Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

Minimum English Language to IELTS 6.0 or Pearsons 54 or equivalent. Satisfy progression or admissions requirement for entry to Stage 4 of CEng-accredited MEng Honours or MSc degree programme (or EU Bologna-compliant equivalent) by satisfactory completion of Stage 3 or Bachelor degree equivalent at NQF Level 6 normally with three years of prior study related to this topic

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

Transportation of goods and people is a critical part of modern infrastructure. Modern mechanical engineers need to understand vehicle drive systems and how the complexities of transport infrastructure impact vehicle behaviour. This module focuses on two aspects of this:

• Applying mechanical principles to a range of drive systems, assemblies and components.
• A focus on railway vehicles and infrastructure, and some of the very real problems faced by track maintainers and train operators.

Outline Of Syllabus

The syllabus is structured into three main areas:

1. Lectures on the mechanics of drive systems

Lectures on dynamics, control and modelling of vehicle and drive systems, covering subjects such as free and forced vibration of car suspension or engine mounts. The Newton-Euler method is used, along with matrix methods and modal coupling.

2. Lectures on trains, track, and train-track interaction

The railway system is designed for fast transport of people and high value goods, and for transport of heavy goods too such as coal and iron ore, often over very long distances and sometimes in trains that are three kilometres long. Delays cost money and derailments can be very expensive. These lectures look at calculations for gradient, and the hunting behaviour of solid-axle conical wheels.

3. Simulation Coursework

The students will use simulation software to study railway vehicle stability and passenger comfort, and research methods for quantifying these for the purpose of optimizing railway vehicle design.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completion of this module, the student will:

• [M6] Have a good knowledge of the railway vehicle-track system and understand the importance of using a systems approach when seeking to optimise what is in practice a complex system.

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completion of this module, the student will:

• [M1] Be able to apply core mechanical engineering theory, such as the Newton-Euler method, to solving vehicle dynamics problems with multiple degrees of freedom and subject to inertial forces and applied (external) forces.

• [M3,M4] Be able to apply appropriate computational techniques to the analysis of vehicle dynamics data with awareness of the limitations of the data; and couple this with techniques adapted from the technical literature.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures, supported by tutorials and cluster sessions, convey the underlying engineering science and the approaches required to apply this to vehicle drives and dynamics problems and guidance of data analysis and interpretation. The wider engineering context is discussed in detail for the special case of the railway system.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The written examination and the online computer assessment test the understanding of the mathematical and engineering theory presented in lectures and through further reading.
The coursework challenges the students to research and apply methods for analysing complex data in order to optimise vehicle stability and passenger comfort.

General Notes

Resit: