Waverley Brownall

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Bloodhound SSC Public Run Update And Stunning 360° Views

Bloodhound SSC Public Run Update And Stunning 360° Views

Throughout October the Bloodhound had been making its first ever public runs in Cornwall at the Airport Newquay.

Public Test Runs

The Bloodhound managed to hit 200mph+ on each test, the first run was streamed live online to a worldwide audience.

With all new partnership with Belstaff and endorsement from the Prime Minister Theresa May herself, the Bloodhound wowed the public with its test runs throughout the month.

worlds fastest car bloodhound

Tests were carried out for the engineering team to investigate data and adjust for priority on speed performance. The Bloodhound SSC is engineered from 3,500 individual components, which required both static and dynamic testing.

The car has been gradually increasing speeds, with on-going testing and adjustments in order to produce the World’s Fastest Car (aiming for 1,000mph speed records.)

Watch The Bloodhound Built And Driven In 360 Video

Best viewed with Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard headsets.

For all the latest news visit the official website at http://www.bloodhoundssc.com/bloodhound-news

Education and Inspiration

The Bloodhound project is heavily revolved around inspiring young engineers and holding exciting side projects in order to inspire children throughout the UK. Engaging young minds to awe, inspire and motivate within the science and engineering sectors, which of course spans our UK industry for everything from automotive manufacturing to pharmaceutical processing.

worlds fastest car bloodhound

The BLOODHOUND@University programme is currently partnered with the below universities and offers a fantastic live STEM project.

  • The University of the West of England
  • University of Swansea
  • University of Southampton

Alongside projects for universities, the Bloodhound group travels around the UK with its fingers in many pies, such as its official ambassador programme, schools, families and groups, engagement exhibitions and more.

 

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AI in manufacturing: The next industrial revolution?

AI in manufacturing: The next industrial revolution?

Recently, the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) is everywhere and it’s no different for the manufacturing industry. Humans have come a long way through continual development and inspired engineering within manufacturing, with it generating £6.7tn to our global economy.

What does AI mean for the industry?

When we first think of AI, it puts us in mind of robots or robotic structures. This is no surprise, as the influence of robots within sci-fi and futuristic movies & TV has been vast.  From 1984’s The Terminator, 87’s Robocop, Star-Wars, Short Circuit and modern titles such as iRobot or Transformers. Hollywood has shaped our view of AI in interesting ways, exploring the uprising of intelligent technology vs organic life, emotion, consciousness and even the philosophical question of “what does it mean to be human?”

I believe we will remain in charge of the technology for a decently long time and the potential of it to solve many of the world problems will be realised”, said Rollo Carpenter, creator of Cleverbot.

Although robotics is fast improving, in an industrial setting, the idea and development of AI is very different to the red-eyed humanoid terminator. For the manufacturing industry, AI can mean any number of things, including sensor technology, analytical and data processing and automation.

robotic arm technology

Manufacturing has continued to see a rise in the new technology being used as it’s an incredibly effective way of bringing maximum efficiency. An example of this would be automated decision making, where software can automatically order production of new units for certain components that are running low on a manufacturing line.

Hesitance and difficulties with technology

Of course, with new technology come new risks, particularly of malfunctions or breaches in software. In a report by InfoSys, 57% of manufactures are primarily investing into security systems to ensure safety in their AI use. Manufacturers were also asked what improvements could be made to current AI and automated systems in order for it to be the most effective for their organisation. 48% answered cost reduction, whereas 44% agreed that lower implementation time, proof of ROI and transparency in exactly how the technology works would be the top priority.

By far the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it.” ― Eliezer Yudkowsky

40% questioned also answered that ease of use was still an issue, even on systems used between 1 and 5 years. There is understandable hesitance into this newly, ever-changing landscape too. With 38% agreeing that the future of manufacturing growth is dependent on AI adoption, compared with only 26% who strongly agree and 20% who neither agree nor disagree. You can read the full report here: AI: Bringing Smarter Automation To The Factory Floor by Infosys.

Man is to technology what the bee is to the flower. It’s man’s intervention that allows technology to expand and evolve itself and in return, technology offers man convenience, wealth and the lessening burden of physical labour via its automated systems.” ― James Scott, (Co-founder of the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology)

Within the next 10-20 years, industries within manufacturing, processing, and testing will experience a huge shift as further developments are made. With technological advances happening at such a fast pace, it has been described as the “second industrial revolution”, this creates a huge pressure on companies to adapt or die. Manufacturing, however, doesn’t need to take this leap alone, as the majority of industries throughout the UK will require alteration too – a big responsibility, for a sector that employs 2.7 million people.  The uses, capabilities, improvements, and risks of artificial intelligence are currently heavily debated among experts.

Helpful links:

AI will change manufacturing – Business Insider

Bringing Artificial Intelligence to manufacturing – ENGINEERING.com

What does AI mean for the future of manufacturing? – The Telegraph

Industrial Artificial Intelligence – Wikipedia

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6 Alloys With Aqueous Corrosion Resistance

6 Alloys With Aqueous Corrosion Resistance

Aqueous corrosion resistance; the key to better sleep for every marine engineer!

If you’re looking for an alloy with outstanding resistance to aqueous corrosion, the below six are some of the best alloys on the market.

All alloys listed have incredible resistance to various forms of aqueous corrosion, including acids such as Sulfuric, Hydrofluoric, Nitric, Hydrochloric, salts, and seawater.

  1. INCONEL® Alloy 22

Alloy 22, also known as Nickel alloy 22 or Hastelloy C-22, this high-grade alloy offers a wide variety of corrosion resistance. Its aqueous corrosion resistance is known as a top choice for resistance at higher temperatures. This alloy is used frequently for processing nuclear fuel and, thanks to its resistance to seawater, general marine industries.

  1. INCONEL® Alloy 625

This nickel-chromium alloy offers high strength and thermal strength, resistance to oxidation and resistance in a large range of temperatures. This INCONEL alloy is known for its versatility which makes it a great choice for within a number of industries. It is known for its incredible heat-resistance, up to 815°C cryogenic temperatures. Inconel 625 has proven indispensable within the aerospace and marine industries.

dredger boat marine industry

 

  1. INCONEL® Alloy 625LCF

This version of 625(LCF – Low Cycle Fatigue) is specifically designed with low cycle fatigue resistance at temperatures up to 649°C. Apart from the LCF benefits, this alloy holds properties similar to alloy 625 because of such a closely related chemical composition.

  1. INCONEL® Alloy 686

Used mostly in areas of extreme corrosion – classed as a “super alloy”, Inconel 686 provides function at high temperatures and stresses. With a content of 59% Nickel, 19-23% Chromium and up to 17% Molybdenum on average, it can handle up to 104700 psi (tensile strength.)

  1. INCONEL® Alloy G-3

Alloy G-3 is a nickel-chromium-iron alloy that has good weldability and resistances to intergranular corrosion. It is commonly used for dealing with phosphoric and sulfuric acids in particular. Another alloy developed by Special Metals Corporation, it has a low carbon content and high resistance to atmospheric and acid corrosion. It is machinable with use of high-speed tools at a continuous pace to avoid work-hardening.

  1. INCOLOY® Alloy 825

    Alloy 825, (along with Inconel 625) is one of the most popular choices of alloy for resisting corrosive substances. Most Incoloy’s in the 800 series, such as 800, 800H and 800HT are known for their incredible heat resistance, especially in treatment plants, pipelines, and tubing. Incoloy 825 is just as impressive, giving fantastic overall resistances, with high strength and resistance against stress-cracking, pitting and intergranular corrosion.

    We recommend 825 for customers requiring a material that lives up to the “super alloy” name, particularly within petrochemical, oil and gas, pollution and processing industries.

pneumatic fittings

 

Waverley Brownall manufacture fittings, components and valves from INCONEL® and INCOLOY® Special Metals materials for engineers within the UK and around the world.