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17 Jul 2015

Autonomous ships – could they help marine freight transport?

Self driving cars, whilst once a novel and entertaining idea have now become a regular news feature. The design and rigorous testing they are going through is all in an effort to see road safety improved by eliminating driving error.

In fact a recent report in manufacturing.net stated that in the 6 years and 1.9 million miles of testing by Google there have only been 14 accidents involving their self driving cars. Google say that none of the accidents were caused by their self driving cars. In 11 of the 14 accidents, the self driving car was rear ended, by distracted drivers.

So, could autonomous applications be applied to ships to improve efficiencies and also the level of CO2 emissions, which are twice that of the aviation industry? Could we see autonomous ships at sea?  Rolls Royce think so.

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10 Jul 2015

Going Underground

Will this be the way to solve overcrowding in big cities?

For years there has been concern over the space available for new buildings, whether it’s housing or industrial. Skyscrapers have got taller and taller and the space between buildings has reduced. But still, this isn’t solving the problem of overcrowding and in some countries planning authorities are becoming uncomfortable with the higher structures.

Living like the fictional Wombles, ‘underground’ is increasingly looking as though it could become a reality at some point in the future. We travel underground regularly, even using tunnels to get to other countries, so why not take that next step?

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3 Jul 2015

F35B Jet Tests Ski Jump Launch

BAE Systems test pilot Pete Wilson became the first pilot to test the launch of the F35B from a ski jump last week.

The launch, which took place at a Naval Air Station in Maryland is only the start of testing which is expected to last two weeks and is a big step towards the implementation of the ski launch on UK aircraft carriers.

The F35B is designed for short and vertical take-off and the trials demonstrate the ability to take off and land safely and effectively from a ski-jump ramp.

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26 Jun 2015

University of Bristol partners with Airbus

Airbus signed a partnership agreement with the University of Bristol last week, formalising their commitment to build on training, education and diversity. The agreement was signed at the International Air Show in Paris last week.

Talking about the partnership Thierry Baril, Chief Human Resources Officer of Airbus Group, said: “These partnership agreements underline our commitment to work hand-in-hand with academics and engineering education leaders to develop and secure the competences that the aerospace industry will need in the future.”

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19 Jun 2015

Robotics and Research

All areas of engineering are evolving and developing and we like to keep an eye on what’s going on, reporting from time to time on innovative and sometimes controversial developments.

When it comes to robotics most of the things we’ve written about have been ground breaking developments that have meant that safety can be increased or that major improvements in quality of life can be achieved.

We even wrote about whether increased automation means that less skill will be required in the future. It seems the answer is no – operators still need to understand what they’re doing, why they’re doing it and what could go wrong. However, automation can and does help improve efficiency.

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10 Jun 2015

The importance of finishing

Finishing image of industrial spray painting Finishing any engineering job properly is just as important as any other operation along the production cycle. And by finishing the engineering job, we’re not talking about tidying the file and completing the invoicing. We are talking about the paint or powder coating finish to the product

The appearance of a finished product will always have an impact on the saleability. After all, if something looks rough and unfinished it’s less likely to sell. In addition, there’s the safety impact to consider. Rough edges and burrs can not only put buyers off but can be a serious health and safety risk. So an important part of finishing is to remove those risks.

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3 Jun 2015

Hybrid Aircraft – Passenger Planes of the future?

The constant mission to reduce pollution and produce more fuel efficient vehicles led to major research and development in the auto industry. Now all major car manufacturers have a hybrid vehicle in their suite of offerings.

With air traffic forecast to continue to increase there are demands for additional runways and extra services. This, of course causes conflict. Flight companies want to meet the needs of the consumers, but plans for increasing runways and flight services are meeting opposition due to the anticipated increase in noise and pollution.

Could there be a solution? Can we ever have quieter runways and less pollution? Siemens and Airbus think we can!

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27 May 2015

Research into rail switches at the IRR

Rail switches or ’points’ are used in the rail industry to guide trains to their correct route. They work by using a tapered set of rails (points) lying between the outer rails that can be moved to direct the train travelling across them.

They make up less than 1% of the entire length of railway routes in the UK, yet they account for 20% of the expenditure on track maintenance. With a working life of approximately 3 years, frequent maintenance and replacement of rail switches is needed to avoid disruptions in services.

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20 May 2015

The Subcon Show is Nearly Here

With only 12 days to Subcon at the NEC in Birmingham 2 – 4 June, PRV Engineering are gearing up for what we hope is another successful show. This will be PRVs 8th visit to the highly successful show which has improved and evolved over the years.

In its 32nd year, Subcon provides a meeting platform for buyers, specifiers and key decision makers from all industry sectors. It’s is a great place to meet, compare suppliers, discover and discuss new technologies and to forge new partnerships.

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9 May 2015

Why Plate Copper Busbars?

Busbars made of copper are commonplace in the world of electrical power distribution. Switchgear, panel boards and busways all use busbars to convey substantial amounts of electricity, allowing more flexibility for circuits to branch off.

Copper is more resistant to rust and corrosion and so is commonly used in the production of busbars and other electrical equipment.

However, copper does oxidise over time and because of this the resistance in the conductive metal will increase, meaning that more power is needed to carry any current along its surface. Beyond a certain point, the metal can begin to flake and fall apart. It is for this reason that many metals are plated – it helps them retain their positive qualities and attributes.

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