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ViSiT www.imEChE.Org
fOr daily brEakiNg NEwS
STOriES, lETTErS, ViEwS,
aNd fEaTurES ThaT
arENT publiShEd hErE

Volume 28 No 1. January 2015

CONTENTS

p28

COmmENT
EdiTOrS COmmENT

p3

Winners and losers as oil prices fall

wESTmiNSTEr fOCuS

p10

Engineering moves up the power stakes

fEaTurES
COVEr STOry

p22

Engineers working for the British

Antarctic Survey are busy designing a
new research ship

Car Of ThE fuTurE

p28

The new Jaguar XE has been developed

to prove that carmaker Jaguar Land
Rover is still a technology leader

braNChiNg OuT

p34

Engineering companies in the South

West realise they need to diversify in
order to thrive

SurfS up

p22

p40

Snowdonia is the unlikely setting for an

inland surfng centre

CapiTal rESulT

p43

p51

A Crossrail executive explains the

challenges of the enormous project

driViNg fOrCE

p47

Automotive innovators are offered help

ThirSTy wOrk

p67

How CAD helped in the development of

wE arE family

p77

Offering fexible hours and part-time

In an in-depth nine-page special report,

working could be the best way to help

we profle the companies that are helping

mothers to get back into employment

p61

How the internet of things will bring

rEgularS

pE EdiTOrial
Phone: 020 7045 7500
Email pe@caspianmedia.com
Editor Lee Hibbert
Chief Sub-Editor John Moore
Senior Editor Ben Hargreaves
International Editor Ben Sampson
Assistant Editors Tanya Blake,
Liz Wells
Creative Director Nick Dixon

lETTErS

p18

iNSTiTuTiON NEwS

p70

arChiVE

p73

NEwS

foresaw the dangers of the V-2 rocket

p4

baCk pagE

p88

Read about 100-year-old machinery

connectivity to all manner of products

before too long

p18

Remembering the wartime engineer who

to build the Bloodhound supersonic car

widENiNg ThE wEb

p17

a water pump that could save lives

to commercialise their ideas

baCkiNg blOOdhOuNd p51

SOuNdbiTES
The merits of railway privatisation

ThiS COST
will bE
paSSEd
ON TO
ElECTriCiTy
CONSumErS
iN ThE fOrm
Of highEr
billS

SurVEy

pE adVErTiSiNg
Phone 020 7045 7500
Email advertising@caspianmedia.
com
Website
www.topengineeringjobs.com

rECruiTmENT
SalES
Key Account Manager
Joe Edmonds
Sales executive
James Thompson

diSplay SalES
Sales Director Lee Cashman
Advertising and Sponsorship
Executive Rachel Stevenson

p14

at the King Edward Mine Museum

pE prOduCTiON
Production Manager
Karen Gardner 020 7045 7500

CaSpiaN publiShiNg maNagEmENT

Publishing Director Ian Gerrard

imechE
maNagEmENT
Chief executive
Stephen Tetlow MBE FIMechE
President
Group Captain Mark Hunt FIMechE

p61

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Editors
commEnt

motorists might welcome falling oil prices, but

what are the implications for the environment?
Forgive me for not joining in with the near universal

sector. The more prices fall, the more energy use there will

celebration of plunging oil prices. While the downward spiral

surely be. If petrol is cheaper, then why not drive more,

provides some immediate benefts for consumers and

rather than using public transport? Its a wholly

industry, there are justifable concerns about the impact that

understandable response from hard-pressed motorists who

the fall might have on longer-term issues such as global

have seen nothing but rising prices for many years. But more

efforts to decarbonise the energy sector.

car useage will result in higher greenhouse gas emissions

As PE went to press, Brent Crude had fallen below $50 a

A report last week from University College London

stood at $110 per barrel. Some analysts predict it will fall

published in the scientifc journal Nature provided a stark

further still and possibly by quite some margin.

reminder of the impact of fossil fuel use. The study, the frst

The reasons for falling oil prices are well understood.

of its kind in the world, warned that a third of oil reserves,

Easing economic growth combined with increased supply of

half of gas reserves and over 80% of current coal reserves

fossil fuels has depressed prices. In North

America, shale producers continue to bring
on stream new developments and ramp up
production, while inter-governmental group

if pEtrol
is chEapEr,
thEn why
not drivE
morE,
rathEr
than using
public
transport?

and the environmental damage that brings.

barrel, down by more than half since June when the price

Opec sits on its hands resisting calls for cuts

in production. Geopolitical issues come into
play, too. Instability in Iraq and Libya two
huge oil producers with almost 4 million
barrels a day combined has not affected
their output.

p34

pE visits thE
south wEst,
a rEgion
that has a
rich history
in high-tEch
EnginEEring

European governments are celebrating,

of course, and with good reason. Falling oil

globally must remain in the ground and not

be used before 2050 if global warming is to
stay below the 2C target agreed by policy
makers. Yet lower oil prices dont help with
conservation.
And then there is the impact of falling oil
prices on the viability of renewable energy
projects. Will lower oil prices result in less
investment in renewable schemes such as
solar, wind and marine, potentially halting
their development? There are already early
indications that an impact is being felt.

prices should, in theory, lead to lower energy prices,

Some quoted companies with renewable energy activites

especially on the forecourt, where the cost of petrol remains

have seen share price drops that run parallel with the price

an emotive issue among the public at large. The 1 litre

per barrel reductions. It is understandable that an element of

would have been unthinkable just a few weeks ago, but it is

investor nervousness is being felt.

quickly becoming a reality. All of a sudden fuel consumption

is no longer at the forefront of drivers minds.
But for anyone with concerns about climate change,

So its clear that falling oil prices will bring pleasure for
some, but pain for others. Its not universally a good thing.
When you are next at the petrol station flling up your car,

there are worries associated with lower fossil fuel-derived

that smile of self-satisfaction borne of a few pence saved

energy prices, particularly around efforts to decarbonise the

should probably be tempered by fears for the future.

Contact Lee Hibbert, PE Editor, at Unit G4, Harbour Yard, London SW10 0XD. lee.hibbert@caspianmedia.com
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Professional Engineering is published by

Caspian Publishing on behalf of the
Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The
Institution is a professional body
overseeing the qualifcation and
development of individual mechanical
engineers. It also acts as the
representative body collating and
transmitting the views of professional
engineers on a wide range of issues, from

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The Institution was established in 1847
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Professional engineering january 2015 3

News: novel aeroengine technology promises

to be quieter and more effcient

opeN rotor set to become viable

Silent fight: The new open
rotor (left) could be quieter
than the A320 family

Contra-rotating open rotor engines

propulsive effciency relative to the

the style we have been working on

But you also get some enhanced

that are quieter than todays

turbofan. But attempts to develop

most recently with Airbus. There are

lift if you mount the rotors a bit

turbofan engines could be

the design have previously been

some advantages with it sitting at

closer to the wing, so that they

developed in the near future, one of

hampered by noise levels, as there

the back, certainly in terms of cabin

accelerate the fow over the top of

the top engineers at Rolls-Royce

is no fan case to muffe the sound of

noise, but there are disadvantages

the wing as well.

has predicted.

the blades.

around the overall installation and

Looking further into the future,

getting the centre of gravity of the

Parker said that open rotors might

aircraft in the right place.

one day be installed on a blended

The aerospace giant has been

Clean Sky believes that by

working on the development of the

changing the shape and

novel engine technology as part of

confguration of the rotor blades,

the pan-European Clean Sky

noise could be brought down to

have an open rotor mounted in a

confguration, he said, open rotors

initiative. And Ric Parker, director of

levels that comply with regulations.

more conventional position under

could be mounted above the wing

research and technology at

Engineers have spent several years

the wing. But we are talking about

with the advantage of defecting

Rolls-Royce, said the progress that

cutting noise by looking at the

rotors that are probably 4m in

noise away from the ground. And on

had been made had convinced him

optimum distance between the two

diameter, so you are either going to

boxtail designs, an engine could be

that contra-rotating open rotor

contra-rotating stages, the number

have an incredibly long and heavy

ftted with cowls around the rotors

engines offered real potential.

of blades on each stage and the

undercarriage, or a high-wing

for noise suppression.

profle of the blades themselves.

variant of the aircraft. You can get

London on disruptive aerospace

Shifting the position of the engines

some added beneft if you get some

obstacles were unlikely to be the

technologies, organised by the

from the wing to the rear of the

disruption to the fow over the wing.

biggest hindrance to the future

IMechE, Parker said: We believe we

fuselage also cuts noise.

Speaking at a conference in

can make an open rotor signifcantly

An alternative option would be to

wing bodied design. In such a

He said that the technology

development of open rotors, citing

political issues as the biggest single

Ground tests of a contra-rotating

restricting factor.

quieter than todays aircraft and

open rotor engine developed by

signifcantly more effcient. We are

Clean Sky partners, which include

talking about an open rotor that

Rolls-Royce and Airbus, will begin

If you ask the general public to rank

could be 13dB quieter than todays

in early 2016, with fight tests to

noise, nitrogen oxides and carbon

A320, which I think should be quiet

follow in 2019.

dioxide in order of importance,

enough for most people.

Noise is a very emotive issue.

they will mostly put noise at the top

Parker used his speech at the

disruptive aerospace conference to

of the list, which in terms of

engines, which feature uncased

discuss the best options for open

short-term inconvenience is

blades positioned on two stages

rotor engine/airframe confgurations.

probably where it should be. But in

that rotate in opposite directions,

The open rotor formation comes in

are of interest to the aerospace

two forms: one is a pusher sitting at

sector as they promise increased

the back of the aircraft, and this is

Contra-rotating open rotor

4 january 2015 Professional engineering

terms of the long-term good of the

Ric Parker: Noise is more emotive
to most people than NOx and CO2

planet, then it should be in reverse

order, he added.

microgeNeratioN is about
twice as efficieNt as relyiNg
oN ceNtralised power statioNs

system
27bn could be lost fuel-cell
slashes fuel bills
Skills shortages will prevent the

skilled workers, Paul Jackson, chief

engineering sector from generating an

executive of Engineering UK, said that

The UKs frst mass-produced

extra 27 billion a year from 2022,

additional collaboration between

domestic fuel-cell system has been

Vitovalor 300-P 4,500kWh a year

Engineering UK has said.

government, education and the

installed in a family home in

is equivalent to that generated by

engineering sector in 2014 will begin to

Wolverhampton.

30m2 of solar PV panels, which in

Engineering UKs annual State of

The energy created by the

Engineering report highlights that the

bear fruit this year. He said: CEBRs

The system, from heating

sector contributed an estimated

numbers measure up starkly against

supplier Viessmann, converts

both sides of a large roof. Yet the

455.6 billion (27.1%) of the UKs GDP

the missed opportunities due to the

natural gas into hydrogen, a

fuel-cell unit just takes up the space

in 2014. The report, which was

lack of skilled workers available. With

process that generates heat and

of a fridge freezer without any

produced with the Centre of

27 billion per year at risk in new jobs

power. The technology comprises a

impact on the external aesthetics of

Economics and Business Research

we must do something about it.

fuel-cell unit, peak-load boiler (for

the property.

(CEBR), predicts that engineering frms

Since the Perkins report at the end

use on only the coldest days of the

practice would involve covering

Viessmann developed the

could generate a further 27 billion per

of 2013 a lot of progress has been

year) and hot-water tank. It requires

Vitovalor 300-P polymer electrolyte

year from 2022. However, it warns that

made in broader

the same connections as a gas

fuel-cell-based micro combined

this will not be achieved unless the

collaboration, with

boiler: gas, power, hot and cold

heat and power system with

sector recruits 182,000 people with

much of this focused on

water feeds and a fue.

Panasonic. Panasonic provided the

engineering skills every year current

Tomorrows Engineers.

levels are are just over 100,000.

An extra 60 businesses

home with the energy it requires

electricity dependent homes in

have now signed up to the

and reduce CO2 emissions by 50%,

Japan, and combined it with the

educational initiative.

compared to the separate

German manufacturers heating and

Stephen Tetlow, chief

generation of heat and power, said

control technology.

physics and an improvement to

executive of the IMechE,

Viessmann. Total spend on energy

careers advice for 11- to 14-year-olds.

said the report was a

bills will be cut by 36%, about 400

Darren McMahon said: To reduce

The body is rolling out a network of

wake-up call to

for the Wolverhampton home, due

CO2 emissions and make ourselves

employee support managers to help

government and

to the on-site generation of

more energy effcient, we need to

businesses work with schools and

industry.

electricity. Any excess that is

develop solutions for gas.

created can be exported to the grid.

Microgeneration people

Tribes skills report on

Based on a feed-in tariff of 15p per

generating electricity on site is

page 71.

kWh, this will provide a return of

about twice as effcient as relying

600 a year, said the frm.

on centralised power stations.

To change this, Engineering UK

recommends a doubling in the number
of young people studying GCSE

The fuel cell will supply the 1910

See also IMechE

universities.
While such activities have so far
had a limited impact on the increase in

fuel cell, proven in thousands of

Viessmanns marketing director

robot will check uNdergrouNd pipes

National Grid is to develop a

transmit live data to be

reducing the need for excavation

robotic inspection device for

analysed. Darren Elsom, head

and pipe-replacement work.

its high-pressure gas

of network engineering at

installations after securing

National Grid Gas

or pigs, for its pipeline network

5.7 million of Ofgem funding.

Transmission (NGGT), said:

which are propelled from the kinetic

There is no other research

energy of the gas fow. However,

Inspection Device (Graid) is a

attempting to create robots

pigs are unable to negotiate the

three-year venture to design

that can operate under such

complex pipe networks found at

incredible amounts of

high-pressure installations.

Gas Robotic Agile

and build a robot that can

High pressure: Robot shown in blue in foreground

NGGT uses inspection devices,

The project involves three small

determine the condition of

while withstanding extreme pressure

pressure. It will transform the way

below-ground pipework and operate

of up to 100 Bar(g) fve times the

we assess our high-pressure

frms: robotic solutions frm

under extreme pressures.

maximum pressure that would be

installations.

Synthotech; Premtech, which will

The robot will be semi-

experienced underwater by a

National Grid has 200 high-

produce 3D maps of the trial sites

autonomous and be able to navigate

submarine. It will take visual and

pressure gas installations and

and a GPS system for the robot; and

complex pipework geometries,

wall-thickness measurements using

estimates that the system will save it

Pipeline Integrity Engineers, which

changing its diameter as necessary,

onboard cameras and sensors and

60 million over 20 years by

will process the data.

Professional engineering january 2015 5

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News

we have plaNNed well aNd

there is a steady flow of
moNey comiNg iN

bloodhouNd bid still oN target

aircraft bound for South Africa and

it through. Its not easy, he said,

tested at Hakskeen Pan from

funding doesnt just happen. It

September to November 2015

takes hard graft to do the sorts of

before the rains arrive. The test

deals we have achieved.

runs are expected to see the car

But we have planned well and

reach around 800mph, in excess of

there is a steady fow of money

the current land-speed record of

coming in. We had an 80% turnover

763mph, achieved by the Thrust

last year, compared with 2013. We

SSC car in 1997.

know where we are going, and at

Noble said: Bloodhound will

then come back to the UK to sort all

what cost.
The IMechE has been a sponsor

the bits and pieces that are not quite

of the project since 2010, and Noble

right, before returning to South

put on record his gratitude for the

Africa in September 2016 for the

backing. The IMechE has been

record attempt. So far 110

terrifc I cant thank it enough. It

man-years have been spent on the

came on board when the project

car. Nobody has done anything like

was just talk and ideas. It was a

this its a great achievement.

high-risk project back then.

Noble denied press speculation

As the project moves towards

The Bloodhound supersonic

project over the next 12 months as

suggesting that the project was

the record attempt in 2016, Noble

land-speed record attempt is on

the car is prepared for its record bid.

facing funding diffculties. He said

said excitement and interest was

track to take place in the autumn of

He said: The car is mostly built,

that, while any project containing

building, particularly in schools.

The car is a

2016, despite ongoing challenges to

and now the challenge is to

such high levels of

ensure that funding stretches to that

assemble it. The car will then be

innovation would prove

point, project director Richard Noble

rolled out in July of this year, before

fnancially challenging

great buzz about the

has said.

taking part in some test runs at

and require careful

project, he said.

In an exclusive interview with PE,

Newquay Airport in Cornwall, when

cash-fow planning,

Noble predicted that there would be

we expect to take it up to 200mph.

Bloodhound had enough

plenty of exciting moments on the

Then it will be loaded on an

masterpiece. There is a

See Bloodhound Special

Report on page 51

sponsorship backing to see

hybrid-electric plaNe takes to the air

Researchers from the University of

funding support. The aircraft uses a

Cambridges department of

electric current to and from the

Cambridge have tested the frst

combination of a four-stroke piston

engineering, who led the project,

batteries a set of 16 large

aircraft to be powered by a parallel

engine and an electric motor/

said: Whats been holding back the

lithium-polymer cells located in

hybrid-electric propulsion system,

generator, coupled through the

development of hybrid or fully

special compartments built into the

where an electric motor and petrol

same drive pulley to spin the

electric aircraft until now is battery

wings. The petrol engine is optimally

engine work together to drive the

propeller.

technology. Until recently, they have

sized to provide the cruise power at

been too heavy and didnt have

its most effcient operating point,

maximum power is required, the

enough energy capacity. But with

resulting in improved fuel effciency

up to 30% less fuel than a

engine and motor work together to

the advent of improved lithium-

overall.

comparable plane with a petrol-only

power the plane but, once cruising

polymer batteries, hybrid aircraft

engine. The aircraft is also able to

height is reached, the electric motor

albeit at a small scale are now

place at Sywell Aerodrome, near

recharge its batteries in fight, the

can be switched into generator

starting to become viable.

Northampton. These tests consisted

frst time this has been achieved.

mode to recharge the batteries or

propeller.
The demonstrator aircraft uses

During take-off and climb, when

The hybrid power system in the

Test fights for the project took

of a series of hops along the

used in motor-assist mode to

Cambridge demonstrator is based

runway, followed by longer

single-seat aircraft, with its hybrid

minimise fuel consumption. The

on a Honda engine, in parallel with a

evaluation fights at a height of over

engine designed and built by

same principle is at work in a hybrid

lightweight motor. A power

1,500ft. The plane performed well,

engineers at Cambridge with Boeing

car. Dr Paul Robertson of

electronics module controls the

and further tests are planned.

The demonstrator is based on a

Professional engineering january 2015 7

News

the combiNed Numbers

employed would ruN
iNto the thousaNds

fresh hope for offshore wiNd

A start-up frm with a potentially

attached to the joint. The

large, costly structures associated

disruptive technology for the

column would be built up in

with wind turbine foundations. As

offshore wind sector is looking to

halves at the quayside, the base

we move into 8MW or 10MW

open multiple manufacturing

and column attached and then

turbines, and head who knows

sites across the UK and create

barged out to the windfarm site.

where, it just becomes more

thousands of jobs after initial

Once at the site, the AWC

cost-effective and practical.

tests of its innovative foundation

would be ballasted and sunk in

technology proved successful.

a simple operation that does

articulated joint, is based on

not require divers.

technology that has been used in the

Marine Engineering Energy

The column, which remains

Solutions (Mees) is looking at

The AWC, including the

oil and gas sector, including in the

sites in ports to make up to 50 of

vertical because it is buoyant,

North Sea, for more than 30 years for

its massive Articulated Wind

stretches up to the waters

risers for wells and as supports for

Columns (AWC) a year from 2018

surface. An 8MW or 10MW

accommodation blocks. Mees has

and plans to open a head offce

turbine would then be fxed to

received around 300,000 of funding

in South East England.

the top of the column. The

from the Department of Energy and

Otto Carlisle, director of

combined weight of the wind

Climate Change to adapt the

Mees, said: The combined

turbine, column and ballasted

technology for offshore wind.

numbers employed from such a

base ensures that the structure

The company is talking to

site would run into the hundreds.

completed the frst tests of its AWC

remains in place. The articulated joint

windfarm developers and turbine

However, if you add all the other

concept at a water basin in Toulon,

provides a 360 plane for the column

manufacturers and targeting costs of

parts of the project nacelle,

France, late last year. Engineers are

to move at inclinations of up to 6 for

under 100 per megawatt-hour for

blades, shaft, installation and

analysing data from the tests so they

limited periods of time, allowing for

the system. Carlisle said the

servicing the numbers would run

can build a computer model that can

extraordinary loads placed on the

company sees potential markets for

into the thousands.

simulate the AWC at different depths

turbine during storms and bad

the AWC as deep water, near shore

and conditions, and will soon begin

weather.

sites around the UK and in France,

The columns that Mees plans to

Carlisle said: Our solution is a

Portugal, Spain, Brazil and the US.

make are up to 200m high. They are

developing manufacturing and

built onshore, sunk at sea with no

installation processes for the wind

game-changer. There are other

Were confdent we will be more

need for divers or fxings to the

turbine substructure. Mees plans to

companies looking at foating

cost-effective than other deep-water

seabed, and wind turbines are fxed

have a full-size prototype in the

turbines but they have limitations.

foundation systems, but we want to

on top. The simplifed process for

water by 2017.

This covers a lot of the sites being

be competitive with other energy

planned and is suitable for big

sources too. Were working on

their foundations would slash

The AWC consists of a large

installation time and costs in the

concrete base to which an articulated

turbines. It makes use of natural

improving the costs, which will come

stalling offshore sector.

joint is attached. A hollow, 50-200m

forces to cope with natural forces,

down as we refne the design and

tall, reinforced-concrete column is

and as a result you take away the

move to mass production.

The company successfully

hse probes co tyroNe turbiNe collapse

Inspectors from the Health and

No one was injured when the

In the Northern Ireland collapse,

turbine collapse have been

Safety Executive in Northern Ireland

turbine buckled and hit the ground,

it is understood the rotor blades

described as medium, measuring

are investigating the collapse of a

scattering debris across a wide area

spun out of control and that the

about 10 or 12 metres per second.

turbine with an 80m rotor diameter

of mountainside. But the incident is

sound of the mechanical structure

at the Screggagh windfarm

likely to reignite concerns about

crashing to the ground could be

operation that runs the Screggagh

between Fintona and Fivemiletown

wind turbine safety, following two

heard up to seven miles away. Parts

windfarm, said: All the debris from

in County Tyrone.

similar incidents involving different

of the turbine, which had a tower

the collapsed wind turbine was

turbine designs in England.

height of 60m and an overall base to

contained within the windfarm site.

blade tip height of 100m, remained

No debris went on to the public road

or neighbouring/adjoining land.

The windfarm, which opened in

2011 and consists of eight Nordex

In those cases, Health and

N80 2,500kW turbines costing

Safety Executive investigations

embedded in the ground some

2 million each, was shut down

pointed towards design

distance from the main structure.

following the incident.

shortcomings and installation errors.

8 january 2015 Professional engineering

Wind speeds at the time of the

Doreen Walker, director of the

The company said its emergency

procedures had worked well.

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Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 07926

Engineering eye
Blogger and software engineer Jeremy Frederick
writes of the 10 things he has done to become a
better engineer. Some of his tips are clearly aimed

View from Westminster

Engineering is getting more recognition
in government, says the science select
committee chair. By Ben Hargreaves

at an environment in which engineering is becoming

increasingly multidisciplinary learn everything
and anything while others are just good sense:
Stay up-to-date on technology news. A knowing
Eye couldnt agree more. Number two on
Fredericks list, however, is the following: Network
with as many people in the industry as possible,
and in other industries if possible! Networking helps

Andrew Miller MP is to stand down from his

between the entrepreneur, the Fraunhofer

get your feet in the door to expose you to new

Ellesmere Port and Neston constituency at the

research centres models for the Catapults

opportunities. Eye cant help feeling its the last

general election, but not before he has

and the banking sector, where bankers take

thing on earth that comes naturally to engineers.

assessed the impact of his fve-year stint as

advice from researchers before giving loans to

Having attended hundreds of such events, many

chair of the Commons science and technology

technology companies, creating a virtuous

have been beyond awkward for technical types.

committee and decided what tips he can pass

triangle. He says that expanding a technology

Coughing. Nervous glances. Scary silences.

on to whoever takes on the role.

business in the UK is still incredibly diffcult.

Fiddling with the tie and the corporate cuffinks.

The government announced a 5.9 billion

After the election, Miller hopes to leave a

Twitching. But if theres one thing that seems to

sustained investment in science in the

legacy to the MPs on the science committee of

hold true in life, doing more of what you dont like

Chancellors autumn statement, including

where it has succeeded in infuencing policy

and less of what comes naturally can pay

95 million to take the lead in the next European

and where it might have done better.

dividends. Thanks for sharing, Jeremy.

mission to Mars. More than 230 million will

We are on track to do something a bit

also go on a new science research centre called

different, he says. The noises around the

Good to see that the establishment is continuing to

the Sir Henry Royce Institute in Manchester, and

advanced manufacturing Catapult are really

recognise that, er, engineers should be part of it.

20 million will go towards a research centre on

quite encouraging.

Following 2014s bumper haul of honours for

ageing, in Newcastle.

We will be looking at the recommendations

industry high-fiers, Group Captain Mark Hunt,

we have made during my time on the

president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,

welcomed the statement, which included

committee, and whether they have had the

was one of a number of engineers recognised in the

measures designed to strengthen the R&D tax

desired effect, says Miller. We are trying to

Queens latest new year honours list, winning an

credits system and to cut tax on young

peer review our own work.

OBE. Dr George Gillespie, chief executive at

Manufacturers organisation the EEF broadly

apprentices. There will be extra funding for the

He says one success story has been the

High Value Manufacturing Catapult, viewed by

work the government has carried out on how it

some well-deserved recognition for his services to

Hermann Hauser, the technology entrepreneur

handles scientifc advice in emergencies. That

international trade. Also honoured was chemical

who dreamt up the scheme, as one of its early

resulted in a signifcant shake-up of the Cabinet

engineer Professor Stephen Richardson of Imperial

success stories. The EEF warned, however, that

Offce machinery.

College London. And Sarah Spurgeon, professor of

a regime of feast and famine for innovation

and science in the future would not be helpful.
There are some serious challenges for

Miller says he has enjoyed working with

automotive engineering frm Mira, also received

control engineering at the University of Kent, won

engineers during his time on the committee,

an OBE for services to engineering. Congratulations

including a trip to look at the most

to one and all.

science, acknowledges Miller. But there is

extraordinary engineering project on the planet

now a bipartisan move recognising the

Cern. It was in Geneva that Miller frst

For those active on Twitter, the #mydayengineering

importance of science and engineering in the

proposed that the organisations that eventually

hashtag really is worth a look. Its a place in

government machinery. That is creating a more

were named Catapults be called Turing centres

cyberspace for engineers to let the world know

stable environment, and that, with protection of

in honour of the mathematician and computer

exactly what they have been up to. The posts

the core budget, has meant people are looking

scientist Alan Turing. That recommendation was

illustrate what a diverse profession engineering really

long-term, rather than the piecemeal approach

ultimately not adopted. But others of his and

is. Planning a strategy to analyse curved tapering of

of a short-term funding horizon.

the committees may be. Ill be watching

a cantilever parapet post with Roarks formulae.

closely from outside parliament to see what

Learning how to adjust the settings on my new

happens in the future, says Miller.

thermal imaging camera. Working out lots of sums to

Miller says that small engineering frms in

Germany have benefted from the relationship

bill for fees on recent projects. The timeline shows

that engineers do many different things every day.

tHat rEsultEd in a significant sHakEup of tHE caBinEt officE macHinEry

10 january 2015 Professional engineering

If you have any news, rumours or gossip, email

the Eye at engineering.eye.pe@gmail.com

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Survey

8 Questions
Relatively low-cost drones were one of the top-selling
Christmas presents in 2014, with remote fying of aircraft
becoming a popular pastime. But, as a recent near-miss
with an airliner shows, the authorities face a battle to stop
them being used irresponsibly. this months 8 Questions is
on the use of drones. 435 readers responded
Yes

38%

Would you
have liked to
have received
a drone as
a Christmas
present?
1

Dont know

Can you see a time

where remote-controlled
aircraft fying might
become a hobby of yours?
2

No

57%

Yes

5%

33%

Remote fying of aircraft has emerged

as a popular hobby, and more than
one-third of our readers said they
would have liked to have received
a drone for Christmas. Technology
advancement means these pieces of
aviation equipment now have some
decent manoeuvring capability, as
well as extended range and battery
life. Many respondents said they
simply looked like a lot of fun.

Dont know

No

59%

8%

The slight fall in the Yes here compared with the

previous question could be attributed to the time
factor. Plenty of readers said they would have
liked to have received a drone as a present but
were unlikely to go out and buy one, as they
would lack the opportunity to fy it.

Do you view the emergence

of drone technology as
an exciting application of
aerospace engineering?

Do you think drones will

fnd widespread industrial
application for purposes such
as condition monitoring?

To some, hobbyist drones are a noisy and dangerous intrusion on

modern life. They are a childish application of technology for pointless
ends. But not for engineers. More than four-ffths of our readers saw
them as an exciting application of aerospace engineering. That
response recognised the sophistication of the technology
that underpins these new devices. Remote-controlled
planes have been around for a long time, but
improved fying performance and reliability make them
a much more enticing proposition these days.

There are already a clutch of pioneering companies that are using

remotely piloted drones to monitor the condition of electricity pylon
cables and to check the integrity of offshore platform fare stacks. As
the range and imaging capability continue to increase, so will
their use in industry, our readers felt. This question started to
get respondents concerned about privacy, though. There
were worries about how such technology might be used
in the future by unscrupulous companies. Drones could
be a force for good and for bad, it was said.

Yes
No

81%

14%

Dont know

5%

14 january 2015 ProfeSSional engineering

Yes
No

6%

Dont know

7%

87%

Would you like to participate

in the PE Reader surveys?
If so send us an email to
pesurveys@caspianmedia.com
with the words Panel Member in
the message box and we will add
you to future correspondence.

5 Do you think greater regulatory

controls are required to dictate how
and when hobbyists can fy drones?
A pretty vehement Yes
vote to this question. Many
readers said the widespread
use of drones would start to
constitute an additional hazard
to air travel and, as such,
more stringent controls were
required to deal with any such
threat. On the other hand,
such controls could do much
to detract from any enjoyment.

Yes
No

11%

Dont know

7%

82%

6 Do you think it should be a

criminal offence to fy a drone within
a certain proximity of an airport?
Possibly the strongest Yes
vote to any question asked in 8
Questions over the years. While
hobbyist fying was no doubt
a lot of fun, there needed to
be strict punishment in place
for those who fouted rules
and caused a danger. Airport
hazards were by far the most
obvious concerns, it was said.

Yes

95%

No

2%

Dont know

3%

Do you think Googles

plan to use drones to
deliver goods to homes
will ever come to fruition?
8

7 Do you think it should

be made illegal for
hobbyist drones to be
ftted with cameras?
There is a balance to be struck between the need for regulation and a respect for an
individuals right to pursue an enjoyable activity when it came to hobbyist fying, it was
felt. A blanket ban on drones being ftted with cameras was a step too far, said almost
two-thirds of our readers. But a signifcant minority disagreed. Many of the Yes voters
said the pleasure of drones came from the fying, and there was no reason for a hobbyist
to be interested in recording activities. Such an act was a privacy invasion, they felt.

Google has already built and tested its own drones

as part of a plan to make automated deliveries to
remote homes. This idea intrigued our readers, with
most thinking that the internet giant would have
the fnancial clout to see it through. But there was
a signifcant amount of scepticism among the No
and Dont Know voters. The same point was raised
many times: there needed to be only one accident
involving drones to render the plan unacceptable.

Yes

Yes

28%
Dont know

11%

No

61%

No

54%

25%

Dont know

21%

Professional engineering january 2015 15

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h av e y o u r s ay

soundbites
the government has awarded the east
coast rail franchise to inter city
railways, a venture between stagecoach
and Virgin. is a fully privatised railway
the best solution for passengers?
No. The pressure to increase prices

designed to try to get a good deal

directly related to how well they

diffcult to see how a truly privatised

to maintain profts at the expense of

for the government and for the

serve their passengers.

system could beneft communities.

genuine travellers will exceed any

travelling public, Im not sure that

Governments are in general equally

Peter Airey, Crieff, Perthshire

common sense.

this is necessarily what it delivers.

committed to doing a good job, but

John Smythe, Oxford

The only party that is accountable to

their objectives may change more

I remember the bad old days of

the customers is the government,

often with the political climate,

British Rail when a supposed

Yes. Despite a few glitches,

and the customers are suffering

giving a less consistent and more

eight-hour journey from Glasgow to

privatisation has been a huge

from high prices, late trains and

expensive deal for the passengers.

Newton Abbot regularly took 10 or

success, with more, better and

overcrowded carriages.

Jon Whitehouse, Birmingham

more hours, in old rolling stock and

faster services which have doubled

Peter Ingamells, Hook, Hampshire

the passenger usage in 20 years.

standing room only in second class.

It can be if the service is properly

Now the trains are full again, but

Competition has delivered. Overall

In a word, no. Whilst it cannot be

regulated towards the targets and

they mostly run on time. The key is

Britains railways deliver a good

denied that privatisation has brought

business plan, ensuring value for

investment in track and rolling stock,

service, refected by customer

some benefts to passengers, I

money and balance with proftability.

and the government or its agencies

surveys which show the highest

remain convinced that public

Otherwise we end up with poor

are habitually useless when running

satisfaction fgures in Europe.

transport should be publicly owned

service, as UK history has shown.

big projects so best they keep out.

Chris Fox, Chester

and operated. Too much money has

Sid McFarland, Cheltenham

Geoff Buck, Newton Abbot, Devon

gone from the public purse into the

Living in the Midlands I can fy to

pockets of shareholders, lawyers

The best solution is a system that

It can be the best solution, but only

northern Africa and back cheaper

and accountants.

has integrity and is effcient. That

once there is clarity on whether train

than I can get to our capital city by

Neil Dinmore, Derby

means a passenger-focused

operators are franchisees,

organisation that provides a

concessions or management

private organisation trains. By

defnition, trains are public transport.

The East Coast rail link has

cost-effective system not hidebound

contracts. The current

More privatised railways will target

performed very well indeed since it

by bureaucracy. The nationalised

arrangements lack clarity or

only the business traveller, with

was taken back into public

system has a history of bureaucracy,

consistency and fail to allow

scant regard for the general public.

ownership, and the decision to sell it

ineffective management, and a lack

operators freedom to take risk,

Duncan Saunders, Derby

is a major mistake. To place our

of foresight. The privatised system

innovate, improve and procure

railway system in private hands

has a history of proft-focused policy

additional stock and capacity.

On the face of it, it is madness to

would be a fnancial transport

to appease shareholders. A

Stuart Maclean, Reading

break the railway into bits and let

disaster for Britain. We should reject

privatised system with effective

foreign companies take some of the

it and ensure that this national asset

governmental oversight would be

Yes. Despite the good performance

proft. They dont work together,

is nationally owned, run and funded

ideal: an effcient organisation that

of the East Coast franchise under

trains are crowded, unreliable and

so that we achieve its main purpose

has to justify profts and reinvest a

government control, I cannot forget

often unpleasant. Then I remember

effcient, green, mass passenger

suffcient portion to remain effective.

the awfulness of British Rail, and the

the days of British Rail and think

transport, not private proft.

David Maclean, Somerset

political games played with it. The

maybe in the UK it is the only way!

Richard Young, Manchester

Jeff Bulled, Lidlington, Bedfordshire

government should stick to what it

Ive quite enjoyed the East Coast

has to do. Possibly that does

Yes, because private companies

service over the last few years. It is

include Network Rail, but not

No. Without real competition at the

have the advantage of attracting

more competitive than the West

running the trains.

point of delivery rail passengers

experts in their feld who will take on

Coast franchise. Privatisation is

Bill Ball, Lincoln

cant vote with their feet to seek a

the design, implementation and

supposed to encourage competition

better alternative. Whilst the

operation of the rail system. Their

but a lot of lines just have one

franchise selection process may be

reputation and proft margin are

operator with subsidies so it is

Go to imeche.orG/news
to read dozens more
soundbites responses

Illustration: Russell Cobb

Professional engineering January 2015 17

LETTERS:

The skills debate, the swansea Bay tidal lagoon plan,

How RoLLS-RoycE pLayEd wiLdE caRd

One of the most remarkable facts
to emerge from Phil Ruffes
exemplary textbook dissertation
on the RB211 turbofan engine is
the technical prowess of Sir Frank
Whittle (Books, PE December).
He fled a patent for a bypass
jet engine as early as 1936.
Whittles frst jet engine ran on 12
April 1937. The RB211 turbofan
frst ran 30 years later on 31
August 1967. However, it took
Rolls-Royce nearly 25 years to
bring its three-shaft RB211
bypass engine to fruition from the
frst patented designs.
More elusive is: who invented
the RB211 crucial fan which
posed such an engineering
challenge? Alec Collins,
programme manager of the
RB211, notes that the original
concept of the wide-chord fan
came from Geoff Wilde, who had
been in charge of the compressor
design offce and as early as 1950
produced a transonic blade
design. When Wilde became head
of advanced project design,
transonic fan blades became
necessary and, because of the
high bypass ratio, also long.
To reduce blade weight and
hence the disc and containment
ring the blade chord also had to
be low. This necessitated a
mid-height support (snubber) on
the adjacent blade to avoid
vibration problems.
Snubbers irritated Wilde;
positioned at the point where the

Hitting brick walls

I am writing to you in response to
the article entitled Must try
harder (PE November). As a
female chartered mechanical
engineer who is looking to return
to work after a career break to

History of invention:
The story of aeroengine
development makes
fascinating reading

airfow was sonic, they caused

large losses. Wilde foresaw the
huge advantage of wide-chord fan
blades with good vibration
properties that did not require
snubbers. The downside was their
weight if made from solid titanium.
In 1966, Wilde tasked two of
his team, including Mark Poucher,
to devise how a lightweight,
wide-chord blade could be made.
The duo produced six solutions,
including a titanium honeycomb
structure (used on the RB211
535E4) and a blade of two halves
with internal machining then
bonded together. The sixth idea
called for a carbon-fbre reinforced
resin blade or Hyfl blade.
Many leading engineers in
Rolls-Royce approved of the
carbon-fbre blade, but Wilde

bring up two children I have

become increasingly frustrated
when reading articles like this and
the many articles that have been in
media in the last six months or so.
When I read there is a skills
shortage, we need females in

18 January 2015 Professional engineering

maintained his disfavour. He

reasoned that resins then
available were too brittle; the
blade while strong enough would
be liable to impact damage, which
turned out to be the case.
So Wilde invented the
wide-chord blade for which he
held the patent and effectively
the three-shaft, high bypass ratio
engine. But the Hyfl blade,
although devised by his team, was
not claimed by Wilde but by many
of the people associated with its
detailed design. The Hyfl blade
did not cause the downfall of
Rolls-Royce as many in the media
at the time suggested for, as
Ruffes says, a back-up titanium
blade had been developed.
Events proved that the rewards
from Wildes wide-chord fan blade

engineering, or women are

missing out I just want to scream.
I am keen to return to the
engineering world to continue my
career and my love of engineering
but continually hit brick walls with
companies and agencies as I am

wiLdES fan
concEpT
conTinuES
Today,
aLmoST 50
yEaRS LaTER
were massive: a 2.5%
improvement in specifc fuel
consumption. The wide-chord
RB211 turbofan frst appeared in
1984, 10 years before its
competitors. Wildes three-shaft,
wide-chord fan concept continues
today, almost 50 years later, on
the highly successful Rolls-Royce
Trent engine family the
third-generation RB211.
And by the time the carbonfbre blade was made to work on
the General Electric GE90 nearly
30 years later resins had
improved to the point where they
were both strong and resilient.
Rolls-Royce began work on
fbre-reinforced plastic blades in
the late 1950s and used them in
the RB162 lift engine in 1961. The
advent of carbon fbre, developed
by the Royal Aircraft
Establishment at Farnborough,
was seen as an ideal substitute for
the earlier fbre due to its high
strength. Rolls-Royce elected to
make its own fbre, namely Hyfl,
but discontinued it.
John Mortimer, Whaddon, Bucks

looking to balance work and life

(as are many working mothers).
I believe that it is important to
bring up your own children and
teach them your values and be
there for them. But I know that I
could offer an engineering

readers wriTe

that visit to a comet, high-speed rail and other topics

company all my skills, maybe for
only a short working day, and make
a difference. Finding a company
that shares this attitude is proving a
challenge, to say the least.
I have been told that I am
unique as companies want my
skills but not my availability. I
wonder if you can understand why
I am frustrated.
To share my love of engineering
I am a Stem Ambassador and
working with my sons school on
the Bloodhound project. I do as
many activities as I can. It is
fantastic sharing my love of
engineering with the children. Our
schoolchildren have so much to
offer and are so keen to learn how
their day-to-day work can be used.
I would be interested to have
some constructive advice on how
to return to work, whilst bringing
up your children with your values
and whilst supporting your
husband who is also a chartered
engineer.
Rachel Rawlings, Northwich
For more on this topic, see the
feature on page 77

Steer clear of black holes

The debate around the skills gap
is an interesting one (Editors
Comment, PE December). What
skills are the gaps in?
You refer to the letter to the
London Evening Standard by Nick
Pollard, chief executive of Balfour
Beatty Construction Services. I
worked alongside Nick earlier in
his career and hold him in high
regard. Raising the issue as he has
is a positive sign of leadership so
often lacking these days.
Of the organisations cited
elsewhere in your editorial, I ask
how are they failing to attract the
skilled people they need? Is it
because of the predominant use of
black hole recruitment processes,
lack of relevant engineering key
words in the computer search
algorithms, or that skilled people

THiS coST pRESumabLy wiLL

mERELy bE paSSEd on To
ELEcTRiciTy conSumERS in
THE foRm of HigHER biLLS
dont want to work for companies
who constantly whine about the
perceived skills gap in place of
engagement with and investment
in said skilled people?
A black hole recruitment
process is where you attend an
event you were invited to, to learn
of career opportunities with
organisations that are stating they
are facing skills gaps. You then
apply through the black hole portal
as advised, and you hear nothing
back, and have no response to
follow up calls and emails.
Evidently this process doesnt work
as those companies employing that
method continue to whine that they
cant get skilled people.
There is another method the
headhunter employed by the
company they cant identify, that
want to know everything about
you, including your inside leg. You
pass that frst hurdle and the
second, the telephone interview.
Then you get to the fnal panel
interview where you travel 300

miles to the location that is not

where the job is based. The panel
espouses how skilled you are, how
they need people like you and bid
you farewell until they make their
decision. You hear nothing for
weeks, and calls are not returned.
You are eventually contacted to be
told you are overqualifed and too
experienced.
Our heritage and history shows
from the creation of modern
wealth resultant from the Industrial
Revolution that a mixture of skills
were developed through myriad
academic, education and
empirical routes. Our wealthcreating forebears of the Industrial
Revolution and their endeavours
would not pass muster with
todays commercial focus on
narrow short-term proft.
Keith Parkin, Hampshire

Questionable sums
The letter from Alex Herbert
regarding the cost of electricity
from the proposed Swansea Bay

Unrecognised achievement: Comet mission was a triumph of engineering

tidal lagoon suggests that the

power produced will be among
the cheapest in the country for
most of its 120-year life (PE
December). This seems to be at
odds with the requirement from
his company, Tidal Lagoon Power,
for a guaranteed payment of
nearly 180 per MWh for 35 years.
Given that the press have
criticised the proposed deal for
Hinkley Point nuclear power
station because of a guaranteed
price of around 90/MWh, how
can the lagoon be justifed?
Given that the lagoon project is
much simpler technology than a
nuclear plant, with obviously less
risk, why is this cost so high? This
cost presumably will merely be
passed on to electricity consumers
in the form of higher bills.
Bernard Hex, Mumbles, Swansea

misleading TV reporting
From the TV coverage of the
recent Rosetta rendezvous with a
comet and the landing of a
scientifc package, the general
British public would not appreciate
that what they were watching was
a major achievement of
engineering/technology. All the
references were to the science
and this is typical of the BBC
reporting of such events.
This probably refects the lack
of knowledge of the news
compilers and reinforces the lack
of understanding by the public. In
the interest of educating the public
and the youth of our country and
to encourage more young talent
into engineering/technology, our
institutions and the Royal
Academy of Engineering should
be making a co-ordinated
continuing approach to the BBC at
the highest level to improve the
balance and accuracy of their
reporting of these events and their
lax use of the title engineer.
The BBC has a tremendous
infuence on the culture and

Professional engineering January 2015 19

readers wriTe

attitudes of the public and

eventually over time this could
have an effect.
Gordon Quinton, Reading

Risks posed by HS2

over-provided). The plan is to

release one train path an hour
through the West Midlands, where
traffc is limited by platform space,
junctions, and franchising
restrictions, not track capacity.
With regard to airports, HS2
was backed by the aviation lobby
as it was thought likely to increase
fights from Birmingham and
Manchester, not reduce them.
The original supporters of HS2
stressed the importance of the
direct link to HS1, but that is dead
and buried. Its doubtful that HS2
will even reach London Euston.
Primrose should realise that
HS2 is a building project, not a
transport system. Were six years
into it, yet not a jot has been done
to tackle the risks that a
mechanical engineer would pick
out. My list would include the
mitigation cost of the selected
greenfeld route, the reliability of a
system planned to send every train
to the north of the country up a
single track at the rate of 18 an
hour, the dependability of the
points on the network handling that
traffc at 400km/h, and the reliability
of the overhead line equipment
carrying 300 trains a day, each
drawing up to 800A.
When it comes to mitigating the
100dB noise, the civil engineers
offer walls and tunnels. Id like to
think a mechanical engineer would
have spent the last six years
integrating the aerodynamics of the
train with line-side wind defectors.
But then again, if Stephenson or
Brunel were asked to design a
system for service in 20 years
time, theyd probably take
advantage of developments such
as superconductivity, nanotechnology and mechatronics.
Dont expect a happy ending for
HS2.
Richard Lloyd, Coventry

Im afraid that Dr Peter Primrose is

misinformed about High-Speed 2
(Letters, PE December). HS2 would
be largely disconnected from the
current network, so train paths
could only be freed up at the
expense of cities like Coventry
(which are considered to be

EmaiL youR ViEwS To

pE@caSpianmEdia.com
oR wRiTE To THE EdiToR, pE, uniT g4, HaRbouR yaRd, cHELSEa
HaRbouR, London Sw10
0xd. pLEaSE incLudE
youR fuLL namE and
addRESS

unwelcome forests
Your survey on wind turbines and
solar farms suggests one of two
facts, either how few of your
readers live in Cornwall or how
many of your readers live in areas
that have yet to experience the
industrialisation of the countryside
with forests of wind turbines and/or
blankets of solar-panel power
stations (8 Questions, PE
December).
Lets stop calling them farms
and parks just to give the
impression that they are green and
natural additions to rural life.
Dr Ben Dobson, Newquay

further illumination
Joseph Swan and Thomas Edison
had both been involved in the
development of electric lighting,
from different sides of the Atlantic
and with a degree of rivalry
(Archive, PE December).
Even so, a joint enterprise
called the Edison and Swan
Electric Light Company was set up
in 1883, and it had an offce in
London. It was a couple of years
before the Savoy Theatre in
London became the frst public
building to be electrically lit. The
performance of the lights at the
Savoy was as expected but the
generator turned out to be
inadequate and was replaced.
It is noted in the article that
Swan became a member of the
IMechE in 1884. At that time the
IMechE existed alongside the
Society of Telegraph Engineers
and Electricians, which in 1889
became the Institution of Electrical
Engineers.
J C Jones, Aberdeen

costume drama
Archive got its facts slightly wrong
(PE December). Swans fairy lights
were not used to illuminate the
Savoy Theatre but were used as
part of the costumes of the fairies
on stage in the Gilbert and Sullivan

First act: The Savoy Theatre in London gave electric light its public debut

SwanS faiRy LigHTS wERE

uSEd aS paRT of THE
coSTumES of THE faiRiES on
STagE in ioLanTHE
comic operetta Iolanthe. Hence
the term fairy lights.
The theatre was illuminated by
Swans bulbs but of larger size
than the fairy lights used on stage.
A double frst in fact!
Irvine Bell, Lytham St Annes, Lancs

Hands-off management
How refreshing to read Dr David
Landsmans remark about Tata
(Passage from India, PE
November) that We do recognise
there are geographical differences,
and its important to let managers
manage in a way that suits the
location.
Would it not be wonderful if
central government applied this to
local government and the NHS?
John Stoton, Barnham, Sussex

Safety will be built in

I feel compelled to respond to the
anti-nuclear letter from John Sharp
(PE December). Nuclear site
licensees have an absolute
obligation to meet the risk and
public safety criteria defned by the
law and enforced by the Offce for
Nuclear Regulation. There is no
credible case that these legal
commitments can be circumvented
to increase proftability.

20 January 2015 Professional engineering

It is very probable that some of

the new small reactors will use
small particulate fuels that have
high proliferation resistance, rather
than large multi-pin fuel
assemblies. However, even if light
water designs are used, the
technology is well-established/low
risk. And small reactors would
have additional passive safety
features compared with large
designs, permitting them to be
sited close to population centres.
In addition, small reactors are
able to operate at full power for at
least two years before refuelling.
This is a great advantage for
isolated communities that are not
grid-connected but who seek the
same 99.98% continuity of supply
that is available to the rest of us
and is almost impossible with
renewable generation.
Paul Spare, Davenham

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rEsEArch

coming in
from the cold

Engineers in Antarctica can spend months

holed up in accommodation pods carrying out
research in one of the most inhospitable places
on earth. Tanya Blake reports

he British Antarctic Survey

has for more than 60 years
undertaken most of Britains

scientifc research on and around the

Antarctic continent. Conducting their
research by land, sea and air, the
surveys staff help to unlock the
secrets of the frozen continent and
give the scientifc community a
greater understanding of globally
signifcant issues, from biodiversity to
climate change.
Managed from its Cambridge
base, and a component of the Natural
Environment Research Council, the
British Antarctic Survey (BAS) is a
huge operation, boasting more than
400 staff and a budget of 50.4
million for 2014-15 alone. Of this, 12
million is spent on the science
programme, and 38.3 million spent
on supporting the science, which
includes the costs of running fve
research stations in the remote and
harsh region. Much of the BAS
research, long-term observations and
surveys of Antarctica are conducted
from its three stations at Rothera,
Halley and Signy, and its two stations
on South Georgia, at King Edward
Point and Bird Island.
Steve Bremner is head of
mechanical engineering for the BAS,
and has been working at the
organisation, along with colleague
Andy Tait, a design engineer, for more

than 25 years. Over this time Bremner

overseeing this project, alongside his

and Tait have designed and

day job, and his team of engineers,

developed an eclectic range of

scientifc equipment, from ocean
instrumentation and loggers for
tracking migrating birds to coring and
drilling systems that can bore down
hundreds of metres into ice shelves.

living on the base was

quite amazing. the
coldest temperature
we had was -60c

along with additional input from

marine engineering frm Houlder, put
together a case for the new ship and
created an initial design to present to
government. They were awarded
220 million for the project.
Since last April the initial design

summer (our winter), with

supporting the BAS operations for

developed has helped scientists in

temperatures more comparable to

decades, working in such extreme

has gone through many changes,

the Antarctic to look at climate

those encountered on a skiing trip,

weather conditions and keeping pace

with the BAS team continuing to

change over many centuries, and in

around 5 or 10C. Because of the

with the latest technologies and

refne it each month before it goes

some cases thousands of years. One

refective light from the snow it would

instrumentation means they have a

out to tender in March 2015. As

55cm ice-core sample recovered by

even be warm enough for the team to

limited shelf-life of around 30 years.

Bremner testifes, planning and

the drill that Bremner and Tait

go out in T-shirts, but as the wind

James Clark Ross was built in 1990

designing a one-off polar research

designed represented 230 years of

gets up it becomes very cold very

and is due for an upgrade, says

ship is no mean feat. You must

climate history.

quickly, says Bremner.

Bremner. It still has some life left in it

consider the scientifc work that will

but obviously systems on board

be carried out on board, the routes it

An ice-core drill that they

Bremner says: Ice traps air over

It is an absolutely beautiful

time. That air is a record of the

continent with the most extremes that

become diffcult to support. You have

will travel, the weather it will endure,

atmosphere at that particular point in

you can imagine, says Tait. From

to make a judgement as to what

not to mention the costs and

history. By looking at the impurities in

complete fat calm blue skies and

youre going to do. You cant

timeframe of the build, he says.

the trapped air they can calculate

lovely sunshine to blowing gale-force

continue just servicing and

what particular year a signifcant

winds and freezing temperatures,

maintaining the older systems. You

needed to include, knowing what

event happened, such as the eruption

such that it would be diffcult to

have to make some major

works on our current ships, but we

of a large volcano. This can be used

breathe and move quickly.

improvements on board to keep it

needed to add some capability and

going for another 20 years.

value for the future as well.

to build up a historical record, and if

The BAS engineers dont just

you have past history of climate you

work on the mainland Antarctic. They

can plot future trends.

We knew the kinds of things we

Last year BAS made the

This has included plans for a

can also be stationed on the wetter

ambitious decision to apply for

helicopter deck which will be able to

and windier sub-Antarctic islands,

government funding not only to

ft two Super Pumas side by side.

thousands of miles away from their

such as South Georgia and the South

extend the life of James Clark Ross

While the BAS doesnt currently own

Cambridge base to Antarctica,

Orkney Islands, or on ships that can

but also to build a new polar science

helicopters, having them would

sometimes for years at a time.

be battered by high winds and

ship by 2019. Ultimately this vessel

provide signifcantly greater

15-20m waves.

will take on the combined roles of

geographic coverage. Bremner says

James Clark Ross and Ernest

the helipad was considered to be part

Shackleton. Bremner is tasked with

of future proofng the new ship. We

Often their work takes them the

Back in the 1980s, Tait spent

two-and-a-half years living in an

Bremner and Tait have worked

underground base called Halley 4. A

extensively on board the two

qualifed electrical engineer, he was

ice-strengthened ships that sustain

to be trained in meteorology while on

the Antarctic operations. RRS James

location and help to conduct

Clark Ross has advanced facilities for

experiments. This involved releasing

oceanographic research, while RRS

meteorological balloons each day

Ernest Shackleton is primarily a

into the freezing cold air of an

logistics ship used for the resupply of

Antarctic winter in 24-hour darkness.

stations. Working on board a ship

You lived underground in tubes.

requires a set of skills that are

There were 18 of us down there at

different to those needed to working

one time, says Tait. Living on the

on the continent, says Bremner.

base was quite amazing. The coldest

When you are at sea, the conditions

temperature we had was 60C

can be horrendous it gets so bad

during the depths of the winter.

that you have to stop what youre

Normally the team conduct

experiments during the Antarctic

doing as it is just unsafe.

While these ships have been

Sailing into mid-life: RRS

Ernest Shackleton has
traversed the icy Antarctic
seas since 1995, and is
set to retire by 2019

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research

dont own helicopters but who knows

in the future we might have the ability
to lease them or own them
ourselves, he says. Rather than the
space needed for the helipad lying
vacant, it will be used by fexible
laboratory confgurations for
scientists to bring their own kit and
experiments on board.
The ship will also carry an array of
sophisticated environmental
monitoring systems that will provide
data from the ocean, measuring the
conductivity, temperature and depth
of the water. Acoustic Doppler current
proflers will measure the current fow,
while other on-board instruments will
measure plankton. As well as this, the
ship will have underwater
autonomous vehicles (UAVs) and
remotely operated deep-sea vehicles
(ROVs), which will explore the seabed

thrusters, explains Bremner. James

in unprecedented detail.

Clark Ross has just one thruster fore

But the handling systems that

and aft and a propeller to steady the

Cold comfort: Steve Bremner

has endured the harsh
Antarctic conditions on many
occasions to support varied
science programmes

place these ROVs over the side of the

ship, so it has been awarded a low

ship and into the water can weigh in

dynamic positioning class of 1 (DP1).

excess of 15 tonnes. This has

However, Ernest Shackleton, which

that it is able to cope with the

previously caused logistical issues for

was originally built as a rig supply

extreme weather it will face in

the crew operating James Clark

vessel, has DP2 class and can work

the Antarctic. Everything we

Ross, says Bremner. Working where

safely alongside oil rigs and pipelines.

will do on the ship we have

we do in Antarctica there is no

The Shackleton has four tunnel

to take into account the

shore-side lifting capability, as well as

thrusters, an azimuth thruster that

conditions the equipment

in places like the Falkland Islands

rotates 360 and its propeller, which

can work in, says Bremner.

on the James Clark Ross when it did

which is our port of call when we go

when combined with navigation

The crew will have a

a 42 roll in both directions. Basically

south. This has meant the ship has

equipment is able to hold station

predetermined weather envelope in

anything that is not bolted down, and

previously had to travel as far as

within a 1m circle, says Bremner. It is

which equipment like the 15-tonne

anything that is bolted down poorly,

Cape Town in South Africa, or

hoped to replicate this level of

system for deploying remotely

is on the foor. It can be quite a

occasionally to ports in South

capability on the new ship, but avoid

operated vehicles can be used,

dangerous environment but we

America, to get a larger lift capacity.

the offcial DP2 status awarded to

known as a sea state. For example,

mitigate that by preparing for it.

Shackleton as there are stringent

sea state 5 is characterised as

are paying very high costs to ship

regulations and rules that govern

rough with wave heights up to 4m.

that to somewhere like Cape Town

ships with this class.

Bremner says: Consequently we

To monitor the weather effectively

The ships must also be robust

enough to travel through thick sea
ice. While the exact specifcations

the new ship will have Polar View, a

have yet to be determined, the BAS

product developed by BAS that

team will increase the new ships

for fuel just to put that piece of

collates satellite imagery from a

ice-breaking capacity, working within

equipment on.

range of sources and provides a

an envelope of operation of a metre

detailed picture of the forthcoming

of ice at 2 knots. To do that we dont

weather fronts and sea-ice

need to increase the hull at all, as

conditions. The crew will then be

both of our current ships could cope

able to tell when to bring equipment

with that, says Bremner. It is more

in and batten down the hatches

to do with the propulsion.

and steam from Antarctica to Cape

Town a 10-day trip at 10,000 a day

To overcome this problem, the

new ship will have cranes with a lift
capacity of 35 tonnes, so the BAS will
be able to ship the equipment to a
port of convenience and pick it up on
passage, saving time and money.
When there are heavy pieces of
equipment being lifted over the side
of the ship, you also need to be able
to keep the vessel steady using
dynamic positioning. In mid-water a
ships position is controlled by

Of course, much of the new ships

design will be focused on ensuring

ive been on
the james
clark ross
when it did
a 42 roll in
both
directions.
it can be
dangerous

although sometimes this only gives

While James Clark Ross has a

them a matter of hours to retrieve the

propulsion of 6.5MW, and Ernest

kit before a storm hits, which can

Shackleton 8.2MW, the new ship is to

make life tricky, says Bremner.

have a much larger propulsion

Even when working with the latest

capacity of 15-18MW. This will be

technology the crew can be caught

settled upon following further

by surprise. Bremner says: Ive been

calculations to determine the hull

Professional engineering january 2015 25

research

form, ice stiffness and thickness

Gateway for deep-feld science:

During peak summer months Rothera
research station will house around
130 science and support staff

fnding other places to store the fuel

and ballast water.

the ship will encounter.

While it can be diffcult to comply

For the inevitable times when

the ship is ice-bound, says

with such legislation, Bremner

Bremner, the BAS team have opted

stresses that the BAS is in no way

to include a moon pool; a hole that

against the changes. Ultimately, he

runs through the ship that will allow

says, they are there to conduct

ROVs and UAVs to be deployed

research and ensure the crew remains

directly into the ocean.

safe and the environment unchanged

in the process.

It isnt just environmental factors

While the BAS is managing this

that affect such decisions. As a

would not interfere with the acoustic

environment of the waters

research ship, the experiments run on

data but would limit the distances the

surrounding the two poles. For

project, Bremner says it very much

board, or that are launched from the

ship can cover and impact upon fuel

example, you now must have

belongs to the UK scientifc

ship, will determine much of the

effciency. However, a large motor

systems on board that process the

community. In testament to this they

vessels fnal design.

would produce too much noise.

ballast water which stabilises the

are running a poll of scientists around

Acoustic quietness is probably

ship that you have taken on board

the country, asking them what should

be to deliver acoustic information for

higher up than fuel effciency,

from other regions, Bremner

end up on the fnal design of the ship.

the host of on-board experiments,

because if it doesnt deliver good

explains.

including the task of measuring and

usable data it doesnt matter how fuel

3D mapping contours of the seabed.

effcient it is, he says. To resolve this

ballast water from a grubby port and

tender, the pressure is on to perfect

This will be achieved using the latest

confict they have opted to use a

dump it into the seas around the

the design. While there are many

bathymetry system, which sends an

submarine motor that is almost silent

Antarctic and risk contaminating the

challenges yet to come, the ultimate

acoustic signal down to the seabed,

running and will deliver the speeds

entire region.

test will arrive when the new vessel

which then bounces back to be

and fuel effciency required.

One of the ships major tasks will

You dont want to take 10m3 of

This has also meant ensuring that

With only months to go until the

contract to build the ship goes out to

replaces the current two-ship

Shipping rules and regulations are

void spaces that fll with water if the

operation. Bremner says: This will be

stringent in the Antarctic and can put

ships outer shell has been punctured

the UK polar presence in Antarctica.

sure the acoustic signature of the

restrictions on the design of a polar

do in fact remain void and are not to

Ernest Shackleton provides vital

ship is as close to zero as you can

vessel, says Bremner. The

be used to store fuel or ballast water

support to our stations. James Clark

get it, explains Bremner. Anything

International Maritime Organization is

as they once were. This has entailed

Ross has a good global reputation it

on the hull will have an effect on

developing the Polar Code, which will

increasing the size of the new ship

is known to be one of the leading

acoustic signals, hence it must have

stipulate a mandatory set of

design to incorporate a 0.75m space

polar vessels in the world. What we

a streamline aerodynamic shape.

specifcations that ships must have to

between the outer and inner plate

have to make sure we do is that we

Otherwise it will produce a lot of

travel safely through the harsh

running around the whole vessel, and

dont slip from that position. n

analysed on board.
To do that you need to make

aeration and that noise basically

precludes you from getting good
signals.
This also impacts on what motor
is chosen for the ship. A small motor

220m

the government has funded

the design and build of a new
advanced research ship

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AUTOMOTIVE

Jaguar
leaps
forward
The XE could prove the most important
jaguar model in a generation. The
company wants to be seen as a technology
leader to break into the lucrative premium
mid-size car segment. lee Hibbert reports

segment with the launch of the X-Type,

which was criticised in many quarters for
sharing components with the distinctly
unglamorous Mondeo. This time around
with the XE, it simply has to get things right.
Nick Miller, XE vehicle programme
director, says the importance of the new car
cannot be overstated. Its a huge
opportunity for us, he says. But its a

he new year brings new

grow from 1.55 million to 1.72 million sales

ruthless segment, for sure, and there has

opportunities at Jaguar Land

annually worldwide between now and 2020.

been a lot of pressure on the team here to

Rover, as the company looks to

If JLR can grab even a small piece of the

get things right. It has really focused the

make an impact in the

pie, it would deliver a dramatic rise in

mind, and we have had to work hard to get

production numbers for the marque.

the perfect balance between

ferociously competitive premium mid-size

car segment with the arrival of the XE. The

In anticipation, JLR has invested a

manufacturability, feasibility and

new sports saloon, which goes on sale in

colossal 1.5 billion at its Solihull plant, with

the spring, will go up against top sellers like

the construction of new body stamping and

the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-

fnal assembly facilities, creating 1,700 jobs.

technology, this time around Jaguars

Benz C-Class.

But it isnt just fnances that are at stake.

engineers have been in the fortunate

Reputation issues will also come into play:

position of creating the XE from a blank

moment for the historic British carmaker,

while under Ford ownership, Jaguar tried

sheet of paper. The result, at frst glance, is

with the executive segment expected to

and failed to force its way into the mid-size

a car that very much looks the part. The

The launch of the XE is a watershed

28 jAnUAry 2015 PrOfEssIOnAl EngInEErIng

competitiveness.
While the X-Type relied heavily on legacy

Chassis considerations: The XE is

underpinned by a light, stiff body structure
for ride comfort and driving dynamics

have started with a clean sheet of paper.

70% high-strength, 30% conventional.

The car has got nothing carried over. It is all

Thats one of the big changes regarding the

new. That gave our engineers a unique

use of material on this car.

opportunity to do everything they wanted.

we started with a
clean sheet of
paper. the car is all
new. that gave our
engineers a unique
opportunity
rear-drive XE is the only vehicle in its class
to use an aluminium-intensive monocoque,
while boasting advanced technology such
as double wishbone front suspension and
an integral link rear axle.

Power pack: The

vehicles Ingenium
range of engines
will be made at
Jaguars new plant
in Wolverhampton

Specifcally, the aluminium architecture

It is no surprise to see that Jaguar has

is based around a common core structure

chosen aluminium for the core construction,

extending from the front suspension to the

having introduced the material on the XJ in

front of the rear seat squab. High-strength

2003 and on the XK, the current XJ and the

steel is used in the rear underbody and door

F-Type. Whats different with the XE is the

intrusion beams, providing a stiff mounting

amount of aluminium being used 75%

for the rear axle, while enhancing side

content by surface area, creating a structure

impact performance and helping to deliver

that Miller believes offers unrivalled low

the best weight distribution.

weight, with high strength and high levels of

torsional stiffness.

The front shock towers, mounting the

suspension dampers, are made from

The XE is the frst model designed using

high-pressure, die-cast aluminium alloy. The

Jaguars all-new modular vehicle

front end carrier and cross-car beam behind

architecture. This structure will underpin a

the dash are made from cast magnesium.

range of probably larger new models in a

The bonnet and fenders are aluminium, the

number of different segments, and is

doors and boot lid are in steel, again helping

engineered to use a mix of materials,

with weight distribution.

including aluminium of different grades,

high-strength steel and magnesium.
In the mix are high-strength aluminium

Use of high-strength aluminium alloys

for the body sides has made it possible to
reduce panel thickness from 1.5mm gauge

alloys, including AC300 and AC600 grades,

to 1.1mm. This saves weight without

with the Ingenium diesel engine from JLRs

which are used in areas such as the

compromising strength, says Jaguar.

new Wolverhampton plant, enabling it to

A-pillars, front and rear crash structures,

claim impressive fuel consumption and

and the cant rail. The B-pillars are

Miller. Theres steel in the rear foor area,

emissions fgures of 75mpg and 99g/km

high-strength aluminium reinforced with

and steel for the side intrusion beams. What

The XE is the frst Jaguar to be ftted

CO2. The XE certainly looks a match for

its established rivals.
Miller is excited by its

ultra-high strength steel, with a layer of

high-density foam between.
The base technology is

The car is not 100% aluminium, says

that gives us is very stiff points on the car to

bolt the rear suspension to. It also gives us
ideal 50/50 weight distribution from front to

potential. He says: Jaguar has

the same, fundamentally,

rear, which is a big part of getting that agile

been in this segment before and

that we introduced in 2003

feel to the car. And the use of some steel

pulled out at a certain point.

with the XJ, says Miller.

Now were going back into it

What we have done is signifcantly

again and we are approaching it

very differently.
Previously we adopted a
platform, which people made their
own judgement on. This time we

ramp up the amount of aluminium

does help with cost too.

Detailed consideration has been given
to joining techniques on the XE. As far back

which is high-strength, versus the

as 2003, Jaguar replaced spot welds with a

more conventional grades. On the

combination of self-piercing rivets and

original XJ it was 30% highstrength, 70% conventional. Now its

structural adhesives a technique proven in

aircraft production. This enabled the design

PrOfEssIOnAl EngInEErIng jAnUAry 2015 29

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auToMoTiVe

of joints combining strength, stiffness and

durability.
Another advantage and one extremely
diffcult to realise with welding processes
is compatibility with dissimilar materials. But
to prevent any risk of galvanic corrosion
between steel and aluminium panels, the
XEs monocoque benefts from fve layers of
protection between the two materials. The
frst is a protective coating of zinc on the
steel parts. The joints are flled with
structural adhesive and then the body is
e-coated. Seam sealer is applied, and then,
fnally, paint is added for fnishing.
Miller says the risk of galvanic corrosion
was uppermost in his engineers minds.
The design of the joints is very detailed, so
the different metals dont actually touch, he
the class standard, but it felt that these

reduce backlash and friction, while control

could not deliver the required dynamic

algorithms can account for changes in the

attributes. So the solution was the integral

ambient temperature, ensuring consistent

link rear suspension: a technology usually

steering feel whatever the weather

engineering colleagues. All the required

found only in larger, more expensive

conditions. The EPAS also features

controls are in place.

vehicles, and one that Miller says will deliver

speed-dependent assistance and damping,

an exceptional combination of lateral and

which varies subtly with the rate with which

an important consideration from the outset.

longitudinal stiffness. The front suspension,

steering lock is applied, and there is an

This attribute the resistance to lateral load

meanwhile, is of a double-wishbone design.

automatic compensation functionality for

says. There are multiple elements to

guaranteeing the integrity. Weve been very
conscious of it throughout, and have
worked closely with manufacturing and

As for the chassis, camber stiffness was

when the car is cornering is crucial to

Flying colours: The

XE being put
through its paces
during a series of
durability tests

Its all about producing an agile,

changes in road camber.

Miller says: EPAS has been around for a

steering feel. To keep unsprung mass to a

responsive car with good steering feel,

minimum, the XE features forged aluminium

says Miller. Some of our competitors

while now, but weve always been reluctant

knuckles made from cast blanks using a

employ various elements on their

to bring the technology on to a Jaguar

patented production process. Further

suspension systems but nobody employs all

because of the disadvantages associated

weight savings come from the tubular

of them. It gives us the fexibility to use this

with it. There were a lot of problems around

anti-roll bars and springs made from stiffer,

architecture in other products that are

the inherent friction in the whole set-up.

narrower-gauge steel.

coming up within our portfolio.

Front suspension geometry was

But our software is so intelligent that it

Another technology advance on the XE

compensates for the friction. Also, because

optimised from the outset to suit all-wheel

is the use of electric power-assisted steering

its a software-based technology, EPAS is

drive and rear-wheel drive confgurations.

(EPAS). Up until now, hydraulics have

incredibly easy to fne-tune, whereas with

The suspension mounting points enable

provided power assistance on Jaguar

hydraulics any changes meant alteration

effcient packaging of the spring and

vehicles, with its engineers unconvinced by

to the piping, which took a lot of time.

damper assembly essential to achieving

the maturity of EPAS systems. But tireless

the low bonnet height fundamental to the

refnement of both the hardware and the

too, he says. With EPAS, there is no need

XEs sleek styling.

control software has led to the development

for a hydraulic pump to be ftted, and that

of an EPAS system that Miller says meets all

weight and parasitic loss reduction helps to

of the XEs requirements.

cut the XEs CO2 emissions by 3% and 2%

Miller says Jaguar evaluated

conventional multilink suspensions that are

The technology has been refned to

because its
a softwarebased
technology,
epas is
incredibly
easy to
fine-tune

Theres an effciency advantage to it,

from petrol and diesel models respectively.

Drive time: Front

suspension mounting
points enable effcient
packaging of the spring
and damper assembly

Professional engineering january 2015 31

auToMoTiVe

Big spend on machinery

Handles well: Integral link rear

suspension will deliver lateral
and longitudinal stiffness

The engines for the XE are a major

of a stiff lightweight alloy structure.

diversion, in that they are the frst from the

Solenoid injectors are acoustically damped

new Ingenium family built at JLRs new

to avoid injector tick, while a balancer

500 million plant in Wolverhampton. Miller

shaft system reduces engine vibration,

says the new facility gives Jaguar complete

driven by gears with anti-backlash features

control of its own engine design, rather than

to prevent gear noise. There are

sourcing them from other OEMs.

acoustically treated engine covers on the

The XE is powered by a range of

camshaft cover, cylinder block and sump,

four- and six-cylinder petrol and diesel

and an oval fuel injection pump drive

engines, with diesel being introduced frst.

sprocket reduces timing chain noise.

All engines have direct injection, variable

Its a modular engine in terms of

valve timing and stop-start systems, along

the design of the cylinders and the

with regenerative charging. Power is sent to

dimensions, says Miller. Were

the rear wheels through six-speed manual

starting with four cylinders, but we

and eight-speed automatic transmissions.

also have the ability to go with

In terms of the development process for

more or less. Theres a lot of

Ingenium, Miller again refers to the benefts

elements that are common between

of a clean sheet of paper approach,

the diesel and the petrol.

enabling engineers to deliver a diesel engine

Inside the car, another aspect of the

that has 17% less internal friction than the

XE that excites Miller is its connectivity. The

unit it replaces. This has been achieved

fascia features an eight-inch screen that

using roller bearings on the camshaft and

acts as the heart of the all-new infotainment

balancer shaft; switchable piston cooling

system, operated by touch or voice control.

jets that are turned off when not required;

Jaguar has developed a range of apps that

and computer-controlled oil and coolant

allow an iOS or Android smartphone to be

pumps which only deliver the required

used to perform tasks like check fuel levels

pressure and fow demanded by the engine.

and to remotely unlock and lock the doors

The engine also features a simplifed

to allow, say, access for a family member.

low-friction camshaft drive system, and the

Miller says that the time, money and

cylinder bore is offset by 12mm from the

effort JLR now spends on connectivity is an

crankshaft to minimise the friction between

indication of just how important it has

the piston rings and cylinder wall.

become. Some people might think that

In terms of performance, the 2-litre

163 PS engine achieves peak torque of
380Nm from 1,750rpm. To deliver this,

these technologies are frivolous but

actually a lot of people want them, he says.
If you dont have such capabilities then

features include the latest generation of

you run the risk of not being seen as a

variable geometry turbocharger, a Bosch

technology leader. We have developed an

commonrail fuel injection system, and

architecture that can be evolved over time

variable exhaust camshaft timing. The result

on a common base of hardware with just

is low emissions without compromising

software upgrades. Our ability to respond to

peak performance.

the technological rate of change is much

Refnement is delivered through the use

improved by this architecture, he says. n

32 january 2015 Professional engineering

Production of the XE has required 1.5 billion

investment at Jaguars Solihull site and the creation of
1,700 jobs. A new bodyshop, the size of 10 football
pitches, contains 613 robots and nearly 300 rivet-gun
positions. One of the big innovations here is the use of
trunnions six-sided jigs that will hold the body side
and rotate it quickly while rivets are applied.
Next door, the even larger trim and fnal assembly
hall, which has the fexibility to produce both Jaguar XE
and Range Rover Sport, stretches for hundreds of
metres in length, featuring more than 200 main line
assembly stations and around 100 sub-assembly points.
The frst batches of pre-production XE cars were
produced at the end of last year for testing purposes,
and the facilities are now primed and ready for full
production cycles to kick in.
Joe McNamara is lean manufacturing manager at
Solihull. His team has worked closely with the designers
and engineers on the XE programme for the past two
years and he cant wait for the production lines to start
rolling. Im proud of the way that the upfront
manufacturing team has been able to assist the likes of
Nick Miller and his team in delivering such a great car,
says McNamara.
The car is beautiful and it is made out of
aluminium. That takes a lot of work. The
mixed-metal joints, for instance, was a
feasibility issue that the team in the
bodyshop worked through to fnd
solutions. Weve got two fantastic
new facilities the bodyshop and
the trim and fnal facility and a
host of technologies to excite
customers. They all need to be
pieced together, assembled and
tested in our new manufacturing facility.
Were looking forward to the opportunity to
deliver the very best quality.
McNamara has also been responsible for the
recruitment process at Solihull, which has been a test in
itself. He has added 1,700 staff in less than a year, and
they all need to be trained to the requisite standard. He
says: Among that fgure is around 100 employees who
are ex-servicemen and women we actively recruited
them from people leaving the armed forces. We are
fnding their skills and experience very useful. They are
a vibrant group that have come together to share their
experiences with us and they are geared up to make the
XE a great success.
They come from a disciplined background, they
understand what it takes to deliver projects and get the
job done often going above and beyond in terms of
time commitments. They have ftted in very well.
Coming from outside the car industry, they bring a
fresh perspective, allowing us to look at our business a
bit differently.
McNamara says that skills shortages have been an
issue at Solihull, but that he expects to fll all vacancies.
The fnishing line is in sight now in terms of
recruitment, he says. Im still reviewing it once a
month, but in terms of engineers and maintenance
people we are almost there.

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13 17 April 2015
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Way out West

In the latest of our regional round-ups,
Ben Hargreaves visits the West
Country and finds that companies in
semiconductors, armoured vehicles
and motorsport all recognise they have
to diversify to thrive

year, with most of the growth not in

motorbike wheels but in the companys
subcontract shop, where it is producing
aerospace components to demanding
quality standards, and bits for other sectors
too. Alford says the aim, with Hinkley Point
C power station to be built on Somersets
northern coastline, is to get into nuclear.
But that is not straightforward. Although
aerospace entails exacting quality, the
nuclear market has even more stringent
demands. Alford explains that Talon has
the engineering know-how and robust

safety regime necessary to work in the

rriving at Yeovil Junction station

name producing Motocross and Speedway

sector but must convince EDF and Areva,

on a bitterly cold morning in the

wheels, hubs and sprockets.

the French companies building the UKs

week before Christmas, there is

The companys recently appointed

frst new reactor since Sizewell B began

generating in 1995, that that is the case.

little sign of a hub of industry in the vicinity.

operations director, Graham Alford, built his

The taxi wends its way amid tree-lined,

reputation in aerospace engineering but

rolling hills and the town emerges, prettily,

fancied a new challenge with Talon. The

it is diffcult to survive, he says. He

in the distance, as if rising up from the

business is facing considerable challenges.

believes that work in the nuclear sector,

frost. Metal bashing doesnt seem to be on

Alford has just overseen the complete

including new build and decommissioning,

the horizon in south Somerset.

reorganisation of the shopfoor as a lean

represents 240,000 of new business not

fowline, including a major investment in

far short of what Talon already makes from

area. These include multinationals such as

machine tools which is allowing the factory

aerospace. The subcontract shop could be

helicopter maker AgustaWestland and,

to operate an unmanned shift during the

a 1 million business in itself if the frm

further down the road on the same

night, he explains.

breaks into the nuclear market, he says.

In fact, there are manufacturers in the

industrial estate, Honeywell Aerospace.

Although the focus has traditionally

If you put all your eggs in one basket,

Talon is participating in the

Also nestled on the estate are many much

been motorsport at Talon, the company

Manufacturing Advisory Services Fit for

smaller frms, including Talon Engineering,

intends to grow by moving into new

Nuclear programme, with help from John

which works in aerospace but made its

markets. Turnover could hit 4 million this

Ruddleston, a former aerospace

34 january 2015 ProfessIonal engIneerIng

m a n u fa C t u r I n g

the nuclear industry

is not interested in
firms that might not
be there in five years
Ruddleston cautions that engineers
participating in Fit for Nuclear can take
nothing for granted. There are no
guarantees that people are going to get
work, he says. We dont give contracts
out. But they need to do this to get ready.
Alford believes that doing the work in
itself could be benefcial, even if nothing
from the nuclear industry subsequently
comes Talons way. Ruddleston agrees: If
the worst happens and the company
doesnt get any work, it has still taken itself

Dock delivers:
Plymouth is a hub
for industry in the
West Country

to a standard that is as good as it gets.

He says that Hinkley Point C has
highlighted the fact that the opportunity is
there in the South West, but companies are

production engineer with Messier, Meggitt

securing the ISO 14001 environmental and

also thinking about the decommissioning

and Moog. Ruddleston is now focused on

ISO 18001 health and safety standards.

market. The bigger picture is emerging.

helping to gain access to the nuclear

Firms need to demonstrate that they have

market for small frms in Somerset,

the right health and safety culture, can

design engineering frm Supacat has its

Wiltshire, Devon and Gloucestershire

provide reliable documentation for the

HQ, including a large production space.

where the Oldbury site should soon see the

parts they produce over long periods, and

Like Talon, the company is moving into

development of nuclear power stations by

are in it for the long haul.

new markets and has plans to grow its

Hitachi-owned Horizon.

In nearby Honiton, armoured vehicle

turnover from 20 million to 75 million by

The nuclear industry is not interested

in frms that might not be there in fve

2020. In December, it announced the

services Fit for Nuclear programme, run in

years time, Ruddleson points out. It

acquisition of Blackhill Engineering

conjunction with the Nuclear Advanced

takes 10 years, sometimes longer, to build

Services, providing Supacat with the ability

Manufacturing Research Centre, involves

a power station. It will run for 60 years, and

to manufacture large structures.

companies completing questionnaires and

take 100 years to decommission.

Ruddleston explains that the advisory

online assessments, after which they are

scored in terms of their readiness to

have zero accidents in the production of

participate in the industry. He says: We are

parts or delivery of services, says MAS.

not talking War and Peace here its what

Talons Alford says: We know we have a

you are going to do, whos doing it, and

very safe environment in which to work.

when it is going to be fnished.

The paper trail just needs to be tidied up.

He can advise frms on areas where

Supacat is part of the South West

Marine Energy Park, intended to

Companies must demonstrate that they

strengthen the regions supply chain in the

nuclear and renewable energy markets.
Fresh life: Supacat
is diversifying into
the marine sector
to grow turnover

Steve Austen, the new engineering director

at the company, is a fellow of the IMechE
and worked for the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution and Ministry of Defence for

they need to improve and provide funding

many years. Supacat is working on marine

to help them do so through R&D and

products, including a launch and recovery

business improvement projects. Im not

system for the Shannon class lifeboat. The

there to catch them out, Ruddleston

company has also designed its frst marine

explains, just to highlight that they might

vessel, for transporting maintenance crews

not be where they think they are.

and equipment to offshore windfarms.

So where should they be? According to

Supacats bread and butter, however,

the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS),

remains armoured vehicles, including the

the minimum quality requirement for

Jackal, which was used extensively in

nuclear is ISO 9000, but companies also

Afghanistan. The primary role of the vehicle

need to prove they are working towards

in the British Army is deep reconnaissance,

ProfessIonal engIneerIng january 2015 35

Co
Dr
aut
app

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Tues 10th Thurs 12th February 2015
9.30am 4.30pm (3.30pm close Thurs)

The UKs largest and

longest established
Manufacturing
Technology Exhibition
Meet over 800 national and international
suppliers under one roof in Farnborough this
February at Southern Manufacturing &
Electronics (inc AutoAero) 2015.
See live demonstrations and new product launches
of machine tools & tooling, electronics, factory &
process automation, packaging & handling, labeling
& marking, test & measurement, materials
& adhesives, rapid prototyping, ICT, drives &
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Free industry seminar programme online @
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The exhibition is free to attend, free to park
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on Tuesday 10th February.
Pre-register online now for your free entry
badge and show preview @
www.industrysouth.co.uk
SOUTHERN MANUFACTURING & ELECTRONICS is an ETES event
organised by European Trade & Exhibition Services Ltd
Tel 01784 880890 email philv@etes.co.uk

m a n u fa c t u r i n g

rapid assault and fre support roles where

the repair is to the right standard if there is

mobility, endurance and manoeuvrability

very severe damage, says Austen.

are important and it has also been used

Although many gripes about the

for convoy protection. Small production

equipment used by the army in Afghanistan

runs are manufactured at the Honiton

centred on the protection offered by

factory but larger batches are made by

vehicles, he says the Jackal proved its

Plymouth company DML, which is owned

worth. They have been reliable, repaired in

by Babcock International Group. The

theatre if necessary, and then brought

number of Jackals in service is about 500.

back, he says. Very few Jackals were lost

Supacat employs many engineers and

is now working on a programme to deliver

Motor show: Talon

Engineering
specialised in
Speedway and
Motocross parts

to attrition or abandoned.
Supacat is now eyeing nuclear industry

a new armoured vehicle to the Australian

work and also the development of

military, in collaboration with its Australian

vehicles offering protection against

subsidiary. For customer support, having

radiological threats or toxic or chemical

a business in that time zone is important,

spills. It has participated in several

explains Austen.

Innovate UK programmes. We are

When one person leaves, they take a

lot of knowledge with them.
Is Supacat an easy sell when looking to

interested in the challenges involved in

attract youngsters into the industry? The

the Australian vehicle manufactured in the

moving people and kit around hazardous

products are interesting and we have an

UK with the rest of the armoured car, in

environments, says Austen.

inspiring team, says Austen. Mentoring

The challenge is to integrate chassis for

Australia. The company hopes that doing

arrangements are in place for young

Austen feels that the environment for

so successfully will lead to further military

manufacturing is healthy in the region.

engineers. Austen says that geography

work in the Asia-Pacifc region. It is already

There is a lot of work at the moment, he

can be a challenge. We are not in the

working with Tata on a potential design for

says. It has been challenging over the last

commuter belt from Bristol and Plymouth.

the Indian military.

few years, however. The company took the

Hiring graduates is a good way to pick

decision to keep staff on and manage

people up who dont have family ties. Most

round of MoD-backed armoured vehicle

through the challenging times. We have

people are amazed when they come and

projects for Britain, and working on

kept the skillset, which has made the

have a look around at how much product

reconditioning Jackals that saw service in

company well-placed to meet these

comes from such a small place.

Afghanistan. Austen says: There will be

aggressive targets for growth going

some work to repurpose vehicles. In many

forward. It was important to make sure we

Plessey Semiconductors, on the outskirts

ways we are as busy now as when the

maintained the same design team.

of Plymouth, a company that has been

Supacat is also looking at the next

Also shipping a lot of product is

through numerous changes of ownership

vehicles were in operation.

over the last two decades. Most recently,

The Jackal and vehicles such as the

Coyote were heavily used in Afghanistan
by special forces initially and then picked
up by the mainstream army and used for
transport purposes. Some need repairs for
damage from improvised explosive
devices. The design authority must ensure

the company took

the decision to keep
staff on through the
challenging times

the plant, then known as X-Fab, was

bought out by its management in 2009,
and is now owned by a small group of
private investors who have pumped
millions into the business in an effort to
secure its future.
Plessey, which makes semiconductors
used in sensing, measurement and control
applications, has products in a wide range
of markets including communications,
manufacturing, medical, defence and
aerospace. Its products include CMOS
image sensors, low- and mid-power LEDs,
Hall effect devices and electric potential
sensors. Plesseys high-brightness LEDs,
used in solid-state lighting, can help to
reduce energy consumption. LEDs are
made using gallium nitride, a
semiconductor material that has superior
light-emitting properties.
At the large Plymouth facility, whose
site is fully owned by the company, and
which is ready for expansion, 3,390m2 of
clean-room semiconductor manufacturing

War machines: The Jackal was used extensively in Afghanistan and is now being repurposed in the UK

space is available. Plessey currently has a

Professional engineering january 2015 37

m a n u fa c t u r i n g

spare clean room. The other two

production lines have different levels of
cleanliness and produce different
semiconductor geometries and products.
LED production requires less clean
conditions than CMOS (complementary
metal oxide semiconductor) image
sensors, for example. The air in the rooms
must be frequently recycled and that
Like manufacturers everywhere,

means using a lot of power: the electricity

each other and help each other out. You

bill for a months production at Plessey is

Plessey is suffering from skills shortages

can meet people face-to-face, which is

upwards of 200,000.

and a workforce that is skewed towards

always preferable. Alford says that, given

older engineers. It is promoting Stem

the opportunity, he will always pick

for detecting breast cancer, while LEDs can

activities and working with the CBI locally

suppliers within a 15-mile radius.

be combined in wearable items or fabric

to try to improve the situation. The

and lighting arrays. Markets Plessey serves

consequence of skills shortages is that we

youth unemployment is high, the

include medical equipment such as

are having to employ people from all over

company employs temporary staff as

electrocardiograph machinery, automotive

the globe, and attract them to Plymouth to

necessary, many of whom go on to take

sensors designed to improve driver

take up these positions, says Blake. It is a

permanent positions. Desirable qualities

alertness, as well as lighting.

challenge to fnd these future Plessey

for temps include being physically ft and

employees based overseas, sponsor them,

willing to learn, says Alford. Some

and bring them into the country, he says.

temporary staff subsequently become

Chips are used in gene sequencing and

The market for LED lighting could be

worth 200 billion, says Myles Blake,

The South West is not thought of as a

information systems director and Plessey

As well as bringing in apprentices, as

adult apprentices. The temps are willing

stalwart, and also one of the companys

manufacturing centre. Blake admits that

to get stuck in, willing to roll their sleeves

new shareholders. The electricity saved by

there are limitations in terms of transport.

up, and willing to take advice.

the widespread adoption of LED lighting

But Plessey is an important local employer.

could add up to 5 trillion kWh or the

Snaith says: Although weve not a huge

Cameron made a speech at the World

output of 559 full-size power stations.

number of employees, we turn over a lot of

Economic Forum in Davos declaring that

materials. We do try to source locally where

manufacturing work that had been lost to

responsible for the frms manufacturing,

we can, and it has a knock-on effect. He

the UK was coming back to these shores.

says: We knew nothing about LEDs when

adds that the site is known as innovative

Alford says Talon is seeing evidence of this,

we frst set off on this journey in 2010. We

and is a key player within the Plymouth

as are other South West manufacturers.

had no experience, so we brought

Manufacturers Group, which also includes

Cambridge University on board, and we

Babcock and UTC Aerospace Systems.

Operations director Mike Snaith, who is

It is a year since Prime Minister David

Lead times, responsiveness, language

barriers and quality are all issues, he says.

brought in some fresh talent to get us to

What all these frms working in the

where we are today. We can see a clear

same region seem to have in common is

is a lot better than the Chinese imports.

roadmap going forward. We are making big

that they are responding to improved

The quality is the biggest thing. And I think

economic conditions by ensuring they are

there are other suppliers in the area who

not over-reliant on a single sector in the

are having a similar experience.

improvements month by month. The

capital investment required to do that has
been more than 40 million. It will have to
continue as we grow, says Snaith.

Floating repairs:
Vessel designed by
Supacat for
maintenance of
offshore wind
turbines

future. They also seem determined to

embrace the latest processes.

The quality of the work we are producing

He says: I think the government has

switched on to the fact that there is a lot of

Talon is running its unmanned night

manufacturing in this country that is still

shift with its new equipment for half the

viable and effcient, and that investment

cost of a manned operation. Thats

has been lacking for several years.

because the guy isnt standing there,

explains the frms Graham Alford.

There is no point looking back. We

need to see how we can move forward. n

Electricity is cheaper. There is no heating

or lighting. The next step may be to
introduce robots to feed aluminium billet
into the machines. But he says: We
havent talked about losing staff as a result.
We are talking about increasing our
capacity and capability. We are more
proftable, more productive, and more
effcient as a result. It is adding to the
business not taking away.
He says manufacturing in the region is
healthy. There is a network, and we talk to
38 january 2015 Professional engineering

the quality
of work we
produce is a
lot better
than the
chinese
imports

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On the crest
Of a wave
Engineers from different
disciplines are working together
to create the worlds first inland
surfing centre of its kind in North
Wales. Rhodri Clark reports

nyone who visits the Surf

not all countries respect international

Snowdonia construction site in

patents but the system that Surf

surfers paradise on the way

the rural Conwy valley is

Snowdonia will use is broadly as follows. A

Surf Snowdonia, being built in the village of Dolgarrog, is

scheduled to open next summer. Facilities will include a
caf and camp site. A pipeline on a distant hillside carries
water from reservoirs to a hydro-electric power station.
Some of the water from the power station will be fltered
and used to replenish the surfng lagoon

guaranteed to leave with a sense of

specially shaped plough will shuttle back

excitement. I dont seem to have problems

and forth along an underwater track in the

in keeping a smile on peoples faces, says

centre of the surfng lagoon. Each run of the

managing director Steve Davies, because

plough will generate a wave on both sides

this project is ground-breaking, literally and

of the track. The wave will progress along

metaphorically.

the lagoon, providing an ideal profle for

surfng for 18 seconds. Each two-minute

continuous or relatively steady loads on

polluted, concrete-covered site of a former

cycle will give surfers two waves, travelling

the motor.

aluminium factory will be transformed into

eastwards then westwards.

In the space of just one year, the

the worlds frst inland surfng centre with

The lagoon will be around 300m long

The activity cycle for Surf Snowdonias

motor will oscillate between stasis and full

waves that move with constant energy. The

and 113m wide. The wave will interact with

power every minute during routine

facilitys guaranteed waves, whatever the

the contoured lagoon bed to provide

operation. Careful attention is being paid to

weather, will make the sport more

different profles at varying points. The wave

cooling the motor.

accessible to people of all abilities,

will be 1.8m tall (from trough to crest)

including beginners, who can cut their teeth

nearest the plough, and 1.2m tall alongside

each run of the plough. The gently inclined

on the smaller waves at each end of the

the shore. As the wave loses energy at the

shore will be ftted with a porous

new lagoon.

end of its run, it will provide suitable

honeycomb sheet which will dissipate the

conditions for learners, with a wave height

energy of each wave much faster than an

of about 70cm.

impermeable perimeter would.

Davies says the International Surfng

Association, based in California, is keeping

The lagoons surface must be fat for

a close watch because the technology to

The central track and associated

The lagoon will be sealed to prevent any

produce identical waves, time after time,

equipment will be encased in mesh,

interaction with groundwater. Lagoon water

could open the door to surfng becoming

designed to keep surfers safe while not

will be fltered as it enters the site from the

an Olympic sport.

impairing the form and energy of the wave

outlet of the adjacent RWE Innogy

arising from the plough inside the elongated

hydro-electric plant.

The construction is rapid. The

ground-cutting ceremony was on 26 June
2014, and opening is planned for 1 July

cage.
The plough will be hauled by a cable

2015. However, many years of development

above the water surface, connected to a

work lie behind the initiative, principally by a

2.5MW motor. The propulsion system is

Spanish company called Instant Sport. At a

supplied by Italian frm Leitner Ropeways,

research site in northern Spain, it has tested

which has more than a centurys experience

and refned a product called Wave Garden.

of ski lifts, cable-car routes and funicular

Details of the technology are secret

railways applications that place either

The water coming in is bordering on

drinking quality, says Davies. Chemicals
such as chlorine, commonly used for

I N N O VAT I O N

Davies says: One of the challenges

was what to call this in legislative terms. Its
not a swimming pool. Its not a lake,
because its sealed.
We couldnt pigeonhole it. We asked
the council to come up with the water
quality standards with which we needed to
comply.
Innovation by the private sector can
sometimes make public authorities
nervous, but Davies says Conwy council
and the Welsh government quickly grasped
Surf Snowdonias potential in a region
that has seen sustained investment in
facilities and marketing for activity holidays.
The project must also comply with
reservoirs legislation originally put in

Making tracks
Steve Davies, managing director of Surf Snowdonia, on
site. The central concrete strip behind him is the
foundation for the underwater track for the wavegenerating plough. After the machinery has been
installed, the area both sides of the concrete strips will
be excavated to form the lagoon bed

hygiene in swimming pools, are impractical

place in response to a fatal dam failure in

here, because the water will eventually be

1925 in the uplands just a few kilometres

discharged into the river Conwy. Quite apart

west of the Surf Snowdonia site in

from general environmental considerations,

Dolgarrog. The ground at the site may

here is the coordination to pull myriad

a mussel fshery downstream supplies food

appear to be level but falls by 4m over the

organisations together.

for human consumption.

lagoons longitudinal footprint. A low dam

All of the water in the lagoon will be

replaced every 24 hours during the
operating season, to prevent contamination

The site and Surf Snowdonia belong to

will therefore contain the lagoon at its

the Ainscough group of companies, best

western end.

known for the crane hire business which it

After retiring as an army offcer, Davies

sold in 2007.

such as algal bloom. That will require

was director of the National Railway

2,200m3 of water to be fltered every hour

Museum in York. Having organised a

engineering and design consultancy. Civil

on the way in and again on the way out.

reunion of all surviving A4 Pacifc

engineering has been overseen by D

The sheer scale of the water weve got to

locomotives, to mark the 75th anniversary

Morgan of Ellesmere Port.

move around is a challenge, says Davies.

of Mallards record-breaking run, he chose

Pipework will distribute incoming water

around the lagoon and to a separate activity
lake, which will provide watersports suitable
for young families.

well, then be pumped to the exit fltration

system. The number and position of those
outlets were determined by calculating the
displacement of the water by the passage

Morgans arent an organisation whose

to leave on a high and moved to the

primary focus is looking for the faws in the

embryonic Surf Snowdonia project.

plan to extract more value from the

Ive never constructed anything in my

life, he says, but the biggest challenge

contract, says Davies. Ive been

impressed by their willingness to propose
solutions to problems. If wed waited until

Lagoon water which is due for replacing

will fow through 12 outlet ducts to a dry

Rigby and Partners, of Chorley, provides

sealing the lagoon

every last square inch of the design was in

Newly laid membranes on the low dam at the western

end of the lagoon site. The lagoon will be sealed to
prevent any interaction with groundwater

of the solutions only become apparent as

place, we would never have started. Many

you tackle the ground.
Constructing this innovative facility on

of the surfng wave. Davies says: Our

the valley foor has required piles totalling

contractor, ATG UV of Wigan, Lancashire,

10km in length. Piling was particularly

had to do a lot of computer modelling to

intense for the central track, which will

ensure that we wouldnt have any dead

have a vertical tolerance of only 5mm.

spots of unclean water.

Early in the design phase, Surf

Davies notes that creating the

contoured bed of the lagoon would have

Snowdonia engaged with Conwy County

taken much longer were it not for the

Borough Councils environmental health

excavator drivers receiving precise

department and with Natural Resources

instructions via GPS from the computer-

Wales.

generated plan.

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Co-located with

PROFILE

The big dig: Crossrail

has taken tunnelling
to new levels, says
John Pelton

Crossing over
John Pelton of engineering consultancy CH2M Hill
is currently strategic projects director for Crossrail.
Ben Hargreaves caught up with him to find about
his career to date, which saw him serve almost
30 years in the Royal Engineers
What does your role on Crossrail

the past three years the focus has

What are the biggest challenges

work as a system on the day that we

involve?

been on the tunnels, and now its

facing Crossrail?

press the button.

I have three roles. I head up the

the depots, which are not

The project has gone relatively

Transcend programme partner joint

conventional. Inevitably they are on

smoothly. On all big projects there

Are the civil engineering

venture, which provides the

confned sites, with diffcult ground

are problems but a vast amount of

challenges presented by the

programme management support to

conditions. I suppose

the activity going on is going

project unprecedented?

Crossrail as part of the projects

troubleshooter is a good way of

according to plan. We are on time

You should never assume tunnelling

integrated team. There are more

describing my role. At Plumstead in

and on budget, which was the big

is going to be straightforward. We

than 100 people from CH2M Hill,

south-east London, which is the

challenge a year ago. That has been

have taken tunnelling to new levels

Aecom and Nichols Group working

temporary works site for rail

achieved by a lot of hard work, a lot

on Crossrail. Every big project takes

together. I also head the innovation

installation, they realised that it was

of discipline, and a lot of good

the tunnelling profession another

programme on Crossrail: it is the

the ideal place to be a depot for the

engineering and programme

step forward. The Jubilee line London

frst time that a major programme of

maintenance trains. So we had to

management. One of the challenges

Underground extension was much

this type has been set up with a

do all the work to prepare it for that

now is to effect the transition from a

smaller. The sheer scale of this brings

systematic approach to innovation.

role. We had to realign sewers, and

tunnelling to a rail systems and

a certain differentiation. And it is

For the third part, the clue is in the

came up against property

station ft-out project. That involves

arguably the frst digital railway,

title: I pick up strategic projects,

boundaries, and there has been

a different set of skills and

which sets it apart too. It marks a

where complex interfaces occur, or

some relocation of points. So its a

techniques. Signalling is a challenge:

step change in building information

there isnt a standard solution. For

complex site.

and then its getting all the stuff to

modelling. Bombardiers trains will

PROFEssIOnaL EngInEERIng JanuaRy 2015 43

PROFILE

have remote condition monitoring

Fast response: The military

can put lots of boots on the
ground but there are some
development roles that are
best left to charities

and the capacity to monitor assets

as they pass. The stations will
have their own building

glory projects, where you build

great new structures that the
local population dont want. And
you dont want to end up with a
dependency culture where

management systems.

people dont recover

What would have been the

psychologically and have no

implications for London had

sense of ownership of the assets

the Crossrail bill not received

that they have been given. In

royal assent, giving the

Basra, we started off making

go-ahead for construction?

repairs to the water system but

If Crossrail hadnt achieved royal

very quickly discovered who the

assent, the experience you have

local engineers were. They

now at rush hour would be

needed us to provide equipment

replicated at 11am in four or fve

and materials, so we did that.

years time. I cant imagine what it

Eventually the only real obstacle

would be like trying to shoehorn

became that they couldnt get

out of Iraq to buy equipment so

people on to those lines if Crossrail

were not coming along. It will bring a

Youve been involved in disaster

cant go. There will always be a need

we became their procurement arm.

10% increase in rail capacity in

relief. How do think this might

for charities and state aid to

Thats a healthier approach than

London. When you look at Transport

evolve in the future?

complement the military. There are

bringing in a big construction

for Londons predictions for the

The frst time I was involved in

places the military cant go where

company and doing it for them.

number of people that will be

disaster relief was 30 years ago; then

charitable organisations can go

travelling, thats not enough alone to

the default setting was to send

albeit at risk.

meet the demand. If this and other big

experts out to help in the immediate

projects dont go through, London will

aftermath of a disaster. Now were in

What should the militarys role

after so much time in the army?

just choke. It would be so diffcult to

a very different approach due to

be in terms of development work

I found the move relatively

travel around London that people

global warming, and regional

in a war zone?

straightforward. Being a practising

would start going elsewhere. That

resilience is increasing it is not just

The hearts and minds effect of

engineer in the military I had been

would be the worst outcome of all.

the West supplying aid. There are

building assets and providing

working on engineering projects, I

Crossrail really is a new heart and

also more disasters taking place in

support that helps a local populace

had been contracting, and I had run

lungs for London in terms of the

the developed world, such as

makes good military sense, as well

procurement teams. In terms of

combination of capacity and speed at

hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. There

as being good for the country. Road

understanding the language and the

which it will move people through the

is a changing demographic as

construction in Afghanistan was a

behaviours, that was pretty

city. It will be a quantum step forward

prosperity improves and economies

social and military tool that brought

straightforward. Getting used to very

and a better passenger experience.

develop. It is interesting to watch the

economic benefts. Towns that are

big projects like Im working on now

way that charities like Red R work:

cut off are at the mercy of insurgents.

has been part of the fun, and a

Youve also worked on the

they are more focused on training

Build a road and you start connecting

challenge. But it wasnt an earth-

High-Speed 2 Effciency

people to cope, and the expertise

those towns to markets and to the

shattering shock moving from one to

Challenge Programme. Do you

they can provide is about assistance

rest of civilisation. You can provide a

the other. There is quite a lot of

think arguments about how the

and training as much as it is about

game-changing capacity. The danger

interplay between the civilian and

project may beneft cities in the

sending engineers out to do wizardry

is that you spend a lot of money on

military worlds, so it hasnt fazed me

North are valid? How big are the

in the face of a disaster.

Why did you decide to move into

commercial engineering work

that much. When leaving the army,

you have to accept that you are

engineering challenges?
From all the analysis that has been

Does the new era of asymmetric

done, I can only conclude that HS2 is

warfare dictate that the

essential for the long-term economic

militarys humanitarian efforts

prosperity of this country. We have a

are more important than ever?

real opportunity for UK plc here. We

The military will continue to have a

have some very complex tunnelling

response capacity that is almost

conditions, which are made all the

unrivalled because of the logistic,

more complicated because they will

strategic and tactical muscles it

take place in some very densely

possesses. Nobody else has the

populated areas. The tunnelling

airlift and the sealift to get people

length on HS2 will be longer than on

into place. But they can be a bit

Crossrail. There are some really

clumsy, and if there are political

interesting tunnelling tasks.

sensitivities, there are places they

44 JanuaRy 2015 PROFEssIOnaL EngInEERIng

changing from one culture to another.

leaving the
army, you
have to
accept that
you are
changing
from one
culture to
another

You cant turn up and expect it to be

just like the army otherwise you will
come unstuck. There are things that
work really well in the army and you
think they would be good in the
civilian world too. But we can bring
some of those behaviours with us
and there are some that are already
there. Equally, the military could
beneft from some of the practices in
the commercial arena. Theres an
exchange going on. n

POWER

FROM ABOVE

Britains biggest overhead crane and hoist manufacturer,

Street Crane Company, now has ten cranes installed across
diferent sites supporting the Crossrail project. The 40 tonne
double-girder Goliath crane shown here is used to remove
spoil during excavation of the shaft and lower tunnel segments
at the Western Ticket Hall site adjacent to Oxford Street.
This very special high specication crane project is just one
example of Street Crane specialist engineering; with over 65
years of crane building experience and one of the world's
largest ranges of pre engineered crane components we have
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www.streetcrane.co.uk
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Whitehall Avenue, Kingston,
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Automotive

fanning the spark

Promising automotive research often gets lost in the valley

of death but now innovators can get help in commercialising
their low-carbon powertrain projects, writes Lee Hibbert

on Beasley (pictured) knows

This support is exemplifed by the

commitment from the

The technology

his stuff. As an automotive

formation of the Advanced Propulsion

government and automotive

considered for APC

industry veteran with more

Centre (APC), for which Beasley is

industry to bring tomorrow's

development funding must

than 27 years experience of working

director of technology and projects.

low-carbon powertrain

relate to four themed areas:

for multinational suppliers and leading

The government-backed APC is

technology to market, for

internal combustion

OEMs, hes been around the block a

match funding investment into the

the beneft of UK plc,

engines; lightweight

few times and is acutely aware that

automotive sector to help establish

he says.

powertrain structures;

the sector has been through more

the UK as a global centre of

than its fair share of ups and downs.

excellence for low-carbon powertrain

promising technological

power electronics; and energy

That means taking

electric machines and

development and production in a 1

developments through industrial and

storage and energy management. In

explains why Beasley has a smile on

billion programme. The centre, which

experimental research to the point of

terms of their state of evolution, the

his face. He knows that now is a

is based at the University of Warwick,

commercialisation, crossing what is

projects need to be in the order of

good time for the car industry, with

aims to bring small companies

sometimes known as the valley of

technology readiness Level 6 or

UK-based manufacturers such as

together with large OEMs to progress

death. We have a lot of clever people

above, or manufacturing readiness

Jaguar Land Rover, Nissan and

new technology ideas such as

coming up with good ideas, but often

Level 4 or above. They must deliver

Toyota recording surging sales. And

fywheels, electric machines and

the risk of introducing them to the

signifcant reductions in carbon

then theres the level of support from

novel engine architecture.

market is too great. Sometimes the

dioxide emissions compared with

technology is not robust enough, or

current best-in-class technologies,

That historical perspective

government. When it comes to

Beasley is a passionate advocate

schemes designed to encourage

for the APC, predicting that it will help

its simply not ready for production.

and have a clear demonstrable

innovation, the automotive industry

stimulate innovation across the

We are trying to help plug those

route to production. Projects must

has never had it so good.

industry. The APC represents a

gaps.

involve one vehicle manufacturer or

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automotive

Tier One supplier, and at least one

100 million programme to upgrade

small company.

the EcoBoost engine. GKN Land

We are not looking to work with

Systems and its partners, meanwhile,

people who have an idea sketched

will receive a 7.5 million grant as

on the back of a napkin, says

part of a 16 million project to apply

Beasley. The technologies must

fywheel energy recovery technology

have already showed potential.

for use in buses. The third project

Theyve also got to have industry

saw Cummins and its partners collect

interest, not just from the innovator,

a 4.9 million grant for a 9.9 million

but also an end customer. We will

project to progress stop-start diesel

have at least one OEM or a Tier One

engine technology for buses. And

playing an active part in the

JCB and its partner Flybrid received a

programme. We want technologies

3.3 million grant as part of a

that have potential to enter the

7.2 million project to apply Formula

market for economic impact and not

One technology for use in diggers.

just sit on the shelf.

The frst four projects confrmed

Industry partners will be

supported through funding based on
the outcome of biannual

Upgrade opportunity: Ford and its partners won a grant for the EcoBoost

were an interesting mix. There was

he says. Partners must put forward a

exists elsewhere? asks Beasley. If

real breadth to them, says Beasley.

frm business plan, including timelines

we take power electronics as one of

towards production for any new

our technology themes, there is no

In terms of return on investment

competitions, effectively acting as

for the APC, and ultimately for the

technology, predicted sales,

point in the APC building a power

calls for interest. The competition

taxpayer, rigorous assessment is

employment opportunities and wider

electronics lab here at Warwick lets

process will see a minimum of two

carried out at the application stage,

supply impacts. Those factors are all

use some of the centres of excellence

calls per year. Thats because we

in documentation, he says. We

that already exist. Theres no

want to give confdence to industry

want to move from being an R&D

advantage in duplication.

that its not as and when we have

demonstrator to a pre-

some money available its a regular

commercialisation exercise.

cadence. What we are promoting is

the opportunity for research and
development departments to start to
align themselves to these
competitions, says Beasley.
The frst competition, announced
last year, led to four projects which
resulted in collaborative funding
worth tens of millions of pounds.
Ford and its partners won a
13.1 million grant for the companys

the first
four
projects
confirmed
were an
interesting
mix there
was real
breadth

The projects themselves wont be

Thats not to say that the APC hub

will be totally hands-off. Partner
progress is monitored to ensure that

undertaken at the APC. Instead, the

goals are being achieved. Engineering

organisation is based on a hub-and-

and business advice and help will

spoke structure. A small core

also be available. APC services will

operational team will be based at the

help to enable the projects, he says.

University of Warwick, while the

The winners of a second round

spokes will be established centres

of competitions have now been

of excellence selected by the APC.

confrmed, and up to 200 million is

There wont be a bank of

available for projects in the coming

machines here at the hub. Why put

months. There is now some real

money into replicating what probably

impetus behind APC activities,

illustrated by a high-profle opening of

no clear winner but plenty of employment

Jon Beasleys many years of
experience in the motor industry
give him respected insight into
the pace of development of
low-carbon technologies. He has
worked for multinational
suppliers and on government and
industry programmes. He has
held various leadership roles at
GKN, representing Aston Martin,
Daewoo, Ford Europe, Honda,
JLR, Mazda and Volvo. Recently
he was the programme director
for the Transport Systems
Catapult in the start-up phase,
before joining the Advanced
Propulsion Centre as director
technology and projects.

So will the winning technology

be electric-hybrid, pure electric,
fuel cell or hydrogen? Thats a
multibillion dollar question. I
remember doing a presentation
four or fve years ago internally at
GKN, and there was a slide
showing a set of racehorses, he
says. The question was: which
technology are you going to
back? Although we are now
fnding some differentiation, its
still a wide open race. Industry is
still backing a number of horses,
because there is no clearly
defned way forward.
Looking to the future, although
the industrys position at a

crossroads in terms of
technology presents automotive
frms money men with diffcult
decisions, the lack of consensus
will bring real employment
opportunities for engineers. Two
areas that will provide strong
opportunities are systems
integration and the connected
car, predicts Beasley.
Cars are now incredibly
complex machines. How do all
the technologies onboard work
together? How can they be
integrated to make them more
effective? The control between
devices will provide opportunities
for engineers, he says.

the Warwick hub at the end of last

year by business secretary Vince
Cable, says Beasley. The APC
exemplifes a new era of collaboration
in the car sector, with companies
realising they can work together to
good effect, he says.
If you went back a few years, you
would have been lucky to get two
OEMs in the room. But coming
together to build consensus is
powerful, and collaborating on core
technologies can be a good idea.
Sharing development can lead to a
lower piece price. Then it is up to the
manufacturers to use the knowledge
and control the systems on their
individual platforms. Thats how they
get differentiation in the market. n

Professional engineering january 2015 49

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BlooDHounD sPeCial rePorT

Building
the ultimate
speed machine

BLOODHOUND SPECIAL REPORT

Designing and assembling a supersonic car

capable of reaching 1,000mph, and setting a new
world land speed record, require the expertise
of many people. Tanya Blake and lee Hibbert talk
to some of the firms that are providing crucial
backing for the iMeche-sponsored
Bloodhound project

Professional engineering january 2015 51

BlooDHounD sPeCial rePorT

contents
P52 Smiths High Performance provides
aluminium products; P53 3CL excels at
developing car cooling solutions
P54 Atlas Copcos handheld air tools
help make automotive history; P55
Micro-Epsilon senses a world record
P56 Gill Sensors and Controls gives
accurate level measurements; P57
Delcam CADCAM software underpins
supplier machining efforts
P58 Bampton Packaging boxes parts
for the South African record bid;
P59 Parker products activate
crucial brakes

new, British and exciting

o a company that has

aerospace aluminium sheet, plate,

show car to the company

supplied high-performance

bar and tube, as well as plastics

headquarters in Biggleswade for a

engineering materials from

and titanium.

day. It was a great chance for our

the motorsport, marine and

for the fn, the spinal structure, the

general public to see a feat of British

aerospace industries, becoming a

wheel hubs and the fuel tank housing.

engineering to come, says Czorny.

Bloodhound sponsor seemed an

Basically, we have worked on the

Its a real talking point with current

obvious choice.

majority of the structure of the car,

and new customers, and its the one

says Czorny.

project that Smiths High

plastics to high-strength alloys to

Paul Czorny, business

development representative for

These materials have been used

The extra work incurred by being

customers, schoolchildren and the

Performance is involved with that we

can talk about freely.

Smiths High Performance, says the

involved in the project has been a

supersonic car project appealed

huge source of pride for the frm and

because it was new, British and

a rewarding experience for all

Bloodhound project coverage, and

exciting and because of the frms

involved, he says. I have been

ability to promote this feat of British

extensive experience in supplying

dealing with the Bloodhound team

engineering at its best, have given

materials to some of the most

for more than three years, and

the engineering industry a real

demanding markets.

working with them has been a

injection of life into the possibilities

privilege. They are all experts in their

we can offer in

Bedfordshire company have worked

felds and have such unrivalled

the future.

closely with several key people at

passion for the project.

Since 2013, the engineers at the

Bloodhound, supplying high-

To spread the word about the

performance materials mostly

project and the frms involvement,

high-strength steel and high-strength

Smiths brought the Bloodhound

52 january 2015 Professional engineering

He adds: I think that the

it was
a great
chance for
the puBlic
to see a feat
of British
engineering
to come

cool solutions

ne of many companies

rocks, and building military vehicle

cooling and temperature control,

3CL sees it as a long-term project

invited to an open day at

environmental test chambers.

cockpit cooling, electronics and

and is thrilled to be involved. Being

hydraulics cooling, as well as the

a product sponsor, we are still in the

Bloodhounds education

So, in answer to Parramans

centre in Bristols Great Western

question, an engineering challenge

ventilation and cooling for the

early development stages but are

Docks was 3CL. The centres

such as this is right up our street,

fuelling, service, and turnaround

giving our time and products freely

director, Tony Parraman, enquired as

says 3CL managing director

areas not forgetting the drinks

and feel proud to be part of this

to what the company did and, upon

George Wicks.

coolers and, we hope, celebratory

exciting project, he says. It

Champagne ice.

provides great self-esteem and will

fnding out, requested that it help

The frms engineers are

be a perfect opportunity to

embarking on this latest challenge,

3CL is still in the design,

working closely with Bloodhounds

calculation and consultation

showcase our products and services

and air-conditioning design and

engineering lead, James Painter, to

process, holding meetings with the

to clients.

manufacturing frm, and also an

create a range of cooling solutions

team as ongoing requirements are

installation, service and maintenance

for the 1,000mph car. With anything

amended and specifcations are

will show people that, even after

contractor. Over the past 40 years,

that gets warm or hot on

changed. While the challenge is by

more than four decades, 3CL is still

the Shropshire company has

Bloodhound, 3CL will be cooling it to

no means small, Wicks says that

at the forefront of what we do.

designed and made special-purpose

maintain optimum operating

refrigeration machines for a diverse

temperatures, says Wicks.

with one or two little problems.

3CL is an industrial refrigeration

range of tasks, from nuclear material

He adds that it is a privilege to be

cooling to chemical processing in

working with the talented

the Middle East. Other projects have

Bloodhound teams simply brilliant

included creating bespoke

people on technical discussions,

containerised refrigeration plant for

but feels that the best is yet to come.

mining in fve-million-year-old hot

Our involvement includes engine

Being involved with Bloodhound

our involvement includes

engine cooling and
temperature control
and champagne ice
Professional engineering january 2015 53

BlooDHounD sPeCial rePorT

making automotive history

fter talks with the

Bloodhound team last
summer, it became clear

that his company should get

involved with the project, says David
Embley, general manager of Atlas
Copco Tools. Helping to make
automotive history was an attractive
proposition for the manufacturer of
industrial tools and equipment, but it
was the synergy between the
Bloodhound projects aspirations
and Atlas Copcos core values that
sealed the deal.
These [aspirations] are
sustainability, ergonomic design,
education, and getting more
women into engineering, says
Embley. Involvement with the project
also helped the frms community

car. These include grinders, sanders,

AirNet pipework for the workshop.

application analysis will be ramped

work, he says. It gives us the

drills and blow guns. We are also

Chris Dee, Bloodhounds assembly

up, says Embley. In particular,

opportunity to engage with our local

advising the build team on

and build lead engineer, says: We

supplying advanced tooling

community, something that we have

identifying some key applications

need the ability to simulate the

solutions will become more

already started with a Bloodhound

where the joint fastening is critical,

start-up procedure for the EJ200

important as the car testing begins.

education day at Longdean School

says Embley.

turbofan jet engine that involves

The data gathered will help to

the vehicles software, hydraulic

identify the critical fastening

and quality assurance software,

pumps and AC/DC circuits. In the

requirements.

schools 150 year-eight pupils to the

Atlas Copco will be able to ensure

dry workshop test operation,

project and teach them more about

that safety-critical joints and

the whole of the 5,000-litre air

project is about more than just

Atlas Copcos operations, involved

fastenings are made to the correct

receivers contents of 3.5bar

achieving a world record, he says.

the children designing, building and

torque levels and rundown angle,

compressed air will be released in

Its also about inspiring talented

racing Knex air rocket cars. The

that the correct fastenings have

just 30 seconds to actuate the jet

young students to explore their full

ultimate aim was to inspire some of

been used, and that all have been

engine turbine rotation.

potential in engineering, and

the children to consider engineering

completed. These will be essential

and other Stem subjects, and help to

to the safe running of the car and will

along the road. But as the deadline

I hope it promotes greater diversity

close the projected shortfall in

help the team to achieve the

for the 2015 test trials looms, the

of people and thinking. There is

people qualifed in these felds,

1,000mph goal as safely as is

pressure is on for all of those

always a better way, and this

says Embley.

possible, he says.

involved. Timing is key to the

approach should beneft UK

project and making sure that the

manufacturing.

in Hemel Hempstead.
The event, held to introduce the

Since August, Atlas Copco Tools

Using its range of electric tools

In addition, Atlas Copco

So far, there have been no bumps

For Atlas Copco, working on the

encouraging diversity in the sector.

The project could also bring

has supplied a range of handheld air

Compressors has supplied two

teams milestones are met on

tools that are being used to build the

compressors, two air receivers and

schedule, says Embley. Our ability

benefts to the area where the

to have products delivered to the

Bloodhound car will be run, he adds.

technical centre within 48 hours

I hope to see the community in the

of request is helping them to

Hakskeen Pan region of South Africa

achieve this.

benefting from longer-term

supplying advanced
tooling solutions will
Become more important
as the car testing Begins
54 january 2015 Professional engineering

Once the Bloodhound team in

improvements to their environment,

Bristol has received all the

such as clean water,

components and parts for the car,

communications infrastructure and a

Atlas Copcos involvement and

boost to the local economy.

getting in a spin

Primarily, the frms laser sensors will

hris Jones can clearly

be used to measure ride height.

remember the day

This is done by shining a

that his company

laser on the ground so

got involved with the

Bloodhound project. I was at

that we can measure

an exhibition and I saw their

dynamic movement of

stand, recalls the managing

the vehicle and the ride

director of Micro-Epsilon,

height can be adjusted

accordingly, says Jones.

which supplies sensors and

The biggest challenge

measurement systems. As an

with this ride-height sensor

engineer, I believe its important

that we make efforts to encourage

has been designing its packaging

more young people into the sector.

to withstand the extreme conditions

So I was onboard with the

confrm that the wheel behaved as

of the record attempt, he says. The

Bloodhound philosophy of

simulation had suggested.

packaging is going to be shaken

education. I approached them to

The test results showed that the

around quite violently during the

become a product sponsor we

902.6mm diameter wheel expanded

running of the car, so all internal

take part in a lot of diffcult projects,

by 1.6mm, as expected. Also as

components have been mounted to

so I thought we could help.

expected was the dishing of the

ensure they can withstand the forces

The Merseyside frms

wheel caused by a variation in

being applied. Desert conditions

involvement in the project has

expansion rates between the

also pose a design problem. We

included supplying equipment for

aluminium content and the steel hub.

had to custom-design the optics, to

use in a high-speed wheel-spin test.

The empirical data collected

ensure that the laser intensity

The tests objectives were to verify

during the test will now be used to

refects off the desert foor in the

that the expansion, temperature

fne-tune the computer simulations

manner that it should, he says.

increase and vibration of

to deliver a more optimum wheel

Bloodhounds aluminium wheel were

design, according to the Bloodhound

project has been technically

within expected, safe limits, and to

team.

challenging but a lot of fun, says

determine whether the results would

During the spin test, Micro-

The work on the Bloodhound

Jones. The Bloodhound team

closely match the teams predictions

Epsilons high-resolution infrared

have been great to work with. They

from computer simulation.

imaging camera was located in a

are really positive, and they are

confned space underneath the test

working fat out to make this

supplied 15 non-contact laser

rig to monitor the temperature of the

dream come true.

displacement sensors and an

entire wheel. The imager was able to

infrared thermal-imaging camera. In

capture and store thermal video and

addition, two laser displacement

images with extremely high optical

sensors with a measuring range of

resolution (382 x 288 pixels) at a full

2mm were set up to measure the

frame rate of 80Hz.

For the test, Micro-Epsilon

thermal expansion of the frame that

The camera was also equipped

runs across the top of the test rig for

with a detector that provides

calibration purposes.

excellent thermal sensitivities of

Dynamic testing of the wheel is

40mK. This enables the camera to

a critical part of the programme,

detect very small changes in

says Jones. When spinning at

temperature. The wheel heats up to

10,000rpm, there is an element of

95C from friction effects caused by

dynamic movement as forces try to

the buffeting of the air, says Jones.

pull the wheel apart. The use of a

we had to
ensure the
laser
intensity
reflects off
the desert
floor in the
way it should

Micro-Epsilons products will also

Rolls-Royce facility, in conjunction

be ftted on the car during the record

with our sensors, meant we could

attempt in South Africa next year.

Professional engineering january 2015 55

BlooDHounD sPeCial rePorT

its been a great journey

In addition, inductive position

ill Sensors and Controls is

rocket that comprises a solid fuel

timely readings, despite the forces

one of the behind-the-

made from synthetic rubber similar

being applied during the running

sensors are being used as brake

scenes heroes of Formula

to that used in aircraft tyres (HTPB,

of the car.

retraction sensors for the cars disc

The sensors needed to be

brakes, while Gills Blade 360 rotary

One, quietly supplying some of the

or hydroxyl-terminated

worlds best motorsport teams with

polybutadiene,) with metal powders

ultra-reliable as they are ftted in a

sensor tells engineers how far the

its range of liquid-level, position and

and burning rate modifers added to

unit that is installed right behind

hydraulically activated air-brake

speed sensors. But the

the mix. This is contained within a

the driver, says Peaty. If the

doors have opened.

confdentiality agreements that are

composite case slung beneath

sensors dont work when they

in place with such teams mean that

Bloodhounds other powerplant an

come to run the car, then its

technology is the use of its linear

the frm rarely gets to shout about

EJ200 jet engine.

game over. The Bloodhound

position sensors on the accelerator

team would have to split the car

and brake pedals. The car uses

open to get them out.

drive-by-wire technology, so when

what it does.
That lack of publicity is one of the

The fuel needs oxygen pumped

into it at a furious rate. A previous

As well as level sensors, Gill

One fnal application of Gills

Andy Green [who will drive the

reasons the Lymington company

sensor solution couldnt give quick

wanted to get involved with the

enough readings, so the Bloodhound

is also supplying rotary, angular

Bloodhound] puts his foot down, it

Bloodhound project. Firstly, it wants

team chose to ft two stainless-steel

and linear position sensors for the

will be our sensor that tells the

the project to be a success as a

Gill sensors that give accurate and

project. The frms Blade 360

whole car to go, says Peaty. Its

means of promoting British

rotary sensors, for instance, will

the same on the brake pedal. So

engineering. But it also recognised

reveal the angle of the front/rear

we are involved right at the

that Bloodhound offered Gill the

winglets to enhance

beginning and right at the end of

chance to get some recognition for

aerodynamic performance.

the record attempt.

its work.

There are also sensors ftted on

As the Bloodhound project

the front and rear suspension

moves towards the frst running of

what we can do, says Simon Peaty,

defection, enabling the cars wheels

the car later this year, Peaty says

sales engineer at Gill. We have got

to penetrate the surface crust of the

that excitement levels are building.

some great sensor technology, but

desert where the car will run to just

when we are providing F1 solutions

the right level, without cutting into

there are confdentiality agreements

the softer sand underneath. The

in place. Bloodhound allows us to

sensors tell Bloodhound when the

say to customers this is what we

cars wheels are going too

can do.

deep, says Peaty.

Its great to be able to show

We are proud to be involved.

The Bloodhound team have been
great to work with. It helps that
we have been involved since
the very beginning. Its
been a great journey.

Gillss role on the programme

started about two-and-a-half years
ago, after Bloodhound engineers
came across the frms technology
while taking apart a Cosworth
engine. That was an oil-level
sensor, says Peaty. But as
conversations progressed, we talked
about other products such as
capacitative liquid level sensors,
which have no moving parts and so
are highly reliable. Those ended up
as being the products ftted on the
main and auxiliary fuel tanks to
measure the volume of fuel
onboard. Other level sensors on
Bloodhound, meanwhile, are
installed on the coolant tanks.
The Bloodhound car will feature a

the sensors needed

to Be ultra-reliaBle
as they are fitted in
a unit installed right
Behind the driver

inspiring the next generation

elcam has been involved

this, we raised the profle of the

with Bloodhound since

project internally, to get more buy-in

November 2013 after Mark

across the organisation, he says.

Another key beneft for the frm

Forth, the frms advanced

manufacturing product manager,

has been the opportunity to engage

heard about the supersonic car

with the educational sector and help

project on a BBC Radio 4

to inspire the next generation of

programme. Since then, the

engineers. We now have several

Birmingham frm has contributed a

Bloodhound Stem ambassadors

great deal to support the project,

who have been lucky enough to

offering its advanced CADCAM

receive training at Bloodhounds

software to manufacture some key

technical centre and see the car

components for Bloodhound.

being built, says Gadsden. Since

then, our ambassadors have

One example of this is the

steering support column an

visited local schools to share their

essential component for ensuring

passion for science and

that Bloodhound remains on track

engineering, and explain the

during its world land speed record

technology behind Bloodhound.

attempt, says Mark Gadsden,

Gadsden believes that the

product marketing manager at

project has helped to promote the

Delcam and lead on the frms

innovation and manufacturing

Bloodhound sponsorship.

expertise of small frms, proving

the countrys manufacturing

However, the focus has really

been on supporting customers that

supply chain to be a world leader

are manufacturing parts for

in undertaking complex

Bloodhound using Delcams

engineering challenges.
Bloodhound has also given the

CADCAM software, he says. The

Advanced Manufacturing Research

small frms involved a great platform

Centre (AMRC) at Sheffeld

for networking and opportunities to

forge stronger partnerships, he

University, for example, used our

specialist high-speed machining

engineering lead and commercial

engine which pumps fuel to the cars

adds. For example, Delcam recently

software, PowerMill, to produce the

and product sponsorship lead, says:

Nammo rocket.

collaborated with SGS Tools at the

front suspension sub-assembly for

Both the material and the machining

the car.

for the goats head have been fully

has received no payment for its

Technology Show in the US to

sponsored. This is amazing when

contribution to the project,

promote the association that both

head, this sub-assembly is

you consider that for the price of the

Gadsden says one of the great

companies have with the project.

composed of four huge, fve-axis

materials, project management,

advantages about Bloodhound is

machinings that are made from

programming, machining and

that everything is open-source. We

involvement with Bloodhound is

7075 aluminium-alloy forgings

inspection you could easily fll a not

have produced YouTube videos of

about looking to the wider positive

used for the greatest strength and

insignifcant garage full of your

the parts weve helped provide for

future impact that the project will

control of residual stresses. Using

favourite supercars.

Bloodhound, which has contributed

have for the manufacturing and

to a return on our sponsorship

engineering sectors, says Gadsden.

Otherwise known as the goats

the latest CNC machinery, the

The PowerMill software was

While, as a sponsor, Delcam

investment, he says.

International Manufacturing

Ultimately, small frms

Some 2.5 million schoolchildren

AMRC machined the parts, and

also used by manufacturing

removed 94% of the metal, leaving

techology solutions frm Jaivel, in

only what was vital for the design.

Mansfeld, to program more than

during its involvement with the

project, and inspiring the next

This process reduced the weight

50 components for Bloodhound,

project has been providing support

generation of engineers is crucial if

for the whole assembly from

including the housing and gearbox

for Bloodhound while also

the UK is going to successfully

924kg to just 68kg.

parts for the cars auxiliary power

completing commercial production

compete as a manufacturing

unit a Jaguar supercharged V8

work, says Gadsden. To overcome

powerhouse in the decades ahead.

Conor La Grue, Bloodhounds

The main challenge for Delcam

have already learnt about the

Professional engineering january 2015 57

BlooDHounD sPeCial rePorT

Networking with big companies

he Bloodhound project

director David Williams says: As we

Bloodhound educational projects.

would have not got where it

have our own in-house design team,

These are taken to schools and

is today without the more

we do not have any challenges in

events where children shape the

than 180 small frms that have so far

respect of the design and

blocks, ft wheels, then race their

contributed to its supply chain.

manufacture of cases required to

models using mini rockets,

Happily for the small frms that offer

pack the parts, but the challenge

says Williams.

their products and services to the

with this project is timescales.

project for free, getting involved also

While much of the frms work

Although Bampton is just one

small cog in the giant Bloodhound

brings them plenty of benefts. These

with Bloodhound has yet to begin,

machine, the frm is proud of its

range from raising the profle of their

the Bampton team has already been

role and has already begun seeing

organisation to networking with

supporting the projects promotional

a lot of interest generated in the

blue-chip companies.

activities, kitting out support vans to

company as a result, he says.

safely transport all the equipment

Being involved means a small

industrial packaging and export

used for Bloodhound-related

frm is there among some big

packing frm in Nottingham, can

educational events in this country.

blue-chip companies. It gets a lot

Bampton Packaging, an

attest to such benefts it has seen

an increase in business since it

The frm also supplies the foam

blocks that are used for some of the

became a part of the Bloodhound

supply chain. The frm is tasked

of interest from our existing

customers, and is often a talking
point with potential customers.
In addition, having a

with packing all the vital spare parts

ready-made connection with other

for the car to go to South Africa, and

companies in the Bloodhound

has already packed the frst wheels

supply chain brings its own perks,

for testing at Hakskeen Pan in 2015.

says Williams. We have been

The company is well-suited to

contacted by, and have done work

this kind of specialised project, as it

with, several of the other sponsors.

has many years of experience in

We are hopeful, as the project

designing and manufacturing

speeds up, that we will receive more

bespoke packaging for complex

interest from other companies

military equipment, often destined

involved, as our name becomes

for overseas locations. Managing

known to a wider audience.

58 january 2015 Professional engineering

we have our
owN iN-house
desigN Team,
buT The
challeNge
wiTh This
projecT is
Timescales

its a project in a million

arker has a history of

for Bloodhound, Parker has

supporting land-speed

produced a bespoke design made of

record-breaking attempts.

a composite material.

Back in the 1990s, the Warwick

Technologically, this is a big step

motion and control technology

forward, as this product offers

company was a key supplier on the

substantial weight savings.

Steel accumulators would have

successful Thrust SSC, which

achieved a speed of 763mph. That

been simply too heavy for this

legacy meant the company was

application, says Cattermole.

keen to get involved with

Composite offers the same strength,

Bloodhound, and it joined the

but is considerably lighter. Its a niche

programme as far back as 2010.

product, admittedly. In fact, I dont

think Ive seen a composite

If getting Bloodhound from zero

accumulator ever before.

to 1,000mph is one of the biggest

Vehicle stability is another

challenges involved in the project, so

is stopping the vehicle after it

crucial factor. Bloodhounds size,

reaches the measured mile.

weight and speed of travel mean

Slowing the car by 60mph every

that the team needs maximum

second, in extreme conditions, is no

control over lift and downforce on

mean task. And at top speed,

the run. With this in mind, Parker is

traditional brakes wont work so

supplying hydraulic equipment that

Bloodhound will rely on powerful air

will control the vehicle winglets

brakes to slow down safely.

throughout the run.

There are two winglets at the front

The companys involvement in

the project includes supplying

and two at the back, to help with the

hydraulic cylinders and related

trim of the car when the rocket and

products to open the air-brake

jet turn on and off. The Bloodhound

doors. The Bloodhound team has

team will map what lift or downforce

calculated the loads that the

is needed through the run profle,

air-brake doors will exert onto the

and the winglets will adjust

cylinders, and Parker has supplied

automatically to their specifcation.

products with suffcient strength.

Two Parker hydraulic cylinders
are mounted to one of the
bulkheads. These cylinders drive a
saddle, with a double-linkage
mechanism between the saddle
and the doors. One drive bar

steel accumulators
would have Been too
heavy. composite offers
the same strength But is
consideraBly lighter

This is still a live project, says

Cattermole. We are manufacturing
the hydraulic equipment for the
winglets this month. They are very
small parts, so in this instance we
have decided to stick with steel
because weight isnt really an issue.
People at Parker have thoroughly

operates a bell crank, and the

Parker has also supplied a

enjoyed being involved in the

second drive bar operates from the

cylinders would have encroached on

bell crank to the door.

the jet engine and Rolls-Royce

composite hydraulic accumulator to

Bloodhound project, according to

isnt keen on that. So we turned the

support Bloodhound as a back-up. If

Cattermole. Engineers from the two

hydraulic ports through 90 degrees.

an emergency situation arose and

organisations have worked together

hydraulic power was lost, the

with mutual respect, he says.

We tried to use as many

standard products as we could when
designing and building the cylinders,

We also had to make sure

Its a project in a million. The

but there has needed to be some

there was no chance of the

accumulator would supply an

tweaks and customisation, says

cylinders buckling. So we have

additional store of energy through a

Bloodhound team is packed full of

Mark Cattermole, industrial systems

designed and made them so that

controlled amount of oil.

clever engineers. They have

product manager at Parker.

they can comfortably take the

Standard port fttings on the

loads being applied.

Traditionally, accumulators are

made of steel and very heavy. But

appreciated our support. And they

have been great fun to work with. n

Professional engineering january 2015 59

SOFTWARE

Casting the net wider

The internet of things promises a boost in product

functionality. To maximise the opportunities, firms need
to redraw their business plans, writes Ben Sampson

German government calls it Industry

Business Review with economist

4.0 (see box, page 64). Some

Michael Porter. The article calls the

consultancies and researchers

engineers call it machine-to-machine

internet of things the third wave of

it doesnt actually exist and never will.

measure and predict the IoT.

communication. For want of a better

IT-driven change. The frst wave was

Its a marketing term for a

According to IDC, the IoT market

phrase, and to include its application

the computerised automation of

technological trend a black-magic

reached 1.2 trillion in 2013.

in lots of different areas and sectors,

individual processes, such as order

phrase invented by the IT industry and

McKinsey thinks the market will grow

the IoT covers all.

processing and bill payment, in the

market analysts to sound futuristic

to be worth almost 4 trillion annually

and evoke exciting images.

ave you heard about the

given IP addresses right now.

internet of things (IoT)?

Which may well be how

The thing about this is that

A company that has taken it

1960s and 1970s. The second wave

by 2025. An oft-quoted report by IT

upon itself to demystify the trend is

was the rise of the internet during the

networking frm Cisco says that in

engineering software specialist PTC.

1980s and 1990s, which connected

But whats happening is actually

2010, for the frst time, more things

The frms roots are in its parametric

these types of individual activities.

straightforward. Wi-f, near-feld

than people were connected to the

CAD software ProEngineer, which is

Both waves enabled huge

communications, radio-frequency

internet. The same report predicts that

now part of the Creo design suite

improvements to productivity and

identifcation tags, sensors and similar

by 2020 the gap will have widened

(see box, overleaf), but the

economic gains, as will be the case

technologies have all become better

dramatically there will be eight billion

companys future strategy hinges

with the IoT.

and cheaper, while communications

people in the world and 50 billion

almost entirely on embracing the IoT

infrastructure has grown in size and

things connected to the internet.

in all its connected glory.

Thats not to say there is no trend.

become more reliable. These

The applicability of connectivity

PTCs chief executive, Jim

The article says: In the third wave,

IT is becoming an integral part of the
product itself... coupled with a

advances mean that more things can

technology features is so broad that

Heppelmann, is a strong advocate of

product cloud in which data is stored

be connected to the internet.

no one can defne the trend

the IoT and the impact it will have on

and analysed, driving dramatic

defnitively. Engineering group GE

business and industry, most recently

improvements in product functionality

calls it the industrial internet. The

co-authoring a report in the Harvard

and performance. Massive amounts

The IoT is just connecting stuff up

to the internet that isnt computers
and smartphones. Almost anything,

of new product-usage data enable

from industrial gas turbines to

many of those improvements. Another

doorbells, from the latest BMW cars

leap in productivity in the economy

to pacemakers, can be and are being

will be unleashed by these new and

better products.
Robert Gremley is executive
vice-president of the IoT and service
life-cycle management at PTC. He
says: The IoT is bigger than cloud
computing and 10 times bigger than
3D printing. Its a massive wave of
technological innovation we are in the
early days of. But if we separate out
the IoT, its really only the things that
are changing. Which is where
engineers come in, the people who
create, operate and service things.
In the past year, PTC has acquired
two software companies in the
emerging IoT sector to strengthen its
proposition. ThingWorx and Axeda
cost PTC just over 190 million
combined. They were seen as
competitors, says Gremley. The
truth is that they are complementary.

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SOFTWARE

Axeda focuses on agent

connectivity; ThingWorx on the

How the IoT can add value

middle of the stack.

Value and maturity curve of progressive

IoT usage levels. Source: ThingWorx

ThingWorx software is for

example, power by the hour

business models are now
being used for jet engines and
HVAC rental. Philips recently

making IoT software applications.

installed 13,000 LED lights in

Innovate

Once machines and devices are

parking garages in Washington

connected up and equipped with

DC. The company is being

sensors, applications are needed

paid by the US government

to organise and interpret that

lu
Va
Level 6

Manage

data so that it can be used.

ThingWorx is a platform to
build those applications.
Axedas software is for

Level 5

connecting machines and devices

to each other and gathering the
data they produce into one place.

Connect

The company already has a billion

Level 3

devices connected to the cloud,

from medical equipment to petrol
pumps and digital cinema
projectors. Gremley says: It
focused on connectivity and
storage as well as applications

Level 4

Level 1
Unconnected
Limited
visibility into
product and
consumer
use

Level 2
Connect
Reactive
remote
access

Remotely
service
Proactive
monitoring
and
electronic
software
delivery

that sit on top of the machine

Analyse
Usage
analytics
and
predictive
maintenance

Integrate
Enterprise
integration
with current
CRM, ERP,
SLM, PLM

Differentiate
New
revenuegenerating
capabilities
including
mobile apps

The IoT has many

applications throughout
industry, many of which are
already being used to optimise
performance and service
delivery. Some companies
monitor whole feets of
machines, whether pumps
and valves in mines or oil
platforms miles out at sea.
The prime example is GE,
with its industrial internet,
which remotely monitors its
power-producing gas turbines,

ILLUSTRATIOn: jOHn DEVOLLE

cloud. It gives you the basic apps

based on the savings made.

to connect, monitor and remotely

mechanical design remains critical to

which allows people to look at their

access, push software and keep

the functionality and performance.

front door and open it for deliveries.

collecting and analysing the

data for maintenance and
servicing purposes.
Another recent example is ABB.

The use of remote control and

The company installed a

functions. The frst is monitoring, as

confguration also enables engineers

communications system to enable

seen in medical devices such as

to optimise products for use in

remote device support in its

have productised and integrated the

Biotroniks pacemakers. The

specifc environments for example,

manufacturing robots. Retroftting of

two, he says. The next step is taking

company now offers a service that

lifts that are controlled according to

the connectivity technology enabled

the ThingWorx technology and

constantly monitors a persons

time of day and expected traffc.

each of its robots in the feld to report

integrating it into the rest of the PTC

heartbeat. Remote control and

Finally, increased levels of autonomy

back to the service offce while in use.

software. We have deep domain

confguration of devices without

are possible in items such as delivery

knowledge in design and

proximity is also possible through the

vehicles and production machinery.

manufacturing, and we will build apps

IoT. An example of this is the Doorbot,

Smarter products and connectivity

that use that knowledge.

a camera connected to a smartphone,

allow increased levels of servicing. For

track of confguration for your device,

out of the box.
By the end of the year, we will

The IoT can enable four main

The company now manages

thousands of industrial robots from a
central offce, and no longer has to
dispatch technicians to sites to

PTCs strategy is to give engineers

the software tools to develop
connectivity features in machines,
products and devices, alongside the
existing tools they use for design,
simulation and product lifecycle
management. However, Gremley
emphasises that everything still starts
with the physical product. These
products have advanced so much in
mechanical and electrical ways that
engineers now have to think about
adding other features through
embedded computers and software.
It makes the product more
valuable but also more complex, he
says. We have to make a critical
decision on a systems engineering
level as to whether we put features in

PTC boosts CAD productivity

Engineering software specialist
PTC is known for its parametric
CAD software, ProEngineer. This
software now forms part of the
companys Creo design suite
worldwide, 75% PTC software
users have upgraded from
ProEngineer to Creo.
The companys latest software
suite offers a range of apps, from
sketch to layout through to
parametrics and simulation, and is
on its third release since July
2014. The latest release allows
potential productivity gains of up
to 30%, according to Michael
Campbell, executive vicepresident of CAD at PTC.

Improvements to the software

include intelligent fasteners,
where the software automates
the process of creating fasteners
in machines.
PTC has also enhanced
interoperability, adding the
ability to import all the signifcant
CAD formats, including
Solidworks, Catia and Siemens
NX, and open them natively. Creo
designs can be linked to these
designs and updated to changes
in them. Previously, importing
was achieved by opening a
duplicate fle, which created a
lot of data to manage and
increased complexity.

Some customers have seen

this technology and called it
game-changing, says Campbell.
He adds that the latest version
of Creo has more fexibility, but
that this is balanced with
control. PTC has also introduced
a module that automates the
backing up of different versions
of design alternatives.
In further releases later this
year of Creo and of its Windchill
product life-cycle management
software, PTC will for the frst
time introduce modules that
deliver usage data from the
software, allowing the design
process itself to be improved.

the hardware or software. But

PROFESSiOnAl EnginEERing jAnuARy 2015 63

SOFTWARE

perform diagnostics. The central

offce can generate automatic
responses based on a robots status,
such as changing rate plans,
deactivating or reinstating devices, or
performing remote diagnostics.
Christophe Alt, project manager at
ABB Robotics in France, says: Were
monitoring to help customers avoid

ComPAnIes
HAve To
THInk How
To use THe
feATures
over THe
ProDuCTs
lIfeTIme

transformation question to address

sector from this year it will be

how does a company evolve from

mandatory for all new cars sold in

being a manufacturer, dealer and

the EU to have the E-call feature,

distributor to leasing a product out

which automatically calls the

and keeping control of it during its

emergency services if the car is

entire lifetime? A lot of organisations

involved in an accident.

struggle with getting the whole

However, Khatri at jasper believes

organisation on the same page, to

that the most advanced application

transform themselves into a

for IoT functionality is its potential to

services-orientated organisation. They

improve product life cycles and

have to think about how you

enhance the engineering and design

clients to start by assessing exactly

maximise the opportunities and use

of machines, devices and products.

how it is going to use connectivity

the features over the lifetime of the

The data can be used to assess how

customers would call us with wireless

and, if the benefts outweigh the costs

product. Its challenging.

it is performing, or how it can be

communication issues, and it was

of development, how to set up the

Using connectivity and data to

enhanced to improve the product

diffcult to get information to

associated systems and maintain a

improve maintenance, provide remote

during the design phase, he says.

understand what was happening at

reliable service throughout a products

access, servicing and diagnostics is

the device level. now we have

lifetime. They then have to ask what

the low-hanging fruit with IoT

connected product provides to

real-time monitoring data across our

type of connectivity is most suitable.

applications. now, some companies

improve its design, such as how it is

remote devices and can automate

For most, its cellular networks. But

are moving further up the value chain.

used, where it is used, how often it is

responses before incidents occur.

then you have to look at guaranteeing

the high cost of over-consumption.

The real-time information we receive
in the control centre allows us to
pinpoint the exact robot and precise
issue that require immediate attention.
Before, we were reacting when

ABB worked with IT frm jasper to

implement the communications
system. jasper has its own software

This process is occurring

The information that a smart,

used and what causes it to break, is

the connectivity, which can be

particularly in the automotive sector,

important to PTC. The company calls

challenging, he says.

which is one of the frst to heavily

the idea closing the loop.

Companies often fnd the most

integrate connectivity into products in

PTCs Gremley says: We think

platform for adding connectivity

challenging aspect of introducing

signifcant volumes, to create

that the term life cycle has been

features to machines and products,

connectivity features is adjusting their

functionality focused entirely on

misused and overstretched. You lose

was started in 2004. It counts several

business models, says Khatri. The

connectivity that generates revenue.

sight of your product for most of its

global manufacturers as customers,

engineering challenge of building in

Such technology includes

life cycle, and lose connectivity with

including Ford, GM, Amazon, Sony

an additional piece of circuitry to

infotainment features, as well as

your product. If you know how it is

and TomTom.

integrate connectivity, like a GSM

functions that provide feedback on

being used, you can optimise its use.

interface, is easily overcome. But

driver behaviour. Legislation is also

We want to close the loop on

there is a much larger business

playing a role in the automotive

life-cycle management. n

Sanjay Khatri, jaspers director of

product marketing, says it advises

Germany moves to next level

Industry 4.0 is an idea from

identical mass-produced goods

the most effcient order, and

international team that is helping

Germany that takes the internet of

are made today.

specify its own confguration.

companies to introduce Industry

things, combines it with

The aim is that, within 10 to 20

Early examples include the use

4.0 ideas and technologies. Many

embedded systems sensors and

years, manufacturing will have

of augmented reality on the

companies are aware of Industry

computers small enough to be

largely moved from its current

production line to mentally assist

4.0, and the bigger frms have

placed inside products and

iteration, Industry 3.0, to become

workers; and social machines

groups dedicated to it, he says.

applies it specifcally to

highly autonomous and fexible.

networked both to other machines

But it is a challenge for the

and to workers, and able to

smaller companies. Around 30%

Industry 4.0 for Bitkom, the

communicate their status and

of companies do not know about

joint government and industry

German trade association for the

analysis of big data to increase

Industry 4.0, but 80% of the

research in Germany, the idea is

IT sector, which has played an

productivity, fexibility and quality.

remainder consider it important

spreading throughout Europe.

integral role in the development of

Industry 4.0 goes beyond using

the Industry 4.0 strategy. In

Germany because manufacturing

the IoT as the basis for providing

manufacturing, the machine tool

plays such a large role in its

more services and remote

would be able to describe its own

economy, contributing around

that deliver a great variety of

support. It aims to create fexible,

abilities and status, and the

26% of GDP and employing

individualised products in high

more effcient factories that can

materials would also be smart,

around a million people. David

volumes, such as automotive,

create highly individualised

he says. So the material could

Vasak, manufacturing expert at PA

some consumer products and

products in the same way that

decide which machines to go to in

Consulting Group, heads an

pharmaceutical sectors.

manufacturing.
Originally devised as a result of

Wolfgang Dorst is head of

64 jAnuARy 2015 PROFESSiOnAl EnginEERing

Industry 4.0 is seen as crucial in

and around 50% have already

started actions related to it.
We will see it frst in industries

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SOFTWARE

Liquid asset

CAD software and rapid prototyping techniques have played

a vital role in the design of an irrigation pump that could save
lives in developing countries. Mike Farish reports

n rural areas of the developing

one that was constrained by the need

manual physical prototyping.

the devices two one-way valves. The

world, quality of life can be

to keep within strict cost limits.

Essentially, he says, it is a fairly

crucial point about them is their size,

straightforward piston pump whose

which means that if necessary a toy

marble can be used as a substitute.

signifcantly impaired by the lack

Hutton graduated from the

of a reliable means of delivering fresh

University of Bath in 2011. Although

core mechanics are similar to those of

water from naturally occurring local

only just past his mid-20s, he now

a bicycle pump. That fact is crucial,

sources to locations where it is

operates his own company, Hutton

because in its intended areas of use

Hutton managed to raise from

urgently required such as felds

Technologies, based in Norfolk. The

local mechanics know how to repair

charitable sources. When he returned,

growing crops. But last summer,

device, the Flexipump, developed out

such pumps.

he had the essential features of his

production started on a device that

of his fnal-year university project.

To test the new design, Hutton

The venture cost 10,000, which

design worked out a piston moving

went to Zambia for six months. He

up and down in a cylinder fastened by

version of the device was quite

took with him enough standard plastic

a simple hinge to a foot stand. The

manually operated pump designed by

different from todays product. It was

plumbing parts to fabricate pumps

design included minimal moving parts

David Hutton, a young British

powered by compressed air provided

on-site from the back of his car,

just the piston and valves.

engineer, with low cost, robustness

by a bicycle pump, and could not

although he had to supplement them

and ease of maintenance as prime

achieve the required drawing power.

with other parts that he made from

recreate the design in a digital CAD

could alleviate this problem.

The device in question is a

But Hutton says that the frst

He then needed to refne and

local materials. Perhaps the most

format, to provide the database from

was one in which modern CAD

that could meet the performance

important parts he took with him, he

which the product could be made. But

software and additive rapid

requirements initially by old-

says, were standard 16.5mm plastic

he could not afford a licence for a

prototyping played a role, although

fashioned paper-based drawing and

ball bearings, which open and close

software program, he says.

objectives. The project to develop it

So he worked up a new design

PROFESSiOnAl EnginEERing jAnuARy 2015 67

SOFTWARE

500 miLLion

the potentiaL market for the pump in

terms of smaLLhoLder farmers worLwide.
these farmers support two biLLion peopLe
capability, which facilitates rapid

Hutton says the machine paid for

demanding three-quarters of a

frst of the offer of a 45-day free trial

design changes by obviating the need

itself many times over.

single turn.

and then via reseller Prion Cutting

for intensive recomputing.

Fortuitously, he became aware

Edge of the possibility of a monthly

This capability meant the design

Despite the use of modern

The pumps ease of repair is its

technologies to develop the pump,

defning feature, says Hutton. Rival

rental scheme for the very CAD

could be modifed for

the basic principle is that the product

products require industrially

program he had used at university

manufacturability without fundamental

should be capable of repair in the feld

manufactured spare parts, which are

the Solid Edge 3D modelling system

redesign of parts from scratch. Hutton

by simple means. A study in 2001

unobtainable in much of southern

from Siemens PLM. That was also the

says that two months of intensive

found that more than one-third of

Africa, he says.

system used by Ken Symonds, a

work with Symonds was necessary to

pumps in the developing world were

The pump is now on sale, and

freelance designer of plastic parts

achieve this modifcation. Apart from

unusable at any one time because of

several thousand were sold in the fnal

whom Hutton contracted to provide

the basic nuts, bolts and washers,

a lack of spare parts, says Hutton.

quarter of 2014 in South Africa,

expertise as he sought to bring the

every other piece of the pump is of

design to the point where it could be

original design, he says.

manufactured specifcally, to enable

This was also the point where

Perhaps the most striking example

Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi and

of how the Flexipump tackles this

Uganda. A typical price is $70-80,

issue even more than the

which Hutton describes as affordable

the main elements to be made by

another modern product development

interchangeability of the ball bearings

for the average small farmer. The

injection moulding.

technique rapid prototyping through

with marbles is that the seals of the

potential market is huge worldwide,

additive manufacturing came into

piston cups have been designed so

he says, there are 500 million

system as his collaborator, all forms of

play. It was vital to be sure of factors

that replacements can be made by

smallholder farmers supporting

data transfer between them were

such as satisfactory form and ft of

craft workers from simple sheets of

two billion people.

seamless. The pair were also

parts before committing to

rubber or leather.

communicating with their chosen

manufacture, says Hutton, and rapid

mould toolmaker, based in Italy. That

prototyping was the obvious way to

washer has been added between the

ground and raise it to a height of 10m

company, says Hutton, was not a

achieve this.

main seal and the wing nut used to

above ground, although Hutton says

Again, cost was a constraint. But

tighten the seal against the piston. In

that in trials it has drawn water from a

speakers. Neither Hutton nor

an outlay of 700 bought him an Up

turn, this enables manual adjustment

depth of 9m. He is confdent that the

Symonds can speak Italian, so

Mini printer that could make parts in

of the wing nuts after repair, to

offcial above-ground capability could

communication involved a mix of

an ABS material that could be

achieve a more reliable and accurate

also be exceeded, although no testing

neutral format IGES fles for CAD

handled and used to prove out such

degree of contact between the seal

has yet taken place. The claimed

geometry and Google Translator for

factors as the movement of the

and the piston, ensuring the

horizontal distance the pump can

text. Hutton says the combination

pumps valves inside their housing,

combination can withstand the

push water is 100m. The output

worked surprisingly well.

although the fabrication of a working

pressures encountered during

pressure of the device is 2bar.

prototype was not possible.

operation. The right tolerance lies

That capacity allows around a

again primarily a matter of cost.

Compared with the cost of getting

within a range of three turns of the

fvefold increase in the effciency for

Hutton says the company could fulfl

prototype parts made by a bureau,

nuts rather than just a more

watering a feld, compared with the

As Hutton used the same software

Solid Edge user and it lacked English

The choice of manufacturer was

away. By this time, the project was

The device weighs just 2.5kg, and

can draw water from 6m below

physical carrying of water from a

requirements at Chinese prices,

while being only two hours fying time

To this end, a further rubber

Lightening the load: Flexipump

allows around a fvefold increase
in the effciency for watering a feld

nearby source. Two people using

buckets would need fve hours to

reliant on loans from family and

irrigate a feld 0.04ha in size if the

friends. When asked how much

water source were 20m away.

money was involved, he says: A lot.

Flexipump would reduce this time

But, he adds, this situation also

to just one hour. Five times less

meant that he became reacquainted

work could mean fve times more

with just how much a powerful CAD

food production.

system could accelerate and support

The pump offers another beneft.

the design process. In particular, he

Rivers can be home to dangerous

identifes the enhancement of the

animals that may attack people who

system since his experience of it as a

approach the waters edge. A reliable

student by the addition of what

pump can enable people to avoid

Siemens terms synchronous design

such areas, thereby saving lives. n

68 jAnuARy 2015 PROFESSiOnAl EnginEERing

InstItutIon news

Whats happening at the iMeche

eLeCtIons 2015: CALL

FoR noMInAtIons
The iMeche has called for volunteers to join
its trustee board and council. The closing
date for nominations is 19 March

In short, trustees try to solve all

Jon Hursthouse is a principal

more schoolchildren to consider

Technology continues to develop

inspector at the Offce for Nuclear

an engineering career that means

rapidly, and the edges of traditional

those issues facing the engineering

Regulation, specialising in the

engaging teachers, inspiring children,

disciplines are blurring: what is

community! That strategic exposure

transport of radioactive material. He

and tackling perceived barriers based

mechanical engineering these days?

helped me to acquire some skills, and

has volunteered for the Institution of

on gender, ethnicity and background.

What is the role of a professional

develop others, which are directly

institution when everything you could

transferable to the workplace, and

Mechanical Engineers since 2006,

My own organisation, the Offce

and recently completed a term as

for Nuclear Regulation (ONR), like

want to know is accessible on a

hopefully to make a contribution to the

a trustee. Here, he explains why he

the rest of the nuclear industry,

smartphone? Everyone knows that

institution.

volunteered to be a trustee and found

faces diffcult resourcing challenges

a digital strategy is essential in the

it rewarding.

recruiting engineers. ONRs work

modern world, but what should the

trustee board elections open shortly.

Nominations for the 2015

requires a high level of expertise

institutions look like, and what should

Volunteering in any capacity is

an old university friend at a local

across a wide range of disciplines,

it aim to do?

rewarding, allowing members real

institution lecture. Running off with

and offers exciting and varied careers,

fyers in one hand, and throwing

with a strong focus on learning and

Probably many of you reading these

profession. Being a trustee offers the

pens and paper at me with the other,

development. All the technical skills

comments were forming ideas as

opportunity to contribute strategically,

he bellowed do me a favour, take

found in any engineering-based

to how you would tackle them. That

developing and applying leadership

down everyones email addresses.

industry are found in ONR, as well as

urge to fx everything led me to the

competencies that have wide-reaching

Its not the most traditional recruiting

reactor physics, radiological protection

trustee board. As the governing body

and long-lasting signifcance.

technique, but it worked, and so

and other specialised areas.

of the institution, trustees perform

Boards beneft from diversity

similar roles to company directors:

and novel thinking, and trustees are

It started when I bumped into

began my volunteering with the

To manage the resourcing

Engineers solve problems.

opportunity to contribute to their

institution. Eight years later, Im still

challenge, we are increasingly using

developing the strategic direction of

actively seeking new members to

at it!

more innovative approaches, and

the institution, and setting objectives

offer fresh perspectives to take the

Initially, my involvement was

taking steps to ensure the total reward

that drive its activities.

institution forward. If you have ideas to

perhaps a little selfsh (sorry!). Id

package is engaging and competitive.

recently graduated, and with the ink

Concurrently, society is

The trustee board offers (and

requires!) exposure to all aspects

improve the institution, why not stand

for election?

still wet on the degree certifcate, I

increasingly aware that many pressing

of corporate governance and

was being asked to pay, for the frst

problems climate change, energy

strategy, and engagement with

Nominations must be submitted by

time, my annual subscription! Parting

supply, feeding, housing, transporting

senior engineers, infuencers and

19 March and must include details

with money focused my thoughts,

a growing population will be solved

opinion-formers. The roles strategic

of suitably qualifed members

and I began to question what value I

through engineering. How should the

nature requires a broad perspective,

who are prepared to support your

gained from membership. Of course,

engineering community respond?

looking beyond ones own industry

candidacy. Governance details

early on, its about getting registered;

to develop an appreciation of issues

can be found at www.imeche.org/

many volunteer roles will help develop

across a wide spectrum of technology,

about-us/governance/overview.

competencies C, D and E of UK-Spec,

and tempering that thinking with the

For nominations forms and further

and allow developing engineers

fnancial, commercial and corporate

details contact Joan Gibbins on 020

opportunities they may not have at

concerns common to any business.

7973 1311 or j_gibbins@imeche.org.

work, running their own budgets and

projects, for example.
Being on the inside brings
issues facing the profession into
sharp focus, such as the sheer
numbers of engineers that well need
in the future. We need to encourage
70 january 2015 Professional engineering

beIng on the InsIde bRIngs

Issues Into shARp FoCus, suCh
As the sheeR nuMbeRs oF
engIneeRs weLL need In FutuRe

we CAn no LongeR ReLy on

AppeALIng just to peopLe who
ARe pAssIonAte About steM

FIndIng wAys to InspIRe teenAgeRs

A new, agenda-setting report called Five Tribes:

industry to develop different

more likely to be positive about

Personalising Engineering Education is calling for

approaches to inspire them about

art, English language, drama and

different approaches to be used to inspire fve

engineering. We can no longer

dance. This group comprises

distinct UK student groups about engineering.

rely on appealing just to the small

many potential engineers.

proportion of people who are

passionate about Stem subjects.

with wide-ranging interests, but

Our research shows that

who lack confdence that a Stem

The IMechE report urges government, teachers,

industry, and science, technology, engineering and
maths (Stem) organisations to take into account

Enthused Unfocused: teenagers

young peoples diverse values and attitudes to try

young women, for example,

career is for them.

to inspire them about engineering.

tend to have a greater affnity

to engineering connected to

less interest in engineering and

education and skills, said: The UK is struggling

design, medicine, sports and

are more likely to study academic

with a shortfall of engineers. Demand to maintain

the environment, and this should

subjects linked to specifc

economic growth means producing 190,000

be refected in the way Stem

vocations. This tribe would

engineering graduates and technicians every year

subjects are presented to them.

beneft from greater exposure to

Peter Finegold, the institutions head of

until 2020. Last year we produced only 51,000 of

The report identifes fve tribes

our 87,000 target for graduates alone, and time is

of young people in the UK, aged 11-19:

ticking by. If we are to meet this shortfall, we need

to think differently about who our audience is.

This report identifes fve student types, based
on their values, interests and attitudes to Stem
subjects, and calls on government, schools and

Individualists: those who have

engineering opportunities.
l

Less Engaged: pupils who broadly lack

Stem Devotees: enthusiasts who enjoy Stem

confdence in their own abilities and had the

subjects. This group saw Stem-related careers

lowest affnity of any group with engineering.

as prestigious, clever and accessible to them.

l

Social Artists: youngsters who tended to enjoy

To read the full report, visit www.imeche.org/

Stem subjects less than others and who were

fve-tribes-report

engIneeRs bACk ben AInsLIes AMeRICAs Cup bId

from UK corporates needed to

Bermuda in 2017.

Racing to win:
Engineering expertise
could play a vital part

Called Engineering for Take-off,

PHOTO: WWW.LLOyDIMAgES.COM

the event was organised by the

mechanical engineers do means that

attended by more than 300 members

there will be a wealth of knowledge

and their guests at the University of

and solutions within our institution.

Southampton in late November.

Through the expertise in our networks,

helped to organise the event, said

Claughtons talk had prompted a call
to action to members.
Hebard said: Engineers have
The talk was delivered by Andy

The broad spectrum of what

Southampton Area Committee, and

Peter Hebard FIMechE, who

The Americas Cup UK challenger

optimise every aspect of the design.

I hope that we can support this

immense and thrilling challenge.
If you or your company may be
able to support the challenge through
knowledge sharing, cutting-edge

been key to many recent British

technology and product development,

sporting achievements, from the

please contact the institutions

Southampton Regional Committee.

team led by four-time Olympic gold

Claughton, technical director of Ben

Olympics to Formula One. The

medal winner Sir Ben Ainslie could

Ainslie Racing, and provided an

IMechEs aim is to connect Andy

beneft from institution members

insight into the technical elements

Claughton and his team to the best

Contact details can be found at:

expertise as a result of a talk

facing the team in the 35th Americas

expertise that our members can offer

nearyou.imeche.org/near-you/UK/

organised by a local committee.

Cup, which will take place in

and secure the support and resources

Wessex/Southampton-Area

IMeche events
for all the latest, up-to-date news on events, seminars and conferences at 1 Birdcage Walk
and around the uK, please visit: events.imeche.org. To receive regular email updates
about events and activities for your region or industry sector, log into www.imeche.org/
my-account and simply tell us your preferences, to start receiving alerts in your inbox.
Professional engineering january 2015 71

DISCIPLINARY BOARD
FINDINGS
Board notice December 2014

The following formal charges were presented by the Investigating Panel to a hearing of the Disciplinary Board of
the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on 27 November 2014:
It was alleged that Mark Smyth CEng FIMechE acted in breach of By-laws 28, 29 and 33 and Regulations 6, 7 and
12 of the Code of Conduct Regulations as set out below and as a consequence was guilty of improper conduct:
By-law 28: In order to facilitate the advancement of the science of mechanical engineering by preserving
the respect in which the community holds persons who are engaged in the profession of mechanical
engineering, all members shall, for as long as they continue to be members, comply with By-laws 29 to 31
and the Code of Conduct Regulations.
By-law 29: All members are ambassadors of the Institution and must therefore conduct themselves in a
manner that upholds and enhances the reputations of the Institution, the profession of Mechanical
Engineering and the Institutions members.
By-law 33: In these By-laws and the Code of Conduct Regulations improper conduct shall mean a failure
to comply with By-laws 29 to 31 or the Code of Conduct Regulations or ...... any act or omission which shall
have rendered the member unfit to remain a member of the Institution or shall be injurious to the Institution.
Regulation 6/6.5 of the Code of Conduct Regulations: Members shall be alert to the ways in which their
duties derive from and affect the work of other people; respect the rights and reputations of others and
shall ...... behave with integrity and objectivity in their relationships with colleagues, clients, employers,
employees and with society in general.
Regulation 7/7.1 of the Code of Conduct Regulations: Members shall avoid deceptive acts and take
steps to prevent corrupt practices and professional misconduct; declare conflicts of interest and shall ...... at
all times so order their conduct as to uphold the dignity and reputation of their profession and to safeguard
the public interest.
Regulation 12/12.1 of the Code of Conduct Regulations: Members shall act honourably, responsibly,
and lawfully so as to uphold the reputation, standing and dignity of the profession in general and the
Institution in particular and ...... if convicted of a criminal or civil offence anywhere in the world inform the
Institution promptly, and provide such information concerning the conviction as the Institution may require.
The charges concerned various criminal offences to which Mr Smyth pleaded guilty in April and October 2013 and
his failure to inform the Institution of the convictions.
After due deliberation, the Board found all the charges against Mr Smyth of improper conduct pursuant to Bylaws 28, 29 and 33 and Regulations 6, 7 and 12 of the Code of Conduct Regulations proven with the exception of
one charge pursuant to Regulation 7 of the Code of Conduct Regulations which the Board found not proven.
Order
Under the powers conferred by By-law 35 and Regulation 29 of the Disciplinary Regulations the Board
ordered that Mr Smyth should be Expelled from the Institution. The Board also ordered under the powers conferred
by Regulation 37 of the Disciplinary Regulations that the findings of improper conduct together with the
penalty imposed should be published by the Institution.
F Christopher Price OBE CEng FREng FIMechE
Chair, Disciplinary Board
Institution of Mechanical Engineers

15 December 2014
Registered Address: One Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ, UK.
Charity No. 206882

Improving the world through engineering

archIVE

ROCKET MAN

The foresight of a British engineer led to defences against

the much feared V-2 rockets during the Second World War.
By IMechE archivist Karyn Stuckey
By the beginning of 1943 Sir Frank

weapons and to co-ordinate a

War Cabinet, who responded by

Ewart Smith was convinced that not

response. Apparently, Duncan

attacking possible launch sites

only were long-range rockets

Sandys and the scientifc military

from where British targets would

possible but that the Germans were

expert Reginald Victor Jones

have been most vulnerable. These

well advanced in developing such

regularly clashed on this

interventions were a considerable

weapons. He based his assertions

committee.

infuence in the decision to drive

upon reading between the lines of

Smith studied photographs of

the Germans out of the Pas de

government reports on the Germans'

the Germans Peenemnde Army

Calais area as soon as possible

military efforts and capabilities.

Research Centre in the Baltic and

to stop the Germans making

reports from underground

launchings on these targets; the

Smith was technical director of ICI's

sources. These, aligned with his

site was likely to be more effective

Billingham chemicals plant, and he

knowledge of projectiles and

than those eventually used from

later became the company's deputy

propellants, led him to produce a

September 1944. The V-2 rockets

chairman. In the run-up to the war,

surmise of the weapon, which

were launched from deep inside

ICI had planned for the production

was close to the fact. However,

occupied countries from mobile

of fuel and explosives. Smith was

according to G F Whitby, Smiths

launchers.

involved in this and so gained

colleague at Air Intelligence

military intelligence experience.

Headquarters, the British were not

Before the Second World War

The frst to be launched in

warfare was aimed at Paris. For

able to devise a satisfactory

Miscellaneous Polish Rumours. This

six months they would be launched

launching system for such a weapon.

work led to the realisation that the

at London and other cities in Britain,

Smith had charged Whitby with

German launching system had been

as well as cities in northern Europe

engineer and superintendent of

identifying the purpose of buildings

misunderstood. The team realised in

newly liberated by the Allies. Their

armament design. While there he

and unusual civil and military

April 1944 that they had been

impact was psychologically powerful

had a leading role in the design of

installations at Peenemnde. By late

looking at the shadow of a V-2 stood

on the at-home populous, who had

PIAT, a portable, armour-piercing

1943 Whitby was studying

vertically with no visible support

already endured the Blitz.

anti-tank weapon.

stereoscopic photographs and

structure. Squadron Leader Kenny

researching papers fled as The

recalled seeing an article by German

its speed once launched made it

rocket developer Wernher von Braun

diffcult to detect, destroy and warn

After war was declared, he went

to work for the Ministry of Supply at
Fort Halstead in Kent, as chief

Many people did not think that

long-range rockets were feasible
but Smith continued to argue his
case directly to Winston
Churchill: his team at Fort
Halstead were commissioned
with investigating what form
such a weapon might take.
Then in April 1943, Churchill
set up the Sandys Committee
to study these secret

Explosive impact:
Smith warned of
the
dangers of the V-2
rocket and helpe
d
to design the PIA
T
anti-tank weapon

The mobile nature of the V-2 and

for the Interplanetary

against. Therefore, limiting its

Society detailing his

effectiveness by forcing launches

proposed method for a

away from the south coast was one

vertical launch. (It was

of the few defences the British could

discovered after the

deploy against the rockets.

war that the article had

The V-2 or Vergeltungswaffe 2,

been seen by Hermann

Retribution Weapon 2 was the

Goering.)

worlds frst long-range ballistic

This realisation led to

missile. It is estimated that more than

a full reconstruction of

3,000 were launched at London,

the launching and control

Antwerp and Lige. After the war,

system being made. This

allied forces raced to collect

allowed Smith to press

examples of the V-2 and the

hard via Sandys to the

scientists who had worked on them.

Post-war developments led to Soviet
and American versions, descendants

ThEiR iMpACT wAs

psyChOlOgiCAlly
pOwERful ON ThE
pOpulOus, whO hAd
ENduREd ThE bliTz

of which became intercontinental

and nuclear.
Smith returned to ICI after the
war, until his retirement in 1959. In
1957 he was made a fellow of the
Royal Society.

ProfESSIonal EngInEErIng January 2015 73

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BEST PRACTICE
GERMANY TOUR
Visit four Mittelstand companies near
Stuttgart with exclusive access to senior
leaders and factory tours.

Industrial Air Pollution Monitoring

23 25 February 2015

Combustion in Boilers and Furnaces

2 6 March 2015

Gas, vapour and dust explosion hazards,

protection, mitigation and prediction
23 27 March 2015
15% discount for IFE Members CPD 32.5hrs

Spray Drying and Atomisation of Formulations

24 25 March 2015

Diesel Particulates and NOx Emissions

18 22 May 2015

Engine Emissions Measurement

22 26 June 2015
For more information or to book please visit
www.engineering.leeds.ac.uk/short-courses
or email cpd@engineering.leeds.ac.uk

February 4-5, 2015

Baden-Wrttemberg, Germany
Tour will cover: Business Strategy & Execution
Operational Excellence & Lean Culture of Innovation,
application of R&D Attracting, Developing &
Retaining Talent The Mittelstand Spirit and Resilience

www.mittelstand-uk.com
Conference: Discuss
German vs British industrial
systems, network, fnd
routes to German markets
Venue: Manchester United Football Club
Date: January 28, 2015
To register visit: www.gbf.com/conference/
2015-conference
For more information on the conference and the
VIP dinner contact: info@gbf.com, kira@gbf.com
or will@stirlingmedialtd.com
Tel. +44 (0)208 892 0416 and 07920 179496

ONLY 30 PLACES LEFT!

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

Mums the word

Firms must offer flexible and part-time working if they

want to ensure that female engineers can return to work
after having children. Ben Hargreaves reports
seven or eight, she says. When people
said that their careers stopped because
they had children, it bothered me. I didnt
want to fall off the face of the planet
because Id had a child.
The institution, it seems, was keen that
she didnt, too. It was decided that there
would be no temporary maternity cover
for Oldham, who has a role that involves
delivering a lot of presentations and
numerous engagements with other
engineers and the wider public.
She decided to make full use of 10
Keep in Touch days, offered by all
companies to employees, and used this
time to maintain her profle speaking at
conferences, while keeping in contact with
colleagues wirelessly. I didnt want to
disappear for a year, she says. It was
about keeping up the external presence.
And we agreed that bringing someone up
to speed to do my job in a short period
would have been a diffcult task.
The issue of how to accommodate the
needs of working parents is obviously not
unique to manufacturing and engineering.
Businesses everywhere face the question
of how to provide fexible working
arrangements to staff on maternity or
paternity leave and looking after infants.
But the fact that the numbers of women in
engineering are so dismally low raises the
question of whether frms in the sector are
doing enough to retain female employees
who want to start families.
With the low proportion of female
engineers in the workplace, you might expect
companies to be pulling out all the stops to
ensure that systems are in place to help

women to stay on after they start a family.

ipping a coffee in One Birdcage

of looking after a poorly baby daughter with

Walk, the head of transport and

work commitments. Its a scenario that

manufacturing at the IMechE has

parents of newborns anywhere will be

to be the case. According to Dawn

familiar with.

Bonfeld, vice-president of the Womens

recently come back to work following the

birth of her frst child. Philippa Oldham, a

Oldham is clear that she never intended

Unfortunately, this doesnt always seem

Engineering Society (WES), the sector is

35-year-old chartered engineer, took nine

starting a family to mean that she couldnt

behind others in its thinking on fexible

months maternity leave but is now back in

continue her stellar career in engineering.

working, partly because there are so few

the swing of things at the institution, she

Ive worked hard up to this point, and

women involved. She says: Women want

says. On the day of our interview, Oldham

being a professional engineer has been my

more part-time and fexible hours, and, the

and her husband are juggling the demands

focus: Ive wanted to do it since I was

more women you have in any industry

PRoFEssIoNAl ENGINEERING JANUARy 2015 77

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT

for promotion.

sector, the more likely you are to respond to

Oldhams colleague Helen Meese, head

their needs. We have so few in engineering

of engineering in society at the IMechE,

so we havent responded as well.

says legislation coming into force this year

In a survey of 5,000 members of WES,

she says, just 35% had come back into

should improve the situation: When new

industry after having children. Women

parental laws come in, industry will have to

identifed lack of job opportunities with

rethink how it sees fexible working for

fexible hours as a key barrier. Two thirds

parents and enable them to make choices

of women on maternity dont come back

to be productive while maintaining a

into engineering, says Bonfeld. She adds:

happy home life.

Weve always known diversity is an issue.

Meese notes that companies that are

Now the skills shortage has made it crystal

progressive will make arrangements that

clear we need to be better. We simply need

suit the needs of talented female engineers

they do not want to lose who are looking

more people.
Dawn Fitt, a winner of the Institution of
Engineering and Technology (IET) Young
Woman Engineer of the Year prize back in
1992, says the birth of her second child
meant she had to seek out freelance work
as an ambassador for Stem subjects to

Balancing act:
Flexible working
can make all the
difference to a
woman trying to
build a career
while bringing
up children

did not encounter these issues. And it

after children. She says, for example, that

seems that fexible working is better

some women do the equivalent of fve

established in industries other than

days work in four days in order to have

engineering, such as retail.

Friday off for a long weekend with their

Jo Foster, the IET women in engineering

champion, says the institution is looking at

children.
Meese says such fexibility can beneft

continue with her career. Doing contract

what it can do to improve engineerings

frms: It can improve morale and effciency

work, I have the option for fexibility and to

performance on fexible working. We are

on the job. If you have children, the old 9-5

manage my work-life balance, says Fitt.

looking at corporates to fnd out what they

can be stressful. And with digital

can do to make workplaces fairer to

technology, you can work anywhere

the Bloodhound supersonic car project to

women in terms of fexible working

nowadays. Work for both men and

schoolchildren. When youve been out of

arrangements, and how they can keep

women should refect that.

engineering for a while, its diffcult to get

women engaged while they are on

back in, she says. Ive actually come out

maternity leave, says Foster.

She is now predominantly promoting

of engineering in a hands-on sense

Claire Malpas, a consultant engineer at

Companies such as Selex ES which

employs 28-year-old senior hardware
engineer Naomi Mitchison, who was named

Era Technology, and former chair of the

IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year last

IMechE equality and diversity steering

month allow women to work extra hours

management for a small company and was

group, adds: All industries are coming

in term time and have school holidays free

told that customers wanted me on site at

around to the idea that fexible working

to be with their children.

8am until 5pm every day. Those

conditions are a positive thing. They are

customers were a minimum of an hour

likely to improve productivity among the

suggests that many female engineers feel

and a half from my location, but my

workforce female or male.

nervous about their career prospects and

because it wasnt viable.

Fitt explains: I was doing project

Foster of the IET says feedback

She thinks employers must make an

return to work following the birth of a child.

effort to succession plan for their female

They can feel slightly out of touch and not

organisation might have been more

employees who are starting families.

sure of how to get back into the swing of

fexible: I had female colleagues in

Careers should be on pause not

things. Theres also a concern that when

WES working for large organisations

hindered, she says.

they do come back, they are going to have

nursery facilities didnt open until 7am.

She concedes that a larger

that had as much fexible working as

Philippa Oldham agrees, and argues

they could want. Some of my peers

that female engineers should be able

philippa oldham

With the paucity of women in

to have a frank discussion with

engineering, providing better arrangements

managers about their ambitions in

for working mothers would seem to be

terms of both work and family so that

when people
Said their
careerS
Stopped
becauSe
they had
children, it
bothered Me

to take a step down.

desirable. A lot of organisations are

their careers are not compromised. Big

switched on to the idea that they need to

consultancies that employ a greater

retain their female talent. Flexible working is

proportion of women, such as Arup or

key to that, she points out.

Atkins, are likely to have better fexible

working arrangements, she says.
Managers should be able to have an
open discussion with the female engineer
before they go on maternity about their
career path, says Oldham. Not only
will that help with succession planning,
it could help to ensure women are
not put to one side or passed over

Bonfeld says frms that put in place

working arrangements that are attractive to
women should shout about them. Having
the policies is one thing, but they need to
be promoted effectively too, she says.
We have a 95-year history of initiatives
that havent worked, and were still looking
at the same proportion of women in
engineering. n

IMPROVING THE
WORLD THROUGH
ENGINEERING

FEATURED EVENTS

27 January 2015, Coventry

24 February 2015, London

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Railway Annual Luncheon

13 March 2015
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Railway
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13 March 2015
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All Mechanical
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Marine Energy Projects:

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19 March 2015
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25 March 2015
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Essential Management Skills 2015

15 April 2015
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SUPPLYING THE 21ST CENTURY

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9 March 2015, London
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20 April 2015, London
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For more information and to register call +44 (0)20 7973 1258,
email eventenquiries@imeche.org or visit: www.imeche.org/events
Improving the world through engineering

@TopEngJobs

w w w. t o p e n g i n e e r i n g j o b s . c o m

The recruitment marketplace for engineering professionals

TopEngineeringJobs

Appointments
phone: +44 (0) 20 7045 7545

emAil: recrUitment@cAspiAnmeDiA.com

As a world class Powertrain Technical Centre, we play a vital role in

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Throughout 2015, we will be recruiting a range of Powertrain Engineers
joining our Engines, Transmissions, Powertrain Control and Electronics
departments.
We invite you to be a part of our growth and success by visiting our
careers page at http://www.changanuk.com/careers for a full list of
current vacancies.
80 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING www.imeche.org/news

@TopEngJobs

TopEngineeringJobs

We operate from here...

WORK ON LONG LIFE ASSETS
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and there
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CNR International (U.K.) Limited, St. Magnus House, Guild Street, Aberdeen, AB11 6NJ

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www.imeche.org/news PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING 81

We have the technology

The UK requires modern, battle winning forces to defend its interests and to contribute to strengthening international
peace and security.
These forces increasingly depend on scientic and technological advances to maintain their ability to operate effectively;
this means the provision of technologies of tremendous speed, power and capacity to deliver a decisive operational edge.
We are: The Ministry of Defence, Defence Engineering and Science Group.
Organisation Description: Government Department. The DESG is the team of thousands of engineers and scientists within the MoD.

DESG offers you many benets including:

1. One of the very best graduate development schemes for engineers and scientists available in the UK
fully accredited by IMechE, IET, ICE, RINA, RAeS, IoP and IMarEST.
2. Considerable investment in support of your personal professional development; along with a wide range
of exciting placement opportunities (including placements in industry).
3. An accelerated path to Chartered or incorporated status in your engineering or science profession; with
the DESG its possible for you to achieve professional Chartership in just four years.
4. A truly rewarding career. MoD projects are fascinating, valuable, unique and sometimes highly classied.
Degree Disciplines required: A multitude of engineering disciplines, including: Electronic and
Electrical Engineering and Naval Architecture.
Applications: Now open for applications. Apply on-line via our website (click How to Apply).

www.gov.uk/mod/desg

The MoD is an Equal Opportunities Employer.

Opportunities with Bosch Engineering

As a sta te- of- the- a rt engineering ser vice provid er, we offer development a nd a pplica tion
solution s for a ll electroni c system s in the Bosch portfolio. Th e Bosch E nginee ring UK tea m,
ba sed a t MIRA, is now expa nding to support our customer s powertra in development
progra mmes. We no w see k:

Project Managers
To lea d a ll a spects of E MS ca libra tion projects a nd del ive r to
cu stomer sa tisfa ction, on time a nd budget. Provi de techni ca l
mentoring to the proj ect tea m. Must ha ve e xp erien ce of lea ding
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Calibration Engineers Gasoline & Diesel

To ca rry out E MS ca libra tion a ctivities on cu stomer pro ject s.
Support clima te test trips a s required. With a t lea st 3 yea rs
exper ien ce in ga soline or diesel engine ca libra tion prefera bly with
Bosch E MS. Exp erien ced with INCA a nd ETAS Tool sets. Ca na lyzer,
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Software Development Engineers

To sup port system desi gn, functiona l development a nd ra pid
prototyping of Engine Ma na gement System control stra tegies.
Functiona l testing inclu ding HIL, La bCa r a nd vehicle ba sed.

We offer competitive sa la ries with e xcellent tra ining a nd ca reer progression opp ortunities.
To a pply , pleas e send y our CV a nd Cov ering Let t er t o: opport unit ies .de nham @uk .B osc h.com
Succ ess st ories dont just happe n.
They are made .

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR YOUR NEXT

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Agencies please note that SMD work to a preferred supplier list.

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www.imeche.org/news PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING 83

HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR

CAREER LIGHTING UP?
WELCOME TO
SUCCESS IN THE
REAL WORLD.

At BAE Systems, we serve the needs of our customers by delivering advanced defence, aerospace
and security solutions that provide a technological and performance edge. With some 84,600
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Thats work that inspires us. Thats BAE Systems.
To do that, were constantly innovating and looking out for people who can add real value to our
business. Thats why we offer exciting and challenging career opportunities to enthusiastic, driven
graduates and undergraduates.
If youre aspiring to develop professional excellence, you can join our Graduate Development
Framework in a business or engineering role, ranging from human resources to naval architecture.
For those who want to be part of a team that builds solutions of the future theres Applied
Intelligence, with roles ranging from cyber security to software engineering. For individuals with
the capability and determination to take up a senior finance role in the future, theres the Finance
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If youre ready to work on projects that make a real difference, visit baesystems.com/graduates

EXCITING ENGINEERING OPPORTUNITIES

Part of the Honda Motor Group, HTEs Die and Machinery team provide expertise in procurement, logistics and engineering to support
Honda manufacturing operations globally.
Technical Sales Engineer (Engineering Services)
Researching and developing new CE marking marketing opportunities in Japan and Europe through promoting Honda Trading Europe
and negotiating with potential customers. Travel within the UK, Europe and Japan is required.
The successful candidate is fluent in Japanese, has proven sales experience within a manufacturing environment and equipment
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CE Marking Engineers (Senior and Junior)
As part of our CE Marking consultancy service, these roles develop and promote CE Marking, carrying out CE Assessments of
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The successful candidates have recognised engineering backgrounds with an understanding of electrical and mechanical systems
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Additionally, the successful Senior CE Marking Engineer has:

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Degree or equivalent in an engineering discipline
Thorough understanding of:
Electrical and mechanical systems implementation

Safety systems and devices

European Harmonised Standards, specifically:
Essential Health and Safety Requirements 2006/42/EEC
Low Volt Directive LVD 2006/95/EC

We offer competitive salaries with attractive benefits and the opportunity to develop your career in a global organisation
Please visit our website: www.hondatrading.eu.com or send your CV to ukinfo@hondatrading.eu.com

CENTRE FOR DOCTORAL TRAINING IN

MEDICAL DEVICES (4 YEAR STUDENTSHIPS)
FOR ENGINEERS AND PHYSICAL SCIENTISTS
Doctor of Engineering in Medical Devices (EngD)
We are currently recruiting graduates in Engineering or the Physical Sciences for October 2015 who have
obtained, or expect to obtain, a first or upper second class honours degree to join the Medical Devices
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is designed to allow graduates to carry out research relevant to problems in healthcare that can be
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Graduates accepted for the centre who are UK citizens will receive a four-year studentship covering
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Additional information can be found on our website at: http://www.strath.ac.uk/cdtmed and
http://www.strath.ac.uk/simd and applications can be made online at: http://pgr.strath.ac.uk

For further information please contact: Carol McInnes

Telephone: 0141 548 3781
Email: carol.b.mcinnes@strath.ac.uk
@TopEngJobs

TopEngineeringJobs

www.imeche.org/news PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING 85

Top jobs for

Top Engineers

www.topengineeringjobs.com
+44 (0)20 7045 7545

Fascinated by
industrial history?
Want to knoW Where the best
museums, boat lifts, railWays
and Water Wheels are located?
the iMeches new book - engineering attractions Visiting britains best industrial heritage sites has all the answers.
contains dozens of reviews of exciting places to visit including
cutty sark, ironbridge, electric mountain, ss Great britain,
beamish and the falkirk Wheel.

enGineerinG
attractions
VisitinG britains
best industrial
heritaGe sites

improving the world through engineering

features 100 full-colour pages.

Priced 9.95, with a discount for imeche members.

Go to www.imeche-heritage-book.co.uk
or call 020 7045 7510 to order your copy

back page
PE finds places to go and things to do

DIggINg FOR TReaSURe

Victorian ingenuity on show in remote Cornish museum
5 things to see

On the surface: The mine museum is housed in

windswept wooden and stone buildings. The original
winder engine (right) was supplied by Holman Bros

First impressions may not be kind to

The frst part of the museum lays

with the processing machinery that

1. Processing mill:
A volunteer guide should be
able to switch on the rare and
100-year-old machinery and
talk you through how it works.
2. The Cornish countryside:
A monument to this once vital
local industry. Its possible to
see 12 engine houses from
the museum.
3. Horizontal steam engine:
Drove the machinery in the mill
via a fat belt until electrifcation.
4. The Californian stamps:
The only full-size set in Europe
only run on special occasions.
5. The cage: The last to be
used to transport men in a mine
in Cornwall.

this understated museum, but

out the various plant, equipment and

was originally manufactured and

perseverance pays off. The fnal area

processes that were used at the

installed more than 100 years ago.

of the King Edward Mine Museum in

mine. Soon you will be familiar with

Today, the machinery can be seen

Camborne is a rare thing an

kibbles, skips and man engines. The

working courtesy of one of the

enthralling demonstration of Victorian

beam engine and air compressor are

museums volunteer guides.

engineering ingenuity using original,

excellent examples of their type and

100-year-old mining machinery,

accompanied by plenty of detailed

Californian stamps, which were used

employed in mining at the beginning

much of it the last working examples

information about their manufacturer,

to smash the ore into three grades.

of the 20th century, its doubtful you

of its kind.

Holman Bros of Camborne, a

This was then treated at the shaking

will do better elsewhere.

company that was once a big

tables, and further grading was

inheritance from the Camborne

supplier in the mining sector. The

performed by a round frame and

improvements and refurbishments,

School of Mines. The mine has a

section about the frm is extensive,

fotation cells. King Edward is the

which should see the number of

long history. It was frst a small

with advertising paraphernalia and

only place in the world you can see a

visitors increase. For the time being,

commercial tin and copper mine, of

examples of equipment.

Frue Vanner sifting machine working.

though, its a hidden gem, albeit with

The King Edward Mine is an

The processing starts at the

Seeing these machines working

which there were many in Cornwall

The exhibition goes on to depict

during the 18th century. By the turn

how life treated the mines workers.

with their simple but signifcant

of the 20th century mining in

There are interesting anecdotes

innovations is a treat.

Cornwall had all but disappeared,

about working practices, such as

but King Edward was re-equipped

how eucalyptus oil was pumped into

and reopened by the school in 1901

the air system to alert miners of an

and used for teaching, ore dressing

emergency.

and surveying until 1974.

The underground part of the mine

The museum does then become

a little self-indulgent in this section.

was abandoned in 1921, but the

There is a wealth of information

surface buildings and equipment

about the mines background and

were retained. Much of the plant that

development, and the visitor can feel

was installed in 1901 is still present,

bogged down in parochial minutiae.

or has been recovered and restored

Unless studying the region or the

by volunteers. The museum is

history of mining in depth, its

therefore uniquely placed to provide

doubtful you will linger.

an insight into the workings of the

However, its in the mill, the fnal

processing, power, transport and air

leg of a visit, where the museum

supply elements of a mine.

comes alive. The mill is equipped

88 January 2015 ProfEssional EnginEEring

If you are looking for a

demonstration of the machines

King Edward has plans for

a few rough edges.

Ben Sampson
For more details, see:
www.kingedwardmine.co.uk

FaScINaTeD
by INDUSTRIal
hISTORy?
rEad all about thE bEst
musEums, stEam railways
and boat lifts in thE uk.
the imechEs new book,
Engineering attractions,
features 100 full-colour pages.
Priced 9.95, with a discount for
imechE members.
go to www.imeche-heritage-book.co.uk
or call 020 7045 7510 to order your copy

   
 


      

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