Wednesday, 10th December 2014, 7.30pm - NSK Offices, Northern Road NG24 2JF - “Romax Technology” – Richard Smith & Malcolm Hampshire

Romax Technology, which was founded in Newark, is now based in Nottingham and currently employs over 200 people in offices round the world.  It is a global provider of integrated software and services for the design, analysis and optimization of gearbox, bearings and driveline systems across automotive, wind energy, bearings, off road, rail, marine and aerospace.

Romax has recently moved from its old offices in Nottingham to a state of the art Technology Centre on the University of Nottingham Jubilee Campus.

Richard will give an introduction to the background of what Romax is all about and some details of the new Romax building.  He will describe some of the software tools such as:

• RomaxDESIGNER:  This delivers detailed simulation and analysis of transmissions and drivelines for passenger cars, electric and hybrid vehicles, trucks, racing cars, motorcycles, off road vehicles, aerospace, marine and rail.  It is licensed by 14 of the world's top 15 car manufacturers.
• RomaxWIND:  Developed for the comprehensive analysis, optimization and certification of wind turbine drivetrains.  This software has enabled Romax drivetrain engineers to achieve the unprecedented feat of having 33 wind gearbox designs receive DNV GL Statements of Compliance (Certification) within a four-year period.

As a result, Romax is the world’s leading independent designer of wind turbine drivetrains and gearboxes, with designs ranging in capacity from 750 kW to over 6 MW

Richard will then concentrate of the wind turbine aspects of the company.  He has much experience of being up-tower, carrying out diagnostic work on wind turbine gearboxes and bearings, and he will explain some of the diagnostic tools at his disposal and some of his many different experiences.

Malcolm will then talk about some of the failure analysis work he has been involved in, for both bearings and gears, covering some of the metallurgical aspects of the various components.

Wednesday, 19th November 2014, 7.30pm - Visit to Scania (GB) Ltd Training Centre, Charley Road, Charley, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 9YB - “Developments in diesel engine technology” – Steve Dawson

Steve is Scania’s Technical Trainer.  His presentation will give an introduction to Scania, explain the ‘Swedish Chicken’!!, and move on to changes in engine development over the years.  We will have a detailed look at a Euro 6 vehicle (could be a truck or a coach – usually 8 vehicles are on site) and take questions.

Wednesday, 8th October 2014, 7.30pm - NSK Offices, Northern Road NG24 2JF - "Dynamics - Engineering in a World that Wobbles” – Dr Andrew Halfpenny

Everything in the world wobbles. Some things wobble on a visible scale, such as bridges and vehicle suspension; while other things wobble on a microscopic scale, such as the molecules in a metal saucepan on your induction hob. In this presentation we see why things wobble; why they like to wobble at a preferred frequency known as the ‘natural’ (or resonant) frequency. We see how just a tiny amount of energy applied at the right frequency leads to a huge response. This is used to good effect in the microwave oven; but it’s also the cause of countless engineering failures. So how do we design structures to absorb dynamic loads and how do we avoid catastrophic failure through resonance?

• Why things wobble

• Wind turbine tower

• Car suspension – mass, spring and damper

• Multi-storey buildings & bridges

• Random vibration – wind, waves and roads

• Helicopter vibration

• Engine vibration – gears & bearings

• Offshore structures

• Non-linear vibration – Chaos theory

Dr. Andrew Halfpenny heads R&D activities at nCode working in areas of defence, automotive, aerospace, civil engineering, and power generation. nCode is a software product used for fatigue and durability design, from CAE concept design through full-scale testing and fleet durability monitoring. Over the years Andrew has introduced many new technologies including shock and vibration qualification processes used by AgustaWestland and Structural Health Monitoring techniques used by the US and UK military. He has worked in consultancy with customers across the UK, Europe, Americas and the Far East and has written publications on Fatigue, Digital Signal Processing and Structural Health Monitoring. He sits on the NAFEMS committee for Dynamic Testing and is a guest lecturer on structural dynamics and fatigue with several academic institutions.

Wednesday, 16th July 2014, 7.00pm - Annual Dinner, museum tour, and trip on steam railway at Midland Railway – Butterley, Coach Road, Golden Valley DE5 3QW

We have combined an evening visit with our Annual Dinner this year, and have arranged a guided tour of the Matthew Kirtley Museum and Swanwick Junction complex of the Midland Railway – Butterley, along with a steam hauled trip on the narrow gauge Golden Valley Light Railway before being seated for a three course meal

A charge of £22.50 per person applies so please could members and guests who wish to attend provide names and menu selections (see Newsletter) to the Secretary as soon as possible.

Wednesday, 9th July 2014, 7.00pm - Visit to Mansfield Materials Recovery Facility, Warren Way, Crown Farm Industrial Estate, Mansfield, NG19 0FL

A Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is where recyclable materials that are collected from households are sorted into different types (e.g. plastics, cardboard, paper, metal) using a mixture of manual and automated methods. When the materials have been sorted they are sent to reprocessors and manufacturers where they are used to create new products.

Visits to the MRF include a pre-tour DVD, a tour of the working site, and practical ‘hands-on’ activities where possible.

We need to submit names prior to the visit, so please contact the Secretary to confirm your place.  Flat soled shoes are essential, but all other PPE will be provided.

Wednesday, 11th June 2014, 1.30pm - Visit - John Taylor & Co, the Loughborough Bell Foundry, LE11 1AR

The museum at John Taylor & Co, tells the story of the Bellfoundry going right back to its links with bellfounding in the 13th Century. An extensive range of exhibits and memorabilia tells the story of one of the oldest manufacturing industries in the world.

We have arranged a full guided tour of both the Museum and the operational Works, including the foundry, tuning shop, woodshop, engineering works etc.

A charge of £10 per person applies to this visit, to which the society has committed a minimum number of attendees, so please could members and guests who wish to attend provide names to the Secretary as soon as possible.