BRIER BLOG | Case Studies | Engineering Articles | News

Rotating Machinery – only a little different

info@briersolutions.co.uk (Brier Solutions) — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 14:48:43 GMT

"...hold infinity in the palm of your hand"

Photo credit: Dubai Expo 2020

World Expos are international celebrations exploring a theme relevant to topical issues. The first Expo was held in 1851 and they've been held regularly ever since. The Dubai Expo 2020 is the latest event in this long-held tradition. Rearranged due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event’s grand opening on 1 ^st October 2021 was watched by millions across the globe and over 9 million guests are expected to visit in person before the closing ceremony on 31 ^st March 2022. The key theme for this year’s Expo is sustainability, and as we type this, exhibitors from around the world are presenting novel and fascinating solutions to problems faced by humanity in the 21st Century.

The organisers of Expo 2020 sought a similarly bold and creative piece of artwork which would sit in "Terra - The Sustainability Pavilion", one of three pavilions at the event. Commissioned by the Expo 2020 organisation, British artist Mat Collishaw created "Equinox".

Brier Solution’s involvement in the creation of this centrepiece started back in 2019 when we were approached by The White Wall Company. The White Wall Company are art fabricators who work with some of the world’s most renowned contemporary artists and gallery spaces creating show-stopping sculptures and exhibitions.

The sculpture, a Giant Lotus Flower Zoetrope, needed to consist of a flower that would raise and lower 1m, spin at 60 RPM and have 18 petals that would open and close, changing the diameter from 2m to 3.2m. The stem, supporting the flower, needed to be as slender as possible and facilitate the raising and lowering. All this needed to happen in a tight envelope and be as elegant and refined as possible.

It was a prerequisite that to realise the potential of this artwork, the enabling engineering must be invisible and seamless. We were cognisant of this key requirement as we moved through our engineering design process.

We undertook an optioneering stage to identify the best concept to take forward to the detailed design stage. We investigated the use of various electrically powered options, such as lead screws and linear chains for the raise and lower function, and an electric motor for spinning the flower. We also knew we needed an inconspicuous mechanism to provide the opening and closing of the petals. With an estimate of the mass of each petal we were able to calculate the forces in the mechanism required to hold them while spinning at 60 RPM, which equated to a 20 tonne force at the actuators.

As a result we concluded that the loads being experienced by the system would make these options too bulky for the overall aesthetic required.

The solution was found using hydraulics; a single hydraulic cylinder mounted in the stem for the raise/lower operation, 3 mini cylinders mounted directly to a bespoke manifold in the top section to actuate the opening/closing mechanism and a single hydraulic motor to drive a small slew ring for the rotation. Aware of the importance of engineering invisibility, one of the main benefits of using a Hydraulic system was the power density of the actuators. This meant we could keep the design as slender as possible and store the HPU in a remote plant room away from the sculpture to reduce noise levels when in use.

As well as selecting the most appropriate actuation for the piece we also had to ensure that bearings and bushes were correctly selected to provide reliable, squeak-free and wobble-free operation over the required lifetime. And to conclude our work we carried out hand calculations and FEA on the components to ensure they satisfied the fatigue and fault load cases.

Brier Solutions are proud to have been trusted to deliver this truly unique project and we thoroughly enjoyed working with all involved. We hope you will agree that the finished piece is spectacular and worthy of its place as the centrepiece of the Terra Pavilion.

Please contact Brier on 0114 4055 995 o r enquiries@briersolutions.co.uk to di scuss your mechanical design requirements.

Miners Carts for the Stars

info@briersolutions.co.uk (Brier Solutions) — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 15:11:38 GMT

"... How could we say no!"

Back before the global pandemic, when bands were touring and venues were packed with excited fans eager to experience the thrill of live music, we were privileged to have had a small part in a major tour.

As is usually the case with live events, the timescales were challenging – four weeks from initial phone call to delivering the kit. We were called on a Friday and asked to help deliver a solution to transport band members from the mainstage, through a tunnel under the passerelle to its centre. The band would then raise from the centre of the passerelle among the crowd. How could we say no!

We started with a meeting with the client where we quickly brainstormed several concepts before arriving at a concept that would work and could be delivered in the timescales required. A week of detailed design followed with a keen eye on function and manufacturability. The structure of the Carts was chosen to be made from profiled Aluminium plate, with tabs and slots for easy fabrication. One of the most challenging areas was sourcing a drive motor and gearbox to suit our requirements. Everything we looked at had a lead-time of 6 weeks or more. We ended up designing the drive system before we knew how we would power it. We eventually solved the drive motor issue – a cheap 12V tuk-tuk motor. Due to the unknown quality of the motor, rather than spending time sourcing alternatives or testing we simply used two per drive for redundancy.

Using our network of local machine shops and fabricators we were able to get all the components manufactured and delivered to our workshop in two weeks. Our suppliers certainly pulled out all the stops for which we were very grateful.

The Carts were assembled and bench tested in our workshop before being delivered to our clients for testing on the track. Testing complete, the carts were loaded onto trucks the very same day for delivery to the bands rehearsal venue.

Words don’t really do the project justice – the videos are much more fun. Please enjoy.

Helping make an IMPACT

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 13:38:06 GMT

”… full hybrid powertrain ready for prototype vehicle installation”

Sheffield based high-tech company Magnomatics develop and manufacture products for many global industries based on their proprietary magnetic gear technology. One of their flagship products is called MAGSPLIT - a highly efficient power-split dedicated hybrid transmission system.

Magnomatics are working on Project IMPACT (Integrated Magsplit Powertrain with Advanced Control and Testing) along with partners; Changan UK, Romax Technology, CMCL Innovations and the University of Sheffield. Project IMPACT is developing this MAGSPLIT technology further to demonstrate a full hybrid powertrain ready for prototype vehicle installation. The project is co-funded by Innovate UK.

BRIER Solutions have been working closely with Magnomatics to design the casings required to package the components of this dedicated hybrid transmission system. These casings are highly complex and incorporate the bearing supports, oil galleries, coolant galleries, car mounts and electrical terminal points. The design was modelled in 3D using SOLIDWORKS and BRIER seamlessly integrated with Magnomatics’ PDM system to ensure all those involved in the project had the most up to date models.

Due to the nature of the design there were many, often conflicting requirements including size, weight, stiffness, multiple interfaces and manufacturability. The casings required are for a prototype system and have therefore been designed to be machined from solid, however production casings will be cast and so the design has developed with casting in mind. These requirements were successfully met by working collaboratively with the Magnomatics design team and the supply chain with the final prototype case design being delivered in June 2018.

Please contact BRIER on 0114 4055 995 or to discuss your mechanical design requirements.

For further information about the MAGSPLIT System please seethe following link:

h ttp://www.magnomatics.com/pages/technology/magsplit.htm

www.magnomatics.com/pages/media/magsplit-video

www.magnomatics.com/pages/media/articles-in-the-press

BRIER Solutions - The Engineering Specialists

info@briersolutions.co.uk (Brier Solutions) — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 10:31:01 GMT

"Six months in and we could not have hoped for a better start..."

We could be writing this hooked up to some free Wi-Fi from Starbucks or from Sheffield's premium Virgin Money Lounge, but we're not. Six months in and we could not have hoped for a better start...

The AMP
In February we moved into our offices in the AMP Technology Centre and now rub shoulders with some of the very best - Rolls-Royce, McLaren, and University of Sheffield AMRC, to name a few, are all neighbours. Whether it is meeting with clients, attending IMechE talks, participating in the frequent networking events or making use of the highly finished meeting rooms and board rooms to interview potential senior and graduate engineers - the AMP Technology Centre has contributed to our great start and continued growth and success - www.amptechnologycentre.co.uk

Our Clients and Growth
To hit the ground running you have to surround yourself with the best clients, and boy have we got some crackers! From day one, clients the likes of Sheffield's innovative Magnomatics have trusted us to help and assist them deliver their engineering solutions. Companies in the Automotive, Renewables, Marine, Oil & Gas and Bespoke Machinery industries have all benefited from our engineering services as we look set to smash our 1st years' turnover target, expand our client base, take on more engineers and continue to build our company systems and assets.

Network and Support
In engineering, the devil is in the detail (and that's what we're good at!), and in business, it's all about having a strong supportive network. The likes of EDR Medeso with their ANSYS products and SolidWorks who have taken us under their wing as we find ourselves on their associate partnership program, have all contributed to our story - thank you.

Looking Forwards
We will continue to evolve and post these bi-annual reports and in the meantime, we'll be posting some other interesting engineering related stories, as they happen, in a hope you enjoy them and get a little bit more of an insight into what we do here at BRIER Solutions.

To borrow Robert Llewellyn’s line - if you have been, thank you for reading.