Engineering news
Could Hornsea One fill nuclear-sized gap?
The Guardian
Offshore windfarm Hornsea One, which will eventually cover an area five times the size of nearby Hull, started supplying power to the grid for the first time this week. Ørsted, the company behind the project, said wind power could fill the gap left by recently cancelled nuclear projects.
'Cautious' manufacturers might take two decades to build another A380-scale jet
Professional Engineering
Manufacturers could take two decades to build new passenger aircraft on the scale of the ‘before its time’ Airbus A380 superjumbo, expert Tim Robinson told Professional Engineering. The last A380, the largest passenger aircraft in the world with a potential maximum capacity of 853 people, will leave the production line in 2021 after principal operator Emirates reduced its order by 39 aircraft. With no substantial backlog to meet, European aerospace giant Airbus will end production of the four-engine airliner.
Brexit stockpiling 'masking scale of manufacturing decline'
Professional Engineering
Pre-Brexit stockpiling is likely to be masking the true scale of a fresh decline in the manufacturing sector, accountants and advisers BDO LLP warned. Stockpiling "has had the effect of inflating the level of activity recorded in the industry – creating a better perspective than the actual underlying demand – meaning that the slowdown is likely to have been worse than is suggested by the headline output figures," BDO head of manufacturing Tom Lawton told Professional Engineering.
Industry steels itself with £35m boost
The Engineer
A £35m research network led by Swansea University aims to make the British steel industry 'carbon neutral' by 2040, using clean energy, carbon capture and other techniques. The seven-year programme hopes to simultaneously boost jobs and increase productivity by 15% in the industry over the next 21 years.
Robot revolution?
The Manufacturer
The number of industrial robots in the UK rose by more than 30% to about 2,300 last year, according to figures from the International Federation of Robotics. The UK is nonetheless still ranked 22nd in the world and 15th in Europe for their adoption.
Welding the un-weldable
New Atlas
Aluminium alloy AA7075 is almost as strong as steel, but it only weighs a third as much. It was also previously un-weldable, preventing its no-doubt wide application in vehicle manufacturing and elsewhere. The alloy could now see those applications, however, thanks to a team from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering in California. The researchers introduced titanium carbide nanoparticles to help weld pieces of the alloy together.
Fracking setback
The Guardian
The UK shale gas industry suffered a setback this week, as Cuadrilla was refused permission to frack a second site in Lancashire. The planning appeal rejection came after Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of Ineos, claimed environmental regulations are restricting fracking's potential.
The solar-powered hand
The Engineer
Researchers at Glasgow University have created a flexible, solar-powered supercapacitor using graphite and polyurethane. The supercapacitor takes energy from in-built solar cells, delivering up to 2.5V to power the motors in a prosthetic hand.
Getting wavy: 'fleets' of new wave-energy device could power thousands of homes
Professional Engineering
An international team of engineers has developed a durable, low-cost device that could be deployed in fleets around the coast to harness wave energy. The 15m-diameter generator uses flexible rubber membranes and is designed to fit on top of a vertical tube in the sea. As waves pass the tube, the water inside pushes trapped air above to inflate and deflate the generator on top.
AntBot could point the way
Verdict
Scientists and engineers have created a six-legged robot that counts its steps and analyses polarised light to navigate, copying ants' methods of getting about. The device could have applications in aerial robotics and the automotive sector.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.