Subcon
2014, which runs at the NEC, Birmingham, from 3 to 5 June, is the only UK trade
show dedicated to contract and subcontract manufacturing.
The
show covers every aspect of outsourced manufacturing services, from design and
prototyping through to final production and testing, and covers all areas of
manufacturing technologies.
Running
alongside the show is a three-day, free-to-attend conference, organised by The
Engineer, which includes a series of ‘Show & Tell’ sessions on some of the
UK’s most exciting engineering stories.
On Tuesday 3
June, Abbie Hutty, a Spacecraft Structures Engineer on the ExoMars Rover
Vehicle Team, will talk about the massive challenges involved in this project.
She says: “Our
biggest challenges structurally are loads and the thermal case. We hit the
ground at 15g axially (plus 10g lateral) and have individual unit load cases up
to 180g.
Thermally, once on the planet we are exposed to night-time temperatures
of -125 degrees C, and can have daytime temperatures – when we are expected to
be fully functional – as low as -85 degrees or as high as 5 degrees.
“These lead
to massive problems with differential thermal expansion, not just in the
structure, but also in the electronics and exposed mechanisms, such as the
drive motors.
“We also have
to constantly heat our rover to prevent everything from just freezing and have
a power budget of only 700W.”
She adds: “Everything
has to be super-clean so that we don’t contaminate another planet with
Earth-life, so has to be intensively sterilised before launch. I could go
on….Basically everything is a challenge!”
For John
Lawson, the challenge was to reverse engineer one of the most complicated
components in a 1930s aeroplane that never flew. This will be the focus of his
talk on Wednesday 4 June entitled: ‘Recreating the Bugatti 100p – from drawing
board to flying display 1937 – 2014’.
The only
plane designed by the renowned Ettore Bugatti, the 100p was an Art Deco design classic.
Although completed, it never flew and was left to rot in a French barn. Now, 75
years later, a new version of the plane is set to take to the skies.
John says:
“The Bugatti is one of the most sublime, influential and awe-inspiring aircraft
the world has ever seen. What makes it more so is the fact that it never flew.”
His role in
the project has included reverse engineering what is possibly the most complex
component in the aircraft – the nose-mounted gearbox. This component takes the
drive from the twin engines and distributes the drive to twin contra-rotating
propellers.
Peter Eyre is
the RNLI’s Senior Naval Architect and on Thursday 5 June will be talking about
the design principles embodied in the new Shannon All-Weather Lifeboat.
“The Shannon
is designed to operate in the roughest and most challenging conditions that are
likely ever to be found around the coast line of the UK and Ireland,” says
Peter.
There are two
main design considerations, he says: “Firstly strength and robustness are
critical, not just for the primary structure of the hull, deck and wheelhouse
but also for all the fittings and systems aboard the vessel that are subject to
extreme slamming accelerations in all directions.
“Secondly,
and most importantly, the crew need protection from these dangerous motions
too.”
Other sessions
focus on the creation of a revolutionary air-breathing rocket engine for
re-usable space vehicles, the application of high technology in elite sport and
the story behind the Crossrail project. The Conference programme also includes
keynote addresses by speakers from Rolls-Royce, Siemens and Pratt &
Whitney, as well as presentations on supply chain and re-shoring issues.
To register
for your ticket for the Subcon exhibition and book your chosen conference
sessions, please visit: www.subconshow.co.uk
Captions:
1 – Abbie
Hutty of Airbus Defence & Space with two of the prototype ExoMars Rovers
2 – John
Lawson reverse engineered the complex gearbox on the Bugatti 100p
3 – The
Shannon Lifeboat is designed to operate in the most challenging conditions
around the UK coast
No comments:
Post a Comment