MechEngNews // Issue 18 // October 2018

Department Of Mechanical Engineering.

ISSUE 18: October 2018

MechEngNews

Contents.

Hello!

03 Congratulations Class of 2018!

04 Profile

Professor David Wagg

I came across a new (to me) quote recently and it made me think about all of the work done here at the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

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Sheffield Formula Racing 2018 team lap up success at competition

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Where are they now?

Tsing Yu Ng

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Department News More from across MechEng Festival of the Mind Iconic portraits of mechanical engineering

Curiosity is something I’ve noticed mechanical engineers have in spades. They’re curious about how things work, how to make them work better, and curious about what new things could be created too.

This issue of MechEng News has some prime examples of engineering curiosity at work.

From students working on innovative race car designs, to the cutting edge research projects and facilities. And of course, the curious people behind them, taking us down new paths of understanding and innovation.

14 Research focus DigiTwin 15

Funding awarded This quarter’s grants

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Launching LVV Our new state-of-the-art research laboratory

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Outreach: Why should we bother? Guest article from Dr Charis Bronze

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The final word.

It was Walt Disney, who said, “we keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

Editor: Amy Grange Email: a.grange@sheffield.ac.uk

Follow us: @SheffMechEng /SheffMechEng /department-of-mechanicalengineering-university-of-sheffield

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This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper MechEng News: Issue 16

Congratulations Class of 2018!

On Tuesday 17th July, the Department of Mechanical Engineering celebrated with final year students as they graduated from the University of Sheffield.

Donning their caps and gowns, our A pioneering campaign to transform thestudents way young people see as engineering and boost became alumni they attended theirnumbers entering the ceremony profession has been launched. graduation at the Octagon Centre.

Here they were confirmed as graduates by

The Year of Engineering will see and ministers join Vice-President for Research Innovation, forces with engineers, industry experts and Professor Dave Petley, all watched on by businesses to help change perceptions around University dignitaries, Department academics, engineering – and highlight the opportunities it can friends and family. hold for young people.

Following the ceremony, ourproductive graduatesUK and Engineering is one of the most sectors, but there’s shortfall of 20k their families werea also invited to engineering attend graduates every year. There’s widespread a special celebration lunchalso hosted by the misunderstanding of engineering among young Department, where staff and lecturers offered people as well as a lack of diversity. their congratulations too.

Over the course of 2018, Mechanical Engineering and the wider Faculty of Engineering will be supporting the campaign by taking a closer look at engineering - inspiring the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers.

We’ll be doing this through a number of activities and events and by exploring some key engineering themes such solving real life problems, diversity in engineering, raising aspirations and careers.

You can follow @SheffMechEng @SheffUniEng for all the latest news on what we are up to!

The Year of Engineering aims to fill those gaps, “We are really pleased to welcome our changing misconceptions and sharing inspiring graduates and their guests to celebrate engineering experiences with young people, their today,” said Neil Sims, Head of Department, parents and teachers.

during the event. “It is the culmination of lots

Secretary of State forstudents Transport, of hard work by our andChris from all at Grayling said: the Department of Mechanical Engineering,

congratulations - we are very proud of you all.”

“We want to show young people and their parents the immense creativity, opportunity and value of Alongside the opportunity to celebrate with the profession.

classmates, a number of prizes were also

presented the festivities, “By bringingduring them face-to-face with highlighting engineering graduates had shown outstanding role modelswho and achievements, we can send a clear academicthat achievement for message engineeringwhilst careersstudying are a chance for all degrees. young people, regardless of gender, ethnicity their or social background, to shape the future of this country and have a real impact on the lives of those Congratulations Class of 2018! around them.” #shefunigrad MechEng News: Issue 18

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Profile: Professor David Wagg

What made you want to become a mechanical engineer?

I was into engineering from an early age. My Dad is a mechanical engineer and whilst I was growing up, our family restored the Great Bircham Windmill in Norfolk from a derelict state (it is now run by my sister).

Windmills are a good example of preindustrial revolution engineering, including things like early control governors.

Where did you train?

I left school at 16 and worked in a variety of jobs, eventually working for civil engineering contractors.

I did a BTEC in Civil Engineering at Norwich City College and then went on to University College London where I did both my undergraduate degree and PhD.

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My undergraduate degree was in civil engineering, but during my PhD I switched to mechanical engineering, studying vibrating systems with impacts.

What are your research interests?

My current research interests are mainly based around mechanical systems that have nonlinear dynamic behaviour.

For a significant number of engineering sectors - such as wind/wave power generation, automotive, aerospace and large civil infrastructure - dynamic effects dominate the operational regime.

As a result, understanding nonlinear structural dynamics is crucial for ensuring that we have safe, reliable and efficient structures.

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What are you working on at the moment?

Inerters and digital twins are two key areas of research for me at the moment, with one key project being DigiTwin.

DigiTwin is a £5m Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded programme that is looking to develop the concept of digital twins for dynamic structures like wind turbines.

By researching and developing a reliable virtual ‘twin’ of real, physical dynamic structures, we want to help engineers to develop more efficient and effective designs that are more robust to uncertainty.

It is hoped this will lead to more sustainable designs that will support offshore energy generation into the future.

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

The physics of damping is still an area which lacks clarity for vibration problems.

A greater understanding of this topic would help improve vibration models in many applications.

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

Work on your coding skills. Engineering is becoming increasingly integrated with digital technology and coding skills within engineering are highly sought after.

You can read more about David’s DigiTwin research project on Page 14.

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The 2018 Sheffield Formula Racing team at Silverstone during competition. Image courtesy of SFR.

Sheffield Formula Racing Team Lap Up Competition Success.

There were chants of ‘Yorkshire! Yorkshire!

Yorkshire!’ this summer as University of Sheffield students celebrated their best results ever at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Formula Student competition.

After bringing their car and presentations to the competition weekend at Silverstone, the Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR) team were delighted to finish 5th overall in Class 1, with over 80 teams competing from across the globe.

Out of all UK teams, Sheffield placed 2nd and also won an award for ‘Most Efficient Combustion Car’.

Now in its 20th year, Formula Student is Europe’s most established educational 6

engineering competition. Backed by industry and high-profile engineers, it aims to develop and encourage enterprising and innovative young engineers.

Each team is tasked to produce a prototype for a single-seat race car for autocross or sprint racing, and present it to a hypothetical manufacturing firm.

The car must be low in cost, reliable and easy to maintain. It must also achieve high performance in terms of acceleration, braking, and handling qualities, as well as offer a viable business model.

“Formula Student introduces you to a whole new level of learning beyond your degree. It teaches practical understanding as well as people skills - two key areas that can make

MechEng News: Issue 18

you stand out from the crowd,” says Rob Newman, Team Principal for 2018/19.

“However, above all is the camaraderie.

When we lose, we share the burden together, but when we win - like at Formula Student UK 2018 - we share the joy and celebrate together.”

Sheffield Formula Racing was established in 2009 with the inaugural team designing and building their first car in just ten months so they could compete in Formula Student 2010. Since then the team has gone from strength to strength, moving from 62nd place in 2010 to 20th in 2017 and then to this year’s fantastic result of 5th overall.

Most team members are studying mechanical engineering but there are also members from across the Faculty of Engineering. Although students work on the project outside of their normal academic studies, a small number incorporate it into their final year individual design project too.

“Being a member of the team has enabled me to develop key engineering skills such as teamwork, project management and communication, and has encouraged my passion for a career in motorsport.

“As result, I have just started my year in industry with Williams F1 within their Stress Department, which will give me exposure to a variety of components,” adds team member George Poulter.

Find out more about the team at www.sheffieldformularacing.co.uk or follow on Instagram @sheff_racing

“Having never experienced the race weekend, it was amazing to see the results compared to past years and the enthusiasm shown by everyone who attended.”

Ben Clarke (2nd Year Mech Eng)

“Being part of a team that works so well together, always willing to help you out and teach you what they know and being able to return that, is an incredible experience. This year’s result was the icing on the cake and a great way to finish off my time at university.”

Naomi Bashford (Mech Eng Graduate)

“SFR has played such a big part in shaping my university experience, from the learning process along the way to the amazing family of people around the team. I joined the team in my first year having had experience with bikes but knowing next to nothing about cars. However, this didn’t get in the way of me becoming technical director for the team in my fourth and final year.”

Marcelo Mader (Mech Eng Graduate)

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Where are they now?

Tsing Yu Ng studied her MEng Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield as an international student from Malaysia. After graduating from Sheffield in 2016, she began her career as a graduate engineer at Cundall and is currently based in Birmingham.

We catch up with Tsing Yu to look back on her time in Sheffield and how she is developing as a professional engineer since leaving university.

What attracted you to mechanical engineering?

I loved understanding how the world around us works, especially the physics and technology part of things.

Did you get involved in any clubs or societies during your studies?

I loved trying out different activities through the ‘Give It A Go’ programme at the Students’ Union.

I thought mechanical engineering encompassed these interests very well, as it is such a broad topic of study and so I decided to study it for my degree.

It was through the programme that I also joined the University of Sheffield Archery Club and met some amazing people. I was also an active member of the Aikido Club and Conservation Volunteers.

What attracted you to Sheffield?

The University of Sheffield is one of the top universities for mechanical engineering and after finding out more about the city and how green it is too, I was sold! It sounded pretty much like the perfect combination.

What were your favourite things to do in Sheffield?

Going to the ‘After Dark’ Bonfire Night event at Don Valley Arena. I think I went every year and it was always a great time. Sitting out in the sun in the Peace Gardens with food and friends were lovely times as well.

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What are your best memories of Sheffield?

Walking along Crookes Valley Road, seeing the colourful leaves fall in the wind in autumn and the pink flowers in spring.

Discovering the Arts Tower’s paternoster lift and using it.

That Sheffield has some of the friendliest people I have ever met.

There are absolutely so many fantastic memories, I simply cannot list them all!

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Tsing Yu joined Cundall as a graduate engineer following her mechanical engineering degree studies at the University of Sheffield.

After graduating from Sheffield where did you go?

Once I graduated from Sheffield, I went to Birmingham to start my career at Cundall, working as a graduate engineer in building services.

As a building services engineer, I design water, heating, ventilation and gas systems amongst others. My line of work essentially brings a building or space to life by turning it from a shell into a useable space.

I really enjoy the work I’m doing, as I get involved in a variety of projects; from offices and laboratories, through to residential.

There are so many different ways that a building can be served, so balancing the pros and cons, as well as taking other variables into account such as location and building orientation, always makes each project different and interesting.

Learning everything from first principles was definitely the most useful part of my

mechanical engineering studies, particularly as I didn’t specifically cover building services during my course.

But having this experience helped me to wrap my head around this new way of applying the knowledge I had gained. Even after two years here at Cundall, going back to first principles is still how a lot of things get done!

What’s your ultimate career goal?

I honestly don’t have a specific goal yet; I would simply like to see what life brings. In essence, however, my ultimate goal would be to live a happy life where I contributed to the world in some way.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self or a recent graduate starting off in their career?

Keep your options open and try many things!

Work hard at what you do, be patient and be realistically optimistic.

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SHEFFIELD PROFESSORS AWARDED FELLOWSHIP BY ROYAL ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING Two mechanical engineering Professors from the University of Sheffield have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of their outstanding and continuing contributions to the profession.

Professor Viceconti

Professor Rob Dwyer-Joyce and Professor Marco Viceconti were admitted to the Academy at its AGM in September. Fellowship of the Academy is considered to be one of the highest national honours that an engineer can receive and is awarded to the UK’s most eminent engineers.

Professor Viceconti is distinguished for his outstanding contribution in the field of biomechanics. His main research interests are related to the development of medical technology, especially involving simulation, and primarily in relation to neuromusculoskeletal diseases.

Professor Dwyer-Joyce was elected in recognition of his outstanding work in the field of lubrication engineering. His research specialises in industrial wear and lubrication problems, creating solutions for a range of industries such as rail, aerospace and energy.

Now a visiting professor, he was also the former Executive Director of the Insigneo Institute for in silico medicine, a joint initiative between the University of Sheffield and the Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Recently this work has concentrated on the use of ultrasound to measure the behaviour of machine elements, including wind turbine bearings, car engine piston rings and orthopaedic implants.

Professor Dwyer-Joyce said: “Throughout my career I have aimed to make my work relevant to industry and the engineering profession. I am delighted to receive this recognition from the Royal Academy for my contributions and I am deeply honoured.”

Professor Dwyer-Joyce

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Professor Viceconti said: “I am truly honoured by this recognition. I have been in this country for only seven years, but the entire research and engineering community has treated me like I have been here forever. While flattered, I believe this is not only a recognition of my own work, but also the Insigneo Institute and to all who have and continue to contribute to it.”

Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “It is an incredible honour to become a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. Only the most talented and successful engineers are recognised so I am delighted for both Professor Dwyer-Joyce and Professor Viceconti. Both Professors are highly regarded in their fields of excellence and bring their expertise and outstanding knowledge to benefit research and teaching at the University of Sheffield.”

Leading engineers have been elected to the Fellowship since 1976 and now consists of nearly 1,600 world-leading engineers from both industry and academia.

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railway “challenge met” The Railway Challenge At Sheffield (RCAS) team made it to competition over the summer, placing 6th overall in the IMechE organised event.

SHEFFIELD MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PRESENT RESEARCH AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Now in its seventh successive year, the challenge provides a brilliant opportunity for teams to take part in an industry-specific competition – helping to develop their skills, expertise, knowledge and business acumen.

Each team designs and manufactures a miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a set of strict rules and a detailed technical specification. They are then tested live over a competition weekend.

Alongside their overall placing, the University of Sheffield team - the only competing group that is extra-curricular - smashed their previous record for changing a powered wheelset on a loco, meaning a win on the maintainability challenge too.

Members can join in their first year as an undergraduate, with many of the management team in their second year. With 25 members, a third of the cross-faculty 2018 team were first year students whilst at competition, with a third of the team also female engineers.

Find out more about Railway Challenge on Facebook ‘RailwayChallengeAtSheffield’ and Twitter @RailChallAtShef

A team of researchers, involving academics and students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, recently travelled to Delft to share their work exploring the interaction between rail track and wheel.

Presenting at the 11th international Contact Mechanics and Wear of Rail/Wheel Systems Conference (CM2018), the theme of the fourday event was ‘Connecting Science and Practice Towards Future Rail-Wheel Interaction’. As railways look for improved predictive and overall performance from train-track systems, the aim of CM2018 was to bring leading global research together, helping to improve understanding of railwheel interaction and support the development of innovative engineering, operation and maintenance solutions.

Professor Roger Lewis, who was part of the Sheffield delegation, said: “This is a great conference for our team as it is so focused on our core research activity. It is attended by a good mix of academics and industrialists, meaning we can discuss fundamentals right through to field application.”

Of the twenty papers included in the conference, seven came from PhD students working towards their doctorates with the integrated-Tribology Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT), Advanced Metallic Systems CDT and the Leonardo Centre for Tribology.

Courtesy of RCAS

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Read more about these and other stories at: www.sheffield.ac.uk/mecheng/news-events

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Where engineering meets art Academics from the Department of Mechanical Engineering recently featured in a unique exhibition, shown as part of the celebrated Festival of the Mind.

The result of a collaborative and creative partnership with Orestes, a Sheffield-based photographer who specialises in portraiture, the exhibition challenged pre-conceptions of modern engineering and engineers.

Dr Beverley Gibbs, Director of Learning and Teaching (Strategy) and Senior University Teacher in Engineering Management, worked closely with Orestes on the project: “Although the work of mechanical engineers has been an important part of society for thousands of years and played an important role in Sheffield becoming a world-famous city, perceptions of our work are a bit stuck in the 1800s. We wanted to take this opportunity to show how relevant and creative mechanical engineering is, and we have enjoyed working with Orestes to focus on people who do this kind of work and the kinds of objects they work with.”

Dr Bill Nimmo

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Ten academics were featured in the iconic portraits, depicted alongside their research interests. These ranged from the human skeleton, aeroplanes and wearable technology, through to body organs, sports equipment, wind turbines, car engines, 3D printing and fuel combustion.

As Orestes, the photographer who developed each image, adds: “This project has been a brilliant opportunity for me to find out a little more about the fascinating mechanical engineering research taking place at the University of Sheffield. It has also been a rewarding and creative challenge to work on images that show the connection between the researcher and the work that they do, in a way that hopefully engages the viewer.”

Coinciding with the Year of Engineering, the project offered an insight into the breadth of 21st Century mechanical engineering and the people involved. Visitors were able to view the images at Sheffield Cathedral, with previews also projected on to buildings across the city during the festival.

Dr Ifigeneia Antoniadou

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Dr Kamran Mumtaz

PhD Student Anna Georgiadou

Dr Shannon Li

Dr David Fletcher

Dr Candice Majewski

Images courtesy of Team Project Hex

Dr Claudia Mazzà

Dr Rob Howell

Dr Matt Carré

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Research focus: How digital twins will help power the future.

The UK generates more electricity from offshore wind than any other country, with the wind energy sector providing around 5% of annual UK electricity requirements – and that’s set to double by 2020.

But as demand for renewable energy gathers pace, the turbine structures that help generate it are proving a concern. The costs of maintaining them to ensure an economically useful lifespan may be significantly more than originally estimated - unless wind farm operators start to adopt more innovative design and operational methods.

Enter DigiTwin, a £5m Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded programme led by the University of Sheffield, which aims to develop the concept of digital twins for dynamic structures such as wind turbines.

By researching and developing a reliable virtual ‘twin’ of real, physical dynamic structures, it is hoped that engineers can develop more efficient and effective designs that can be tested more robustly – ultimately helping manufacturers to progress more sustainable designs that will support the sector and offshore energy generation into the future.

“Wind turbines – as with other dynamic systems such as aircraft and rotors – typically operate in harsh or even extreme conditions. Think of offshore wind and many will picture the wind farms we have in the North Sea,” explains Professor David Wagg, who is leading the DigiTwin project at the University of Sheffield.

“As we look at producing more renewable energy, our reliance on these dynamic structures will increase, but due to the nature of where they operate, it can be particularly difficult to design, monitor and maintain them. This is because the dynamic behaviour is very sensitive to changes in the operating environment – such as temperature or humidity – which makes it is very difficult to monitor for damage or other operational

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performance loss. It is also very hard to capture these effects in a computer model for effective design or asset management purposes.

“As a result, the costs of maintaining structures such as offshore wind turbines to their intended lifespan may be much higher than originally anticipated, particularly in the case of a harsh offshore operating environment. As well as the potential financial implication, the UK is relying on a shift towards offshore wind generation to help meet our agreed CO2 targets.”

Although the benefits of developing digital twins has already been recognised and explored to varying degrees within the engineering sector, creating virtual models that can be highly trusted has been a significant challenge – meaning that the impact on more efficient and effective design has been limited.

The DigiTwin project is aiming to overcome that challenge, with researchers working to turn the concept of a digital twin into a robustly validated technique that will both minimise and control uncertainty, with applications for the offshore wind industry and beyond.

“Validation and verification – the checks and measures that ensure something is working as it should - are crucial to the development of an effective and meaningful digital twin. Without these checks, any potential efficiencies will be undermined, as will the opportunity to improve productivity,” continues Professor Wagg.

“This scientific challenge has been a sticking point for industry and is where our research steps in. By creating a robustly validated digital twin that can be applied in dynamic systems, we can help transform

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Research Funding Awarded

£2,637,263 the way manufacturers approach design and asset management. For example, with a trusted digital twin, they can reduce design time and uncertainty, improve efficiency both financially and environmentally, as well as test and plan for a wider range of scenarios.”

The five-year research project is due to complete in 2023 and will be delivered in collaboration with the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool, Southampton and Swansea. It will also take advantage of the cutting-edge facilities at the new Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) also based at the University of Sheffield (see page 16).

The project will also involve industrial input, with partners ranging from Airbus, EDF Energy, Leonardo Helicopters, LOC engineering and Romax Technology to Schlumberger, Siemens Gamesa, Siemens Turbomachinery, Stirling Dynamics and Ultra Electronics.

“Offshore wind is a fantastic, renewable power generation opportunity for the UK. But operation and maintenance costs are estimated to double that of nuclear, solar and onshore wind. By better understanding dynamic environments and their impact on structures such as wind turbines, we can help to create a more efficient and sustainable industry,” adds Professor Wagg.

“With digital twins, we can use the latest understanding of dynamics and computational modelling to help power the future.”

For more information on the DigiTwin project, please visit www.digitwin.ac.uk

between april and september 2018, with top research grants including:

Dr David Fletcher - Railway Research & Innovation Network: HEFCE Research Partnership Investment Fund - £800,000 from Higher Education Funding Council for England

Dr Simon Blakey - Jet Fuel Screening and Optimisation (JETSCREEN) £578,076 from European Commission - Horizon 2020

Professor Mohammed Pourkashanian - Accelerating Low Carbon Industrial Growth through CCUS (ALIGN-CCUS) - £415,498 from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy

Professor Ning Qin - Multidisciplinary Adjoint-based Enablers for Largescale Industrial Design in Aeronautics (MADELEINE) - £371,308 from European Commission - Horizon 2020

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New world-leading advanced engineering research centres open in Sheffield.

Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry MP and Mayor of the Sheffield City Region Dan Jarvis MP visited Sheffield in October to open the University of Sheffield’s three new multi-million pound research centres - including the mechanical engineering focused Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) - which aim to boost the region’s reputation as a hub for advanced engineering and industrial digital technologies.

The Minister and Mayor praised the transformative work taking place and how it will allow businesses to gain access to university research expertise and use industrial digital technologies such as AI and robotics.

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry MP, said: “These three new research centres will boost the reputation of the Northern Powerhouse for being the world-leader in cutting-edge research, innovation and advanced engineering.

Each centre will build upon the UK’s scientific research leadership to equip industry in these key priorities of the Government’s Industrial Strategy so that we have a high-skilled, high-tech, highperformance economy which is fit for the future.”

Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “The University of Sheffield is renowned for its excellence in engineering and advanced manufacturing. I know the opening of these new

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engineering centres is not just great news for the University, but for the Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, the Sheffield City Region, and the wider Northern Powerhouse.

“These cutting-edge facilities will form part of a wider Global Innovation Corridor, linking sites across our region that excel in research, engineering and advanced manufacturing. Firmly rooted in our existing strengths, this corridor will be a global magnet for people, industry and innovators and a huge contributor to our nation’s prosperity. I’m proud to work closely with the University of Sheffield and applaud the standard of research, of ambition and of innovation that has made these new engineering centres a reality.”

Working with companies to help develop new technologies, the centres will use the transformational power of research to cut costs and lead times which will revolutionise industrial processes.

The centres - the Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV), the Royce Translational Centre (RTC), and the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) - are located within the heart of the Sheffield City Region’s Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District, a key element of the emerging Global Innovation Corridor that stretches across the Sheffield City Region.

Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “At the University of Sheffield we deliver pioneering interdisciplinary research and find solutions to global challenges.

The three centres launched today build on this established expertise and firmly place us as a key partner for industry. The capabilities of the centres will enable us to test and operate on an industrial scale, translating theory into application to improve productivity, cost efficiencies and innovation across a broad range of sectors.”

As part of his visit, the Minister was given a tour of the new centres by Professor Hounslow, who highlighted some of the successful partnerships between the Centres and local businesses.

This included LVV’s partnership with Sheffieldbased Magnomatics, through the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Dynamics Research Group (DRG), which will focus on testing the vibration performance of magnetic gear components.

Magnomatics will now be able to use the environmental chambers at LVV to test under extreme conditions, such as temperatures of plus and minus 50 degrees - one of the few openly accessible places they are able to do this in the UK. The work taking place at the three new centres builds on the experience and expertise of the nearby University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre which works with partners such as Boeing, Rolls-Royce and Airbus as well as local SMEs to help improve productivity, de-risk investment decisions, and accelerate the early adoption of industrial digital technologies to improve performance and quality.

The new advanced engineering centres are partfunded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which is administered via the Ministry for Houses, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG); UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC); and the University of Sheffield.

Facilities at LVV include three large, individual climatic test rooms, one equipped with Multi Axis Shaker Table, and a precision glass-sided wave tank.

More about the Laboratory for Verification and Validation (LVV) •

This world-leading facility will enable research into the optimal design and operation of advanced engineering structures when exposed to real-world vibration and environmental conditions.

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The facilities allow testing of both full structures (such as automobiles) as well as substantial substructures and components of aircraft and wind turbines.

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Funding for LVV was announced on 29 July 2015 by then Prime Minister David Cameron during a Northern Powerhouse trade mission to Malaysia and Singapore.

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Experimental data, computer modelling and machine learning will allow industry to produce lighter, safer designs for a range of industrial sectors, including energy, aerospace and automotive.

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Supports the government’s Industrial Strategy drive for faster accessibility of these benefits for industry.

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Find out more at www.lvv.ac.uk

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OUTREACH: WHY SHOULD WE BOTHER? Dr Charis Bronze is the Widening Participation Officer for the Faculty of Engineering and a former student of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In her guest article for MechEng News, she tells us more about outreach activities across the Faculty and why we should definitely bother.

Research is exciting. Developing new ideas that have never been thought of before and applying them to the engineering problems of the world.

To create groundbreaking research, is to work with other, like-minded people to find brilliant solutions. The sharing of knowledge is the creation of something great, so why not share it?

When I was studying mechanical engineering I was often asked “Oh, you study engineering?

Could you look at my car? It’s making a funny noise.” Despite often laughing this off, I think it highlights some cultural changes that are needed in, not only this country, but also across most of the world too.

As part of my role as the Widening Participation Officer for the Faculty of Engineering, I often organise and attend events around the country to talk about the options of STEM subjects in Higher Education. Many of the questions I’m asked usually revolve around what engineering is and what the difference is between different types.

I’ve found that engineering is often misunderstood. When I was looking into my options at the age of 17 I found the whole process incredibly overwhelming. I stumbled across engineering quite late in my studies with the choice to study mechanical an even more last minute decision.

It seems as though I’m not alone. The charity EngineeringUK recently developed an interesting study on the state of engineering in the UK. It was suggested that only 27% of 11-14 year olds know what engineers do [1].

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Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate, Rose Kelly, showcasing her Final Year Project at Exploring STEM for Girls in 2018.

With the UK facing a large skills gap in the engineering sector - an annual shortfall of up to 59,000 engineering graduates and technicians to fill core engineering roles - it’s hugely important that we help to educate the younger generation.

The Faculty of Engineering at Sheffield is dedicated to giving students the opportunity to make informed decisions about their futures. The events we organise are tailored to the audience’s age and level of understanding and we’re always looking for new and exciting areas to showcase.

So, why should we bother with outreach? By engaging in outreach we’re giving students the power to make more informed choices about their lives. This could welcome them into the world of engineering, a world they may never have known existed before. And those excited students could change our lives for the better.

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We’d love to showcase different areas of Mechanical Engineering. Let’s inspire the next generation of engineers together.

If you would like to get involved in any Faculty outreach and recruitment activities, please contact Charis via c.bronze@sheffield.ac.uk You can also contact Dr Julia Carrell as the Widening Participation Co-ordinator for the Department of Mechanical Engineering via j.carrell@sheffield.ac.uk

Name: Charis Bronze

[1] Recommendation by EngineeringUK - To raise understanding and awareness of engineering (2018)

Role: Widening Participation Officer, Faculty of Engineering.

Faculty of Engineering Outreach Events To Get Involved In: Exploring STEM for Girls: 27th March 2019 Engineering Imagination: 2nd June 2019 University Options: 26th June 2019

And more!

Background: MEng Mechanical Engineering graduating in 2012. PhD in Additive Manufacturing graduating in 2017. Both from TUoS. Lots of outreach during my studies, much to my supervisor’s annoyance sometimes...

Why I do what I do: I am passionate about engineering and telling people about it.

Engineering is creative problem-solving at its best and I love to help people of all ages interact and engage with it.

A group photo from our Headstart Summer Schools in 2018, taken just outside the Diamond building.

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The Final Word.

We have hit some fantastic milestones over these last few months as a Department and it has been a real pleasure to see all the hard work of our students, academics and professional staff come together.

For our students, we were proud to graduate our Class of 2018 and wish them good luck in their future endeavours. We also congratulated our student-led activity groups on all they achieved over the last year and some fantastic results at various competitions. And of course, we welcomed our new students to the University of Sheffield and look forward to supporting them as they start their mechanical engineering studies with us.

Our academic and research staff have also continued their work on innovative and industry-leading research projects, investigating everything from dynamics, rail and 3D printing, through to tribology and how to make the world more energy and carbon efficient something we were proud to share at the recent Festival of the Mind.

We were also delighted to open our state-of-the-art Laboratory for Verification and Validation, a fantastic new facility which will make world-leading research equipment and expertise readily available to the local business community and beyond.

And our administrative and technical staff continue to help the Department continuously improve, helping us to deliver our teaching and research ambitions. From securing renewed accreditation for our courses, to ensuring we support inclusivity and diversity, we are lucky to have such a committed team of people.

Overall, as a discipline and a Department, we are always striving to understand, improve and make a difference. This is something that will always be part of the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s DNA and I’m excited for what it’ll bring next.

Neil Sims

Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering

This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper

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MechEng News: Issue 16