This project is offered by Navantia, an Australian shipbuilding and sustainment company.  It has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Perth.

Project Description

The profitability of shipping companies depends on a reliable, efficient means of loading and unloading goods. Even short delays in this process can be extremely expensive. Designing dependable ramps that can be used to transport goods from from an unstable vessel onto stable land presents a considerable engineering problem.

This project involves designing an electric actuator system to remotely control a vehicle ramp on a ship, allowing it to deploy and retract reliably. This system could be used on a vessel that transports vehicles, such as landing crafts and needs an automated loading/unloading ramp for seamless operations in dynamic maritime environments. After exploring different types of actuators, students will define key requirements, then, using CAD software, design a robust electric actuation system that can securely deploy and retract the ramp. The project will include building a scaled-down model for testing (possibly using microcontrollers).

Disciplines, Knowledge and Skill required

Students in 3rd year or later will be suited to this project and from mechanical, mechatronic and or maritime engineering disciplines.

Format and Size

This project would work best in a class that had a range of disciplines (like a core subject). The ideal classroom group size would be 4-6 as specialisation in several areas would be required. 

In-kind supervision support will be offered by engineers from Navantia. This could either be in the form of regular Q&A sessions or occasional in class visits. This would need to be negotiated between the university and Navantia.If the university is located near one of Navantia’s coastal offices, it may be possible to organise a site visit for the class. 

Deliverables:

Navantia would expect an engineering report and may be able to be present during a final presentation for help in assessment, though this greatly depends on availability and location of the classes. 

Contact Details:

Email your interest projects@engineeringfuturesinitiative.org