Engineering news
The Cornerstone Prosperity Partnership, led by the University of Nottingham alongside industry partner Rolls-Royce and academic partners University of Oxford and Imperial College London, was awarded £13.5m funding from the government’s Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and partners in 2017 to advance six key areas of mechanical engineering science. Queen’s University Belfast also joined the partnership due to its expertise in structural behaviour.
The project explored new designs to improve efficiency, reduce noise pollution, and lower gas turbine engine weight, focused in seven areas: high power-density contacts; impact and intelligent failure management; advanced static and dynamic load management; exploiting aero-structural interactions; innovations in thermal management; electro-mechanical interactions; and influence of platform behaviour on sub-system design.
Principal investigator Professor Seamus Garvey said: “The Cornerstone Prosperity Partnership has proven itself to be highly effective, allowing industry and academia to collaborate more closely in a way that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible. Being involved in this partnership has been a remarkably fulfilling experience and the collaboration between partners has been fantastic.
“All of the institutions involved are leading experts in their respective fields but, by bringing them together, we’ve been able to identify and nurture new ideas and research areas. The administrative aspects have been proportional, and the technical discoveries and innovations have been both very satisfying and valuable to Rolls-Royce.”
The partnership resulted in the creation of a world-first simultaneous measurement of gas and liquid interfacial turbulence, which is vital for the understanding of oil flows in aerospace applications and should allow designers to make systems even more efficient.
It also produced new single winding arrangements for electrical motors that release design constraints, allowing engines to be smaller, greener, and more efficient.
A new test facility was also opened, enabling complex engine vibration behaviour to be measured, and helping develop new approaches for engine safety.
Dr Sophoclis Patsias, senior partnership manager at Rolls-Royce, said: “It has been a privilege to play a leading role in the programme, bringing together this diverse and talented group who have delivered exceptional research that has a direct benefit both to Rolls-Royce and to the wider community.”
Professor Mark Jefferies, chief of university research liaison, said: “The partnership has underpinned our engagement with leading universities. I have been particularly impressed by how it has also helped us develop the next generation of highly skilled researchers in the UK and I look forward to the next phase of the partnership.”
The conclusion of the Cornerstone Prosperity Partnership was celebrated at the University of Nottingham, with more than 130 representatives from across Europe in attendance. The partnership will now enter a new phase as The Mechanical Excellence Partnership.
New projects and proposals are in the pipeline, and many have already been secured. These include Heaven, part of Clean Aviation, which will utilise integrated research to improve the efficiency of gas turbines using net zero carbon fuels, such as hydrogen, to reduce energy wastage.
Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? The Professional Engineering newsletter gives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, click here.
Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.