Lincoln:Engineering Researchers

Best paper prize for School of Engineering academics

Paul Stewart
Institution of Mechanical Engineers headquarters London

Prof Paul Stewart and Dr Jill Stewart from the School of Engineering in collaboration with Dr Dan Gladwin from the University of Sheffield have been awarded the Charles Sharpe Beecher Prize by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for their 2010 paper

Multi-objective evolutionary–fuzzy augmented flight control for an F16 aircraft. Proceedings of the IMechE, Part G: Journal of Aerospace Engineering, 224 (3). pp. 293-309. ISSN 0954-4100

The prize is awarded for the best paper on an aerospace subject published by the Institution in the previous year.

The paper examines the application of Artificial Intelligence techniques to the flight control system of the Lockheed Martin F16 Fighting Falcon. In particular, the modified controller aims to enhance the performance of the flight controller to reduce pilot fatigue during extended combat flight manoeuvres.

The F-16 is a single-engined, supersonic, multi-role tactical aircraft. The F-16 was designed to be a cost-effective combat “workhorse” that can perform various kinds of missions and maintain around-the-clock readiness. It is much smaller and lighter than its predecessors, but uses advanced aerodynamics and avionics, including the first use of a relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire (RSS/FBW) flight control system, to achieve enhanced maneuver performance. Highly nimble, the F-16 can pull 9-g maneuvers and can reach a maximum speed of over Mach 2.

The Prize will be awarded at the Annual General Meeting and Awards Ceremony at the IMechE London headquarters on 17th May 2011

Engineering School facilitates major equipment grant from Lincoln Council to aid local businesses

Paul Stewart
EOS P380 Rapid Prototyping Machine

Lincoln City Council has secured approval to purchase a Rapid Manufacturing Machine in order to establish a facility which is accessible to local businesses as part of a commitment to promote and encourage the growth of engineering and innovation activity in the local economy.

The School of Engineering is fully committed to this initiative, which is part of its engagement process with local industry and a long term close collaborative relationship with the City Council.

Dr Jonathan Lawrence, who is Reader and Head of the  Laser Materials Processing Group in the School, has sourced a machine in China, and will be travelling out to Shanghai in the near future to perform a technical verification before the unit is shipped to Lincoln.

The School will be working closely with the Council to promote the usage of the facility, and will be subsequently working with local businesses to fully utilise it.

The EOS P380 machine uses a high-powered laser, which fuses metal powder into a solid part by melting it locally using the focused laser beam. Parts are built up additively layer by layer. This process allows for highly complex geometries to be created directly from the 3D CAD data, fully automatically, in hours and without any tooling, producing parts with high accuracy and detail resolution, good surface quality and excellent mechanical properties.

University drives electric vehicle study

Paul Stewart
L-R: Kate Bell, Environmental Co-coordinator LCC, Rob Smith, Lincoln Council and Prof chris Bingham, Professor of Energy Conversion Lincoln:Engineering

Staff at the City of Lincoln Council will spend two weeks travelling to external meetings in an electric car, thanks to the University of Lincoln’s School of Engineering and Cenex, the UK’s Centre of Excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technology.

The electric Smart Fortwo, which has a range of up to 85 miles and can be recharged from a domestic electricity socket, will be used by City Hall staff. The vehicle is being loaned as part of the government’s Smart Move study into the integration of electric vehicles into fleets, which is being managed by Cenex.

Electric cars are a lot cheaper to run than a conventional petrol car and it is estimated that the City Council could save around £50,000 a year based on current fuel prices, if its staff were able to use electric cars for council business.
According to the University’s Professor of Energy Conversion, Chris Bingham, the initiative shows that far from being the technology of the future, electric cars are the here and now.
Already this year Professor Bingham has been joined by a host of motorists who agreed to have their driving styles assessed whilst driving the electric powered car.
“I find that people are always amazed by how smooth the car feels,” said Professor Bingham. “People’s main concern seems to be about running out of battery power, however, research indicates that most journeys around town and to and from work are less than 15 miles for most people. This vehicle has a range of around 70 (nominal) from a single charge but this is dependent on how efficiently the car is driven, so this has been the focus of my recent research.”
Rob Smith, Business Services Team Leader at the City of Lincoln Council, said: “We’re delighted to take part in the Smart Move study and test drive the electric car for two weeks. This will give our staff an insight into the benefits of driving an electric car and, as an organisation, it will give us an idea of whether or not an electric fleet would be beneficial for the council.”
Findings from Professor Bingham’s research will contribute to his study into the impact of driver behaviour on charge conservation in all-electric vehicles, a collaborative venture with CENEX.

 

Lincoln:Engineering Open Seminar Series – Using Lasers to Modulate Biological Cell Response

Paul Stewart

Location: Engineering Lecture Room, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL (Next to Pavilions).

Date: 06/04/2011

Time: 2:00p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Organization: Lincoln School of Engineering

Presenter: Dr. David G. Waugh

 

 

Summary

Wed 6th April 2011 @ 2:00p.m. – 3:00p.m. Lincoln School of Engineering Open Seminar Series. Dr. David Waugh will be speaking about ‘Using lasers to modulate biological cell response’.

Abstract

With an aging population there is an ever growing demand on medical facilities, especially with regard to biological implant technology. Laser surface treatment offers a unique way of tailoring surfaces to manipulate cell response in order to reduce and predict clinical failure. This open seminar will give you an insight into the multidisciplinary research carried out by Dr. Waugh, a Research Fellow in the Lincoln School of Engineering. The seminar will discuss work in the field of laser-modified wettability characteristics and how they can be employed to determine the biofunctionality of a given material. Furthermore, the future for this research will be discussed including potential use of this technology in stem cell growth and manipulation.