2015 Design Exhibition Booklet

2015 Design & Project Exhibition
The Joseph Black Lecture

Project to Product
The creation of the Moutain Trike All-Terrain
Wheelchair Business
Tim Morgan
Inventor and Managing Director
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3

Welcome to the 2015 Design and Project Exhibition and to the
Joseph Black Lecture given by the Tim Morgan of Mountaintrike
This booklet contains details of the 23 We want to be able to replicate the suc-
Group Design and Business projects, cess of our key note speaker, Tim Mor-
including Mechanical, Aerospace, Au- gan. Tim was displaying his final year
tomotive (Formula Student) projects design project at this Design and Project
undertaken by 3rd year students, and Exhibition in 2007. He entered into con-
the 192 individual engineering pro- versation with local business man David
jects taken by 4th year students. It Rogers, a few connections were made,
also contains details of the 38 Inte- conversations, business plans, develop-
grated Mechanical and Electrical En- ment and a lot of hard work followed and
gineering (IMEE) projects. Details of the rest, as they say, is history
all projects are included on the Depart-
ments website at https://wiki.bath.ac.uk/ Thus we are delighted to welcome Tim
display/MechEngDesignExhibition/Home Morgan, who is both Chief Designer and
Managing Director of the MountainTrike
The diversity of project activity is again Company, to give his keynote address
there for everyone to see, this is across “Project to Product - The creation of
both the individual engineering projects the Mountain Trike All-Terrain Wheel-
and the Group Design and Business pro- chair Business”
jects. It reflects the great strength of the
Department.
There have been a couple of important

developments in the design area. We
now have the Dyson Chair in Design
Engineering. This is a 50/50 academic/
practice role at the insistence of the
funder. So we are delighted to have our
former Royal Academy of Engineering
Visiting Professor in Innovation, Gareth
Jones in the role. Interestingly, he was
Dyson employee number 6.
The “product innovation funding”, has Professor Steve Culley

now expanded considerably. We have
added to the first two, the Herrington and On behalf of all in the Department who
the Embleton bursaries, with three more contribute.
from Jon Craton, Mark Farmer and Peter
Keevil. This growing portfolio will give
us the opportunity to support, and take
to the next stage, final year projects of a
wide variety of types.

Tim Morgan
Project to Product -
The creation of the Mountain Trike
All-Terrain Wheelchair Business
The Mountain Trike is a revolutionary all terrain
wheelchair designed to give wheelchair users far
greater freedom and independence to access and
enjoy the countryside. It is the brainchild of British
design engineer, Tim Morgan, who was inspired by
his love of mountain biking to develop a true manual
all terrain wheelchair that would enable wheelchair
users to ride off road in the same way he does on his
bike. He identified a significant gap in the market for a manual wheelchair that was
off road capable, but also combined this performance with everyday practicality in
order to fit into the person’s lifestyle.
Over a period of four years, the Mountain Trike was developed from Tim Morgan’s fi-
nal year Masters project at the University of Bath, to a fully certified product launched
to the market in August 2011. Since then, the product has been very well received
with sales avenues developed worldwide and manufacture facilities setup in the UK.
After graduation, Tim accepted a role with his degree sponsor, Bentley Motor Cars,
which provided him with the income to live, whilst continuing to work on the Mountain
Trike during his spare time. Over a period of three years, development of Proto 2
was carried out in tandem with the other commercial aspects needed to setup the
business: market research, product cost and specification of standard components
were all additional influences on the design and naturally presented further chal-
lenges.
A cyclical process of developing prototypes and testing them with wheelchair users
was adopted to progress the design. Four cycles of design and test iterations were
completed to progress from the initial concept to the final production model. The
principles of lever drive, direct steering, independent suspension, disc brakes and
three wheeled arrangement formed the core of the Mountain Trike’s design and still
feature on the final version. The fourth and final design iteration was the production
level, MT4. It included various refinements, final production components and high
quality surface finishing. The Mountain Trike is a prime example of how an iterative
design and prototype process can be used to develop a university project into a
highly successful product.
This keynote address outlines the processes used and the challenges faced in this
journey from
Project
to
Product

Our most grateful thanks and acknowledgements are due to the companies identified
below and in the following pages for proposing and sponsoring this year’s design
projects. The financial support and equipment that they have provided has been
crucial to the success of the projects, and the encouragement and insight of their
staff has been highly valuable to, and appreciated by, our students.

The Group Design and Business Project unit is a cornerstone of the
4-year semester-based MEng programme. Students work on nothing else
during Semester 2 of Year 3, this unit is worth 20% of the overall degree classi-
fication. The project topic areas are split between Aerospace, Automotive, Me-
chanical and Manufacturing Engineering sectors. Many projects arrive from
industry where real problems have arisen and need to be answered. Some
projects will return to industry for further development and implementation
after the unit has finished. All projects have a significant element of busi-
ness subjects (such as marketing, sales, finance, operations, and logistics)
incorporated, showing students a more realistic illustration of how engineer-
ing businesses integrate professional, technical, and commercial skills into a
integrated project activities. This aspect includes the production and delivery
of a business investment plan that would support a decision to launch the new
product/service.
2015 sees another large class divided into sixteen groups addressing a very
wide range of project topics. Some are working against rival groups on the
course addressing the same topic; this exposes students to the ‘realities’ of
preparing a competitive engineering bid or tender. This helps them to de-
velop skills that will be invaluable in future employment. The unit culminates
in the Design and Project Exhibition, held at the end of May every year. This
event provides every group with the opportunity to display their proposals in
public, and prepare appropriate technical and commercial promotional materi-
als. This year there will be increased emphasis on the use of prototypes and
models to demonstrate the key technical features to visitors. This has been
supported by a generous donation from the Bath Alumni Fund.
7

Group 1
FUTURE FORKLIFT
Background
Due to the competitive environment of the forklift market, manufacturers are under
pressure to develop unique products and establish their position in the industry.
Although current trucks have undergone intensive development and testing
phases, they offer scope for improvement in areas such as efficiency, ergonomics,
safety and visibility.
Design Brief Design Benefits

The objective was to create a clean • Lower total cost of ownership
sheet design for a forklift that could • 6 to 8% efficiency improvement
potentially become the industry standard • Increased operator visibility
over the next 5 to 10 years. During the • Lower downtime
project, we have received support from • Innovative safety features
NMHG to aid in the design development. • Increased operator comfort
•
Suspended Cabin
Optimised Cabin & Mast Layout
Electric Steering
Electro Hydrostatic
Actuators
Regenerative braking
Rear Axle Locking
Cylinder
PEM Fuel Cell
Design Team Supervisors

Chris Bramley (PM) Pedro Santos Jens Roesner, Prof. Andrew Plummer
Gregg Gaffney (BM) Hao Man Vu Sponsored by
Christoph Evertz Dominic Noble

Group 2
Residual Waste Bale Dryer
HANNAH FORBES ● TOM LEACH ● ALEX SINCLAIR ● BERNARD FURLAN MIELKI

DAVID CATTERMOLE
Industrial drying of residual waste for financial

savings and a competitive advantage.
MJ Church transports 24.5 tonnes of We have a solution to remove this water.

residual waste from Chippenham to We are proposing a system that can
Germany, 3 times a day, 6 days a week, reduce the moisture content of each
at a cost of £100 per tonne. Water lorry load by up to 1.65 tonnes, saving
weight accounts for 5.2 tonnes of each over £300,000 per year in transport
load, it adds no calorific value and costs alone.
accounts for £1,560 of the daily
transport costs.

Group 3
Royal Mail
Systems Development Ltd.
Design Brief
The Royal Mail is the UK’s designated Universal Postal Service Provider and in 2014 the
Royal Mail handled 1.1 billion packets and parcels. Royal Mail Systems Development is a
wholly owned subsidiary company that fills a skills gap in the Royal Mail operations with
expertise in Systems engineering.
The Royal Mail is looking to improve upon its current manual parcel handling process and
move to a semi-automatic process to protect its market position and increase its handling
capacity in line with market trends of parcel volume increase.
Specifications
 Able to cope with all Royal Mail parcel variations,
 Fits within current Royal Mail distribution centre’s allocated parcel handling
space
 Handle parcel volume growth forecasted for the forthcoming 15 years.
 Designed for rapid on site implementation over a 32-hour period. As
necessitated by the requirement to avoid discontinuity in the current operations.
 3 year payback period
The Design
A Semi-Automatic Parcel Handling system with a flexible throughput that fits within the
allocated parcel handling space at the Royal Mail Swindon Distribution Centre. It is
comprised of 5 functional modules: Unloading, Preparation, Inspection, Sorting and
Loading.
Group Members: Supervisors: Sponsor:

Elisa Buonnani Dr Aydin Nassehi
Bardur Hansen
Ben McKenzie Mr Rod Valentine
Saagar Shah (BM)
Nathaniel Taylor
Alex von Joest (PM)
10

Group 4
HOW MUCH IS MY

Roadside incidents last year LIFE WORTH?
between the flowing traffic
and a stationary recovery
vehicle totalled 4 for the RAC
and 12 for the UK recovery
industry as a whole.
A product was needed to:
¥ Prevent
¥ Protect
¥ Detect
To keep the patroller and the
customer safe.
3 products were designed to
minimise the risk at the Height Adjustable Lights
roadside: – Improve visibility to
¥ Height Adjustable Lights HGVs and when the
¥ Rapid Deployment recovery vehicle’s boot is
Trailer open
¥ Automated Guided
Vehicle Rapid Deployment
Trailer – Automated
wheel strap securer
and deployable ramps
to remove patroller
from danger zones
Team Members:
AGV – Provide
Mehrnaz Tajmir – PM patroller with early
warning of vehicle on a
Adam Wilkinson – BM
collision course
Nick Bourne
Michael Douglas
Group Supervisors:
Luiz Fofano
Mudassar Saleem Dr. N Johnston Dr. L Newnes
11

Group 5
AUTONOMOUS GUTTER CLEANING ROBOT
REDUCE LADDER USE AND PRODUCE A QUICKER, HIGHER QUALITY CLEAN
KEY COMPONENTS
- VACUUM BASE STATION
- TELESCOPIC POLE WITH
HOLDING GARAGE
- MAIN ROBOT WITH
SHREDDER AND SCRAPER,
UMBILICAL SUPPLY TO BASE
- DOWNPIPE PROCESSOR
ATTACHMENT
- ELECTRONICS AND
SENSORS FOR SAFETY
FAY JOHNSTON – PM
JOSH COLACO – BM
QUENTIN BERTUCCHI
JOE EDGERLEY
KEY SOLUTION SPECIFICATION OLI GILLESPIE
- CLEANS 112MM ROUND/SQUARE JAMES NEWTON-SAVAGE
GUTTERS MATT SANDS
- 5 YEAR LIFESPAN
- 0.027MS-1 SUPERVISORS
- 6M REACH DR C BANNISTER
- 2KG IN GUTTER DR M MCMANUS
- MINIMAL MAINTENANCE
12

Group 6
Novel system for integrated
multi-process finishing of
additively manufactured components
Project Background Product Description

The additive market is growing Electro Chemical Polishing,
at an ever increasing rate Cryogenic milling & Electro
(average compound annual discharge machining integrated
growth rate of 27% over the last onto one platform to reduce
25 years) with forecasts manual intervention and simplify
showing it will be worth in process fixturing.
approximately $12.5bn by 2018 Benefits include a reduction of
(T. Wholers 2014). However, labour required from 3 operators
additively created parts require to just 1, significantly reducing
significant post processing running cost. An automatic
before assembly or service. process transfer system results in
Therefore the post processing a shorter cycle time for extremely
market will also need to grow high quality complex geometry.
significantly in the coming years.
Project Aim Team

The aim of this project is to Kris Henley - Project Manager
integrate a set of machining Will Mitchell - Business Manager
processes onto a single platform Ben Whiteley – Product
so that AM components can be Simeon Howson – Operations
finished to the quality required Qiyan Yaw – Sales & Marketing
by the medical and aerospace Tomas D.R. Rey – Finance
industries
Supervisors: Vimal Dhokia

Alborz Shokrani
13

Group 7
Group Design & Business Project
RepCycler Project
Design Brief
3D Printing is becoming more

democratised; due to the ever
increasing availability of smaller
kits, cheaper hardware and
“affordable” consumables –
especially in the FDM market
(printing ABS/PLA from Description
filament).
The RepCycler is a recycler or
A popular trend in the 3D
extruder that will take the virgin
Printing and Maker circles is the
plastic granules, mix it with
recycling of support material and
broken down waste plastic
old 3D Printed models back into
before extruding and spooling
useful plastic filament.
the recycled filament. This can
The design task is to design a bring reasonable cost savings to
“RepCycler” that can break its users due to the massive
down these waste plastic and difference in price between
reconstitute it back into useable virgin plastic granules and
filament. The device is to be a kit plastic filament. Moreover, it
form and open-sourced design provides a positive impact to the
to align with the RepRap brand. environment as it reduces the
RepRap is a reputable brand of increasingly large amount of
3D printers known for their “self- ABS plastic waste that would
replicating” and open-source otherwise go to landfills.
designs.
Project Supervisors
Solution Specification
Jeffrey Barrie
• Desktop sized recycler or Prof. Glen Mullineux
extruder
• Breaks down average sized
Group 7 Team Members
models or support material
• Extrudes 1.75mm filament Camilla Pollet (PM)
• Extrudes ABS/PLA Lee Han Jun (BM)
• Extrusion speed: 50mm/s Apostolos Georgiadis
• Extruded filament diameter Danyal Naseer
tolerance: 0.1mm Jonathan Clark
• Able to spool filament Lee Zher Huei
14

Group 8
Low Cost Electric Powered Wheelchair
Context:
According to the World Health Organisation around 1% or 65 million
people need a wheelchair. Without the ability to move independently
and interact with society these people remain excluded and
condemned to a life in poverty.
Design Brief:
The project’s aim is to produce an electric wheelchair with the
following features:
- $500 manufacturing cost - Solar charging system
- Dexterous user interface - Business opportunity for user
USPs
 5 km range
 4 mph top speed
 Handle rough
terrain
 Ergonomic design
 Dexterous user
interface
 Solar Charging
System
.
 Business
Opportunity
Attachments
Project Team: Sponsor: Supervisors:

Thomas Measures (PM)
Sam Edwards (BM)
Steve Culley
Helen Maycroft
Gareth Jones
Niloy Zaman
Jeremy Bigg
15

Group 9
SEMI-AUTOMATED PARCEL HANDLING SYSTEM

SAPHS
GROUP 9
How to Make £90 Million Profit in 7 Years
The Brief
Design a machine capable of
automating the UK parcel The Solution
handling industry. The innovative design is capable
of:
Solution Specification
 Unloading parcels on to the
 Processes 12,000 parcels
machine.
per hour
 Separate them to ensure
 Operated by 4 workers per
adequate spacing
shift (current process
 Sort them based on their
requires on average 25
postal region
workers per shift)
 Load them into rolling
The Team: containers
 Nikul Nathwani (PM)  Transport the rolling
 Dan Morey containers to lorries
 Chris Abbott
 Petros Sakellaropoulos
 Syazrul Syafiq
 Andrei Culda
Project Supervisors:
Dr Aydin Nassehi
Rod Valentine
16

Group 10
Water Conservation
for Canal Locks
Problem Background
Canals that are not fed by many underground piping, an
river or water sources can become autonomous control system and
unnavigable during dry summer National Grid electrical supply.
months. Water loss arises from:
evaporation, seepage into the
canal bed, and functional lock
water usage.
Lock & Quay have created a

system for Cotswold Canals Trust
to offset functional lock water
usage, which causes water to flow
downstream. Solution Specification
- System Cost £16,500
Requirements - Transports 11ML over 24 hrs
- Easily Installable system by - Environmentally friendly
volunteers - Modular and easily installable
- Low cost, under £30,000
- Low aesthetical impact Lock & Quay Team
- Retro-fittable to existing locks Andrew Ma, Project Manager
Callum Lyons, Business Manager
Lock & Quay’s Solution Duncan Potts
The system designed to combat Andrew Marshall
this water conservation issue Arthur Goes
involves; submersible pump, Matt Udwin
Supervisors
Prof. A Miles
Dr S Gheduzzi
17

Group 11

The Crofton Beam Engine
Context & Design Brief
The Crofton Pumping Station is a local

landmark that combines the efforts of
history, engineering and community into
one operation. Otherwise, it is known as the
home of the oldest working beam engine in
the world (Boulton & Watt, 1812) boasting
over 200 years of service.
The aim of this project was to develop and To complement the application, 2
produce a design solution focused on interactive fixtures have also been designed
increasing the ease of operations of the that give unique perspective of the beam
beam engines as well as improving the engines to prospective young visitors by
educational and visitor friendly value of the comparing human output with the
Crofton Pumping Station. capabilities of the engines.
Key Specifications:
Engineering Team:
o Utilise non-destructive
instrumentation methods.
Thomas Coutts (Project Manager),
o Improve the site’s educational
Damilola A. Adeyemi (Business Manager),
prospects.
Jonty Usborne,
o Provide data relating to “how the
Edward Swift,
engine actually works”.
Amraj Aulak,
o Solution lifetime greater than 5 years.
Andrew Crutchley.
o Funding oriented design.
o Implement data display
Supervisors:
Solution
Dr Andy Hillis
The final solution is a unified system of 3 Dr Charles Courtney
interrelated physical/software solutions
working either directly from, or in reference In Partnership With:
to one another. These include a data
acquisition system that feeds information
relevant to the workings of the beam
engines to a central hub where an
application will be used to generate raw
data for operators as well as processed
data to be used for educational and
functional improvement via features such as
virtual tours and intuitive data display.
18

Group 12
Low-Cost Powered Wheelchair
Design Brief Description and Benefits

The aim of the project was to design
a low-cost ($500) wheelchair that
could be utilized by users with limited
upper body strength and movement,
thus the need for it to be powered.
The target market of the product are
developing countries such as
Bangladesh. For this reason, a
product suitable for rough terrain and
with solar charging capabilities was
developed.
Specifications
 Solar and mains charging
capabilities The final design consists of a three
 Max velocity of 5 km/h up an wheeled arrangement to cope with
incline of 15° on rough terrain both paved and rough terrain. The
 Able to go up curbs of a max product has two 40W solar panels to
height of 50 mm provide ample power for users that
have unreliable electricity supply.
 Adjustable to fit from the 5th to
The top solar panel can be folded
the 9th percentile of the back (to minimize space indoors) or
worldwide population horizontally above the user (to
 Dimensions when the top solar maximize solar panel efficiency). The
panel is folded back: chair can be operated by users with
1307 x 800 x 970 mm limited strength through the use of
the controller gimbal and is fitted with
a foam pressure relief cushion to
Team
avoid pressure sores.
Francesca Poli (PM)
Christopher Davidson (BM)
Supervisors
Alex Keating
Prof. Steve Culley
Christopher Degrauwe
Prof. Gareth Jones
James Acquaye Nortey-Glover
19

Group 13
Design Brief
GreenDrive is a non-for profit Project Supervisors
organisation founded by seven Dr Jos Darling
members of Green Bath Racing, Mr Andy Green
winning team of the energy
efficiency Shell Eco-Marathon
Competition
GD Vision
GreenDrive is set to use its To set the foundations for a more
technical expertise to provide resource-aware engineering
schools with three complementary workforce to overcome future
programmes: workshops, kit environmental challenges.”
supply/support and practice
events.
GD Mission
“To deliver customised and cost-
These programs will provide the
effective solutions that encourage
necessary resources to provide
students in the UK to embrace
schools with new means of
sustainable engineering practices
effectively transmitting
by facilitating access to Eco-
sustainable engineering and
Marathon events.
environmental practices to their
students using the Eco-Marathon
vehicle as a teaching focal point.
Team
Iñigo Balbin (PM)
Manuel Mendez (BM)
Cameron Buchan
William Hughes
Leo Hughes
Natasha Collins
Lucs Rosillo
Group 13
20

Group 14
Human-Powered Description
Submarine The submarine is fully human

powered and can be controlled in
Design Brief pitch and yaw. A separate
buoyancy system allows vertical
A manufacturer of GFRP boats diving (up to a depth of 10m) and
wants to use a radical new resurfacing independently of
method of increasing global boat forward movement.
sales. A team of engineers within
the company proposed a
promotion campaign, which would
involve the racing of human- Team
powered submarines at popular Arnaud Doko (PM)
global dive locations. Tourist Henry Turner (BM)
divers would be able to rent time Zach Bergman
in a submarine to race around a Michal Rachowiecki
pre-defined racecourse near the Susie Bloodworth-Race
beachfront of a local hotel. The Ismail Bello
submarine would act as a flashy Marcus Wood
display of the boat manufacturer's
engineering capabilities and
simultaneously promote its brand
to new markets.
Specification
¥ Controllable pitch
propeller
¥ Fly-by-wire control with
electronic safety systems
¥ 1.44m/s at 200W pilot
input power
21

Group 15
Team Bath AUV

Team Bath AUV have designed an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle capable of carrying
several complex inspection and survey tasks to take part in the NATO sponsored
SAUC-E competition.
The vehicle will compete in the 2016 competition in La Spezia, Italy.
The AUV features a Forward Looking Sonar, front and bottom mounted cameras, an
inertial navigation system and six external thrusters making it a highly maneuverable,
sophisticated and capable vehicle. It utilises Robot Operating System with image
processing modules for object detection and visual odometry for navigation.
Team
Greg Wintle: Hardware (PM) Ali Bacon: Actuation (BM)
Alfie Treloar: Software Phil Blackburn: Structure
Abdullah El Agha: Power Dimitrios Dionysopoulos: Sensors
Supervisors
Dr Alan Hunter Dr Stuart MacGregor
22

Group 16
Design Brief:
- To design and race a Motorcycle at the
Isle of Man TT Zero
- The TT Zero class is an entirely electric
class at the prestigious IOM two week
event
- The IOM race is held on a 37.7 mile road
circuit
Power Supply:
- Emrax 268
- Max Power 160kW
(215hp)
The Bike ‘Odin’: - Max Torque 500Nm
- Battery pack 18kwh
The Team:
- Louis Flanagan
- James Lewis Monsma
- Robert MacGregor
-Lewis Dyke
-Theo Rankine - Fourdraine
23

We are Team Bath Racing 2016 and our mission is to win Formula Student UK.
This year we are developing our aerodynamic performance with an un-sprung

ground-effect-inducing floor and downforce enhancing low rear winglets, pursuing
power with a turbocharged single cylinder KTM500EXC, and targeting the most light
weight chassis by utilising a full carbon fiber composite monocoque.
TBR16 promises to deliver excellent dynamic performance.
Project Manager: Noel Moorhouse

Team Members: Ieuan Guy, Josh Slade, Amelia Lewis, Elsa Reeve, Mark Tranter, Kenta Kawaguchi,
Ollie Zabell, Alex Ward, Tom Coombs, Matt Alcock, Rebecca Cooper, Lizzie Atwood, Barney
Perenyei, Hieu Dinh, Charlie Ripman, Lenny Paul Georgala, Andy Lightbody, Simon Bell, George
Watson, Neil Hoddinott, James Regester, Gus Beltrami, Tom Pine, Tom Rafferty, Jack Liu, Deniz
Tosun, Alex Wilding.
24

Team Bath Racing don’t just design a car…
To be successful, there are 3 key business considerations that must be addressed:
Finance | Promotion | Logistics

The team is responsible for securing the finance for all of the design and business
activities. TBR operate on a total annual budget worth approximately £120,000,
made up by financial and service sponsors.
Our current sponsors include...
25

Supervisors
Academic
Dr R Butler
Dr J du Bois
Dr MJ Carley
Dr D Cleaver
Dr F Ciampa
Dr JL Cunningham
Prof I Gursul
Dr P Iravani
Dr DN Johnston
Prof GD Lock
Dr M Meo
Prof ST Newman
Dr A T Rhead
Dr C Sangan
Dr M Wilson
Dr Z Wang
Industry
Dr J Crocker
Mr D Heaton
Mr F A Hewitt
Sir R Hill
Mr M Joynt
Prof J Jupp
Mr A Langridge
Mr C Lynas
Mr K MacGregor
Mr C Stevens
Sponsors
Airbus UK
Rolls-Royce
University of Bath Alumni Fund
26

Bath University Man
Powered AirCraft
Design Brief Specification

Cruise Speed 7.6 m/s
To Design and Build a Human
Empty Mass 37.5 kg
Powered Aircraft (HPA) to fly in
the 2016 Lasham Rally – an Total Mass 112.5 kg (75kg pilot)
annual competition for HPA’s. Cruise Power 346 Watts
Take Off Speed 8 m/s
Wing Area 27 m2
Length
7.6m
30.5m
Wing Span
Design Team Supervisors

 Nick De Jong  George Lowe
(Project Manager)  George Penwarden  Dr M. Carley
 Barney McMahon  Lewis Rawlinson  Dr J. Cunningham
(Business Manager)  Mateus Dantas
 Alex Lougheed
27

Design Brief Airbus Specification
The Airbus A330 and Boeing 767  2 Class Pax – 200-300
have been in service for over 20  Design Range – 5500nm
years; as such there is a gap in  Cruise Speed – 0.82-0.8
the market for a more cost  Time To Climb – 30mins
efficient replacement. A  Max Approach Speed – 145kts
specification was delivered by  ICAO Airport Code
Airbus to design a replacement, Compatibility - Code E
capable of carrying 200-300pax  Expected Service Entry - 2025
over a distance of 5500nm.  DOC Reduction (vs 2010 State
of the art) – 15%
Team Members
Tom Pearce – PM / Cabin and
Flight Deck
Tim Mok – Business Manager /
Fuel Systems
Jon Sleeman – Marketing
Manager / Landing Gear
Jia Juan Lee – Technical
Integrator / Project Costing The Blue Sky Azure
Martin Dawson – Aerodynamics The Blue Sky Azure Is a
/ Aftermarket passenger aircraft aimed at
Baba Kakkar – Performance / meeting the DOC reduction of
Supply Chain 15% with a 2-Class Pax of 276,
Mubarak Hassan – Stability and with 373 in a High-Density
Control / Direct Operating Cost layout. The Aircraft has a span of
Tom Cureton-Fletcher – 58m and total length of 63m.
Propulsion / Environment This is within the code E Airport
Ka Hin Lau – Wing and Tail Requirement.
Structure / Final Assembly Line The Aircraft aimed at Flagship
Piotr Lesniak – Fuselage Airliners in the high growth Asia
Structure / Regulations Pacific and Middle Eastern
Regions.
28

Civil Transport
The Arrow 600
Background The team

Demand for global travel is increasing Robert Templeton (PM)
at an unrelenting rate, with civilian Perez Kamagamba (TI)
airliners transporting the majority of Matthew Smeeton (BM)
passengers. As technology rapidly Alex Hart
matures older aircraft become Elan Kumaran
obsolete in terms of performance and Hannah Blofield
cost. With this in mind a specification Pavan Dhatt
was set out by Airbus for the design of Swapnil Patra
a new aircraft for medium haul Tingwei Lee
operations. William Archer
Key specification data Project supervisors

Passenger capacity: 200-300 Dr M. Wilson
Design range: 5500nm Dr A. Rhead
Optimised range: 3000nm Sir R. Hill
DOC: 2010 state of the art minus 15% Prof. J. Jupp
Expected entry into service: 2025 Dr F. A. Hewitt
Mr D. Heaton
The Arrow 600
Retaining the traditional ‘tube and
wing’ design the Arrow 600 has
optimised this layout to produce a
minimum of 4.1% DOC saving against
2010 state of the art aircraft. This was
achieved by utilising Hybrid Laminar
Flow over the entire tail, extensive
use of composite materials, natural
laminar flow paint and riblets. The
aircraft meets all of the requirements
for range and performance set out in
the specification. It carries 276
passengers in a two-class layout that
sets a new standard for passenger
comfort.
The aircraft also boasts a high freight
capacity of 12tonnes with a full
passenger roster. Helping to boost
airline revenue on optimised flights.
29

Autonomous Aerial Vision Systems
Design Brief Description

The demand for Unmanned Aerial The FibreFly is a high wing,
Vehicles (UAVs) is growing rapidly conventional aircraft with a
for application in sports analysis, pusher propeller which meets the
broadcasting, reconnaissance, requirements set by the
recreation and more. competition and business
applications.
We have designed a UAV that will
compete in the ‘UAS Challenge’ The UAV can be used in the
organised by the Institution of farming industry equipped with an
Mechanical Engineers in 2016. The infrared camera for crop quality
primary requirement for the UAV is monitoring and fertiliser
to fly autonomously and deliver two management.
1kg payloads to a designated
target area by navigating a pre- AAV Systems will provide a
determined flight path. service to production companies
in which the UAV uses a High
Specification Definition camera to provide
diverse camera angles to
- 22m/s cruise speed broadcasting in horse racing.
- MTOW: 7kg
- Autonomous navigation and Team
landing Victoria Sauven (PM)
- 73min endurance James Huxtable (BM)
- 52nmi range Abdel Darwich Ajjour
- 2kg payload capacity Elliot Jane
Jakub Kucera
Yan Li
Project Supervisors Abinesh Mohan
Dr. D Cleaver James Walker
Dr. J du Bois
Dr. P Iravani
FibreFly
30

Autonomous Unmanned
Aerial Vehicle
Design Brief Description
The Institution of Mechanical The UAV is a semi modular flying

Engineers is holding a wing design that will be primarily
competition to design a UAV used as a data gathering tool for a
capable of carrying 2 kg of variety of market segments that
payload to a drop zone and includes agriculture, wildlife
navigating waypoints. The conservation and aerial mapping.
designed UAV must also perform
adequately to be a viable product Specs
or service as part of a business.
Range: 115 km
We have developed a UAV that MTOW: 7 kg
Payload: 2 kg
is capable of flying in a variety of
Cruise Speed: 18.5 m/s
wind conditions with a Service Ceiling: 10000 ft
replaceable payload in order to
carry additional cameras and Team Members
sensors to better fulfil the
business requirements. Daniel McCullagh (PM)
Vicente Laiseca (BM)
Project supervisors Lucie Culliford
James Barber
Dr D Cleaver Barnaby Green
Dr P Iravani Priyesh Patel
Dr J du Bois Vinicius Bertolini
Lik Fong Tiong
31

Matt Bennett Rolls Royce Maitham Dib Rolls Royce
Supervisor: Dr C Bannister
Enterprise architecture
Transformational Innovation study
The aim of the project is to build an enterprise
Working with a cross functional team in Defence model, capturing various views of the organisa-
to generate ideas for future products, services tion to identify areas of improvements in efficien-
cy and accuracy of business processes. This
and business models that will provide com- project involves modelling business processes,
petitive advantage and sector growth. Develop IT architecture and organisational structures
selected ideas into tangible concepts showing using industry standards such as TOGAF and
technical and business feasibility. UML.

Andrew Coleman EDF Chloe Cunningham

The design of a machining head for chal-
Advanced Gas Cooled Reactor (AGR) vessel
discharge route issues lenging materials
Lorenzo Guercini JMFC George Kalligeros TESLA
Increasing output from fuel cell manufactur- Tesla’s Model X air suspension system
ing process
The project scope is the mechanical inte-
The project aims to establish a new manufactur- gration of the new Tesla Air-Suspension
ing route for the assembly of DMFC Membrane System (TAS) in the Model S environment.
Electrode Assemblies (MEAs). All processess This involves designing a new layout,
used by the Johnson Matthey Fuel Cells manu- bracket and air-line routing for the assem-
facturing plant will be critically examined to al- bly, project managing the parts through
low an efficient optimization.This will include the manufacturing and assembly and providing
creation of various prototypes to prove new con- engineering support during prototype and
cepts for material preparation, cutting and wet production phases of the product’s emer-
lamination assembly gence process.

Harry Leafe Kushil Lakhani NOV

Supervisor: Prof. S Newman
MATLAB Rapid Design Tool
Calibration artefact design
The project objective is to improve the iterative
The complete design of a calibration artefact design process currently used by the design
for a specialised metrology application. From engineers within the company. The project is
an initial project brief, a prototype will be pro- in the form of a MATLAB tool that will be used
duced and tested. The design will then be further
by the designers to reduce the time taken when
refined, and a production standard 3-off batch
must then be produced and fully validated and designing a drill bit. The project requires a thor-
verified. ough review of the current design process and
to determine parts of the process which can be
improved with the help of MATLAB
32

Chris Saxby Rolls Royce Alex Sherwood FEV
Reduction of inspection burden for Eurofighter
Closed loop combustion control
The project is aimed to reduce the inspection bur-
den on the EJ200 engine during maintenance, To implement a new injection control strategy for
repair and overhaul. The first way of doing this diesel engines, which will improve both fuel econ-
is the creation of an intelligent inspection order omy and emissions. The strategy has already
which removes unachievable inspection crite- been proven for steady state operation. However,
ria whilst also inspecting areas earlier in the this project aims to prove this strategy for tran-
process which are more likely to have damage sient operation (necessary for use in passenger
thus reducing unnecessary additional inspection.
cars).
The second is reducing the part burden on the
co-ordinate measurement machines by validat-
ing alternative measurement techniques using a
measurement system analysis technique termed
a Gauge Reliability and Reproducibility Stud.
Dan Wright Rolls Royce Surya Sharma Chargepoint

Thermal and fluid systems - tool development Torque Rig
for new engine projects
The project is to study the impact of operator ap-
Aim of the project is the development of thermal plied Torque on the performance and operation of
management methods within Thermal & Fluid the ChargePoint Split Butterfly Valve and it’s as-
Systems and across Rolls-Royce to achieve a sociated parts. This will involve evaluating Manu-
global tool that retains and enhances the com-
facturing processes, inspection processes & their
pany’s capability in preliminary heat exchanger
sizing. This involves coding, testing and validat- repeatability were evaluated by designing and
ing various tools to perform sizing calculations for developing a Torque Rig, whilst also examining
different types of heat exchanger. the condition of the Split Butterfly Valve and the
sub-components.

Matt Waters Chargepoint Katt Whalley Designability
Analysis and redesign of assembly area lay- Dynamic Head Support design for children
out for improved efficiency aged 5-9 years with Cerebral Palsy
ChargePoint Technology are looking to move The aim of the EIP (undertaken with Designabil-
their stores and assembly operations to a new ity) is to design a head support for children with
facility. The aim of the project is to conduct dystonic cerebral palsy. Children with dystonic
analysis of their current process and recom- cerebral palsy have poor head control and can
mend improvements to improve efficiency. experience whole body extensor spasms. The
Recommendations will include changes in work- head rest will allow the child to nod and shake
their head and then return the head to a netural
ing practice as well as a layout for the new
position.
facility.
33

The External Industrial Project is a design-based project undertaken with industry
over a six month period between March and August. Each year, approximately a
dozen third year students choose this option instead of a full time group design
project. Because of the timing, they do not exhibit their work at the Design and
Project Exhibition.
This year’s External Integrated Students are:
Student Organisation Place Bath Supervisor
Adam Mills INPG/Zodiac Seats France Grenoble, France Dr. F. Osman

Daniel Gomez Firmat INPG/Zodiac Seats France Grenoble, France Dr. R.F. Ngwompo
Mohammad El Agha INPG/Zodiac Seats France Grenoble, France Mr. R.M. Valentine
Edward Mulloy INPG/Zodiac Seats France Grenoble, France Prof. S.J. Culley
Rory Yonge INPG/Zodiac Seats France Grenoble, France Dr. A. Nassehi
The Department would like to thank all the external input received during the group
project activity. In particular, thanks goes to the External Panel Review and Advice
team (EPRA), established by Sir Robert Hill in 2011. This is a team of experienced
Engineers and Senior Managers from industry, which undertakes a detailed review
of each project, with the students.
Andrew Ward David Mattick Malcolm Shirley

Bob Hill Frank Mungo Mike & Penny Parkinson
Bob Meggs Gan Jenkins Patrick Rotheram
Brian Brooksbank Gareth Somerset Paul Maillardet
Charles Curnock Jenny Hill Robin & Sarah Kerr
Chris Trout John Spencer Tim Cannon
Colin Dimbylow Jonathon Reeve
34

The Final Year Engineering Project is the major individual research or
design part of the MEng degree programmes in the Department of Mechanical
Engineering. Students work full time on the project, which counts for 20% of
the overall degree classification.
The general aim of the project is to provide the student with the opportunity to
show creativity and initiative in planning and executing work on a demanding
Master’s level project in a specific topic area which may include experimental,
design, analytical, computational and business components. A number of the
projects are taken in conjunction with industry, as well as Formula Student
and Specialist Design related activities.
35

Vipin Ajayakumar Thomas Alderton
Supervisor: Prof. I Gursul Supervisor: Dr M McManus
Modelling of load reduction for wings near An analysis of the potential of energy stor-
stall age in the UK
The aim was to produce a model to predict lift on The UK energy industry faces many challenges
an aerofoil with induced flow separation at the today in terms of meeting both the ever increas-
leading edge. Joseph Katz designed a model for ing demand for energy and responding to the
separated flow at large angles of attack and the environmental challenges to reduce emissions
intention was to apply it to low angles of attack of greenhouse gases. In these circumstances
and compare with experimental results. The Mat- energy storage has been identified as a possi-
lab code matched the theoretical lift slope of 2π ble ‘game changer’. In this study the potential
for attached flow but failed to capture separation of energy storage in the UK was investigated by
correctly. first analysing the British electricity industry and
then examining the storage technologies already
available or being researched.
Muhammad Nafi Bin Alidi Ali Alsamawi

Supervisor: Dr H Kim Supervisor: Dr S Cayzer
Metamaterial Topology Optimisation with The bottom line of community energy
Additive Manufacturing and Point Wise Sen-
sitivity Analysis Low Carbon Gordano has installed a photovol-
taic system near Bristol for £2.2 million. The
The University of Bath’s topology optimisation 1.875 MW system consists of more than 7,500
program suffers from an instability in its applica- solar arrays and is expected to power around
tion to electromagnetic bandgap problem. This 500 homes. The installed system was analyzed
project partially solved this instability problem environmentally, financially, and socially. The
while allowing the program to perform faster. The installed system reduces the amount of green-
topology optimisation for additive manufacturing house gases by 80% . The installed system was
is only discussed in the report. found to be cost effective and having many so-
cial benefits to the local economy.
Ross Atherton Matthew Banks

Supervisor: Prof. S Culley Supervisor: Dr M Ansell
Aircraft damage report analysis Additive layer manufacturing of metal alloys
The project involved the analysis of a large Superalloys are a subset of metal alloys ex-
number of aircraft wing repair schemes, de- hibiting excellent mechanical strength and cor-
signed by Airbus in response to reported dam- rosion resistance at elevated temperatures,
age outside of regular maintenance. Initial which causes them to be extremely difficult to
machine with conventional techniques. Alterna-
exploratory analysis was used to support an
tive processing methods such as additive layer
unsupervised learning method. It was found
manufacturing have become more mainstream
that clusters of airlines and aircraft types
in recent years. The project consisted of experi-
could be differentiated by damage informa- mental work analysing the quality of additively
tion; forming discrete profiles based upon manufactured metal alloy components. The mi-
operational variables. A number of interactive crostructure and material properties of Maraging
visualisations were developed to provide fur- Steel and Cobalt-Chrome specimens were
ther insight into the data set. investigated.
36

Amir Beigi Carl Bishop
Supervisor: Prof. R Gill Supervisor: Prof. P Keogh
Comparing Torsional Stability of X-bolt ver- Modelling of high frequency vibrations in
sus Dynamic Hip Screw drill strings
Neck of femur fractures are intertrochanteric High frequency torsional oscillations have been
fractures, which can be healed by Dynamic hip recognised as a major source of fatigue damage
screws. Dynamic hip screws have been the most in drill strings but the cause of them is unknown.
common surgery on these fractures. The new The aim of this project was to improve the under-
design of lag screw is the X-Bolt, which is as- standing and prediction of these high frequency
sumed to give a better 8.5 the X-bolt is better torsional oscillations using numerical modeling
than the Lag screw. and simulation techniques. A particular focus
was taken to see if an elastic coupling between
the axial and torsional motions was a probable
cause for these vibrations.
Mark Bleakley Ross Blyth

Supervisor: Dr S Macgregor Supervisor: Dr V Dhokia
Optimisation of Propulsion System for Hu- Characterisation of the biomechanical tissue
man powered Submarine properties of porcine bowel with the design
of a constitutive model to reflect hyperelastic
The human-powered submarine has the re- behaviour
quirement for maximum propulsive efficiency.
The aims of this project were to investigate the
In order to achieve this, a project optimising
biomechanical properties of porcine large bow-
the propulsion system was undertaken. CFD el tissue and to design a constitutive model to
and theoretical design methods were used reflect hyperelastic behaviour. This research is
to develop a single blade row, two blade pro- destined to assist in the improvement of the de-
peller designed to produce the 150N thrust sign process for new colorectal surgical tools and
needed to achieve a 6 knot top speed. Fur- in order to reduce leak rates in post-operative re-
ther work will include full CFD modelling, scale covery. Through uniaxial tensile testing and Fi-
model testing and possibly full scale manu- nite Element Analysis, the study concluded that
facturing and use on Salacia in future builds. there was a significant decrease in the maximum
strength of the tissue once the surgical staples
were inserted.
Heather Borsuk Thomas Boyce
Supervisor: Dr Z Wang Supervisor: Mr R Valentine
Hydrodynamics of fish olfaction and its ap- Tennis Racquet Measurement
plication to underwater vehicles
In the game of tennis, much of the current
This project uses biomimetics to aid in the design research and testing is centered on the tennis
of an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) that racquet frame, ball and even the court itself. This
can track scent. Dye visualisation methods are project aims to demystify the world of tennis rac-
used to observe the hydrodynamic behaviour quet strings through a thorough experimental
surrounding olfaction in two marine fish; the procedure concentrating on the dynamic
guitarfish and garpike. As bulk fluid movement response of the string-bed after a simulated im-
through the nasal region is required for olfaction, pact.
this project aims to determine if, and how, pas-
sive methods are used to harness external flow
and ultimately suggest ways of replicating these
mechanically.
37

Philippa Bradbury James Bridgwater Court
Supervisor: Dr S Cayzer Supervisor: Dr A Hillis
Energy analysis of printing Novel control strategies for the CCell Wave
Energy Converter
Emissions and energy demand are a large
global concern at the moment, so the need for An adaptation of latching control to pitching
understanding energy consumption and emis- wave energy converters is developed and tested
sions of everyday devices is vital. This project using empirically derived software models of the
investigated changes that have occurred over CCell power take-off and paddle. The efficiency
the last eight years in terms of the technology achieved is compared to a simpler controller
used within printing devices, the distribution of applying damping based upon direction of mo-
these technologies within the market and the tion, finding that the latching controller achieves
consumer behaviour, to see what affect this has higher efficiencies. A non-causal version of this
had on the environmental impact of the devices controller is also developed using autoregres-
and market. sive modelling to achieve real-time short-term
forecasting of the shape of the approaching sea.
Charles Brooker Alexander Caldwell

Supervisor: Dr M Carley Supervisor: Prof. I Gursul
Design of Control Surfaces for a twin fuse- Modelling of lift enhancement with suction
lage Human Powered Aircraft
Leading edge separation is an unavoidable,
Investigation into potential control surface lay- undesirable aerodynamic characteristic of thin
outs for a twin fuselage HPA followed by detailed airfoils even at low angles of attack and low
design, providing stability and control for com- Reynolds number flow. The lift enhancement of
peting in the Lasham Rally. Tailplane and rudder using suction control to reattach separated flow
sizing were calculated using volume coefficient was experimentally tested in the University of
method and positioned to minimise weight, drag Bath wind tunnel. A computational model in MAT-
and stick force. Control surfaces were then test- LAB was built using potential flow theory and
ed with different aerofoil sections using Xflr5 at conformal mapping which produced flow visuali-
cruise conditions to minimise drag. Final specifi- sation and lift coefficient results that agreed with
cation given for integration into the Human Pow- the experimental results.
ered Aircraft.
Henry Carr Oktay Cetinel

Supervisor: Prof. G Lock Supervisor: Dr I Turner
Film cooling of turbine blades Effects of Porosity on Mechanical Properties
of a Bone Substitute Material
This project involved the use of thermochromic
liquid crystals in order to produce flow visualisa- This dissertation was aimed to analyse the
tion of two different film cooling holes. The exper- BoneSave® granular material in terms of two dif-
iment was undertaken in the small wind tunnel at ferent porosity levels (25% and 50%) to examine
the university, with the film cooling holes being the variations in mechanical, mass and mor-
machined into a flat plate acting as one of the phological properties over 6 weeks immersion
wind tunnel walls. period. These aims were realised via compres-
sion testing, measures of mass change and
scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Overall, a
consistent level of superiority was maintained by
the 50% porosity granules in comparison to the
25% porosity in terms of mechanical characteris-
tics and structural features.
38

Dhruv Chandel Kieran Chandler
Supervisor: Dr P Iravani Supervisor: Mr R Valentine
Optical robotic CMM (Coordinate Measuring Developing a Low Cost Transporter for the
Machine) Domestic Cricket Market
A Coordinate Measuring Machine was created ‘Drop-in’ technology makes it possible to convert
using a consumer level DSLR camera and an traditional grass playing fields into pitches that
industrial six-axis KUKA robot. This system took are suitable for professional cricket. The drop-
pictures of an object from various angles and in pitches themselves are incredibly heavy and
generated a 3D point cloud by utilizing Stereo therefore require a custom machine, or trans-
Vision techniques. All this was implemented us- porter, to move them. The project involved the
ing custom-written software in C++ using the design of a low cost transporter including stress
OpenCV library and MATLAB/Simulink. The sys- testing and the production of a prototype. This
tem’s capability to optically measure objects on would be suitable for a wide range of customers,
the sub-millimetre level was successfully verified most notably locally at the Recreation Ground,
against physical measurements. Bath.
Timothy Chard Jack Chartres

Supervisor: Dr J Darling Supervisor: Prof. S Culley
Vibrations in passenger vehicles The creation and investigation of a mini
hybrid manufacturing machine
There are many different types of vibrations that
can occur in a passenger vehicle, with sources Additive manufacturing allows geometric com-
including the road input influencing the suspen- plexity but falls behind CNC machining in terms
sion, and the engine and its internal offset rotat- of part accuracy and surface finish. Combining
ing masses. In this project the vibrations in pas- additive and subtractive manufacturing on the
senger vehicles were simulated, measured and same platform maximises the advantages of
analysed. both processes as well as improving production
efficiency and reducing re-clamping errors. A
This involved creating computer models in Sim- Fused Filament Fabrication 3D printing extruder
ulink, using an accelerometer to measure the vi- was successfully retrofitted to a mini milling ma-
brations in vehicles on and off the road and using chine, the hybrid process was compared against
MATLAB to analyse the measurements. using the additive process alone and precision
applications were investigated.
Chi Cheung Dominic Choi

Supervisor: Dr M McManus Supervisor: Dr M Meo
Top level assessment of combined heat and Smart materials for impact and acoustic
power systems to support the operation of a properties enhancement
plastics recycling plant.
This study investigates the method of applying
In conjunction with the Plastic Economy Ltd, a single layer of shear thickening fluid (STF)
this project assessed the suitability of utilizing a between the pre-impregnated carbon fibre rein-
combined heat and power system to provide the forced polymers (Prepreg CFRP) as a toughen-
necessary electricity and heat to support the oping system to improve the impact properties from
erations of a plastics recycling plant in the Philip- a low velocity impact.
pines.
Result shows that upon impact, the energy is
absorbed by the STF applied on the 2nd ply of
the laminate from the impact surface, and the
delamination were consequently reduced.
39

David Clarke Elliott Compton
Supervisor: Prof. A Plummer Supervisor: Dr C Courtney
Energy-efficient control of a hydraulic robot
arm Experimental Demonstration of Acoustic
Black Hole
An energy-efficient hydraulic system has
been designed at the University of Bath. This Astronomical black holes are widely renowned;
utilises a real-time controller to achieve the their immense mass traps anything that goes
required actuator motion without wasting flow. near it, even light. Acoustic black holes, in-
This controller requires accurate information stead of matter and light, absorb incident wave
about the loading on the system. To have energy. A two dimensional acoustic black hole
more useful applications, the controller needs can be created by varying the local thickness of
to cope without initially knowing the load act- the plate. As a plate gets thinner the velocity of
ing on the system. This research looked at waves that travel through it reduces. It is, in the-
ways to estimate the loads on the system, al- ory, possible to reduce these waves to velocity
lowing for an accurate response to a demand zero, damping the vibration.
signal.
Laura Cunliffe Konstantinos Deligiannis Barmpalias

Supervisors: Prof. S Newman/Dr. A Shokrani Supervisor: Dr M McManus
Evaluation of Power Consumption in CNC Whole Systems Analysis of local Anaerobic
Machining for Energy Efficient Process Plan- Digestion Plant
ning
This study set out to assess the environmental
This research determined the most sustainable impacts associated with the industrial scale An-
machining parameters with key performance in- aerobic Digestion of food waste, in the context
dicators power consumption and surface rough- of a facility being built near Keynsham, and pro-
ness. Experiments were carried out on alumini- pose improvements to the developers. Life Cycle
um due to its prevalent use in the manufacturing Assessment (LCA) methodology and computa-
industry. A better surface finish with maximum tional LCA software were employed to determine
MRR was found to be achievable with a small those impacts. It was established that it is of out-
radial depth of cut and large axial depth of cut. most importance to employ gas-tight digestate
Furthermore, increasing MRR reduces energy storage tanks and to minimise fugitive methane
consumption for most parameters, but does not emissions from the digestion process.
hold for axial depths of cut.
James Douglas Sebastian East

Supervisors: Dr M Carley/Dr J Cunningham Supervisor: Dr P Iravani
Structural Optimisation and Analysis of a Simulations of a prosthetic foot
Twin-Fuselage Human Powered Aircraft
Prostheses have historically been developed
The low power-to-weight ratio of the human body through trial-and-error clinical trials, from which
is what makes achieving human powered flight the results are inherently subjective. Therefore,
such a challenge. This project examines the mathematical modelling is being investigated as
structural advantages that come with designing a method of analysing prosthetic concepts to
an aircraft for two pilots sitting in two separate fu- obtain empirical data. During this project a dis-
selages. A static aeroelastic model is presented crete multi-element model of a commercially
to determine a structurally optimised wing config- available prosthetic foot was created, and na-
uration. Due to the ability to adjust the distance lysed as part of simulations of a human gait.
between the two pilots, the twin-fuselage concept Stable walking patterns were found in greement
benefits from significantly reduced stresses in the with the literature, through genetic optimisation
main wing. of the initial conditions.
40

Michael Evans Elis Evans
Supervisor: Dr C Bannister Supervisor: Dr A Nassehi
Management of elevated operating tem- Self-Programming Lathe
peratures in high performance engines
This project investigated the issues of creat-
Heat rejection, vehicle efficiency, and engine ing a self-programming lathe. This involves us-
performance are all areas of modern vehicles ing Artificial Intelligence to generate tool paths
influenced by the temperature of the coolant. and make key process planning decisions. The
This project, part of a collaboration between subfield of Evolutionary Computing was used
Jaguar Land Rover and the University of Bath, to generate tool paths for turning simple parts.
examined the impact of a 15°C increase in A program was then written that used Genetic
coolant temperature on vehicle performance. Algorithms to create toolpaths with moderate
This work looked at the impact of various cool- success. Further development of the program
ant system modifications and cooling strate- could integrate more advanced AI techniques
gies on mitigating known failures associated and more process planning decisions, like feeds
with elevated temperatures. and speeds.
Kieran Evans Jonathan Faulkner

Supervisor: Prof. A Plummer Supervisor: Dr C Bannister
Flying robot manipulators Evaluating the impact of driving style on ve-
hicle fuel consumption and emissions during
The aim of this project was to produce a com- real-world driving
puter simulation of a quadcopter with a robot arm
attachment. This Simulink model was required to An evaluation of how driver inputs influence
include control such that the quadcopter remains the fuel economy and emissions of vehicles.
in the same position during robot arm manoeu- The study focuses on the controlled environ-
vres. ment of the New European Drive Cycle before
extrapolating the learnings to the real world and
investigating whether this cycle is representative
of real-world driving. Efficiency measures and
metrics are created to be able to qualify different
drivers based on their efficiency and these are
also compared between the two scenarios.
Helle Flom Ross Freeguard

Supervisor: Mr M Ould Supervisors: Prof. S Culley/Prof G Jones
The Role of Problem-Solving Style Prefer- Design and Observation Laboratory – Set-
ences in Design Decision-Making ting up and experiments
This project investigates the impact decision This project set out with two aims. The first was
making has on the engineering design process, if to create a set of instructions for the Design and
psychometric testing can be used to predict prob- Observation Laboratory at the University of Bath.
lem solving styles, and if certain problem solving These instructions would allow the facility to in-
styles are better suited for certain parts of the crease its participation in design research. The
design process. A design experiment was carried second was to repeat a design study conducted
out in five sessions which were all video record- by Edward Elias, which involved introducing in-
ed. The videos were analysed, then compared to formation in different formats to five teams and
the expected outcome. analysing the impact of this information on the
outcomes of the study.
41

Oliver Gallop Liam Glen
Dr C Copeland Supervisor: Dr A Rhead
Simulation of a micro-gas turbine electric Impact Damage Formation in Composite
vehicle range extender Laminates
The project aimed to model the performance of An analytical model was developed to pre-
a micro-gas turbine for use as an electric vehicle dict delamination initiation and growth within a
range extender, through the use of 2D simula- [04/904]s carbon-epoxy laminate, with clamped
tion software, GT Power. The primary aim was to circular boundary conditions. The model was
explore the system thermal efficiency and power validated through a series of quasi-static in-
density of multiple configurations, which include dentations tests, with delamination growth as-
a single shaft, twin shaft and mirror gas turbine sessed using both c-scans and CT. Assuming
designs. The performance benefits through use mode I fracture, lower delamination area was
of heat exchanger technologies, in the form of re- found to be under predicted by 15% up to the
cuperators and intercoolers, were also explored. critical propagation load. Upper delamination
area was found to be over predicted by the model.
Gavin Grant Enrique Gutierrez Llaser

Supervisor: Dr J Darling Supervisor: Dr C Sangan
Simulation of a FS car for suspension tuning Autonomous UAV: Optimal Propulsion
and optimisation
The UoB Stingray UAV taking part in the IMechE
A full vehicle simulation software, IPG Formula UAS challenge requires of an optimal propul-
Carmaker, was used to create a model of Team sion system. With most of the propulsion system
Bath Racing’s 2014 entry to the Formula Stu- components already identified, the process was
dent competition, TBR14. Real world testing of focused on the selection of an optimal propeller.
TBR14 was carried out at Colerne airfield, the This was achieved through the design of a range
model was validated against this collected data of propellers tailored to the UAV performance
with an error limited to <4%. This model was requirements, manufactured using a Synthetic
then used to investigate the effect of roll centre Laser Sintering method (3D Printed) and experi-
height and suspension tuneable variation on mentally validated using the open jet wind tun-
the handling characteristic of the vehicle. nel.
Matthew Hale Douglas Hardman

Supervisor: Dr A Hillis Supervisor: Dr C Courtney
Model-in-the-loop Simulation of a Wave Using ultrasound to create configurable sea
Energy Converter floors
Wave energy converters are a relatively under- Ultrasound is an incredibly important piece of
developed technology which could make a technology that has a variety of applications.
significant zero-carbon contribution to the UK’s Testing it requires real life scenario conditions.
energy needs. To assist in future development, Oceans have rippled bases generated by cur-
without the expense of wave tank testing, a rents. The aim was to generate the acoustic ra-
model-in-the-loop system was created. In this diation force via ultrasound to manipulate parti-
system, the waves and hydrodynamics are sim- cles within a tank into various ripple formations.
ulated in software, and the motion applied to a Two opposing ultrasound generators (transduc-
physical Power Take-Off device. Force measure- ers) were placed within a tank to form a stand-
ment is fed back into the hydrodynamic model in ing wave. Particles were manipulated towards
real time, creating a closed loop system. the pressure nodes and fell to the base in ripple
patterns.
42

Tomos Harris Benjamin Harwood
Supervisor: Prof. I Gursul Supervisor: Prof. A Miles
Modelling the vortex wake of oscillating Biomechanics of the Patellofemoral Joint
wings Following Total Knee Arthroplasty
Flapping wings have evolved convergently in The knee rig at Bath currently utilises single axis
nature, producing large increases in lift coef- measurement of the patellofemoral joint reac-
ficient compared to that of conventional aircraft tion force. The project investigated the accuracy
wings. An interesting behaviour for a purely of this technique by comparing the measured
plunging wing is that the wake will produce a results against the forces calculated by two mod-
steadily deflected jet, either upwards or down- els. The measured patellofemoral joint reaction
wards, along with a correspondingly large force differed from both models by a statistically
increase in coefficient of lift. This project aims to significant amount, indicating the measurement
model this behaviour in MATLAB in order to ex- axis was not aligned with the resultant force axis.
plore the parameters governing the onset of this
bifurcation.
Way Ping Heng Megan Henson

Supervisor: Dr D N Johnston Supervisor: Prof. S Culley
Measurement of flow ripple in hydraulic The Optimisation of the Flexible Die Cut-
pump ting Process for the Production of Fuel Cell
Elements
This project aims to compare the current British
Standard for measurement of fluid-borne noise This project looked at improving the kiss cutting
characteristics of hydraulic pumps, known as process used by JMFC so they become capa-
the ‘secondary source’ method, with a method ble of meeting their high volume requirements.
known as the ‘two pressures/two systems’ meth- Investigative and experimental work highlighted
od in terms of their reliability, repeatability and the need for a reduction in waste. Alterations to
accuracy. The paper proposing this method sug- the pack material addressed this issue while the
gested that it is much simpler to implement and use of a venturi vacuum unit meant that the waste
may have superior accuracy over the secondary removal process was automated and could be
source technique. Both methods are tested un- completed simultaneously to another process.
der the same test conditions and also simulated The proposed process is 58% more efficient.
with Matlab Simulink models to aid the compari-
son process.
Wendel Hortop Lauren Hucker
Supervisor: Dr L Newnes Supervisor: Prof. PG Maropoulos
Investigate the use of adaptive networks in Design for Verification
cost estimating
The aim of this project was to provide a frame-
Defence equipment is increasingly being pro- work to help meet the verification needs of indus-
vided through “Contracting for Availability” try. By reviewing the salient literature and using
agreements, leading to the need for a new way case studies, it was possible to classify Design
of thinking about the costs of providing such for Verification, develop a framework and eval-
equipment. Adaptive networks is a method uate this. The result was a DFV flowchart that
of analysing systems with the aim of captur- enabled the designing of turned components.
ing the changes which can occur within and There are limitations to this proposed framework
could be used to quantify some cost elements but it provides a good starting point for further
which are traditionally overlooked. This re- research.
search tests this theory through the example
of the supply of Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft.
43

Natalie James Georgina James
Supervisor: Dr C Courtney Supervisor: Dr V Dhokia
Characterising the material properties of liv- The Digital Obeya
ing cells without touching them
A project undertaking work that looks at the
Detecting unhealthy cells is of great use to the possbilitiy of creating a Digital Tool based on
medical sector. These cells are stiffer than nor- the principles behind the concept of the Obeya.
mal cells so manipulating them to find the stiff- The program is intended to be used by small
ness would be beneficial. to medium enterprises and aims to benefit
decision making, communication and team
Acoustic waves were used to deform polysty- management.A foundation for more research
rene beads and zebrafish eggs. A test rig was was built from creating a Mock Interface, using
built and a driver sent an ultrasonic sinusoidal Macros in Excel and generating Universal Mod-
signal to oscillate a transducer with the sample elling Language Diagrams.
attached. Some refinement would be needed
in future, but there were visible changes in the
particles.
Jayna Jogia Matthew Jones

Supervisor: Dr S Gheduzzi Supervisor: Dr V Dhokia
Investigation of Chip Size and Fluid Phase Design of a termperature controlled RepRap
on the Behaviour of Impacted Bone Graft. environment for warping reduction
Identifying vegetable margarine and Sawbones® A temperature-controlled enclosure was de-

as experimental substitutes for bone marrow and signed and tested for a low cost RepRap 3D
cancellous bone respectively, experimental anal- printer; the aim was to control thermally induced
ysis was performed to identify the visco-elastic warping of plastic parts, bridging the gap with
and plastic properties of impacted bone graft. vastly more costly commercial FDM machines.
Including fluid increases compaction, reduces The enclosure was effective at reducing variation
plastic strain and has no effect on elasticity due in warping behaviour. Further work is required in
to the prevention of pore collapse and reduced order to reduce the average magnitude of warp-
friction. Increasing particle size reduces coming.
paction, elastic strain, plastic strain and stiffness
due to the preservation of the particle’s internal
structure.
Oliver Jones Edward Joyce

Supervisor: Prof. S Newman Supervisor: Dr J Roesner
An investigation into the optimisation of Improving Efficiency of Forklift Trucks
machining environments for the milling of
magnesium alloy ZE41 In conjunction with NACCO Materials Handling
Group (NMHG), this project has been carried
The machining of magnesium alloys can be out to investigate ways to reduce the energy us-
troublesome due to flammability and corrosion
age of forklift trucks. A baseline model of one of
issues. The aim of the project was to test the ef-
fect of different machining environments on the NMHG’s vehicles was created in MATLAB Sim-
milling performance of aerospace alloy magne- scape, and modifications applied to try to find
sium ZE41. The environments tested were: mini- ways to improve efficiency. It was found that a
mum quantity lubrication (MQL), dry, air cooled, hydraulic motor in the lift line could be used to
and cryogenically cooled. MQL and cryogenic capture the load’s potential energy, with signifi-
environments improved the surface finish, and cant reductions in energy consumption.
reduced tool wear over dry machining; reduc-
ing potential for corrosion, and reducing tooling
costs.
44

Orestis Katsoulas Matthew Kemp
Supervisor: Dr S Akehurst Supervisor: Dr T Dodwell
An Investigation of Pre and Post Catalytic Modelling crack propagation in composite
Exhaust Gas Recirculation on Combustion materials using Peridynamics
Performance.
Peridynamics is an family of computational
An investigation was conducted on the compari- methods useful for modelling crack propa-
son between pre and post catalytic exhaust gas gation simply and with relatively few special
recirculation (EGR). Focus was set on the added criteria compared to the finite element method.
calorific content, added specific heat capacity This project involved the implementation of a
and their influence on peak knock pressures. peridynamic solver in MATLAB and verification
It was found that non-catalytic EGR generated of the mechanical behaviour of 1D and 2D
higher energy values compared to catalysed
peridynamic models. Further work included
exhaust gases, as well as decreasing the brake
the implementation of anisotropic and inho-
specific fuel consumption. Values of specific
heat capacities did not vary significantly between mogeneous material models and attempts to
the two types of EGR configurations. capture the behaviour of composite materials
in larger peridynamic simulations.
Ian Knowles Andrew La Marche
Supervisor: Dr S Cayzer Supervisor: Dr M Ansell
To what extent will the government’s housing Development of magnesium alloy body
proposal ‘Laying the Foundations’ affect the panels
UK’s legally binding climate change targets?
A research and development project to under-
With the domestic housing sector accounting stand the feasibility of producing magnesium
for 23% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emis- alloy panels for McLaren Automotive. Simulation
sions, it is important to understand how the analysis took place in the form of pedestrian head
construction of 232,000 new homes per annum impact and dentability testing. Forming simulation
will impact the UK’s emission target. Unfortu- was performed on the McLaren 570S Rear Deck
nately the outcome is bleak. The domestic panels before full scale parts were manufactured.
sector will fail to meet its emission reduction tar- Tensile tests at elevated temperatures were con-
gets by 56-63% if existing trends continue and ducted on magnesium and aluminum samples.
new homes are built. This outcome is irrespec- The project was a success, resulting in a 30%
tive of ‘Laying the Foundations’ ever coming to weight saving compared to aluminum.
fruition.
Joshua Lane Alexander Lee

Supervisor: Dr M Wilson Supervisor: Prof. R Butler
Reintroduction of Supersonic Passenger Air The comparison of failure modes of impact
Travel and lightning damage to composite lami-
nates
The feasibility of mass passenger supersonic air
travel has been plagued in the past by concerns An area of concern for the increased use of
surrounding safety, cost and the environment. composites within new aircraft, such as the Air-
This project has sought to establish the nature bus A350 and Boeing 787, is the risk of the dra-
of the next generation of supersonic airliner. matically reduced load-carrying capability when
The main objective has been to conclude if damaged. A unique damage risk to aircraft is
fuel economy and ticket price on a supersonic that from a lightning strike. This project looked
aircraft could ever compete with that of a sub- to improve our understanding into how lightning
sonic aircraft. Extensive numerical modelling in damage effected both the buckling and failure
MATLAB was required throughout. modes of carbon/epoxy composites, with impact
damage being used as a means of comparison.
45

Daniel Yi Rong Lee Joshua Lewis
Supervisor: Dr Andrew T Rhead Supervisor: Dr S Akehurst
Thin Foam Layers for Improved Performance Modelling Advanced Transmission Concepts
of Laminated Aerospace Composites
This project involved modelling a wet clutch for
Aircraft with composites are prone to low veloc- a Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT) system for an
ity impact loading, causing barely visible impact off-road vehicle on Simulink. The final model in-
damage. The use of thin foam layers in Carbon cluded factors such as hydrodynamic squeeze
Fibre Reinforced Plastics composite laminate forces, different lubrication regimes, cavitation,
was investigated to determine their effects on heat generated due to clutch slip, heating of the
damage resistance and damage tolerance. transmission oil and resultant changes in fluid
Non-destructive testing conducted showed that viscosity, variations in kinetic friction with slip ve-
composite laminates with foam layers performed locity and the locking and unlocking of the clutch
poorly in damage resistance, exhibiting larger plates. The model can function as a design tool.
delamination sizes and diameters. Compression
after impact test showed a significant reduction
in residual strength of the composite.
Alexander Lewis James Lilburne

Supervisor: Rod Valentine Supervisor: Dr C Bannister
Drop-In Cricket Pitch Transporter Prototyp- Assessing the impact of novel fuels on the
ing performance and emissions of a gas turbine
engine
Drop-In Pitch’s are an increasing popular meth-
od of ensuring a high quality playing surface in Originally by means of experimentation, the aim
World Cricket. However, due to high costs there of the project was to assess the impact of novel
is currently no Drop-In system suitable for the fuels on the performance and emissions of a
British market. This project aims to create a low gas turbine engine. Owing to irreparable dam-
cost Drop-In Pitch Transporter by splitting the age sustained by the engine attributed to a loose
wicket into four portable sections. The design is sensor, the aim was altered to ‘computationally
based on a double A-Frame and was tested, re- predict’ rather than ‘experimentally assess’ the
designed and strengthened before the creation performance and emissions. Based purely on
of a scaled working prototype. the two aforementioned parameters, it was found
that a number of novel fuels had scope for future
aviation propulsion applications.
Anna Lockett Peter Mack

Supervisor: Prof. S Culley Supervisor: Mr A Green
Infographics for Engineering Design infor- Improvement of the Team Green Vehicle
mation Engine Performance Using Ricardo WAVE
and Experimental Testing
Infographics are claimed to rapidly transfer infor-
mation when compared to plain text. This project Team Green has been competing in Eco-
investigated the role of infographics in engineer- Marathon’s as part of the University of Bath
ing design information and viability from a busi- since 1996, and has achieved a record fuel con-
ness perspective – in collaboration with Airbus. sumption of 6603 MPG. In this project a Ricardo
The results of experiments using EN ISO infor- WAVE model was developed and used to ana-
mation indicated that infographics could signifi- lyse the vehicles engine. Breathing modifications
cantly improve information retention. Qualitative to improve efficiency were identified and imple-
feedback from Airbus revealed that, in the future, mented, and experimental testing indicated an
infographics would be a viable way to summa- improvement between 2 - 9 % was achieved.
rise long documents to improve productivity in Modifications to the vehicle transmission were
the engineering industry. also proposed, yielding a further 2 - 3 % im-
provement.
46

Edward Mason Richard Matthews
Supervisor: Mr A Green Supervisor: Dr D N Johnston
Improvement of Team Green vehicle through Measuring the speed of sound in hydraulic
use of cast iron ringless piston fluids
A ringless piston design was considered for the This project involved the comparison of the two
University of Bath Team Green Eco Marathon methods for measuring the speed of sound in
vehicle, in an effort to improve the fuel efficiency hydraulic fluids detailed in the ISO standard ISO
of the engine – via reductions in contact fric- 15086-2:2000. A series of experiments were
tion between barrel and piston. An FEA model conducted to establish whether the standards
was developed from experimental data, in order provided consistent results, both in repeated ex-
to predict thermal expansion of the piston as it periments and in comparison to each other. The
accelerates and decelerates during an engine project was extended for one of the methods in
burn. Following this, a piston was subsequently order to investigate the effects that entrained air
designed, manufactured and tested within the had on the fluid properties of the oil.
vehicle.
Alexander Matthews Martin Mciver

Supervisor: Mr M Ould Supervisor: Dr A Nassehi
Investigation into Teamwork Effectiveness
in International Engineering Organisations: Investigating the use of performance man-
How Team Dislocation and Cultural Variety agement systems in SMEs
Affects Team Working and Decision Making
Effectiveness This project was focused on investigating how
performance management systems are used in
Significant advances in information technologies small-medium sized enterprises, compared to
have opened up a global marketplace, mean- larger companies. The project took place in con-
ing engineering organisations must go global to junction with Westcut Engineering, a local SME
remain competitive. Consequently, engineering which specialises in using modern technology to
project teams have become dislocated interna- produce a wide range of components in many
tionally, increasing the difficulty of fundamental different materials for all applications. The pro-
team processes such as coordination and com- ject found that SMEs can make good use of per-
munication, reducing the likelihood of team goals formance management systems, but that they
being met. This project aims to develop better face significant challenges implementing and
team working and decision making processes using them.
applicable to dislocated engineering teams
based on current academic recommendations.
Simon McKinney Christopher Meehan

Supervisor: Prof. P Keogh Supervisor: Dr C Sangan
Laboratory based study into High Frequency An investigation into vapourchromic materi-
Torsional Oscillation in Drill Strings als for Gas Turbine Research
The project established an experimental model In gas turbine engines, ingestion is a phe-
of a Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA) used in drill- nomenon in which hot mainstream gases
ing for Oil and Gas using Froude scaling in order enter the wheel space between the stator and
to further understand a recently unknown phe- rotor disks. Current methods exist that attempt
nomenon: High Frequency Torsional Oscillation. to quantify the degree of ingress in order to pre-
The model was a simple outline of a real BHA dict the required sealing flow. This project in-
and showed HFTO occurring at conditions cor- vestigates Vapochromic Crystals, which change
roborated by literature, but also went further to colour as a function of humidity, and assesses
investigate the effect of damping to decouple their suitability as an alternative technique in gas
these oscillations from the rest of the drill string. turbine research, allowing for more accurate pre-
dictions related to ingestion.
47

Evangelos Menelaou Jonathan Mitton
Supervisor: Dr M Ansell Supervisor: Prof. A Miles
Mechanical properties of adhesively bonded Stability of press fit acetabular cups in total
timber joints hip replacement under dynamic flexion load-
ing
Finger joints are end joints that are used to con-
nect timber pieces together. This project exam- This project looked at the comparative stability of
ines the mechanical properties of adhesively acetabular cups when loaded dynamically with
bonded finger joints and examines how different and without a fibrous tissue analogue layer be-
factors affect these properties. The factors that tween the prosthesis and the synthetic biome-
were examined were the sample orientation, chanical bone model. Comparisons were also
bonding pressure and adhesive type. Numer- made to previous static loading studies using tis-
ous samples were created and tested in 4-point sue analogues to investigate whether the move-
bending, compression and tension. Afterwards, ment experienced by the implant is effected by
the microstructure of the samples was examined the introduction of dynamic loading.
using an electron microscope.
Mohd Zulazam Mohd Zainul Arifien James Payne

Supervisor: Dr M Carley Supervisor: Dr C Copeland
Modelling the flow around ammonoids Influence of cylinder deactivation on turbo-
charger turbine performance
This report details the methods and results of
modelling the flow around ammonoid using Cylinder Deactivation is a relatively new fuel
OpenFOAM, a CFD package. It was carried saving technology that reduces the effective
out with the aim to use engineering methods to capacity of an IC engine in order to reduce throt-
provide data which might offer insights on evo- tling losses at part-load. This technology changes the
lution and diversity of the ammonoids. A geom- exhaust characteristics of an engine greatly, and
etry was generated by mathematical functions therefore will impact on any exhaust driven tur-
using Gmsh and simulations were carried out bines. The effects on parameters such as Turbine
from Reynolds Number of 10 to 3000. Velocity Isentropic Efficiency and Power were identified
contours, and drag, lift, and moment coefficients and investigated using 1-Dimensional wave action
were investigated. software with models of a 4 cylinder downsized
engine.
Hashan Peiris Toby Phillips

Supervisor: Prof. P Keogh Supervisor: Prof. C Bowen
Controller Design for rotor magnetic bearing Enhancing the secondary pyroelectric effect
systems with multi-physics sensing arrays for energy harvesting
Conventional rotor magnetic bearing systems A pyroelectric material generates an electrical

rely on feedback of rotor displacement signals to potential through changes in both temperature
minimize vibration caused by resonance. How- (primary pyroelectric effect) and strain (second-
ever, due to rotor bending, sensors placed out- ary pyroelectric effect). This electrical potential
side the bearing stator often log measurements can be harvested to produce power (milli to mi-
different to those at the centre of the bearing. crowatt range). This project set out to determine
This project investigates the effectiveness of whether the secondary pyroelectric effect could
an array of physical senses to improve control be enhanced by bonding a pyroelectric material
system performance. A novel piezo actuation to a bistable laminate, a material which exhibits
device is used to apply controlled forces without thermally induced strain, using experimental and
introducing electromagnetic interference to the theoretical methods.
system.
48

Sean Phillips Thomas Pierce
Supervisor: Dr A Nassehi Supervisors: Dr M Carley / Dr J Cunningham
Investigating the use of visual control Propulsion of the Human Powered Aircraft
boards to maximise workflow through a
machine shop. The project looks into two aspects of the propul-
sion: the propeller and the drive train. It aims
Manufacturing companies constantly strive for to optimize a propeller for the speed and thrust
maximum efficiency. One of the key enablers to needed for this type of aircraft using specific soft-
achieving this is the reduction and elimination ware. While it also investigates, through experi-
of waste. This project works with Westcut En- mentation, the efficiencies of transmitting pedal
gineering, a specialist toolmaker. The aim was power to the propeller. The outcome is a total ef-
to design a visual control board that not only re- ficiency for a system, which will be used on the
duced the time wasted during each job but also final build for the Icarus Cup 2015.
ensured that the work of highest priority to the
business was completed first, rather than the
jobs the operators wanted to do.
Harish Rama Katrina Reynolds

Supervisor: Dr M Meo Supervisor: Dr M Ansell
Impact damage on an Agusta Westland blade Photocatalytic coatings for improving indoor
air quality
Helicopter blades are subject to a wide range of
impacts, both in flight and on the ground. In order In line with the ECO-SEE collaboration project,
to assess the severity of such impacts, a meth- this study aimed to develop a coating to remove
odology which accurately determines the impact pollutants from air through the mechanism
location is first required. This project proposes of photocatalytic oxidation and subsequently
a new methodology which makes it possible to develop a short duration test for photocatalytic
accurately locate impacts within the region of an activity. Three commercially available titanium
isotropic structure. Experimental and numerical dioxide products were incorporated into polyure-
testing was completed, whilst impacts were lo- thane-based coatings which were characterised
calised to within 15mm of their actual location. using microscopy techniques and subsequently
tested for photocatalytic potential using three
experimental methods; methylene blue tests,
residual gas analysis and colour analysis of
photocatalytic indicator inks.
Luis Rodriguez De La Oliva Hannah Rose

Supervisor: Dr M McManus Supervisor: Prof. R Gill
House-building: a route to a greener future? Fixing broken hips: nailing vs plating
The anthropogenic effect of Climate Change is There are around 65,000 hip fractures each year
undeniable. With stringent energy and Green- in the UK and the cost of treatment is largely de-
house Gas emission targets at national, EU and pendent on the correct choice of fracture fixation
global levels, it is essential to find ways to reduce device. This project aimed to determine whether
the UK’s carbon footprint. The housing industry there are any biomechanical differences in the
is responsible for a quarter of the country’s GHG effects of extramedullary and intramedullary
emissions, and a third of the total energy con- fixation devices when used in the unstable in-
sumption. With an annual target to build 240,000 tertrochanteric fracture type AO/OTA 31.A2. This
houses, this project explored ways of reducing study used both computational Finite Element
the impact from these new dwellings. Analysis and experimental testing on composite
bones to achieve this aim.
49

Clayton Rossiter Mohd Hakim Bin Samsudin
Supervisor: Dr R Ngwompo Supervisor: Dr D N Johnston
Modelling and performance assessment of Investigation of a switched inertance hy-
an energy regenerative actuator draulic system
Energy recovery is increasing in demand as it A switched inertance hydraulic system (SIHS) is

reduces operating costs, decreases required an alternative method of controlling flow instead
power supply, while maintaining performance of the conventional method of using valves to
standards. Actuator models were produced and throttle the flow in a hydraulic system. Two con-
tested using positional and force input stimuli. figurations of SIHS are flow booster mode which
This compared its performance against con- can boost the output flow and pressure booster
ventional actuators and sought to maximise the mode which can boost the output pressure. The
recovery capacity of the energy regenerative system makes use of the inductive effect of a
actuator. To investigate its viability using small diameter line and fast switching between
commercially available servovalves, the models the supply and delivery ports.
were tested across a range of valve frequen-
cies and the associated energy dissipation was
evaluated.
Ben Sanderson Alexander Sanins

Supervisor: Dr L Newnes Supervisor: Prof. P Keogh
Assessing Perceived Value of Mobile An Investigation into the Static Behaviour of
Phones a Drill String Section & the Onset of Dynam-
ic Instability
It is important for companies to know what
factors their potential customers consider to Drill strings are long and thin structures which
add the most value to their products, in order are used to drill for oil and gas. The bottom hole
to design them to be of high value. This var- assembly (BHA) is used to steer the drill string
ies across demographics, allowing for market and cut through the rock. Dynamic instability in
segmentation through a number of products. the BHA can be a source of equipment failure,
Wealthier people prefer expensive luxury prod- resulting in costly downtime for operators. By
ucts, whereas younger people prefer multi- creating a finite element model this project looks
functional products, showing the opportunity to into the static behaviour of the BHA and the on-
design several products specific to the audience set of dynamic instability.
they are targeting, in order to maximise profit.
Meghan Silveira
Annarose Schild
Supervisor: Prof. GDL Lock
Supervisors: Dr J Cunningham/Prof. R Gill
Fluid dynamic and thermodynamic measure-
Determining the true cause of incomplete
ments in wind tunnel
ossificationin Springer Spaniels
This project aimed to investigate the effect of
Incomplete Ossification of the humeral condyle
boundary layers and heat transfer in turbu-
or IOHC is a condition that affects roughly 14%
lent conditions over the surface of a flat plate,
of English Springer Spaniels. IOHC is charac-
whilst also analysing the efficiency and suitabil-
terised by small fissures in the dog’s humerus
ity of infrared thermometers to measure surface
which leads to fractures but the cause of the
temperatures of a substrate. Experiments were
condition is unknown. This project looked into
conducted in a wind tunnel under controlled tran-
creating FEA models of Springer Spaniel humeri
sient conditions and the solution of Fourier’s 1D
to determine if the cause is biomechanical. This
equation was used to calculate the heat transfer
was achieved by scanning the bones, convert-
coefficient. Results were compared to theoretical
ing these scans into models and analysing the
correlations to investigate the accuracy and reli-
results.
ability of the results.
50

William Skinner Edvardas Skridaila
Supervisor: Dr IG Turner Supervisor: Dr G Owen
Ice composites Vehicle Dynamics of a 1954 Indycar: Vehicle
Handling Optimization through Simulation
In cold regions, ice is used for applications such
as roads, runways and sculptures. Its relative The project aim was to transform the handling
weakness and brittleness, however, mean that characteristics of a classic IndyCar vehicle to
large section thicknesses are often required to suit European road circuits. This was achieved
prevent failure. By reinforcing ice with fibrous through the handling analysis of steady state
materials, its strength and ductility can be im- models as well as dynamic computational mod-
proved but the reinforcing effects of different els. Using the results found, correlation between
fibre types is relatively unknown. In this project, known objective theories and subjective driver
the mechanical and thermal properties of ten ice feedback was made in order to finalize the solu-
composites with different fibre reinforcements tion and to further bridge the gap between objec-
were determined experimentally. tive theory and subjective driver feel in vehicle
dynamics.
James Sullivan Jonathan Swift

Supervisor: Dr CD Bannister Supervisor: Dr Z Wang
Evaluating the impact of environmental Unsteady aerodynamics of double-delta
conditions on vehicle fuel consumption and wings
emissions during real-world driving.
An experimental study was performed on a
To isolate the impact of environmental conditions 70°/50° double-delta wing in a water tunnel to
on vehicle emissions and fuel consumption, investigate the effect of applying a blowing jet
from other influential factors such as driver be- over the wing surface on the lift and rolling mo-
haviour, regression analysis was performed on ment generated. Blowing was applied at different
rolling road vehicle test results. Equations were angles of attack from a range of configurations.
developed to predict test emissions and fuel con- Blowing was most effective at 20° and 24° an-
sumption based on the ambient pressure, tem- gles of attack, starting at 60% chord, aimed di-
perature, and humidity, and were combined with rectly downstream through the strake vortex.
weather data from locations around Europe, to
demonstrate the expected variation in emissions
and fuel consumption due to the varied climates.
Reuben Thomas
Andrew Taylor
Supervisor: Prof. A Miles
Supervisor: Dr D N Johnston
Biomechanics of the knee joint
Dynamic response of complex passageways
in aircraft fuel metering units
Total Knee Replacement (TKR) is a highly suc-
cessful and effective operation for relief of pain
The dynamic response of a system such as a
and restoration of function to the knee joint, but
fuel metering unit is dependent on the inertance
until now, investigation of stress patterns in the
of the internal geometry. Inertance is difficult
tibia has been considerably simplified. This study
to calculate theoretically, while CFD modelling
investigated the effects of a more complete repli-
would normally require a complex turbulence
cation of the joint on principal strains at the bone
model. A new simpler method was proposed
surface, finding considerably different patterns
using laminar flow through a porous medium;
to those reported for simplified loading regimes
this technique has been used to understand the
which may hold implications for prosthesis de-
effect of typical passageway geometries on in-
sign.
ertance. By modelling the effect of bend radius
and different passageway intersections, correc-
tion factors for inertance have been calculated.
51

Kristoffer Thuesen Isabel Tiemann
Supervisors: Dr S Clift, / Dr J Cunningham Supervisor: Dr M McManus
Finite element analysis of a loose total hip LCA of a waste water treatment plant
replacement
This project uses Life Cycle Assessment to
Total hip replacement is the most common or- determine the overall impact of a Wastewater
thopaedic operation worldwide. Loosening of the Treatment Plant in Poole, Dorset. Using a whole
replacement is the most common long term is- systems approach the environmental impacts
sue. Current diagnostic methods are ineffective. over the life cycle of the plant are calculated, as
A method known as vibrometry is being explored well as analysis into areas where environmental
as an alternative method. The aim of this project improvements could be made in the future. The
was the build a finite element model to predict life cycle assessment tool, SimaPro, is used as
mode shapes and frequencies of loose and se- part of the analysis.
cure implants. The results show that vibrometry
is a possible solution with promising results.
Alessandra Verza Luca Volpe

Supervisor: Dr J Darling Supervisor: Dr RF Ngwompo
Structural Integrity of a Motorhome Body Modelling and Simulation of an Anaesthetic
Breathing System
The project looked at how introducing a slide out
compartment affected the structural integrity of a Anaesthetic breathing systems are used to pro-
motorhome body. The body material was tested vide anaesthesia for surgical procedures. The
to find its properties; the data was used to model ability to predict a patient’s response to anaes-
and analyse the current version of the body and thesia by using a mathematical model can lead to
the new design with an FEA software to iden- a better quality of care and recovery. The project
tify the main differences. The aim was to identify involved the creation of components in Simulink,
weak areas in the new design, suggest design such as a CO2 scrubber, which were validated
improvements and the location of additional against experimental data. These components
structural reinforcements. were used to create a standard anaesthetic cir-
cle system, whose results were compared to that
obtained by clinical trial.
Matthew Walsh Wojciech Wasinski

Supervisor: Mr J Barrie Supervisor: Dr D Cleaver
Biomimetics with application in the Human Autonomous UAV: Experimental structural
Powered Submarine study of the AUAV Aircraft
The aim of the project was to increase the per- The object of study - Stingray is an unmanned
formance of the Human Powered Submarine, autonomous aircraft concept developed by a
through the reduction of drag, by taking biomi- team of engineering students at the University
metic inspiration. Research was carried out into of Bath.
the drag coefficient of animals, promising forms
were replicated into hull and fin designs. The The subject of research is actual structural
models were run through simulation software strength, weight and durability of Stingray UAV
and results were validated through physical wings. Wings were manufactured from carbon
testing. The project found benefits in the replica- fibre reinforced plastic prepreg with use of nega-
tion of nature but due to inaccuracies there was tive CNC moulds. Static load destruction tests
minimal resistive force reduction. where then performed with Instron test machine
and DIC camera set to asses both strength and
skin buckling respectively.
52

Christopher Wheele Robert Wheeler
Supervisor: Dr C Sangan Supervisor: Dr D Cleaver
Demonstration of a novel infrared flow Jet Flaps for Unsteady Aerodynamic Loads
visualisation technique for visualising the Control
separation point over a cylinder
The unsteady aerodynamic loads caused by ver-
The project aim was to quantitatively investigate tical gusts of wind represent the highest loading
a novel IR flow visualisation technique for lo- situation for any aircraft. In an effort to reduce the
cating the separation point over a cylinder. The loads, and therefore allow for a weaker, lighter
entrainment of hot air, supplied by a heat wand structure, a novel jet flap system was studied.
positioned at the trailing edge, into the separated By drawing air from the leading edge’s pressure
boundary layer allowed the flow separation point surface, and ejecting it through a slot on the suc-
to be visualised with an IR camera. The tech- tion surface, reductions in lift of up to 22% were
nique was validated quantitatively by comparing observed during wind tunnel tests.
the IR images with pressure and drag data col-
lected with an unheated and heated cylinder.
Gregory Whitby Tom White

Supervisor: Dr A Nassehi Supervisor: Dr. Michael Carley
A system dynamics approach to investigat- Modelling the Stability of Ammonoid Motion
ing the deployment of domestic solar pho-
tovoltaics under a Feed-in Tariff subsidy This project applies engineering principles
mechanism to evolutionary biology to attempt an answer
to a long-standing scientific mystery. A great
This project was concerned with investigat- deal is known about the evolutionary history
ing the dynamic behaviour associated with the of the ammonoid: certain shell forms were
deployment of solar photovoltaics under the preferred in multiple independent evolution-
Feed-in Tariff, the primary renewable energy
incentive scheme for microgeneration technolo- ary events however the cause is currently un-
gies in Great Britain. Focussing on the domestic known. It is proposed that this was influenced
sector, a system dynamics model was developed by the effect of the shell on the ammonoid’s
that allowed a user to customise the conditions swimming. By adapting vehicle stability theo-
of the Feed-in Tariff in pursuit of specific policy ry, this hypothesis is tested and compared to
objectives relating to installed solar capacity and palaeontological data.
total subsidy expenditure.
Henry Wood Althea Yii

Supervisor: Dr S Macgregor Supervisor: Dr M Meo
Investigating the use of Supercritical Carbon Ultrasound imaging of an Airbus compos-
Dioxide thermodynamic cycles to extract en- ite aerospace structure
ergy from the exhaust gases of large marine
engines This project explored phased array pulse echo
ultrasound as an alternate non-destructive test-
Marine propulsion and l generation has seen some ing method for detecting barely visible impact
impressive efficiency gains in the past 50 years, damage in composite aerospace structures.
but mechanical efficiency limit has been reached. The primary aim was to develop an efficient and
A computer model to predict the amount of energy reliable phased array system to produce high
that can be recovered from the exhaust gases of quality scan images in the least costly and
using supercritical Carbon dioxide thermodynamic timely manner. The detection of nonlinear be-
cycles was built. It showed that 10% of the me- haviour in damaged composites was also con-
chanical engine power can be recovered as useful ducted using waveform generation and signal
work and that the system is technically feasible. processing through acoustic emission sensors.
53

Jibran Yousafzai Ruojia Yu
Supervisor: Dr CM Sangan Supervisor: Dr R Burke
Novel infra-red (IR) flow visualisation tech- Control of an advanced, transient turbo-
nique applied to an aerofoil charger test stand
The project involved designing an aerofoil and The digital control of a 2.2L 4 cylinders tur-
placing it in the wind tunnel, where tests were bocharged diesel engine, which simulated by
conducted on the performance characteristics of Ricardo WAVE and controlled by the Simulink.
the aerofoil. Then a heat source was introduced The control method include open-loop function,
and hot air was blown over the aerofoil. An in- closed-loop function and combined loop func-
frared camera was used to picture the variation tion. The control methods are able to control the
in heat along the aerofoil, hereby identifying the system in different way, by changing the operat-
location of the boundary layer separation point. ing condition and investigating the response of
system to different operating condition, which
present the real engine test stand response.
Moreover, it can carry out the system operating
limitation.
Huanan Zhao
Supervisor: Dr V Dhokia
A comparison of tool life and material remov-
al rate in the machining of Cobalt Chrome be-
tween MQL and Cryogenic cooling
As heat generation been the major cause of low

productivity on difficult-to-machine materials.
Conventional flooding method with oil or water
based cutting fluid has been used for decades
to lubricate the tool-workpiece interfaces and re-
ducing cutting zone temperature. However, with
the increasing demand on difficult-to-machine
materials, conventional flooding method cannot
longer achieve idea cooling & lubricating results
with take consideration of environments. This
project is aiming to discover new approaches on
machining environment.
Peter Alton Robert Ashburner

Supervisor: Dr G Owen, Supervisor: Dr K Robinson,
The Thermal Evaluation of a Formula Student Intake airflow optimisation for a Formula Stu-
Braking System” dent vehicle
This project aimed to assess the progression The aim of this project was to design an effec-
and deterioration of the braking performance of tive formula student intake, minimizing losses
a Formula Student car over the course of typical and maximising mass flow. Air filters, surface
Formula Student circuits. Empirically determined
relationships were developed from the running finish and geometry were all looked into. Initial
of TBR14, which formed the base of a MATLAB modelling was done using Ricardo Wave before
model which gave the ability to predict brake disc using ANSYS CFX was used to conduct CFD.
temperatures and therefore brake balance shifts. Prototypes were tested on a flow bench to vali-
This determined the optimal setup for best brak- date CFD results. The final design incorporates
ing performance and design changes that would Carbon fibre and 3d printed components, en-
yield performance gains. suring geometry is met at the minimum possible
weight.
54

William Charles Jocelyn Cheli
Supervisor: Dr R Burke Supervisor: Dr J Darling
Implementation and Optimisation of Control FS - vehicle dynamics simultion of a FS race
Strategies for a Throttle-by-Wire System of a car for chassis design optimisation
Formula Student Car
In the ever more competitive world of Formula
A first for Team Bath Racing, this project ex- Student racing it has become a necessity to
plores a Throttle-by-Wire system on one of have an accurate vehicle dynamics simulation
Team Bath Racing’s Formula Student cars. of the car that can be used to design the chas-
Electronic Throttle Control is used to decou- sis architecture and aerodynamics. This project
ple Pedal to Throttle position, with strategies of developed a simulation model of University of
Torque-Linearisation, Idle Control and Pedal to Bath car using IPG CarMaker. It was then cor-
Throttle mapping, to improve the vehicle per- related against track testing and a method was
formance. Future strategies in development in- established for experimenting with chassis
clude Auto-Blipping on downshifts and throttle parameters that enables the optimum design to
based Traction Control. be found.
Dequan Chen Mark Cooper
Supervisor: Dr MP Ansell Supervisor: Dr JL Cunningham
Natural Fibre Composite Seat for a For- Development and Verification of a Formula
Student Car CFD Model for Design of a New
mula Student Car Regulation Aerodynamics Package.
Team Bath Racing has been testing flax fibre The project developed a CFD model for the de-
composite materials for use in its seat for the sign of new aerodynamics for TBR15. A regu-
2015 race car. Flax fibres are an environmen- lation wing package was manufactured, and
tally friendly alternative to carbon fibre Com- measurements collected using track-testing
bined with a bio-based epoxy resin system. methods. Predicted drag and pressure showed
Our initial test specimens have come out with good correlation with the test data, verifying the
an excellent surface finish and early testing accuracy of the model. Additionally, the design
suggests comparable mechanical properties of the new aerodynamics package was docu-
to the glass fibre and will be a viable alterna- mented. The findings from this project will serve
tive to the carbon fibre used in last year’s car. as a guideline for future team members, aiding
Team Bath Racing are staying combustion the development of Team Bath Racing’s aero-
but going green! dynamic designs.
Toby Davies Oliver Dolbear

Supervisor: Prof. C Brace Supervisor: Prof. C Brace
Modelling, Testing and Optimisation of a Modelling, Validation & Optimisation of a
Formula Student CFRP Monocoque Formula Student Differential
A virtual model of the limited slip differential
A torsional stiffness test was done on the was created in Matlab, validated through
TBR15 Formula Student chassis. This was track testing and used to compare the availa-
then simulated on a finite element model, which
ble settings. The differential casing was mod-
corresponded to within 3% of the physical test
ified so that grub screws could be inserted in
results. . Composite optimisation software
was used to optimise the laminate design of
order to adjust the pre load torque. Lap times
the carbon fibre monocoque, achieving a 30% around the Formula Student skid pad track
increase in torsional stiffness for a 3kg weight were improved by 0.335s, enough to improve
gain. Full car simulation software was then Bath’s position from 9th to 1st at Silverstone
used to assess the performance gain for the in 2014.
optimised chassis.
55

Joshua Gillman Michael Graham
Supervisor: Dr K Robinson Supervisor: Dr G Owen
Development of Carbon Wishbones for a Tyre Selection and Formula Student Vehi-
Formula Student Car cle Setup from Experimental Data
This project focussed on developing a new set This project used vehicle testing to iden-
of suspension linkages for Team Bath Racing’s tify the performance differential between two
2015 car. The new solution looked to maximise
Hoosier tyres, and to identify the influence
stiffness and minimise the weight of these com-
of damper changes on vehicle handling and
ponents to improve performance. To achieve
this, a concept involving carbon tubes with
performance. On-board telemetry was used
bonded aluminium inserts was chosen. The to record vehicle data for analysis, and it was
solution was then designed and validated using identified that the wider tyre had a lateral grip
FEA, on car testing and sample testing. The advantage, but this did not benefit sprint track
final design gave a weight saving of more than performance. Damper changes were found
40%. to affect understeer by up to 13%, and re-
sponsiveness by up to 19%.
Benjamin Hansen] Kevin Johnson

Supervisor: Dr G Owen Supervisor: Mr A Green
Next generation upright design for FS Next generation composite impact attenua-
car tor for a FS racing car
The aim of this project was to utilise Direct Metal The design competition Formula Student re-
Laser Sintering of high strength Maraging steel quires every car to be equipped with an Impact
to generate a 30% weight saving over the previ- Attenuator (IA), which ensures the drivers safe-
ous generation upright design through a com- ty in case of an accident. The aim of this project
pletely hollow structure. A prototype design was was to produce the lightest IA in the history of
manufactured and tested; finding the design to Team Bath Racing. The result, a 24% weight
be comparable in stiffness to the previous gener- saving compared to the previous 2014 design.
ation whilst also proving sufficiently strong. The This was achieved through utilising high per-
final design has a finished weight of just 457g; formance carbon fiber and nomex honeycomb
a 27% saving over the previous generation core, arranged in a sandwich construction.
Thomas Peirson-Smith
Jake Reid
Supervisor: Dr S Akehurst
Fuel mixing and combustion optimisation Supervisor: Dr C Copeland
and understanding for Formula Student Turbocharger development and optimisa-
vehicle tion
This work looks into understanding the dif- The aim of this project was to turbocharge a
ference between running E85 (Ethanol) and single cylinder KTM 500 motocross engine
Gasoline fuel in a Formula Student Vehicle. for use within the University of Bath’s For-
The effect of fuel properties on engine per- mula Student car. This project required the
formance for both a naturally aspirated and design, manufacture and optimisation of all
turbocharged powertrain are analysed on a sub-systems required for the use of a turbo-
dynamometer with combustion analysis. A charger on a naturally aspirated engine. The
detailed look at abnormal combustion and main sub-systems were the Intake, Exhaust,
mixture preparation through split injection
Oil and Coolant systems. Alongside this an
was also carried out. The conclusion was
that E85 gave a performance benefit due to engine simulation was created and validated
higher latent heat of vaporisation and octane. using data from engine dynamometer testing.
56

Tom Stevens
Supervisor: Dr S Akehurst
Modelling and validation of a full FS racing
car powertrain
Team Bath Racing’s powertrain system is de-

veloped using 1-D engine simulation model-
ling. This project aims to identify which engine
parameters have the greatest impact on the
accuracy of a Ricardo Wave engine simulation
model, through experimental methods and com-
parisons to the in-house dynamometer. Aspects
of the real world engine such as friction, valve
flow coefficients and valve lift profiles were
experimentally measured, before their affects
on the performance curves of the simulation
model were determined.
Bruno Ainsworth Nicholas Avery

Supervisor: Dr T Adlam Supervisor: Dr N Johnston
Load Distribution System For Military Assault Novel variable displacement gerotor hy-
Vests draulic pump
The use of personal body armour in conjunction This project explores the feasibility of devel-
with heavy equipment carriage is a fundamental oping a variable displacement gear pump
part of active military service. Acute and long-term through the use of prototyping and testing.
injury has resulted from prolonged loading of the Gear pumps, although favourable due to their
shoulders and upper body, through the use of as- ruggedness, low cost and low complexity, are
not currently commercially available in vari-
sault vests. The task was to design a system that
able form. Therefore, the concepts presented
prevents the harmful upper body effects observed. may open new market avenues for them, with
Key design drivers were, robustness, mobility, user possible application areas including engine
size variation, weight and compatibility with other lubrication, steering, and simple motion con-
pieces of equipment. trol systems such as for small earth-moving
machinery.
Steven Brace Oliver Byrne

Supervisors: Dr S Gheduzzi & Prof. R Gill Supervisor: Prof. S Culley
Surgical tool for removal of femoral bone ce- A Novel Fall Arrest Device
ment
This aim of this project was to design a novel fall
The design for a bone-cement removal tool arrest device for a company called Latchways.
which utilises a chipping mechanism to break After extensive research and concept genera-
up the cement within the femoral cavity, was tion, a device that could be used absorb energy
successfully taken from conception through to and protect fall arrest systems from high peak
a working prototype. The device permits the loading was conceptualised. Main specification
removal of cement without risking damage to points included maintaining performance levels
surrounding bone by bracing itself on the cement
of current ‘sacrificial’ devices, whilst also being
mantle. Unlike traditional tools the device does
not require a through hole drilled in the cement reusable and configurable. The design solution
mantle tooperate. Consequently, risk of cortical is a compact, modular, hydraulics based device.
bone perforation during drilling is reduced.
57

Jack Carroll David Clare
Supervisor: Dr E Dekoninck Supervisor: Dr S McGregor
Meal Management for People with Dementia An Efficient Highly Portable Cooking
Solution
The aim of the project was to increase the nu-
tritional intake for people with dementia, helping In trekking and mountaineering the weight
them to live at home, independently, for longer. of equipment is of critical importance. An
The chosen concept consisted of two reminder
experiment showed that recent advances
devices and an eating detection mechanism.
in portable stove efficiency have come at
Development involved designing a reminder sys-
tem, carer interface and eating detection algo-
the cost of heavier equipment, leading to no
rithm. The final product solution was tested in two net weight saving. This project developed a
homes for week-long periods of time and was met radical alternative to the traditional camping
with varying success. stove, with the goal of meeting the high end
stoves on efficiency while being comparable
with low end stoves on mass.
Josh Evans Sachindra Gamage

Supervisor: Dr A Hunter Supervisor: Dr L Newnes
Action Camera Motion Control Device Life raft inflation system for marine applica-
tions
This device allows users to create visually in-
teresting footage by moving the camera along The objective of this project was to design a life
a user-defined motion path in a smooth and raft inflation device with greater reliability and
controlled fashion at a fractional cost of professional lower manufacturing and in-service costs over
systems. The product has been designed to func- current products. It incorporates innovative
tion in a wide range of environments (often remote) fully-autonomous optimal pressure mainte-
and is capable of operating on both taut ropes and nance - a feature unlike any currently avail-
rigid rails. Further developments include reducing able - the principles of which were proven to
camera vibration, the addition of wheels for mo- work through prototype testing. The design is
tion along smooth surfaces and weatherproofing. technically superior to its competitors. The
design makes use of OTS components to
lower costs and is more reliable due to mini-
mised wear.
Steven Goguelin
Harry Leeming
Supervisor: Prof. T Miles Supervisor: Prof. G Jones
Instrument for the Assembly of Modular Hip Headlight for Alta Motors
Stems
Alta Motors is an engineering company that
Instrument for the Assembly of Modular Hip designs electric motorbikes. In order to con-
Stems Synopsis:Fretting corrosion is a major is- vert their current off-road model for sale in
sue associated with improper assembly of mod- the road going market, the company required
ular hip stems. To solve this problem, a device a bespoke street legal headlight design. An
which can impart variable impact forces between optical design was pursued which included
2kN-8kN was designed. Development consisted LEDs and mini reflectors; this was validated
of a series of prototype iterations which incorpo- with a prototype. A full working prototype with
rated a number of mechanical design changes, a thermal and electrical design was also pro-
including integrating ergonomics into the device.
duced that met the stringent US regulations
A final working prototype was shown to produce
consistent impact forces and generate sufficient and Alta’s design specification.
taper connections between the femoral head and
neck.
58

Matthew-Ben Mccurrach Thomas Parsons
Supervisor: Dr E Dekoninck Supervisor: Prof.G Jones
Height Adjustable Desk for Educational In- Man Overboard Recovery Device
stitutions
The Man Overboard project aimed to produce a
Obesity among adolescents is a growing con- solution to quickly locate, capture and recover a
cern in many countries. Such health styles are person out of water into a yacht or small commer-
widely associated with increased risks of heart cial vessel. Although rare man overboard situa-
disease, musculoskeletal disorders etc. One so- tions can often be fatal especially in rough condi-
lution to aid in the battle against obesity is height tions and as such it is vital to retrieve the casualty
adjustable desks. Being able to stand whilst you from the water as quickly as possible. A novel so-
work, gets people moving and progressing on lution has been designed and prototyped and has
the path to a healthier lifestyle. the potential to save many lives at sea.
Oliver Pringle Katerina Prokopiou

Supervisors: Mr J Muelaner Supervisor: Prof. R Gill
Variable Ride Geometry Headset TopiPen
“Enduro” mountain bike racing is the ultimate The Topipen project focused around the design
test of a bike’s all round capabilities. The and development of a novel, dose-controlled ap-
rapid growth of the enduro racing scene has plicator for corticosteroid creams. The design aims
brought with it various technological advance- to improve the ease of treatment of dermatitis and
ments in order to allow a more efficient com- reduce commonly observed non-adherence. The
promise between downhill and cross country development process included research, require-
requirements. Bikes now feature hydraulically ment setting and conceptualisation as well as de-
adjustable seat-posts and suspension set- sign embodiment. The proposed solution employs
tings can be changed via remote. The aim of a positive displacement delivery system and a
this project was to design a means of altering bead-and-track dose-control mechanism that also
mountain bike trail and wheelbase whilst riding. provides haptic feedback to the user.
Tim Quigg Oliver Skittery

Supervisor: Prof.G Jones Supervisors: Dr D Cleaver/Dr A Rhead
Enhancing Knee Rehabilitation Leidenfrost Pump
With an initial aim to enhance rehabilita- The Leidenfrost effect occurs when a liquid droplet
tion following severe knee trauma or total in close proximity to a heated surface much hotter
knee replacement, project work focused on than the liquids boiling point causes it to levitate.
the development of a new device to moni- Furthermore, if the heated surface has an asym-
tor patient recovery. The developed product metric ratchet profile droplets can be propelled in
utilises remote sensors and a low-energy a controlled direction and even up inclines. The
Bluetooth connection to transmit captured aim of this project was to use this ratchet effect to
range of motion data to a bespoke Android design, manufacture and test a Leidenfrost pump
application. Quantified movement statistics that is powered only by heat and contains no mov-
facilitate evidence-based recovery; inform- ing parts.
ing both the patient and clinical team of pro-
gress throughout the rehabilitation process.
59

Peter Smith Prem-Sagar Tank
Supervisors: Mr J Barrie/Dr A Lewis Supervisor: Mr J Roesner
Training device for the Welsh Rugby Team Decking Treatment Applicator
The project, set by the Welsh Rugby Union, Outdoor decking is a form of garden landscaping,
was to design a high resistance and vastly ad- which requires annual treatment with oils or stain.
justable Upper Body Ergometer, which is an This process, however, can be laborious and
exercise bike used with the arms. The specifi- cause some back pain. This project aims to re-
cation was to tailor it for use by elite athletes, duce the strenuousness of decking treatment, with
whilst remaining within a £1000 budget. A a semi-autonomous product that synchronises a
flywheel positioned near a series of perma- scrubbing effect, drive motion and feed of treat-
nent magnets, whose exact location could be ment, such that an even coat can be achieved.
controlled, provided the variable resistance. The final prototype embodies an oscillation mech-
Prototyping and numerical analysis proved the anism for the scrubbing effect.
design met the specification.
Andrew Watt James Wright

Supervisor: Dr T Adlam Supervisor: Dr J Darling
Ankle Brace for IED injuries The Alcohol Automated Bartender
The aim of this project was to design an ankle This project looks at solving the growing problem
brace to help treat severe heel fractures caused of bar queues in night clubs by design of a self-
by below vehicle IED explosions in war zones. service bartender machine. The machine allows
The brace needed to transfer the load normal- customers to order, pay for, and receive a cup
ly experienced by the foot to somewhere else and drink. During this project an initial prototype
on the body, allowing the patient to walk with was developed of the main processes of this
as normal a gait as possible without the aid of machine which can produce and distribute basic
crutches. This was achieved by using a spring drinks to customers.
suspended, custom-made cuff, to transfer the
load to the knee of the injured leg.
Paul Wrigley
Supervisor: Mr R Valentine
Automated Tennis Ball Collection
This project involved solving the problem of col-

lecting the large amount of tennis balls that can
be left on a tennis court after a coaching lesson
or service practice. A prototype was produced to
test the concept and involved a rotating paddle
to scoop the tennis balls into a basket. The de-
vice also employed two wheel differential drive
for movement and a series of sensors for navi-
gation.
60

Elliott Campbell Jake Egbers
Supervisor: Steve Cayzer Supervisor: Dr D A S Rees
Motif Detection in Domestic Energy Calculating fibre misalignments in compos-
ite components: A novel method for curved
sections
The project consists of taking the smart me-
ter readings of 15,000 houses provided by the A high proportion of composite components
Centre of Sustainable energy and applying the currently manufactured exhibit complex ge-
Mueen-Keogh motif detection algorithm. This ometries. Currently no method exists allowing
is done to establish whether this method could characterisation of fibre misalignments for out-
be used to provide energy suppliers with useful of-plane, non-linear sections. Moreover, mis-
information about energy consumption patterns. alignments lead to a lack of confidence in a com-
Highlighting similar motifs provides information posite component’s true compressive strength,
resulting in component rejection which can be
that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious, that can be costly financially. Identifying relationships which
used to provide further insight into domestic en- quantify this effect would be of interest. In this
ergy consumption behavior . paper a novel method for the characterisation of
fibre misalignment in curved composite sections
is presented.
Naomi Gillgren Rebecca Hillier
Supervisor: Dr Alan Hunter Supervisor: Dr R Burke
Underwater Acoustic Monitoring of Marine New legislative test for assessing fuel econ-
Mammals omy
This project was aimed to design and build This project looks at how old and new legislative
a MATLAB programme which implements drive cycle tests compare in terms of fuel con-
beamforming to improve the detection and the sumption with real-world data, whilst analysing
estimation of direction of arrival of vocalising how drivers, themselves, can improve the fuel
marine mammals using a towed passive SONAR economy of their vehicles. Through the design
array. The programme is configurable to any of a vehicle model to parameterise driving styles
towed SONAR array and can be set to give and the quantification of drive cycle categories,
the desired angular resolution. It also includes comparisons were drawn between real-world
signal conditioning to optimise for the detection data and the claims made by manufacturers,
of certain groups of noise; clicks, whistles and based on NEDC drive cycles.
man-made noise (i.e. boats).
Lakshey Jain
Dan Hothersall Supervisor: Prof. R Butler
Supervisor: Dr Chris Brace Compression After Impact Testing of Com-
Engine Testing and ECU Calibration posite-Titanium Joints with Penetrative Re-
inforcement
For use in range-extended electric vehicles, a
TATA Motors 2 cylinder petrol engine has been Composites on an aircraft can experience an
calibrated with a new ECU, allowing the control impact load, for example an accidental tool drop
strategy to be tuned for increased power output during maintenance, flying debris on a runway
and improved fuel consumption. or hailstorm impact in bad weather. This has
a significant effect on the strength of the ma-
The engine has been baselined to generate terial and a sudden failure in service can be
data for the look-up tables, and has been cali- catastrophic. This project, sponsored by Airbus
brated and optimised specifically to power a Group Innovations was undertaken to study the
generator. Modifications have been made to the effect of impact magnitude and location on the
engine including an electronic throttle and new strength and failure modes of CFRP panels.
intake and exhaust manifolds.
61

Shing For Kwok Tym Pakulski
Supervisor: Dr A Nassehi Supervisor: Dr R F Ngwompo
Fully immersive artificial reality Experimental Assessment of an Optimass
6400 Mass Flow Meter for Determining CO2
Virtual reality has a lot of untapped potential Vapour Quality
in all forms of industries worldwide. However
much of the technological advances has gone Vapour quality, the mass fraction of a liquid
to improving visual and audio experiences
that has evaporated, is a crucial parameter in
rather than haptic feedback and balance. This
the design and commissioning of CO2 cooling
project highlights the practical difficulties asso-
systems for the particle trackers at CERN. This
ciated with a tactile device for the human body,
study assessed the practicality of determining
and aims to design a feasible concept of such
vapour quality using aggregate density meas-
device in order for a more engaging and realis-
ured by a new coriolis flow meter. A comparison
tic simulation.
between laboratory measurements and an ana-
lytical model characterised performance in vari-
ous conditions, and identified a range of accept-
able accuracy and trends for further research.
Bjarte Ravndal Molly Reid

Supervisor: Dr G Owen Supervisor: Charles Courtney
Invetigation of 4-wheel steering on an FS car Rotating Microscopic Objects with Sound
Vortices
A rig allowing for rear-wheel steering is de-
signed, built and retrofitted to a Formula Stu- This project aimed to discover whether we could
dent car, in this case TBR14. The rig utilises a cause, and also control, the rotation of micro-
pneumatic actuation system, and is controlled scopic objects using ultrasound in a fluid. First,
by the driver. Using this rig, a preliminary in- a device capable of trapping 100µm diameter
vestigation was conducted into the benefits of polystyrene beads was designed and construct-
4-wheel steering. It was found to significantly ed. Second, rotation of the beads was attempt-
increase performance in simple manoeuvres, ed. Once rotation was shown to be possible
like hairpin corners. On the other hand, complex analysis was done to investigate if we could
manoeuvres, like slalom, would require sophis- control the speed of rotation.
ticated control systems.
William Rosier Zhanye Yang

Supervisor: Dr K Bray Supervisor: Dr. P Iravani
The dependence of place kicking range on Agile robot locomotion
ball-release parameters in Rugby Union
Active ankle prostheses can help amputees with
This project investigated the relationship be- walking. This project is to investigate how the
tween the range of a place kick in Rugby Union gait of an amputee with an active ankle prosthe-
and the following ball-release parameters: ball- sis differs from the gait of normal people and to
placement angle on the tee; projection angle; investigate how the timing of active power from
release velocity; and the rate of spin of the ball. the pump influences the gait of the amputee.
The aim was to quantify any relationships so
that a coach could optimise a kicker’s technique
to meet the optimum release parameters and
therefore achieve maximum range.
62

Benjamin Bell
Bath Assessors: Dr. R F Ngwompo / Mr. J Roesner

Host Supervisor: Dr R Moreau, INSA Lyon, France
Neurosurgical simulator coupling haptic feedback and virtual reality
Accurately simulating the forces and tactile sensations experienced in neurosurgery

are challenging issues. A realistic reproduction of the forces incurred during an endona-
sal endoscopic surgery has been produced using the Omni Phantom robot arm. The re-
search into this field also led to the development of a Simulink toolkit providing a flex-
ible environment that simplifies the control and creation of simulations using the Omni Phantom.
Lucas Dann
Assessors: Mr J Roesner / Dr F Osman

Supervisor: Elisabeth Schrey, RWTH Aachen, Germany
The technical representation of data for a modularised component in Teamcenter
The Laboratory for Machine Tools and Production Engineering from the University of Aachen has
established a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) research project which aims to identify, how a
PLM Software application can support medium sized enterprises. Real product and process data
from an electric powered vehicle called the MAXeKART were used to establish a PLM Laboratory.
This mock-up environment provided a framework for the analysis of the limitations and benefits of
modern PLM Systems like Teamcenter ®..
Stuart Jaeckel
Bath Assessors: Mr J Roesner /Dr. R F Ngwompo

Host Supervisor: Rüdiger Ohs, Enzyme Process Technology, RWTH Aachen, Germany
Modelling the Reaction Kinetics of Organocatalysed Acyloin Synthesis
The project aim was to create a kinetic model of the organocatalysed synthesis of Acyloin. Acyloin is
produced from the reaction between the two substrates of Benzaldehyde and Phenylacetaldehyde,
while unwanted side reactions can also occur. An analytic approach was taken to derive model equa-
tions using a method proven to work for enzyme reactions. A sensitivity analysis was conducted
on the resulting equations, while methods by which the model parameters could be improved were
investigated.
63

Matthew Ashworth SImon Cooper
Supervisor: Dr P Iravani Supervisor: Dr B Forte
Metal filament making for RepRap Automotive Communication using Arduino
Microcontrollers and Formula Student Ap-
plications
The aim of this project was to create a me-
tallic filament for use with a RepRap 3D This project covers the implemention of CAN
printer. The filament was required to have communication on low-cost Arduino microcon-
a low enough melting temperature to be troller boards. CAN is the current industry stand-
used with a standard RepRap extruder, low ard method of communication used in most auto-
enough surface tension when melted to be motive vehicles. A software library implementing
printed successfully, and have a fine enough CAN protocol has been developed alongside a
microstructure that the nozzle doesn’t block suitable Arduino shield that adds the relevant
and the properties are uniform across it. To hardware for CAN support. The whole system
achieve this, a small scale continuous cast- has been tested as part of a multi-node commu-
ing machine was created. nication network and as a diagnostic tool for a
car.
Theofanis Demetriou Megan Doyle
Supervisor: Dr M Soleimani Supervisor: Prof. N Mitchell
Hardware Development for Electrical Imped- The Influence of Ancient Roman Warship Dock-
ance Tomography (EIT) yards on the 21st Century and How They Could
Benefit From a Mechatronics Engineering Ap-
proach
EIT is a non-invasive method for monitoring
various body functions (lung motion or brain Does the solution to improving naval dockyard
waves) without exposing the patient to harmful efficiency lie in the past? This project comprises
chemicals or ionizing radiation. A low AC current of a historical study into Portus, a prominent
is all is needed to extract the required informa- Ancient Roman dockyard near Rome; allowing
tion. The novelty of this design lays in the CPU a comparison with a typical 21st Century dock-
of the system an; Arduino Uno, which is com- yard through a case study on Devonport Royal
Dockyard. A focus has been on dockyard layout,
mercially available developer kit. The modular facilities and available technology. The analysis
design of the project allows individual modules results have determined critical factors of an effi-
to be altered to suit different applications. cient dockyard, supporting the progression of an
improved dockyard design.
Benjamin Draper Thomas Freethy

Supervisor: Dr W Yuan Supervisor: Dr C. T. Clarke
Persistent Current Loops Catching Criminals with FPGAs
The aim of this project is to take steps towards Criminal activity often utilises shared illegal files,
creating a closed loop of second-generation su- forcing the police to search seized machines for
perconducting wire (2G HTS) capable of con- any known illegal files. These files are stored as
ducting current persistently. The project identi- a database of hash digests, and the police have
fies the most significant step in this process as a system to compare seized files against the da-
the formation of a stable, high quality and mini- tabase. Utilising FPGAs, this system can be pipe-
mally resistant joint between two strips of the lined and parallelised to achieve a much higher
2G HTS, allowing a single piece of wire to be throughput of files than a conventional CPU, for
folded back on itself and formed into a Mobius a much lower power cost.
strip shaped loop.
64

Luke George Stuart Gordon
Supervisor: Dr Robert Watson Supervisor: Dr J du Bois
Pole Climbing Robot for Rapid Sensor De- Semi-Active Suspension for Mountain Bikes
ployment
Active and semi active suspension systems have
This project focuses on the design, analysis and existed in cars for several decades improving
testing of a four bar link mechanism gripper for a handling and comfort characteristics. The appli-
pole climbing robot, capable of climbing behind cation for a semi active system has potential for
obstacles such as road signs. The gripper is re- a significant performance improvement; this pro-
quired to support the robot weight and an 8kg ject is to investigate the possibility of this system
payload. FEA has been used to analyse the grip- and the ways to implement them. The investiga-
per stresses, with an ARDUINO and Processing tion uses a prototype variable front suspension
used to create a GUI and current inferred force fork with an electrohydraulic servo valve to find
controller from an experimental motor current variables to characterise a mathematical model
torque curve. describing the system.
Alexander Gresham-Thompson Saul Harris

Supervisor: Dr Paul Leonard Supervisor: Prof. R Gill
Improving Control of a Self-Balancing Wheel X-Bolt with Miniplate vs. Three Parallel
Screws: Investigating the Torsional Stability
Self-balancing wheels are similar to Segways in Fixation Devices of Femoral Neck Fractures
and also represent the classic control problem of
an inverted pendulum. Hence a refined control This project presents a pilot study into the resist-
system needs to be implemented to gain a suita- ance to torsional loading of two types of fixation
ble behaviour for a person to ride the self-balanc- devices used to treat stable neck fractures of the
ing wheel. This behaviour includes fast response femur. Parallel screws are commonly used in the
and settling times along with no oscillation. To treatment of this type of fracture with the X-Bolt
achieve this, a model for the self-balancing wheel being a relatively new device and a potential
is derived. Then control theory is applied to this superior. The X-Bolt uses expanding flanges to
model to gain a desirable performance. compress cancellous bone locking the device
into the femoral head. The miniplate restrains the
device from rotating.
Tom Haydon Alexander Hickson

Supervisor: Dr M Carley Supervisor: Dr R Watson
Control System For Novel Two Person Hu- UAV Communications project
man Powered Aircraft
This project aims to establish long range com-
This project primarily looks at the production munications between a UAV (unmanned aerial
of an electrical system capable of controlling a vehicle) and a ground control station. With a typi-
novel human powered aircraft (HPA). The aircraft cal system using UK legal frequencies and trans-
in question is currently in the preliminary design mission powers, maximum range is limited to
process. As the design progressed the system roughly half a mile. This project aims to increase
was developed to accurately represent and con- that to 10 miles through use of an automated
trol the changing system dynamics. A control sys- tracking system and directional antenna.
tem of this manner has the scope to improve HPA
performance, drastically reducing the pilot’s men-
tal workload while undertaking the highly strenu-
ous challenge of powering the vehicle.
65

Christopher Hopkins William Irlam
Supervisor: Mr J Roesner Supervisor: Dr M McManus
Improving the Efficiency of forklift trucks Energy: sotrage and connectivity
To help improve the efficiency of a hydraulic The UK is becoming increasingly reliant on

forklift truck, novel motor applications have been the use of renewable energy resources be-
considered to power the hydraulic pump allow- cause of legislation driving forwards the con-
ing an energy saving of around 10% over the cept of a carbon free economy. The major-
lift cycle. Key components of a hydraulic system ity of renewable energy is intermittent and
are sources of large losses. To help improve ef- therefore unreliable, one possible solution is
ficiency further, a new system design has been utilising energy storage. Within this project,
proposed, reducing the reliance on the pump. energy storage options have been identified,
This has enabled a saving of around 25% when compared and then analysed using the Life
coupled with novel motor technology. Cycle Assessment technique. Furthermore,
analysis was undertaken on the integration of
these technologies into the grid with the use of
a roadmap.
Christopher Kirkman Roberto La Spina

Supervisor: Dr M Füllekrug Supervisor: Dr P Leonard
Parts Counting Machine Design of a Two-Wheeled Inverted Pendulum,
MicroPython Controlled Robot and an Ac-
Development of a machine which is capable of curately Matched Computer Model for Control
counting a range of parts current prototypes are System Development
capable of counting nuts and bolts. The machine
was developed for a 3D printing kit manufac- The project’s goals are to develop an inverted pen-
turer, RepRapPro, this promoted the use of 3D dulum robot capable of self-balance, as well as an
printing for the development and production of accurately matched computer model. The robot
the machines. So far one of the machines has will be used for UCAS open days and the model for
demonstrated a 100% accuracy and with a price Dr. Leonard’s students to develop control systems
of £200 per machine represents an affordable which can be ported directly to the robot.
solution for smaller companies.
Laur Läänemets Thomas Magowan

Supervisor: Dr P Leonard Supervisor: Dr J du Bois
Artificial Intelligence in Finance: Artificial Twin Rotor Cyclocopter Implementation
Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms Ap-
plied to Algorithmic Trading A Cyclocopter is a novel vertical take-off and
landing aircraft where lift is generated perpen-
Our pensions depends on the performance of dicular to the rotation axis of the rotor. Although
the investment funds that manage our savings, initially developed in the 1930s, only recent re-
hence every effort should be made to maximise search in the past 10 years has yielded flying
their returns and minimise their risks. The aim prototypes. During this project a twin rotor pro-
of this project was to develop and compare Ar- totype aircraft has been designed, modelled and
tificial Neural Network based trading algorithms manufactured concluding in the implementation
and train them to perform automated trading de- of an attitude controller that has been tuned and
cisions in the market place using Genetic Algo- run on a test rig.
rithms. The performance of these networks was
evaluated using risk-adjusted return metrics.
66

Arron Morrow Kun Qian
Supervisor: Dr Philip Shields Supervisor: Dr J du Bois
Dynamic Video Mapping Rig development for condition monitoring
of blade disc
Though commonly used for static installations,
video mapping is now more frequently being This project introduced a method for condition
used dynamically. By detecting position through monitoring of a blade disc. Two similar blade
a Microsoft Kinect, this project applies respon- discs (one with crack, the other without) were
sive, real-time projection mapping to a moving tested through this experiment. An accelerom-
target from two sources simultaneously. eter has been mounted on the bearing house, it
will provide lots of vibration data to the computer
through the ADC (analog digital converter). In
order to get the differences between these two
blade discs, this project use FFT (Fast Fouri-
ers Transform) and Bicoherence algorithm to
analyze the frequency spectrum. Therefore, the
damage on the blade disc can be shown on the
frequency spectrum and Bicoherence map.
Hayden Sansum Joshua Shaylor

Supervisor: Dr P Iravani Supervisor: Dr P Iravani
An Investigation into Radar Technology for Design of an enclosed electric tricyle for
the Application of Lightweight Autonomous use by commuters
UAVs
The aim of this project is to design an enclosed
Intelligent UAVs are on the rise, and as autonomy electrically assisted tricycle for use by commut-
increases so do sensing requirements. Radar ers. The project will focus on the definition of the
systems, more specifically FMCW radar, can act overall architecture of the vehicle, quantifying
as a lightweight, efficient method for determining the level of effectiveness of said design through
relative distances and velocities; allowing appli- calculation and simulation.
cations including altitude, collision avoidance and
imaging. Primarily this project is the development
of a hardware and software interface to a radar
transceiver with the aim of creating a reliable sig-
nal processing system and determining the over-
all effectiveness of the system.
Samuel Short James Stewart

Supervisor: Dr A Evans Supervisor: Mr A Green
Computer Vision Assisted Navigation of a Integration of driver feedback systems on
Multirotor via Target Detection, Tracking and the Teamgreen Eco-Marathon vehicle
Geo-Tagging for the Purpose of Aerial Video
Stabilisation and Composition
Current driver feedback systems on the Eco-
Marathon vehicle are unreliable, inaccurate
The aim of this project was to design a system
and visually difficult to read. Using a Rasp-
of computer vision algorithms to perform target
identification, tracking, geological tagging and
berry-Pi 2 as the processor platform, the final
composition. The system uses OpenCV to iden- design augments real-time ECU data and a
tify known targets via colour detection; unknown camera signal into one LCD display. The pro-
targets via visual attention based methods and ject also looks into the design of a wireless
combine the two for informed selection. The re- telemetry system and the development of an
sulting targets have distortion corrected in order evolutionary algorithm to optimise the race
to perform OCR to identify a character and clas- strategy at events
sify the target. Further development allowed for
multiple target identification.
67

Josh Taylor Jonathan Thompson
Supervisor: Dr P Iravani Supervisor: Dr A Rees
Feasibility Study on the Application of Sa- Instability of a vertical boundary layer
mara-Based Wings in a Guided Payload De-
livery System This project analyses the critical parameters
for the instability of a boundary layer along a
Drone-based package delivery is likely to take vertical surface with uniform suction and heat.
off in the near future as courier services strive to The limit of instability is defined by the critical
provide the quickest possible deliveries. Demand Rayleigh number found from linear stability the-
for a safe, disposable means of guiding packages ory, above which an infinitesimal perturbation
from aircraft to ground-based targets is therefore applied to the system may grow exponentially
increasing. One solution to this may be in the with time and below which it will decay. This
form of evolution’s answers to the decelerator – model is two-dimensional and applied to an
the autorotating samara. The aim of this project incompressible, clear fluid with Boussinesq
is to determine the feasibility of a samara-based approximations.
guided payload for application in package deliv-
ery
Christopher Wade Luke Walker

Supervisor: Prof. C Bowen Supervisor: Dr C Clarke
Mechanical and electrical properties of car- Task Switching for Hardware Accelerated
bon nanotube-polymer composites Applications
This project involved analysing the effect of car- The Altera Cyclone V SoC has been recently
bon nanotubes within a thermosetting epoxy released; this contains a dual core proces-
sor as well as an FPGA on the same chip.
resin. Measurements were carried out on six test
An application has been created that runs
samples, with nanotube weight fractions of 0% -
software with a customised FPGA configu-
0.6%. Results were obtained regarding the elec- ration on the SoC; it can save the context
trical, mechanical, thermal and physical proper- of the hardware accelerated software in or-
ties of the materials, as well as the relationships der to achieve preemptable context switch-
between these properties. It is important to know ing on the SoC. Partial Reconfiguration on
the exact properties of this material so that it may the SoC has been implemented with an aim
be used effectively in anti-static or high-strength to achieve position independent, context
applications. switchable, hardware accelerated software.
Peter Walker Dian Wang

Supervisor: Dr A Hillis Supervisor: Dr M Soleimani
Design of a conditional monitoring system Metal flow imaging using magnetic induc-
for the Crofton Beam Engine tion tomography
The Crofton Beam Engines are a pair of of Electromagnetic (EM) imaging skills are
steam engines situated in Wiltshire, along the widely used in various ranges of applications.
Kennet and Avon canal. They are the oldest There are lots of examples in everyday life in-
working steam engines in the world. clude metal detector for security screening to
vehicle detectors at traffic lights. The essential
The project looks at ways of adding modern aim of this project is to get metal flow imaging
sensors to the engines to provide both the op- using MIT. Magnetic induction tomography
erators and public visitors with an idea of the (MIT) is a contactless and non- intrusive im-
workings of the engines. aging method that is using for remoulding the
changes of the sophisticated conductivity dis-
This project aims to help generate interest in tribution in metal flow in this project.
Crofton and funding for its continued running.
68

Daniel Williams Woolsey WIlliams
Supervisor: Dr J du Bois Supervisor: Dr J du Bois
Use of PM Motors in Formula Student Ap- Position estimation system to improve upon
plications global positioning systems and inertial navi-
gation systems using sensor fusion tech-
An investigation into the use of PM motors in niques
formula student applications. This project runs
through the process of designing and testing This project is based around the use of Kalman
an electric powertrain with a focus on adher- filters to improve upon the output of a Global
ing to the formula student rules. With the end Positioning System (GPS) and an Inertial Navi-
goal of integrating the designed powertrain gation System (INS). Three different Kalman
into an electric go-kart test vehicle, the main
filter input options are investigated: a single
focus of the project has been around the per-
complementary filter input, GPS and INS inputs,
formance of PM motors.
and GPS and complementary filter inputs. Once
the three inputs have been analysed to find the
most suitable, an investigation into the effect of
including an aircraft model into the prediction
stage of the Kalman filter is investigated.
Thomas Willmott Amy Wilson Hardy

Supervisor: Dr P Iravani Supervisor: Dr E Dekoninck
Water jet autonomous flying platform Ergonomics and instrumentation of an arm
grinder
Essentially a water-jet powered quadcopter.
This project involves the design, modelling, con- This project initially looks at finding the
struction and testing of an autonomous platform demographic of professional male rugby play-
whose thrust is provided by four jets of water. ers whose data will aid the design of an arm
Currently using a pressure washer as a water grinder that will be used in elite sport. This
source, this platform could be expanded and includes the design of a test rig that will meas-
connected to a fire hose to allow autonomous ure the maximum force exerted by an athlete.
fire fighting, or used within the aviation industry The process of designing the interface for the
for the autonomous de-icing of aircraft. arm grinder is then discussed, including how
the mechanical outputs of the athlete can be
converted to useful information.
69

Best Performance in a Group Business and Design Project
Elliot Compton
Accenture Business Prize

(2013/14)
Westcode HRX Compressor
Jonathan Blackburn
Sachindra Gamage
Matthew Hale
Katerina Prokopiou
Luca Volpe
Mohd Zulazam
Autonomous Unmanned Aerial System (UAV2) - Stingray
Josh Taylor
Marija Popovic
Wojciech Wasinski
BenWhitfield
Enrique Gutierrez Llaser
Alex Hickson
Sam Short
70

Automotive Group (2013/14)
Formula Student - Powertrain
Thomas Peirson Smith

Jake Reid
Will Charles
Harry Leeming
Konstantinos Deligiannis Barmpalias
Oliver Dolbear
Lizzie Atwood
Tom Stevens
Rob Ashburner
Ryan Marsh
Aerospace Group (2013/14)

Human Powered Aircraft - Raven
Tom White
Tomos Harris
Josh Lane
Zhiyun Wang
Mechanical Group (2013/14)

Drill Fettle Robot
Megan Henson
Charles Brooker
Gordon Cheung
Jamie Douglas
Steven Brace
Saul Harris
71

Prize Sponsor and Award Prize Winner

Royal Aeronautical Society
Best Student Graduating in Aerospace Engineering Richard Jackson

Ford Motor Company
Best Student Graduating in Automotive Engineering Laurence Hanes
IET
Best Student Graduating in Manufacturing Engineering Ali Bastas
Crown Eurpoe
Best Student Graduating in Innovation & Engineering Design Oliver Hebden

Frank Wallace Memorial
Best Performance in the Language Option Nicholas Pilcher
IMechE
Project Prize (Research Project) Joshua Wesley
IMechE Frederic Barnes Waldron

Best Student Prize Jordan Bryan
HMGCC Design
Best Specialist Design Project Jonathan Ridley
TheThornton Prize
Best Materials & Bioengineering Group Student Performance Kinga Czerbak
Armourers and Brasiers

Medal for Outstanding Project Work Robert Hardie
Frazer-Nash
Best Student Research Project in Aerospace Bruce Edwards
Department of Mechanical Engineering

Top Formula Student Final Year Research Project Adam Phelps
Best Final Year Project Poster

1st Prize Eleanor Gordan
2nd Prize Oliver Hebden
3rd Prize Andres Figar
Bryant Prize for Orthopaedic Biomechanical Research Rebecca Shering
Moog International Women in Engineering Prize Chi Zhang
Bath BP Centurion Award Richard Jackson
David Embleton Bursary Chris Shaw

72

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2015 Design Exhibition Booklet

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2015 Design & Project Exhibition

The Joseph Black Lecture

Untitled-3 1 15/05/2015 10:54:16

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There have been a couple of important

The “product innovation funding”, has Professor Steve Culley

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Design Brief Design Benefits

Design Team Supervisors

Christoph Evertz Dominic Noble

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Residual Waste Bale Dryer

HANNAH FORBES ● TOM LEACH ● ALEX SINCLAIR ● BERNARD FURLAN MIELKI

Industrial drying of residual waste for financial

MJ Church transports 24.5 tonnes of We have a solution to remove this water.

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Group Members: Supervisors: Sponsor:

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AUTONOMOUS GUTTER CLEANING ROBOT

REDUCE LADDER USE AND PRODUCE A QUICKER, HIGHER QUALITY CLEAN

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Project Background Product Description

Project Aim Team

Supervisors: Vimal Dhokia

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3D Printing is becoming more

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Low Cost Electric Powered Wheelchair

Project Team: Sponsor: Supervisors:

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SEMI-AUTOMATED PARCEL HANDLING SYSTEM

How to Make £90 Million Profit in 7 Years

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Lock & Quay have created a

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Context & Design Brief

The Crofton Pumping Station is a local

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Low-Cost Powered Wheelchair

Design Brief Description and Benefits

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Submarine The submarine is fully human

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Team Bath AUV

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This year we are developing our aerodynamic performance with an un-sprung

TBR16 promises to deliver excellent dynamic performance.

Project Manager: Noel Moorhouse

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To be successful, there are 3 key business considerations that must be addressed:

Finance | Promotion | Logistics

Our current sponsors include...