Hypersonic Air Force One and graphene's 'wild frontier': 10 top stories of the week

Network Rail promises action after fatal derailment

Rail Technology Magazine

Network Rail engineers and contractors will review dozens of railway sections with high-risk trackside slopes after the derailment near Stonehaven, Scotland, in which three people died. Engineers are also reviewing the existing programme of remote monitoring of high-risk sites for possible improvements, and the body is talking to meteorologists to strengthen real time sharing of flash flooding information.

Bringing order to graphene’s ‘wild frontier’

Professional Engineering

Despite the major safety implications for automotive and aerospace applications, it is very hard to know if purchased graphene is up to scratch thanks to a lack of standardisation and quality checking. Researchers at the University of Sussex have set out to tackle the issue with a new technique that gives detailed information about the size and thickness of graphene particles. The process uses a non-destructive, laser-based method for looking at the particles as a whole, and quickly builds a detailed picture of particle distribution in a given material.

Brick supercapacitors can store electricity

The Guardian

Researchers at Washington University in the US have created ‘power bricks’, red bricks that have been converted into supercapacitors. The bricks, which are filled with tiny plastic nanofibres that store charge, could be developed to store renewable energy within the walls of a building.

’Bioprinting’ robot could repair injuries within the body

New Atlas

A team at Tsinghua University in China has developed a folding endoscopic robot that could deposit bio-ink inside the body to help heal wounds. Three independent arms guide a tube which extrudes two types of hydrogel bio-ink, creating a ‘scaffolding’ within the body.

Geothermal energy from disused mines gets government backing

Professional Engineering

Warm water from disused mines could provide low-cost, low-carbon heat to Scottish homes and businesses thanks to a new research project. The construction of floating offshore wind farms could be sped up thanks to another scheme, amongst 17 projects around the UK that will receive up to £50,000 from the government. The “ambitious” research and innovation ideas are receiving the funding to “create high value jobs, upskill local workers and boost economic growth”, the government said.

Hypersonic upgrade for Air Force One

Aerospace Manufacturing

The president of the United States could one day travel around the world at Mach 5, thanks to a new partnership. Hermeus, which is developing a hypersonic commercial aircraft and has successfully tested an engine prototype, has partnered with the US Air Force to make a new hypersonic aircraft for the presidential fleet.

‘Unconventional’ direct drive motor provides extreme precision for giant telescope

Professional Engineering

An ’unconventional’ new direct drive motor will ensure the precise positioning of a two-tonne telescopic camera in one of the world’s largest reflecting telescopes. Supplied by Schaeffler, the custom motor will also regulate the speed of the camera in the Gran Telescopio de Canarias (GTC) on La Palma in the Canary Islands – vital to capturing clear long exposure images of the night’s sky as the Earth rotates.

London buses to export electricity from garage

E&T

London buses parked in a North London garage will become the world’s largest vehicle-to-grid site. Twenty-eight double-deckers will be capable of returning over 1MW to the grid, and could store excess renewable energy.

Partners plan 96MW Pembrokeshire floating wind project

Professional Engineering

Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) will start surveying the seabed off the Pembrokeshire coast this month, ahead of installation of a planned floating wind farm. ROV and hydrographic survey specialist Rovco will assess the seabed and underwater conditions at the site 45km off the Welsh coast, as well as along the potential cable routes to shore. The work is part of Blue Gem Wind’s 96MW Erebus project.

Robotic coral removes contaminants from water

Professional Engineering

Robotic coral polyps have sucked in and trapped simulated contaminants in water, leading the way towards artificial systems that could clean dirty aquatic environments. Researchers at the University of Warwick’s WMG, led by Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, developed the 1x1cm wireless device. Once targets are within reach, UV light activates the polyp’s tentacles – composed of photo-active liquid crystal polymers – which bend towards the light and enclose the droplet. The target can then be released by shining blue light on the tentacles.