials to mimic the<br />
characteristics of a normal human was undertaken.<br />
The minimum load and maximum stress experienced<br />
by a normal ankle was found from literature. Current<br />
designs of prosthetic feet were used to create an<br />
initial model on Abaqus, a finite element analysis<br />
software. The best design was chosen and then<br />
manufactured in the University West of England<br />
laboratory. The simulation results were then verified<br />
by testing the completed composite ankle model in a<br />
compression test. The model withstood the minimum<br />
load and hence verified the design of the ankle. The<br />
design is not the complete solution for a prosthetic<br />
foot, but provided a basis by which the other<br />
components of the foot can be designed around.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Design a prosthetic ankle capable of supporting the<br />
weight of an average human during a normal walking<br />
gait cycle, whilst replicating the stress of a normal<br />
ankle joint.<br />
• Minimum load 3500N<br />
• Maximum stress 3.464 MPa<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The modelling on Abaqus found the best angles for θ 1<br />
and θ 2 were 35° and 5° respectively. Both were found<br />
to have the lowest peak stress and less variation<br />
between the two peaks on the top and bottom of the<br />
curved section. A smaller radius provided less stress<br />
and strain, but due to manufacturing limitations a<br />
radius of 25mm was selected. A layup of<br />
[0 5 /90 2 /90/90 2 /0 5 ] was the final orientation chosen,<br />
as it gave a maximum stress value of 3.45 MPa,<br />
extremely close to that defined in the specification.<br />
The final model testing was a simplistic compression<br />
test, but it proved successful. The ankle passed the<br />
minimum load requirement of 3500N and began to<br />
show signs of failure at 4700N. The difference<br />
between the simulation and the real world test<br />
highlighted issues with the model simplification, but<br />
despite this a successful product was made that met<br />
the specification and aims of the investigation.
Thomas Gabriel<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mike Ackerman<br />
To Assess and Compare Mechanical Presses and Hydraulic Presses<br />
Introduction<br />
Aquaponics is a relatively new farming method<br />
that utilises nutrient rich fish waste water to fuel<br />
the growth of crops. The nutrient fish water is<br />
pumped up from a fish tank to a header tank full<br />
of a porous medium that acts as an anchorage<br />
point for the roots of the crops on the surface<br />
above. The nutrients within the waste water are<br />
absorbed by the nitrifying bacteria on the base of<br />
the roots, resulting in the cleansing of the waste<br />
water and the uptake of nutrients into the crop<br />
roots.<br />
Currently the construction of a functioning autosiphon<br />
involves a trial and error method so that a<br />
30 minute siphon trigger time is achieved. This<br />
process can be time and labour intensive, reducing<br />
the accessibility of Aquaponics to new,<br />
inexperienced practitioners.<br />
As a result, it would be beneficial if a<br />
mathematical model could be constructed that<br />
could take system input parameters, such as<br />
geometry of the grow bed, volumetric inlet of fish<br />
wastewater and maximum root depth and<br />
produce the required geometry for a specific<br />
siphon design.<br />
The first step to the construction of such a model<br />
would be to determine the pressure drop of a<br />
liquid-gas fluid flow within a small siphon driven<br />
drainage system.<br />
Aims of invesitgation<br />
The aims of the investigation are as follows:<br />
-Construct a Mathematical Model that accurately<br />
predicts the total pressure drop experienced by<br />
the an auto-priming siphon system.<br />
-Design and Test a prototype of the chosen autopriming<br />
siphon.<br />
-Predict the Flow Regimes present throughout all<br />
stages of the siphon cycle and at what point they<br />
move from one regime to another.<br />
Test Setup<br />
Pressure (Pa)<br />
1800<br />
1600<br />
1400<br />
1200<br />
1000<br />
800<br />
600<br />
400<br />
200<br />
0<br />
Results<br />
The Pressure drop was found to be 1400 Pa, as<br />
shown in the graphs below.<br />
The Mathematical Model predcited a drop of 4800<br />
Pa. This was due to the unmodelled error of the<br />
two stream interactions as depicted in the figure<br />
below<br />
Schematic Highlighting the Influence of Annular Layer Thickness on Effective Gas<br />
Outlet Diameter<br />
Pressure Drop<br />
0 100 200 300 400 500 600<br />
Time (s)<br />
Pressure Drop<br />
Mark 1<br />
Mark 2<br />
Mark 3<br />
Mark 4<br />
Mark 5<br />
Mark 6<br />
Full Flow Begins<br />
Full Flow Terminates<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
As it currently stands, the mathematical model using<br />
the Brill and Beggs method does not accurately<br />
predict the test geometry. The largest source of the<br />
inaccuracy has been hypothesised to occur due to the<br />
unanticipated effects of the second inlet stream on<br />
the behaviour of the EZ-T siphon system as a whole.<br />
The addition of the second stream has been<br />
hypothesised to lower the pressure gradient between<br />
the inlet of pipe one and the inlet of pipe three,<br />
resulting in a reduced total pressure drop.<br />
This hypothesis was reached after an initial analysis<br />
of the mathematical model produced erroneous<br />
results due to an incorrect gas fraction reading<br />
generated by the balloon testing method described in<br />
section. The balloon method returned a value of<br />
volumetric flow rate for the gaseous phase of<br />
0.944x10E-03 m3/s. This equated to a gas content of<br />
42.7% within the flow mixture. The error in the gas<br />
fraction measurement was found after the<br />
construction of the transparent PVC prototype.<br />
During the documenting of the flow regimes within<br />
the transparent PVC model it was observed that there<br />
were no bubbles in the horizontal or vertical outlet<br />
pipes. As a result it was hypothesised that the gas<br />
fraction measurement had been erroneous. This led<br />
to running the mathematical model again with a nonexistent<br />
gas fraction. This lead to a pressure drop that<br />
was further away from the values tested than the<br />
initial result using the erroneous gas fraction.
Suihua Zhou<br />
BENG Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Quan Zhu<br />
Adaptive control and simulation of aircraft landing gear<br />
Basic assumptions of the model<br />
1) Geometry of the gear is formed on a vertical plane and all of the force in<br />
this plane.<br />
2) Ignore the centreline of the shaft relative to the buffer offset.<br />
3) The centre of mass of the elastic support is determined by the intersection<br />
of the horizontal position of the centreline of the buffer and the trunnion.<br />
4) Elastic support mass can be idealized as gathered near the trunnion rigid.<br />
5) In addition to the horizontal deflection deformation of the outer buffer<br />
structure. Ignores other variations buffer structure.<br />
Coordinates: The origin of the establishment of the centre of gravity of the<br />
aircraft, z coordinates of the vertical downward is positive; x coordinate of<br />
the vertical z coordinates, heading in the opposite direction is positive.<br />
Coordinate with the movement of aircraft movement.<br />
The landing equation of motion: The mechanical model taking various gear<br />
separating body according to dynamics theory, the following equation of<br />
motion can be obtained as below and the force analysis as shown in figure<br />
below:<br />
Simulation<br />
Design MRAC by Lyapunov stability theory<br />
Use partial parameter optimization method designed model reference<br />
adaptive system is not necessarily stable. In order to overcome these<br />
shortcomings, a German scholar P.C.Parkes (1966) proposed the use of<br />
Lyapunov the second method to derive an adaptive algorithm to ensure<br />
that under the adaptive control system is globally asymptotically stable.<br />
Assuming each state variable system can be obtained directly. Parameter<br />
of control object is generally not directly adjusted.<br />
Project summary<br />
Aircraft has a greater impact loads during takeoff and<br />
landing. In order to avoid excessive load generated, a<br />
suitable design of the landing gear is important. In<br />
the landing gear design process, in addition to<br />
considering the static aircraft landing gear in the<br />
force, but also need to consider the dynamic<br />
performance during takeoff and landing phases.<br />
During takeoff and landing, the landing gear should<br />
be able to withstand greater loads and slow motion<br />
of this impact in order to improve comfort and<br />
security in order to improve comfort and security.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Establish Trolley landing gear dynamics mechanical<br />
model<br />
2. Using adaptive control algorithm to research<br />
aircraft landing gear<br />
3. Using Matlab to simulate the model and get the<br />
result<br />
4. Summarizes the content and the main contribution<br />
of this report<br />
5. Expanding the project by CMS application as the<br />
further work<br />
6. Sum up the whole work of this project.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This thesis is use MRAC to describe the aircraft<br />
landing gear systems. Established a relatively<br />
complete landing gear landing roll dynamics model<br />
and linear state equations. Differential equations,<br />
each component force on the buffer system and the<br />
tires force were given by this thesis. Used model<br />
reference adaptive control method of landing gear<br />
systems design and obtained control model of the<br />
landing gear. According to the landing gear control<br />
model, simulated and analysed the adaptive control<br />
of the landing gear model by Matlab simulation<br />
software.
Sean Thomas<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Jason Matthews<br />
RepRap Assembly Automation<br />
The design that will be analysed is the Ormerod 2. It was released on 11th September 2014.<br />
This particular RepRap has been selected because it was the newest design and there was<br />
access to one which made understanding how it worked much easier.<br />
Each sub-assembly will be analysed using a formalised ‘scoring’ system. The<br />
goal of this system is to give an indication of how easy it is to automate the<br />
assembly with the parts in their current forms. The parts which will be<br />
redesigned will be within the assemblies which are already most suited to<br />
automation, this structure for selecting sub-assemblies will result in<br />
assemblies with less parts and fewer fixings meaning that each one will take<br />
less time so more can be redesigned.<br />
Original Z-Lower-Mount analysis<br />
This assembly has 7 parts of which 6 are<br />
fixings. This gives a score of 13.<br />
There is 1 printed part with all the fixings<br />
being attached from the same direction,<br />
meaning this is a bottom-up assembly.<br />
The printed part has no symmetry but its<br />
shape would make it easy to create a rig<br />
where the part will only fit in the correct<br />
orientation.<br />
Original Z-Lower-Mount<br />
The way this system works will be to add together the total number of parts<br />
and the number of fixings. For example if a sub assembly has 15 parts, of<br />
which 5 are fixings, the ‘score’ will be 20. The aim at this stage is to identify<br />
assemblies which have 3D printed parts that can be redesigned, therefore an<br />
assembly will not be selected if it does not contain at least 1 printed part.<br />
Redesigned Z-Lower-Mount Analysis<br />
The original assembly had 7 parts where 6<br />
are fixings this gives a score of 13. With the<br />
redesigned part there are no fixings so there<br />
is just a single part giving a score of 1. The<br />
percentage reduction for this assembly is<br />
92%. This part will change the overall<br />
assembly process more than any other part<br />
because it cannot be added at the same<br />
point in the process that it currently is.<br />
Redesigned Z-Lower-Mount<br />
Project Summary<br />
Can the assembly of a RepRap be automated?<br />
Project Objectives:<br />
• Research and understand automation techniques,<br />
design for assembly and their limitations.<br />
• Select a RepRap.<br />
• Evaluate assembly processes to determine which<br />
parts are best to redesign.<br />
• Optimise design for automated assembly and<br />
create CAD models.<br />
• Analyse new parts to show how changes made<br />
have improved parts for automatic assembly.<br />
Project Conclusion:<br />
Overall this thesis has shown that applying a few<br />
simple techniques can make the assembly process<br />
much simpler with small changes to overall design. It<br />
has reinforced the idea that a small amount of effort<br />
in the design stage can have a large positive impact<br />
on later stages. However redesigning an already<br />
existing product does have a lot of limitations, the<br />
overall look of the product and its functionality have<br />
to remain relatively untouched meaning that only<br />
small scale changes can be made.<br />
RepRap technology is changing rapidly and designs<br />
become obsolete quickly.<br />
Original Z-axis Lead Screw Analysis<br />
This assembly consists of 5 parts where 3<br />
are fixings. This results in a score of 8.<br />
This could be completed as a bottom-up<br />
assembly as there is 1 printed part and 3<br />
nuts which are attached to a rod, if they<br />
are all added from the same end then it<br />
can be assembled bottom-up.<br />
Original Z-Gear-Driven<br />
Redesigned Z-Axis Lead Screw Analysis<br />
This assembly still has 5 parts with 3 fixings<br />
so the score remains 8. However the new<br />
design makes the part much easier to feed<br />
in an automatic assembly system.<br />
Redesigned Z-Gear-Driven<br />
This is why I have come to the conclusion that the<br />
best way to further the progress of RepRap assembly<br />
would be to design a new RepRap with the emphasis<br />
on making assembly as simple and fast as possible for<br />
a human. It is worth noting that this is view of the<br />
technology’s inventor however this thesis has shown<br />
that there is a lot of improvement still to be made.
Lawrence Dubey<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rachel Szadziewska<br />
Increasing Heat Transfer by Pipe Roughening<br />
Experimental Study<br />
The primary aim of the proposed project was to<br />
investigate whether roughened tube had a<br />
significant impact on heat transfer, and whether it<br />
significantly affected the pressure drop and thus<br />
the pump power demand. Therefore the<br />
temperate and pressure values needed to<br />
measured over a length of smooth pipe and a<br />
length of roughened pipe.<br />
The experimental rig was set up as shown in the<br />
schematic diagram below. It consists of four main<br />
parts: water heating, temperature measurement,<br />
pressure measurement and flow rate<br />
measurement. The test pipes were made of<br />
copper, to represent common domestic water<br />
pipes. Both pipes were of the same dimensions,<br />
1m long and ID of 20mm, except that one of the<br />
pipes had been internally roughened by manual<br />
abrasion.<br />
Theoretical Analysis<br />
It was evident from the results, that the<br />
experiment produced unexpected and<br />
contradictory results. The rough pipe both felt and<br />
looked rougher. However the empirically<br />
calculated equivalent sand grain roughness‘<br />
conflicted with the reality of the pipes internal<br />
surface. This meant the heat transfer model could<br />
calculated, instead the focus changed to fluid flow.<br />
An analysis was conducted in Excel to determine<br />
the reason for this discrepancy. It was discovered<br />
that the pipe roughness ε was very small<br />
compared to the pipe diameter and the viscous<br />
sub layer completely submerged the effect of ε.<br />
This meant that the pipes acted as hydraulically<br />
smooth, so therefore smooth regime laws were<br />
applied. This showed again that the smooth pipe,<br />
had a higher friction factor as it had a slightly<br />
higher flow rate, due to error at the water valve.<br />
Filonenko<br />
correlation<br />
Blasius<br />
correlation<br />
Darcy-<br />
Weisbach<br />
equation<br />
Friction Factor Formula Comparison<br />
0.023179566<br />
0.022852982<br />
0.023624008<br />
0.023277335<br />
0.026230914<br />
0.02 0.022 0.024 0.026 0.028 0.03<br />
Friction Factor<br />
Friction<br />
Factor<br />
Smooth<br />
Pipe<br />
Friction<br />
Factor<br />
Rough<br />
Pipe<br />
0.029581001<br />
Pressure (Pa)<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)<br />
The aim was to use the ANSYS software to run a<br />
number of CFD simulations for the flow through a<br />
pipe. The parameters of the experiment were<br />
utilised as the inputs for the first series of CFD<br />
runs. This then meant that the empirical and CFD<br />
calculated pressure drops could be used for<br />
comparison purposes. Another set of runs were<br />
carried out with parameters that would produce<br />
the results expected of this investigation, the ideal<br />
results, which would help validate the theory<br />
The CFD results confirmed the hypothesis that the<br />
experimental pipes behaved hydraulically smooth.<br />
It also verified that increased roughness does lead<br />
to an increase in pressure loss.<br />
1600<br />
1400<br />
1200<br />
1000<br />
800<br />
600<br />
400<br />
200<br />
0<br />
Pressure (Pa)<br />
Comparing Rough Pipe vs Smooth Pipe<br />
1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2<br />
Distance (m)<br />
3000<br />
2500<br />
2000<br />
1500<br />
1000<br />
500<br />
0<br />
Pressure loss difference between a smooth and roughened pipe (idealised<br />
situation)<br />
1 1.2 1.4 1.6 1.8 2<br />
Distance (m)<br />
Smooth CFD<br />
Rough CFD<br />
Smooth<br />
Theoretical<br />
(Smooth Regime)<br />
Rough Theoretical<br />
(Smooth Regime)<br />
Smooth<br />
Experimental<br />
Rough<br />
Experimental<br />
Smooth Ideal<br />
Rough Ideal<br />
Project summary<br />
A wide variety of industrial processes involve the<br />
transfer of heat energy. These processes provide a<br />
source for energy efficiency increases. Enhanced heat<br />
transfer surfaces can be designed through a<br />
combination of factors that include: increasing fluid<br />
turbulence, generating secondary fluid flow patterns,<br />
reducing the thermal boundary layer thickness and<br />
increasing the heat transfer surface area.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The project was an investigation into roughened pipe<br />
with the main objectives being the improvement of<br />
the heat transfer efficiency whilst minimising the<br />
pressure loss induced by turbulence. The paper<br />
discusses the theory behind the heat transfer and<br />
fluid mechanics and how this relates to heat transfer<br />
enhancement. A practical experiment,<br />
complemented by theoretical analysis and<br />
computational fluid dynamics, was conducted to the<br />
see how the theoretical results compared to the<br />
empirical data.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was found that the experimental pipe had a relative<br />
roughness that when compared to the Reynolds<br />
number, resulted in the pipes acting hydraulically<br />
smooth, despite the fact that one pipe was in reality<br />
rougher than the other. This was because the<br />
boundary layer was thicker than the roughness<br />
height. This report details how these problems would<br />
be overcome in a revised experiment, so that the<br />
heat transfer could be analysed effectively. The CFD<br />
model was also employed to simulate an ideal<br />
experiment, in which the roughened pipe exhibited a<br />
rough regime, this verified that this does lead to an<br />
increased pressure loss.
Jamie Boxshall<br />
Meng (hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rui Cardoso<br />
Introduction<br />
The wheels on the Bloodhound SSC are a critical<br />
area for analysis; the rotational velocity is so great<br />
that rubber wheels would simply disintegrate and<br />
a steel rim would be so heavy that the inertial<br />
forces would tear them apart.<br />
It has been decided by the Bloodhound team that<br />
the wheels are to be made from a solid aluminium<br />
alloy, it was discovered during last year’s report<br />
that the stress throughout the wheel from inertial<br />
forces are within a FOS of 1.5. This is a low FOS<br />
however with the design they used, the<br />
compromise was the more material required to<br />
strengthen the wheel, would in turn, increase the<br />
inertial forces and hence the stress.<br />
This report sets out to evaluate the stress<br />
throughout the wheels, from both inertial forces<br />
and applied weight on the wheels. This will be<br />
used to discover if the solid aluminium wheels are<br />
strong enough to carry the load of the vehicle<br />
across the desert at 1000 mph and further more to<br />
discover whether composite materials could have<br />
been used in replacement of the aluminium<br />
wheels, assuming money and time is not an issue.<br />
The decision to undertake this project was due to<br />
a strong underlying interest in the Bloodhound<br />
SSC, as well as an interest in stress analysis.<br />
Investigation into the design optimisation of the wheel on the<br />
Bloodhound SSC<br />
Validation<br />
To validate the Results of the FEA a comparable set<br />
of results was produced through practical testing<br />
The practical test tested a car wheel wired and<br />
strain gauges to out put strain during driving load,<br />
the results showed a clear fluctuation of stress as<br />
the wheel rotated about entering high and low<br />
stress regions. When compared to the FEA result<br />
the strain showed a close reltionship to support<br />
the FEA model.<br />
Bloodhound<br />
Finite element analysis on the wheel then began<br />
and the stress distributions plotted, shown below.<br />
Composite<br />
The bloodhound wheel was evaluated for comThe<br />
use of composites for the design of the<br />
bloodhound model may very well be possible,<br />
however using the current FEA model no such<br />
conclusion can be made as the stress indicated<br />
that the material will fail and no optimal design<br />
can be produced as a result.<br />
Conclusion<br />
The composite models showed that weight savings<br />
could be made but the stress levels are so high<br />
above the material strength that it is unclear<br />
whether the changes would have been able to<br />
safely withstand the induced load.<br />
Therefore no solid conclusion could be made and<br />
further investigation should be under taken<br />
Project summary<br />
This report set out evaluate the stress<br />
throughout the wheels, from both inertial<br />
forces and applied weight on the wheels. This<br />
will be used to discover if the solid aluminium<br />
wheels are strong enough to carry the load of<br />
the vehicle across the desert at 1000 mph<br />
and further more to discover whether<br />
composite materials could have been used in<br />
replacement of the aluminium wheels<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The purpose of the investigation is to discover<br />
whether the wheels on the Bloodhound SSC<br />
have been designed to withstand theoretical<br />
stresses and discover if composites could be<br />
used to further improve the design.<br />
Secondary aims have also been laid out which<br />
are:<br />
-Validate Finite Element Analysis model<br />
-Produce finite element of the Bloodhound<br />
SSC wheels<br />
-Evaluate Bloodhound wheels for<br />
optimization<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Overall the FEA modelling has proved more<br />
difficult than expect. It can be concluded that<br />
the validation model shows close agreement<br />
with one another, however further analysis<br />
should be analysed for high speed tests, this<br />
said there are still definitely possibilities that<br />
a composite design can be used to further<br />
improve the performance of the Bloodhound<br />
SSC. Composites can offer great weight<br />
savings which helps to reduce the inertial<br />
forces and improve performance.
Harry Carmichael<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Aruna Palipana<br />
Design and Viability Analysis of a Diffuser Augmented Hydrokinetic Power<br />
Generation System<br />
Introduction<br />
As the search for alternative renewable energy sources continues amidst<br />
dwindling fossil fuel resources, hydropower has seen a strong increase in interest<br />
and development over the last few decades. However, a subsidiary of<br />
hydropower- hydrokinetic power, has only come into the spotlight in recent years,<br />
namely to generate electricity from the tides. Unfortunately this method of<br />
power production is expensive and thus economically unfeasible for countries in<br />
the developing world. It stands to reason that similar, although on a smaller scale,<br />
hydrokinetic power systems could be applied to other fast flowing water<br />
resources such as rivers that could be economically viable in poverty stricken<br />
regions. An investigation was performed into the optimal design of a diffuser and<br />
the economical feasibility of hydrokinetic power generation system in a rural area<br />
of South Africa<br />
The aim of this thesis is to explore the development of a diffuser augmented<br />
hydrokinetic turbine to relieve electricity poverty in rural areas. This system is<br />
then compared against other power generation systems to find which option is<br />
the most viable.<br />
Finally a discussion took place on how assumptions and errors may have affected<br />
results. It was found that the CFD results have a 6% over prediction in results<br />
compared to the theoretical results.<br />
System Hydrokinetic Solar Wind Diesel<br />
Generator<br />
Capital cost (£) 42,408 28,969 65,200 22,110<br />
Operating cost<br />
(£/year)<br />
Total cost over life<br />
time (£)<br />
Cost of energy<br />
(£/kWh)<br />
Carbon dioxide<br />
emission<br />
(kg/year)<br />
1,062 1,564 1,304 Including the<br />
cost of diesel<br />
fuel: 4,897<br />
132,315 155,070 190,338 174,657<br />
0.076 0.089 0.109 0.099<br />
0 0 0 27,919<br />
Computational Fluid Dynamics<br />
Due to the complex and large number of equations involved in calculating<br />
numerical solutions of fluid flow, computational fluid dynamics software<br />
packages are used to perform the analysis in as short a time as possible. An<br />
image of the outcome of one of the simulations is shown below to the left<br />
The power coefficient, also thought of as the efficiency, was also compared<br />
between the diffuser augmented turbine and the bare turbine. As can be seen<br />
from the graph, the power coefficient is highest for the diffuser augmented<br />
turbine. This led to a power increase of 75% compared to the un-ducted<br />
turbine .<br />
Economical Viability<br />
An economical analyses was performed on the hydrokinetic turbine compared<br />
to other power generation methods. From the table shown below, the<br />
hydrokinetic power system was shown to be the best long term investment<br />
option despite having a higher capital cost than solar power.<br />
From the data collected and the results gained, it can be said with a strong<br />
amount of confidence that the diffuser caused a positive power augmentation.<br />
The percentage increase in power production is considerable, and is a much<br />
more attractive solution than deploying a turbine without a diffuser.<br />
0.8<br />
0.7<br />
0.6<br />
0.5<br />
POWER COEFICIENT<br />
0.4<br />
0.3<br />
0.2<br />
0.1<br />
0<br />
Velocity against the Power<br />
Cp no diffuser Coefficient<br />
Cp with diffuser<br />
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4<br />
VELOCITY (M/S)<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been performed to study the<br />
viability of a diffuser augmented hydrokinetic power<br />
generation system for deployment in rural or poverty<br />
stricken regions without access to electricity.<br />
A variety of computational fluid dynamic models were<br />
designed and tested to find an optimal diffuser design.<br />
This was followed by an economical viability study for<br />
the hydrokinetic power generation system compared to<br />
other power generation methods such as solar, wind<br />
and a diesel generator.<br />
The optimal diffuser design had a diffusion angle of 16<br />
degrees and a length of 0.6m. The cost per kWh for this<br />
system was £0.0701 per kWh<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigate the study site for river parameters.<br />
• Develop and analyse the diffuser concept using<br />
software simulations to find an optimal diffuser<br />
design<br />
• Compare the economic feasibility of this concept<br />
compared to other power generation methods.<br />
• Examine how assumptions made during the design<br />
of the concept and analysis could have affected<br />
results.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It can be confidently concluded that an optimal diffuser<br />
design was found as the system produced an increase in<br />
power equal to 175% of the turbine without a diffuser<br />
installed.<br />
The economical analyses also found the hydrokinetic<br />
system to be the best long term investment. Despite<br />
not having the lowest capital investment cost.
Timothy Stone<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> (Meng)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Richard Stamp<br />
Project summary<br />
Speed Bump Design for Energy Collection<br />
Concept Prototyping<br />
Upon setting up the system it quickly became<br />
apparent that generating energy was not possible.<br />
When applying any load whilst keeping the plastic<br />
tubing level, water came out and span the wheel,<br />
however, when connecting the dynamo, the wheel<br />
was unable to overcome the frictional forces as<br />
Figure 35 demonstrates. Even when using a garden<br />
hose at mains pressure, the velocity of the water<br />
was still inadequate and unable to move the wheel<br />
when the dynamo was attached. Although this test<br />
could be seen to have failed, the wheel was able<br />
to move very quickly when the dynamo was not<br />
attached, which proves the force was able to<br />
convert into rotational velocity, if the wheel could<br />
overcome the friction then this experiment would<br />
have generated results. To confirm the friction<br />
could not overcome different shaft diameters,<br />
fluid storage and tubing were all tested without<br />
providing results.<br />
Material Selection<br />
A static simulation was complete with permanent<br />
fixings, to stop movement or rotation. The speed<br />
bump was also secured to stop movement in the<br />
normal direction; so it would act as if on a road of<br />
no compressibility. The pressure was assumed to<br />
act either across the surface area of the car tyre or<br />
evenly distributed across each side, dependent on<br />
how the force acts, or the size of the vehicle being<br />
tested. This was to give the maximum stress<br />
possible throughout simulations.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The prototype tested (hydraulic) was not successful,<br />
regardless of the fluid velocity created as adequate<br />
water pressure could be generated to overcome the<br />
friction of the dynamo. It did allow a redesign to be<br />
conceived which allowed modifications of the<br />
prototype which would hopefully minimise this<br />
issues. The testing did indicate however that in<br />
practise the system may not be feasible due to size,<br />
number of components and exposure of certain<br />
components to the environment. A prototype should<br />
be developed with minimal moving parts to reduce<br />
issues of friction forces and accommodation space.<br />
The power output calculations for the potential<br />
generation of electrical energy together with the data<br />
collected for the vehicle populous indicates that the<br />
amount of energy could be obtained through speed<br />
bump design. Although energy generation may result<br />
in a lower<br />
Power output then targeted proximity sensors could<br />
be used to reduce the energy consumption at times.<br />
The study for the potential energy generation of<br />
speed bumps was initiated with research and data<br />
collection; this was to establish the possible energy<br />
generation by finding average vehicle populous,<br />
average vehicle weight and the required power<br />
output to illuminate a 50 watt street lamp. Other<br />
measures were investigated for feasibility, including<br />
regulations, safety and costing, which established<br />
dimensions, placement and technology, so testing<br />
could take place. It was decided that speed bumps<br />
would be designed for 20 mph zones, which would<br />
reduce initial costing, enabling speed bumps to be<br />
surfaced fixed to the road, therefore omitting<br />
expensive excavation.<br />
Using suitable technologies, concepts were designed<br />
and compared against each other, and the hydraulic<br />
prototype was selected for testing. Although testing<br />
was unsuccessful, construction issues previously<br />
encountered were improved by modifications to the<br />
design. The testing lead to the conclusion that the<br />
concept selected may not be suitable, therefore<br />
alternative prototypes were developed for further<br />
study.<br />
From observing the four different simulations, the<br />
highest stress level was selected, so the material<br />
would have to withstand a yield stress of 8.5MPa.<br />
If a factor of safety of three is to be used, the<br />
actual value for yield stress required is 25.5MPa.<br />
From the initial research and data collected it would<br />
appear that energy generation from speed bumps is<br />
feasible and there are several possible options<br />
available for further development whilst following<br />
the design specification.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Initial Research, research of similar products, study<br />
literature and designs ideas.<br />
A potential solution to solving this issue is to<br />
reduce the friction by either creating a gearing<br />
relationship between the dynamo and the wheel<br />
or by designing a solid shaft which holds the<br />
water wheel and the rotational shaft of the<br />
dynamo.<br />
To find the most suitable material, a program<br />
known as Cambridge <strong>Engineering</strong> Selector was<br />
used. By setting the minimum properties as<br />
discussed and setting each material.<br />
Fibreboard is suitable, as it can be easily made<br />
weatherproof and the majority are produced from<br />
sustainably grown timber, which is abundant in the<br />
United Kingdom, and are also produced from parts<br />
of a tree which have no other use<br />
Vehicle Research, including populous, weight<br />
distribution and energy loss.<br />
Energy Generation, find required power outputs,<br />
consider environmental impacts.<br />
Initial, product and material testing<br />
Product design, development of concept ideas<br />
through sketches and selecting a suitable design.
Peter Lawson<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Chris Toomer<br />
Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Development of a Shrouded Roof Top Turbine<br />
for Frenchay Campus<br />
Wind turbines are a source of renewable energy, through converting wind<br />
energy to electrical energy. Before implementing a new turbine, the wind<br />
resources at the desired location should be modelled and the turbine design<br />
optimised to maximise energy yields from the available wind. This<br />
investigation examines the feasibility of locating a wind farm on the Frenchay<br />
Campus of the University of the West of England. The previous study<br />
modelled the wind speeds across the campus and explored the costs and<br />
feasibilities of implementing various turbine designs, concluding rooftop<br />
turbines sited on the high-rise student accommodation to be the most<br />
feasible option. This investigation examines how these designs can be<br />
optimised to maximise electrical energy outputs. Firstly, the wind flow over<br />
the chosen buildings was modelled through computational fluid dynamics<br />
(CFD) to identify optimal rooftop sites for turbine installation and the optimal<br />
elevation above which the wind speeds are highest. Secondly, a shroud,<br />
which encloses a turbine to passively encourage higher effective wind speeds<br />
to result in higher electrical outputs, was designed and computationally<br />
modelled by CFD. The CFD predictions were subsequently used to predict<br />
electrical energy outputs in relation to the installation feasibilities of various<br />
turbines described within the previous study. Wind speeds were shown to<br />
increase across the majority of the roofs studies at elevations relevant to<br />
wind turbines, and designs encompassing shrouds displayed increases in<br />
effective wind speeds over the turbines, allowing higher energy productions.<br />
Future work should validate these results through testing shroud prototypes<br />
in wind tunnels.<br />
The building analysis results show that siting a wind turbine at any position<br />
on the rooftop offers higher effective wind speeds than if the same wind<br />
turbine was sited on the ground; in most cases wind speeds could be<br />
increased by 1.157 times. When these increases in velocity are substituted<br />
into kinetic power calculations for the air, it actually causes a rise of 55%.<br />
Very small differences in wind speeds were shown between positions<br />
offering the highest and lowest rooftop velocities.<br />
Wind turbines with different incorporated shrouds were shown to have a<br />
wide variety of effective wind velocities, however many of the designs<br />
showed a large flow separation area off the shroud which gave rise to large<br />
amounts of turbulence and eddies; these effects are associated with loud<br />
wind noise and are therefore very undesirable for roof top wind turbines.<br />
The study firstly investigated the addition of straight angled shrouds,<br />
showing high peak velocities, however these shrouds also experienced large<br />
amounts of flow separation. These flow separations would cause eddies and<br />
turbulence to form behind the shroud, which reduces the cross sectional<br />
size of the desired high velocity stream. In order to reduce the flow<br />
separation and maintain a larger cross sectional high velocity stream, the<br />
radial model was designed and modelled. This design also showed high peak<br />
velocities but still suffered from large flow separations. Cosine modelled<br />
shrouds were subsequently modelled which offered a good solution since<br />
they maintained a high velocity stream with very limited flow separation.<br />
The half cosine model was eventually selected as the most suitable design,<br />
offering the second highest kinetic power air flow but with the advantage of<br />
having greatly reduced flow separation and thus a much smaller turbulent<br />
wake.<br />
Project summary<br />
This investigation was undertaken to improve<br />
the output of a roof top mounted wind<br />
turbine by passively increasing the air velocity<br />
around the turbine through the use of a<br />
shroud. This project also modelled the roof<br />
top of building on Frenchay campus to<br />
highlight the best possible installation sites<br />
for a roof top turbine<br />
Project Objectives<br />
This project aimed to test a variety of<br />
different shroud shapes in order to find the<br />
most suitable shape. This involved the careful<br />
balance of maximizing the low pressure area<br />
behind the shroud in order to encourage<br />
increased velocity flow through the shroud.<br />
However with large increases in the cross<br />
sectional area flow separation can cause large<br />
turbulence regions.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project highlighted that a shroud based<br />
on a half cosine line offered the highest<br />
velocity while minimizing flow separation and<br />
turbulence. The results showed that with the<br />
increase in velocity causes by the roof top<br />
placement and the shroud electrical output<br />
could be increased by 2.7 times for an<br />
example wind turbine.
Mathew Swinburne<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong> MEng – Part B<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Neil Larsen<br />
“When Competition Aerodynamics Fail” – Part B<br />
Literature Survey<br />
This paper’s empirical research consisted of two methods for measuring the pitch of the vehicle regardless of the gradient of a slope;<br />
using an accelerometer with a mathematical model and using a laser displacement sensor to measure the displacement between the<br />
front of the vehicle and the surface of the track. It found that both were viable options however concerns were raised over both<br />
methods which could not be resolved without further investigation; the accelerometers mathematical model requires the change in<br />
acceleration not to equal zero, the laser displacement sensor would require testing on a track surface to determine if the described<br />
preventions such as polarised filter and focused beam would suppresses errors associated with measuring the displacement to a rough<br />
surface.<br />
Accelerometers are found all around the home, from inside your smart phone, to your Nintendo Wii’s remote, even<br />
in the ignition device associated with airbags, but what are they? An accelerometer is a device, which can either be<br />
mechanical or electromechanical used to measure acceleration or deceleration. A mechanical version of the device<br />
uses a mass, spring and damper system. An electromechanical device can be either a slide wire, strain gauge,<br />
variable inductance or a piezoelectric or similar device that can measure the effects of acceleration.<br />
A mathematical model was derived that could calculated the pitch of the vehicle regardless of the gradient of the<br />
hill from the z and x components of the accelerometer.<br />
A laser displacement sensor (LDS) works by firing a laser beam at the object under study, the beam is fired at a slight angle,<br />
this beam bounces off the target object, where it then strikes a charged couple device (CCD). Unlike traditional<br />
displacement sensors, because there is no physical contact with the object, a LDS is not prone to wear and tear.<br />
A change in the displacement of a target object is recorded as a change in position on the charged coupled device pixels.<br />
the laser displacement sensor would require testing on a track surface to determine if the described preventions such as<br />
polarised filter and focused beam would suppresses errors associated with measuring the displacement to a rough surface.<br />
Proposed Concept<br />
Finally a design was proposed that took into consideration all relevant design constraints. The design<br />
consisted of two bars riveted to the flap with an arm on the bar at an angle of 20 ° to the horizontal<br />
axis. When this arm was pulled by an actuator contracting, it forced the flap open to 20 °, the optimum<br />
flap angle as discovered in the Part A paper. The design itself is simplistic and therefore has the least<br />
potential for failure.<br />
Project Abstract<br />
Part A validated the concept of using roof<br />
mounted flaps to prevent the phenomenon of<br />
lift-off, as experienced by a number of world<br />
endurance championship prototypes over the<br />
years. Part B looks at potential methods for<br />
measuring and calculating the pitch by using<br />
an accelerometer or the innovative concept<br />
of using a laser displacement sensor. This<br />
paper briefly looks at a control system for the<br />
deployment of the flap in the event of such<br />
an incident and finally a design is proposed<br />
that takes into account the stated design<br />
considerations. It was concluded that<br />
although either the accelerometer and laser<br />
displacement sensor were viable options in<br />
measuring or calculating the pitch further<br />
investigation was required before either could<br />
implemented with an acceptable level of<br />
error. The control system was produced in<br />
MATLAB using a simple ‘if’ function,<br />
determining the critical pitch before lift-off at<br />
a given velocity and comparing it to the pitch<br />
obtained from one of the chosen sensors,<br />
calculating whether the flap should be<br />
deployed or not. Finally a potential concept<br />
was designed in SolidWorks, composing of<br />
two bars riveted to the flap, which was<br />
opened by the contracting of two actuators.
Name Andrew Wilson<br />
Course Meng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Benjamin Drew<br />
Development of a Tyre Model for a Car Simulator<br />
This report is Part B to a previously written project, it contains the method and process of<br />
designing and building a tyre testing rig set up, initially 4 ideas were looked at as potential<br />
projects which later was cut to two, these were then developed in their early stages until it was<br />
decided to go with one, this report explains why. It also goes to explain how data was collected<br />
and transformed into graphical content and used to be part of rFactor tyre data.<br />
Finally the validity of the test rig itself was compared against an industry tyre manufacturer<br />
Avon.<br />
Designing a test rig by recycling old parts and materials, stored at the University of the West<br />
of England was an old ‘Royale Racing’ Formula Ford chassis with most parts still available<br />
including the suspension, wheel, upright, rods and bolts. The idea here was to cut off the front<br />
of the frame where the suspension attaches to, subsequently allowing the wheel to be bolted<br />
to the upright.<br />
The first test was at 500N at 2.5 degrees, then the load<br />
was lowered to 400N still at 2.5<br />
degrees, then 300N and so on. This was repeated till<br />
the 200N test was completed. After<br />
this the tests restarted at 500N for 7 degrees, this<br />
remained the method for testing right<br />
up to 22 degrees of inclination was completed.<br />
A maximum test was conducted at 760N, this load was<br />
placed on the top and bottom<br />
wishbones of the suspension.<br />
Project summary<br />
Development of a Tyre Model for a Car Simulator<br />
This project involved creating a Tyre testing rig and finding<br />
the forces it produces<br />
Project Objectives<br />
It is within the interests of this report to fulfil the<br />
targets what have been set, therefore it was<br />
decided to build a test rig where forces can be<br />
measured per load the tyre is carrying.<br />
This can then be used to form a tyre model for the<br />
simulator rFactor.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
To conclude the project as a whole, it has been a<br />
successful build where the initial project<br />
aims have somewhat been met, industry standard<br />
graphs for Lateral Force vs Slip Angle have<br />
been created modelling the performance of the tyre<br />
at certain loads
Elizabeth Forward<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Tushar Dhavale<br />
Variable Pitch Propeller For High Powered UAV Application<br />
Initial Designs<br />
The initial designs were based up the<br />
current mechanisms in industry, not<br />
necessarily only aviation, that are<br />
used to control pitch. The first<br />
concept below is similar to the<br />
hydraulic push-pull rods that are used<br />
in maritime propellers.<br />
The second concept below is based<br />
on a the gearing system seen in a car<br />
differential system. This gearing<br />
system is already used in aviation<br />
industry to control pitch, e.g. geared<br />
pitch control is used on the C130-J<br />
Hercules aircraft.<br />
Stage 1 Design<br />
This was the first major design<br />
iteration that the study undertook.<br />
The design below is the final concept<br />
to emerge from this stage 1 iteration.<br />
It shows a design that is compact and<br />
contained within the main propeller<br />
base plate.<br />
The main rod of the mechanism runs<br />
through the middle of the motor and<br />
it is this rod that would actuate the<br />
pitch control. The mechanism would<br />
work as the rod would be connected<br />
to the propeller blades via offset 3D<br />
universal connectors. Thus<br />
transposing the vertical displacement<br />
to a rotational movement.<br />
However, as the concept had been fully<br />
sketched, it became apparent that the<br />
size of the mechanism rod , a diameter<br />
of 2mm, would not be substantial<br />
enough to support the forces induced<br />
by the working propeller.<br />
Stage 2 Design<br />
Due to the issues uncovered in the<br />
stage 1 design development with the<br />
mechanism rod’s diameter being too<br />
small, it was decided that the actuating<br />
mechanism would be situated below<br />
the motor. This in itself produced a<br />
number of issues such as the increased<br />
total size of the mechanism and the<br />
design of a system that would<br />
incorporate both the motors rotational<br />
movement and the mechanisms<br />
vertical displacement. The final<br />
concept for the design stage can be<br />
seen below.<br />
CAD Incorporated Design<br />
This was the final stage of the design in<br />
which all the previous concept were<br />
analysed and compared in order to<br />
produce the most suitable design. The<br />
final design comparison came down to<br />
two very similar designs and thus a<br />
design comparison matrix was<br />
completed in order to provide a fair<br />
decision in down selecting to the final<br />
design. The final concept, as shown<br />
below was completed in CAD. It uses a<br />
pin and joint system at the attachment<br />
point between the mechanism arms<br />
and the propeller blade to allow for<br />
both the vertical to rotational<br />
movement of the blades pitch change.<br />
Underneath the motor is a bearing<br />
system taken from a skateboard<br />
bearing; this allows the rotation of the<br />
propeller around the stationary motor<br />
and the vertical displacement from the<br />
servo.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project is based on the design of a mechanism<br />
that allows for the adaption of a fixed pitch propeller<br />
into a variable pitch propeller for the application in<br />
high powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s)<br />
namely a high performance, 3.4m ,radio controlled<br />
gliding wing. The use of variable pitch propellers in<br />
radio controlled aircraft is becoming more common<br />
however, there is not much to be seen of variable<br />
pitch propellers in the high performance sector.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
This study was mainly aimed as a concept design<br />
study for the first year, thus the following points<br />
where see as the main objectives.<br />
o Design Initial Concepts<br />
o Improve and Down Select Concepts<br />
o Select the Final Design Concept<br />
o Theoretically Annalise<br />
o Select Appropriate Material<br />
o Produce a Rapid Prototyped Model<br />
It was decided that the first concept<br />
would be the best option to progress<br />
with . This was due to the size of the<br />
system and thus the gearing system<br />
would be to small to design and<br />
prototype accurately.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was concluded from this first year of the study that,<br />
even though there had been some delays along the<br />
way, that Concept 3C shown as the CAD design was<br />
the most suitable design for the use in the high<br />
performance gliding wing.<br />
It is understood that in the following year, this design<br />
will mostly likely be adapted due to further<br />
information and data that will become available<br />
about the design through more in depth analysis.
Darren Millwood<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Neil Larsen<br />
The determination of the performance characteristics of MPW derived<br />
fuel in a high speed diesel engine – Part B<br />
Introduction<br />
For the duration of this research, a company called<br />
Recycling Technologies Ltd will be collaborated<br />
with. They have developed a process that will aim<br />
to address some of today’s environmental issues,<br />
by taking the vast amounts of waste plastic<br />
generated in society, and recovering the dormant<br />
energy within by way of pyrolysis. The result is a<br />
diesel fuel substitute that can be used to power a<br />
diesel engine, in this case, coupled to a generator<br />
as part of a combined heat and power (CHP)<br />
system. Conversion of waste plastic into fuel,<br />
whilst still vastly understudied, is not an entirely<br />
new concept, and competition companies exist; it<br />
is the application into a CHP unit that is unique.<br />
Previous work – Testing facility and DoE<br />
Previous work conducted during Part A focused on<br />
the design and specification of a bespoke testing<br />
facility within which to conduct experimentation<br />
on the waste plastic fuel; this consisted of various<br />
forms of instrumentation in order to collect data<br />
pertaining to the follow engine performance<br />
characteristics:<br />
• engine emissions output (unburnt<br />
hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen;<br />
• engine specific fuel consumption;<br />
• engine speed; and<br />
• fuel injection pressure.<br />
Experimental results<br />
Predictions were made based on the reviewed<br />
literature. These were:<br />
• HC output would increase as diesel content is<br />
reduced;<br />
• NOx production would decrease as diesel<br />
content is reduced;<br />
• specific fuel consumption would increase;<br />
• injection pressures would decrease; and<br />
• engine speed would decrease.<br />
Summary<br />
There is a large push within modern society to reduce<br />
the human impact on the environment. This includes<br />
energy consumed, the amount of waste generated,<br />
and the level of pollution created. Recycling<br />
Technologies Ltd are a new company aiming to<br />
address some of these issues by way of utilising<br />
waste plastic as a derivative fuel for a diesel engine.<br />
Therefore, this research aims to characterise the<br />
performance of this fuel in order to determine<br />
whether it is both an economically and<br />
environmentally viable future alternative to<br />
traditional diesel.<br />
Objectives<br />
The project objectives are as follows:<br />
• quantify the effect of the fuel on specific fuel<br />
consumption, emissions, injection pressures, and<br />
engine speed;<br />
• fit approximate models to the data using<br />
statistical analysis techniques;<br />
• determine the optimal temperature and<br />
compositional percentage that can be utilised;<br />
• make final conclusions as to the viability of the<br />
fuel.<br />
However, the downside to method employed by<br />
Recycling Technologies Ltd is that the<br />
implementation of the fuel is difficult, not only<br />
because it is unusable in its raw form, but also<br />
because it contains long chain hydrocarbons,<br />
meaning that its combustion characteristics may<br />
not suit the operating conditions provided by a<br />
high speed diesel engine, preferable to slower<br />
diesel engines due to their cost. The success of this<br />
venture lies almost exclusively in how well the new<br />
fuel will perform; this will be the focus of this<br />
research, such that its viability as a future,<br />
sustainable energy method can be successfully<br />
determined.<br />
Further work was conducted into the experimental<br />
methods to be used in order to gather the<br />
required data in such a way that was both efficient<br />
and facilitated the appropriate analysis of the<br />
results realised; the central composite design was<br />
decided upon, with the contributing inputs being<br />
the percentage mix between diesel and the mixed<br />
plastic waste fuel, and the temperature at which it<br />
was injected into the engine.<br />
All predictions were correct, except for injection<br />
pressure, which increased. Approximate models<br />
were fitted to the data with statistical analysis<br />
techniques; this showed that the injection<br />
temperature was not a significant contributor to<br />
the recorded outputs. It was also found that the<br />
best trade-off in order to minimise all emissions<br />
outputs and specific fuel consumption was at a<br />
35/65 mix of waste plastic fuel with diesel. Overall,<br />
future viability was proven, however much<br />
development is still required.<br />
Conclusion<br />
Waste plastic fuel is certainly a viable product<br />
for the future. Whilst there were undesirable<br />
increases in certain engine responses, these<br />
were not observed to be over a reasonable<br />
limit during the experiments conducted, and<br />
with further development, vast<br />
improvements are likely to be made. Future<br />
cost reductions are also likely with increased<br />
development due to improved production<br />
efficiency and greater product demand over<br />
time.
Heat Exchanger Operating Conditions<br />
An Experiment was conducted in order to<br />
determine the optimum placement of the<br />
heat exchanger within the exhaust.<br />
Thermocouples were inserted in both the<br />
exhaust manifold and the stack to measure<br />
the difference in temperature and time taken<br />
to reach steady state conditions.<br />
Cameron Adams<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The Conceptual Design and Development of a Steam Powered Rankine<br />
Cycle for the Energy Recovery of Exhaust Gases<br />
Concept Designs for Heat Exchangers<br />
Two different heat exchanger designs were completed, in order to account for the difference in thermal<br />
and dimensional restrictions imposed at the potential mounting positions. An NTU-Effectiveness<br />
calculation was then undertaken in order to determine the best heat exchanger design for the job, with<br />
the counter flow achieving an effectiveness of 69.5% compared with the 37.6% achieved by the crossflow<br />
.<br />
Design 1 – Counter-Flow<br />
Design 2 – Cross-Flow<br />
Project Supervisor : Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Project summary<br />
The Purpose of this investigation is to analyse the<br />
feasibility of the implementation of a steam powered<br />
Rankine cycle within a standard automobile exhaust.<br />
This report uses existing research accompanied with<br />
experimental and simulation techniques in order to<br />
provide validation of the thermodynamic cycle and its<br />
application within a petrol fuelled exhaust.<br />
Two designs are proposed and evaluated for the<br />
evaporation stage of the cycle; resulting in a final<br />
design being chosen. This design was then developed<br />
by theoretical calculation and simulation, evaluating<br />
the incurred pressure-drop across the component.<br />
System analysis is then completed in order to<br />
optimise the cycle and thermal efficiencies based on<br />
the specified design of the heat exchanger.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Temperature (°C)<br />
• Provide investigation into optimum working fluid<br />
• Produce the conceptual design and comparison of<br />
multiple methods of heat exchange<br />
• Analyze the system performance based on the<br />
designed heat exchanger<br />
Time (s)<br />
When the most effective heat<br />
exchanger had been determined, a<br />
simulation was created to analyze the<br />
effect of the inlet velocity of the shell<br />
side fluid on the pressure drop across<br />
the component. A full scale model was<br />
created within the ANSYS environment<br />
and used to display pressure contours<br />
over the longitudinal axis.<br />
Log Mean Temperature Calculation<br />
Post simulation, a calculation was undertaken in<br />
order to determine the length of pipe required to<br />
achieve the desired outlet temperature of the heat<br />
exchanger. It was found that using the velocity<br />
previously determined, a minimum length of pipe<br />
required was 2.49m which exceeded the<br />
dimensional restrictions set by the on road<br />
applicability of the system.<br />
System Analysis<br />
After concluding that the outlet temperature<br />
required couldn’t be achieved within the design<br />
specification, alternate suggestions were evaluated.<br />
The graph on the right shows a reheat cycle with a<br />
system efficiency of 55.7% and thermal efficiency<br />
of 46.8%. The downside to this suggestion is that<br />
additional heat exchangers will be required to<br />
achieve the reheat and superheat sections of the<br />
cycle.<br />
Simulation<br />
Using the results of the simulation, an inlet velocity of 0.3<br />
m/s was selected, the pressure drop measured for this<br />
velocity was considered relatively negligible, and therefore<br />
a suggestion for further investigation into the effect of<br />
baffles on the increase of heat transfer has been made.<br />
2<br />
1<br />
3<br />
3i<br />
4<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The double pipe design concept was proven to be<br />
the most effective design considering the thermal<br />
and dimensional restrictions imposed.<br />
Preliminary investigation has proven that water is<br />
the most effective working fluid, due to its inherent<br />
ability to increase the mechanical and thermal<br />
efficiency of the desired cycle. In addition to this the<br />
availability and low environmental impact of this<br />
working fluid further give validation to the selection.<br />
Moreover, experimentation has proven that the<br />
temperature achieved within the exhaust is sufficient<br />
to provide a viable heat source for application of a<br />
Rankine thermodynamic cycle. However considering<br />
the design restrictions imposed on the exhaust by the<br />
on road applicability of the system, the required<br />
temperature for a feasible Rankine cycle cannot be<br />
achieved with a single heat exchanger.<br />
Finally, to mitigate this problem alternate<br />
suggestions have been provided to provide useful<br />
means for the recovery of energy within the system.
Anthony Burch<br />
MEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Tushar Dhavale<br />
Industrial Automation of a Pick-and-Place Process<br />
for Seed Development Ltd.<br />
Three design concepts were created<br />
that posed potential solutions to<br />
the existing problems. Each of these<br />
concepts was developed and<br />
modelled using CAD software. They<br />
can be seen below.<br />
Examples of seed tapes.<br />
Concept Selection<br />
The Vacuum Suction – Linear<br />
Motion concept was selected to be<br />
further developed throughout the<br />
rest of the project. This was then<br />
split into different components<br />
which could be analyzed.<br />
The following three components<br />
were redesigned to improve upon<br />
the original conceptual design.<br />
Project summary<br />
Seed Development Ltd’s factory currently contains a<br />
process that requires to workers to place seed tapes<br />
into a slot in a moving conveyor belt. This simple task<br />
requires a relatively large budget and therefore an<br />
automated system could be designed in order to<br />
improve upon the current process whilst saving<br />
money.<br />
Concept 1: Vacuum Suction –<br />
Motor Driven<br />
This concept features carriages<br />
travelling along a track each<br />
containing an individual suction<br />
nozzle. The seed tape would be<br />
picked up on one side of the track<br />
and then dropped off on the other<br />
side of the track.<br />
Concept 2: Vacuum Suction –<br />
Linear Motion<br />
This concept features a dual-acting<br />
actuator which travels back and<br />
forth in a straight line between the<br />
pick-up point and the drop-off<br />
point. The entire system is<br />
controlled by a computer.<br />
Concept 3: Conveyor Belts<br />
This conveyor belt features 3<br />
conveyor belts which transport the<br />
seed tapes to the drop-off point.<br />
The first conveyor belt produces a<br />
stream of single seed tapes, the<br />
second belt then equally spaces<br />
them and the final belt drops them<br />
into their slot<br />
Suction Grippers<br />
The suction grippers were<br />
redesigned so that they would pick<br />
up the seed tapes with less error.<br />
There are now 4 smaller suction<br />
grippers instead of one larger<br />
suction gripper.<br />
Stack Holder<br />
The stack holder was redesigned<br />
with the linear actuator positioned<br />
above instead of below the seed<br />
tapes. This means that more seed<br />
tapes can be stored in the stack<br />
holder at once and it will have to be<br />
refilled more often.<br />
Pneumatic Cylinder<br />
It was decided that the suction<br />
grippers would be attached to a<br />
pneumatic cylinder. This enables<br />
the suction grippers to be lowered<br />
onto the seed tapes and into the<br />
slots, then raised out of those<br />
positions.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aims of the design are to:<br />
• To maximize the speed at which the system can<br />
operate.<br />
• To minimize the overall cost of the system.<br />
• For the system to work with the lowest possible<br />
error rate.<br />
• To maximize the lifetime of the system.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The design of the individual components is improving<br />
the overall design and should provide a replacement<br />
system that performs better than that which is<br />
currently in place. The error rate of the suction<br />
gripper should be lower no that they have been<br />
redesigned and the error rate of the pick-up and<br />
drop-off process should be lower due to the<br />
incorporation of a pneumatic cylinder. The redesign<br />
of the Stack Holder will maximize the amount of seed<br />
tapes that can be stored which means there is less<br />
operator interaction.
Mykola Volodko<br />
B.Eng – Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Melvyn Smith<br />
3D IMAGING USED FOR DIMENTIONING OF PARCELS<br />
Introduction<br />
This investigation looks into the 3D dimensioning<br />
world; many different methods of 3D visualization<br />
will be talked about, such as: laser triangulation,<br />
photogrammetry, and stereo vision. All methods<br />
will be looked in detail to try to figure out which<br />
can be used to create a machine or a device that is<br />
affordable by most, if not all, postal services in<br />
existence to ease the operation of the companies.<br />
Three concepts will be suggested, all of different<br />
practicality, one concept will be about a handheld<br />
device that could be used with ease anywhere,<br />
second device will be a portable overhead device<br />
and the final concept will suggest a static over<br />
head device that should be the most accurate but<br />
expensive out all three concepts.<br />
Methods<br />
Five methods were looked into to see of they were<br />
viable to be used to find the dimensions of<br />
cuboidal objects initially but also doing research if<br />
they can work with non-cuboidal objects.<br />
Firstly, laser triangulation was considered as it is a<br />
widely used method that can find the coordinates<br />
of a certain points with ease. Using this method, a<br />
handful of important points could be found of the<br />
object and then used to re-create it as a 3D object<br />
with its dimensions.<br />
Then Photogrammetry was considered, this<br />
method consists of taking a numerous amount of<br />
pictures of the same object from different angles<br />
to intersect the lines mathematically and calculate<br />
the difference between the targeted points to find<br />
the dimensions of the object of interest. Then on<br />
the computer, it takes a flat 2-dimension image<br />
and turns it into a 3D image with its dimensions.<br />
Time-of-flight uses a light source to shine on the<br />
object and then capturing the reflected light and<br />
due to the phase shift, which gets measured; the<br />
reflection is measured and then turned into<br />
distance information. The light emitted usually is<br />
either a laser or some sort of LED light that uses<br />
infrared. An imaging sensor in adjacent to the<br />
emitter that captures the infrared light and<br />
converts it to an electrical current. To detect these<br />
phase shifts, the light source transmitted come in<br />
the form of a continuous-wave or is pulsed. The<br />
wave is usually square since it is easier to realize<br />
using a digital circuit.<br />
Stereo vision is the method of stereopsis to<br />
measure a certain length. This method is<br />
compared usually to the way the human eyes can<br />
perceive everyday life, two cameras are placed at a<br />
separate distance from each other and then a<br />
certain point of the object is targeted, the<br />
separation will make the images to cause<br />
measurable disparity. The cameras used can be of<br />
any type and due to the pin-hole camera model,<br />
the position of the point the can be computed.<br />
Also with the position of the cameras known, the<br />
depth of can also be deduced, giving the<br />
information required.<br />
The final method is structured light, The main way<br />
this system works is the triangulation method<br />
using single laser stripes, a CCD camera is used to<br />
track to the laser light and a device that controls<br />
the movement of the laser strip. A laser strip is<br />
projected onto the object that is in front of it, and<br />
the light reflected in shown by the CCD camera on<br />
the screen. The image that is projected gives only<br />
two dimensions of the shape, for example maybe<br />
the height and width of the object.<br />
Concepts<br />
One of the suggested concepts is a handheld<br />
device that would operate using laser<br />
triangulation. Such a device does exist bit its<br />
purpose of use is different, so for the following<br />
project, it would have to be modified. Since it is<br />
going to be a handheld device, the size of it will<br />
not be huge and could be filled if needed in the<br />
glove compartment of the vehicle.<br />
Concept number two will be an overhead device<br />
that operates using photogrammetry. This concept<br />
is not handheld due to the size of the apparatus<br />
used, so will be heavy and hard to just hold in<br />
hands. Concept can be both used in a warehouse<br />
or a post office, and can be found in the back of a<br />
courier’s car/truck if required to take to a<br />
customer’s house.<br />
The third and final concept that will be suggested<br />
will be an overhead device that operates using<br />
time-of-flight and more precisely using the pulsed<br />
wave method. This concept is purely an overhead<br />
device that can be used in a warehouse or a postal<br />
office, so it does lack the ability of being used on<br />
the move.<br />
Project summary<br />
A research has been accomplished to see what<br />
methods of 3-dimensional imaging exists that can be<br />
used to find the dimensions of a cuboidal and, if<br />
possible, of non-cuboidal objects. Five methods were<br />
looked into and from those five methods, three were<br />
chosen as potential concepts that can be used in a<br />
postal office or warehouse. The three concepts exist<br />
in three forms, handheld, portable overhead device<br />
and finally a static overhead device. The concepts<br />
were then discussed and allocated to the according<br />
type of company it can be used by.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research into methods of computer vision that<br />
could measure dimensions of cuboidal objects.<br />
• Categorise methods to see which can be made into<br />
handheld, back of truck or office device, to be able<br />
to make different concepts.<br />
• Create 3 different concept devices: one handheld,<br />
one that can operate from the back of a truck, and<br />
finally from a postal office.<br />
• See if methods can be used to measure<br />
dimensions of non-cuboidal objects.<br />
• If possible state best method to measure both<br />
cuboidal and non-cuboidal objects.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Laser triangulation, photogrammetry and time-offlight<br />
were the chosen methods to use to create<br />
concepts for a handheld, portable overhead device<br />
and static overhead device respectively, with the<br />
benefits explained and why they were chosen. Also<br />
the discussion explains what type of company could<br />
afford what method and why it would be ideal for<br />
them to use. The main points of consideration were<br />
the cost of the apparatus and the maintenance cost<br />
as well as if the yare portable and would benefit the<br />
company to invest in.
Matthew Langdown<br />
Beng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Jason Matthews<br />
The Design and Modelling of a Geodesic Dome<br />
The Project<br />
The first step of the project was to develop the project aims and<br />
objectives. Then research was carried out, using the Internet and library<br />
resources, to develop background knowledge of geodesic dome<br />
structures and also any current products on the market. The next step<br />
will be to look further into the mathematics of geodesic structures and<br />
using this to decide on the best shape to use for the tent design. We will<br />
then look at current technologies used in tent construction and review<br />
this information in order to decide if these technologies can be utilised<br />
or if new technologies will need to be developed. Once these<br />
technologies have been reviewed a concept design will be developed<br />
and once the structure and materials have been decided on a computer<br />
based model will be developed using SolidWorks or similar. The final<br />
section will be a review of whether the aims and objectives specified at<br />
the beginning of the process have been met and what improves could be<br />
made if the process was done again.<br />
Review of existing technologies<br />
A review of existing technologies was carried out in order to help decide<br />
on a concept design. This included looking into materials for the main<br />
structure and also for the covering. The main piece of research carried<br />
out was looking into the different shapes that geodesic domes could<br />
form. From this a short list of 3 was made and a final shape was decided<br />
once the construction and erection method had been looked at. The final<br />
shape that was decided on was a 2v Octahedron.<br />
Modelling<br />
A 3D model was produced in order to show the basic shape of the dome<br />
when it was fully erected. This can be seen across the page.<br />
Once the 3D model was complete a detailed 2D sketch was created in<br />
AutoCAD to show how the scissor mechanism for erection would work.<br />
The sketches across the page show this mechanism in bothe the erected<br />
and collapsed positions.<br />
3D Model<br />
2D Sketch<br />
Scissor mechanism in erected position.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project involves the design and computer<br />
modeling of a geodesic dome tent, measuring<br />
8m in circumference, that can be easily<br />
erected by an individual.<br />
The study has involved research into current<br />
designs of geodesic dome tents and the<br />
technology used in these designs. Once these<br />
technologies were reviewed a concept design<br />
was created and then modelled using both 2D<br />
and 3D CAD packages.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objective of this project was to design and model<br />
a geodesic dome tent measuring 8m in circumference<br />
and could be erected by an individual. To do this an<br />
investigation into current dome structures was<br />
carried out. This was then followed by obtaining an<br />
understanding of collapsing mechanisms. From this<br />
the concept design was created and discussed.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The outcome of the project was to achieve a concept<br />
design meeting the criteria stated in the project brief.<br />
This was achieved and a document of research<br />
carried out and the details of the concept design was<br />
created.<br />
Scissor mechanism in collapsed position.
Joseph Driscoll<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Benjamin Drew<br />
Steering Control For Tilting Vehicles<br />
Justification For Tilting Vehicles<br />
In order for a conventional car to roll over, the<br />
moment applied about the outer wheel by the<br />
inertial forces must be higher than the moment<br />
caused by weight acting at the centre of the<br />
vehicle. Conventional vehicles generally have a<br />
track width that will cause the vehicle to lose grip<br />
and slide, before roll over is possible. Described<br />
by: tt<br />
2h > 1 Non-tilting vehicle free body diagram<br />
Model Development<br />
The simulation model was produced in Simulink.<br />
The model was based on equations of motion<br />
derived from the combination of a “bicycle model”<br />
for the lateral characteristics of the vehicle, and an<br />
inverted pendulum model to represent the tilting<br />
degree of freedom of the model. The transfer<br />
function from steering angle to tilt angle was then<br />
found as:<br />
φφ<br />
(ss) = − mm tth UUUUUU+UU 2<br />
ββ ff ll<br />
II 1 +mm tt h 2 ss 2 −mm tt ggh<br />
Simulations<br />
A number of simulations were carried out, with<br />
the primary objective of testing the control system<br />
model under conditions that may occur in every<br />
day driving situations. The simulation scenarios<br />
included roundabouts at various speeds, a<br />
motorway lane change, and the ISO 3888-2<br />
obstacle avoidance test.<br />
30<br />
20<br />
Desired<br />
Actual<br />
Project summary<br />
Due to several factors such as rising congestion and<br />
fuel prices, the need has arisen for a vehicle that<br />
combines the fuel efficiency, manoeuvrability and<br />
space saving attributes of a motorcycle, with the<br />
safety and driveability of a conventional car; this<br />
need has made way for a class of narrow track tilting<br />
vehicles. An investigation was carried out into the<br />
viability of steering tilt control (STC) in narrow track<br />
tilting vehicles for road use.<br />
10<br />
When the centre of mass is tilted into a curve, risk<br />
of rolling over is reduced. If the vehicle is able to<br />
tilt by angle φφ, and moments are taken about the<br />
tilt axis (assuming system is in equilibrium and<br />
assuming that the tilt axis is located at<br />
approximately ground level), the relationship can<br />
be found: UU = RRRR tttttttt. This relationship shows<br />
that with a tilting degree of freedom, the<br />
maximum allowable forward velocity for the<br />
vehicle to remain in equilibrium is limited only by<br />
the maximum achievable tilt angle of the vehicle.<br />
Subsystems were added to the model in order to<br />
plot global displacement of the vehicle model.<br />
Global displacement conversion subsystem<br />
A subsystem was also added to more adequately<br />
simulate a realistic driver steering input, consisting<br />
of a series of rate limiters to smooth the steering<br />
input.<br />
Steering angle smoothing subsystem<br />
The final Simulink model was then produced,<br />
ready to carry out various simulation scenarios to<br />
test the viability of the control system.<br />
0<br />
-10<br />
-20<br />
-30<br />
-40<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
Roundabout third exit simulation<br />
Roundabout tests highlighted issues with the<br />
Simulink model .<br />
Motorway lane change simulation<br />
The control system performed well in the high<br />
speed, low steering angle manoeuvres<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
4<br />
3.5<br />
3<br />
2.5<br />
2<br />
1.5<br />
1<br />
0.5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
Desired<br />
Actual<br />
-1<br />
20 40 60 80 100 120 140<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
Desired<br />
Actual<br />
Boundary<br />
Boundary<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objective of the investigation was to<br />
determine the viability of STC in tilting road vehicles.<br />
In order to achieve the main objective it was<br />
necessary to develop a vehicle model and control<br />
system using Matlab and Simulink that would<br />
mathematically simulate the behaviour of a vehicle<br />
utilising STC.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was concluded that although the theoretical vehicle<br />
in the STC model was able to negotiate all of the test<br />
manoeuvres successfully, the path deviation caused<br />
by the required counter steer of the steering system<br />
could be dangerous under real world conditions.<br />
Therefore it is proposed that further research be<br />
conducted into a system where STC would be assisted<br />
by direct tilt control (DTC) in order to reduce path<br />
deviations.<br />
0<br />
-0.5<br />
-1<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60<br />
Displacement (m)<br />
Tilting Vehicle free body diagram<br />
Final Simulink model<br />
ISO 3888-2 simulation<br />
In emergency obstacle avoidance manoeuvres the<br />
control system would produce a significant course<br />
deviation at changes in vehicle heading.
Fabian, Tze Fung Ang<br />
BENG (Hons) Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Jason Matthews<br />
Green manufacturing<br />
Introduction<br />
In the latest global trend, due to the limited availability of non-renewable resources, global warming, several<br />
improvements in government regulation about the environment status due to the manufacturing process on<br />
compliance and non-compliance cost, public concern and social responsibility have been a big issue toward out<br />
new generation challenge. These are all the general reasons why organizations have recently encouraged on the<br />
campaigns to adopt a green and sustainable practice in the manufacturing industries. In this project, Fused<br />
Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D-printing has been used as a case study and have been address with a green<br />
manufacturing prospect to point out the problems and solutions have been suggested using the 5 strategies.<br />
Biodegradable material<br />
Fused deposition modelling 3D-printer relies heavily<br />
on using thermoplastic to produce printed products<br />
that are beneficial towards others. Almost all plastics<br />
are non-biodegradable in nature. Non-biodegradable<br />
plastic thrown off in land mines stays right there since<br />
it is not degraded. It cannot be used for other<br />
purposes like biogas production. By choosing the<br />
usage of Polyactic Acid (PLA) and Acrylonitrile<br />
butadiene styrene (ABS) as the thermoplastic material<br />
for the FDM printer will help enhancing the solutions<br />
of substituting the materials as it brings great benefits<br />
towards the ecosystem and better quality productions<br />
can be produced using biodegradable material<br />
Stronger structure product by using same material<br />
Through studying the knowledge from material<br />
science, it has shown that each substance consist of<br />
molecules in it no matter if it is in any state of matter.<br />
By understanding that, it can also show that the<br />
material breaks easily when the material have a higher<br />
air gap between the molecules.<br />
The concept for the solution is to reduce the air gap<br />
between the induced material that can be shown in<br />
the diagram. By doing so, the products that can be<br />
produced are stronger in structure strength and will<br />
solve the problem for not being able to replace other<br />
material for FDM besides thermoplastics.<br />
Energy consumption<br />
Using a fused deposition modelling<br />
3D-printer consumes a big portion<br />
of energy power mainly through<br />
heating of the thermoplastic. Even<br />
though energy conservation<br />
reduces energy services, it can<br />
result in increased environmental<br />
quality, personal financial security<br />
and higher savings. It is at the top of<br />
the sustainable energy hierarchy. It<br />
also lowers energy costs by<br />
preventing future resource<br />
depletion. Two solutions that can be<br />
introduced to solve the problem.<br />
5 strategy for green manufacturing<br />
1) Reduce consumption of material and energy<br />
2) Substitution of input materials<br />
3) Reduce unwanted outputs<br />
4) Convert outputs to inputs<br />
5) Well modelled supply chain structure<br />
Conserving energy<br />
The lack of technology to reduce the<br />
energy consumption of FDM have left<br />
installing sensors to keep track to the<br />
energy usage and having a routine<br />
maintenance on the machine will help<br />
conserve the energy<br />
Solar power generator<br />
Installing solar power generator will<br />
help the FDM to transform into a<br />
self sustaining manufacturing<br />
industries and will save up the cost<br />
of energy since it can generates<br />
own power.<br />
Increasing efficiency<br />
Efficiency is the extent to which time, effort, or cost is well-used for the<br />
intended task or function. The solution to increase the efficiency of the FDM<br />
process is as follow.<br />
Reusing the waste of the products<br />
By reusing the waste products in the<br />
finishing stage will reduce the input<br />
material and improve the output<br />
materials of the whole<br />
manufacturing process. This will<br />
save the cost of the production line.<br />
Reducing error of production<br />
Understanding the cause of the<br />
error is the key towards this study<br />
field. By solving the problem and<br />
minimizing the error, it will result in<br />
an improve quality quicker<br />
production as it is essential to have<br />
a minimum error in the<br />
manufacturing industry.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project strive to seek out the solutions for<br />
addressing the Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D<br />
printing technology in an extend to green<br />
manufacturing prospect by using the 5 strategies for<br />
green manufacturing to imply on the solutions. Study<br />
and understanding of the ways to examine the<br />
sustainability of the green manufacturing process is<br />
required in order to justify the problems and<br />
generate a conceptual solutions to the technology.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Studying the basic product cycle of the<br />
manufacturing process.<br />
• Studying the methods and outcome of the green<br />
manufacturing process that are applicable to the<br />
current market status.<br />
• Study the challenges of the green manufacturing<br />
process.<br />
• Understanding the technical sustainability of the<br />
technology process.<br />
• Understanding the effects that will help out the<br />
eco-environment<br />
• Study the effects of the market sustainability of<br />
the technology.<br />
• Research of the market and environment needs<br />
globally.<br />
• Learning the adaptation on the possibilities of<br />
improvements and the actual application for the<br />
manufacturing industries.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, this project have meet its aim<br />
by studying various fields of green<br />
manufacturing and have provide a better<br />
knowledge in solving the problems that are<br />
impose through the 5 strategies of green<br />
manufacturing.
Greg Hulme<br />
Beng Mechanical engineering<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
John Kamalu<br />
Design, Materials and Manufacture improvements to composite layered<br />
skateboard to prevent snapping under impact<br />
FEA Analysis<br />
It was necessary to find out the maximum stress acting upon the traditional<br />
Maple deck. In order to simulate the applied force finite element analysis can<br />
be carried out using Abaqus software.<br />
Once the boundary conditions were assigned the truck mounts of the deck<br />
will be unable to move in deflection or rotation. A force of 1628.46N<br />
(83kkkk × 9.81 × ssssssssssss ffffffffffff 2) was applied to the centre of the board.<br />
From here a job is run in order to see the results.<br />
Using the Abaqus visualisation tab a deformed plot was created showing the<br />
stress distribution on the deck.<br />
Testing<br />
Three point bend tests can be carried out on the three test panels. These<br />
tests will show the deflection experienced by the deck and will also allow<br />
flexural strength to be calculated.<br />
Flexural strength=<br />
3PPPP<br />
(2bbdd 2 )<br />
Values for the flexural strength and deflection of the three test panels are<br />
compared in the table opposite.<br />
Final Manufacture<br />
Flexural Strength Deflection<br />
Standard Deck 98.1MPa 39mm (half L value)<br />
Lay-up 1 112.13MPa 138mm<br />
Lay-up 2 129.02MPa 145mm<br />
Lay-up 3 153.8MPa 115mm<br />
Project summary<br />
Skateboard design and manufacture has evolved over<br />
the last 60 years, but the skateboard deck still suffers<br />
from fracture under high impact. The study examined<br />
whether the addition of composite layers to the deck<br />
could improve strength. The mechanical properties of<br />
different composites were examined, and several<br />
design options were modelled.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1.Principal aim:<br />
To provide a solution to the problem of low fracture<br />
resistance of skateboards manufactured with<br />
Canadian Maple.<br />
2. Sub aims:<br />
(i) To analyse the limitations and failure<br />
characteristics of skateboards.<br />
(ii) To relate the failure characteristics of skateboards<br />
to their design, materials and manufacture.<br />
(iii) To improve the performance of skateboards<br />
(particularly their impact toughness) through changes<br />
in their design, materials and manufacture.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Insert your project conclusion here:<br />
Type Spec:<br />
Calibri 24pt Medium<br />
Align text Left<br />
One by one, the layers are assembled on the lay-up surface. Once a ply is<br />
positioned a layer of resin is painted over it. The resin and hardener are<br />
mixed in a 3:1 ratio, using 75g or resin and 25g of hardener for each layer.<br />
This will work out as a V m of around 33%.<br />
The method for the final manufacture was the same method used to<br />
manufacture the test panels. The only difference in the process was shaping<br />
the deck. In order to do this a deck was used as a mould.
Daniel Lovell<br />
UFMFX8-30-3: BENG MECHANICAL ENGINEERING<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Rachel Szadziewska<br />
PASSIVE SOLAR GREENHOUSE DESIGN<br />
Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is an<br />
advanced agricultural technology whereby crops<br />
are grown in controlled environments in order that<br />
horticultural practices can be optimized. Advanced<br />
forms of CEA incorporate hydroponics which<br />
allows more growing variables to be manipulated<br />
compared to soil based horticulture. The most<br />
common controlled environments are<br />
greenhouses; these structures have existed for<br />
centuries allowing people to extend growing<br />
seasons and cultivate crops year round. Early<br />
greenhouses had very few control features and<br />
would have cultivated crops using traditional soil<br />
based methods. However modern greenhouses<br />
have become more automated with the use of<br />
computer technology and are increasingly<br />
incorporating hydroponics in an effort to increase<br />
production.<br />
The energy demands of any controlled<br />
environment will play a major role in determining<br />
the viability of CEA. The key driver for making<br />
them more efficient is the rising cost of energy in<br />
all forms (Figure 4) and the forecast for their<br />
continuing increase. Not only are there concerns<br />
over the rising prices, the security of these sources<br />
in the long run are potentially an issue. This was<br />
the main driver behind developing a passive<br />
design.<br />
A direct gain concept was adopted for the purpose<br />
of this design project. This design concept utilizes<br />
south facing windows in which solar radiation is<br />
directly admitted in to the space. The space<br />
requiring heat input is directly behind the south<br />
facing glazing and there is thermal mass in the in<br />
the walls floors or ceiling meaning the room acts<br />
as both the solar collector and the thermal<br />
storage.<br />
In order to determine the effect of glazing size and<br />
orientation it is crucial to calculate the solar<br />
radiation available to the site, the availability of<br />
solar radiation forms the basis of any passive<br />
design. The chart below shows a small part of the<br />
solar analysis carried out during the project.<br />
More detail solar data was gathered for the<br />
project through the use of special computer<br />
programs, as indicated in the image below.<br />
As a result of all of the calculations and research<br />
carried out an optimized design was proposed.<br />
With a view to taking this further for complete<br />
thermal simulation.<br />
Project summary<br />
The economic viability of greenhouses in the<br />
UK relies heavily on its thermal efficiency. This<br />
report investigates the reason why indoor<br />
cultivation of crops is of interest to UK<br />
farmers and of particular personal interest.<br />
The report outlines research into the current<br />
ways in which the industry is tackling the<br />
efficiency of controlled environments, and<br />
highlights attempts at passive solar design<br />
that have already been made. It also sets out<br />
to propose an optimized design for a specific<br />
location in the UK.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Investigating mathematically the effect of the<br />
overall shape, size, and orientation on heating<br />
and cooling requirements.<br />
Recommendations for embedded design<br />
concepts based on research undertaken<br />
The preparation of a 3D CAD model of the<br />
proposed passive design, for the intention of<br />
performing CFD analysis.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project was a success as it highlighted a<br />
current passive design and was able to<br />
identify its shortcomings and provide<br />
solutions to combat them. A number of key<br />
design decisions were highlighted as a result<br />
of the research and calculations performed .
Dharmesh Hirapara<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Regenerative Braking System<br />
The idea came in 1970’s when energy crisis caused researchers to study about the feasibility and practicality of implementing<br />
hybrid power along with regenerative braking systems, which have the potential to improve the fuel economy of vehicles<br />
operating under urban driving conditions. Urban driving condition refers to excessive use of brakes during the city driving. The<br />
increase in price of petroleum-based fuel in the past few years has also given rise to various research and development efforts<br />
for energy conservation. However, reduced fuel consumption and therefore operating cost and reduced gaseous emissions<br />
including primarily carbon dioxide (hence global warming) are the major driving forces behind commercial considerations of<br />
such systems.<br />
Energy storage by flywheel systems<br />
The benefit of using flywheel technology is that more of the forward<br />
inertial energy of the car can be engaged even during relatively short<br />
intervals of braking and acceleration. In case of batteries they are not<br />
able to accept charge at these rapid intervals, thus more energy is lost to<br />
the friction. The electric battery has had its demerits. One of the demerits<br />
of the electric battery is the inherent losses that accompany the energy<br />
transformations, due to which, the transfer efficiency can be quite low.<br />
The other demerits are that, they have a low specific power (power per<br />
unit weight of storage system), a low storage efficiency which diminishes<br />
which each charge/discharge cycle and lack of required service life span.<br />
These reasons contribute to a limited range for battery electric vehicle<br />
(BEV) due to which, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have become fairly<br />
more successful as they use an internal combustion engine, with its<br />
relatively high specific energy and power, to supplement the battery.<br />
There has been ongoing research into other electrochemical batteries like<br />
Li-ion and NiMH etc., for better performance for these applications.<br />
Kinetic energy recovery system (KERS)<br />
The moving bodies have energy in the form of kinetic energy be. To move any object, work has<br />
to be done. Energy is supplied by burning the fuel in car engines or from other sources such as<br />
electric batteries and solar power. Now as natural resources like petroleum are depleting and<br />
the cost keeps on fluctuating, so under these circumstances we need to fully utilize the<br />
available energy to get maximum output. During driving or any operation involving braking,<br />
energy is wasted. To save that energy from being wasted, kinetic energy recovery was<br />
introduced in 1970’s. Initially energy is stored with the help of flywheel. Kinetic storages, also<br />
known as Flywheel Energy Storages (FES), are used in many technical fields. The working<br />
principle is based on inertial mass, which is accelerating to a very high rotational speed and<br />
maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy because of inertia of the body,<br />
obeying newton’s first law of motion. Newton’s first law of motion sates that a body continues<br />
is state of rest or motion unless an external force in applied on it. Inertia is the ability of the<br />
body to resist change in its state of rest or motion. The energy is converted back as the<br />
flywheel slows down the releasing the stored energy. Available performance comes from<br />
moment of inertia effect and operating rotational speed.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Farid Dailami<br />
Project summary<br />
The idea of regenerative braking system is based on<br />
kinetic energy recovery system. The aim of both<br />
systems is to conserve and use energy. Regenerative<br />
energy system can be used where excessive braking is<br />
required to save the energy being lost in the process.<br />
In efforts to produce greener cars numerous<br />
processes have been examined that effect fuel<br />
consumption. One of the processes is braking. The<br />
traditional braking wastes energy because it kills the<br />
momentum that the engine has built up. However,<br />
with the process of regenerative braking, this energy<br />
effectively finds a new home. Instead of being lost as<br />
heat in the brakes, the energy is used to drive an<br />
alternator, which allows the energy to be partially<br />
recovered and stored in a battery.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To understand the idea, concept and elements of<br />
regenerative braking system. And study the<br />
advantages of regenerative braking system.<br />
• To understand and study the need and importance<br />
of regenerative braking system. .<br />
• To understand and study the applications of<br />
regenerative braking system.<br />
• Compare conventional braking systems, dynamics<br />
braking systems, frictional braking systems, and<br />
regenerative braking system.<br />
• Develop and study the current and further scope<br />
for development of regenerative braking system.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The regenerative braking systems are better option<br />
than other conventional form of braking systems as it<br />
can operate at high range of temperature.<br />
Various results evaluated from the studies conclude<br />
that almost 30 per cent of the energy can be<br />
recovered by the regenerative braking. Therefore, the<br />
regenerative braking systems have a wider scope in<br />
the transportation sector.<br />
Regenerative brakes should be used with mechanical<br />
brakes to provide good braking as well as<br />
conservation of energy. The regenerative braking<br />
system is significantly better at recovering energy and<br />
stopping compared to the conventional braking<br />
system as the mechanical braking system stops<br />
significantly faster, but no energy is recovered
Danilo da Silva<br />
M.Eng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Tushar Dhavale<br />
Design of a storage rack for aircrafts wheels and tyres<br />
Background<br />
Much research has been addressed to optimise<br />
the reliability of aeroplane tyres. In this context,<br />
the way the tyres will be stored is also important<br />
to be considered, it is known that the tyres will<br />
lost its circular shape if it is kept in the same<br />
position for a long period. Also, other specific<br />
cares were stablished by the literature review in<br />
order to keep the integrity of the wheel/tyre<br />
assemblies. Therefore, the aim of this project is to<br />
design a storage rack for military aircrafts, being<br />
the main points listed below:<br />
• Enable the tyre rotate manually or automatics<br />
• Stackable racks<br />
• Light and dirt protection<br />
• Store vertically and separately<br />
• Incorporate a traceability system<br />
Design<br />
The design attached zinc plates around it as a<br />
whole, in order to not only protect the tyres from<br />
ultraviolet lights, but also to keep it away from<br />
possible dirt or degrading substances. Bearing in<br />
mind the tracking system, a portable computer<br />
was attached to the side of the rack. Also, the<br />
racks have a simple process to be stacked; they<br />
have upper profiles which fit into the lower<br />
profiles and have holes to be screwed.<br />
The rack stores each tyre separately and vertically, it<br />
fit a range of wheel/tyre assemblies and also has a<br />
mechanism which permits the tyres to be upright,<br />
regardless with the size of it. This mechanism can be<br />
observed in the figure below.<br />
The mechanism has a spring which keeps a small<br />
roller always in contact with the tyre, regardless the<br />
width of it; as such the tyre will be upright always.<br />
Also, the project included a mechanism composed<br />
with two rollers for each wheel/tyre assemblies to<br />
enable its rotation, only one roller provide the<br />
motion, and a mechanism developed permitted to<br />
the operator rotate the assembly either manually or<br />
automatically. The designed mechanism can be<br />
observed in the figure below.<br />
As it can be seen, the mechanism permits the use of<br />
a crank to provide motion to the system when there<br />
is a screw attached. The screw transmits the motion<br />
of the crank to the shaft (the shaft is kept<br />
transparent just to allow the visualization of its<br />
interior) which is connected to the roller. Once the<br />
screw is removed, the crank will be free and no<br />
motion from the crank will be transmitted to the<br />
roller, on the other hand, the pulley system will<br />
act, applying a driller in the upper shaft, which has<br />
a hexagonal hole to be attached to the driller.<br />
Finite Element Analysis (FEA)<br />
The following boundary conditions were applied:<br />
The faces of the profiles were fixed on the ground,<br />
and loads were applied due to the weight of the<br />
tyre in the bearing attachment area. In addition,<br />
we considered the loads from the other two<br />
stacked racks, with its weight distributed on the<br />
points of contact with the lowest hack. All the<br />
parts of the rack were considered solid bodies and<br />
the study ran through an automatic mesh with<br />
mesh refinement control in parts considered<br />
critical. The results obtained in the study of stress<br />
can be seen in the figure below.<br />
Traceability<br />
To assist in tyres documenting and tracking<br />
procedures, a computer program was developed<br />
to be used by the tyres operators, helping in<br />
inventory organization. The software receives<br />
information on the status and location of each tyre<br />
when it is removed or stored in a rack, keeping a<br />
track record of the tyres. Screens of the developed<br />
program follow:<br />
Project summary<br />
Design an military aircraft tyre storage rack. The<br />
design addressed the most common issues regarding<br />
to the physical integrity of the tyres. Finite elements<br />
analyses were performed in order to ensure the<br />
safety of the prototype as well as stability analysis.<br />
Also, a tracking system was implemented.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Design improved aircraft tyre storage racks<br />
• Implement a tyre tracking system<br />
• Allow the designed racks to be stacked<br />
• Ensure entire design is safe and work properly<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This first part of the project has shown, founded on<br />
the literature survey, the importance of improved<br />
tyre storage racks. As more the demand in aviation<br />
has increased, more attention has to be paid to<br />
durability and reliability aspects, wherefore aircraft<br />
companies has been more demanding to tyres care.<br />
Several requirements have been established aiming<br />
to develop the efficiency of aircraft tyres. Aircraft tyre<br />
storage racks appeared has been already developed<br />
for some companies but the majority of them still<br />
have not yet met the requirements entirely.<br />
In sum, it can be concluded that this project has met<br />
the aims, since the aircraft storage rack design has<br />
met the requirements proposed by the literature<br />
review and the results from analyses were<br />
satisfactory when it comes to safety and reliability.<br />
Built on the acquired knowledge from the literature<br />
review, the shafts and bearings were designed and<br />
selected. In Addition, finite element analysis was<br />
performed on the tubular frame and it was optimised<br />
and posteriorly considered sufficiently safe to<br />
support wheel and tyre assemblies. In this way, the<br />
storage rack designed in this project can be seen as<br />
an important investment to aircraft companies.
Cameron Halpin<br />
Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Appolinaire Etoundi<br />
An investigation into the effectiveness of ‘smart’ materials in the<br />
rehabilitation of stroke patients fingers<br />
General:<br />
In the UK there are estimated to be 1.2 million<br />
stroke survivors. 77% of these survivors suffer<br />
from some weakness in the arm or fingers.<br />
Technologies used to rehabilitate these survivors<br />
are 2 different types.<br />
They can be assistive, where the user will wear the<br />
device whilst performing a task that would<br />
otherwise been much more difficult, or else they<br />
can be entirely therapeutic, where the user will<br />
wear the device for a certain period each day<br />
running through a pre-defined cycle.<br />
The Bioness H200, pictured above on the left, is<br />
both therapeutic and assistive however there is<br />
more emphasis on the assistive aspects. The<br />
device actuates a grasp and release action via<br />
small currents applied to the tendons of the lower<br />
arm.<br />
The SaeboFlex, pictured above on the right, is a<br />
balanced device in terms of assistance and therapy<br />
however user reviews have shown it to be difficult<br />
to apply and slow in its effects.<br />
The device has individual mechanisms for each<br />
finger and is spring loaded. The springs reduce the<br />
effect of spasticity on the hand, reducing stiffness<br />
and muscle ache.<br />
The design of the ‘soft’ actuated device was<br />
decided to be similar to the SaeboFlex – spring<br />
loaded with individual mechanisms – with the<br />
ability to apply a ‘nudging’ force when required.<br />
Experimentation:<br />
This investigation tested 2 materials for properties<br />
such as response time and power density.<br />
These 2 materials were:<br />
A Nickel-Titanium alloy, manufactured by Toki in<br />
Japan. The SMA was manufactured as a coil in<br />
order that the transition temperature caused<br />
linear actuation.<br />
The second material was VHB by 3M, a dielectric<br />
elastomer, electro active polymer.<br />
All factors considered, SMAs were chosen as the<br />
most appropriate material to proceed to use in<br />
design.<br />
Areal Strain<br />
Recovered Strain<br />
1.8<br />
1.6<br />
1.4<br />
1.2<br />
1<br />
0.8<br />
0.6<br />
0.4<br />
0.2<br />
0<br />
2000 2200 2400 2600 2800 3000 3200 3400 3600 3800 4000<br />
0.9<br />
0.8<br />
0.7<br />
0.6<br />
0.5<br />
0.4<br />
0.3<br />
0.2<br />
0.1<br />
0<br />
-0.1<br />
VHB Max. Areal Strain vs Voltage<br />
Voltage (V)<br />
SMA Linear Recovered Strain vs Time<br />
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70<br />
Frames<br />
65g<br />
Design:<br />
The sketch shows the components of the<br />
mechanism. Due to the pairing of the<br />
compressive and torsional spring, the design of<br />
the mechanism has the benefit of allowing the<br />
user freedom in controlling the extent of<br />
actuation; the user does not need to follow the<br />
same cycle of movement every time. The device<br />
has a closed loop control system.<br />
The results of a ‘proof of concept’ model<br />
showed that this mechanism, if slightly adjusted<br />
can effectively assist in the operation of a<br />
rehabilitative nudging device.<br />
The image below shows each stage of the<br />
device; from power supply to mechanism. It<br />
details how the device can be mounted<br />
effectively on to the user.<br />
Project summary<br />
Current rehabilitation technologies have been shown<br />
to be less effective at combining assistance and<br />
rehabilitation aspects. By applying alternative<br />
materials there is potential to improve the<br />
effectiveness, weight or cost performances of the<br />
devices.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To determine how effective ‘soft’ actuation<br />
materials can perform in terms of rehabilitation of<br />
fingers.<br />
To design a mechanism that may better assist in<br />
rehabilitation.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Depending on the mechanism, shape memory alloys<br />
can provide a lighter, more effective method of<br />
actuation than a motorised alternative.<br />
The hysteresis loop s shown in the results section,<br />
that SMAs exhibit is naturally similar to the hysteresis<br />
loops of muscles and tendons. This similarity<br />
indicates a high suitability for application in<br />
prosthetics, as this is where the device is required to<br />
mimic the behaviour of a finger most effectively.<br />
For this mechanism however, the high cost incurred,<br />
coupled with the pulse force required for a nudge<br />
makes this a case of over engineering; a nudging<br />
device does not require the unique loops available<br />
from shape memory alloys.<br />
In order to exploit the similarities, SMAs should be<br />
used in full cycle simulations or in full prosthetics.<br />
When able to be produced at a more affordable rate,<br />
SMAs would make a highly suitable material for<br />
artificial muscles.
Ali Bin Tahir<br />
BEng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Aruna Palipana<br />
Introduction:<br />
Mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR) is a ventilation<br />
system for the whole house with a determination of supplying and<br />
extracting air from a house or a building. It provides a controlled way of<br />
ventilating a home while reducing energy loss by using already<br />
conditioned exhaust air which is to be taken out to warm or cool fresh<br />
incoming air. This system is alternatively known as Heat Recovery Unit.<br />
It gives a balanced low energy ventilation solution for homes and<br />
consumes up to 95% of the heat that would otherwise have been<br />
misspent. The system (MVHR) comprises of a network of ventilation pipes<br />
which are connected to all the rooms in a house and a Heat Recovery Unit.<br />
It works by continuously extracting air from rooms of the property and at<br />
the same time sucking in fresh supply of air from outside. With the help of<br />
heat exchanger inside the Heat Recovery Unit, the heat from the taken out<br />
old air is recycled to heat the sifted clean supply of air for the habitable<br />
rooms such as living rooms and bedrooms.<br />
The Figure 1 shows a normal house fitted with MVHR system.<br />
Figure 1<br />
Modeling:<br />
Figure 2 is the AUTO CAD design<br />
of the air tight room which was<br />
later run on CFD software to<br />
check the air flow in the room by<br />
placing ducts at different<br />
positions with MVHR system<br />
attached.<br />
Project Title: CFD analysis of air flow inside air-tight house fitted with<br />
Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) system.<br />
Figure 2<br />
CFD Study:<br />
The images under CFD study shows the<br />
results that were gathered by running<br />
the model designed in AUTO CAD in CFD<br />
software. The figures simulated comfort<br />
temperature with four different heat<br />
emitters, along a vertical plane at Y =<br />
L/2. Surface temperatures of the heat<br />
emitters’. Note comfort temperature<br />
was similar to the middle of the room in<br />
all cases. It was apparent that the ability<br />
to counteract cold downdraught should<br />
be considered in buildings where cold<br />
fresh ventilation air is brought in directly<br />
from outdoors. In addition, the way<br />
ventilation inlets spread cold air into the<br />
room should also be considered and<br />
adapted to the heating system to<br />
prevent cold downdraught. Traditional<br />
radiators were found to counteract this<br />
effect better than floor and wall heating<br />
systems.<br />
Project summary<br />
This research is about the study of air flow in an air<br />
tight room and a typical house. By the help of<br />
AUTOCAD and CFD software we will be able to<br />
carry out this investigation. This will be done by<br />
modelling firstly a room fitted with mechanical<br />
ventilation heat recovery (MVHR) system then a<br />
model of house will be made fitted with (MVHR).<br />
Calculations will be done to see what kind and with<br />
what power the motor should be installed with<br />
MVHR so that it can suck the outside air and heat it<br />
up which will then go inside the house. The model<br />
of a room and house will be then imported to CFD<br />
software where the airflow will be observed and air<br />
pockets will be observed<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• CFD study of the air-tight room fitted with<br />
MVHR system<br />
• Finding the best suitable positions for<br />
ventilation system to be stored in a house.<br />
• Study of air flow inside a air-tight room and a<br />
house.<br />
• Maintaining a good level of air quality within the<br />
house.<br />
• Costing of the MVHR system and operating cost<br />
is finalized.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Firstly, a brief analysis of AUTOCAD and CFD<br />
software has been covered. The major aims and<br />
sub aims are examined. The specifications and<br />
requirements have been settled for the model of<br />
room and house. Then specifications and<br />
requirements of air flow in air tight room and<br />
house are established using CFD software. Detail<br />
study of CFD study is discussed with different<br />
scenarios that can take place while observing the<br />
air flow and what results can be found in CFD study<br />
is discussed with its advantages. Also a detailed<br />
study of problems that will be faced is discussed<br />
with its solutions.
Ali Albannai<br />
Beng Mechanical <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The Tool Wear And Hole Quality Analysis on CFRP/Al<br />
Drilling<br />
1. Tools wear investigation using Scanning Electron<br />
Microscope (SEM)<br />
The investigation of the drill using a scanning electron microscope<br />
(SEM) before and after drilling clearly indicated tool wear on the drill<br />
.The drill tool wear could be attributed to the rise on temperature<br />
necessitated by the rubbing action of the fractured graphite fibers and<br />
the grains of solid carbide against the composite’s epoxy matrix.<br />
The results from SEM also reveal the formation of BUE and the<br />
dominant wear mechanism as indicated<br />
2. Holes quality<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
DR.marilyn Goh<br />
The surface quality of the holes was evaluated by taking a cross-section cut of the<br />
drilled holes. It was observed that the hole section lying in the Al plate had good<br />
surface finish as compared to that for the CFRP. This can be clearly seen in pictures.<br />
Though the holes circularity and the surface roughness were not quantified in this<br />
case, it is evident that there is a strong correlation between these parameters and tool<br />
wear.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project presents a study on the design and<br />
analysis of a cutter for drilling CFRP/Al stacked<br />
composite materials. Stacked plates of Carbon<br />
Fibre Reinforced Plastics/Aluminium (CFRP/Al) will<br />
be drilled using of solid carbide drill ZCC.CT<br />
1536SU05C-0600 KDG303 with a view to study the<br />
drilling process. The drilling tool modelled using<br />
SolidWorks.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this project is to study the wear of<br />
a carbide tool and hole quality by experimentally<br />
drilling through CFRP/Al stacked materials.<br />
•To test on different cutting speed and feed rates.<br />
•To analyse the stacked material wear using<br />
different cutting conditions.<br />
•To model and further explore and analyse the<br />
drilling process using a CAD software (SolidWorks).<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This study has presented an extensive literature<br />
review on the drilling of CFRP/Al stack materials.<br />
CFRP/Al stack materials are usually used in<br />
aerospace applications besides other uses like in<br />
automotive and civil engineering applications. The<br />
optimization of the drilling conditions in these stack<br />
materials is of great economic considerations. Tool<br />
wear and the quality of the produced parts are key<br />
considerations to any optimization scheme. This<br />
report has presented a study on the tool wear and<br />
holes quality analysis when drilling CFRP/Al stacked<br />
composite materials. The drill that was used was<br />
the standard two flute drill, and the drilling and<br />
tool wear were investigated at a spindle speed of<br />
4000 rpm at a feed rate of 600 mm/min. These<br />
drilling conditions were found to be the most<br />
appropriate since they produced the smallest chips<br />
size. The chips size during drilling is an important<br />
parameter since it may have a bearing on holes<br />
quality, and hence the overall quality of the<br />
produced part.<br />
The study established that delamination is a major<br />
problem during the drilling of CFRP/Al stack<br />
materials. Delamination was found to be more at<br />
the hole exit as com-pared to the hole entry. The<br />
hole circularity and surface finish was found to be<br />
significantly affected by delamination.
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
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Electrical<br />
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<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
The UK motorsport sector<br />
employs 50,000 people, with<br />
in excess of 30,000 engaged<br />
in full-time engineering<br />
roles. There are about 4,000<br />
businesses of various sizes<br />
involved in motorsport, and this<br />
sector accounts for around 28<br />
per cent of those employed by<br />
UK engineering companies.<br />
£23,020<br />
Average starting salary for our <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Design and Mathematics students in full-time<br />
professional jobs six months after graduating.<br />
Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey published 2013<br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics
Robert Crook<br />
BEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Analysing and Optimising the Performance of Rally Car Suspension, for<br />
Varying Road Surfaces<br />
To be able to investigate the suspension system on<br />
a 1989 Volkswagen Golf one had to be measured<br />
in order to be able to create a software model.<br />
Measurements were taken from the DreamTec<br />
Racing 1989 Volkswagen Golf 16V GTi race car.<br />
Creating a math model of the Golf in CarSim is not a<br />
complex as it would be in some programs as you do not have<br />
to draw the whole suspension system. It is a case of finding<br />
which points/dimensions you need and entering them into<br />
the software. Once modelled simulations could be run and<br />
data is obtained which is transformed into graphs then these<br />
were analysed to find the best geometries.<br />
To accurately represent the dimensions of every component within<br />
a 1989 Volkswagen Golfs suspension system a drawing was created<br />
in Solidworks.<br />
Some of these results were to be expected, some were slightly<br />
different to what was expected. Most of the tarmac optimization<br />
results were as expected, due to the nature of the Golf being front<br />
wheel drive. The gravel results were to be expected as when<br />
observing physical rally cars they have much the same geometries<br />
in regard to Camber, Toe and Ride Height. This is also the case for<br />
rally cars running a Snow set-up. The caster angle was predicted to<br />
be as extreme as possible as when looking at current WRC cars the<br />
caster angles are as extreme as 20°-30°. But the with the nature of a<br />
1989 Volkswagen Golf’s engine bay no more caster can be applied<br />
due to space issues and without major modification and fabrication.<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Project summary<br />
This study will look into rally car suspension,<br />
specifically what it should be doing and how it<br />
can be optimised. This will be looked at across<br />
three different surfaces, asphalt, gravel and<br />
snow.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To analyse and optimise a rally car suspension<br />
set up, also to give a good understanding and<br />
accurate description of what rally car<br />
suspension should do and how to do it.<br />
• Identify the key suspension parameters that<br />
influence rally car handling.<br />
• Investigate the levels of adjustment needed<br />
in the system.<br />
• Show the difference changes in these<br />
parameters make to a rally car suspension<br />
system.<br />
• Optimise a rally car suspension system for<br />
different surfaces.<br />
• Propose any modifications that could be<br />
made to the overall suspension system that<br />
could improve the handling further.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Overall the investigation has gone well; three<br />
optimum set-ups for the car have been found<br />
for three surfaces. This was the main aim of<br />
the project. It has been found though that the<br />
car does still have the tendency to understeer<br />
but has been dialled out as much as possible<br />
within the simulation limits.
Oliver de Garston<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Formula Student Car Suspension Design<br />
Deciding Basic Parameters<br />
The start of the design process begins with<br />
deciding on the best wheelbase and track as these<br />
have great consequence on the longitudinal and<br />
lateral weight transfer. A wheel base was chosen<br />
with a near 50/50 weight distribution from the<br />
estimated centre of gravity and vehicle mass.<br />
Track was chosen on the basis on lateral load<br />
transfer and course width at the event, too wide<br />
would mean manoeuvres need to be larger to<br />
negotiate obstacles, to narrow and load transfer<br />
become too great.<br />
Upright Geometry<br />
The starting point for<br />
upright geometry is<br />
making sure any braking<br />
system fits inside the<br />
chosen wheel, this will<br />
then give the brake disc<br />
offset to the wheel and<br />
then consequently the<br />
best possible position<br />
for the lower outer<br />
pivot point is as close to the brake disc as possible<br />
as low down as possible.<br />
Suspension Geometry<br />
Once outboard pivot points are chosen, attention<br />
can then turn toward the inboard points. Vsusp<br />
was used to design from this point, as it gave a real<br />
time look at the roll centre and shape of the<br />
suspension.<br />
Once the desired design was formed in Vsusp this<br />
was moved over to Solidworks to create a 3D<br />
design below is shown the front suspension<br />
geometry.<br />
This was repeated for the rear to give the overall<br />
suspension geometry seen below. The lines<br />
extending out the front are the anti-squat lines for<br />
the rear suspension. 30% anti-squat was included<br />
in the design.<br />
Bellcrank Geometry<br />
Once the front and rear wishbone and upright<br />
geometry is decided, the pushrod and bellcrank<br />
geometry is next on the list. Below is a graph of<br />
the front bellcrank motion ratio. As seen the ratio<br />
is nearly linear, this is an ideal situation as it means<br />
the shock has a smooth actuation.<br />
Analysis<br />
The system was then built in MSC Adams,<br />
although the program was not used to its full<br />
potential it was still used for some basic analysis.<br />
A key area of analysis was the movement of the<br />
roll centre below is the graph of roll centre<br />
movement due to body roll.<br />
The system geometry was then turned into a CAD<br />
design for the <strong>UWE</strong> Formula Student team to<br />
manufacture for the new <strong>2015</strong> car.<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this work is to design from scratch a<br />
suspension system for the University’s race car to suit<br />
the needs of the event and to analyse its<br />
performance though computer simulation. This<br />
design will be one of the key features of this year’s<br />
car being built by students participating in the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
Formula Student team. The suspension system will be<br />
of a classical unequal length double wishbone design.<br />
This suspension type has the most adjustability in<br />
characteristics and should meet all demands.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• A kingpin inclination angle of between 0° and 8°<br />
• A scrub radius between 0mm and 100mm<br />
• A caster angle between 3° and 7°<br />
• Static camber of around -2° but adjustable<br />
between 0°and -4°<br />
• Camber gain of between 0.2° and 0.5° at the front<br />
axle<br />
• Camber gain of between 0.5° and 0.8° at the rear<br />
axle<br />
• A maximum roll of about 2°<br />
• A roll centre height between 25mm below ground<br />
and 50mm above ground at the front and<br />
marginally higher at the rear<br />
• Controlled and predictable movement of the roll<br />
axis<br />
• A swing arm length of between 1250mm and<br />
2500mm at the front<br />
• A swing arm length of between 1016mm and<br />
1778mm at the rear<br />
• Minimal bump steer<br />
• 50% - 65% of the roll stiffness on the rear axle<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This system should be practical and possible for the<br />
<strong>UWE</strong> Formula Student team to manufacture and<br />
construct, to within reasonable tolerances the<br />
system, to enable the team to go to Silverstone with a<br />
complete and accurate suspension system that<br />
complies with all the rules. The author believes that<br />
the basic geometry of the system is good, and<br />
enables there to be space for all the vehicles other<br />
subsystems.
Abbie Grange<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Parametric Analysis and Optimisation of the Formula Student Body Shell<br />
Formation of the Parametric Model<br />
A parametric model maintains consistent<br />
relationships between certain elements, allowing<br />
the model to adapt to changes made to a specific<br />
variable. Parametric modelling is vital to the<br />
research undertaken in this study as it allows the<br />
Author to make structured, predefined changes<br />
that will automatically update the rest of the nose<br />
cone geometry and therefore ensure cohesive,<br />
reliable results.<br />
The body shell as a whole is defined and<br />
constrained around the chassis, with given<br />
clearances at key points that ensure the full<br />
clearance of all components. The nose cone region<br />
specifically is largely constrained to the impact<br />
attenuator as this is the last component that the<br />
body shell must clear before coming to a point.<br />
Utilising the geometry of the impact attenuator<br />
ensures proper fitment and clearance of the body<br />
shell, no matter what changes are made to the<br />
parametric model.<br />
Nose Cone Height Study<br />
This section of the investigation tests the isolated<br />
nose cone region as a lone bluff body which ends<br />
at the front roll hoop, therefore the cockpit region<br />
and the side pods are not included. As has been<br />
noted, the height study is split into categorised<br />
geometry and linear geometry analysis.<br />
Lift (N)<br />
It can be seen that there is a distinct reduction in<br />
the lift generated by the nose cone area when the<br />
nose cone height is increased; however the drag<br />
value remains largely unchanged. What is<br />
significant in the lift comparison chart is the<br />
increased stability of the lift values upon changing<br />
from categorised to linear geometry selection.<br />
Nose Cone Radii Study<br />
The underbody radii study aims to investigate the<br />
impact of changes to the underbody curvature<br />
with a constant optimum nose cone height of<br />
225mm above ground.<br />
Lift (N)<br />
0<br />
-1<br />
-2<br />
-3<br />
-4<br />
-5<br />
-6<br />
-7<br />
-8<br />
-9<br />
-2<br />
-4<br />
-6<br />
-8<br />
-10<br />
-12<br />
-14<br />
Lift Comparison<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400<br />
Nose Cone Height Above Ground (mm)<br />
Underbody Radii Study Lift<br />
0<br />
90 100 110 120 130 140 150 160<br />
Bottom Dimension<br />
y = 0.0159x - 12.555<br />
Categorised<br />
Linear<br />
Further examination of the actual resulting lift<br />
values combined with the addition of a linear<br />
trend line appears to show that, whilst the values<br />
appear almost oscillatory, the magnitudes by<br />
which they change are very small, with a<br />
maximum of 3N between each model.<br />
Lift<br />
Linear (Lift)<br />
Assembly Analysis<br />
Inclusion of the chassis and suspension geometry<br />
is essential if the flow around the body shell is to<br />
be fully understood. Modelling the assembly flow<br />
allows for the interpretation of not only the<br />
aerodynamics of the body shell as a standalone<br />
piece, but also its inherent effects on the flow<br />
around various other important components.<br />
Unfortunately the flow over the upper surface of<br />
the nose cone does not provide sufficient energy<br />
to deflect the flow up and over this feature and<br />
the inclusion of a deflective screen would impair<br />
the drivers’ visibility.<br />
Transient Analysis<br />
Transient analysis involves the simulation of flow<br />
events over a predefined time period as opposed<br />
singular moments in time.<br />
The three second view also shows a secondary<br />
separation bubble beginning to form near the<br />
lower surface of the cockpit. This secondary<br />
bubble grows in magnitude as the speed increases<br />
resulting in two fully formed areas of flow<br />
separation.<br />
Project Summary<br />
This study involves the optimisation of the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
Formula Student body shell using a parametric<br />
modelling process. The investigation explores the<br />
effect of nose cone height and surrounding curvature<br />
on the lift and drag values experienced by the vehicle<br />
by conducting analysis using Computational Fluid<br />
Dynamics (CFD) software alongside wind tunnel<br />
testing. Upon discovery of an optimum design, full<br />
transient analysis is undertaken with variable inlet<br />
speeds as well as steady state analysis of the effects<br />
of inclusion of the vehicle assembly.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To design and analyse a body shell for the <strong>UWE</strong><br />
Formula Student 2014 vehicle using parametric<br />
modelling and analysis.<br />
• To optimise the nose cone height and understand<br />
the effect of change of surrounding surface radii<br />
on lift and drag.<br />
• To undertake transient analysis of the optimum<br />
design.<br />
• To validate computer based testing with wind<br />
tunnel analysis that includes ground effect.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
As the two separate geometric studies show, lift<br />
characteristics appear to be heavily governed by the<br />
height at which the nose cone sits from the ground as<br />
opposed to the surrounding surface curvature.<br />
Analysis would suggest that changing of the<br />
underbody surface, whilst having some measurable<br />
effect lacks a significant trend line and is therefore<br />
negligible at the speeds tested. It would be<br />
recommended that the Team carefully consider the<br />
nose cone height with a view of optimising it in terms<br />
of negative lift force so as to counteract the inherent<br />
lift generated when the vehicle assembly is added.
Kris Penney<br />
BEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Changho Yang<br />
Inline Four Cylinder Turbocharged SI Engine Exhaust Manifold Design<br />
with Toyota 4EFTE Engine Case Study<br />
Exhaust Manifold Design Research<br />
Research into turbocharged exhaust manifold<br />
design and naturally aspirated exhaust manifold<br />
design as many important factors in this field cross<br />
over to turbocharged design<br />
Data Gathering of Initial Parameters<br />
Measurements of the standard exhaust manifold<br />
geometry were taken. It was also necessary to<br />
deduce certain areas of the engine geometry<br />
including the inlet and exhaust camshaft profiles,<br />
exhaust port geometry, valve dimensions, valve<br />
timing data and cylinder dimensions. From this<br />
information a good understanding of the gas<br />
exchange process behaviour can be gained. This<br />
data also assisted in accurate engine simulation to<br />
gain as valid results as possible.<br />
Valve Lift (mm)<br />
Flow Bench Testing<br />
By using the Universities SF-110 Superflow flow bench, further knowledge was gained regarding the flow<br />
rates and restrictions of the cylinder head and standard exhaust manifold which could be compared with<br />
the figures obtained for the new manifold designs. Experimental data was also used to achieve further<br />
accuracy in engine simulation.<br />
8<br />
7<br />
6<br />
5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
4EFTE Standard Camshaft Profiles and Timing<br />
0 180 360 540 720<br />
Crankshaft Angle (deg)<br />
CFD Analysis<br />
The flow behaviour through the new manifold designs was analysed using<br />
CFD flow simulation, looking for any aspects that may impede flow. The<br />
types of flow included constant flow simulation of flow bench testing of<br />
the new designs, in addition to transient flow simulation to analyse the<br />
time dependant periodic gas flow from the engine cylinders<br />
Exhaust<br />
Inlet<br />
Project summary<br />
Research and analysis has been carried out to<br />
understand 4 cylinder turbocharged IC engine<br />
exhaust manifold design, investigating the individual<br />
topic areas where analysis can lead to the<br />
improvement of engine performance and efficiency.<br />
The Toyota 4EFTE engine was used as a case study.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research into existing exhaust manifold design<br />
techniques.<br />
• Flow bench testing to understand and utilise the<br />
flow characteristics of the cylinder head and<br />
standard exhaust manifold.<br />
• Produce three 3D CAD models of different design.<br />
• Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to<br />
understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each<br />
design.<br />
• 1D engine simulation to examine the influence of<br />
the three improved manifold designs on the<br />
engine performance as compared with the<br />
standard manifold as well as each other.<br />
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to understand the<br />
strength properties of the three designs .<br />
• Examine all results and draw conclusions as to<br />
optimal design technique.<br />
3D CAD Modelling of Manifold<br />
Designs<br />
CAD models were constructed for<br />
three exhaust manifolds. All three<br />
have the same pipe volumes with<br />
changes made to pipe diameter and<br />
length<br />
FEA Analysis<br />
An FEA study was carried out on the three manifold design CAD models to<br />
analyse the levels of stress, strain and deflection experienced by each design.<br />
1D Engine Simulation<br />
Once the design was finalised, it was necessary to<br />
investigate how the new manifolds affect the performance<br />
of the engine when compared to the standard manifold<br />
and each other.<br />
1D engine simulation was used which allows for the<br />
engine parameters to be configured into a simulation. This<br />
simulation was set up with key data from both the new<br />
and existing manifolds to give comparative information<br />
regarding the engines performance<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It was shown that considerable gains in engine<br />
efficiency and performance can be made through<br />
improvement of the exhaust system.<br />
Maximum % increase in brake power was seen to be<br />
22.5% and 2.4% increase in brake torque when the<br />
4EFTE standard manifold was replaced with an<br />
optimised design.<br />
The analysis also showed that it is possible to<br />
manipulate engine performance characteristics to<br />
suit specific engine requirements.
Chris Baguley<br />
BEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Rohitha Weerasinghe<br />
Investigating Naturally Aspirated Exhaust Manifold Design, to Develop<br />
an Optimised Manifold for Motorsport use, using a VW Golf "KR" Engine<br />
Case Study<br />
Engine Analysis<br />
As a starting point for exhaust design it is necessary<br />
to first take a detailed look into the technical data for<br />
the engine in question. For the purpose of this<br />
investigation the engine being used is a Volkswagen<br />
“KR” engine, consisting of a “051” cylinder head.<br />
Initially, the standard “Kr” cams haft lift profiles were<br />
plotted; as well as combustion chamber volume<br />
measurement and a silicone exhaust port geometry<br />
mould. These are combined with other engine<br />
specific parameters to formulate an engine<br />
specification sheet used for further testing.<br />
Computation Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Simulation<br />
Using figures recorded from flow bench testing of the<br />
Volkswagen “051” cylinder head at peak lift, constant<br />
volume flow CFD testing was conducted on a number<br />
of collectors. To determine the most efficient as a<br />
basis for 4-2-1 and 4-1 manifolds to be analyzed.<br />
Comparing the results against the standard<br />
manifold/downpipe system.<br />
STD – Cylinder 1 Velocity Streamline<br />
4-1 Cylinder 1 Velocity Streamline<br />
4-1 Cylinder 3 Velocity Streamline<br />
STD – Cylinder 3 Velocity Streamline<br />
4-1 Cylinder 4 Velocity Streamline<br />
STD – Cylinder 4 Velocity Streamline<br />
4-1 Cylinder 2 Velocity Streamline<br />
STD – Cylinder 2 Velocity Streamline<br />
CFD Transient Flow Freeze-Frame of Standard Manifold and 4-1 Systems; at Peak Mass Flow Rate Time Steps.<br />
Numerical Thermodynamic Gas Exchange<br />
Model for Transient Flow Simulation<br />
Formulating a numerical model for the incylinder<br />
pressures during the exhaust phase<br />
enables an effective series of data to be<br />
produced, showing the blow down period. This<br />
is the sudden drop in cylinder pressure, after<br />
compression, at the point the exhaust valve<br />
opens. Converting this into mass flow rate,<br />
enables time dependent flow to be replicated<br />
in both the standard manifold/downpipe and<br />
4-1 system.<br />
One Dimensional Engine Simulation – Ricardo<br />
Wave<br />
This case study models the Volkswagen “Kr”<br />
engine, using all data gathered throughout the<br />
previous processes, to enable a comparison of<br />
power and torque curves for both the standard<br />
manifold and 4-1 design. Providing an initial<br />
indication of how the change in exhaust<br />
geometry affects engine performance.<br />
The 4-1 manifold has given a small increase in<br />
top end horse power, at the expense of some<br />
mid-range. Comparing the peak indicated<br />
power figures of:<br />
• Standard Manifold – 149.3hp<br />
• 4-1 Manifold – 153.8hp<br />
Shows a performance increase of 4.55hp,<br />
equating to a 3% increase.<br />
Project summary<br />
Proper exhaust manifold design is a subject<br />
often overlooked by even the most<br />
knowledgeable tuners; so while it may look<br />
impressive, appearances can be misleading.<br />
This report investigates and details the design<br />
criteria to be considered when developing an<br />
exhaust manifold system for motorsport use.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Complete a numerical thermodynamic<br />
engine simulation – to determine exhaust<br />
gas flow.<br />
• Plot “Kr” camshaft profiles – for<br />
optimisation of the manifold system<br />
designed<br />
• Conduct a collector CFD study<br />
• Compare 4-2-1 and 4-1 manifold designs<br />
• Analyse transient and constant volume<br />
flow of the standard “Kr” exhaust system<br />
against the 4-2-1 and 4-1 designs<br />
• Investigate the effects on engine<br />
performance figures – using one<br />
dimensional engine simulation<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
After completing a number of analysis tasks<br />
on the Volkswagen “Kr” engine the results<br />
suggest that is has the capabilities for<br />
effective motorsport tuning. The 4-1 manifold<br />
system designed offers a number of beneficial<br />
flow characteristics, along side an indicated<br />
engine power increase.
Billy Nightingale<br />
BEng (Hons) Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
John Kamalu<br />
Reducing the Fatigue of Mountain Bike Rider<br />
Introduction<br />
The project was approximately weight 70% theoretical analysis and 30%<br />
practical. The overall focus of this study is to determine if the vibrations<br />
transmitted from rough trail conditions contribute to the phenomenon<br />
known as arm pump, this will be achieved through experiments. Arm<br />
pump is when the muscles within the forearm closes around the blood<br />
vessels and causes the arm to fatigue. The the suspension<br />
system will be mathematically model as a one degree of<br />
freedom model to analysis the theoretical response and<br />
improve the suspension system. To understand the response<br />
of the system the variables that make up the suspension<br />
system must be understood such as spring stiffness k, damping<br />
coefficient c, the natural angular frequency ωω oo and of course the mass m.<br />
These variables will also be found through experimental work as well as<br />
numerical calculations. MATLAB will be used to create an easily adjustable<br />
code that will produce the response of the system graphically and<br />
numerically. The refinement of the suspension system will be done for two<br />
disciplines; downhill riding and cross country, they will improve the<br />
handling and reduce excessive vibration above 2 m/s-2, which is the<br />
exposure limit determined through literature.<br />
Mathematical Modelling<br />
With the computational aid of MATLAB. three methods were used to excite<br />
the suspension system and determine the response, these were; the<br />
response of the suspensions system due to an initial displacement of the<br />
mountain bike and rider from equilibrium, the response of the suspension<br />
system after an applied force, the response of the suspension system<br />
under harmonic motion of the base. These three methods can be defined<br />
by the equations shown below in order;<br />
xx tt = ee −ζζωω oott<br />
xx oo cos ωω dd tt + ẋ oo+ζζωω oo xx oo<br />
ωω dd<br />
sin ωω dd tt<br />
When dealing with vibration responses there are three main characteristic, that<br />
make up the response of an oscillating structure displacement which has just<br />
been given in the above equations, acceleration and velocity. The mathematics at<br />
this point becomes far more complex the derivative of displacement gives velocity<br />
and the derivative of velocity gives acceleration, hence these equations must be<br />
derived to fully understand the response of a mountain bike due to an excitation.<br />
Free Damped Response Acceleration vs Time<br />
These equations were derived and a code In<br />
c=400.85 k=40449.4 c=500 k=40449.4 c=400.85 k=50000<br />
MATLAB was created. Which was used to<br />
c=800 k=40449.4 c=1000 k=40449.4 c=700 k=40449.4<br />
c=400.85 k=40000 c=400.85 k=35000 c=600 k=40449.4<br />
refine the suspension system.<br />
15.00<br />
The signal from field<br />
10.00<br />
5.00<br />
experiments were<br />
0.00<br />
transformed using<br />
-5.00<br />
Fast Fourier Transform<br />
-10.00<br />
transform experiments.<br />
-15.00<br />
Experiments<br />
One of the many experiments in this project was carried out to determine the<br />
damping ratio of the front damper, by shocking it with an applied load to<br />
determine the response, the test set up can be seen below on the left with results<br />
underneath. The accelerometer field experiment, which determined the<br />
transmitted vibrations from rough trail conditions, shown middle. Also the tyre<br />
stiffness test on the right with the resultant in the graph underneath.<br />
Acceleration (m/s-2)<br />
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6<br />
Time (s)<br />
Project summary<br />
The study carried out was to analysis the phenomenon<br />
known as arm pump, which occurs due to fine muscle<br />
control while exposed to vibrations. This was achieved<br />
through field experimental analysis and mathematically<br />
modeling the response of a mountain bike as a one degree<br />
of freedom model.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objective of this study was to determine<br />
whether or not oscillation levels transmitted through the<br />
mountain bike suspension and into the rider contributing<br />
to arm pump. It was then to refine the suspension system<br />
for two disciplines; downhill riding and cross country<br />
riding, by mathematically modelling the suspension with<br />
computational aid of MATLAB.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The study was a great success, the vibration<br />
levels experimental measured through field<br />
experiments proved to increase in intensity as<br />
surface condition decreased, eventually<br />
surpassing the threshold of acceptable<br />
exposure limits. The refinement of the<br />
suspension not only fulfilled all requirements<br />
of this study, they exceeded them by<br />
increasing the handling and comfort of the<br />
mountain bike in two disciplines.<br />
xx tt = FF oo<br />
KK (1 − ee−ζζωω oott (cos(ωω dd tt) + ζζωω oo<br />
ωω dd<br />
sin(ωω dd tt))<br />
xx pp tt = XXXXXXXX(ωωωω − φφ) where X is give by XX YY = [ 1+(2ζζζζ) 2<br />
(1−rr 2 ) 2 +(2ζζζζ) 2]1/2
Romain Guyony<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Ben Drew<br />
Vehicle Design And Construction Aimed At Human-Powered Land Speed<br />
Record<br />
Frame<br />
Initial design was over-engineered, therefore<br />
unnecessarily heavy. The design was iterated<br />
with a small cross-section tubes, whilst<br />
curving them allowed more space for the<br />
rider.<br />
Bodywork<br />
First design caused too much<br />
turbulence to the air flow around<br />
the nose, which carried over to<br />
the tail creating a wake. A new<br />
design was constructed to<br />
remedy to this.<br />
Powertrain<br />
Power would be transmitted through two set of sprockets rather than one, to achieve a high ratio whilst still being manageable to pedal. Driving power and<br />
driven wheel being at opposite ends, a rail would allow for the pedaling movement, transmitting the power through a rod to the initial crank.<br />
Project summary<br />
Designing bodywork, a frame and a<br />
powertrain to manufacture in the second<br />
year.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To design and manufacture a human-powered<br />
vehicle capable of beating the current LSR,<br />
standing at 83.13 MPH.<br />
Specifically needs to be a two-wheeler and is<br />
measured over a distance of 200 metres.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The simulations run have given good insight<br />
on how to improve the initial models. Further<br />
research will be required to reach the<br />
required velocity.<br />
3 Column Grid<br />
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analysis, simulations, pictures, tables, diagrams,<br />
flowcharts, text<br />
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Space for your research, theory, experiments,<br />
analysis, simulations, pictures, tables, diagrams,<br />
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Type Spec: Calibri 24pt,<br />
Align Left,<br />
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analysis, simulations, pictures, tables, diagrams,<br />
flowcharts, text
Arnoldas Baublys<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Changho Yang<br />
Turbo-diesel fuel injection map development<br />
1 2<br />
Project summary<br />
The study has been carried out to create an<br />
ignition timing map for turbo-diesel engine. A<br />
map has been developed during extensive<br />
use of computer simulation software. The<br />
trials showed possible usage of specific<br />
engine map. Engine model was created using<br />
computer software and testing confirmed<br />
viability of the map.<br />
3<br />
Injection timing<br />
advance, deg<br />
18<br />
16<br />
14<br />
12<br />
10<br />
8<br />
6<br />
4<br />
2<br />
0<br />
Injection Timing Map<br />
2000<br />
1500<br />
1000<br />
0 100 200<br />
2500<br />
3000<br />
3500<br />
4000<br />
Engine speed,<br />
rpm<br />
1. V6 turbo diesel engine model was created using Ricardo wave<br />
software. A power sensor along with in-cylinder pressure and<br />
turbo boost was attached to measure different parameters<br />
2. Testing of different injection timings to determine engine<br />
behavior was done. A multiple amount of runs were performed<br />
to determine best option. In this example -30 degrees would<br />
produce knocking effect<br />
3. Resulting injection timing map was made after comparing few<br />
hundred graphs and stats at each engine load and speed. The<br />
result shows that the higher engine speed the more advanced<br />
timing is necessary to compensate for it.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of this study is to create fuel<br />
injection timing map. Establishing deep<br />
understanding of how engine performance<br />
can be changed by manipulating ignition<br />
timings. Study goal is create fully working<br />
map with highest engine power output while<br />
still meeting high emission regulations<br />
standards<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A 3D fuel injection timing map has been<br />
developed and tested using computer<br />
simulation software Ricardo wave. In addition<br />
exhaust gas recirculation system was<br />
introduced to reduce emissions. Advancing<br />
engine timing produces more power but<br />
demands on the components also increase.<br />
Engine Load, Nm
Umberto Chmeit<br />
Beng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Changho Yang<br />
Variable Compression Engine<br />
Introducing new technologies in today’s world is getting more and more difficult as projects get more complicated, the variable<br />
compression engine has been under development for the past 15-20 years and more companies evolve with new ways to make<br />
transportation more fuel efficient and reduce emission without compromising power, Variable compression ratio has had a big impact<br />
on today’s world, since the 1920’s designer such as Sir Harry Ricardo who due to irregular combustion (knocking or pinging) developed<br />
the first variable compression engine to come up with the Octane rating system which manufactures still follow today. It is a challenge to<br />
vary the compression ratio of an engine during running engine cycles, many tried attempts have been made but where never taken<br />
forward.<br />
Variable Compression engines<br />
Even though methods and technology for variable engine compression has been around<br />
since the early 1920’s no one thought that this concept would improve the efficiency of an<br />
engine without compromising reliability, due to complexity of the design, there has been<br />
various studies in the past regarding variable compression engine and many large motor<br />
industry companies like Nissan, Saab, Peugeot and many others have involved themselves in<br />
the research and development of this technology. Beside is a table with the most common<br />
V.C.R. methods in todays world, each company have their own concept on how to develop a<br />
new efficient internal combustion engine, the VCR concept consist of adapting the cylinders<br />
compression to get the most optimal fuel burn rate hence giving the best efficiency and<br />
reducing emissions.<br />
Variable Connecting Rod<br />
An example engine was designed using Solidworks, this engine uses the connecting rod of an<br />
engine to alter the compression ratio, it increase or decreases in length to vary the ratio.<br />
The Variable Con-Rod design concept is a new conceptual automated system which works using<br />
hydraulic pressure from the oil lubrication passing through the crankshaft, this system is a twostage<br />
variable compression method, this means the actuation of the Con-Rod is depended on<br />
RPM and Turbo pressure, it is best suited for a high compression ratio at low RPM and low<br />
compression ratio once the turbo starts boosting, it uses a pressure release valve to decrease<br />
the oil pressure within the Con-Rod as the rpm increases (as the oil pressure from pump<br />
increases with RPM) thus allowing the Con-Rod to shrink and decrease the compression ratio in<br />
order for the pressure from the turbo to enter the combustion chamber without knocking<br />
occurring. At lower RPMs the oil pressure decreases and the release valve shuts allowing the oil<br />
to take up space in the con-rod’s turning chambers and therefore increase the con-rod’s length<br />
and thus increasing the compression ratio, this system uses the help of the inertial forces of the<br />
piston and crankshaft to increase or decrease the con-rod’s length.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project was produced to prove that a<br />
variable compression ratio engine has<br />
adequate improvement characteristics<br />
compared to a Fixed compression engine.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives are to provide engine data<br />
from a software simulation using different<br />
results to analyze the performance of a VCR<br />
engine.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
After comparing various experimental data<br />
with data which was produced on Ricardo<br />
Wave Engine simulation software, a<br />
conclusion was made that varying the<br />
compression ratio of a fixed compression<br />
ratio engine at low RPMs proves to have<br />
greater efficiency in terms of Brake Specific<br />
Fuel Consumption, BMEP and engine torque.
Sophie Tredwell<br />
BEng (Hons) Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Ramin Amali<br />
Analysis of the mechanical properties of sandwich panels when subjected to<br />
moisture<br />
Introduction<br />
Sandwich panels are increasingly becoming a popular choice and are used for<br />
many applications in different industries. Favoured because of their light weight,<br />
durability and high strength to weight ratio, they are being used for applications as<br />
varied as the survival shell of a Formula One car, to being used in the deck of a<br />
ship.<br />
Experimental Analysis<br />
Experiments were conducted to find out whether different types of foam samples<br />
were able to absorb moisture. The saturated foam samples were then subjected to<br />
a three-point bending test to determine if the moisture had any effect on the<br />
maximum deflection of the beam. The decrease in maximum deflection increases<br />
the modulus of elasticity of each foam sample.<br />
Theoretical Analysis<br />
Using a series of matrices, including stress and strain transformations, the factor of<br />
safety of each layer of the composite can be calculated and the overall minimum<br />
value can be found as the factor of safety of the whole panel. By changing the<br />
modulus of elasticity used from the original value to the value calculated after 90<br />
minutes of moisture subjection the change in factor of safety can be calculated.<br />
FEA Analysis<br />
FEA software Abaqus/CAE was used to simulate a pressure load acting on the<br />
panel with the same dimensions as the theoretical analysis. The simulation was<br />
used to determine if the moistures effect on the modulus of elasticity had any<br />
effect on the maximum stress on the panel and also its maximum deflection.<br />
Conclusion<br />
The results showed that the factor of safety for the whole panel remained the<br />
same after moisture had been absorbed, but the factor of safety of just the foam<br />
decreased from 6.0 to 5.7. The FEA results showed that the panel subjected to<br />
moisture had a smaller maximum deflection and the stresses in both the direction<br />
of the fibers and the perpendicular direction were reduced. The overall stress of<br />
the panel remained the same however, which is unsurprising as the force and area<br />
were constant.<br />
The deflection of the plate before moisture<br />
absorption (m)<br />
The deflection of the plate after moisture<br />
absorption (m)<br />
Project Summary<br />
The project was carried out to determine<br />
what effects, if any, moisture absorption had<br />
on the mechanical properties of foam cored<br />
sandwich panels.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objectives of the project were;<br />
• To conduct experiments, including<br />
moisture absorption and a three-point<br />
bending test, on a range of different type<br />
of foams that can be used as the cores of<br />
the panels.<br />
• To determine if the moisture absorbed by<br />
the panels had any effect on the<br />
mechanical properties of the foam.<br />
• To use matrices to calculate the factor of<br />
safety of the panels both before and after<br />
moisture absorption.<br />
• To simulate these changes in Abaqus/CAE<br />
to determine whether the moisture has<br />
any effect on how the panels perform.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The results showed that the moisture<br />
increased the modulus of elasticity of the<br />
three samples of foam as after moisture<br />
absorption the foam had a smaller maximum<br />
deflection. It was found that the moisture<br />
reduced the factor of safety of the foam, but<br />
this wont have an effect on the panel as the<br />
factor of safety of the laminas was lower.
Richard Thompson<br />
Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Benjamin Drew<br />
Improving the stability of three wheeled vehicles<br />
Preventing a three-wheeler from rolling over is very different to conventional cars. Unlike conventional cars where braking will make the system more stable,<br />
the nature of the geometry means it will actually be more likely to overturn. With this in mind, developing an ESP system for a three wheeler like a Reliant<br />
Robin needs to focused around torque vector control.<br />
Axis Title<br />
30<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
0<br />
8.1<br />
Three Wheel Rollover Under Acceleration (0.25g)<br />
11.4<br />
13.9<br />
16.1<br />
18<br />
19.7<br />
0 20 40 60 80 100 120<br />
Axis Title<br />
21.3<br />
22.7<br />
24.1<br />
25.4<br />
Accelerating through the corner is actually<br />
favourable for a delta three wheeler with regards<br />
to stability, the acceleration that can occur as a<br />
consequence of torque vectoring is beneficial.<br />
Three Wheel rollover under acceleration (0.5g)<br />
Project summary<br />
This study consists of an investigation into the<br />
rollover stability of three-wheeled vehicles with a<br />
single front wheel, and if the implementation of an<br />
electronic stability program could improve it.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• To research and understand rollover of three<br />
wheeled vehicles<br />
• To develop a mathematical model for three wheel<br />
rollover .<br />
• Research into the functionality behind ESP<br />
systems.<br />
• To devise a method for increasing the rollover<br />
threshold of the vehicle.<br />
30<br />
This graph results from an input acceleration of<br />
0.5g. The additional longitudinal acceleration<br />
stabilises the vehicle round the corner compared<br />
to the graph above with a lesser value of a. This<br />
illustrates a small element of how controlling<br />
torques can stabilise a three-wheeler<br />
Image below is of a differential capable of<br />
supplying different torques to each wheel.<br />
Axis Title<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
26.6<br />
25.2<br />
23.8<br />
22.2<br />
20.6<br />
18.8<br />
16.8<br />
14.6<br />
11.9<br />
8.4<br />
0<br />
0 20 40 60 80 100 120<br />
Axis Title<br />
Understeer gradiant<br />
0.05<br />
0.04<br />
0.03<br />
0.02<br />
0.01<br />
0<br />
-0.01<br />
-0.02<br />
Understeer gradiant vs length L1 and L2<br />
length L1/L2 (m)<br />
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This study had success in discovering that by creating<br />
a longitudinal inertia force through short bursts of<br />
acceleration; the rollover threshold for a delta threewheeler<br />
could be increased resulting in a more stable<br />
system. This study also yielded useful data as to why<br />
differential braking as an option for a stability<br />
program did not suit the geometry of the problem<br />
and in fact had a detrimental effect on the cornering<br />
stability by reducing the rollover threshold.<br />
understeer gradiant vs L1<br />
Understeer gradiant vs L2<br />
The graph above maps the steady state cornering of the<br />
three wheeler assuming no roller, neutral steer occurs<br />
where the lines cross the x-axis. From table 7, neutral steer<br />
occurs when L1 = 1.439333 = 2L/3. So the neutral steer point<br />
occurs when the centre of gravity is closer to the rear axle<br />
then the front. A useful design recommendation to assist<br />
rollover mitigation would be to move the centre of mass<br />
back towards the rear axle towards the neutral steer point.
Marco Otero<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Yufeng Yao<br />
Drag reduction system development for heavy goods vehicles<br />
Reference Vehicle<br />
Gap Devices<br />
The device used to improve the gap region was to use a<br />
splitter. The aim of the splitter was to prevent flow<br />
interacting across the entirety of the region, stopping a<br />
large wake occurring in the gap. This would reduce the<br />
wake size, causing two smaller wakes either side of it.<br />
The length of the splitter was changed, as was the side<br />
of the gap it was located.<br />
Drag<br />
Count<br />
Drop<br />
50<br />
45<br />
40<br />
35<br />
30<br />
25<br />
20<br />
15<br />
10<br />
5<br />
0<br />
Comparison between best design iterations<br />
Tail Splitter tapered trailer Gap Splitter Underside<br />
Skirting<br />
Underside<br />
Profiling<br />
The reference vehicle used was based on a Volvo tractor with a<br />
standard trailer. Through the use of CFD the drag coefficient of the<br />
vehicle was found to be 0.8. There were three regions on the reference<br />
vehicle highlighted for improvement; the tractor trailer gap, underside<br />
of the vehicle and at the rear of the trailer. These are highlighted on<br />
side velocity contour by the low speed flow in blue. These regions<br />
produced that largest amounts of wake, with an especially large wake<br />
occurring behind the tail face of the vehicle.<br />
Drag<br />
Count<br />
Drop<br />
Tail Edge Devices<br />
Two devices were used to improve the flow at the<br />
rear of the vehicle; splitters and a tapered device.<br />
These aimed to prevent the large wake occurring<br />
behind the vehicle by reducing the interaction in the<br />
region. The splitters had their location and length<br />
changed, whilst the tapered device changed in<br />
length and tapering angle.<br />
Results<br />
A tail end tapered device produced the best result<br />
with a drag count reduction of 49. this reduced the<br />
drag coefficient of the vehicle from 0.800 down to<br />
0.751. When projecting this device for a year in use,<br />
it was found that 113 litres of fuel could be saved<br />
when applying an average mileage of 80’000.<br />
Devices for the underside of the vehicle were not<br />
very effective despite attempts to optimize,<br />
however, their performance is expected to improve<br />
when under crosswind conditions.<br />
Underside Devices<br />
Side skirtings were the device used to improve the<br />
airflow underneath the vehicle. The aim of the<br />
skirtings were to prevent the low velocity flow under<br />
the vehicle from interacting with the high velocity<br />
free stream flow to the sides of the trailer. The<br />
skirtings varied in length and height in an attempt to<br />
optimize the design.<br />
Pressure<br />
(Pa)<br />
Tail Face Pressure Comparison<br />
150<br />
120<br />
90<br />
60<br />
30<br />
0<br />
-9 -6 -3 0 3 6 9<br />
Distance from Centreline (m)<br />
Reference (Pa)<br />
Tapered (Pa)<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been conducted to design and<br />
develop drag reduction systems for a heavy goods<br />
vehicle with the aim of reducing the fuel consumption<br />
by reducing the drag coefficient.<br />
The designs were attached to a reference vehicle and<br />
analyzed through CFD. It was found that devices<br />
attached to the rear of the vehicle provided the most<br />
improved results.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Investigate and learn from all previous work and<br />
research for drag reduction techniques<br />
2. Examine the results from CFD simulations of a<br />
designated reference vehicle.<br />
3. Design drag reduction systems with an iterative<br />
process with a view of design optimisation<br />
4. Perform computation fluid mechanics simulations<br />
and analysis for drag reduction systems<br />
5. Review drag reduction systems with<br />
recommendations for further investigation<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The aerodynamic performance of a HGV can be easily<br />
improved with the implementation of drag reduction<br />
systems. Devices placed at the rear face of the vehicle<br />
obtained the best results, with a tapered device<br />
reducing the drag coefficient by 49 drag counts. Gap<br />
devices and underside skirtings were less effective,<br />
however would expect a performance under cross wind<br />
conditions.
Sam Philip<br />
Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong> Meng<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Benjamin Drew<br />
Strengthening The Frame Of An Aircraft Seat<br />
Research<br />
The main aim of the project was to produce a<br />
design that will meet new legislation for the seat<br />
to withstand 16G landing conditions. An existing<br />
seat was provided that is certified to 9G, so that<br />
dimension could be used and to justify the FEA.<br />
The original seat was dismantled so that all parts<br />
could be measured and sketches produced. These<br />
sketches allowed for a full working model of the<br />
original seat to be produced in SolidWorks 2014.<br />
Once this model was completed an additional set<br />
of objectives was made regarding passenger<br />
comfort and ease of manufacture.<br />
Design<br />
The design process required new components to<br />
be designed that meet the objectives as well as<br />
being strong enough to meet the 16G conditions.<br />
A new base unit was designed as the original was<br />
expected to fail under 16 G loads.<br />
Components such as the seat pan were redesigned<br />
so that as the seat reclines the pan will raise<br />
slightly to improve passenger comfort. All welded<br />
components were removed to improve the<br />
predictability of the how the seat will behave in<br />
extreme loading conditions. Parts such as the arm<br />
rests were designed to be suitable for either side<br />
of the seat to reduce tooling costs. The new design<br />
was then ready for FEA testing.<br />
FEA<br />
Key components were tested in SolidWorks<br />
Simulation for stress and displacement. The<br />
original seat under 9G conditions was used to<br />
justify the FEA and to obtain a reasonable factor of<br />
safety to b used in the new design. The base unit<br />
was the first piece to be tested as it is the point<br />
where the seat is attached to the floor of the<br />
aircraft. A dummy piece was used so that the loads<br />
could be applied exactly at the center of gravity of<br />
the whole seat. Components where the stress was<br />
above the factor of safety had to be modified.<br />
3D Printing<br />
The final design was printed at <strong>UWE</strong> but due to<br />
the scaling of the model parts became too thin<br />
and collapsed.<br />
Project summary<br />
The task was to modify the design of an existing seat<br />
that is certified to 9G, so that it can withstand 16G<br />
conditions. Research was carried out into relevant<br />
legislation surrounding aircraft seat design. Research<br />
into motorsport seat design is also shown, and<br />
similarities between the two industries are discussed.<br />
The design process of this project has been<br />
completed using SolidWorks 2014 and has involved<br />
modelling the original seat to provide dimensions for<br />
the new seat, before a totally new design has been<br />
created. Finite Element Analysis which has been<br />
justified by testing the original seat, has been used to<br />
determine where the seat will fail under 16G loads,<br />
so that design alterations can be made. The final<br />
design is presented which meets all the criteria of this<br />
project.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Aims<br />
The main aim of this project is to produce a design of<br />
an aircraft seat to pass certification for withstanding<br />
16G test conditions. The second aim is to produce a<br />
seat that shows significant improvements in areas<br />
including;<br />
• Passenger comfort- by making the seat recline<br />
totally flat and allowing the seat pan to raise.<br />
• Adaptability to different seat widths<br />
• Ease of manufacture – minimal tooling cost<br />
• Ease of installation<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project has successfully achieved the aims and<br />
objectives. The extensive development of the seat has<br />
resulted in a design that can drastically different from the<br />
original. The FEA proved the new design will meet 16G<br />
criteria
Sven Cumner<br />
MEng – Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Changho Yang<br />
Optimisation of Turbocharger Wastegate Design<br />
Modern Turbocharging Applications<br />
In the modern automotive world, turbocharging is becoming more and<br />
more common place. Advancements in the technology have allowed<br />
automotive manufacturers to develop small capacity engines with the<br />
power of large engines, that still maintain the frugal economy and low<br />
emissions of a smaller engine. Modern motorsport series, such as Formula<br />
One, are now also adapting to the need for smaller, turbocharged engines,<br />
creating more fuel efficient vehicles and boosting development of<br />
turbocharger technologies. Understanding how this technology works and<br />
how it can be applied more effectively to an internal combustion engine is<br />
vital in today’s motorsport industry.<br />
Why does the common wastegate valve need to be redeveloped?<br />
The standard wastegate system consists of a flat faced, sharp edged valve<br />
seat and valve. This typical valve and valve seat geometry is not<br />
aerodynamically efficient and is likely to flow badly at small-angle valve<br />
openings. Rather than focussing on outright flow capability, the aim of this<br />
study was to improve the quality of the flow through the valve, and in to<br />
the rest of the exhaust system. Increasing the quality of the flow focusses<br />
on increasing the predictability and efficiency of the flow, to allow more<br />
precise control of the wastegate in advanced, modern powertrains.<br />
Wastegate control may become a more useable, important control system<br />
in future engines, if the wastegate flow characteristics can be predicted<br />
more accurately<br />
Concept Valve Designs<br />
After the factory wastegate valve was modelled, several alternative<br />
concepts were developed, from rudimentary sketches in to Solidworks<br />
models integrated in to the entire turbocharger assembly. A valuable<br />
feature of modelling the valve assembly like the real system is that the<br />
geometry of the valve concepts could be tested to see if they would<br />
physically work within the factory turbine housing. The aim was to make<br />
sure the original turbine housing could be used without modification, hence<br />
the concept valves needing to work with the original housing geometry.<br />
Above top left: Factory wastegate valve, open 10 degrees.<br />
Above top right: Hemisphere valve with circled areas indicating<br />
improved symmetrical flow area across the valve.<br />
Above bottom left: Concave Cone valve<br />
Above bottom middle/right: Wedge valve<br />
Below top/middle: ANSYS CFD flow simulations for turbine/wastegate.<br />
Below bottom: Temperature and pressure plots on flow domain<br />
Project summary<br />
This project developed the theory and understanding<br />
of wastegate valve design, along with showcasing<br />
some of the problems faced by engineers attempting<br />
to optimise this system.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To create an optimised pairing of concept valve and<br />
valve seat designs, giving rise to a more predictable,<br />
controllable wastegate flow stream. This was done<br />
through the use of Solidworks CAD modelling and<br />
ANSYS CFD analysis.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
• No ‘perfect’ valve/valve seat duo was created,<br />
however improvements were seen with some of<br />
the concept designs.<br />
• A ‘Concave Cone’ valve brought about the most<br />
stable, laminar flow from the turbine of the<br />
turbocharger.<br />
• An ‘Up/Down Wedge’ valve brought about the<br />
best wastegate flow, directing exhaust gases in two<br />
broad streams along the upper and lower faces of<br />
the exhaust down-pipe.
Joshua Minto<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Dr. Mike Ackerman<br />
Investigation and Design of a Throttle-less Engine<br />
The Drive for Efficiency<br />
Automotive <strong>Engineering</strong> is an area that sees constant improvements and innovation, particularly in regard to the internal combustion<br />
engine, as regulators and consumers move increasingly toward improved emissions and fuel economy. One such area for potential to<br />
see increased efficiency is the inlet stroke, as it is the induction of air into the cylinder which contains a lot of the frictional losses.<br />
Therefore, removing the throttle plate and controlling the air intake via an alternative means, in order to create a throttle-less engine,<br />
will remove most of the restrictions associated with the inlet process, therefore improving the overall efficiency.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project is based on the idea of controlling<br />
the air intake to an internal combustion<br />
engine not with a throttle plate, but by<br />
varying the valve opening duration, in order<br />
to reduce pumping losses as much as possible<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The objectives of the project were to develop<br />
a simulation of throttled and throttle-less<br />
operation and compare the two, and<br />
investigate the means by which this can be<br />
achieved through camless actuation of valves<br />
PV Diagrams<br />
A numerical simulation of an engine was created in<br />
order to obtain pressure data across the cycle, and<br />
plot it against volume in order to produce a PV<br />
(pressure-volume) diagram. These are a very useful<br />
tool in engine analysis as the area inside the lines<br />
that are produced shows the work produced and<br />
done by the engine, where the upper and large<br />
loop shows the work gained, and the lower loop<br />
shows the frictional losses due to the gas exchange<br />
processes, and is known as the pumping loop.<br />
Proof of Concept<br />
In order to demonstrate the feasibility of electromechanical actuation, a test rig<br />
(left) was constructed using a generic valve, inside which 10 disc magnets were<br />
inserted, and a solenoid. Using the equipment shown in the image on the right,<br />
it was possible to create a signal to actuate the valve with opening and closing<br />
durations that could be set by the user, though in a real application, they would<br />
be determined by a program based on a range of inputs<br />
Reducing the Pumping Loop<br />
The images shown above are close up views of the<br />
pumping loop, with that on the left being a<br />
superimposed image of the throttled and throttleless<br />
models, where the upper lines are part of the<br />
compression and exhaust strokes, which are the<br />
same for both models, but the lower two lines show<br />
the different intake strokes. The upper of these is<br />
from the throttle-less model whilst the lower is the<br />
throttled, demonstrating that a considerable<br />
reduction in pumping work can be achieved.<br />
Bigger Benefits at lower throttle angles<br />
The two images on the right again show the<br />
pumping loop for throttled (top) and throttleless<br />
(bottom) operation of the simulation,<br />
however, this was performed with much lower<br />
throttle openings and cylinder air masses than<br />
the image on the right. This shows how the<br />
restriction due to the throttle is larger at low<br />
throttle angles, and how throttle-less operation<br />
greatly reduces the work required for lower<br />
cylinder air mass requirements.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project has shown the potential that<br />
exists not only for throttle-less operation, but<br />
particularly its application alongside camless<br />
valve actuation to provide a more efficient<br />
means of air intake to a gasoline internal<br />
combustion engine. The simulations created<br />
are an effective way of demonstrating the<br />
differences between throttled and throttleless<br />
operation, in particular the benefits of<br />
the latter, especially at low throttle openings.<br />
Overall, it has been shown that there is a<br />
clear benefit to using throttle-less rather than<br />
throttled operation as a means to control air<br />
intake, not just in replacing the throttle plate,<br />
but also in actuating the valves without a<br />
cam, and has shown the suitability and<br />
potential of doing this via electromechanical<br />
means.
Jaber Amiri<br />
MEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
John Kamalu<br />
Improving the engine efficiency in Formula One by harnessing<br />
vibrational energy using a magnetic damper<br />
Faraday’s laws of Electromagnetics:<br />
Michael Faraday was a physicist instrumental to<br />
discovering a practical method of electricity<br />
generation. He found that voltage can be induced<br />
within a circuit when a magnetic field is passed<br />
within close proximity to the circuit; this voltage<br />
was named induced electromotive force (emf)<br />
Project summary<br />
This project looks into improving the efficiency of<br />
Formula One engines by harnessing the vibrational<br />
forces.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of the project is to find the vibrations caused<br />
by the Formula One engine and to design a magnetic<br />
damper system to harness these forces and redirect it<br />
back into the power unit.<br />
Primary Force:<br />
Primary force is generated by the inertia of the<br />
piston as it changes directions at TDC (Top-Dead-<br />
Centre where the piston is at the highest point in<br />
the cylinder) and BDC (Bottom-Dead-Centre where<br />
the piston is at the lowest point in the cylinder).<br />
FIA Regulations:<br />
The engines must also be 6-cylinders arranged in a V-<br />
shape where the angle between the cylinders is 90<br />
degrees. The cylinders must be equal in dimension to<br />
each other. Each cylinder must have two inlet valves<br />
and two outlet valves of which the dimensions are<br />
constrained. The power unit must weigh a minimum<br />
of 145kg including the energy recover unit. The<br />
centre of gravity of this power unit is limited to a<br />
minimum of 200mm from the reference plane.<br />
Indicated Power:<br />
When the Formula One engine is idle at 6000rpm,<br />
the maximum power the magnetic dampers<br />
harnessed is 1500W. When the engine is revolving at<br />
its maximum revolutions per minute, the damper<br />
must harness a maximum of 22.5kW of power. At<br />
idle, the total power per engine cycle for a 4-stroke<br />
engine is 47.45kW (63.6bp) and at maximum<br />
crankshaft speeds the total power is 741.42kW<br />
(994.2bhp).<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project proposed a method to harness up<br />
to 1900bhp of vibrational forces at maximum<br />
crankshaft revolutions. This project also found<br />
that implementation of the magnetic damper<br />
into the suspension system is possible in its<br />
current layout.<br />
Magnetic Damper Design:<br />
One of the fundamental factors in this design is that<br />
the stationary electromagnet is powered by the battery<br />
in the power unit. This design incorporates the<br />
magnetic damper into the power unit with a parallel<br />
circuit orientation; the reason for this is so that the<br />
engine vibrations will be damped constantly even<br />
when an electrical failure in other electrical devices<br />
occur.
Sebastian Gibbs<br />
BEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Supervisor: Changho Yang<br />
Investigation of Cam lobe design and their effect on performance<br />
Mathematical Function analysis<br />
The first step of the investigation was<br />
understanding the use of mathematical functions<br />
that can be used to create the parabolic like<br />
profiles that are the geometry of the cam. Multiple<br />
functions were investigated and the resulting<br />
appropriate function were both polynomial, the<br />
first being a 6 th order polynomial and another<br />
being a 7 th order polynomial.<br />
Displacement/ mm<br />
14<br />
12<br />
10<br />
8<br />
6<br />
4<br />
2<br />
0<br />
Lift profile for intake valve of high cam using 6th and 7th order<br />
polynomial<br />
0 50 100 150 200 250 300<br />
Crank Angle (θ)/deg<br />
7th order<br />
6th order<br />
original<br />
Simulation and analysis<br />
As discussed in the summary, the use of 1-d<br />
simulation, and preprogrammed cam profiles to<br />
improve, were utilized in the study. To investigate<br />
the flow properties of valve motion, and thus the<br />
cam lobe profile, the simulation was run with<br />
having various profiles contracted by the<br />
polynomial curves. Using the outputs of the<br />
simulation such as, mass flow rate at valves and<br />
effective area, analysis's were made to link the<br />
flow parameters with geometrical properties of<br />
the cam lobe and by doing so find where the areas<br />
for improvement are and how that can be<br />
improved<br />
Design changes outcome<br />
From the preprogramed lift profiles and timing<br />
an original cam profile was created along with a<br />
timing diagram (left), from the information<br />
gained form the experiment and its results a<br />
new geometry for a cam lobe along with new<br />
timing diagram was generated (right). A total of<br />
16% increase in power was generated by the<br />
new profile.<br />
ss = h 64<br />
ss = h 35<br />
Mass Flow/ Kg/Hr<br />
θθ ββ<br />
θθ ββ<br />
3<br />
− 192<br />
4<br />
430<br />
330<br />
230<br />
130<br />
30<br />
-70<br />
− 84<br />
θθ ββ<br />
θθ ββ<br />
4<br />
5<br />
+ 192 θθ ββ<br />
+ 70 θθ ββ<br />
Mass Flow Rate intake Valve<br />
6<br />
5<br />
+ 64 θθ ββ<br />
− 20<br />
-180 -80 20 120 220 320 420 520<br />
Crank Angle (θ)/deg<br />
θθ ββ<br />
7<br />
6<br />
Original<br />
Lift<br />
Duration<br />
Advance<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of the project was to investigate the effects<br />
of cam lobe design on an engines performance. By<br />
means of mathematical derivations for lobe profile<br />
functions and 1-d simulation, valve displacement<br />
profiles generated and introduced into the simulation<br />
and the resulting performance figures analysed<br />
Project Objectives<br />
1. Investigate how power production can be<br />
increased due to geometrical modification of the<br />
camshaft.<br />
2. Investigate the use of mathematical formulae used<br />
in cam design.<br />
3. Using a simulation software, with base engine, run<br />
test and analyse data for development.<br />
4. Generate model of new cam lobe design for<br />
improved power performance.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
How an engine breathes is directly linked to the power it<br />
can produce, so by analyzing the flow through the engine<br />
improvements can be made to the flow via cam lobe<br />
design. Generating cam profiles is a important area of<br />
investigation when undergoing cam design, as the<br />
functions themselves will produce vastly different dynamic<br />
characteristics. Once appropriate functions have been<br />
created simulation is needed to understand how these<br />
function effect the flow of gases through the valves. By<br />
finding imperfections or undesirable elements of the flow<br />
process gives indictors for how the flow can be improved,<br />
linking these elements to geometrical features of the cam<br />
lobe design is key to generating a better cam for power<br />
production in an engine.<br />
Initial<br />
Final Cam<br />
INDIC.POWER[hp]= 30.19 INDIC.POWER[hp] = 35.05
Matt Thomas<br />
Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong> BEng<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Changho Yang<br />
The Effect of Internal Water Spray On Turbocharged 4 Stroke Internal<br />
Combustion Engines<br />
Ricardo WAVE Modelling<br />
To more accurately understand the inner workings of the internal<br />
combustion engine when subjected to water spray, a system was created in<br />
Ricardo WAVE. This software will be used to give an overview of the running<br />
temperatures and pressures at specific points in the engine, giving a<br />
multitude of parameters to analyse.<br />
Two models were created initially, one petrol 4 cylinder turbo, and a diesel<br />
V6 turbo. Both were created with high levels of forced induction, in order to<br />
fully vaporise the water injected to the charge later in the investigation.<br />
Turbo control was left to the pre-determined turbo map for the 4 cylinder<br />
engine, a Garrett GT45 turbo fitted- a turbo that would usually be considered<br />
too large for the mass air flow of this application – the lag shown on the<br />
results later on would outline whether the turbo could be spooled faster<br />
with the expansion of the superheated steam.<br />
Water Injection Simulation<br />
Even with careful planning and advice, it transpired that WAVE could not<br />
complete the task of injecting water into the combustion process, meaning<br />
all of the project objectives could not be fully met.<br />
Despite this problem, the data collected from the ‘dry air’ simulation runs<br />
proved invaluable when empirically calculating the increase in volume and<br />
pressure of the steam due to the combustion process. The results correlated<br />
with the array of previous studies, indicating an increase in thermal and<br />
turbocharger spool efficiency. Further to this, simulation runs after the<br />
software update due 1 st May could validate the work as a viable method for<br />
torque, reliability and efficiency increases, whilst additionally reducing NOx<br />
emissions.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project set out to further previous investigations<br />
into the effect of increasing the performance of a 4<br />
stroke piston IC by injecting water, or specifically<br />
water vapour, into the engine. The simulation<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The direct aim of this report is to quantify and<br />
evaluate the effect this practice has on both<br />
the efficiency and performance of an IC<br />
engine.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
It is difficult to profess any concrete<br />
conclusions from this project- the initially<br />
planned role of the software was not fully<br />
undertaken – the multitude of results<br />
parameters offered by the simulation not<br />
available, leaving only the dry, un sprayed<br />
initial results from Ricardo, and simplified<br />
empirical calculations to evaluate the effect of<br />
a very complex process.<br />
Nevertheless, conclusions can be drawn from<br />
this, and the extensive correlation of previous<br />
results from past reports does gel with the<br />
empirical calculations performed – the steam<br />
tables indicating that the water vapour within<br />
the charge would be converted to<br />
superheated steam during the combustion<br />
process, soaking up excess heat, and<br />
powering the turbocharger as it expands after<br />
the exhaust stroke, therefore reducing turbo<br />
lag.
Charles Winstone<br />
Course Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Chango Yang<br />
Automotive Ignition Control<br />
2 Stroke Engines<br />
Unfortunately the traditional 2-stroke SI engine has neither been efficient or environmentally friendly suffering with high hydrocarbon<br />
emissions and poor fuel economy. In recent years there have been many developments in this area solving many of the problems<br />
mentioned. The reason for this is that once these problems are solved the 2 stroke engine has major potential thanks to a much higher<br />
power to weight ratio and great improvement in mechanical efficiency over the 4 stroke engine. All of this allows vehicle engineers to<br />
downsize the power train and improve performance in nearly every area.<br />
Current Solutions<br />
Currently there only exist s two realistic solutions to the problems facing two<br />
stroke engines, these are Direct injection (DI) and homogenous charge<br />
compression ignition (HCCI).<br />
Direct Injection (DI)<br />
Direct Injection is where an injector is placed directly into the combustion<br />
chamber. The huge advantage is that the introduction of fuel can be timed as<br />
such to be after the exhaust port has closed. As the exhaust port is closed<br />
the usual problem of high HC emissions from the scavenging process is<br />
completely removed. The impact on HC emissions is huge and in some case<br />
reduces them below a representative 4 stroke engine. Another benefit is the<br />
ability to move to a stratified charge cycle essentially allowing un-throttled<br />
function while at the same time moving to a lean burn cycle giving a marked<br />
increase in fuel efficiency.<br />
Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI)<br />
HCCI combustion is essentially a combination of spark ignited (SI)<br />
combustion and diesel compression ignition (CI) combustion principles. The<br />
engine draws in a pre mixed charge of fuel and air much like the SI engine<br />
but then compresses it until auto ignition occurs as in a CI engine. The<br />
combination of a diluted and premixed fuel and air mixture with multiple<br />
ignition sites throughout the combustion chamber eliminates the high<br />
combustion temperature zones and prevents the production of soot<br />
particles, hence producing ultra low NOx and particulate emissions . Fuel<br />
efficiency is also increased on average to around 30% better than the SI<br />
equivalent from lean running.<br />
In reality HCCI engines combine the best of both SI and CI engines with very<br />
little downsides and hence that is the route taken in this project.<br />
Project Solution<br />
The project focuses on solving the main issue with HCCI engines. As there is<br />
no spark plug and the fuel is pre mixed, controlling the combustion timing<br />
requires a new control system. The only realistic way of controlling the<br />
combustion timing is through the control of in cylinder pressure while<br />
prediction the autoigntion timing, bringing the two together to control the<br />
timing of the combustion.<br />
Prediction of Autoignition<br />
The prediction of auto ignition is possible as long as the pressure,<br />
temperature and concentration of the gases are known. Unfortunately the<br />
collection of these parameters is not viable for an internal combustion<br />
engine. Empirical testing solves this issue by giving a relationship with inlet<br />
manifold temperature and pressure vs inside the combustion chamber so<br />
they can be predicted good enough. The actual prediction is controlled via a<br />
modified for of the Livengood Wu equation which is used in SI engines to<br />
predict knock. The output is set to out desired ignition timing and a value of<br />
EGR is now known to produce this.CFD was also performed to validate these<br />
results.<br />
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR)<br />
Internal EGR is a method of directly reducing the amount of gasses that<br />
escape through the exhaust port. As a consequence they are trapped inside<br />
the combustion chamber waiting for the fresh intake charge, once the fresh<br />
charge meets the trapped exhaust gases where the burnt gases heat up the<br />
fresh charge to the required autoignition temperature. The operation of this<br />
can be made to be very simple, implemented in various studies by installing<br />
a butterfly valve in the exhaust manifold, which is what this project has<br />
done. The final step was to calibrate the designed EGR valve to match the<br />
predicted values so that the engine has effective control of HCCI combustion.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project is investigating the control of<br />
ignition in a 2-stroke homogeneous charge<br />
compression ignition (HCCI) engine.<br />
Much research was taken to look into the<br />
current technology, reasons for and theory<br />
behind the phenomenon of HCCI combustion.<br />
further to this the project then details the<br />
application and design of such a system for<br />
the control of a current 2 stroke spark ignited<br />
engine.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main aim of the project is to design a<br />
control system for the combustion events of a<br />
2 stroke HCCI engine.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This report has demonstrated the application<br />
of HCCI combustion to a small 2 stroke<br />
engine , the benefits of running this cycle and<br />
designed a system to convert a current SI<br />
engine to HCCI.
Artem Kalus<br />
BEng Motorsport <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Gary Atkinson<br />
Terrain Detection in a field of automotive industry<br />
Introduction<br />
In our day and age, car-manufacturing companies<br />
are using most modern technologies from almost<br />
all possible industries. The modern technologies<br />
made possible invention and implementation of<br />
hundreds systems that improve vehicle dynamics,<br />
stability, safety and comfort. However, existing<br />
systems could be optimized and perform more<br />
efficiently, if the terrain type is know. For instance,<br />
ABS (anti-lock brakes system) is a system that<br />
optimizes braking pressure on each individual<br />
wheel to minimize braking distance when<br />
necessary. The use of the ABS can be optimized for<br />
a specific terrain type. In case of driving a vehicle<br />
on sand in a dessert it is more efficient to disable<br />
the ABS system, however, driving on snow is much<br />
safer with use of this system. By this reason, most<br />
car manufacturers already offer manual driving<br />
conditions selection (The modern commercial<br />
terrain detection control panel is demonstrated in<br />
Figure 1), nevertheless, it could be an<br />
improvement, if the user input would not be<br />
required and vehicles could detect terrain type<br />
autonomously by only using a digital camera.<br />
Terrain detection system is an electronic system,<br />
which may consist of sensors and control unit. The<br />
system feature is to analyse terrain a vehicle is<br />
driven on by using sensors and produce a relevant<br />
output that could be used by other vehicle onboard<br />
electronics to improve driving experience. In<br />
this project several automated terrain detection<br />
programmes based on use of a digital camera and<br />
image processing were developed.<br />
Methodology<br />
In this project five different methodologies were<br />
tested. All of the tested methods results were<br />
included in the Table 1. A cluster or pre-defined<br />
regions classification were used to define closest<br />
terrain type from the learning library to the tested<br />
image. Figure 3 demonstrates a cluster analysis of<br />
a two-dimensional method. In order to test every<br />
method twenty photos were taken, 5 of every<br />
terrain type. In total 4 terrain types were tested:<br />
sand, snow, grass, and tarmac.<br />
Chosen approach<br />
From all the tested methods the best results were<br />
demonstrated by the Method 3 Regional<br />
Restriction STD. The STD (Standard Deviation)<br />
Regional Restriction method is based on<br />
implementing the standard deviation function as a<br />
visual terrain analytic tool. The alteration and the<br />
closely related standard deviation are measures of<br />
how spread out a distribution is. The minimum<br />
and maximum STD values of each terrain type are<br />
obtained by the learning programme and used to<br />
train the terrain detection programme. After that<br />
the terrain detection programme is trained with<br />
the library produced by the learning programme<br />
and defines terrain regions on a one-dimensional<br />
graph in terms of STD values. Figure 2 depicts a<br />
tested sand image located in the sand terrain<br />
region. Figure 4 shows the sand terrain tested<br />
image used in Figure 1. The terrain detection<br />
programme than defines the region where the<br />
input image is inherent.<br />
Chosen approach data analysis<br />
The Method 2 Distance to Average STD showed<br />
100% correct detection of the terrain type and this<br />
made the method most precise out all presented<br />
herein. However, the method was based on using<br />
minimum and maximum STD values and the<br />
following makes the method vulnerable to false<br />
detections in case of continuous use of the system<br />
without any additional runs of the training<br />
programme. Nevertheless, the method was the<br />
most efficient out of all tested one-dimensional<br />
classification approaches.<br />
Figure 1 Range Rover Terrain Response Control<br />
Panel (Jaguar Land Rover North America, n.d.)<br />
Table 1 False detection rate<br />
Figure 2 STD Terrain<br />
Ranges and Input Image<br />
Position<br />
Figure 4 Sand Terrain<br />
Photo used in figure 1<br />
Figure 3 Vector Distance<br />
from Input Image to<br />
Terrains Averages<br />
Figure 5 Sample grass<br />
terrain image<br />
Project summary<br />
In this project an investigation has been<br />
accomplished to examine modern terrain<br />
detection systems, their main advantages and<br />
disadvantages and come up with another<br />
desirably better terrain detection system. The<br />
developed low-cost terrain detection system<br />
was planned to be utilized as an after-market<br />
add-on, and through good production design<br />
could be sold on Amazon and other similar<br />
retail outlets.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Existing terrain detection systems related<br />
literature review<br />
• Learn to use Matlab as image analysing<br />
tool<br />
• Take photos of different terrain types<br />
• Develop and test algorithms to extract<br />
image characteristic data<br />
• Develop terrain classification procedure<br />
based on image extracted data<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Several terrain detection programmes were<br />
developed in Matlab environment and tested<br />
on photos of different terrain types.<br />
The Method 2 was the most efficient out of<br />
all tested single-dimensional and multidimensional<br />
classification approaches;<br />
nevertheless, further work on the system is<br />
suggested in order to improve its reliability<br />
and develop the software into a complete<br />
commercially utilized system.
Robotics<br />
191<br />
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Robotics<br />
Take me to...<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Introduction<br />
Electrical<br />
and Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Aerospace<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Electronic<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Mechanical<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Embedded intelligence is<br />
now in products ranging from<br />
cars to domestic appliances.<br />
Industry forecasters predict<br />
massive growth and estimate<br />
the service robotics market<br />
to increase to an annual $66<br />
billion by 2025. As a result,<br />
demand for graduates with<br />
the technical and creative<br />
ability to work in this area is<br />
set to increase.<br />
Industry in<br />
<strong>Bristol</strong><br />
<strong>Bristol</strong> is one of Europe’s main aerospace hubs<br />
and the largest robotics laboratory in the UK<br />
is on our campus.<br />
Motorsport<br />
<strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Robotics
Rohan Eden<br />
Beng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Mathew Studley<br />
Automatic Indicator Glove Accessory<br />
Introduction<br />
Cycling is an effective mode of transportation, and one that has been<br />
increasing over the last 15+ years, where around 43% of the population of<br />
the UK own a bicycle. A study revealed, based on reported cases, that<br />
around 19 thousand cyclists have been injured and/or killed, where 3<br />
thousand of these cases included reports of serious injuries, and deaths.<br />
After analysing the data, the same study revealed that 2 to 3 thousand of<br />
these reported incidents occurred of a night time, at or near a road junction.<br />
Current methods of increasing visibility includes, but is not limited to, High<br />
visibility jackets, front and rear lights, and reflectors. However, not every<br />
cyclist wear gloves with high visibility.<br />
A product is already available on the market, which includes a simple light<br />
embedded in a pair of gloves. These gloves can be activated by pressing a<br />
button on the glove that is to be used to notify and indication. This does<br />
increase a cyclists visibility when indicating, but adds the requirement of<br />
pressing a button, which is not always possible with one hand. No attempt<br />
has been made in creating a simple system that would automatically activate<br />
the light when the user begins indicating.<br />
This Investigation implements an autonomous system to turn on a flashing<br />
light when the user begins indicating. The investigation began with a simple<br />
mechanism, which was used to determine the feasibility, and functionality of<br />
the design implemented. After which additional activation mechanisms were<br />
designed, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Introducing an<br />
automatic element within the product, allows the user to indicate without<br />
having to draw their attention away from the road, even for a split second.<br />
The Device<br />
Test Results<br />
When Testing the device, it failed on half of the tests. The test were as<br />
follows:<br />
Flash rate test<br />
Distance Test<br />
Brightness Test<br />
Power Test<br />
The Device wast test using a 500mAh battery at 4.8 Volts.<br />
It failed the flash rate test by flashing at rate that was determined to be<br />
too slow. The test was carried out by asking 25 members of the public<br />
to rate the flash on a scale of 1 to 9, 1 being too slow, and 9 being too<br />
fast. It also failed the Brightness test. The light was deemed too bright,<br />
and could potential become more hazardous than safe. 100 members<br />
of the public rated the device on a scale of 1 to 9, 1 being too dim, and<br />
9 being too bright. However for the Distance test, the device was<br />
visible from a distance that is greater than the stopping distance of a<br />
car travelling at 30 mph. This test was carried out of 5 individuals, who<br />
has to decide whether the light on the device was visible from 10<br />
metres to 50 metres in incrementing values of 10. The power test<br />
determined that the device was able to operate within the stated<br />
requirements.<br />
Project summary<br />
An investigation has been achieved to design and<br />
develop a product capable of increasing a cyclist's<br />
visibility in low light situations. A simple Indicator<br />
attached to the cyclists wrist/back hand/glove has<br />
been developed and prototyped, and the feasibility<br />
of the final product had been investigated. This<br />
Indicator was designed with autonomy in mind, and<br />
worked efficiently and effectively. With further<br />
development, and improvements, such as the ideas<br />
drawn up, this product could be made available at a<br />
reasonable price, without removing from the cycling<br />
experience.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
3. Aims of the Investigation<br />
The main aim, is to develop a working prototype that<br />
is capable of reliably alerting motorists of an<br />
indicating cyclist in low light situations, while still<br />
being affordable for all cyclists.<br />
Sub-aims:<br />
Study the anthropometrics of the human hand<br />
Design the housing for the electronics<br />
Manufacturing processes for each stage of<br />
development<br />
Investigate all possible implementations for the<br />
product<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
To conclude the investigation, the device was only<br />
50% effective, and is not ready for purchase in it's<br />
current state. A number of elements were not<br />
investigated, or tested. If this device was being<br />
developed and produced by a company, this would be<br />
the first prototype to confirm proof of concept.
Philip Jacobs<br />
BEng (Hons) Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Praminda Caleb-Solly<br />
Developing Internet of Things Enabled Smart Products to Support<br />
Ambient Assisted Living<br />
Sensor Mount<br />
When designing the mount in CAD safety, usability / ergonomics, and data<br />
reliability were the main concerns. The sensors are mounted away from the<br />
areas of interaction with the cup, and can only be placed in the mount in one<br />
orientation, ensuring the sensors don’t harm the usability nor change an<br />
individual’s interactions with the cup. Sensor platform used is the Texas<br />
Instruments Sensor Tag.<br />
Sensor Selection<br />
The side mounted accelerometer proved to be the most feature rich as such<br />
was explored in terms of pre-processing options and classification. The<br />
accelerometer also provides the best power consumption range at 10-135<br />
μA, compared to the gyroscope at 5900 μA , and the magnetometer at 8.6 -<br />
900 μA. Low battery consumption is a great benefit as the longer batteries in<br />
the sensor tag can last the less human input the system needs.<br />
Pre-processing<br />
The performance of the pre-processing techniques was judged on the ability<br />
to remove the high frequency noise / smooth the raw accelerometer data<br />
from the sensor tag, and the ability to preserve the magnitude of peaks in<br />
the data. A combination of these two properties will provide data which is<br />
less affected by noise while still providing clear features in the form of the<br />
magnitudes of peaks. Having evaluated moving average filter, Butterworth<br />
filter and down sampling the data, down sampling was chosen, due to<br />
minimal computational requirement and simplicity. In addition to reduced<br />
power consumption.<br />
Classification<br />
Thresholding was the simplest technic devised in order to classify the cup<br />
state; a simple method was desired to be applied to the real time system.<br />
Having analysed the data it is clear there are<br />
far more prominent peaks when the<br />
cup is being drank from as opposed to,<br />
lifted. 100% accuracy across all tested<br />
was achieved. Graph to the left shows<br />
experimental data with thresholds.<br />
Feasibility of Tremor Detection<br />
The majority of tremors have frequencies which are detectable with the<br />
standard sensor tag and its max accelerometer sampling of 10 Hz. It was also<br />
shown it would be possible to track tremor decline / improvement using the<br />
accelerometer data collected by passing it through a Fourier Transform, and<br />
looking at the frequency content of the signal.<br />
Fourier Transform of<br />
accelerometer data<br />
without tremor (left)<br />
and with (right)<br />
Real Time Classification and System<br />
Node Red was used to implement the real system which used the threshold<br />
method for Classification.<br />
Core System Functionality Requirements:<br />
•Read and record sensor tag readings<br />
•Reliably classify cup state in real time<br />
•Record data relating to cup interaction<br />
•Make recorded data viewable to a carer or other authorised party<br />
•Publish classified cup state to other systems<br />
•Be able to subscribe to updates on other<br />
individuals cup state<br />
•Trigger actuation based on received cup state<br />
Additional Functionality:<br />
•Threshold creation assistance<br />
•SOS / panic button functionality<br />
•Remind individual of drink if untouched<br />
•Display dashboard type interface<br />
In order to avoid any usability issues the only interface the user will have<br />
with the system is via the physical artefacts / dashboard used, and sensor tag<br />
readings.<br />
In summary the system met all the requirements both core and additional<br />
that were set. Resulting in a system capable of passively monitoring an<br />
individual in their home, providing data to carers, and providing the<br />
individual social support through ambient social communication. Lastly the<br />
system has the potential to be deployed on a large scale given that<br />
throughout development this has been considered.<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project was to conduct research into<br />
intelligent assistive technology with a view to<br />
developing "smart" products, which might be useful<br />
for diagnosing progressing age-related disabilities.<br />
For this project we have designed and developed a<br />
“smart cup” instrumented with sensors to monitor<br />
aspects such as tremors and frequency and level of<br />
fluid intake. The potential for social integration with<br />
others using the smart cup has also been considered<br />
to address the issues of social isolation.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Perform Participant studies to collected motion<br />
data from natural cup interaction.<br />
• Analyze data to determine best sensor and mount<br />
position in addition to preprocessing and<br />
classification technique.<br />
• Reliably identify states cup when used by different<br />
individuals, testing interpersonal, intrapersonal,<br />
and context reliability.<br />
• Implement real time system capable of monitoring<br />
an individual in there own home in addition to<br />
providing social support and information to carers.<br />
• Finally the aim would be to work towards creating<br />
two complete systems for a proof of concept and<br />
deployment in the Ambient Assisted Living Lab.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project has been a success having achieved the<br />
goals set at the start. The amended project plan was<br />
also kept to with work being completed to schedule.<br />
In summary the system that has been created is of<br />
genuine value, combining areas from the existing<br />
types of assistive systems with social support. Two<br />
systems will be deployed for demonstration within<br />
the newly created Ambient Assisted Living area<br />
within the <strong>Bristol</strong> Robotics Lab. Furthermore it shows<br />
the power of not just the internet of things but<br />
technology in general to help people, not just in a<br />
medical sense but on an emotional / social level also.
Patrick Brinson<br />
BEng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Matthew Studley<br />
An Investigation into Autonomously Identifying and Reporting Illegal<br />
Fishing Vessels.<br />
Introduction<br />
It is estimated that up to $23.5 billion dollars of<br />
fish are caught illegally from protected waters<br />
annually. It takes significant funding from<br />
governments to police protected waters and the<br />
action currently being taken is not currently<br />
sufficient in order to rebuild sufficient fish stocks<br />
for the future. Therefore the investigation was to<br />
investigate an appropriate electronic system that is<br />
capable of autonomously monitoring for evidence<br />
of illegal fishing activities, and have the ability to<br />
communicate sufficient information to the<br />
relevant agencies, in the pursuit of those that<br />
disregard preservation techniques put in place to<br />
rebuild the worlds depleting fish stocks. Not only<br />
would a system of this nature be able to report<br />
illegal fishing activities it shall also act as a<br />
deterrent. Such a system would not only be limited<br />
to that of detecting illegal fishing activities, but<br />
could be further implemented reduce other global<br />
issues such as drug smuggling, and illegal<br />
immigration.<br />
Switching<br />
Charging<br />
Circuit<br />
Switching<br />
Charging<br />
Circuit<br />
Digital Input<br />
Digital Input<br />
USB to UART<br />
UART<br />
Atmega2560<br />
USB<br />
UART<br />
Digital Signal<br />
Processing<br />
Micro PC<br />
ANALOGUE<br />
Hydrophone<br />
Amplifier<br />
To implement such a system, several areas of<br />
investigation had to be made, including but limited<br />
to power harvesting, energy storage,<br />
communications, and positioning. This<br />
investigation focused on the necessary electronic<br />
system needed to implement a device capable of<br />
reporting relevant information to pursue those<br />
that continue to deplete the global fish stocks.<br />
ANALOGUE<br />
Hydrophone<br />
Prototype Circuit Board<br />
The investigation lead on to a prototype design<br />
and build of a printed circuit board, that could be<br />
tested for its operation against the investigations<br />
specification. The testing of the system showed<br />
that:<br />
The use of a voltage proportional charge<br />
controller, is capable of acting as a maximum<br />
power point tracker, in order to increase the<br />
efficiency of energy harvested through<br />
photovoltaic cells.<br />
The implementation of a GPS and digital compass<br />
provide accurate data on the location of the<br />
system and the vessel it could detect.<br />
With the use of a GSM chipset it is possible for the<br />
system to communicate long distance, with the<br />
ability to upgrade the communications to a<br />
satellite transceiver for implementation.<br />
The ability to control configurable options such as<br />
GPS sensitivity, and to turn on the USB-UART<br />
converter only when needed makes best use of<br />
the systems stored electrical energy.<br />
The use of buck/boost converters allows the<br />
system to use as much charge as feasibly possible<br />
over technology such as a linear voltage regulator.<br />
Project summary<br />
In summary the investigation was to design<br />
and implement a system that could harvest its<br />
own electrical energy and communicate<br />
relevant sensor data in the pursuit of<br />
reducing the high rates of illegal fishing<br />
globally.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The main objectives of the investigation were<br />
to:<br />
Harvest and store electrical energy in an<br />
efficient manor.<br />
Self awareness of system location with use of<br />
GPS and Digital Compass.<br />
Long range communications over GSM<br />
network.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion, this investigation met the<br />
functional and non-functional criterial set out<br />
at the beginning. Indicating that a system of<br />
considerably small size could be implemented<br />
in the reduction of illegal fishing. The<br />
investigation, design and implementation has<br />
resulted in a functional prototype where the<br />
following conclusions can be drawn:<br />
The use of solar panels are capable of<br />
powering and charging the system for<br />
extended periods of time.<br />
UART UART I2C<br />
Communications<br />
Satellite / GSM<br />
GPS<br />
Digital Compass<br />
System communication flow.<br />
Thermal image, showing how the system<br />
does not lose energy through heat.
Lee Paplauskas<br />
BEng Robotics (Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Prof. Alan Winfield<br />
Interaction between Multiple Robots with Self-Simulation<br />
The Future!<br />
Robots, and Artificial Intelligence are become much more prevalent<br />
in our culture. Whether something as basic as an algorithm to<br />
recommend TV shows, or a fridge with twitter to let you know<br />
when you're out of milk, right through to a car which can drive<br />
itself, at the push of a button, its all there.<br />
As a result of this, the machines, or robots, we make, need to be<br />
made safer. There is only so much that can be done to make their<br />
processes safer, using current methods, such as putting proximity<br />
sensors on, or limiting their speed. What if, instead of limiting<br />
them, to make them safer, we gave them a way of predicting if<br />
something they were about to do was dangerous? Why stop at that<br />
though? Why not even go as far as to make the machines protect<br />
us from dangers, outright?<br />
The Three Laws of Robotics<br />
Isaac Asimov wrote, in his short stories about “Positronic” or<br />
emotional robotics, of “The Three Laws of Robotics”. These laws<br />
are ingrained into every robot's “Positronic Brain” and were<br />
designed to protect a human, and make sure robots were<br />
subservient.<br />
LAW 1:<br />
A robot must never harm a human being, or, through inaction,<br />
allow a human being to come to harm.<br />
LAW 2:<br />
A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except<br />
where such orders would conflict with the First Law.<br />
LAW 3:<br />
A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection<br />
does not conflict with the First of Second Law.<br />
By implementing these laws, the robots created in his stories, were<br />
a lot safer than they would have been otherwise, and as a result,<br />
could function more efficiently. Asimov's stories do, however,<br />
explore the results of his robots being purely logical machines – at<br />
the end of the day – and taking the orders they are given very<br />
literally.<br />
Towards an Ethical Robot<br />
Steps have been made to attempt to implement something similar<br />
to Asimov's Three Laws into robots to date. Professor Alan Winfield,<br />
Christian Blum, and Wenguo Liu have performed the “Ethical<br />
Robot” experiment. This experiment involves the use of a<br />
“Consequence Engine” that is programmed into one of the robots,<br />
to predict the movements of the other actors (in the case of the<br />
experiment, other robots) and map them on an internal simulation.<br />
It would then simulate various possible movements, and choose<br />
the 'best' solution in order to keep itself, and the other actors safe.<br />
[Figure 1.0] The Ethical Robot Experiment<br />
Extending the Ethical Robot<br />
My report contains the details of expanding the ethical robot's<br />
Consequence Engine from a single 'Smart Robot' unit, to multiple<br />
platforms.<br />
Each robot with the Consequence Engine will be able to simulate<br />
the entire environment, and each actor, meaning they would be<br />
able to predict movements, and, assuming the environment<br />
contains 'DangerZones' they would be able to protect the other<br />
actors in the environment.<br />
The Consequence Engine<br />
As the robot is not designed specifically to save the other actors,<br />
the Consequence Engine is designed as a secondary process that<br />
runs constantly, but doesn't effect the main operation of the robot,<br />
unless necessary. The primary operation of the robots, in these set<br />
of experiments, is to get from A, to B.<br />
As it is navigating the environment to get to the end location, it will<br />
simulate the actions of the other actors, and if one of them was<br />
headed towards a 'DangerZone' then the robot would move to<br />
intercept, altering the actor's course away from the danger.<br />
[Figure 2.0] An Example of the Consequence Engine<br />
The processing of the Consequence Engine predicts multiple<br />
paths in the environment, and then chooses the 'best' of<br />
these. The Red lines in Figure 2.0 are the predicted paths of<br />
the Consequence engine.<br />
The Corridor Experiment<br />
In order for the multiple Consequence Engine code to be<br />
tested, a series of updated experiments needed to be<br />
implemented. Below is a brief overview of the proposed<br />
experiments:<br />
1) The Corridor Experiment: By placing two 'Smart' robots at<br />
opposing ends of a narrow corridor, we can set them going,<br />
and see how they will interact. Their main goal will be to<br />
reach the opposing end of the corridor, and there will not be<br />
any 'dumb' robots to save.<br />
[Figure 3.0] The Corridor Experiment Setup<br />
2) The Ethical Robots: Repeating the Ethical Robot<br />
experiment, but increasing the number of 'Smart' robots,<br />
would mean that the Consequence Engine would be fully<br />
tested in a situation that is likely to commonly arise.<br />
Recommendations for Further Work<br />
Unfortunatly, the scope of my project focused only on the<br />
software side of these experiments. As a result, the Epuck<br />
robots – which were modified with a Linux board extension –<br />
happened to not be powerful enough to run the internal<br />
simulations. The laptop that the code was originally ran on<br />
was not powerful enough to run two instances of this code.<br />
As a result, I have decided to recommend some further work<br />
on the hardware of the Epuck extension board.<br />
These recommendations are as follows:<br />
- Update the Linux extension board, increasing the<br />
processing power available on each Epuck robot, to re-run<br />
this experiment.<br />
- Alternatively, look into alternative methods of processing<br />
the Internal simulations for the robots.<br />
Project Summary<br />
The aim of this project will be to extend existing work on<br />
robots with internal models – i.e. robots with a simulation<br />
of themselves, other robots, and their environment –<br />
inside of themselves. The first step will be to extend an<br />
existing implementation from a single, to multiple robots.<br />
When this has been tested and proven to work, I will then<br />
conduct a series of experiments to show how multiple<br />
robots interacting could behave more safely, or ethically,<br />
than robots without self-simulation.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Replicate the 'ethical robot' experiment, and observe<br />
the robots motions, to see where improvement, or<br />
modification can be made.<br />
• Re-write, or modify the code, to allow experimentation<br />
to be taken onto multiple smart robot platforms.<br />
• Run several different experiments, initially in<br />
simulation, then in reality, to a) prove the modified<br />
code runs as desired, and b) to observe the results, and<br />
draw conclusions from there.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
While it has not been possible to complete the main<br />
experimentation, two of the three main objectives have<br />
been completed. When initially replicating the “Ethical<br />
robot” experiment, we were able to get it running<br />
smoothly, and were able to them use the information<br />
from that to produce the modified code, to be exported<br />
onto each individual platform. What was not expected,<br />
however, was the vast amount of computational power<br />
required to perform this operation – looking back though,<br />
it should have been expected – and the inability to run<br />
multiple instances of the code in parallel, on the current<br />
hardware.<br />
In its current state it has been proven that the<br />
Consequence Engine is capable of:<br />
• Tracking actors in an environment and judging their<br />
'safety' based on preset 'dangerzones'.<br />
• Avoiding Obstacles within the environment, whether<br />
mobile, or static.<br />
• Navigating an environment, and reacting to other<br />
actors' safety, even moving to prevent them from being<br />
in danger.
Kaya Sinclair<br />
BEng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Alexander Lenz:<br />
A 3 D.O.F Spherical Joint with Absolute Position Sensing<br />
Novel Method<br />
Using a camera mounted in the joint<br />
to track LEDs mounted in the socket<br />
to provide a unique position of the<br />
socket relative to the ball.<br />
Software<br />
Python and Open CV<br />
Using Blob Detection methods to<br />
track LEDs. Algorithms developed to<br />
calculate rotations about X, Y and Z<br />
axis.<br />
Camera<br />
ELP-USBFHD01ML180<br />
Fisheye lens camera with multiple<br />
resolutions & frame rates.<br />
38mm x 38mm<br />
Spherical Joint<br />
The Joint was designed using 3D<br />
CAD software and 3D printed.<br />
LEDs<br />
Red, Blue and Green<br />
2.0mm x 1.2mm x 1.1mm<br />
Mounted in base of socket<br />
Lens Calibration<br />
Due to the fisheye lens used,<br />
calibration was completed to adjust<br />
for distortion in the camera.<br />
Testing<br />
Testing apparatus was designed and<br />
manufactured.<br />
Testing was completed with a<br />
accuracy of one degree, over 360<br />
degrees in the Z axis, and over 80<br />
degrees in the X and Y axis.<br />
Results<br />
Testing proved the feasibility of the<br />
new method proposed. Aims of the<br />
project were successfully met.<br />
Z axis<br />
Error Range: -2.71 to -2.04 degrees<br />
X axis<br />
Error Range: -2.35 to 1.4 degrees<br />
Y axis<br />
Error Range: -2.35 to 1.4 degrees<br />
Speed<br />
25 Frames a second<br />
Further Work<br />
• Creating a stable testing rig<br />
• Redesign joint to keep camera in<br />
a fixed position, and rotate the<br />
LEDs<br />
• Use a more opaque material for<br />
3D printing, to prevent light<br />
bleeding into the joint<br />
• Optimise software algorithms to<br />
improve speed of software<br />
• Find or manufacture a smaller<br />
camera to reduce size of joint.<br />
Project summary<br />
There is a growing desire for multiple degree<br />
of freedom joints, particularly for use in<br />
humanoid robotics. This project has<br />
developed a new method for absolute<br />
position sensing in a 3 D.O.F. spherical joint,<br />
suitable for use in low budget applications<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Design, manufacture and implement a<br />
new absolute position sensing method for<br />
a 3 DOF spherical Joint<br />
• Test the new method to an accuracy of 1<br />
degree<br />
• Prove the feasibility of the new absolute<br />
sensing method<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The new method of absolute position sensing<br />
is feasible, although there are plenty of<br />
further improvements to be made to the<br />
system.<br />
Spherical Rotations about all three axis have<br />
been tested to 1 degree, with no significant<br />
deviations that could not be solved with<br />
better testing methods, improved software or<br />
improved hardware.<br />
Rotations about the X and Y axis have a<br />
maximum error of between approximately 1.4<br />
and -2.35 degrees, and rotations about the<br />
axis have a maximum error of between 2.71<br />
and -2.04 at the highest resolution. The<br />
sampling rate of the spherical joint software<br />
runs at approximately 25 frames per second.
Jonathan Barnett<br />
BEng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Prof. Alan Winfield<br />
Analysing RoboGen for Evolutionary Design<br />
Project summary<br />
The aim of this project is the investigation of<br />
the RoboGen software for the<br />
implementation of evolutionary robotics.<br />
The primary appeal of the RoboGen software is its<br />
ability to co-evolve the robot body and brain<br />
simultaneously, creating a more harmonious<br />
design between the brain and body.<br />
One of the key aspects of the RoboGen<br />
software, is the ability to fully configure the<br />
setup of the robot build. This data can then be<br />
outputted to Matlab or other suitable software<br />
for rendering the information allowing for a<br />
generation by generation recount of the fitness<br />
development.<br />
The robot brain aspect evolves weights and biases<br />
of the robot within the body structure derived<br />
from the need to achieve the goal state, the design<br />
of the robot brain system is described as a “fullyconnected,<br />
recurrent artificial neural<br />
network”(Auerbach et al., 2014). The limitations of<br />
this robot brain are primarily based on the body<br />
structure that it is contained within.<br />
From Concept to Reality<br />
The RoboGen software allows for the 3D<br />
design of a robotic system using modular<br />
parts pre-configured to be wired up. The<br />
system then develops the artificial neural<br />
network within this body in order to solve<br />
the training scenario it has been placed in<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Investigating the potential of the RoboGen<br />
software for evolutionary neural network<br />
development and co-evolutionary design<br />
of both brain and body, in a variety of<br />
situations examining the results that the<br />
system outputs<br />
• Investigation into the principle idea of real<br />
world testing of fitness, being reintroduced<br />
into the software population,<br />
adjusting its fitness.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion the RoboGen software is a remarkable<br />
application allowing for ease of use and accessible<br />
introduction to the principles behind both<br />
evolutionary neural network design and co-evolution<br />
development between the brain and body of a robot.<br />
The ability to configure a multitude of parameters as<br />
well as different scenarios for testing means that the<br />
software can be used for potentially multiple<br />
problems depending on how complex the user makes<br />
the terrain that the robot must navigate in order to<br />
achieve its goals. The co-evolutionary nature<br />
between both the brain and body of the robot, when<br />
used, opens up a potential gateway towards true<br />
independent design.
James Killick<br />
Beng Robotics (Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Matthew Studley<br />
Tattoo Assisting Machine : Analysis and Design<br />
Simulated System<br />
Straight Line Testing:<br />
Initial results with natural solenoid delay:<br />
Prototype Testing system<br />
Outline program testing:<br />
Prototype Testing system<br />
Project summary<br />
The focus of this investigation is to develop a<br />
machine with the aim of assisting tattoo<br />
artists by technologically improving their<br />
accuracy while maintaining the trusting<br />
relationship between the contributing parties.<br />
This is achieved using sensors and image<br />
processing programs and will help to prevent<br />
the artist from drawing outside of the chosen<br />
design.<br />
Results after implementation of “de-bounce function<br />
Complete Simulated system:<br />
Accuracy test(indicated error of 0.5mm<br />
Complete System Testing<br />
Max Error = 0.5mm<br />
Max Error = 0.5mm<br />
Proposed Final Design<br />
Project Objectives<br />
During this project the aim is to develop a functioning<br />
prototype that adheres to the following<br />
requirements.<br />
• Must be able to accurately draw a design onto the<br />
chosen test material.<br />
• Must improve upon the natural skill of the user.<br />
• Must be light and small enough to not hinder the<br />
user.<br />
• Must be safe enough to not endanger the user or<br />
subject.<br />
• Must be able to function at an acceptable speed.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
In conclusion this investigation has been<br />
viewed as a partial success because under<br />
controlled conditions the prototype system<br />
proved to a significant improvement on the<br />
ability of the user under the same testing<br />
conditions thus indicating the potential for<br />
this system to be used as an artistic aid. With<br />
the addition of some components a more<br />
accurate system would be developed enabling<br />
a more successful result to be achieved.
James Ferrand<br />
Robotics Beng(Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr. Paul Bremner and Dr. Matthew Studley<br />
Benefits of Robots in Education<br />
This study explored the effectiveness of robots in an educational setting. The effects of robots using gestures and how it can help be used as an educational<br />
tool will be explored. This is a relatively new area of study. The Study discussed why humans use gesturing in addition to speech, the different types used and<br />
the effects they can have. There are a variety of different types as described in multiple published literature. The types used are established by Kendon (2004).<br />
Iconic gestures present imagery of an established concept or action, whereas Metaphoric are based on creating a new image in the observers mind. Deictic are<br />
pointing style gestures, and Beats are timing based. Other studies show that age has an effect on the interpretation and use of gestures, older adults tend not<br />
to use iconic gestures and interpret co-speech less (Cocks and Morgan, 2011). Whereas younger humans are more influenced by gestures when interpreting<br />
multimodal speech (Vocal and gesture synchronised).<br />
Project summary<br />
The project is to understand the learning<br />
effect of a robot using gestures in an<br />
educational setting.<br />
Teaching uses gestures as an additional teaching tool (Goldin-Meadow et al.<br />
2013), mimicking gestures used as part of an explanation which can help<br />
with deeper learning. Robots are starting to appear in the classroom in<br />
various forms and uses. In a few cases Robots are used to teach children.<br />
Robots who use gestures can make them appear more human, if a correct<br />
gesture is used at the correct time then the appearance of human qualities<br />
are increased.<br />
The Experiment was performed in a<br />
local nursery. The Preschool group<br />
participated being the eldest group.<br />
They have understanding of<br />
numbers so suited the math based<br />
test and lesson.<br />
A pre and post-test was conducted<br />
around each lesson where the<br />
children were asked to recognize a<br />
set of numbers.<br />
The robot<br />
here is<br />
producing a<br />
number 2<br />
gesture.<br />
4 Conditions were set for this experiment. Robot and<br />
Human teacher. For each of these the teacher would<br />
be using either gestures (tracing) or pointing only.<br />
Two sets of numbers were used over 2 weeks.<br />
Set A: 1,2,3,4,5, 21,22,43,24,45,41<br />
Set B: 1,2,3,4,5, 35,34,52,31,54,50<br />
The test was run over two weeks and the children<br />
experienced a different set of numbers each week.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Compare the effects of a robot using gestures and pointing<br />
only. See if the robot created a better learning effect<br />
compared to that of a human.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The results concluded that the robot was less effective<br />
due to distracting the child from the information being<br />
processed. Additionally the robot is unable to produce the<br />
same effect due to not gaining the trust of the children<br />
due to the emotional connection of teachers.<br />
The children enjoyed the experience of the robot but<br />
found the human condition more comfortable and<br />
beneficial.<br />
The children's attention was also greater with the human<br />
teacher compared with the robot.<br />
Overall the robot did not perform as well as the human<br />
teacher. This is due to the robot not being a human staff<br />
member of the nursery and therefore not a respected in<br />
the child’s mind.<br />
5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
-1<br />
-2<br />
Gesture<br />
Pointing<br />
Mean<br />
Learning<br />
Robot<br />
Human<br />
The results shown that the robot had a negative<br />
effect on the children’s learning. This had many<br />
possible reasons.<br />
The human teacher performed better overall. The<br />
robot pointing only had a marginally bigger result<br />
than the human pointing only.<br />
The children paid more attention to the human<br />
than the robot.<br />
8<br />
7<br />
6<br />
5<br />
4<br />
3<br />
2<br />
1<br />
0<br />
Gesture<br />
Pointing<br />
Mean<br />
Attention<br />
Loss<br />
Robot<br />
Human
Chris Cronin<br />
Robotics BEng<br />
Can Parametric Sound Be Localised To a Target Area Using Computer<br />
Vision?<br />
Introduction<br />
Sound. Sound is all around us. One thing is for sure sound is everywhere, but<br />
what if you could control the direction of sound using a camera and a very<br />
unique speaker?<br />
This project is an investigation into developing and testing a system<br />
that can localize directional sound to a specific target area.<br />
This system must be able to: detect and track people, allows selection<br />
of a target, extract data about the target, use this data to move a parametric<br />
acoustic array to point at the chosen target, and verify the target acquisition<br />
using sensors.<br />
With this complete system the hope is that an answer can be found to<br />
the question above.<br />
Background<br />
Initial research showed no similar projects therefore research was conducted<br />
in the two areas: Parametric Acoustic Arrays (PAA) and Computer Vison (CV).<br />
The PAA concept has was discovered in the 1950s by Westervelt. The<br />
direction sound produced is create using signal modulation and diffraction of<br />
sound waves. The PAA used for this project was kit PAA produced by Kazumio<br />
Computer vison has been around since the birth of computing in the<br />
1960s. The CV disciplines needed for this project are face detection and<br />
object tracking. Two methods where found that could achieve this:<br />
Histogram of gradients and the Viola jones. The Viola Jones was chosen due<br />
to reliability and accuracy.<br />
Design<br />
For this project there were two main areas of design, the software, and the<br />
control interface.<br />
The stand serves the purpose of mounting the PAA, but also to allow<br />
the PAA to rotate 180 degrees. It also serves as a mounting point for the<br />
power supply, and control interface. This stand was designed to be push fit<br />
and be modular.<br />
The software serves as the system to detect, track, select a target, and<br />
then estimate the position of the target selected. This was created using<br />
MATLAB, due to built in functions and a GUI was designed to use the<br />
software and monitor the performance of the system.<br />
Results<br />
Testing was performed at each stage. The most important tests were the PAA<br />
verification and the final system tests.<br />
The PAA tests performed were done so to confirm the characteristics of<br />
the directional sound. The results below show how the intensity of the PAA<br />
reduces at a greater rate than that of a loud speaker as you move away form<br />
the center line of the source .<br />
The final test seek to find out if the conjunction of a PAA and computer<br />
vison can localize sound to a target area. Below shows the table of final<br />
results tat allows use to answer this.<br />
Multiple People Stationary At 4 Points<br />
Position (M) Angle (Degrees) Target<br />
Person X Z CV Actual PAA Laser Switch<br />
1 0 2 0.5 0 Yes Yes<br />
2 0.3 2 9.2 8.53 Yes Yes<br />
3 -0.2 2 -6.2 -5.71 Yes Yes<br />
4 -0.5 2 -13.4 -14.04 Yes Yes<br />
1 0 3 0.6 0 Yes Yes<br />
2 0.3 3 4.8 5.71 Yes Yes<br />
3 0.5 3 10.2 9.46 Yes Yes<br />
4 -0.5 3 -10.1 -9.46 Yes Yes<br />
1 0 4 0.4 0 Yes Yes<br />
2 0.5 4 6.8 7.12 Yes Yes<br />
3 1 4 13.8 14.04 Yes Yes<br />
4 -0.8 4 -11.3 -11.31 Yes Yes<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Gary Atkinson<br />
Project summary<br />
This project was an investigation into the<br />
conjunction of parametric speakers and<br />
computer vision techniques to produce sound<br />
in an isolated area, can sound be localise to a<br />
target area? The purpose of this project was<br />
to produce a prototype or a proof of concept<br />
to answer the above question. This system if<br />
proven to work could be used to<br />
communicate with people privatively in a<br />
public place. The two main areas of focus<br />
were; Parametric Acoustic Arrays which was<br />
used to produce the localised sound.<br />
Computer vision which was used to detect,<br />
recognise, locate and select a target.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Review related literature to computer<br />
vison and PAA<br />
• Create a proof of concept or prototype<br />
• Design software to detect, track and select<br />
a target for the system<br />
• Measure and test the theory of the PAA<br />
• Design a control system to move the PAA<br />
• Perform final tests to answer to the title of<br />
the project<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The project objectives were fulfilled, that is to<br />
say that sound can be localised to a target<br />
area using computer vision. The results show<br />
that the system is not perfect and show<br />
opportunities for further work which are<br />
feasible and attainable. If these opportunities<br />
are utilised the system could function well.<br />
This complete system could be used in<br />
different applications from, creating a private<br />
listen zone to entrainment sound systems.<br />
The content of this paper could be used to<br />
design similar systems or be used as an<br />
example application for PAAs whilst bringing<br />
the PAA functionality to a wider audience.
Ben Watson<br />
BEng (Hons) Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Sanja Dogramadzi<br />
Civilian Assistive Powered Exoskeleton – Conceptual Design<br />
Introduction<br />
A powered exoskeleton is an electromechanical<br />
system akin to a wearable robot, but differs greatly<br />
from purely robotic systems. It is a device which is<br />
worn by or mounted to a user who controls it with<br />
their own body to aid them in a manual task. The<br />
exoskeleton becomes a secondary system to the<br />
user that acts in tandem with them to support<br />
their own physique with modularity to allow for<br />
specific sections of the body to be assisted. The<br />
apparatus itself would essentially be a string of<br />
motors and sensor arrays with a control system<br />
linking these.<br />
The apparatus can be used to increase the<br />
strength and endurance of the user when coupled<br />
with their own musculoskeletal system. Other<br />
applications include improving dextrous precision,<br />
increasing an individual’s load bearing limit or<br />
giving mobility to those with limb disabilities.<br />
Kinematics and Force Analysis<br />
To properly analyse the range of motion for the<br />
exoskeleton and the forces it can exert, I first<br />
analysed my own arm.<br />
The human arm is a redundant system with more<br />
controllable DOFs than the total DOFs. Therefore<br />
constructing a system intended to replicate the<br />
motion of the whole human arm is a complex task<br />
.<br />
To reduce this complexity, the exoskeleton in this<br />
project will work with only one of the seven DOFs<br />
of the human arm, the elbow.<br />
The kinematics of my own arm were analysed and<br />
when coupled with average weights (which I fall<br />
below) for each segment of the arm (Clauser, C. E.,<br />
et al, 1969) the minimum torque exerted to move<br />
my arm at the elbow can be found (14.715N X<br />
0.5m = 7Nm). This is the absolute minimum torque<br />
that the exoskeleton should exert. I aim to double<br />
the force exerted by the arm, so the exoskeleton<br />
system should exert 14Nm of torque at minimum.<br />
After rendering the final frame through CAD<br />
software the mass of the forearm part could be<br />
simulated and the torque necessary to perform<br />
flexion on it could be calculated. As it is the<br />
forearm half that moves relative to the upper arm<br />
half of the exoskeleton , I focused solely on the<br />
forces involved in moving that part. Through<br />
simulation of the part in ABS plastic, the most<br />
likely material to be used in fabrication the mass of<br />
this frame was given as 0.39Kg. With its length<br />
being 25cm, I calculated the torque needed to<br />
move this piece as 0.96Nm which I rounded up to<br />
1Nm. When added to the torque to move my<br />
forearm and doubled to account for the<br />
exoskeleton’s expected strength level, 16Nm was<br />
found to be the necessary minimum torque for a<br />
linear actuator to produce in the system.<br />
Materials<br />
Metals like titanium are attractive for use in such<br />
an application, but for the more generally<br />
appealing approach I am taking with my design,<br />
and the fact such a level of durability is perhaps<br />
dismissible here, I am electing to avoid the use of<br />
metals and alloys in the base frame.<br />
Military grade ruggedness is not a necessity in a<br />
system intended for in home or hospital use and<br />
also these metals are expensive and definitely<br />
outside the remit of this particular project.<br />
Therefore in this system the materials used will be<br />
strong but lightweight polymers. These are much<br />
cheaper to manufacture with but also allow for<br />
the implementation of rapid prototyping via 3D<br />
printing; a technology quickly emerging, like that<br />
of the exoskeleton.<br />
Project summary<br />
An exploration of the best design<br />
considerations for a common-use strength<br />
enhancing exoskeleton and the conceptual<br />
design made from these considerations.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
•The exploration of current exoskeleton<br />
technologies.<br />
•The selection of optimal materials, actuators,<br />
sensors, power source etc for the application.<br />
•The completion of a conceptual design.<br />
•The construction of part of the design.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
After beginning the project with slightly<br />
overambitious zeal, I had to dial back the<br />
extent to which I would implement my<br />
design. Factors such as budget, my own<br />
ability, but most importantly time, combined<br />
to leave me with less than I had hoped for at<br />
the start of the project.<br />
However, my proof of concept involving 3D<br />
printing was mostly successful, producing a<br />
sturdy and lightweight frame for the system.<br />
Unfortunately, I was unable to progress with<br />
actuation of the frame or implementing<br />
sensing.<br />
As for the overall conceptual design, I feel I<br />
was successful in considering each of the<br />
myriad of facets (of which only a fraction are<br />
touched upon here) that make up the design<br />
of a powered exoskeleton in order to provide<br />
the basis for an exemplar civilian system.
Adam Drake<br />
BEng(Hons) Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Professor Melvyn Smith<br />
Identification of Cattle using Computer Vision Biometrics<br />
Introduction<br />
Computer vision biometrics is a vast research topic<br />
with many applications across an array of<br />
industries. This investigation is in the area of<br />
animal biometrics. Currently, the majority of<br />
industrial animal identification tasks are<br />
completed using a form of tagging, involving little<br />
or no computer vision.<br />
This investigation examined current<br />
methodologies for computer vision biometrics, in<br />
both human and animal applications, and<br />
proposed a novel non-invasive method for the<br />
identification of cattle. This investigation was part<br />
of an ongoing project, the ‘Precision Health<br />
Monitoring of Cattle’ by the Centre for Machine<br />
Vision at the <strong>Bristol</strong> Robotics Laboratory.<br />
Core Concept<br />
The central idea to this investigation was that<br />
hidden information contained within the animal<br />
can be extracted.<br />
Coat patterns were examined for their<br />
‘uniqueness’ and it was thought that this would be<br />
sufficient to describe an individual animal.<br />
However, this approach was not robust enough<br />
and suffered from problems such as different<br />
lighting conditions and all-brown cattle displaying<br />
no visible coat patterns.<br />
The selected approach uses the actual geometry<br />
of the animal to better satisfy the requirements of<br />
the system to be robust enough to work with<br />
cattle which have no discernible coat pattern.<br />
Image Processing<br />
In order to extract the required information, the<br />
depth images had to be processed to remove the<br />
background and additional unwanted details.<br />
Then through a series of further image processing<br />
steps, including a Gaussian low-pass filter, the<br />
important parts of the depth image are revealed.<br />
Benefits over Radio Frequency ID Tags<br />
RFID tags in use for cattle identification have<br />
several drawbacks. Firstly they have to be affixed<br />
to the animal in some way, taking considerable<br />
time and effort. Secondly, they suffer from<br />
interference, due to the proliferation of multiple<br />
standards and frequencies, leading to instances of<br />
false-reading and inaccuracy.<br />
Applications<br />
This new method of cattle identification has the<br />
potential to offer increased biosecurity on farms,<br />
reduced labour and time costs associated with<br />
current identification methods and improved<br />
accuracy compared to traditional methods.<br />
Project summary<br />
The investigation presents a review of the<br />
current state of cattle identification and<br />
proposes a novel method for identifying cattle<br />
based on their physical features.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Develop a method of identifying cattle<br />
based upon some physical characteristic,<br />
using 3D depth images obtained from a<br />
dairy farm environment.<br />
• Research methods of biometric feature<br />
extraction.<br />
• Perform image processing on images of<br />
cattle.<br />
• Research current computer vision<br />
biometric techniques.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The proposed new method of identifying<br />
cattle based upon their physical<br />
characteristics performed well and was able<br />
to extract a set of features for all animals in<br />
the dataset. Recommendations were made<br />
for how to integrate the system into other<br />
applications.<br />
It is proposed that this approach not be limited to<br />
cattle and could be extended to work with many<br />
different animals in the future. There is also the<br />
potential to integrate this method of biometric<br />
feature extraction with an artificial intelligence<br />
algorithm, to further enhance its capabilities.
Thomas Moran<br />
BEng Robotics (Hons)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Alexander Lenz<br />
An Investigation into Automotive Electronic Communication Systems<br />
towards creating a demonstration platform to be used in an educational<br />
environment.<br />
Introduction<br />
As automotive systems have become more<br />
complex, combinations of different sensor<br />
information is required to come to an effective<br />
decision. This leads to a problem of several<br />
Electronic Control Units (ECUs) that need to send<br />
information to each other over a network<br />
protocol. The automotive industry created CAN<br />
bus to allow these systems to talk to each other.<br />
With the increasing number of systems and a large<br />
contingent of automotive students at the<br />
University of the West of England. A need was<br />
identified for a demonstration system to be<br />
produced for the teaching labs.<br />
System Design<br />
A scaffolding approach was selected for the<br />
project. This is introducing the concepts in a<br />
simplified way with lots of explanation and<br />
support, this is then gradually removed. Figure 1<br />
shows the scaffolding approach of the project.<br />
Figure 1 – Scaffolding Approach<br />
CAN Bus Poster<br />
A Poster was produced in an attempt to explain<br />
CAN Bus in simple terms. The poster gives a brief<br />
introduction to CAN bus and lists its key features<br />
and uses. It gives an example of a standard<br />
message frame format and discusses the<br />
important feature of bus arbitration, when several<br />
messages try to send at the same time. Several<br />
disadvantages of the protocol are also included for<br />
completeness.<br />
Instructional Booklet<br />
An instructional booklet or user guide for the<br />
demonstration board was also produced. This<br />
discusses the features of the demonstration board,<br />
giving a diagram explaining the location of the<br />
important parts of functionality. The instructional<br />
booklet includes several both simple and<br />
advanced exercises; these help develop the<br />
knowledge of the user.<br />
Demonstration board<br />
A demonstration system was created consisting of<br />
two CAN Node Printed Circuit Boards . These<br />
replicate the electronic systems behind a<br />
commonly used Anti Lock Braking System (ABS).<br />
One node monitors the speed of a spinning wheel<br />
through an encoder as would happen in a real<br />
vehicle. This transmits the actual speed of this<br />
wheel onto a CAN Bus network.<br />
A second node receives and checks this value<br />
against an expected value of the wheel also on the<br />
network. If the actual speed is less than the<br />
expected speed, an ABS activation condition<br />
occurs lighting an indicator and modulating a<br />
linear actuator which would be controlling a<br />
braking line in a real system. The demonstration<br />
board is shown within Figure 2.<br />
Figure 2 – Demonstration Board<br />
Exercises<br />
Several exercises were created and included within<br />
the instructional booklet. Some exercises were<br />
simple testing the basic functionality whilst some<br />
were more advanced. The more advanced<br />
exercises made use of a Kvaser Semi Leaf Pro<br />
analyzer to monitor the labels. A configuration<br />
label was provided to allow modification of the<br />
demand speed.<br />
Project Verification<br />
The project was verified through two forms of<br />
testing to ensure it met the project objectives and<br />
satisfied the overall aim.<br />
Unit testing ensured that the individual PCB<br />
functionality was correct. Unit testing also<br />
included testing of the system as a whole, along<br />
with the CAN labels to ensure that they were<br />
correctly functioning.<br />
Requirements based testing was conducted to<br />
ensure that the project met the requirements, that<br />
were developed from stakeholder expectations to<br />
express the aims and objects of the project in a<br />
testable form.<br />
Project summary<br />
The purpose of this study was to develop a CAN bus<br />
educational platform for the teaching labs at the<br />
University of the West of England. A demonstration<br />
system was developed that was intended to be used<br />
by engineers from a mainly mechanical background.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Create a system to demonstrate how Electronic<br />
Control Units (ECUs) communicate within a<br />
vehicle.<br />
• Use a real world example such as Anti-Lock Braking<br />
so the system can be related to automotive<br />
teaching.<br />
• Develop supporting educational material to help<br />
support students experience.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
Too much focus was placed on the demonstration<br />
board which was only a part of the entire system. This<br />
was due to a overestimate of experience and ability<br />
in developing electronic hardware. Debugging a<br />
system is a challenging task and it can be difficult to<br />
know if the problem lies in hardware or software.<br />
A large portion of the verification was focused on the<br />
demonstration board. However in the requirements<br />
based testing it was found that only 5 of the 14<br />
requirements could be claimed as fully achieved. 7 of<br />
the requirements can be said as partially achieved in<br />
that they have been achieved however not explicitly<br />
tested. This was due to not enough testing being<br />
conducted on the entire system. Testing of the<br />
educational material with the intended audience of<br />
automotive students needs to be conducted to claim<br />
full achievement of these requirements.
Olly McBride<br />
BEng (Hons) Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Alexander Lenz<br />
BallBot – An Investigation Into A Ball Balancing Robot<br />
Introduction<br />
A mobile robot capable of balancing on<br />
a ball only has a single contact point<br />
between the ball and the ground. This,<br />
coupled with the requirement of a<br />
‘falling motion’ in order to move, allows<br />
for a very unique form of locomotion.<br />
This locomotion is rarely seen in<br />
robotics, as it is mechanically complex<br />
due to its lack of static stability,<br />
meaning that the robot has to actively<br />
balance itself by changing its centre of<br />
gravity (COG) by imparting a force on<br />
the ball.<br />
This investigation discusses the design<br />
processes, problems and solutions in<br />
the production of BallBot, a robot that<br />
is able to balance on top of a ball. This<br />
investigation also discusses the design<br />
decisions behind the production of two<br />
of the most advanced ball-balancing<br />
robots, CMU Ballbot (Left) and Rezero<br />
(Right).<br />
Overview<br />
A ball-balancing robot is comprised of a balance<br />
sensor, a controller and a ball actuation section.<br />
The controller is the brains of the robot and<br />
interfaces with the balance sensor to read the<br />
current angle of the robot. The controller then<br />
performs various control algorithms to calculate<br />
the force required to be applied through each of<br />
the motors to stay balanced.<br />
Design<br />
BallBot is comprised of two main structural<br />
components, the main body and the ball<br />
actuation section. The main body is designed as a<br />
laser cut acrylic platform, allowing for the<br />
mounting of the electronics, batteries and the<br />
ball actuation section. The the ball actuation<br />
section consists of the motors, wheels and the<br />
ball. The 3D printed motor mounts connect the 3<br />
geared DC motors to the main body of BallBot.<br />
The motors actuate the ball by applying force<br />
through a set of omnidirectional wheels in order<br />
to remain balanced. The wheels allow for force to<br />
be applied in the rolling direction, but allow for<br />
free motion in the lateral direction.<br />
Electronics<br />
The electronics of BallBot are designed to be<br />
modular and consist of a balance sensor, motor<br />
drivers, a bluetooth module and a<br />
microcontroller. The sensor includes a 3 axis<br />
gyroscope and a 3 axis accelerometer to sense<br />
the balance angle and falling motion of the robot.<br />
The microcontroller is used to implement various<br />
balance control architectures, which allows for<br />
the calculation of the force required to be<br />
applied by each motor in order to stay balanced.<br />
The bluetooth module allows for wireless<br />
interaction with the user and allows for control of<br />
the robot.<br />
Software<br />
The embedded software element of this project<br />
involved the implementation of various balance<br />
and position control architectures, as well as<br />
control of communication with the balance<br />
sensor, motor drivers and bluetooth module.<br />
Project summary<br />
A ball-balancing robot allows for a unique<br />
form of motion rarely seen in robotics. This<br />
motion is suited to working within human<br />
orientated environments, such as offices and<br />
households.<br />
This project involved the investigation into<br />
the various elements and design processes in<br />
order to construct BallBot, a ball-balancing<br />
robot. This required working within multiple<br />
disciplines, from electronic and mechanical<br />
design, to the design and implementation of<br />
embedded software.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
The aim of this investigation was to produce<br />
BallBot, a robot capable of balancing on a<br />
ball, thus allowing further investigation into<br />
this unique form of locomotion.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
This project involved the design and<br />
construction of a complete robot system,<br />
from the overall conceptual design to the<br />
embedded control architectures used for<br />
balancing.<br />
Figure 1 – CMU Ballbot (Left) and Rezero (Right)<br />
Figure 2 – 3D model of BallBot (Left and Middle) in AutoCAD, and the final result of BallBot balancing on a ball (Left)
Sam Needham<br />
Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Sanja Dogramadzi:<br />
Wearable Soft Robotic Device for Post-Stroke Shoulder Rehabilitation<br />
Introduction:<br />
Stroke occurs approximately 152,000 times a<br />
year in the UK, with 1.2 million survivors; and 17<br />
million times a year worldwide (Stroke Association,<br />
<strong>2015</strong>). The rehabilitation process can be helped<br />
with mechanical aid.<br />
The aim of this project is to develop a system<br />
that will aid in post-stroke shoulder rehabilitation.<br />
The system will move in a forward extension to<br />
give the user an appropriate use to grasp objects,<br />
it will also lower the arm back to resting state. This<br />
is a way to move the arm to rehabilitate the user.<br />
Process:<br />
The process involved research into similar<br />
systems. Once an understanding of the<br />
components needed was achieved, research into<br />
the best components was undertaken.<br />
The system reads sensory information from flex<br />
sensors, picture below. Two flex sensors are used,<br />
one to lift the arm up and one to lower the arm.<br />
Project summary<br />
A system has been designed and built to aid<br />
in the post-stroke rehabilitation process for<br />
the shoulder. The system can be used along<br />
with regular rehabilitation and offers more<br />
independence for the user.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
To design and build a system that can be<br />
worn comfortably by the user, and to raise<br />
and lower the arm to aid in the rehabilitation<br />
process.<br />
With current systems that this is based on, the<br />
price is approximately £1200. This system has<br />
been built with approximately £50.<br />
Specification:<br />
The system complies to these specifications:<br />
1. It should be client to improve safety. Rigid<br />
components are avoided.<br />
2. It must be adaptable to anatomical variations<br />
and misalignments.<br />
3. Easy to don and doff.<br />
4. It must be light as possible.<br />
5. It should generate forces to assist during the<br />
rehabilitation process.<br />
6. It should be a cost effective system.<br />
The shoulder and wrist support have already<br />
been medically tried and tested making it a<br />
suitable addition to the system. It has nor rigid<br />
components, adaptable to anatomical variations,<br />
easy to don and doff, very light and ‘breathable’.<br />
They only need to be compressed a small<br />
amount to spin the motor, as the user may not<br />
have full control of the fingers. The motor has a<br />
torque of 1Nm which was calculated to be suitable<br />
to lift a 5.6kg arm.<br />
Only one motor is used, it is combined with a H-<br />
bridge chip to allow the motor to spin bidirectionally,<br />
the up and down movements. In<br />
other systems flexible Bowden cables were used,<br />
which are similar to the cables used for bicycle<br />
brakes, they can be very expensive. In this system<br />
a cheaper and more feasible solution was to use<br />
fishing line, the type that can lift a maximum of<br />
15.6kg, which will have no problem lifting the<br />
5.6kg arm!<br />
The system was built and programmed using the<br />
Arduino Uno development board, pictured below.<br />
Normally used for prototyping which was perfect<br />
for this system.<br />
.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The system was built and tested. Possible<br />
future applications of the system were also<br />
thought of to help aid rehabilitation, such as<br />
the leg for example.<br />
A pulley was attached to the shaft of the motor<br />
allowing the fishing line to coil round and thus<br />
raise the arm.
Matt Huxford<br />
BEng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Abdul Farooq<br />
Investigation into Machine Vision Based Object Measurement<br />
Introduction<br />
Machine vison techniques are useful for<br />
automating tasks that would normally require<br />
human involvement. Using a machine vison system<br />
can reduce the time the task takes. Machine vision<br />
can remove human involvement therefore<br />
reducing risk of human error. This also allows the<br />
human to do other tasks. In some cases machine<br />
vison can increase the accuracy and quality of the<br />
task..<br />
I purpose a machine vision system that measures<br />
objects placed on a tabletop. The system will<br />
measure objects quickly and autonomously.<br />
CAD Renderings of Design<br />
Prototype System Photos<br />
Below is a picture of the measurement system The<br />
base is a mat white surface that gives a uniform<br />
background that can be removed using machine<br />
vison.<br />
Camera Calibration<br />
Most cameras (particularly cheaper ones) contain<br />
distortion. In order to remove this distortion the<br />
cameras must be calibrated. This is done by finding<br />
points of a chessboard pattern as the pattern is<br />
displayed in various orientations.<br />
Corner extraction of rectangular box<br />
Undistorted images from the cameras<br />
Project summary<br />
This project involves developing a system that<br />
uses machine vision techniques to measure<br />
the dimensions of boxes. Stereo vision was<br />
chosen as the method to extract depth<br />
information from the scene. Boxes to be<br />
measured are placed on a tabletop<br />
underneath the stereo vision system.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
• Research existing measurement systems<br />
• Produce a technical specification<br />
• Build a prototype solution<br />
• Produce the Machine Vision Software<br />
• Test the effectiveness of the system<br />
Adaptive Thresholding<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
The prototype system is able to detect<br />
corners of boxes placed underneath the<br />
stereo vision system and measure the<br />
distance to each corner.<br />
The images below show the stereo vision system.<br />
The orientation of the cameras can be slightly<br />
altered. This allows the position of the cameras to<br />
be adjusted to be parallel with each other.<br />
Flood Fill<br />
Extracted Box<br />
The system is better at detecting the corners<br />
of boxes which have a darker colour. The<br />
system either fails to detect lighter coloured<br />
boxes, or detects them intermittently.<br />
The system does not require the box edges to<br />
be parallel to the frame. All four corners will<br />
be located when the box is rotated by any<br />
angle.<br />
The boxes corners are most likely to be<br />
located correctly if the box is in the center of<br />
the measurement surface.
Gytis Bernotas<br />
BEng Robotics<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Matthew Studley and Dr Paul Bremner<br />
Tele-operation and blended-control<br />
Introduction<br />
Due to technologies that create<br />
convenient life there are a lot more<br />
people in the World than it used to<br />
be in the past, and the number<br />
keeps progressively increasing -<br />
over the last 60 years our<br />
population has increased over 2.8<br />
times. Moreover, due to the<br />
economic changes in our lives<br />
urbanization process has taken<br />
action. It was calculated that by the<br />
end of 2008 half of the population<br />
lived in urban areas and it is<br />
estimated that by 2050 86% of<br />
developed world and 64% of the<br />
developing world would be<br />
urbanized. In order to reduce living<br />
area, but increase the number of<br />
people that could be inhabited in<br />
the cities people started building<br />
skyscrapers. However, as the<br />
skyscrapers’ heights keep increasing<br />
the number of workers is<br />
decreasing – 25% of all deaths<br />
across all industry sectors in Europe<br />
are due to people working at<br />
height. One solution to this problem<br />
might be achieved by involving<br />
robots into building workforce. One<br />
field of robotics that has been used<br />
and developed since 1940's and is<br />
directly interlaced with humans is<br />
telerobotics.<br />
Tele-operation and blended-control<br />
involves 3 fields: Machine Vision,<br />
Tracking and Robotics. Finally, each<br />
component will be connected in<br />
order to form a fully working<br />
tele-operation system.<br />
Machine Vision<br />
The main goal of Machine Vision is<br />
identify and find objects positions<br />
and orientation in robotic arm’s<br />
workspace that will make<br />
collaborative/blended control<br />
possible. Robust and accurate<br />
system has been created through<br />
the adoption of Method of<br />
Moments algorithm.<br />
Tracking<br />
Since the beginning of teleoperation<br />
different mechanical<br />
devices were used such as<br />
mechanical master-slave tele<br />
manipulators, joysticks, dials,<br />
mouse movements and<br />
exoskeletons. Nonetheless, they are<br />
not comfortable and user has to<br />
learn how to use them. However, as<br />
technology leaps forward, new<br />
devices may be employed such as<br />
camera based sensors and<br />
electromagnetic sensors. Due to the<br />
latter accuracy and speed it has<br />
been employed for this system.<br />
Robotics<br />
Operator directly controls 7DOF<br />
Cyton Gamma 1500 robotic arm.<br />
Due to 7DOF Cyton Gamma 1500<br />
robotic arm work like the human<br />
arm. Even if robots that have more<br />
than 6 six axis are called<br />
‘kinematically redundant', the extra<br />
degrees of freedom give fluid<br />
motion, better accuracy, and the<br />
ability to reach around obstacles<br />
making the use of its workspace to<br />
its fullest potential.<br />
However, due to the encoder errors<br />
that could not be calibrated<br />
correctly due to the hardware<br />
problems, robotic arm DOF has<br />
been reduced to 5.<br />
Due to the reduction of DOF<br />
workspace of the arm has been<br />
reduced drastically. On the other<br />
hand, robot inaccuracy has been<br />
reduced to minimum that allowed<br />
this tele-operation system possible.<br />
Implementation of the system<br />
Every component of the<br />
system has been connected<br />
using Robot Operating System<br />
(ROS) that ensured that the<br />
communication between<br />
different parts of the system<br />
works as intended.<br />
Furthermore, collaborative<br />
control has been implemented<br />
using “magnetic-field” idea –<br />
around every object there is<br />
an artificially created field. If<br />
manipulator end-effector<br />
enters specific object field, it<br />
will automatically align its endeffector<br />
to the object centroid<br />
position.<br />
Project summary<br />
This project was dedicated to improve current teleoperation<br />
systems as the current ones are bulky<br />
difficult to use. Collaborative control has been<br />
implemented in order to reduce operators cognitive<br />
workload and improve robot performance in<br />
achieving goals.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Implement user-friendly tele-operation system that<br />
involves 3 different fields:<br />
1. Machine Vision<br />
2. Tracking<br />
3. Robotics<br />
Furthermore, improve robot and user performance<br />
by including collaborative control.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
System has been successfully implemented and<br />
tested in a user study. Results from user study have<br />
shown that collaborative control has improved robot<br />
performance by reducing time to achieve goal (align<br />
robotic arm’s end-effector above desired object<br />
centroid position) and operators effort to achieve this<br />
task has been reduced.
Baxter Wynnes<br />
Beng(Robotics)<br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Abdul Farooq<br />
Pedestrian Detection and Motion Tracking<br />
This report discusses a solution for visually detecting and tracking moving objects in real time from a stationary camera, using humans as a test case. This<br />
is achieved by using a Kalman filter to estimate the linear trajectories of single targets that have been classified from segmented moving regions in an<br />
image sequence acquired during live acquisition. The final classifier is trained using the histograms of orientated gradients (HOG) extracted from positive<br />
and negative training images sampled from the INRIA upright pedestrian database. The author trains a Support Vector Machine to recognise HOG<br />
descriptors of people. Motion is detected by using a Gaussian Mixture Model for background subtraction, and the segmented regions are classified over<br />
different scales to test for the presence of a person. The author implements the final system design and simulation in the mathematical software package<br />
MATLAB®.<br />
Project summary<br />
A solution is produced for visually detecting and<br />
tracking moving objects in real time from a stationary<br />
camera, using humans as a test case. Achieved by<br />
using a Kalman filter to estimate the linear<br />
trajectories of single targets that have been classified<br />
from segmented moving regions in an image<br />
sequence.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
Using the aid of currently available computer vision<br />
techniques explore the area of object detection and<br />
motion tracking, the final output should have to<br />
potential to serve as a sensory input for an<br />
autonomous agent.<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
A method of pedestrian detection and motion<br />
tracking has been successfully produced using<br />
MATLAB®.<br />
The system manages to successfully perform<br />
unfiltered tracking on multiple unobstructed<br />
people with non-linear motion trajectories at<br />
a range of different scales. It can also<br />
successfully estimate the linear motion<br />
trajectory of a single target under occlusion -<br />
provided that it has been seen prior to<br />
occlusion.<br />
Step 1 : Segment Moving regions<br />
Identify whether or not a moving<br />
object is present within the current<br />
frame. To detect foreground objects<br />
we must compute a difference in<br />
values between the current scene<br />
and a background model of the<br />
scene.<br />
Step 2: Classify<br />
The next step is to classify<br />
detected regions as pedestrian<br />
or non- pedestrian. A support<br />
vector machine is trained using<br />
the histogram of orientated<br />
gradients.<br />
Step 3: Predict<br />
If a pedestrian becomes occluded,<br />
use the Kalman filter to estimate<br />
the location.<br />
Step 4: Analyse tracking sequence<br />
The final tracking system can be seen to be<br />
highly accurate when detection can be made<br />
at regular intervals , but suffers from latent<br />
detections. The Kalman filter serves a good<br />
linear estimator and succeeds in smoothing<br />
the trajectory when the interval between<br />
latent detections is small .
Denis Sellu<br />
Robotics - BEng<br />
Project Supervisor:<br />
Matt Studley<br />
Problem and Solution Discovery on a New Product<br />
Introduction:<br />
The current techniques for building software and<br />
hardware are often slow and ineffective and do not<br />
solve real life problems and. With lean techniques and<br />
methodologies we are prompted to first investigate if<br />
there is a need to be solved before we worry about the<br />
details of the product. This allows us to fail and learn<br />
faster, to adapt our product strategy and tactics<br />
quickly, and to hopefully launch the right product with<br />
the right features a lot sooner.<br />
For this project I will be putting the methodologies and<br />
techniques to the test and investigating how I can<br />
optimise and solve some inefficiencies whilst<br />
automate processes in recruitment and personal<br />
development. I’ll start by doing my research and refine<br />
my problem to a niche target market. Then I will do<br />
some experiments and construct a MVP (Minimal<br />
viable product) so I can test my solutions. From the<br />
MVP I’ll then come up with functional requirements<br />
and then construct a very basic software version of the<br />
product.<br />
The agile methodology allows for a lot more<br />
flexibility over other project management<br />
methodologies (and we can make small<br />
changes at each phase of the investigation<br />
without deviating from the schedule and end<br />
goal. For this reasons it is perfect to use it in<br />
conjunction with lean techniques and<br />
methodologies.<br />
.<br />
Project Objectives<br />
My aims for this investigation are to optimise<br />
and solve some inefficiency and automate<br />
processes in recruitment and personal<br />
development. I also aim to have a solution<br />
that is market fit and actually solves the<br />
growing problems documented in this report<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
I learnt a lot about an industry I had no idea<br />
out. I followed the guidelines about the lean<br />
start up and I started to see the results.