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16 Jul 2014

Tubular rail is the future?

Although forms of rail transport can be traced back to 600BC when the ‘rutway’ was built to assist with transportation, it is widely accepted that railways, as we know them, have been in existence for almost 200 years.

Born of the Industrial Revolution, trains powered by locomotives were the fulfilment of the dreams of their creators.

Today’s railway system differs greatly to the days when steam trains could be seen chugging around the industrial heartland of Britain, transporting coal, iron and wood.

Further changes and development have been in the pipeline for some time, with Britain’s railways poised to undergo a major programme of development.

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7 Jul 2014

Plans agreed for downdraft tower

It’s a fact that around 20% of global final energy consumption comes from renewable sources with more than 10% of all energy from traditional biomass, being used for heating.

At national level, at least 30 countries already have renewable energy contributing more than 20% of energy supply. Furthermore, national renewable energy markets are projected to continue to grow strongly in the coming decade and beyond.

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9 May 2014

The first self cleaning car

The automobile industry has seen terrific change since the first car hit the road back in 1886. In fact, a quick comparison between the first car and today’s cars will tell you there are simply too many alterations to mention. Engines have developed out of all recognition, the bodywork has changed and a car’s interior is dramatically different too. Changes in fuels used, catalytic converters, turbos and injected engines have all been introduced. Big cars, small cars, cadillacs, two seaters, sports’ cars and Formula One cars. It’s an industry reluctant to stand still.

One of the major developments in recent times has been the introduction of the hybrid car – a vehicle that usually has two tanks for fuel – one for petrol and the other for hydrogen/ethanol or an alternative renewable fuel.  Another step in the right direction. Another topic of conversation.

However, the industry was never likely to sit still after that, was it? The latest innovation sees the first ever self cleaning car.

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30 Apr 2014

ULEVs on the right road

In January of last year the deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg led the formal unveiling of a £2.5m campaign encouraging UK motorists to adopt Ultra Low Emission Vehicles – or ULEVs, for short. The Government’s aim is for these environmentally friendly vehicles to account for every new vehicle on the road by 2040. The campaign was labelled ‘Go Ultra Low’ with BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and Vauxhall all acting as joint partners.

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17 Apr 2014

AUVs making waves in the energy sector

For the past month or so the loss of the Malaysian Airlines flight, MH370, has dominated the headlines on every news channel around the world. Where is it, how did it get there and why is it taking so long to establish it’s whereabouts are the unanswered questions.

Helping with the search has been a state of the art unmanned submarine which has been probing the bed of the Southern Indian Ocean. Armed with some of the latest underwater imaging and navigation systems, experts believe the Torpedo shaped vessel represents the best chance of finding the missing plane.

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6 Mar 2014

3D printing is the future

If you talk to most engineering experts, they will tell you that 3D printing represents one of the most significant developments ever seen in the manufacturing industry.

For those who are still unsure about 3D printing or as it’s more professionally called, additive manufacturing, the following quote, perhaps, provides the best possible explanation.

“3D printing moves us away from the Henry Ford era mass production line and will bring us to a new reality of customizable, one-off production.”

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28 Nov 2013

Moving forward with HS2

Britain, like many other countries, is investing large sums of money in high speed rail (HS2). The aim is to create space on overcrowded networks and enable large numbers of people to move more efficiently.

It means a new line that doesn’t physically overlap or affect existing regional services, but one that takes long-distance travellers onto new high speed trains with fewer stops, thus completing their journeys in less time than ever before.

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25 Oct 2013

3D Printers – What’s the Latest?

Last year we wrote a post about the introduction of 3D printers to industry.

We made some assumptions about how education, engineering and architecture industries would be likely to use this latest technology. Well 18 months down the line, let’s take a look at the developments of 3D printers and see how they are being used.

The commercial cost of 3D printers has reduced and their use seems to have been incorporated into just about every industry possible.

Hollywood and the film industry has embraced 3D printing wholeheartedly, with costumes, models and monsters all now being made using 3D printing techniques. This 3ders.org article tells in more detail how the production of concept models etc. is much quicker and easier using the latest technology.

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16 Oct 2013

Celebrating the UK Aerospace Industry Sector

In the current economic climate, when all the news we see is about job losses, decline and closures it’s easy to forget that the UK has some great success stories.

Take the UK aerospace sector. A recent article in the Engineer by Jon Excell and Stuart Nathan highlights the fact that the UK has the world’s second largest aerospace sector, yet no-one really seems to recognise it.

The UK aerospace sector has bucked the trend of the economic downturn and continues to grow. UK firms design and manufacture some of the most talked about feats of engineering and the UK aerospace industry is recognised internationally as being one of the best in the world.

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13 Aug 2013

Getting more from electric vehicles

Electric Vehicles (EVs) first came into existence in the mid-19th century when electricity was among the preferred methods for motor vehicle propulsion, providing a level of comfort and ease of operation that could not be achieved by the gasoline cars of the time.

The internal combustion engine remains as the dominant propulsion method for motor vehicles, but electric power is certainly commonplace in other vehicle types, such as trains and smaller vehicles of all types.

UK scientists claim that by simplifying the power electronics  they have developed a way to help Electric Vehicles travel further on a single battery charge. Lead by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) researchers have created a new material that they say can act as a more effective capacitor than those currently used in EVs, which require complex cooling systems.

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