MechEngNews / Issue 6 / June 2015 by SheffMechEng

ISSUE 6: June 2015

MechEngNews MechEngNews

Contents. 03

Newton Programme Alberto Marzo

Profile Dr Ifigenia Antoniadou

Ishani Naik On becoming chartered

Richard Pover Scholarship Matt Dodgson takes home prize

MultiSim Modelathon The next generation of multiscale modellers

A new course MechEng with Biomechanics

12 Imagineering Breaking barriers 13

Engineers of the future Advanced leadership awards

Where are they now? Mark Coates & Bob Dean

It’s a toss up Does price affect performance?

Climbing high Tom Howard

Take a bow! Student ties up scholarship

The Final Word.

Hello! Our students never cease to make us feel proud and this quarter many of them have been applying, being shortlisted and even winning awards and scholarships so we’ve got more reason than ever to be proud to call them ‘ours’! It’s not just the student’s who’ve been busy! Our Green Impact team have been working hard for months encouraging us all to be greener in our day to day activities, and ultimately getting us into shape for the Green Impact Silver Award and most improved department. This quarter has also seen staff winning awards, being accepted onto high profile prgrammes, and tirelessly working to break barriers into engineering. And as if all that isn’t enough, we’ve even launched a brand new course! Time for a break I think so grab a coffee and make yourself comfortable with this month’s MechEngNews.

Kat Kat Buck

Editor k.buck@sheffield.ac.uk

MechEngNewsThis publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper

A união faz a força Our union makes us stronger! The Newton Research Collaboration Programme is a component of the UK Newton Fund, which aims to develop science and innovation partnerships to promote the economic development and social welfare of developing countries. The main focus of the Newton Research Collaboration Programme is to support the aims of the Newton Fund by facilitating international exchanges lasting three months to a year between researchers in the UK and their counterparts in selected Newton Fund Partner Countries. Exchanges can be either one- or two-way in direction, and should form part of a collaborative research project, incorporating visits and dissemination activities. Dr Alberto Marzo from the Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine here in Sheffield will be leading a team of researchers who will be heading out to Brazil next year as part of the Programme to work on their project looking at in silico modelling of endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysms. This research initiative will act as a springboard towards the establishment of a multi-disciplinary collaboration that will be of mutual benefit to the institutions involved in terms of transfer knowledge and technology development.

investigate their hypothesis. And they’re doing this thanks to the Newton Collaboration Programme through a collaboration with a Consultant Neuroradiologist from Tours (France), Dr Ana Paula Narata, a Lecturer from Universidade Federal do ABC (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Dr. Fernando Moura, a Researcher from Argentina, Dr. Nacho Larrabide, Dr Alberto Marzo (Mech Eng) his PhD student Alessandro Melis, and Paul Watton from UK, and Stryker as industrial partner. This grant will allow them to spend time together (they’re going to spend about two months in Brazil, and researchers from Brazil will visit them in Sheffield) to exchange knowledge and and progress through the project. The use of multi-disciplinary approaches and in silico computer models is seen by many in the scientific community (Virtual Physiological Human) as the only way to embrace the complexity of the human body. This collaboration between the Insigeno Institute of in silico medicine (University of Sheffield) and the Centre of Engineering, Modelling and Applied Social Sciences (Federal University of ABC) will have the dual aim of supporting knowledge transfer in this field and support the continuous development of the computational tools being used in this project.

Patients suffering from cerebral aneurysms (abnormal bulging of a blood vessel) are treated with a procedure (stenting) that sometimes leads to the dangerous occlusion of arteries. The team think this might be related to the way blood flows in vessels of a certain anatomy or geometry. They can use their computer models to mimic blood flow in arteries and through stents, and

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Becoming an enginee r ha always bee n my dream s .

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Profile: Dr Ifigenia Antoniadou What made you want to become a mechanical engineer?

Becoming an engineer has always been my dream. As a kid I loved mathematics, I was very curious about science and I was particularly influenced by my father who, being a chemical engineer himself and a very positive person generally, has been my role-model.

Where did you train?

After finishing high school in Greece and taking the equivalent of A-level exams there, I was accepted in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering Department of AUTH where I did my undergraduate degree. During the period of my studies I worked as an engineering student in a combined cycle power plant where I tested energy prediction models, and in a telecommunications company at the customer support internet services. When I finished my studies I decided to start a PhD on the topic of wind turbine systems and applied for a position

here, at the Mechanical Engineering Department of TUoS which exactly matched my research interests and was funded by the Marie Curie Scheme FP7. This proved to be one of the best opportunities I’ve ever had, since I worked in one of the best research groups worldwide, in the area of dynamics, with renowned academics in the field. I had the chance to attend numerous international conferences in order to present my research on condition monitoring of wind turbine gearboxes, to work as a researcher for four months at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico U.S., under the supervision of Dr. Charles R. Farrar and to interact and collaborate with researchers in an international level: researchers from Ireland, Denmark, Italy, Greece, United States, Poland. My PhD led to a Post Doc offer that gave me the chance to work on a different research project related to nonlinear dynamics and which was funded by the EPSRC.

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What are your research interests?

My first research focus is on the area of condition monitoring of rotating machinery. This includes aspects of machining dynamics and of advanced signal processing, used to detect any potential damage that might exist in gearboxes, bearings, shafts etc. The motivation of my work is to develop damage detection strategies that work in real life scenarios e.g. wind turbines in operation. The major challenge, in this case, is the fact that the operating conditions of such systems are constantly changing. Building models and using data analysis methods that can take into account the variations of parameters such as the load or the speed is one of the main aims of my work. I am also interested in certain aspects of verification and validation of models; i.e. determining the accuracy and appropriateness of engineering models developed depending on their application. There is an increasing need in various industrial sectors to develop decision support systems that can facilitate the use of engineering models according to their specifications automatically. These automated systems can be built by using hierarchical design tools that have been recently developed in computer science and can find application in a variety of industrial cases e.g. aerospace control systems and automated demonstrators.

power generation and actively encourage further installation and development of wind farms.

If there was one MechEng problem you could solve, what would it be?

Make wind energy economically competitive and efficient: this is a big and worthwhile challenge. Achieving this requires innovation in several research areas and in a rather multidisciplinary context: this is a problem for a real-life mechanical engineer! Improving the design and aerodynamics, applying robust monitoring methods, increasing the energy efficiency and quality of power produced, exploiting and improving the current energy economics and market policies are only a few pieces of the big puzzle. But I think we are pretty close to solving it!

What words of advice would you give to your student-self about the future?

Maybe not to worry that much about the future. Life is unpredictable, things we can’t control can change our initial plans-but this makes it more interesting! So I would say, don’t give up, regardless of the adversities, continue the hard work, don’t forget to enjoy the present, embrace changes, be open-minded and there will always be new opportunities just around the corner.

What research are you currently working on?

My work is currently on wind turbine monitoring applications. I have access to SCADA and vibration data from wind farms operated by power and consultancy companies such as Vattenfall and EC Groupa. Especially for the offshore wind farms, that are remotely located, and undergo challenging weather conditions, that result in frequent turbine failures, application of successful monitoring strategies is important: it is necessary for reliable wind turbine systems and a cost-effective power generation. The research interest but also industrial demand is constantly growing in this area, especially now that the latest energy and climate policies require cleaner

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Life is unpredictable, things we can’t control can change our initial plans - but this makes it more interesting!

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Ishani Naik:

On becoming chartered Ishani Naik, did her Masters’ Degree with us and graduated with MSc (Research) in Aerodynamics and Aerostructures as an international student in 2014. She is currently working with Fluor, an EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) company as a piping stress engineer. “With all the fascinating degrees in the world of aircrafts, I am now working for a completely different industry. This definitely makes my work a lot more interesting and challenging. At first glance, it may sound as if I am not doing anything relevant to what I studied at university but in contrast, I am doing exactly what engineers are supposed to do, application of knowledge and skills. “After completing my bachelors’ of engineering in aeronautics from India, I came to the UK in July 2012. Starting from day one in Sheffield University, I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience in and outside of the Mappin Building. The resources, knowledge and expertise that I had an opportunity to gain were priceless. As I’m sure most students do, I always had doubts about the choices I was making. Starting from selecting the modules and research topic, nothing was straight forward. Throughout engineering I was always inclined towards the stress and structure side of aeronautics. After choosing my modules and applying for research topics, I started to work on my CV. With invaluable support of the Careers

Service at university, I got my CV rolling for part time jobs. In my experience any type of work brings a lot of value for graduate jobs, especially if you lack in industry experience. I found an extremely flexible job for catering services, where I could decide the shifts I wanted to work. In the meantime, I started to apply for full time graduate jobs as most of the companies have extremely early deadlines. I was registered on every online job searching portal that I got to know about. I was practically applying for every profile that I was eligible for. I had no intentions of restricting my opportunities and at the same time I wasn’t looking for a job but a career. After innumerable rejections and an endless process of applications, I was called for an interview at Fluor for the position of Stress Engineer. Assessment day at Fluor was my second Interview. It consisted of an hour each of technical and personal interviews. I was made an offer a couple of weeks later, right before my final exams at university. The flexibility that application of engineering provides you is limitless! “I joined Fluor with anxiety and excitement in September 2013. Three weeks were planned as an orientation programme for all the graduates. This gave me an opportunity to learn about how Fluor operates across the globe and various business lines and what was expected from me. After three weeks, I started to work on a world scale chemical project which was on the verge of completion. My first role was less technical and more administrative. This gave me enough time to learn about Fluor procedures and the way different departments integrate. After about six months, I moved to my next project. Throughout the journey, I have gained lots of soft skills and

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technical knowledge through training, literature and human interaction. I have always come across friendly and enthusiastic people, willing to answer every question! I have been involved in a number of corporate events organised on different themes; engineering week, construction week, HSE week and International week are a few to name. This helps in developing my skill sets that contribute to my career development. Still every day happens to be as exciting as day one. “I am an Associate Member of IMechE (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) progressing towards the status of Chartered Engineer. IMechE offers a variety of paths to get chartered. I believe the most efficient path as a graduate is through the Monitored Professional Development Scheme (MPDS). Fluor is registered on MPDS which means they provide me with a mentor who makes sure I am progressing in the correct direction and guides me through as required. I am expected to write a quarterly annual report, review it with my mentor and submit it on the IMechE website.

“The journey of learning, which I called exciting at Sheffield University, is turning into a roller coaster! The more I learn every day, the more I realise how little I know! “I have ambitions in my career but not a highly structured plan! At the moment I want to focus all my energy on learning every possible thing, develop my skill set and contribute to the world of engineering in any way I can. All I know is, I am constantly looking for new opportunities to progress and not afraid to take any given chance.”

“At the end of the recommended four year cycle, I should have ticked offall the competencies to fulfil the IMechE criteria. Once my mentor agrees that I have gained all the required competencies at the competitive level, I can apply for an interview. Once I survive through the interview I can be called “Chartered Engineer”. My supervisor and mentor are extremely supportive and flexible, they actively get me involved in a variety of tasks that can contribute to my set of skills and add value to the project and company. At times I struggle to keep on top of my reports with the challenges at work and life.

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Richard Pover Alumni Scholarship Matt Dodgson, a first year Mechanical Engineering Student, has received a one off scholarship in memory of Richard Pover, a student who passed away in June 2013. Matt is an enthusiastic student with a keen interest in music and sport. After graduation he hopes to start his own business. Matt says, “This scholarship is a great opportunity for me. Receiving this scholarship allows me to be able to live without needing to sacrifice the time on the weekend to work. With this spare time I will be able to allow more time to work on my course, but also play a greater role in the societies I am part of. I play the trumpet in the music players society big band and I’m hoping to join more bands in the society next year. Also, I am looking forward to getting more involved in the mechanical engineering society and join a mechsoc football team. “I received an email about the scholarship and decided it would be a great thing to apply for. I didn’t really think I had a chance of getting it but filled out an application form and money planner and sent it off. “I was very sad to hear about Richard Pover passing away. I hadn’t heard about him before I applied to the scholarship but feel very privileged to be able to receive the scholarship in his name. “When I first read about the scholarship I was hesitant to apply for it as I didn’t think there was much chance of me getting it. So my advice to people thinking about it is to just go for it and apply, as it is a great opportunity to enhance your university experience.” Matt will receive £1000 each year for the next 3 years from a fund which has been re-allocated from Richard who had also been the recipient of

a scholarship from the University, however, due to his illness he never claimed the funds. Those funds have now been re-allocated and joined with alumni funds to create this one off Richard Pover Scholarship. Richard’s family have been working tirelessly to raise money for a lasting prize fund in Richard’s name and the first award will be given next academic year. Richard’s fund is already at £10,250 after donations have flooded in from fellow engineers, friends and family all around the world. Richard’s Mum, Anne, says, “As a family we have been overwhelmed by the response to Richard’s scholarship so far and certainly didn’t expect to have raised so much in such a short time. There have been some generous donations from those that we would have least expected and I have often been reduced to tears by people’s kindness and willingness to support us. We would ideally like the award from the endowment to be £1000 per year, so we have a long way to go to reach that target and I will have plenty to keep me busy over the next few years! We are very grateful to the University for setting up this one-off award to get the ball rolling and look forward to hearing about the first recipient and his progress in the world of mechanical engineering. Of course we wish that it was Richard getting an award from the Mechanical Engineering department but it gives us some comfort that something so positive has come out of his death and we know he would approve. To make a donation to Richard’s fund, please visit the dedicated JustGiving page. www.justgiving.com/rememberingrichardpover

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You find limits by pushing them: push yours at the multisim modelathon The University of Sheffield is the proud holder of an EPSRC Frontier Engineering Award, namely MultiSim: Modelling Complex and Partially Identified Engineering Problems – Application to the Individualised Multiscale Simulation of the Musculoskeletal System. This ambitious programme aims to develop a modelling framework that, whilst focusing on the human body, is a generic platform that can be used to address multiscale challenges in other engineering domains. One of the key engagement events for MultiSim will be a three day ‘Modelathon’ to be held at The Ridge, Ranmoor Village, Sheffield on Monday 24th August - Wednesday 26th August 2015. The MultiSim Modelathon is based on the concept of a ‘hackathon’ where different teams work together to ‘hack’ a computer code. Here there is no ‘hacking’ but ‘modelling’. Teams will compete to solve a challenging multiscale biomechanical problem within the musculoskeletal system using state-of-the-art techniques and software.

including; Smith and Nephew (medical device manufacturer), Ansys (software provider), NVIDIA (software and hardware provider), Simulia (software provider), Materialise (software provider) and our key sponsor; Simpleware (software provider). These industry experts will then also be on hand to assist teams and ensure they are using the software to its full potential. The MultiSim Modelathon will bring together the next generation of multiscale modellers in engineering and drive the translation to other engineering fields. If you would like further information about the Modelathon event then please email Jaye Taylor at: j.l.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk. You can also follow MultiSim on Twitter @MultiSimAward for up to the minute news and announcements.

This unique, competitive problem solving approach to multiscale modelling will bring together the next generation of multiscale modellers including; PhD students and Postdoctoral researchers, working in the area of biomechanics or image-based computer simulations, from across the UK and internationally. Working within a group setting participants will be interacting with like-minded individuals, collaboratively striving to overcome specific multiscale modelling obstacles. During the course of the Modelathon participants will listen to presentations from software companies and experts in multiscale modelling,

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Get to the heart of engineering with a degree in Mechanical Engineering with Biomechanics For more information contact Alberto Marzo (a.marzo@sheffield.ac.uk) or Cecile Perrault (c.perrault@ sheffield.ac.uk) or visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/mecheng/biomechanics

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A new course in Mechanical Engineering with Biomechanics A new course has been launched for students who want the traditional mechanical engineering curriculum but have an inclination towards the life sciences and non-conventional engineering problems. This is the first mechanical engineering with biomechanics programme in the UK to develop multidisciplinary skills to work effectively at the interface between engineering and medicine and offers research-led teaching in a new frontier for mechanical engineeringâ&#x20AC;Ś and an area of intensive research and concentration of world-leading experts in Sheffield (Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine). Students will learn the methods and concept of mechanics and apply them to traditional engineering problems to see how the same principles can be applied to a more challenging and fascinating problem... the human body. They will learn about the biomechanics of the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems, human movement and basic concepts of anatomy and physiology. Students will be encouraged to interact with other disciplines during their final year project and industry will be heavily involved in the project and teaching activities. The subject has broad demands, and the healthcare industries still recruit engineers from traditional degree subjects, especially mechanical engineering. While valuable to these industries, recruits lack knowledge and skills in the life sciences, with the consequent impediment to our industrial, research and commercial advantage. The degree is still heavier on Mechanical Engineering (75% of the content) than Biomechanics, and students will have job

Watch the advert here: https://youtu.be/mTzHJtNFslE

opportunities in biomedical industries and healthcare sector, as well as more traditional engineering sectors. This programme does not directly compete with the existing Bioengineering degree, but rather complements it, offering an alternative to those students that prefer to get a traditional mechanical engineering degree, with a strong focus on physics and mechanics, but who are at the same time interested in engineering for life. The course is now open to external applicants for the 2016 intake and to internal applicants wishing to transfer onto the course from 2015. For more information visit: www.sheffield.ac.uk/mecheng/biomechanics

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! g n i r e ine

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Claire Jeavons and Nikki Hilton, both students in the Industrial Doctorate Centre in Machining Science have been working with children in their local primary school in a series of fun, inspiring and practical learning after school clubs. Imagineering is an afterschool engineering club to expose primary school students to the excting world of science and engineering applications before negative preconceptions have been made. The young Imagineers learn to use tools safely, design and build operational engineering models, test them and have great fun!

The clubs run for an hour a week throughout the school year and the projects, which get progressively more advanced over the year, are usually completed in 2-4 weeks. The projects, which are linked to STEM activities within the national curriculum include; Aeroglide; Helicopter; Morse Key & Buzzer; Letter Balance; Magnetic Compass; AM Radio and cover key subjects such as Flight; Measurement; Electricity and ElectroMagnetism.

The sessions introduce the children, aged 9 to 10 with mixed skills and backgrounds, to the exciting world of engineering whilst having fun making a series of working engineering projects from kits using simple tools. They also learn the engineering and science principles behind these projects – which, when complete, they take home to share with their families and keep. Helen Crow, proud parent of one Imagineer says, “My 9 year old son has got so much out of Imagineering. He’s loved learning how things work and making lots of cool gadgets and gizmos he can bring home. I can tell it’s sparked a genuine interest. He always comes home and tries to explain what he’s found out about.”

The children also receive extra tuition in other subjects such as Science and Maths and through attending the clubs, gain experience, motivation, build self-confidence, learn life skills, not to mention a tremendous sense of achievement when they see something they’ve made working in real life. For information about setting up a club contact: Claire Jeavons - c.jeavons@amrc.co.uk Nikki Hilton - n.hilton@amrc.co.uk

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#EngineersOfTheFuture The annual RAE Advanced Leadership Awards provide support for engineering undergraduates in UK universities who have the potential to become leaders in engineering and who are able to act as role models for future engineers. These awards help ambitious and inspiring engineering undergraduates, who want to become leaders for the next generation of engineers, to undertake an accelerated personal development programme, helping them to move into engineering leadership positions soon after graduation. Here Mech Eng student, Yun-Hang Cho tells us about his journey to success in the advanced leadership awards. “On arrival, it was clear that the standard of competition was beyond anything I ever encountered. The organisers told us the day would not be used to identify who was the best, but rather who could gain the most from the award for subsequent career developments. They explained that they had already identified each person in the room to be a future leader and hence highly recommended us to network as much as possible because the names of those present will be seen again and again in the coming years as the innovators and shakers of industry. “After the introduction by Dr Forristal, the head of research and development, students were placed into groups and undertook team tasks. The aim of my first team task was to uniquely memorise a series of objects behind a table for later identification. This reflected the design of a storage system in a warehouse where many similar items had to be identified uniquely. Different rules came into play; such as, if the same objects were recalled twice, points would be deducted. This task was challenging as it required concentration, real coordination and ease of communication between the team. “Following this was a break and a free slot for our group before the individual interviews. Whilst

networking was great, my first priority was to perform my best in the interview. I was able to use this time to double check my preparations. “Finally, it came to my turn for interview. Me and several students were led to a corridor deep within the academy before being told which rooms to wait by. The other students’ rooms almost immediately opened and they disappeared behind closed doors to leave me alone. My own door remained closed. And closed. And still closed. At this point I considered knocking before I ran away. After another eternity, the door to my destiny finally opened and I saw my judges. “The interview progressed well and I was able to respond coherently to questions about my past and my application. The interviewers were genuinely interested in my life and were very kind giving me the chance to show my true character. “To round off the exhausting selection day, my final group task was to assess the financial viability of a new airport on the Thames estuary. Hats off to my Mechanical Engineering department, they had enrolled us in a finance and accounting module just the previous semester and I was not too out of depth with terms such as non-current assets and gross/net/operating margins. “I am very grateful to have been given the chance to not only meet students from other universities but also to walk alongside my Sheffield colleagues to create new experiences together.”

Mech student, Yun-Hang Cho and Materials Science student, Bethany Jim

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Research focus: Alchemy It sounds like something out of Fantasia, but Alchemy is a real life piece of research taking place here in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, also known by the name Rail Energy Knowledge Exchange on Emerging Materials In order to improve the management of railway networks and provide the timetables that passengers demand throughout the week, track components with greater durability that are easier to maintain are essential. With these in place less access will be needed to the track, keeping it free for trains. The aim of this interdisciplinary ÂŁ900k EPSRC funded project is, through the use of process and microstructural modelling and full-scale testing, to enable the effective design of a laser clad layer of premium material for application to a range of track components (such as switch-blades, crossing noses, and insulated block joints) to reduce wear and the likelihood of rolling contact fatigue occurring. These are the two most prolific damage mechanisms in railway track. A major goal of the project is to comprehensively study the behaviour of cladded components on a test track

to validate the modelling and laboratory work. The technique, as well as improving component life and reducing maintenance needs, will reduce costs by allowing lower grade rail material to be used and also in-situ repairs could be facilitated eventually, negating the need for components to be removed from track when they reach the end of their life. The project, while focussed on railway track applications will also consider vehicle components in parallel activity and ensure that the fundamental knowledge gained on the integrity of cladded components through multi-scale modelling of different geometries and cladding parameters is transferred to other sectors where cladding is used, such as energy, oil and gas and aerospace. The work will be carried out by teams from Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield (Roger Lewis, David Fletcher, Matt Marshall and Mahmoud Mostafavi), Bristol and Manchester with industrial input from Laser Cladding Technology, LBFoster, SKF, and Network Rail.

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Funding awarded: A quick look at funding received this quarter

Dr Matt Carre has received £11,559 from EPSRC for his collaborative research into safety shoe

£ surface interactions.

Neil Hopkison had EPSRC funding of £20,000 for his project expanding the capability of £ Professor High Speed Sintering. £ Professor Roger Lewis received £347,632 from EPSRC for his project testing the impact of new materials on the whole-life cost of railway assets,

£ Dr Kamran Mumtaz has been awarded £98,456 under the first grant scheme from EPSRC for £

his project on the layered extrusion of engineering metal alloys using semi-solid thixotropic feedstocks.

Professor Mohammed Pourkashanian received £360,295 from EPSRC for his project opening new fuels for UK generation.

£ Dr Zeike Taylor recevied funding from Royal Society of £12,000 for his research into patient specific surgical simulation of pelvic tumour resection.

£ Professor Yang Zhang received £8,000 from RAE for his project on colour imaging based investigation of biofuel spray and flame characteristics.

Total funding received this quarter:

£1,000,094 MechEngNews

Where are they now? Mark Coates and Bob Dean studied Mechanical Engineering in Sheffield until 1977. Here’s their story. of four production facilities involving plastics compounding, dye preparation and extrusion but was made redundant in 1983 and joined ERA Technology Ltd where he has remained through several changes in company name to the present Edif ERA. A month after Mark joined ERA’s Cables and Accessories Department Bob joined the same department (and they still work together now).

1977. Formula Student wasn’t quite so high-tech in those days.

With home being Bristol the only way to go for Mark was North. Initially Manchester was his first choice and Sheffield was second. But after a visit and interviews Sheffield came out on top: it was raining in Manchester! Bob chose Sheffield for its reputation and because it was suitably far from his home in Hampshire. Mark obtained sponsorship from Courtaulds Engineering for a thick sandwich (1-3-1) course before applying to university so he spent a year in the Courtaulds training scheme before going to Sheffield. After graduation, Mark returned to Courtaulds Acetate as a Plant Engineer where he was responsible for the maintenance

Edif ERA started out as the Electrical Research Association in the 1920’s and is now an engineering consultancy company with test and laboratory facilities. They have worked on projects ranging in value from less than a thousand pounds to more than a hundred thousand, so many and varied over 30+ years, including a project to further develop calculation methods for the current carrying capacity of power cables, cable ratings. Anything from house wiring to National Grid 400 kV systems. Clearly a job for a mechanical engineer because it is all about heat transfer from the cables. That and many other projects, led to a reasonable understanding of cables, cable installations, joints and terminations, switchgear and other electrical equipment. Once you know how things should work the next questions are how long will it last? or why did it fail? That has led to many failure analysis jobs with cables being sent from Russia, the Middle East and even New Zealand, not to mention many from the UK. Mark and Bob’s failure analysis work has not just covered cables but has ranged from 3 tonne oil filled transformers to a domestic washer/dryer that caused a house fire. Testing and inspection work has also taken them around the world from working on islands off the coast of Abu Dhabi testing high voltage networks in oil terminals, inspection of a cable factory in Thailand, cable testing at a power

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station in Trinidad, witnessing high voltage tests on equipment for the oil industry in Canada and testing the power cable that links Tasmania to Australia, from both ends. Then there was sitting in a pit dug in a field in Scotland measuring the thermal resistivity of the ground while the rain was blowing horizontally across the top of the pit.

Although work has taken him to over 25 countries around the world it is mostly airport, hotel, work, airport and back home. “It beats sitting at a desk every day. Most of my work is from behind a desk but the variety of the work with plenty of different challenges is what makes the job interesting, not to mention the good team I work with and a manager who does not interfere with the work. “Throughout my career with ERA I have stayed on the technical side of things and avoided ‘management duties’ as much as possible and ERA has allowed me to do this.

Mark (right, second from the near end)with cable experts from USA, France Germany, Spain Italy and Norway in Japan after an international meeting.

Along the way Mark joined the BSI/IET Technical committee responsible for BS7671 (The IET Wiring Regulations) and has represented the UK at the equivalent European and international standards committees. He was also convenor of an international standards working group on cable ratings for more than 20 years and that has gained him a reputation as one of a select band of world recognised experts in cable ratings. Mark says, “It’s easy to become a world expert when there is not much competition in the field. Being involved in international standards has led to more travelling, it’s a hard life but someone has to do it. “Being an ‘expert’ has led to me being involved with lawyers and insurance loss adjustors. This has included standing up in a Norwegian court as an ‘expert’ for a UK supplier (interesting when I do not understand a word of Norwegian!) and appearing in a UK court as an expert for the Police in an arson case. Not to mention a range of other jobs that were settled out of court including many in the UK relating to house fires or electric shock and one in South Africa that ran for 13 years from the initial failure to the settlement.”

“The work is varied but a typical day starts with me having an idea of what I hope to achieve that day and ends with 10% of it done. Although somehow it all does get done in time to keep the customer happy.” Mark’s most memorable moments during his career have been repairing a spinning machine at Courtaulds when, as the engineer on call, he had been called out in the middle of a Sunday night so that the shift manager could justify leaving the machine shutdown; being sent posters by the British Antarctic Survey as a ‘thank you’ for some free advice he gave them; riding on top of a lift (a la James Bond) at Heathrow Terminal 5 before it opened; checking which way water swirls down the plughole south of the equator (who doesn’t?); and passing up his slide rule for a calculator when they were told calculators would be allowed in exams for the first time at the end of the first year in Sheffield. Mark’s advice for our Engineers of the Future is: “The only advice that has stuck with me is that I was once told ‘don’t specialise too early, as there will always be work for someone with general engineering knowledge’.” Bob’s advice is, “Find something that is challenging and enjoyable with people who are easy to get on with. Dont just go for the job that pays the most money!

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It’s a toss up! Does buying an expensive non-stick pan guarantee better results in the kitchen? In November last year the BBC contacted Professor Rob Dwyer-Joyce about testing a range of differently priced frying pans for their new series of Watchdog Test House. The BBC filmed over two days around the department, and at two local test centres associated with the University; Cutting and Wear Ltd and The Low Carbon Combustion Centre. The aim of the investigation was to decide if an expensive pan had significantly better performance properties than a cheap pan. Three pans were chosen to represent the price range currently on offer: • • •

The cheap pan: £1.75 from IKEA. The mid-range pan: £20.99 by Tefal. The high-end pan: £80.00 by Le Creuset.

Rob and his team of students in the Integrated Tribology CDT (www.it-cdt.co.uk) set to work and each of the pans underwent a series of tests to assess their durability. All three tests showed that there was a definite performance increase when the cost of the frying pan increased. During the heat test the more expensive the pan the quicker the pan heated up and the heat was more evenly distributed. Less coating was removed in the rubber wheel abrasion test as the price increased which showed the more expensive pans used a coating method which was more durable. The scratch test also showed that the surface coating failed at a higher load for a more expensive pan.

Heat distribution Testing: The pans were heated using a gas stove and imaged using an infra-red camera. A video of each pan was taken then a comparison was made. The test was terminated when the maximum temperature of the pan reached 200°c. Abrasion Testing: A rubber wheel abrasion tester was used to test the longevity of the non-stick coating, to simulate months of wear and tear a pan might receive with a scourer. Scratch testing: The pan surface was scratched using an indenter with an increasing load, the load at which the surface coating failed was noted in order to test how robust each pan was. Chang Liu, a PhD student from the Leonardo Centre of Tribology carried out the tests, with Mike Bell, a micro preparation technician, on hand to analyse the scratch test data in order for a fair judgement to be made.

As expected the pricier the pan, the better it was and Le Creuset came out on top! The Tefal pan achieved marginally better results than the IKEA pan, showing the IKEA pan’s value for money. The tests:

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Mike Bell, micro preparation technician, presenting the facts

Climbing high Tom Howard an RA in MechEng and a representative from the University of Strathclyde have been supporting Ricardo in their attempts to install their MultiLife technology into a wind turbine in a project funded through a government grant from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). The roles of the two universities was to provide advanced condition monitoring equipment to the turbine that isn’t currently used by the industry, and it is hoped that this might provide more insight into turbine failures and give an earlier warning that things might be about to fail. The project aims to improve wind turbine reliability through both advanced monitoring and extending bearing life.

what we can see... we’ve never installed anything like this in a turbine before so that in itself was a pretty good result. I then built and installed the condition monitoring system to go with it, that is now sat running in the turbine nacelle. “We got involved in the project due to our existing relationship with Ricardo - my PhD has been based around the validation of the Ricardo MultiLife concept, through testing on a rig we have here in the department that Ricardo built for us originally. We’re using the same acoustic emissions and ultrasonic sensors on the rig, so the whole turbine installation is basically just an investigation into the industrialisation of what we’re working on in the lab.”

Tom was responsible for installing acoustic emissions and ultrasonic sensors onto one of the bearings in the gearbox that typically exhibits quite high failure rates, a task that saw him climb 40 metres up a turbine to comlpete. Tom says, “The acoustic emissions sensors detect the initiation and propagation of cracks within the bearing materials, and the ultrasound measures the thickness of the oil films that form within the bearing. At this stage it’s more a case of just measuring from these sensors and seeing

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Take a bow...

Student ties up Costain funding

Costain are one of the UK’s leading Engineering Solutions Providers, specialising in Infrastructure and Natural Resources. Wanting to make closer links with the University of Sheffield, and provide students with the opportunity to win something special, they offered first year students in Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Automated Control and Systems Engineering and Mechanical Engineering the opportunity to win a scholarship package. This scholarship opportunity was offered exclusively to students at the University of Sheffield. The scholarship was first launched in February 2015 and 23 students applied. Students were required to send their CV and answers to mandatory questions (such as providing information about their extra curricular activities) to Costain. Successfully shortlisted students were invited to attend an assessment centre in March 2015 and Costain selected 2 scholars - Alex Bannerman (Mech) and Charlie Davis (EEE). Costain were very pleased with the quality of applicants and are intending to run the scholarship again next academic year for first year students.

explore career opportunities in various different fields. Initially, I sent off my CV and a supporting document stating what attracted me to Costain and the role itself. Consequently I was invited to their assessment centre where I undertook a competency interview, a group work project and a presentation to a panel of interviewers. “I’m delighted to have been offered the scholarship, it's a fantastic opportunity providing me with invaluable work experience, mentor support while at university, a bursary for each remaining year of study and the opportunity to take part in volunteering via a corporate project. “I’d recommend paying careful attention to emails from your department as there are many companies looking specifically for University of Sheffield students for placements and scholarships. Your department is likely to email you as soon as these opportunities present themselves.”

Costain said, “Having received 23 fantastic applications, the standard across the board was high and it was a difficult task to shortlist candidates for assessment centre. The performance of candidates was very professional throughout and all had come well prepared.” We spoke to Alex about his exeprience with the scholarship and asked him what advice he’d have for students applying for this, and other, scholarships in the future. “I heard about the scholarship through an email from the department of Mechanical Engineering, I was attracted to Costain as they are a very well respected company and operate in a variety of different sectors, giving me the opportunity to

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Insigneo showcase On 8th May 2015, the Insigneo Institute for in silico Medicine celebrated its third annual Showcase! With a packed agenda of high profile speakers and a record 235 attendees the event was a huge success. Introduced by Insigneo’s Executive Director Professor Marco Viceconti, the day kicked off with a welcome by the Insigneo Steering Group Members. The group spoke in turn about their hopes for the future of Insigneo and praised the achievements of the Institute since its inception. The talks led directly into the theme for the event – Big Data Analytics. Insigneo Board member Professor Richard Clayton started proceedings by setting the scene for the day with his ‘Insigneo and Big Data’ talk, introducing the concept of Big Data and discussing the opportunities and challenges that arise for the Institute and the wider research community. His talk was followed by Professor Ciravegna, who looked at how data collection through everyday technologies (such as smartphones) could benefit research and Professor Wild who introduced the POLARIS project which, through its innovative technologies, is already producing results for patients. New this year was a panel debate on the topic Big Data: Public Good v Privacy?! A lively debate with plenty of audience participation was the result of this interesting discussion.

The day then focussed on Insigneo’s latest research with presentations from eight shortlisted Insigneo researchers. At the end of a packed day – Insigneo Scientific Director, Professor Rod Hose, took to the stage to introduce how VPH Share handles data and how the VPH Share infrastructure can be instrumental in addressing some of the challenges provided by Big Data. The day also featured a popular exhibition area with stalls from the Institute’s researchers, Insigneo projects stands and industry stalls.

After lunch the event’s key note industry speaker Dr Steve Levine, who flew in from the US Headquarters of Dassault Systems SIMULIA, took to the stage. Dr Levine offered a fascinating talk on ‘The emergence of Computer Aided BioEngineering’. David Reynolds, Director of Sheffield Hospitals Charities, then brought the audience’s attention back to what we are all working to achieve – making a difference for the patient! Mr Reynolds commented on the strong working relationship between Insigneo and SHC, outlining the successful bursary collaborations.

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Read all about it! News from around the Department

Best Paper Award Dominic O’Connor received a best paper award in April for his paper, Performance Investigation of a Commercial Wind Catcher with Horizontally-arranged Heat Transfer Devices at the 3rd Annual International Conference on Architecture and Civil Engineering (ACE 2015) in Singapore.

The paper explored the validation of a four sided wind tower with a heat transfer device integrated into the structure. Wind towers provide ventilation to buildings by drawing air in and exhaust air out the other side, reducing the reliance on mechanical, energy intensive air-conditioning units. Though this works well in temperate climates, in areas where the outdoor air temperature is very high, bringing in outdoor air for ventilation will be very uncomfortable for occupants. The heat transfer device cools the incoming air by transferring the heat from the outdoors to a heat sink, which then transfers the heat to the outgoing air. This way occupants have fresh ventilation at a comfortable temperature. The design was validated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel testing.

Professional Services Awards this year for ‘Playing Our Part - Valuing Everyone’s Contribution Award’.

Playing her part Claire Du Puget, our Undergraduate support officer, was shortlisted for the University’s

The Sheffield Professional framework identifies behaviours that we want our staff to exhibit, and the Sheffield Professional Awards recognises outstanding individuals (and teams) that demonstrate these behaviours in taking forward their roles. These awards are one way for us to recognise the efforts of our staff that are vital to the Faculty’s strategy of achieving excellence and growth across a range of activities.

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MechEng gets silver We did it! We got a Sliver accreditation for Green Impact! And we won the Most Improved Team award! We want to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped us, for taking part and doing your bit. Thanks for turning that light off when you leave at the end of the day, for checking your rubbish and recycling more and for unplugging your PCs and chargers at night. These are only small changes but are all helping to make a massive difference around the University - so thank you!!!

Cara and Caroline accepting the award

The Great Mechanical Bake Off We would like to thank everyone that took part and got involved with the Fairtrade Bake Off on Wednesday 4th March 2015. It was great to see so many people there and enjoying the fantastic cakes that had been created. The event was held in Fairtrade Fortnight helping to raise awareness of Fairtrade products and the background behind them. There were some fantastic entries and the judges had a tough time deciding

area for the benefit of wildlife and people” - Chris Grice form the Wildlife Trust The winners were: Most Fairtrade products used Jen Rowson Most creative design Rachel Yehezkel Tastiest Bake Rob Woolley Best in Show Ashley Ng Kwok Weng

The judging panel

what looked and tasted the best. In total we raised £90 for the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust, our chosen charity for the event. The money will be used to “fund work and protect and enhance green spaces within the Sheffield

Best in show - Chocolate éclairs

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The Final Word. I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest issue of MechEngNews. As always, finding the space to cover all of the great things happening in our Department has been a near impossible task so what you read here is merely a selection of our top stories. We’ve had two new additions to the Mech Eng family this quarter with the birth of Chris and Amanda Drew’s second child, Elsie, as well as the arrival of Dr Xinshan Li’s baby. With the patter of tiny feet, it’s an excellent opportunity to remind our readers of the University’s policy on Flexible Working, which is in place to help our staff improve their work/life balance. Staff interested in flexible working should initially speak to their line manager for more information. We have a number of students this quarter who have been short listed for or won awards and scholarships for various activities and all of us in the Department would like to say how proud we are of them for putting themselves forward for these opportunities and shining out over some very strong competition. The academic year is drawing to a close now and (we’re hoping!) summer will be with us soon. To those who are leaving us this year, congratulations and good luck in your futures, please do keep in touch with the Department! To everyone else, enjoy your summer, stay safe and we’ll see you back here in September!

Neil Sims

Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering

This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper

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