159 research outputs found
A Novel Immersed Boundary Method for Direct Numerical Simulations of Solid-Fluid Flows
No full textThis thesis has been submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a postgraduate degree (e.g. PhD, MPhil, DClinPsychol) at the University of Edinburgh. Please note the following terms and conditions of use: • This work is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, which are retained by the thesis author, unless otherwise stated. • A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. • This thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author. • The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author. • When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given
Safety and volunteer construction workers
No full textThe construction industry is dangerous, with 39 fatalities at work in the UK in 2012/13 and comparable and even larger figures reported worldwide. People also take part in construction on a voluntary basis; most volunteers have limited training and no technical qualification, whilst safety regulation frameworks range from being comparable to professional sectors to zero regulation in some international contexts. Unstructured interviews were undertaken with volunteer construction workers from two areas: those returning from international development projects and those regularly volunteering on UK heritage railways. Taking a social constructionist perspective, data was explored using discourse analysis to illuminate ‘safety’ within this unique construction ‘industry’. Those with engineering or technical backgrounds developed more tangible constructions of safety, around risks and hazards, within their activities, yet volunteers without this experience also acknowledged a wider context of danger. Volunteers on overseas projects developed discourses of ‘difference’ between safety at home and safety outside the UK, associated with negative practices overseas yet with acceptance of their inevitability as part of the voluntary experience. Further work is proposed to determine whether these insights can contribute to improved safety management within the voluntary construction context
Teaching Skills for Conceptual Design - A New Approach
No full textEngineering is to a large degree about problem solving and communicating solutions to problems effectively. Despite this, most engineering undergraduate programmes focus largely on technical matters with little time devoted to teaching problem solving skills. This paper describes developing, delivering and assessing a novel course designed to equip students to solve open-ended, ill-defined problems. These kinds of problem are not solvable by computer or easily “outsourced” around the world. Hence graduates with skills at solving them will be well-placed to compete in future employment.Through problem-based and self-led learning the course enabled students to develop expertise at problem definition, option evaluation, engineering communication and conceptual design. To encourage free exchange of ideas and rapid development of design solutions, informal sketching and approximate calculations were emphasised over formal drawings and precise calculations. Use of Excel as means to communicate, as much as to calculate, was highlighted.The authors recognised that learning through failure is intrinsic to developing problem solving skill so assessment was heavily loaded towards rewarding engagement with the material rather than “correct” solutions. Moreover, early cycles though the design process attracted few marks so that students could build knowledge and ability without fear of being marked down due to poor initial attempts. Staff found that while many students were initially flummoxed by the unfamiliar, non-prescriptive nature of the course, over time the value and purpose were recognised. End of course student feedback was exceptionally positive with many comments recognising the value of the content and style of the course.<br/
Propagation of wave-fronts in wide channels of arbitrary cross-section
No full textThis paper applies to channel hydraulics a recent paper on partial differential equation theory. Equations are presented in a general form for any
shape of channel, and although the derivation of these equations is very complicated, and is therefore omitted, their application is relatively simple.
They are applied here to a channel of triangular cross-section and show that initially the disturbance moves away to the sides of the channel
Simple method for the control of substrate ion fluxes using an unbalanced magnetron
No full textSubstrate ion fluxes from unbalanced magnetron sources are generally controlled by the use of additional magnetic fields. These methods are not always suitable for differentially controlling the ionic flux from multiple sources. We report here a simple method suitable for attaining such control that can be easily adapted to most unbalanced magnetron systems. The flux leakage from an unbalanced magnetron is controlled by the use of a mild steel keeper with a detachable mild steel annulus. The annulus redirects the unbalanced field lines through the keeper to the rear poles of the magnetron. The flux leakage is thus controlled by varying the thickness of the annulus. Ion saturation currents measured at the substrate, with and without a 0.9 mm thick mild steel annulus, were found to differ by a factor of approximately 3 at an argon partial pressure of 1 mTorr. Furthermore we demonstrate that the changes in ion current density are achieved without alteration to the magnetron operating parameters
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