Mechanical Engineering Facilities
The School of Engineering is in the Stephenson Building, close to all of the university's world-class facilities. It has both general and specialist laboratories, as well as CNC workshop facilities.
The Stephenson Building houses one of the largest networked computer clusters on campus (120+ PCs). This network supports all the specialist software introduced and used within the course (e.g CAD, stress analysis, fluid dynamics, signal processing packages). We also have our own School cluster (60+ PCs), which work with instrumentation and data acquisition laboratories.
Taught course facilities
We have a wide range of specialist mechanical engineering facilities which include:
- 3D motion capture
- x-ray diffraction
- robotics
- micro-electromechanical systems
- dedicated biomaterial and biotribology labs
- railway systems
We also have facilities for:
- composite materials fire testing
- gear manufacture and testing
- nanomeasurement
- engine testing
- artificial joint testing
Research programme facilities
Depending on your research area you will have access to the following world-class facilities.
You have access to dedicated biomaterials, biotribology, and co-ordinate measuring machine labs.
Thermogravimetry with simultaneous Differential Thermal Analysis and Differential Scanning Calorimetry measurements within the temperature range of ambient to 1600°C. It measures glass transition, melting, crystallisation, heat capacity, and weight changes with temperature.
Dynamic Mechanical Analyser with a fluid bath option. Tests: 3point bending, compression, tension, shear, Young’s modulus.
Simultaneous titration with two dosing units, automatic addition of solvents and pH control.
NanoSight visualises, measures, and characterises virtually all nanoparticles moving under Brownian motion.
A five-station shoulder simulator includes a sixth ‘load-soak station’. The simulator can apply loading of up to 1,500N and motions of up to 90° of internal-external rotation and 110° in the flexion-extension and abduction-adduction axes.
This is a 50-station version of the machine designed by Vesa Saikko (Saikko 2005, J Eng Med, 309-18) and now manufactured by Phoenix Tribology. A recent paper which employed the 50-station machine to compare the wear of UHMWPE and XLPE is Harsha and Joyce, 2013, J Eng Med, 600-08.
Two reciprocating pistons combined with a pulley mechanism simulate the biomechanics of the human hand, moving the artificial finger joints between 0° extension to 90° flexion. An intermittent static load simulates finger pinch through a larger pneumatic cylinder.
Two of these four station wear test rigs are available. Each test station can apply multi-directional motion to test samples which provides clinically relevant wear rates. A recent paper which describes the use of the machine to investigate the addition of a visco-supplement to a lubricant of bovine serum is Joyce, 2009, J Eng Trib, 297-302.
- digital microscope
- high temperature furnaces
- oven
- analytical balances
- manual/hydraulic press
- hot plate/magnetic stirrer
- pH meters
- siever
- incubator
- ultrasonic cleaner
- grinder/polisher
As a Bioengineering student, you will have access to some of the best specialist equipment available. You will get a chance to work with world-leading X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy facilities.
You will have access to impressive facilities that will allow you to:
- materials testing and failure analysis
- product development and mechanical testing
- metrology
- pultrusion, filament winding, resin infusion and vacuum bag moulding
- selective laser sintering and fused deposition modelling
- full-scale rail vehicle and track investigations at NewRail's regional office and working railway centre, Barrow Hill test site
- dedicated labs for both 3D printing and biofabrication
- fused filament fabrication, stereolithography, and binder jetting 3D printing processes
- inkjet, microvalve, and reactive jet impingement biofabrication techniques
Our world-class facilities include:
- high-performance computing facilities
- Water Tunnel and Wind Tunnel
- Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV)
- Hot Wire Anemometry Facilities
- IC engine test bench
- high pressure and high temperature combustion vessel
We also have access to National Specialist facilities.
As well as this, we offer a wide range of experimental facilities, such as:
- rotating stage goniometer
- FLIR thermal cameras
- custom-made permeability rig
- capillary pressure measurement rig
- open-return boundary-layer wind tunnel
- open-jet wind tunnel
- high-aspect ratio channel air-flow facility
- water flume
- stereoscopic particle image velocimetry
- micro-particle image velocimetry
- two-component laser Doppler velocimetry
- thermal anemometry
- high-speed imaging
- skin-friction drag balance
- instantaneous lift and drag balance
- Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) wall-shear stress measurement systems