Browsing Masters Degrees (Mechanical Engineering) by Issue Date
Now showing items 1-20 of 143
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The measurement of axial turbine tip clearance flow phenomena in a moving wall annular cascade and in a linear cascade.
(1989)On unshrouded axial flow turbine rotors, the tip clearance, required for thermal expansion and manufacturing limitations, allows fluid to leak from the pressure side to the suction side of the blade. This flow across the ... -
High temperature fatigue crack growth behaviour of TIMETAL 21S in an oxidizing environment.
(1995)The high temperature fatigue crack growth behaviour of the newly developed, metastable titanium-based alloy, TIMETAL 21S, was investigated in an inert and an oxidizing environment. The investigation adopted a two pronged ... -
The influence of sulphidizing attack on the mechanism of failure of coated superalloy under cyclic loading conditions.
(1998)A systematic study of the effect of sulphidizing atmosphere on the High Temperature Low Cycle Fatigue (HTLCF) properties of coated and uncoated unidirectionally solidified MARM002 nickel base superalloy was performed at ... -
Cordless linear synchronous motor material handling system for computer integrated manufacturing.
(2000)Advanced material handling systems' impact on flexible manufacturing systems (FMS) have increased the efficiency and work rate over conventional manufacturing assemblies. The interaction of automated guided vehicles ... -
The influence of process factors on the production of semi solid feedstock.
(2000)Semi-solid manufacturing is a near net shape forming process that takes advantage of an alloy's thixotropic behaviour. However, in order to obtain the desired thixotropic properties from an alloy in the semi -solid state, ... -
An investigation of the strength of an aircraft wing bolt with a centrally drilled hole.
(2000)The investigation contained herein is a part of a larger, long-term project: The Development of SMART Aircraft Bolts. Structural failures, at highly stressed components, arc common in some of the aircraft used by the ... -
A design methodology investigation and the design of a material handling system.
(2000)This dissertation is undertaken under the auspices of both the CSIR, Division of Mining Technology and the University of Natal, School of Mechanical Engineering. The CSIR have outlined two fundamental objectives of the ... -
The optimisation of train make-up and train handling-simulating longitudinal train dynamics.
(2000)The South African rail industry is undergoing a phase of restructuring and much focus is concentrated on re-engineering i.e. optimising the utilisation of available assets and using existing technology in order to improve ... -
Optimisation and design of two micro-hydro turbines for medium and low head applications.
(2000)The necessity to develop an automated process for the design of micro-hydro power systems was based on the increasing demand for hydropower as a renewable energy source and to develop cost effective power supplies to ... -
Case study of bird streamer caused transient earth faults on a 275KV transmission grid.
(2001)This thesis discusses the results of an investigation that was initiated in January 1996 to determine the root cause of the increasing fault trend in respect of transient earth faults on the 275 kV transmission grid ... -
Buckling of short, thin-walled cylinders, as applied to storage tanks.
(2001)This is an investigation of the buckling characteristics of short, thin-walled cylinders. This study was required as large storage tanks, which were converted from Boating roof to fixed roofed tanks, were found to buckle ... -
Development of the smart aircraft bolt.
(2002)The work contained herein is in pursuance of the Development of the SMART aircraft bolt. Failure of the bolt in the aircraft wing is taken for granted in the project, and the consequent repairs are presently very costly. ... -
Modular mechatronic CIM control for Internet manufacturing.
(2002)Mechatronics encompass a holistic approach to the design, development, production, maintenance and disposal of complex engineering systems, products and processes. The control and modelling of the manufacturing process ... -
Thermal shock and CFD stress simulations for a turbine blade.
(2002)A 2-D CFD / FEM model to simulate thermal stresses in a turbine blade has been set up using the software FLUENT and FIDAP. The model was validated against the data of Bohn et. al. (1995) and was used to simulate 5 ... -
Virtual prototyping of an articulated dump truck.
(2003)In the modem automotive industry product times to market are being increasingly compressed. In the earthmoving and construction machine industry this is also true with the manufacturer having to respond to new customer ... -
Crashworthiness modelling of SMC composite materials.
(2003)The purpose of this research is to make an investigation into the crashworthiness modelling of Sheet Moulding Compound (SMC) composite materials, and to study the response of SMC composite structures under dynamic loading. ... -
A comparative study on the effects of internal vs external pressure for a pressure vessel subjected to piping loads at the shell-to-nozzle junction.
(2003)This investigation seeks to perform a comparative study between the combined effects of internal pressure and piping loads versus external pressure and piping loads on a pressure vessel. There are currently several well-known ... -
Economic evaluation of a district cooling system incorporating thermal storage.
(2003)The following report investigates district cooling systems. This form of technology provides an alternative means of providing cooling. In a traditional cooling system each building would include cooling ... -
Accelerated environmental degradation of GRP composite materials.
(2004)The use of fibre reinforced polymer composites and development of structural composites has expanded rapidly in the Southern African region over the past ten years. The long-term effect of placing these materials outdoors ... -
Crush simulation and experimental model validation for laminated composite structures.
(2004)The primary aim of this study is to develop a modelling approach useful for modelling the response of thin-walled fibre reinforced composite components (particularly laminates) to crushing loads, with the overall direction ...