Department of Engineering Undergraduate
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“Durham has provided me with many life changing experiences and the transferable skills that you gain at Durham mean that you are some of the most employable students in the country.�
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Contents Welcome to the Department of Engineering
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Engineering department overview
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Careers and employability
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Laboratories and practical
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Industry links
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Our Engineering courses
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1st Year Engineering
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2nd Year Engineering
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Engineering design
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3rd/4th Year modules and streams
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Final year projects
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Our research
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Wider student experience
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A message from our Head of Department Our aim in the Department of Engineering is to give the best education possible, providing an encouraging, supportive and intellectually challenging environment where students can develop their skills and enhance their employability. Students are exposed to, and actively involved in, some of the cutting-edge research that goes on in the department. As a collegiate university, Durham has much to offer in terms of social, sporting and musical life and is a fantastic place to live as well as study. We pride ourselves on our world leading research and links to significant industry partners. It is a very challenging and exciting time to become an Engineer and Durham University provides the perfect environment to begin this journey. Professor Simon Hogg, Head of the Department of Engineering and Ă˜rsted Professor in Renewable Energy
World Top 100 Durham University is a world top 100 university 2019.
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Engineering has been taught at Durham University since 1838 making it the first course of its kind in England. We have helped to shape the past and continue to shape the future. We have outstanding course content that equips young engineers with the problem solving skills of the 21st century. High-quality taught modules will introduce advanced Engineering topics and a substantial group design element will equip students with the ability to carry out advanced design in multinational teams using appropriate design standards and sophisticated engineering analysis tools.
Excellent research-led teaching The Department’s academic staff are all actively engaged in research at the frontiers of modern engineering analysis, design and practice. This passion and knowledge is brought into all courses as well as the undergraduate programme through design projects, the final year project and specialist fourth year courses.
Industry links and reputation with employers Engineering at Durham is consistently ranked amongst the very best in terms of employer reputation. We have the highest rate of employment and further study in the UK for undergraduates completing their first degree.
Study abroad An additional year can be taken at an overseas institution at undergraduate level. Currently, we have links with universities in Australia, Canada, China (including Hong Kong), Singapore, Germany, France and many other countries.
Year in industry Engineering students can spend an additional Year in Industry between their penultimate and final years of their degree. Previous placements have included working with Mercedes-Benz, Cummins Engines and Alstom’s research laboratory in Switzerland.
Our engineering degrees are fully accredited by:
5th in The Complete University Guide 2020.
2nd for graduate employability.
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Engineering extra-curricular experiences Durham University Electric Motorsport team (DUEM) are the longest running and most successful student led solar car team in the UK. Every two years they compete in Australia to race from Darwin through the middle of the country to Adelaide. Any student can get involved in the practical side or sponsorship of this incredible project. Engineers Without Borders works on finding innovative engineering solutions for application in developing countries. The Engineering Society brings together all years of Engineering students at undergraduate and postgraduate level for socials and events to network with each other. Students from all around the world come together to have fun and often make lasting friendships.
“As Team Principal of DUEM, I lead a team of over 30 engineers in building solar-powered racing cars. The society competes at events around the world, putting Durham’s Engineering capability to the test against more than 40 international teams. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us to take the excellent tuition we receive, and apply it to a real world machine. Aside from further developing our skills of project management, leadership and teamwork, the end result is one of the most efficient vehicles in the UK; one able to cruise at highway speeds on the power of a domestic microwave.” James Marriott, 2019 DUEM Team Principal and Engineering Student
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The Department of Engineering runs degree programmes that produce talented graduates with strong academic and scientific competences, aligned to the needs of industry on a local, national and global level. The Department is amongst a small number of general engineering departments in the UK. Engineering is viewed as an integrated subject and students are given opportunities to develop a diverse technical grounding during their degree courses. We believe this overarching understanding of engineering and how engineers work together not only provides wider knowledge but also equips graduates to be leaders in their fields. The Department is closely linked to many industrial partners for both teaching and research purposes, which ensures that graduates are best placed to apply their learning on entry to the working environment.
“Gestamp Tallent have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Durham University’s Engineering Department. The graduates recruited have been well prepared for industry, professional and arrive with a thorough engineering background allowing them to progress exceptionally well in our business. Student placements and industrial projects have always provided valuable contributions and Gestamp employees have enjoyed supporting these activities with one of the strongest engineering departments in the UK.� Adrian Chapple, R&D Technical Centre Manager, Gestamp Tallent
2nd in the UK for graduate employability.
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“Rolls-Royce values engineering graduates from Durham University as the general engineering course approach transitions well into the multi-disciplinary nature of the technical challenges we are currently trying to solve. The experiences provided within the college environment help develop high-calibre, rounded individuals who are able to make significant contributions across the company. We also run workshops on campus looking at key skills such as leadership, to help students understand the attributes we look for. Maintaining a good relationship with Durham University Department of Engineering therefore provides mutual benefits to Rolls-Royce and students.” David Debney, Chief of Future Aircraft Concepts, Rolls-Royce plc
91% of Durham University Engineering alumni are in graduate level paid employment or further study six months after graduation.
“Since 2011, we have built up a strong connection with Durham University. The graduates have proved to be bright, adaptable, able to learn quickly, able to think from first principles and always ready for a new challenge. These are the attributes we need in what is quite a dynamic working environment in terms of the variety of challenges we have to deal with. It means that the graduates pick up a variety of skills, including commercial/project management skills, very quickly. More than 1/3 of our engineers are ex-Durham; the proportion is in excess of 40% if we look at our recruiting over the last five years.” David Udell, Chief Engineer, PDL Solutions (Europe) Limited
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The Department of Engineering features a number of dedicated teaching laboratories including the newly refurbished Electrical laboratory. Students use these facilities to gain practical experience to complement theory learned in lectures. Durham’s largest wind tunnel features a pioneering active turbulence generator system that allows gusts of wind to be created on demand to evaluate the performance of cars in real-world conditions. Clean rooms are high-tech facilities that enable students to do experiments in very controlled environments. The state-of-the-art laboratories allow scientists and engineers to build and measure very small devices in an environment free of contamination such as dust particles. We have recently undergone a £4.3 million renovation that has significantly increased the computing resources available for our students and includes large memory and high-end processor machines for computationally demanding final year projects. The Department’s mechanical workshop and highly-skilled engineering technicians are equipped to support student work through the development of bespoke testing facilities. The technicians work in partnership with our students allowing them to realise their engineering solutions.
£4.3 million has recently been spent in renovations which have significantly increased computing resources and student workspace.
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We have a strong focus on strategic partnerships with key industrial organisations with research interests that overlap our major research areas. Notable among these is a partnership with Ørsted (previously named DONG Energy), who have provided funding of £1M to endow a Chair in Renewable Energy. Our staff are actively working with a number of organisations to develop new solutions to important societal and technological problems. We maintain Department relationships with other blue chip engineering companies (e.g. BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, BP) and SMEs. The Department also benefits from an active Industrial Partnership Committee which currently has representation from approximately 20 local/ national and international companies. The Committee forms a direct link between the Department and employers. Its objectives include ensuring that students are given the best possible opportunities in terms of industrial placements and graduate employment. Industrial visits and field trips to engineering sites are organised for students to engage with workplaces, learn more about career paths and understand how their studies are applied in industry.
Talks by industry and industry tutors The Department has an active programme of lunchtime seminars delivered by engineering companies, allowing students to learn more about career paths and understand how their studies are applied in industry. They can also provide the starting point for a student to arrange an internship, summer placement or future employment. These are supplemented by targeted visits to Engineering sites related to the taught curriculum. Industrial tutors form an integral part of our design activities as all second and third year design projects are supervised by both an academic member of staff and a practicing engineer. This ensures that our design activities are relevant within a rapidly changing engineering climate. durham.ac.uk/engineering/industry
“The 10-week BP summer placement was a great experience. My project was about coupled systems in the material point method for offshore analysis, which is a cutting edge research area. It was challenging but enjoyable. Through this experience, I learned new knowledge and related theories to real world applications; I also improved various skills, like presentation and programming. But most importantly, it gave me a deep insight into research which I found quite exciting. I enjoyed solving hard problems, creating something new and the resultant satisfaction. Now, I am considering research as a career instead of going into industries.” Miss Yun Bing, BEng graduate, currently pursuing a research career
“I now work as a Product Design Engineer for Cummins Generator Technologies looking after alternators ranging from 200-4250 kVA of Low, Medium and High Voltages. The University-Industry relationship is an added advantage for Durham University Students that gives them a chance to partner with a company to work on active projects. For my R&D project I had an opportunity to work with Cummins Engines, Darlington which was a great experience that led me working for Cummins after graduation.” Mr Balakumar Sriramulu, Graduate at Cummins
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At Durham University, we consider Engineering as an integrated subject rather than sub-dividing the discipline into narrow areas. As a result, our courses produce modern engineers who are capable of solving problems across the traditional engineering boundaries. This gives students a huge amount of flexibility and choice through their undergraduate degree.
1838 Durham’s Engineering course started in 1838, this makes it the oldest course of its kind in the UK!
Undergraduate General Engineering MEng structure The first two years of our undergraduate degree courses teach the essential aspects of Civil, Electronic, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering as well as the underpinning Mathematics. Students will also gain a significant amount of training in computer program development, the use of technical software and engineering design. The General Engineering structure allows our students to make an informed choice on their specialism in the third and fourth years. durham.ac.uk/engineering/undergraduate
Year 1 & 2
Year 3 Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Year 4 Civil Engineering Aeronautical Engineering Mechanical Engineering
General Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Renewable Energy Electrical Engineering
Electronic Engineering
“Studying Engineering at Durham University was the best choice I ever made. Even though sometimes the course was demanding, the experience of being at Durham has been amazing. By having a course that is general for the first two years, it really helped me to understand exactly what I wanted to do. I know that my time at Durham has fully prepared me for whatever the future may hold in my engineering career.” Samantha Brizuela, Graduate at Jaguar Land Rover
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The BEng is the first three years of the structure on the previous page. This allows students to understand all areas of Engineering and also become a specialist in the final year within a specific area. Students can transfer freely between the BEng and MEng degrees up to the end of the second year when they must choose BEng/MEng and a specialism MEng students undertake a research and development project which is worth 50% of their final year. BEng students do a technical project which makes up a third of the final year. Although the BEng degree is accredited by the engineering institutions it only partially satisfies the educational requirements for chartered engineering status. Students would need to top up their BEng degree to master’s level, for example with a specialist MSc. The Department of Engineering currently offers MSc courses in Advanced Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electronic and Electrical Engineering and New and Renewable Energy.
“I chose Durham because of the general engineering course. I knew that I enjoyed studying Maths and Physics in high school but wanted to study something practical like engineering and didn’t know what stream of engineering I wanted to do. My favourite part of the course is the Design module in level 2 and 3. I really enjoyed learning a lot about topics that were not necessarily related to the course at that time and encountering them again later in the degree.” Shereen Abdelhady, Engineering undergraduate
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1st Year Engineering The structure of Durham’s General Engineering degrees mean that all students undertake a common first two years. The first year of the Engineering course is designed to teach you core engineering knowledge across Civil, Mechanical, Electronic and Electrical Engineering as well as to equip you with essential mathematics tools that you will use to solve your engineering problems. You will also get hands-on experience through weekly laboratories and an intensive practical engineering skills course at the end of the academic year. Our first year is split into six modules: three on engineering theory, one on practical engineering skills/design, one on mathematics plus a free elective module from across the University. One of the engineering theory modules is focused on Solid Mechanics and Structures, where students learn about stress, strain and failure of engineering materials as well as understanding structural actions and the behaviour of beams. The Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics module is focused on the behaviour of fluids in static and dynamic situations as well as how the fundamental laws of thermodynamics can be applied to engineering problems. The final engineering theory module is focused on electromagnetism, core knowledge for understanding electrical machines, as well as analogue and digital electronics. The Engineering Practice module will develop your practical skills via weekly laboratories that are designed to reinforce the taught content. You will also be taught how to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to design engineering components, control microprocessors and implement your scientific knowledge into computer code, and sharpen your sketching skills to help you communicate your engineering ideas and solutions.
1st in 2018 Durham undergraduate students were the National Champions of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers’ Design Challenge.
The problem-solving skills and engineering knowledge that you learn over the academic year will be applied to a team Engineering Design project in the second term. The projects are aligned to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers’ (IMechE) Design Challenges and each year our students’ best designs go on to compete in the Regional Heats and National Finals. In 2019 Durham students won both the Poster and Presentation competitions and in 2018 Durham students were the National Champions!
150 undergraduate students per year – this makes us small by UK standards – you will feel part of a cohort and really get to know the academics that deliver your course.
13 Modules
Solid Mechanics & Structures
Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics
Electronic & Electrical Systems
Engineering Practice
Mathematics for Engineers
Free Elective
Core knowledge for Mechanical and Civil Engineers
Essential knowledge for Mechanical Engineers
Fundamentals for Electrical/ Electronic Engineers
Underpinning skills and practical experience
Mathematics is a core Engineering tool
Take a subject from across the University
Stress/strain Material failure Structures Beams Equilibrium
1st & 2nd laws Static & dynamic fluids Dimensional analysis
Digital & analogue electronics Electromagnetism
Laboratories Sketching CAD Programming Design Teamwork
Matrics/vectors Complex numbers Differentiation Integration Linear algebra
History? Language? Maths? Physics? Law?
Exam
Exam
Exam
Coursework
Homework & Exam
Various Modules may change
Example timetable Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Fluid Mechanics
Thermodynamics
Electromagnetism
Maths for Engineers
09:00 Free Elective
Learning Skills 10:00
CAD / Sketching Analogue Systems
11:00 Maths for Engineers
Maths for Engineers
12:00
13:00
Material Point Mechanics
Mechanics of Systems
14:00 Digital Systems 15:00
16:00
Free Elective Lab/Seminar
Small Group Supervision
Extra Curricular Activities
Labs
17:00
Timetables change year to year
Year layout Term 1 10 weeks
Term 2 10 weeks
Term 3 9 weeks
Lectures
Seminars
Laboratories
CAD
Lectures
Seminars
Laboratories
Engineering design
Revision
Examinations
Practical Engineering Skills Course (post exams)
Sketching
Programming
Coursework
Coursework
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2nd Year Engineering As with the first year, in the second year of Durham’s General Engineering programme you will learn about all of the core engineering disciplines of Mechanical, Civil, Electrical and Electronic Engineering. This is reflected in the second-year modules, with one module aligned to each of these areas. The Solid Mechanics & Structures 2 module will build on the first-year content, strengthening students’ knowledge of the mechanics of materials and structures and inducing dynamics. The Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics 2 content explores more advanced topics, such as combustion and viscous fluid flow, whereas Electronics and Electrical Engineering are each the focus of a full module. The Engineering modules are supported by an Engineering Mathematics module where students improve their understanding of probability and data analysis as well as different numerical tools that can be used to analyse Engineering problems. In addition to lecture content, students will learn how to implement more complex routines on microcontrollers. They will also enhance their technical writing skills through formally-assessed laboratory reports and work in teams to solve challenging engineering problems guided by industry professionals as part of the Engineering Design module.
40 hours 2nd year undergraduate students spend 40 hours in purpose-built engineering laboratories.
200 hours on Engineering Design developing problem solving skills – this is a sixth of the 2nd year.
At the end of their second year our Engineers make an informed choice about their future specialism into Civil, Electronic, Electrical or Mechanical Engineering.
Modules
Solid Mechanics & Structures 2
Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics 2
Electronics 2
Electrical Engineering 2
Engineering Design
Engineering Mathematics
Dynamics, Vibrations, Mechanics of static systems, Sheer & torsion, Trusses & frames, Stresses in solids
Steam cycles, Refrigeration, Gas mixtures & combustion, Viscous fluid flow, Heat transfer & heat exchangers
Analogue circuits, Digital electronics, Logic & microprocessor design, Measurement & signal processing
System stability & control, Electromagnetism, AC circuit analysis, Electrical machines
Concept generation, embodiment & detailed design
Probability & statistics
Sustainability Risk & contingency
Data analysis Numerical methods for Engineering problems
Teamwork
Exam & Coursework
Exam & Coursework
Exam & Coursework
Exam & Coursework
Coursework
Exam & Coursework Modules may change
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Engineering design Durham’s Engineering students solve real Engineering problems supported by Professional Engineers. These design activities start in the first year with a design, build and test project, with the problems linked to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Design Challenges and Durham teams have gone onto compete, and win, the regional and national competitions. In the second and third years, Engineering Design lasts the whole year and students work in teams to solve challenging Engineering problems alongside industry professionals and academics. The Department’s General Engineering philosophy is embraced in these projects with solutions typically needing knowledge across the Engineering disciplines.
5-6 students is the typical group size for Engineering Design with students forming their own teams to tackle a challenge.
Example projects: Scalextric World Land Speed Record “The world record for a Scalextric car is approximately 30 mph. The project is to identify the limitations of a conventional, off the shelf car in terms of the performance and then optimise the performance whilst staying within the rules of the record. Aspects including the adhesion, aerodynamics, electrical motor performance and weight will have to be determined using experiments and used to predict the performance under relevant conditions. It is anticipated that at the conclusion of the project, an attempt will be made to break the record, so a suitable location will have to be identified by the project team that fulfils the requirements of the record.” Urban waste separation and revenue generation “This project is linked to the Engineering for People Design Challenge (www.engineering-for-people.org). In ‘Makers Valley,’ an area of Johannesburg, South Africa, waste is a developing issue, with the majority of ending up in landfill and only 11% recycled. The ‘informal recyclers’ are looking for items of high value, e.g. plastic, paper, cans and glass, which they can sell on to buy-back centers. Manually going through bins is a dangerous occupation as often there are sharp or hazardous items inside. The project is to design a simple, low cost and easy to operate system that safely separates urban waste into a revenue generating fraction(s), and significantly reduces the amount that must be landfilled.”
460 hours Engineering students at Durham will spend 460 hours on Engineering Design over the first three years of their degree.
10% Engineering Design contributes one sixth of the year marks for secondand third-year students - that’s about 10% of the total degree mark.
“My favourite part of the course was the Design modules. I really enjoyed learning a lot about topics that were not necessarily related to the course at that time and encountering them again later in the course.” Shereen Abdelhady, Engineering Undergraduate
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Year 3 and 4 modules and streams After the first two years of the undergraduate degree, our MEng students choose one of four options in the 3rd year and then one of six graduating streams in the 4th year. In the final year, MEng students take six taught modules plus a MEng Research Project or a MEng Technical Project and Engineering into schools. BEng students choose from three options in the 3rd year. As part of this they will take four taught modules plus a BEng Technical Project. 3rd year taught modules are worth 20 credits, whereas the 4th year modules are 10 credits to provide flexibility between streams. Technical Projects and Research Projects are worth 40 and 60 credits, respectively.
Year 3
Year 4
Civil Engineering
Civil Engineering
Aeronautical Engineering Mechanical Engineering Mechanical Engineering
Renewable Energy Electrical Engineering Electrical Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Electronic Engineering
Year 3
4 options in the 3rd year of the MEng degree Civil Engineering
Civil Design 3
Materials 3
Power Semiconductor Devices
Environmental Engineering 3
Thermodynamics & Fluid Mechanics 3
Electronics & Communications 3
Geotechnics 3
Electrical Engineering 3
Semiconductors Physics & Devices
Structures & Geomatics 3
Control & Signal Processing 3
Advanced Computer Systems & Digital Electronics 3
Solid Mechanics 3
Engineering Design 3
Electronic Engineering Electrical Engineering Mechanical Engineering BEng students have three options and take modules the plus a 40 credit project.
Details of each of the Engineering modules can be found on Durham’s Faculty Handbook - scan the QR code for quick access. Note that module options change year-toyear and this is a current snapshot of our Engineering course.
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Year 4
6 graduating streams
Adv. Geotechnical Engineering
Future Vehicles
Decarbonisation of Heating & Cooling
Planning & Contract Law
Renewable Energy Technologies
Electrical Energy Conversion
Structural Design 4
Non-Linear Solid Mechanics
Smart Energy Networks
Structures 4
Fluid Mechanics
Power Electronics
Hydrology & Water Resources
Turbomachinery & Propulsion
Internet of Everything
Radio & Digital Communications
Aircraft Structures
Optimisation
Digital Signal Processing
Aeromechanics
Transportation Infrastructure Eng.
Communication Networks
Advanced Electronics
Electronics Measurement
Photonics
in the 4th year of the MEng degree
Civil Engineering Electronic Engineering Electrical Engineering
Aeronautics
Mechanical Engineering Renewable Energy
Module options shown by the filled circle markers
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Final year projects Our final year students complete an individual research and development or technical project, which for many is the highlight of their degree. The projects allow the students to work in our vibrant research environment alongside academic members of staff and their research groups. They are given access to state-of-the-art equipment and resources that are highly sought after by industry, such as: wind tunnels, high performance computing and our microfabrication cleanroom, amongst others. Each student will meet with their academic supervisor on, at least, a weekly basis to discuss progress and results. Students choose their project from a list based on the research interests of the academics within the Department and our industrial partners.
Example projects: Nanomaterial Based Multifunctional Device Test-Rig (Benedict Jones) As semiconductor devices continue to shrink, technology begins to reach its physical limits. More than Moore (MtM) is a trend of growing importance which prioritises the increase in device functionality over conventional Moore’s Law scaling. However, added functionality often leads to an increase in complexity, with more design parameters to be quantified. To enable fast development cycles, it is important to be able to efficiently test and characterise such devices. This project was focused on enabling the efficient and automated characterisation of nano-devices via a bespoke testing platform that was designed, produced and then demonstrated. This ‘test-rig’ enabled current, voltage and capacitance measurements.
Papers A number of our students publish papers in international research journals straight out of their final year project work - this is an amazing achievement for any undergraduate student!
50% The MEng Research and Development project is worth 50% of the final year - the same as the whole of second year!
“My favourite part of the course has been my final year project. Having the opportunity to research in an area of engineering that you find interesting at your own pace is incredibly rewarding, especially when you produce a paper at the end summarising the hard work over the previous six months.” George Crow, Engineering Undergraduate
SEM image of CBD grown ZnO NFs.
Mechanical testing of biomedical gels for cancer research (William Stephens) By 2020, it is estimated that there will be 3 million people in the UK living with cancer. The development of colon cancer is affected by multiple factors, including the tumour microenvironment. External forces play an important a role in cancer development. Human cells are continuously exposed to external compressive, tensile and shear forces, which they sense and respond to by manipulating their microenvironment. It has been shown that the application of a fluid shear stress can inhibit cell division and cancer growth. This shows that there is an important link between the mechanical properties of the tissues, external stresses applied, and the tissue rate of growth. Therefore, obtaining a full understanding of the tissue mechanical properties is necessary for further research into cancer cures or preventative treatments. This project developed a lateral deformation measurement system that can be used with a modified compression machine to measure the deformation of these soft tissues.
Compression testing and image manipulation of different materials.
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Vortices for Aerodynamic Sealing (James Marriott) For most modern racing formulae with specification tyres, including Formula 1, downforce is the single greatest performance enhancer. On the majority of race circuits, higher cornering speed holds the key to improved lap time, allowing a vehicle to brake later, negotiate the turn itself faster, and carry higher speed into the next straight. Although skirts and profiled undersides have been banned due to safety, the generation of downforce through the floor and diffuser has persisted, and is still the most significant, and most efficient downforce-producing device on the modern Formula 1 car; in 2009 responsible for over half the total downforce while accounting for less than a fifth of the total drag. It is clear then that maximising the efficiency of the underbody is critical to success. Unable to use mechanical means of sealing the floor to enhance suction, in the last decade designers turned to using vorticial structures to achieve the same benefit. This project is focused on experimentally confirming the effectiveness of using such trailing vortices.
Comparison of the vorticity fields between 2008 (left) and 2009 (right) car models at the same downstream transverse sections.
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Our research Durham University is recognised as one of the leading centres of research in Engineering in the world. The Department’s research covers a wide range of topics, which can be divided into three challenge areas: Future Energy Systems, Advanced Materials, Electronics & Communications and Sustainable Infrastructure. Future energy systems New and Renewable Energy and Thermofluids is an increasingly popular and significant challenge globally. We are passionately researching and formulating innovate solutions to current and future energy related challenges and opportunities from both a UK and global perspective. Sustainable infrastructure We are working on challenges relating to transportation (rail and road), energy and communications networks as well as addressing water and waste systems and supporting our emergency services. A strong focus is on climate resilience, dealing with drought and flooding events, as well as climate change. Advanced Materials, Electronics & Communications The aim of our research is to understand and exploit the electronic, physical, chemical and biological properties at the nanoscale. Our high impact work is supported by extensive cleanroom and other laboratory facilities within the department. Our challenges are important because they encourage interdisciplinary research and national or international cooperation. durham.ac.uk/engineering/research
Joint 1st in the UK for internationally excellent and world-leading research impact (REF 2019).
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“My research focuses on the development on electronic nano devices which are able to convert waste heat into useful electric power.” Dr Claudio Balocco “I work closely with industry to improve the performance of power stations, wind turbines and other renewable energy devices.” Dr Grant Ingram “I work both within the academic community, with policy makers and with the public to champion protection of our urban soils. We use waste materials as soil amendments to improve soil structure, soil health and crop productivity.” Professor Karen Johnson “My extensive research collaborations include Chinese Academy of Sciences, international universities and industry. We tackle UN sustainable development goals particularly Good Health and Well-Being, and Clean Water and Sanitation.” Professor Junjie Wu
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Wider student experience Durham University is the third oldest university in England and the only UK university to teach, work, live and graduate within a World Heritage Site. Students and staff can immerse themselves in over 1,000 years of history and culture at the heart of the city and university. Durham is a collegiate university which means your student experience will be distinctive and based in one of our 16 college communities. Your college will be your home from home providing you not only with accommodation and catering but also endless opportunities, events and entertainment. Student support and wellbeing is vitally important to our community. Durham is committed to providing a safe environment in which our students can live and study with a wide network of support and mentoring in academic departments, colleges and central professional services. We have over 200 student societies including music, theatre and the arts, charity work and volunteering. Many students play sport either at college level or up to representing Durham nationally, and we have over 50 internationally capped athletes annually. Durham University is not just a great place to study, it’s a great place to be a student.
“If you enjoy a smallish but beautiful city, with a collegiate system, hundreds of sports and societies and amazing opportunities provided by the Engineering department then it’s a no-brainer. Durham has provided me with many life changing experiences and the skills that engineering has provided me - whether that be communication or confidence - are going to be incredibly useful for any route I take in life.” George Crow, Engineering Undergraduate
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“I initially saw my future in Electronic Engineering. I’m now taking the Aeronautical route towards a career in racing car aerodynamics. I don’t know of many courses that would have allowed me to do that!”
Department of Engineering Durham University Lower Mountjoy South Road Durham DH1 3LE T +44 (0)191 334 1700 E engineering.admissions@durham.ac.uk durham.ac.uk/engineering DurhamUniversityEngineering
This University publication is intended as a general guide to the University of Durham’s courses and facilities and forms no part of any contract between you and the University except as provided below. The publication is prepared in advance of the academic year to which they relate. The University makes every effort to ensure that the information contained here is accurate. Although reasonable steps are taken by the University to provide the courses and services described, the University cannot guarantee the provision of any course or facility. Any course may be altered or withdrawn owing to circumstances beyond the University of Durham’s reasonable control. Such circumstances include (but are not limited to) industrial action, lack of demand, departure of key personnel, change in Government policy, withdrawal or reduction of funding, change of Law. The University will take such steps as are available to it to minimise the effect of any alteration or withdrawal of a course. Such steps may include the offer of a place on an alternative course. Please note that the University’s website is the most up to date source of information regarding courses and facilities and we strongly recommend that you always visit the website before making any commitments. Durham University and Durham University logo are registered Trade Marks of the University of Durham. Unless otherwise stated, all material in this publication is copyright of the University of Durham. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the permission of the University.
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