Specialist Centres
University of Birmingham
Education:
- Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) - 3 year first degree
- Master of Engineering (MEng) - 4 year first degree
- Master of Science (MSc)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Birmingham is a contributor to the IGDS programme, a postgraduate programme in Automotive Design organised by the University of Hertfordshire. They also manage the Europe wide EUROMOTOR programme of postgraduate short courses.
Annual intake for the undergraduate programmes is 70, for the IGDS programme is 100 and for EUROMOTOR is 150. There are 10 people engaged on postgraduate research. Last year there were 15 postgraduate degrees awarded from the IGDS programme and 5 awarded for postgraduate research. Grades awarded at undergraduate level were 10% first class honours, 50% 2.1 and 40% 2.2.
Research:
Projects include:
- Tyre Research for both cars and aircraft
- Design of Lightweight Vehicles
- NVH studies
- Seating Systems
- Materials - Durability Assessment of Suspension Systems
- Power Transmission - Non-Metallic Gears
- Nett Shape Forming of Engineering Components
- High Performance Magnets
- Rapid Prototyping
- Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems and Devices
- High Speed Machining
- Accident Research - Passive Secondary Safety
- Injury Causation
- Vulnerability of Road Users
- Fuel Reformation
- Supply Chain Modelling
- Virtual Reality
Equipment available includes:
- Full CAE facilities
- Full automotive workshop facilities
- Material testing facilities
- Full industrial scale nett-shape forming facilities
- Rapid prototyping
- Four poster rig with "Quantim" software
- Dynamometer
- Rolling Road
- Engine test beds
- Low velocity wind tunnel
- Virtual Reality suite
Contacts:
- Professor A. A. Ball: Geometric modelling and CAE
- Professor T. A. Dean: Nett-shape forming
- Professor P. Prewett: Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
- Professor R Harris: High density magnets
- Professor C. E. Neal-Sturgess: Road accident research
- Professor G. M. Mackay: Road accident research
- Professor J. Randle: Automotive design
- Professor D. Walton: Non-metallic gears
- Dr. D. Aspinall: High speed machining
- Dr. A. Arthur: Rapid prototyping
- Dr. Cedric Ashley: EUROMOTOR programme
- Dr. M. Wysynzski: Fuel reformation
- Dr. O. A. Olantunbosun: NVH and ride and handling
- Dr. D. Weale: Seating systems
- Dr. G. Williams: Virtual reality
Clients
- Williams Grand Prix Racing: material durability
- Dunlop Aircraft Tyres: teaching company scheme
- SP Tyres: tyre modelling
- Rover Group: NVH modelling and fuel reformation
- Rover Group and Delcam: geometric modelling
- Ford Motor Co: nett-shape component manufacture
- Ford Motor Co: virtual reality simulation
- Ford, Rover, Volvo, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Daewoo, and DETR: Co-operative Crash Study (CCIS)
- Meritor: durability of closures
- Magna: seating systems
- United Engineering: forging
- BICERA: Federal Mogul
- TRL, TNO (Delft), NHTSA (USA): accident research links
- AAAM, (USA) IRCOBI, ETSC: accident research links
- Ford, Rover, PSA, Renauft, Fiat, Volvo: EUROMOTOR links
University Collaboration:
IGDS networks with the Universities of Loughborough, Southampton, Hertfordshire, Leeds and Coventry.
EUROMOTOR networks with the Universities of Loughborough, Southampton, Cranfield, Hertfordshire, Leeds, Coventry, Gothenburg, Aachen, Berlin, Barcelona and INSA Lyon.
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Introduction
