Learning and teaching experiment was designed to incorporate SRS Student Response System to measure and assess student engagement in higher education for level 5 engineering students. The SRS system was based on getting an immediate student feedback to short quizzes lasting 10 to 15 minutes using Socrative software. The structure of the questions was a blend of true or false, multiple choice and short answer questions. The experiment was conducted through semester 2 of yearlong engineering module. The outcome of the experiment was analyzed quantitatively based on student performance and qualitatively through student questionnaire. The results indicate that using student paced assessments method using Socrative enhanced students performance. The results showed that 53% of the students improved their performance while 23% neither improved nor underperformed. Qualitative data showed students felt improvement in their learning experience. Overall results indicate positive impact using this technology in teaching and learning for engineering modules in higher educatio

The design and development of morphing (shape shifting) aircraft wings—an innovative technology that has the potential to increase the aerodynamic efficiency and reduce noise signatures of aircrafts—was carried out. This research was focused on reducing lift-induced drag at the flaps of the aerofoil and to improve the design to achieve the optimum aerodynamic efficiency. Simulation revealed a 10.8% coefficient of lift increase for the initial morphing wing and 15.4% for the optimized morphing wing as compared to conventional wing design. At angles of attack of 0, 5, 10 and 15 degrees, the optimized wing has an increase in lift-to-drag ratio of 18.3%, 10.5%, 10.6% and 4% respectively when compared with the conventional wing. Simulations also showed that there is a significant improvement on pressure distribution over the lower surface of the morphing wing aerofoil. The increase in flow smoothness and reduction in vortex size reduced pressure drag along the trailing edge of the wing as a result an increase in pressure on the lower surface was experienced. A morphing wing reduced the size of the vortices and therefore the noise levels measured were reduced by up to 50%.

The paper presents the development of the power, propulsion, and thermal systems for a 3U CubeSat orbiting Earth at a radius of 600 km measuring the radiation imbalance using the RAVAN (Radiometer Assessment using Vertically Aligned NanoTubes) payload developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). The propulsion system was selected as a Mars-Space PPTCUP -Pulsed Plasma Thruster for CubeSat Propulsion, micro-pulsed plasma thruster with satisfactory capability to provide enough impulse to overcome the generated force due to drag to maintain an altitude of 600 km and bring the CubeSat down to a graveyard orbit of 513 km. Thermal analysis for hot case found that the integration of a black high-emissivity paint and MLI was required to prevent excessive heating within the structure. Furthermore, the power system analysis successfully defined electrical consumption scenarios for the CubeSat’s 600 km orbit. The analysis concluded that a singular 7 W solar panel mounted on a sun-facing side of the CubeSat using a sun sensor could satisfactorily power the electrical system throughout the hot phase and charge the craft’s battery enough to ensure constant electrical operation during the cold phase, even with the additional integration of an active thermal heater. However, when the inevitable end-of-life degradation of the solar cell was factored into the analysis, an approximate power deficit of 2 kJ was found. This was supplemented by additional solar cell integrated into the antenna housing face.

Increased temperatures at the sealing interface between the seal and shaft can reduce the working life of a seal through elastomer aging, swelling and increased friction. Degradation of the seal due to increased temperatures can cause pre-mature failure, wear and leakage. There is no such thing as a perfect seal; each application has requirements to cater to the needs of each system. For radial oil seals in helicopter gearboxes, the contact temperatures at the sealing interface are a critical parameter to consider. In this manuscript, investigating the factors that influence the temperatures at the contact interface shed light on the operating parameters that cause an increase in contact temperatures. Four varying shaft coatings are tested against three seal spring loads for a range of sliding velocities between 5–25 ms⁻¹ to reproduce conditions of the gearbox. The study reveals an optimum seal spring of 12 oz, with a circumferential load of 3.34 N for lowest temperatures at the interface. Higher springs of 14 oz and lower springs of 8.5 oz both cause increased temperatures at the interface. Additionally, the need for surface coatings on the shaft is re-enforced through experimental evidence demonstrated by comparing temperatures reached between a plain stainless steel shaft and three surface coated shafts. Chrome plating shafts are undesirable due to the ‘polishing’ in effect they experience. The results of this study build on this by showing that chrome plated shafts have higher temperatures at the interface, aggravating any wear or polishing in of that surface. Contact temperatures with Tungsten carbide and Chrome oxide coatings remain within the expected temperature rise. Lastly, microscopically ‘rougher’ surfaces result in increased temperatures in contrast to surface coatings within the specified range of roughness as provided by DIN 3760/61/ISO 6194.