The Engineering Education Scheme participants from Year 12 spent 3 days at the Electrical Engineering Faculty at Liverpool University on the 17th, 18th and 19th of December 2007. Their task was to develop and make a professional prototype to solve the design problem that URENCO had provided.
URENCO are a uranium enrichment specialist based at Capenhurst on the Wirral and they have teamed up with Birkenhead School to help the students further their understanding and skills in Engineering. URENCO have a design problem that they found whilst developing a new test rig for sample bottles that are used in the enrichment process. They plan to test the bottles for structural integrity every 5 years and have been developing a process to do this. The problem that the students have to solve is they are to design and make a product that will successfully screw a cylindrical sample bottle onto a vale to a set torque. They are not allowed to damage to bottle in the process and the product must be reusable.
The 3 day residential course started with detailed briefings on using the facilities at the University. The team were given access to the extensive workshops and technical knowledge of the staff. Next they were straight into the testing phase. The team had already made a mock up of the test rig and had 2 different sample bottles to test. It was decided that adapting and modifying the arm of an oil filter remover would be the best course of action so the team set about making 3 new arms for the oil filter wrench. In the evening it was back to the Adelphi Hotel for a seminar and dinner.
Day 2 and the product was tested vigorously. It was found to be loosing torque on the top section of the arms so it was down to Machine Mart to get some supplies. The team had decided to get a variety of products ranging from straps and jubilee clips to G-clamps. On testing the G-clamps worked well but were seen to be a little cumbersome. By the end of day 2 the product had been tested to destruction. The most suitable option was a webbing strap with a ratchet mechanism but the strap was too short so it was up to Mr Parry to produce some legendary sewing. At the hotel a needle and thread were sourced from housekeeping so that the strap could be lengthened for the final day of testing. After some serious cross stitching the strap was ready for action. In the evening there was a 2 hour quiz on all things engineering. We were teamed up with students from Knutsford High School and after 7 tough and demanding rounds the team finished 1st equal beating the other 15 teams from the North West!
Day 3 and we hurriedly arrived at the University for a final day of activity. Luckily the strap which had been carefully sewn worked exactly as planned and the professional prototype was a success. The team then had to present their working model to the other 15 teams at the end of the day.
The students now have to produce a high quality metal version of their product which will be tested in front of a board of engineers at a presentation day in April.
