ISSUE 14: October 2017
Celebrating 100 years of Mechanical Engineering at Sheffield
MechEngNews MechEngNews
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Contents.
Hello!
03 Researcher of the year Engineering Researcher Symposium
What a busy few months it’s been since our last issue; with the centenary, exams, summer racing, the launch of our book, and lots more we’ve barely had time to blink!
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Profile Dr David Polson
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Mech Eng turns 100! Centenary celebrations
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Where are they now? David Taylor
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Speak out for research STEM for Britain
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Students in industry Students work with Tufcot
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Seeds for the future Alex Hesketh visits Huawei
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Research focus On track to success
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Funding awarded This quarter’s grants
16 Summer racing The results of our summer pursuits 18 Round up News from around the Department 20
This year has definitely been one to remember and there’s more to come with our week-long exhibition and industry event during October half term. And obviously we’re welcoming a whole new cohort of students so that’s always exciting too as we get to know all those new faces! I have had the company of a year 10 student from Silverdale School, Georgina Fairclough, over the summer so you will see some articles written by her. Similarly, new graduate, Weijiang Lin, told me of her dream of becoming a writer so I invited her to assist me in producing this issue of MechEngNews.
Kat Kat Taylor
Editor k.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk
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@SheffMechEng /SheffMechEng
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MechEngNewsThis publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper
Researcher of the year 2017 By Georgina Fairclough The Engineering Researcher Symposium is an opportunity to share the world leading engineering research undertaken in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield, present work to peers and be formally recognised for the contributions made to the research community. As part of the event there were a number of awards to celebrate researchers from each department. Mechanical Engineering Research Fellow, Dr Karen Finney in the Energy 2050 group was named Researcher of the Year in the competition. Karen says, “I entered the competition on the spur of the moment; the application only asked for 200 words so I thought, why not?” Karen’s research focusses on Coal and Biomass Combustion for Carbon Capture specifically looking at metals that cause operational issues, are toxic or are easily vaporised. The research was done using the pulverised fuel reactor and post-combustion capture plant at the UKCCSRC to detect metals from aerosols that have detrimental impacts on both combustion and downstream processes.
Razvan Apetrei won the Best Presenter award with his talk entitled ‘Shaken in Flight: Transonic Buffeting of Modern Aircraft’. Razvan who is a PhD student in the Department says, “My talk was based on the motivation and physics governing my PhD research project. The transonic buffeting phenomenon is a direct cause of in-flight vibrations that lead to poor efficiency, structural damage and/or passenger injury. I was aware that the audience would come from a mixed engineering background. In an effort to deliver value for all of the attendees, I put together a talk that contained only three key messages that answered “Why?” “How?” and “What?”. "Being a public speaker is one of my ambitions and I believe that for me, this award represents a confirmation of my abilities. Ever since I started my PhD, I participated in various public speaking events, where I was not afraid of failing and where I experimented with various techniques. At times, the outcome was embarrassing. However, after ERS I feel more motivated to seek other opportunities where I can practice this skill."
The competition was not only judged on research but on public engagement and what is contributed to the University from each competitor. Karen did not start her career as an engineer; she did a degree in geography but what interested her most was the modules in energy and environment so she went on to a Masters in Energy and Environment in Chemical Engineering here in Sheffield and then a PhD in energy recovery. After completing her PhD she joined the Leeds Energy 2050 group that later moved to Sheffield.
Razvan Apetrei, 4th from left; Dr Karen Finney, 3rd from right
Profile:
Dr David Polson What made you want to become a mechanical engineer? I have always liked building stuff. While other kids drew or played, I designed. When I was in my teens I wanted to build race cars. I was good at maths and physics and enjoyed drawing so mechanical engineering seemed like an obvious choice.
Where did you train? My first undergraduate degree was at Canterbury University in Christchurch, New Zealand. We had our lectures in a building which was called “The Mushroom” because it looked like a mushroom. The local residents complained because they thought it looked unstable so some non-structural props were installed to make it look more stable. In 2010, it fell down in the earthquake. From 1998 I ran my own consultancy and all my time was all my own. I decided I wanted to know more about the universe so in 2001 I went to Otago University to study physics. 4
What are your research interests? Since coming to the UK, I have done some research into the calibration and use of building energy models in industry. I had always had an interest in optimisation and while I was at Arup I led a team to look at the benefits of model optimisation during concept design. I am still interested in parametric design and optimisation, but not so interested in buildings.
What are you working on at the moment? At the moment, everything is about improving my lectures. It would be fair to say that moving to academia has a steep learning curve. Now that I’ve had my first year of teaching it is time to try to fix the things I am not happy with.
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If there was one Mech Eng problem you could solve, what would it be? I am interested in open source hardware solutions and particularly solutions which could help people in developing nations. Most engineering is geared towards providing solutions that only benefit those of us in the 1%, which apart from being selfish doesn’t even make good business sense. I think if I make only one thing work, it would be low-cost portable provision of potable water. But I haven’t given up all my nerdy dreams and would still love to build a jetpack. In fact, this is something I am genuinely looking into with Dr Rob Howell: the plan is to start doing jet-pack architecture, compressor design, combustion chamber design, lift fan design, test rig design, control systems and keep iterating each year until we converge on a product.
What words of advice would you give to your student-self about the future? Advice to my student self would be 1) that there is no race car industry in New Zealand, so if that’s what you really want, get yourself to the UK. Then I would say that most of the things I thought were down to talent, like writing, drawing, maths and leadership, are actually skills that can be learned. This also means that if you don’t practise them you lose them. This makes returning to study hard because in even a few years you lose your math skills. All this means that there will always be opportunity to learn the skills you need to be who you want to be and do what you want to do, but it is also better to do your foundation study all at once while your academic skills are still sharp.
0 0 1 Years and counďż˝. This year we have loved welcoming past students and staff back into the Department to join us in our centenary celebrations. From tours of our facilities to a centenary ball, and with a week long exhibition and outreach event coming up at the end of October, it's been a great year of reconnecting with old faces. Celebrations began after exams when staff and around 200 Mechanical Engineering students got together for pizza in the park. Despite a rainy forecast, the sun came out and the students got creative with pizza boxes for a game of Frisbee while others enjoyed a well earned break.
Our centenary ball at the historic Firth Hall on 23rd June was a sell out event and attended by 100 of our current and past students and staff, and joined by five of our past heads of Department, with people travelling from as far away as Singapore for the event. Guests enjoyed a three course meal and address by Head of Department, Professor Neil Sims.
On 21st June 1917, the Department of Mechanical Engineering came to be. Exactly 100 years later in one of our newest buildings, staff gathered to celebrate with birthday cakes and champagne. Some of the staff at the party have been in the Department for almost half of that century, some for a quarter; it makes you wonder if we need to reconsider the exit signage.
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Sporting Director of Manor Racing, who gave an emotional speech about his fond memories of the Department and proudly launched our long awaited book, 100. A Centenary Celebration, written by Marketing Officer Kat Taylor.
In his speech, Neil compared life in the Department 100 years ago to life now, sharing artefacts from the Department's early days. He observed that early exam results were hand written on two pages, compared to today's results, which span 30 A3 pages! Concluding, Neil said. " Looking forwards, we are clearly living in challenging and uncertain times, with the threats of climate change, and political and social divides looming over us. Whilst these might be largely the fault of social behaviour rather than technical mistakes, to make progress we will undoubtedly need to develop, understand and convey technical engineering solutions. We will need engineers more than ever before, but they will need to be even more able to communicate, and be even more politically and socially adept, than ourselves. We were honoured to welcome back 1988 alumnus Graeme Lowden, now President and
In the book, Kat narrates the story of the Department's history and how it has moulded our present and future. She describes the changes the Department experienced during the war, the different leadership styles over the years, how teaching and facilities have changed throughout the century and the new role our students play in their own learning experience through student led activities. To purchase your own copy of the book, please visit https://goo.gl/8twchp
s... Don't mis 30th October-3rd November: Mechanical Engineering centenary exhibition with demonstrations by student groups such as Formula Student and Shell Eco. Winter Gardens, Sheffield, 9am-5pm daily
3rd November: Industry networking event with drinks and canapĂŠs, by ticket only - limited places. Winter Gardens, Sheffield, from 6pm Tickets available from: https://goo.gl/LeHYP3
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Where are they now? David Taylor graduated from the Department in 2002 with an MEng Mechanical Engineering accepting a place on a Graduate Training Scheme at Rolls Royce which has led to his dream of becoming a Chief Engineer at the company. engine system. The Trent 1000 engine has a number of features to safeguard against core icing and a heated ESS (Engine Section Stator) system, which delivers advanced ice protection. The Trent 1000 TEN engine powered the first test flight of the latest version of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the 787-10, in March which means that Trent 1000 engines have powered the first flights of every version of the Dreamliner – the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10. In the ten years since the first Trent 1000 engine was certified, it has flown over 750 million miles, achieving a dispatch reliability rate of 99.9%. After graduation David joined the Rolls-Royce Graduate Training Scheme where his first two years were spent doing a range of placements across the business including work with British Airways at the Heathrow Field Support Office. From there he joined the Technical Services team to lead forensic investigations on turbine components. His next move took him to Toulouse in the South of France, the home of the new Airbus A380 where he led the Rolls-Royce Flight Test team. David still works for Rolls-Royce and is now the Chief Engineer for the Trent 1000 engine, which has been designed and optimised to power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner family of aircraft. The Trent 1000 powered Boeing 787 Dreamliner is 20% more efficient than the Boeing 767 aircraft it replaces. Three shaft architecture better supports “all electric” aircraft with a bleed-less
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As Chief Engineer, David is accountable for delivering safe and competitive engines that meet customer and business requirements alongside providing leadership to the programme engineering team. As most engineers will agree, for David, there is no typical day in the office. “My role is a great mix between Engineering, Customer Management and Business Management. It is a foundational role in our business with great influence to coach and develop our next generation of Engineers.” David tells us. “This year has been a landmark year for the Trent 1000 project with an upgraded engine due to enter service later this year. The Trent 1000 TEN (Thrust, Efficiency and New Technology) incorporates technologies from the Trent XWB and Advance engine programmes to deliver improved thrust and efficiency as well as
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contributing to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner having half the noise footprint of previous-generation aircraft. "I was privileged to visit the USA in March to see these engines power the first flight of the new Boeing 787-10 aircraft in Charleston. In addition we have just been granted full flight certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), where I had the privilege of collecting the certificate on behalf of Rolls-Royce.” The Trent 1000 engine shows real momentum in the marketplace, winning more than 60% of engine competitions over the last six years. The improvements that are represented in the Trent 1000 TEN reflect Rolls-Royce's continued commitment to providing the very best engines for this aircraft family.
to become a Rolls-Royce Chief Engineer. “I intend to pursue further executive roles where I hope to focus on coaching and inspiring the next generation. My career has been influenced by three great coaches and I aim to cast a similar leadership shadow. I have recently participated in an Executive Leadership programme which included a project focused on maximising the use of digital capability in a changing world, which is an area I will continue to focus on. “One of the key themes in our digital capability project was leapfrog innovation, aiming for 10x improvement not 10%. As part of a recent trip to India I saw inspirational examples of teams that made step changes in their business by setting up a diverse team focused on a crazy goal.”
Since joining in 2002, David has always aspired
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Speak Out for Research A PhD student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has won the Silver Award at STEM for BRITAIN event this year. By Weijiang (Gloria) Lin.
Research studies deliver accurate results thus require long hours of independent work. This often makes it difficult for researchers to share their work outside the laboratory.
applied I did not realise how difficult it would be to explain my project concisely in layman's terms and did not get through, but I was more prepared the second time round."
STEM for BRITAIN (formerly SET for BRITAIN) poster competition provides such opportunities for Britain's early-stage researchers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) to present their work to members of the public and even to Parliament.
Luke graduated with a BEng degree in 2006 and worked in the Civil Service for a few years before coming back for his Master's degree and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. "I like to work on a research project that involves a range of aspects – lab work, simulations, engineering, physics and biology – my PhD project offered exactly what I wanted. " says Luke.
Every year during British Science Week, a cohort of about 175 researchers, regardless of age and background, assembles at the House of Commons and makes themselves heard by the more. In this year's competition, our PhD student, Luke Boldock, won the Silver Award for Engineering at the STEM for BRITAIN event, having also won joint first place in the departmental poster competition in 2015.
Luke's PhD project, which brought him to Parliament, aims to assess efficient stent designs both in vitro and in silico that optimise local fluid dynamics in blood vessels thus improving healing processes. It is an innovative combination of engineering and clinical medicines that allows him to apply the mechanical techniques on a much smaller scale. "To apply for the competition, you need to submit two abstracts, and what follows is the poster presentation." says Luke, "This was the second year I entered STEM for BRITAIN. The first time I
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STEM for BRITAIN has provided a good opportunity as an outreach event for researchers. For more information on STEM for BRITAIN and how to get involved in the competition, please visit www.setforbritain.org.uk.
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Students in industry Each year the Department of Mechanical Engineering works with industrial partners to offer its students real-life research and application projects in a wide range of topics. Last year local engineering company, Tufcot, visited our Composite Materials research group to see the Department’s capabilities and how it may be able to assist Tufcot in their current and future material development plans. Tufcot needed a new made-for-purpose test rig that would allow them to offer an extra service to customers requiring specific testing on a material. They liked the idea of involving a student in compiling a comprehensive document on how to use the test rig, as well as working on the initial testing stages for their approvals and temporarily
be required to listen to their problem and work together to design new pieces of equipment that Tufcot would implement into their business. The first group, supervised by Dr Patrick Smith were tasked with designing a machine for improving the chamfer on composite strips produced by Tufcot. The second team were supervised by Dr James Meredith and were asked to design a bearing ring splitting machine to mechanically saw circular bearings in half, a job that is currently done manually; a slow and dangerous task. Andrew Donnan was part of the team working on the chamfer project, "Dealing with a real company with a real problem gave the team and I more motivation to design a product that would fulfill the company's requirements and would also be economically viable due to the fact that this project could make a real tangible difference to the organisation and its employees."
employed third year student, Chris Checkley, to complete the work alongside their Technical Manager. Each year the Department of Mechanical Engineering works with industrial partners to offer its students real-life research and application projects in a wide range of topics and Tufcot was invited to take part. Tufcot saw this as a great opportunity for them to teach the students about their engineering capabilities, but also for them to learn from the students and solve a few long-standing internal efficiency problems. The company took on two groups who would
Bob Birchley, Technical Manager said, “It was a real pleasure to work with the students, with the limited time they had at the factory to observe the processes we wanted to automate, I think they all really pulled it out of the bag with some excellent concepts. I also enjoyed the interesting brainstorming sessions at the meetings. Good structured approach to the work.�
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Seeds for the Future Seeds for the future is global telecommunications leader, Huawei's, flagship corporate responsibility programme, which seeks to develop local talent, enhance knowledge transfer, promote a greater understanding of and interest in the telecommunications sector, and improve and encourage regional building and participation in the digital community. The program has been implemented in 96 countries and international organisations worldwide, benefiting over 30,000 students from 280 universities; among them, more than 2,700 university students from around the world have taken a study trip to the Huawei headquarters.
experiences. The training varied from language lessons to Telecoms network logistics and the cultural experiences varied from dealing with cultural sensitivities whilst conducting international business to Tai Chi and Calligraphy." says Alex.
This year, final year Mechanical Engineering student Alex Hesketh was given the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to China as part of the programme. As part of the application process Alex had to complete a written application and essay and attend a face to face interview before receiving a final offer letter.
"When I arrived in China a few sightseeing activities were organised by Huawei for the first weekend including a visit to Tiananmen square, The Forbidden City and Chinese tea tasting. "The first week was spent at the Beijing Language and Culture University studying Mandarin. Classes were taken in groups with great teachers who were very energetic and engaging, traditional canteen lunches in the University followed by fun, cultural activities in the afternoon such as Calligraphy and Tai Chi. "The evenings were mostly free time to enjoy the buzzing Beijing nightlife and fantastic cuisine. In addition, some evenings consisted of organised activities such as the welcoming ceremony hosted at the British ambassadors residence and organised dinners out.
Alex spent a month in China over the summer experiencing a wide range of activities, including language lessons. "During my time in China and with Huawei, I took part in an array of training and cultural
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"Proceeding this, workshops in international business culture were undertaken along with a range of other activities and training at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT). This was to give an introduction into effective international business relationships, International relations and current political affairs between the UK and
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China. Industry site visits were then conducted at different companies in order to broaden our experiences of both western companies that had successfully made it in China as well as start-ups or SME's that were operating in Beijing. Some of these companies consisted of: Microsoft, Atkins, Arup, Evoke electric motorcycles etc. "Having completed our second week in Beijing, we then flew to Shenzhen. Here we participated in Huawei training. Telecoms hardware, strategy and logistics were the main focusses. Again the evenings consisted of eating out at local restaurants and experiencing local bars and nightclubs (quite a lot of drinking) and visiting local landmarks etc. "During the penultimate weekend in China we were allowed to cross the boarder into Hong Kong. This was entirely free time to explore and adventure the beaches and mountains which was much needed after the concrete jungle of Shenzhen and Beijing. Following this, we again
embarked on company site visits. Touring the campus of BYD (very large Chinese company that are dominating the Chinese electric vehicle and battery markets), and other companies such as 3NOD an innovative design and manufacture company. "The final week ended with the closing ceremony at the Huawei HQ, followed by a networking drinks at the Ritz hotel with the local companies we had met in Shenzhen and leading staff from Huawei before flying home the following day." During his time in China, Alex learnt a lot about emerging telecoms technology, the evolution of 1G-4G and how 5G will affect the current technology industry as a whole as well as the actual systems that will need to be put in place to achieve the 2020 release date. He has also gained valuable insight into Chinese business culture, learnt basic Mandarin and technical knowledge regarding telecoms hardware and logistics.
Alex, centre of centre row amongst the 2017 UK & Ireland Seeds for the Future cohort.
Research focus: On track to success A partnership between the rail supply industry and a consortium of seven universities including the University of Sheffield has secured £92 million to fund research aimed at establishing the UK as a world-leading centre of railway excellence. The partnership – part of the newly-created UK Railway Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN) – has won £28.1 million funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) managed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The funding will be boosted by £64 million of support from 17 industrial partners including British Steel, Alstom, Siemens and Bombardier Transportation. The funding will be used to create three linked world-class centres of excellence, led by the University of Birmingham, which will focus on Digital Systems, Rolling Stock, and Infrastructure. Infrastructure will be a key part of the project involving the University of Sheffield, partnering with British Steel in this work.
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These centres of excellence, together with existing UK Rail Test Centres, are the foundation of UKRRIN, bringing together the UK rail supply industry and academia to undertake worldleading research and innovation in rail. The UKRRIN will support delivery of the ambitious Rail Technical Strategy and is aligned with the aims of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. With these world class centres of excellence, the UK rail supply industry will be able to develop world-leading new technologies and products for trains, railway systems and infrastructure that will deliver a better, more reliable and efficient railway. Passengers will directly benefit from the research leading to improved technology; a better
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Research funding received infrastructure with increased reliability that can be more effectively managed. The High Speed 2 project will also be an early beneficiary of the world-leading research. Dr David Fletcher, Director of the Rail Innovation and Technology Centre at the University of Sheffield, said: “This is an exciting collaboration for academia and industry. The University of Sheffield will play a key part in this research, using our expertise in railway infrastructure to power the future of railway innovation in the UK for years to come.” Universities and Science Minister Jo Johnson said: “The UK’s world-renowned leadership in science, research and innovation is helping to solve a range of national and global challenges, and the breadth of the projects funded today means this will continue. “Through our Industrial Strategy and £4.7 billion investment for research and development, we’re ensuring we capitalise on the great work taking place in universities across the UK and remain at the forefront of innovation.” The initiative is being supported by a range of clients and stakeholders including Network Rail, HS2 Ltd, Transport for London, Rail North and the Department for Transport. Siemens, IBM, Unipart Rail, SMRT, British Steel, RSSB, Thales, Hitachi, AECOM, Aggregate Industries, Atkins, Pandrol and Progress Rail are also among the 17 industrial partners supporting the partnership over a 10-year period. Further information can be obtained from www.ukrrin.org.uk.
Government £297,517
Charity £220,384
Innovate UK £858,744
EPSRC £2,545,796
H2020 £863,657 Industry £1,802,363
£6,588,461 our top 5 research grants this quarter: Professor Jon Gibbins - UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre 2017 (UKCCSRC 2017) £1799,258 from Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). Dr Simon Blakey - Fuel Injector Coking and Autooxidation Prediction - £826,431 from European Commission (Horizon 2020). Professor Roger Lewis - Predictable and Optimised Braking--Dry Ice (renewal) - £571,689 from Railway Safety and Standards Board. Professor Kirill Horoshenkov - UK Acoustics Network - £522,817 from Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC). Dr Simon Blakey - Critical oil and air system technologies - £455,014 from Innovate UK.
Summer racing The Sheffield Formula Racing (SFR) team brought the best ever result at Formula Student for the Department of Mechanical Engineering’s centenary. Southampton) who consistently enter a welldesigned and made, competitive car.”
By Weijiang (Gloria) Lin
As the most established educational motorsport competition in Europe, Formula Student has attracted around 80 teams of university students each year to design, manufacture and race singleseat racing cars. This year, our SFR team, achieved the best-ever 20th place overall, receiving two awards - the “GKN plc Award for Lightest and Best Value Petrol Engine Car” and 1st place in the “Cost and Manufacturing” event. The faculty advisor for the SFR team, Dr Tom Slatter, said, “It was a smaller event this year, with some European universities not able to enter due to scheduling difficulties, so our overall placing is perhaps slightly flattering compared to previous years. That said, the ‘static’ nature of the two events we won, and the level of quality of the car, is independent of the number of teams entered and the ‘racing’ element results are still comparable to the other UK universities. “My personal feeling from talking to people at the event is that Sheffield has now ascended into the ‘second tier’ group of UK Formula Student universities (e.g. Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds,
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From the 20th to 23rd July, team SFR had an intensive and thrilling experience at Silverstone through competing in 4 static events followed by 5 dynamic events. “In the ‘Cost and Manufacturing’ event, we were initially placed in 7th, with the top 5 going into the ‘Cost Final’, but an element of the feedback gave us cause to query the scores relative to the rules. This was successful and we made it into the final, which went so well that our students won! This event previously saw our best individual event result with a 2nd place in 2012.” said Dr Tom Slatter.
Naomi Bashford, a third-year student in Mechanical Engineering, talked about her experience in the SFR team. “Having launched our car in mid-April this year, and completing over 150 km of testing, we were well prepared for competition and all the hard work paid off. With plans to continue improving the car, particularly its reliability, the success of this year puts us in a great position for the coming year, providing a strong platform to build off and motivation to continue working hard.”
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Building the best After 4 years of competing at the IMechE Railway Challenge, the Sheffield team was thrilled with their best-ever result against the largest number of competitors so far. By Weijiang (Gloria) Lin
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) Railway Challenge provides an excellent opportunity for university students and earlycareer engineers to experience the entire cycle of designing and prototyping a small locomotive in industrial settings as well as being supported by academics. The teams are assessed through 6 track-based, plus 3 presentation-based challenges in a live test environment at Stapleford Miniature Railway in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
At the Maintainability Challenge, the Sheffield team finished removing and replacing a driven wheelset within 193 seconds. "We stayed very focused on our individual tasks and the overall safety of working, with the locomotive jacked up in the air." said Samuel Blacktop, a Mechanical Engineering student who will be the team leader next year, "We had practiced so much that we looked like a Formula 1 pit stop crew!"
This year, 12 teams from the UK and Germany competed against each other in designing and prototyping the best locomotive for 10 1/4" gauge railways that was able to transport 1200kg of load.
The University of Sheffield Railway Challenge Team made a tremendous achievement by gaining the 4th place overall, winning the Maintainability Challenge at the same time. "The experience of completing a working locomotive and attending the competition was of enormous benefit to our students. Their quality and commitment was evident to all." said the Faculty Advisor for the University's Railway Challenge team, Dr Adam Beagles.
This year's team had 25 members, mainly made up of students from Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. "Having people from different disciplines is great for the team as it allows us to look at problems from different perspectives and with a broader knowledge base." said Sam. The team also hope to recruit some electrical engineers for the next year. If you are interested in participating or sponsoring the team, please contact railway.challenge@ sheffield.ac.uk or visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/ mecheng/prospectiveug/railwaychallenge.
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3 Engineers and a Banger This summer, 3 students from Mechanical Engineering undertook the Mongol Rally. The point of the Rally is to drive a small, inexpensive and unsuitable car (1200cc or less), unsupported, from Goodwood to Ulan Ude in Siberia. Philip Sharples, Luke Clover and Luke Dashfield, who met through Railway Challenge at Sheffield, decided to enter the rally while in the pub. They invested £350 in a 1996 Suzuki Swift, the car being the same age as the team members. With no aircon, sloppy suspension and psychedelic seat covers, the car was entirely unsuitable for a seven week journey across two deserts and three mountain ranges. After fitting a home made sump guard, holes were drilled in the roof to fix a kayak, which served as a roof box and enabled adventurous water sports en route. The kayak, the car and the yaks of Mongolia provided their name - Team Kar-Yak. The rally started with a lap of Goodwood Motor Circuit, just three days before Philip and Luke C were due to graduate. Undaunted, the team drove fast to Vienna and flew home just in time to graduate. Luke D paddled the kayak on the lakes of Austria before collecting the two shiny new graduates from Budapest two days later.
Reunited, Team Kar-Yak cruised through Europe into Turkey and onwards into Asia. After thirty hours on a Caspian Sea ferry crowded with other ralliers, they entered the Stans (Turkmeni, Uzbeki, Kyrgyz and Kazakh) and onto Mongolia. At the finish line Luke C. had to fly back to the real world, starting work as a railway engineer. Phil and Luke D. returned across Russia. Driving in relays they got home in 7 days, having taken six weeks on the outward journey. The trip was a real adventure and Team Kar-Yak thoroughly recommend it. As well as amazing sights (the Gates of Hell https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Darvaza_gas_crater) and friendly people, Team Kar-Yak will always remember the camaraderie of working with other teams to fix problems far from home, including working with Mongolian army mechanics to grind a replacement bushing for another car's transmission out of a hex nut using an angle grinder and judging it by eye. Together they dealt with failing cars, lethargic border control officials and enthusiastic local police asking for speeding “fines” that varied in size but were always requested in dollars (five stops in one day is the record). Team Kar-Yak are all originally from East Anglia so are raising money for East Anglian Childrens Hospice (EACH). If you would like to donate or learn more please go to https://mydonate.bt.com/ fundraisers/karyak or https://www.facebook. com/teamkaryak/
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Student goes for gold
Mysteries of the forbidden city
The Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award is widely known as the world’s leading youth achievement award with the aim to expose young people to different skills to those they learn in school. There are four areas that have to be completed (five for the gold award) volunteering, physical, skills, expedition and residential (for the gold award).
Earlier this year, Professor Rob Dwyer Joyce and students from the Integrated Tribology CDT were asked to take part in a C4 documentary about the mysteries of the Forbidden City in Beijing. Most of the Forbidden City is made out of wood, but some parts are made from 300 tonne stone slabs.
In May, Mechanical Engineering student Jordan Amir-Hekmat received his gold Duke of Edinburgh award at Buckingham Palace from presenter John Suchet in the presence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Earl of Wessex and The Countess of Wessex. This came after 12-18 months of volunteering, learning new skills, getting fit, a week-long residential as well as planning and undertaking an expedition in wild country.
Their question: how on earth did they move all that stone? The theory is that they may have been pulled along ice roads rather than rolled on logs, which is much harder. Records show that wells had been dug along the roads so the theory seems likely. Rob and his team set about proving it. With a little help from the boys in the Sheffield Steel Dogs ice hockey team, and using a sled carrying a tonne of bricks they were able to pull the load with the strength of a single hockey player. A task made even easier by pouring a small amount of water over the ice to make a thin film.
The DofE has had a massive impact on Jordan’s life, ‘I learnt valuable skills of First Aid, coaching skills that enabled me to support young people in sporting activities as well as a week-long residential at BAE systems.’ The residential gave Jordan an opportunity to learn and understand more about engineering. His time at BAE Systems helped him to choose Mechanical Engineering with German at the University of Sheffield for his degree.
Send your stories and photos to Kat Taylor at k.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk
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The Final Word. In my 24th year in this department, and looking back over the years I and my collegues have spent here, the students we've taught and the friends we've made, this year I am proud to be the Head of this department as we celebrate our 100th year. 100 years of cutting edge research, inspirational teaching and committed learning. It's hard to beleive that 100 years ago, this thriving department started with just 6 students and 6 people to teach them. So much has changed over these 100 years, from how we get to work, to the labs we do our work in, but one thing that will never change is our comitment to our students; to make them the best engineers that they can be by exposing them to world experts in their field, giving them access to some of the best facilities in the world and opening doors into the careers they have always wanted. This edition of the newsletter has really highlighted the breadth of opportunities that our current students and graduates have grasped: from leadership roles at Rolls-Royce, to adventures across continents, cardiovascular stents, and racing team successes. I wonder if the staff and students of 1917 could ever have imagined that these possibilities would exist today. Here's to the next 100 years! Happy centenary, everyone.
Neil Sims
Head of Department, Mechanical Engineering
This publication is produced using 100% recycled FSC certified paper
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MechEngNews