DMTC has signed a landmark agreement with Rolls-Royce at this year’s Avalon Airshow. The agreement will pave the way for development of advanced component repair techniques for military engines. Rolls-Royce President Customer Business Nick Durham signed the agreement with CEO Mark Hodge.
Studies will focus on the investigation and development of new surface treatment methods, which aim to save manufacturing time and cost while enhancing component reliability. RMIT University and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) are also partners in the program, which will specifically address the development of technologies that enable repair of numerous components in gas turbine engines, including engine blisks.
Blisks – one piece bladed discs – reduce engine weight while maintaining high engine performance and are used in several of today’s most modern military engines.
DMTC CEO Mark Hodge noted the importance of the agreement to Australian engine repair and through-life support capabilities: “This agreement between Rolls-Royce and DMTC is significant in that it represents a strong partnership between an OEM, the Australian research sector and industry supply chain, which will support key through-life support and sustainment outcomes.”
Read More: DMO Bulletin for Industry, Page 17.
Posted by DMTC on March 24th, 2011 The DMTC Annual Technical Conference held on the 11th of February 2011 concluded with the recognition of outstanding contributions to DMTC and its objectives through the presentation of six awards. These awards recognise significant contributions made by individuals and teams that have resulted in successful outcomes for DMTC and its partners.
DMTC would like to congratulate the following people for their outstanding contributions this year:
Industry Partnership Award
This award recognises researchers whose efforts have significantly contributed to the capability of a DMTC Industry Participant.
Awarded to: Michael Saleh of ANSTO
Early Career Award
This award recognises the contribution of early career technical officers, engineers and scientists to DMTC projects, rewarding ‘above and beyond’ efforts.
Awarded to: Mark Callaghan of The University of Wollongong
and Tim Barry of Swinburne University of Technology
Research Collaboration Award
This award recognises the individual who embodies the spirit of collaboration that is integral to DMTC’s strategic intent.
Awarded to: Ian Crouch of Australian Defence Apparel
Best Paper Award
This award is presented to the author of the best paper at the DMTC Technical Conference.
Awarded to: Neil Matthews of Rosebank Engineering for the paper titled: “Repair Technologies for Current and Next Generation Aircraft Systems”
Capability Improvement Award
This award recognises the project team who achieves a significant improvement in technical capability in the area of materials and/or manufacturing technology.
Awarded to: Project 1.1.2 Manufacturing Benchmarking Team
Project Leader: Dr Suresh Palanisamy
Participants: BAE Systems, CAST CRC, SECO Tools, The University of Queensland, Millatec, Goodrich, Avoca Engineering, The University of Melbourne.
Posted by DMTC on March 24th, 2011 Swinburne’s Professor Chris Berndt has been nominated Vice President of a prestigious international professional body.
ASM International, a US-based society established in 1913 represents 36,000 members in the materials science field worldwide.
Berndt will take on the role of Vice President of the organisation for twelve months in October this year when his appointment is ratified at the 2010 Annual General Meeting.
He will then go on to become President of ASM International in 2011-2012.
Berndt is the Director of the Industrial Research Institute Swinburne (IRIS) and was an ASM trustee from 2005-2008.
“This nomination is a great honour for Professor Berndt,” said Professor John Beynon, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Industrial Sciences at Swinburne. “This is only the second time in the history of ASM International that a non US-based member has been nominated for the position of Vice-President.”
According to ASM International’s constitution, after a one year term, the Vice President automatically becomes President of the organisation.
Berndt has more than 30 years experience in the materials engineering field, specialising in the area of thermal spray coatings.
“This honour is a shared one because of the strong support of many colleagues around the globe and especially that of Swinburne University,” he said.
Berndt has undertaken several fellowships in the USA, including a two year stint at NASA-Lewis Research Centre, and was appointed professor at Stony Brook University in New York in 1995, where he remains an Adjunct Professor.
In early 2005, he returned to Australia as the founding Professor of Surface and Interface Engineering at James Cook University in Queensland. He was appointed the founding Professor of Surface Science and Interface Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology in late 2007 and became Director of IRIS in March 2008.
Berndt is a member of 13 professional societies in the materials, mechanical, manufacturing and biomedical fields. He was inducted into the Thermal Spray Hall of Fame in 2007.
The Defence Materials Technology Centre extends sincere congratulations to Prof. Berndt, who was instrumental in the inception of the Defence Materials Technology Centre and formerly the Program Manager of DMTC’s Maritime Program. The Swinburne University of Technology is a Core Participant of DMTC.
ASM International is a society dedicated to serving the materials science and engineering profession. Through its worldwide network, ASM provides authoritative information and knowledge on materials and processes, from the structural to the nanoscale.
Posted by DMTC on June 8th, 2010 Dr Paul Colegrove of Cranfield University in the UK will present a seminar on Additive Manufacturing today at the University of Wollongong in New South Wales.
Additive manufacture (also referred to as Rapid Prototyping, Near Net and Direct Manufacturing) is a technique for converting CAD data into a solid three dimensional object.
The Welding Research Group at Cranfield University pioneered a version of this technique using offline programming and robotic weld metal deposition in the early 1990s.
Its feasibility was established for the manufacture of complex components for aero engines in high temperature nickel alloys.
Considerable interest is currently being shown in the use of similar techniques as an alternative to forging and extensive machining for the fabrication of titanium alloy parts for aircraft.
Dr Colegrove will describe the activities in this area and the current status of the research at Cranfield.
Dr Paul Colegrove’s main research interest is welding and the modelling of welding processes.
Beginning as lecturer in Welding Engineering at Cranfield University with a focus on projects on Stress Engineering, Friction Stir, Laser and Arc Welding, he is now the course director of the Welding Engineering MSc course.
Posted by DMTC on May 31st, 2010