This module considers a range of material in the wider business development area. Students are encouraged to think with creativity, entrepreneurial flair and innovation. Practical sessions allow students to demonstrate their progress on a weekly basis through idea generation, peer presentations, elevator pitches and formal presentations. The module is accompanied by a number of external industrial speakers who have been successful in their own business endeavours and are keen to pass on that knowledge.

Students will become familiar with a rich mixture of experiential learning opportunities, that develop a wide range of transferable skills in the context of engineering entrepreneurship. The module will focus on the development and use of business plans and marketing strategies. Students will prepare a business plan, discuss team dynamics and the requirements for entrepreneurial activity. Additionally, the appropriate terminology to use when developing business projects will be explored. Students will discuss relevant aspects of company finance, uncertainty in business ventures and techniques for analysing markets. They will also examine frameworks for marketing and structuring a business plan and will develop the ability to analyse potential markets and sources of funding.

This module introduces students to numerate aspects of engineering. It is designed to provide students with a broad and flexible array of mathematical methods for the analysis of data and signals. It also intends to illustrate the essential role of computing in the application of these skills. Students will use calculus for the analysis of trigonometric, non-linear, polynomial and exponential functions, and will sketch multivariable functions with a relation to engineering on three-dimensional Cartesian axes.

Additionally, students will evaluate the significance of differential equations in the description of an engineering system and will apply methods such as Laplace, integration and substitution to find the solution of these equations. They will also develop the ability to analyse systems in both the time and frequency domain using Fourier and Laplace transformations. Students will learn to apply the spectrum of approximate methods that exist for finding the roots of equations, definite integrals and linear approximations.

The matrix representation of coefficients and their correspondence will be applied to arrays in software, including the use of manipulations such as the inverse matrix. Students will use the concept of least squares analysis in order to assess the consistency of data. Finally, they will develop the ability to use a software package such as Excel for multivariable analysis of a given function and to produce appropriate graphical outcomes.

This module introduces the subject of structural and stress analysis, and also covers mechanical vibrations. Students will develop an understanding of the physical behaviour of structural components and their design with reference to stress and deformations. They will also engage with mathematical and physical models for the analysis and design of statically indeterminate structures. In addition, the module encourages students to quantitatively analyse the behaviour of oscillatory systems with one or more degrees of freedom.

Students will learn to discuss the meaning and significance of the terms natural frequency, resonance and damping in relation to vibrating systems. They will also find the natural frequencies and, when there is more than one degree of freedom, the corresponding mode shapes for such systems. Students will gain a working knowledge of the essentials of mounting a machine so that only small force amplitude is transmitted into the foundation. An awareness of how an accelerometer works will be developed, including its advantages and disadvantages, and how to use it to measure vibration. Additionally, students will gain the ability to carry out two dimensional stress and strain transformation calculations, and will be able to calculate maximum shear stresses in shafts and beams subject to shear loads.

Students will be introduced to a range of key concepts in engineering project management and will put some of these into practice by means of an interdisciplinary group project. This module aims to motivate students to produce and test a functional electro mechanical machine to meet a given specification for example, the development of a mobile robot which follows a line. Students will develop a range of skills including, the ability to describe a mechanical/electrical system at the block diagram level, identifying its power and signal flows and writing an overall performance or functional specification. They will also acquire the knowledge necessary to integrate the functional requirements with other needs such as maintainability, safety, manufacturability, environmental impact and regulatory compliance. The requirements for interface management including spatial, mass, environment, control, failure modes, and energy, will also be discussed.

Additionally, students will develop the skill set required to prepare an interface management plan for a complete project and interface specifications for the subsystems/components. They will discuss the project lifecycle including specification, design, manufacture, commissioning, maintenance, modification and disposal. Finally, students will apply the principles of validating the design of a complex system using analysis, sample testing, type testing, commissioning, system tests and acceptance.

The first half of this module introduces fluid mechanics. It will address hydrostatistics with emphasis on forces on plane areas, centre of pressure and forces on curved surfaces. The module will also cover Archimedes' principle, with an emphasis on the buoyancy and stability of floating bodies and metacentric height. Students will also explore Bernoulli’s equation and flow measurement, and will learn about the steady flow momentum equation, forces and fluid flow.

The module’s second half will address thermodynamics. Students will discover the intensive and extensive thermodynamic quantities, the equation of state and the perfect gas law. They will also become familiar with thermodynamic equilibrium and reversible and irreversible processes, and will develop an awareness of the work, heat and the first law of thermodynamics. Additionally, the module will cover heat capacities at constant volume and constant pressure, along with the definition of expansivity and compressibility, and internal energy and enthalpy.

Students will examine how forces arise in static fluids, and will develop the ability to carry out basic calculations on fluid motion. The module will introduce the basics of fluid machinery and explore the behaviour and effects of turbulent and laminar flow in pipes. It will also examine thermodynamic quantities and their relationships and application to heat engines, boilers, condensers, nozzles, diffusers, turbines, compressors and throttles.

Students will develop the knowledge required to discuss the terms: centre of pressure, metacentre, metacentric height and Reynolds number. They will also learn to apply Archimedes' principle to situations involving buoyancy, and will find the force on a submerged plane or curved surface. In addition, students will gain the ability to determine whether a body will float stably, estimate its period of rolling and will understand the characteristics of laminar and turbulent flow. A further skill available on this module is the ability to estimate the pressure drop due to friction in a fluid flowing along a pipe. Students will also learn to apply Bernoulli's equation to situations of flow along a closed conduit.

This module is designed to enhance students’ understanding of system dynamics and feedback at the block diagram level, by providing tools for the analysis of linear single degree freedom systems. Students will gain the ability to use appropriate instrumentation for feedback and data-logging purposes. The module will enable students to interface devices such as memory, digital IO and analogue IO to a microprocessor or microcontroller. They will also discover how to access such devices from within a program using C and/or Assembler.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to develop single degree freedom models for simple mechanical, electric and electromechanical systems. They will also be able to discuss the assumptions necessary to develop such linear models and have an awareness of nonlinear and chaotic systems. Additionally, students will develop the ability to analyse 1st and 2nd order models in both the time and frequency domain, including vibrations and asymptotic stability. They will write down the transfer function of a system from its differential equation and understand the significance of the poles/zeros.

Further skills available on the module include the ability to manipulate block diagrams of open and closed-loop systems and the design of proportional, integral, derivative, velocity and multi-term controllers. Finally, students will construct and use Bode diagrams, and will develop the knowledge required to analyse the function and physical operation of a range of common types of transducer, e.g. for the measurement of strain, force, temperature and acceleration.

Introducing the fundamentals of materials engineering, this module addresses a range of topics including atomic bonding, the origins of the elastic models and elastic and plastic deformation mechanisms in crystalline materials. In addition, the module explores defects and crystalline imperfections, strengthening mechanisms in crystalline materials, Fe-C system and non-equilibrium phase transformations.

It will also address the effects of wear such as the nature of surfaces, describing and measuring surface form, static and kinetic friction, adhesive and abrasive wear regimes, and mechanical design. This section of the module will look at combined loadings, thin walled theory, yield criteria and failure mechanisms. Students will gain an understanding of the manufacturing processes and surface finish, tolerances, limits and fits, and will work with standard components such as rolling bearings, plain bearings and seals.

Students will develop the ability to classify the fundamental types of solid materials according to bond type, energy and physical properties. They will also learn to describe the unit cell types adopted by industrially significant metals, and will gain familiarity with the use of direction and Miller indices as a method of describing planar symmetry, and the crystallographic basis of anisotropy. Additionally, the module will enhance students’ ability to describe fundamental materials concepts of solid solutions, point defects, dislocations and atomic diffusion. Finally, students will develop an understanding of how finite element analysis is able to supplement the engineering design process, and will be aware of the need to validate the results of a finite element analysis.

This module will enhance students’ knowledge of heat transfer calculations and aims to outline where these are essential to engineering design. Students will develop an understanding of electric power systems, including the characteristics of the main types of electric machine. In addition, they will gain the ability to estimate steady-state heat transfer rates and will be able to size simple parallel and contra flow heat exchangers. They will also develop the level of understanding required to estimate temperature distributions within 1-D or rotationally symmetric systems in which there is steady heat flow, as well as correctly sizing cooling fins.

Students will set up appropriate boundary conditions for 3-D heat conduction problems that are to be solved numerically using a software package and will estimate the time it takes for a thermal system to reach a steady state. Finally, they will be able to perform calculations to predict the performance of a single-phase induction motor and will be able to analyse the starting, speed and torque control methods used on induction motors.

Introducing the metal cutting manufacturing processes, this module focuses on mechanical machining theory. It covers jigs and fixtures as well as cost estimating, computer numerical control (CNC) and ancillary equipment. Students will gain an understanding of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) and parts classification, along with group technology.

The module will enhance students’ understanding of the process of machining, as well as the principles of work holding and fixturing. Students will prepare a process plan and will be able to estimate times for the manufacture of simple jobs.

Additionally, students will develop an understanding of the principles of CAPPE, and will set out a time estimate for a manual or robotic assembly process. They will also consider the principles of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA).

Students will give an account of the relationship between CNC, FMS and computer integrated manufacturing (CIM), including the information structures needed to achieve integration. They will also gain an understanding of key issues in modern manufacturing, especially regarding tooling and other investment hotspots. This module will allow students to appreciate current enabling technologies such as rapid prototyping and the use of in-cycle gauging and statistical process control (SPC).

This module addresses the physical behaviours of a wide range of engineering materials by considering underpinning scientific concepts affecting resistance to failure by yield, fast fracture, fatigue, creep and corrosion/environmental degradation. Through the examination of case study examples, the module will inspect the connection between materials selection, processing and environmental/service conditions. The influence these factors have upon the economic and safe use of materials, in a range of common engineering applications, will also be explored.

Students will develop the ability to describe the limitations of yield based failure criteria when determining the resistance to failure by crack initiation, growth and fast-fracture. They will apply Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) concepts to the modelling of engineering components. They will gain the level of knowledge necessary to explain how fatigue testing is carried out in the laboratory, this is done whilst applying the results from such testing, to the modelling of engineering components.

The module will enhance students’ ability to describe the underpinning mechanisms that cause creep in materials. They will be able to use creep models and creep data to carry out basic calculations to predict the performance of materials under elevated temperature conditions.

Additionally, students will gain the skill set required to explain the underlying factors that affect the environmental degradation of materials, in particular those applicable to industrially significant metallic alloys. Students will reinforce their understanding of why the structural integrity of materials in engineering design, is a function of the structure-property-environment relationship. Finally, they will be able to exercise informed materials selection in engineering design.

The module involves students completing an individual project. They are responsible for the research, management and the design/practical element of the project. They will be assigned a project title and project supervisor who will guide and advise throughout the project. The module aims to give students an in-depth knowledge of a specific, specialist area of their subject. They will learn professional software, design or experimental skills consistent with subject.

Students can choose a specific area of development from a vast range of possible outcomes, and they will work towards their personal goal. Students can gain knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and methodology necessary to underpin their education in their engineering discipline, to enable appreciation of its scientific and engineering context, and to support their understanding of historical, current, and future developments and technologies.

Alternatively, students may choose to develop the ability to apply quantitative methods and computer software relevant to their engineering discipline, in order to solve engineering problems. There will also be an opportunity for students to learn and apply quantitative methods and computer software relevant to their engineering discipline, in order to solve engineering problems. Students can also develop an understanding of customer and user needs and the importance of considerations such as aesthetics, along with workshop and laboratory skills.

This module provides fundamental understanding of the principals involved in the design and analysis of complex mechanical systems. The aim of this module is to develop students’ skills and abilities in mechanics, particularly in relation to mechanisms and linkages, balancing of rotating and reciprocating machinery and inertia forces in mechanisms. Students will gain experience in kinematics and kinetics of mechanisms, including velocity diagrams and instantaneous centres. Additionally, the module will introduce rigid body dynamics and motion described in various co-ordinate systems, along with balancing rotating and reciprocating equipment.

This module will enable students to use principles of forces and moments equilibrium (with inertia forces) to estimate the forces acting on rigid bodies that are accelerating in two dimensions. They will also use kinematic principles to relate displacements and velocities of points on linkages of rigid bodies. Additionally, the module will enhance the ability of the students to find the location of instantaneous centres in a linkage. They will then learn to apply the instantaneous centre method to investigate the velocities of points on a linkage.

Students will learn how to find the velocity of any point of selected planar mechanisms using velocity diagrams and the velocity image theorem. They will also develop the necessary knowledge to find the acceleration of any point of selected planar mechanisms using acceleration diagrams and the acceleration image theorem. Finally, students will apply the idea of energy conservation to ideal systems.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the foundations of computational fluid dynamics (CFD), including finite difference and finite volume methods, numerical solution of partial differential equations and von Neumann stability analysis. The advanced use of CFD for solving complex fluid dynamics issues will be explored and is crucial to several engineering branches including turbomachinery, hydraulic, aeronautical, renewable energy, environmental and chemical engineering.

Knowledge of the fundamental theoretical elements of CFD provided in this module enables students to correctly set up and solve problems in the aforementioned areas using state of the art commercial CFD software. The lab based component of the module aims to provide students with advanced expertise using key components of the CFD software. These include grid generation systems, CFD solvers (including choice of key physical modelling and numerical control parameters), and solution post-processors (including flow visualisation systems).

Students are provided with an insight into the physics, chemistry and engineering of common energy conversion processes, including conventional thermal power generation: coal, oil, open-cycle and combined cycle gas turbines. They will develop the ability to analyse systems efficiency and the CO2 emissions of different schemes, and will also study direct conversion, including solar photovoltaic devices and fuel cells.

This module will enable students to discuss and deduce numerically the efficiency of a variety of energy conversion processes. There will be an opportunity for students to gain a range of transferable skills such as, the ability to describe and analyse energy conversion processes. They will also gain a consideration of where current research trends are taking the field.

Students will develop skills in analysing some commonly occurring machine elements during this module. Discovering how these devices work to support and transmit force and load, leads to better decision making in their selection and use as a machine component, either individually or as part of a more complex assembly.

Over the course of the module, students will develop the level of skill required to establish the geometry of contacts between bodies, including relative radii of curvature. They will be able to estimate stresses and loads between bodies at such contacts, and will understand how to carry out calculations on involute gear geometry. Additionally, students will learn to carry out calculations involving gear trains including efficiency and inertia considerations, and will gain the knowledge necessary to estimate the load capacity of plain (hydrodynamic) bearings. They will also develop their understanding of how loads are carried by bolted joints.

You will spend this year working in a graduate-level placement role. This is an opportunity to gain experience in an industry or sector that you might be considering working in once you graduate.

Our Careers and Placements Team will support you during your placement with online contact and learning resources.

You will undertake a work-based learning module during your placement year which will enable you to reflect on the value of the placement experience and to consider what impact it has on your future career plans.

Students are provided with the opportunity to experience live projects over a significant period of time, working in multidisciplinary groups and in a team project environment. They will bring specialist knowledge from their own degree disciplines for the benefit of developing a multidisciplinary solution to the project being undertaken.

The group projects are typically developed in partnership with industry collaborators or, are based on research activity within the School of Engineering. This ensures that they are at the cutting edge of research and/or have an industrial focus.

Students will develop the ability to critically analyse and evaluate a project brief, providing input based on their individual degree specialisation such as nuclear, mechanical or mechatronics. Students will implement a project management system for documenting and tracking, the system will require the agreement of time-constrained deliverables that can be changed over time. They will also create a fully justified design brief for a product, process or service that is underpinned by specialist knowledge, and takes account of a critical engineering analysis of the topic under consideration.

Additionally, students will produce a working prototype, product or process that takes account of and incorporates subject specific knowledge and is consistent with the commercial drivers of industrial stakeholders. They will also demonstrate the ability to collect, store, analyse and recall large sets of data or results that can be interpreted by all members of the multidisciplinary group. Finally, an understanding of issues such as health and safety, risk, ethics, environment, National/European/International standards and other regulatory frameworks that are subject specific will be developed and must be adhered to.

This module aims to extend students’ experience of a range of industrially relevant computer based engineering tools including computer aided design (CAD), finite element analysis (FEA), computer aided manufacture (CAM) and product data management (PDM). With this experience, students will be able to critically analyse the tools and techniques available and competently apply them to real engineering scenarios. The impetus and development of the tools will be discussed as will their future directions. Students will gain practical experience with these tools and will be given the opportunity to apply their experience and knowledge to real world engineering problems.

The module will enhance students’ ability to critically evaluate mechanical designs using finite element analysis, and they will use their understanding of solid mechanics to devise appropriate FEA methodologies and assess the validity of their analysis. Additionally, students will create designs that can be reliably realised using computer aided manufacturing methodologies. They will also gain a comprehensive understanding of the use of product data management and be able to judge when it is to be used over alternative methods. Finally, students will develop solutions to meet real world engineering needs and will learn analysis and manufacturing strategies, all whilst making competent engineering decisions based on evidence.

For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow either the Design Pathway or the Materials and Manufacturing Pathway.

Introducing the concept of systems and systems design, this module addresses structured methods of functional decomposition, and provides insight into functional modelling and creative thinking tools.

Students will develop knowledge in the importance of a structured approach to system and product design, including the skills for eliciting, capturing and analysing customer requirements. The module will also introduce functional modelling methods for the analysis and synthesis of a set of requirements.

In addition, students will be able to demonstrate a theoretical understanding of a systemic approach to systems design. They will develop skills for eliciting, capturing and analysing customer requirements, and will gain a theoretical understanding of system design and how it relates to systems engineering and its principles through divergent and convergent thinking processes.

For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow either the Design Pathway or the Energy & Resources Pathway.

This module aims to familiarise students with the issues involved in starting up and running a company in a technological area, and to introduce the concept of entrepreneur as a transformational leader. Work placements will allow students to develop an appreciation of engineering problems within an industrial context.

Students will participate in a company-based problem solving or a design project, and will improve their understanding of a particular technological problem depending on the nature of their company placement. Additionally, students will gain a theoretical basis of operations management, strategy and strategic development, accounting, customer value and marketing, as well as managing human resources. The module will enhance students’ ability to carry out basic financial analysis for example, to forecast the company's future performance, and will provide them with a theoretical basis and practical experience of problem solving and teamwork. Finally, students will gain a theoretical basis and some experience of the Human Resources aspects of business.

For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow either the Design Pathway, the Energy & Resources Pathway or the Materials and Manufacturing Pathway.

This module introduces students to the design and application of intelligent control systems, with a focus on modern algorithmic, computer aided design methods. Starting from the well known, proportional integral algorithm, essential concepts such as digital and optimal control are introduced using straight forward algebra and block diagrams. The module addresses the needs of students across the engineering discipline who would like to advance their knowledge of automatic control and optimisation, with practical worked examples from robotics, industrial process control and environmental systems, among other areas.

Students will gain an understanding of various hierarchical architectures of intelligent control and will be able to analyse and design discrete time models and digital control systems. Additionally, they will gain the necessary knowledge to design optimal model based control systems and identify mathematical models from engineering data. Students will also learn how to design and evaluate system performance for practical applications.

This module provides an understanding and the skills necessary for the interfacing and integrating of complex electro-mechanical computer control systems. Students will develop an awareness of future developments in interfacing technology. Students will gain an understanding of the principles of digital and analogue interfacing, and will be able to define and interpret interfacing requirements and device specifications.

Additionally, students will gain the level of knowledge required to design appropriate interface hardware, whilst resolving issues of signal amplitude, level shifting, polarity, impedance and drive, and using passive and active circuitry. They will also experience and resolve associated problems of power supply requirements, grounding and noise, and develop an awareness of EMC issues relating to the interface and external equipment. Finally, students will observe and understand the effect of timing and sample rate on typical input/output functions and control algorithms.

This module introduces students to the recent advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cutting-edge deep learning methods. Students will learn how to examine the technologies that apply to various aspects of engineering, such as searching and planning algorithms, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, reinforcement learning, deep neural networks, convolution neural networks, recurrent neural networks, and generative adversarial network.

The module aims to equip students with key knowledge and understanding of their application in industrial robots, smart manufacturing, predictive maintenance, design optimisation and digital twin. Students will also learn how to implement the machine learning algorithms by practicing this in our labs, keeping the legal, social and ethical considerations in mind when applying machine learning technologies.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to demonstrate the impact of emerging machine learning technologies by understanding the underlying principles of machine learning, typical algorithms, and deep learning methods. Students will be able to analyse real-world problems, such as design optimisation, manufacturing process optimisation, fault diagnosis and prognosis, and be able to design machine learning models to solve them.

Students will be educated in the importance of the mechanism and mechanical design requirements for products and systems. The mechanics of robotic manipulators will be covered, as will their use in manufacturing and their programming. The module will provide an understanding of actuator operating principles and an approach to their selection.

Additionally, students will gain knowledge of the meaning and significance of factors which determine the performance and stability of machine systems, such as structural stiffness, kinematic design, parasitic effects and load diffusion. They will be able to set out the scheme design of a machine/system which incorporates principles derived from this understanding, and will become skilled in analysing the dynamics of real systems by applying appropriate approaches. These include the formulation of actuator system models, time-series analysis and frequency response analysis.

Students will also be able to calculate the geometric and kinematic performance of a robotic arm, and will work out the drive forces or torques required for given loads on a robotic arm. Finally, students will gain an understanding of the principles of actuators and will be able to select them appropriately. They will also develop an appreciation for current advances in actuator technology.

For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow the Design Pathway.

This module will introduce the fundamental concepts underpinning nuclear fusion and the engineering challenges associated with its implementation as a power source. It will explore the fundamental fusion reactions and discuss the different engineering approaches to extracting useful energy from them, with a focus on magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). You will be provided with a basic grounding in electromagnetism and superconductivity to enable discussion of these confinement concepts and associated technologies, including lasers, magnets and diagnostics. Aspects of this course also aim to explore the tritium fuel cycle and materials issues unique to fusion, i.e. radiation damage, and how these are being developed with a focus on maintaining overall public acceptability. By the end of the course, you will be able to identify and critically evaluate the different approaches to exploiting fusion for electricity generation, identify and describe major systems in Magnetic Confinement Fusion (MCF) and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) reactor, as well as justify the selection of materials for key reactor systems and components.

The module is taught in collaboration with the world-leading Culham Centre for Fusion Energy

Manufacturing is a key component of engineering. The ability to design and manufacture, high quality, high value products, with short lead times, is essential for industries to be competitive in the modern "digital" age. This module will introduce the context of new product introduction and examine the technologies available to both shorten total lead times and increase confidence in the product. It will study, in detail, a range of rapid product development tools and technologies including specific process principles and engineering applications. Topics covered include, Concurrent Engineering, Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Tooling, Additive Manufacturing, Reverse Engineering, Virtual Prototyping and Responsive Manufacturing.

For MEng Mechanical Engineering students, this module is core for those choosing to follow the Materials and Manufacturing Pathway.

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the fundamentals of a range of sources of renewable energy and means of its conversion into useful forms, and to highlight technical, economical, environmental and ethical issues associated with the exploitation of renewable energy sources. The module focuses particularly on most aspects of wind-, tidal- and hydro-power, but many of the discussed principles are applicable to most other renewable energy forms.

Students will be equipped with the practical knowledge of to make estimates of the energy available from a wide range of renewable energy resources at a given site, and will develop a deeper level of knowledge and understanding of wind-, tidal- and hydro-power, including the characteristics of the available energy resource, the detailed layout and functionality of the machinery required to convert the available energy resource into electricity. Students will develop an awareness of the relationship between the characteristics of the available resource and the design of the energy conversion system, and will gain a basic understanding of the energy transmission chain and the technical and economic issues associated with integrating the considered energy production systems in large power grids. Additionally, students will be able to set up advanced engineering models for the aeromechanical analysis and design of the machinery needed for the conversion of these forms of renewable energy into electricity, and will possess the basic theoretical means for performing several types of cost analysis, including the assessment of the cost of energy for the particular source required. Students will gain familiarity with fundamental computer analysis and design tools used in the modern renewable energy industry.