Summer Placement: Materials Science & Engineering, University of Sheffield

Sam Cheney has been working in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The University of Sheffield carrying out research into Cure monitoring of Electrically cured carbon fibre ply drops. Here's Sam's story:

"I have been using a novel way of curing carbon fibre panels which uses electrical current to heat up a panel and cure the resin. I have been investigating in particular how heat is transferred when there is a decrease in the number layers of carbon fibre between the connecting plates and finding out if there will be any areas of concentrated heat, ideally there will be no change and the panel will cure evenly, however, from testing this theory I have found that heat is transferred slower in thicker sections so I have started investigating solutions and my end aim for the placement is to solve this problem and move on to more complicated ply drop structures.

"After the project I hope to be a contributor to a research paper and become published in a journal.

"I am enjoying my placement, I think the thing I most enjoy is the fact that I am actually making progress on a subject that is currently not fully understood.

"I have been using a blow torch to melt solder and create connecting terminals and the other day I ended up setting fire to the wire, the carbon fibre panel and the tool I was using! Thankfully there was only a small amount of black smoke and I managed to put it out without setting off any fire alarms!"

Summer Placement: AMRC with Boeing

Robin Hartley has been based in the Process Monitoring and Control group at The University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing for his summer placement. Here's his story.

I am currently completing a ten week placement within the Process Monitoring and Control group at The University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) with Boeing.

The AMRC started as a collaborative research initiative between the University of Sheffield and Boeing, but has now grown to host over 80 member companies including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems and IBM.

These companies work together in a range of groups in order to develop the next wave of high value manufacturing technologies in readiness for the future of engineering industry. The groups cover machining, composites, medical and nuclear research, design and prototyping, structural testing and automation.

The opportunity for my placement at the AMRC arose from one of our SELA workshops during which a senior Rolls-Royce engineer shared with us his thoughts and perspectives on leadership within his job role at the AMRC. At the end of this workshop, I was keen to follow up the opportunity and was lucky enough to find myself being interviewed the very next morning for a 10 week summer placement within the Process Technology Group at the AMRC. The group focuses research on measurement, computation and autonomous control challenges faced in advanced manufacturing processes.

My project is to design and develop both the software and the hardware for a wireless sensor network which can provide a drop in solution for monitoring the temperature of multiple machine tools on the AMRC Factory of the Future workshop floor. The system I have designed uses the popular Arduino and Raspberry Pi platforms alongside inexpensive ZigBee radios which together provide a compact and low cost solution for wireless data acquisition.

After researching and developing the design at the start of the project, two wireless units have recently been installed on CNC machine tools as a proof of concept system. Each unit has multiple temperature sensors which are now recording data from locations such as the main spindle motor housing, the machine bed, the coolant fluid tank and the ambient workshop temperature.

I hope that in the future, the system developed for this project is expanded to work with a range of Arduino-compatible sensors, in order to allow multiple process parameters to be wirelessly monitored and recorded. This data could then be used to help identify machining anomalies and to improve manufacturing processes to always work at optimum conditions.
As a Chemical Engineering student, I have found this placement very rewarding as it has enabled me to expand my knowledge of programming, wireless communication, electronics and process monitoring in a multidisciplinary engineering environment. This has been a great opportunity to apply my engineering skills in a new context, whilst taking on the responsibility for developing, delivering and presenting my project against a number of design criteria; on time and within budget.

AMRC Project Manager, Simon Hogg has been supervising Robin’s placement. He said: “Robin has been working alongside our own engineers and has managed to adapt his skill set to allow us to progress wireless sensor collection.

“We have adapted the scope of his project dynamically during his placement to fit it to the needs of multiple internal customers including manufacturing engineers and IT managers.”

Summer Placement: Alan Wood & Partners

Calum has been working as a structural engineering consultant at Alan Wood & Partners. Here he tells us about his time there.

I have done such a variety of things since starting. I have designed beams for house renovations, making them open planned. I have done the structural designs on an Orangery, designed the gate, gate post and foundations for a college, and have done the architectural drawings for a large office/warehouse for a big company. I have most recently finished helping do the structural designs for the renovation of the student’s union at the University of Hull. I am currently working on a large extension for a three story house. The best part has been what I have been doing at the moment. I have been given a fresh project, to do the structural designs on a large cottage that is going to be built, rather than be altered.

Once I have finished my placement, I aim to have a better understanding of the real world engineering problems and solutions, and be able to tackle problems with confidence and ease from the skills I have learnt throughout the summer.

I have been thrown in the deep end and have managed to keep my head above water! I have been given my own projects, been trusted to complete drawings to a standard which are to be used in the construction process, and have been given responsibility to contact and consult with both clients and contractors when working on their project. I am working as if I was employed here at the company, rather than a student that has been hired for a summer placement.

The amount of tea that everyone goes through here is incredible. I think I know where the majority of tea in the UK is consumed. And there are only 6 of us here.