| Code | Faculty | Department |
|---|---|---|
| 12240052 | Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology | Department: Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering |
| Credits | Duration | NQF level |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum duration of study: 1 year | Total credits: 128 | NQF level: 08 |
Refer also to G16-G29.
The curriculum is determined in consultation with the relevant heads of departments. A student is required to pass modules to the value of at least 128 credits.
The degree is awarded on the basis of examinations only.
All students must complete the module MSS 732 Research study 732.
A limited number of appropriate modules from other departments are allowed. Not all modules listed are presented each year. Please consult the postgraduate brochure found on the departmental website for further information.
Refer also to G18 and G26.
A student passes with distinction if he or she obtains a weighted average of at least 75% (not rounded) in the first 128 credits for which he or she has registered (excluding modules which were discontinued timeously). The degree is not awarded with distinction if a student fails any one module (excluding modules which were discontinued timeously). The degree must be completed within the prescribed study period.
University of Pretoria Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) verification project
The higher education sector has undergone an extensive alignment to the Higher Education Qualification Sub-Framework (HEQF) across all institutions in South Africa. In order to comply with the HEQSF, all institutions are legally required to participate in a national initiative led by regulatory bodies such as the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Council on Higher Education (CHE), and the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). The University of Pretoria is presently engaged in an ongoing effort to align its qualifications and programmes with the HEQSF criteria. Current and prospective students should take note that changes to UP qualification and programme names, may occur as a result of the HEQSF initiative. Students are advised to contact their faculties if they have any questions.
Minimum credits: 128
MSS 732 is a compulsory module and should be selected by all students as a core module.
When selecting your elective modules, please consult the Departmental Brochure.
Module content:
Probabilty, design and management in non-destructive testing (NDT). Fundamental theory of commonly used NDT methods: Ultrasonic testing, Electromagnetic testing (MT and ACFM). Radiographic testing, Penetrant testing, Eddy current testing. Other NDT technologies, including phased array UT, time-of flight diffraction. Digital (RT and Acoustic emission. Monitoring.
Module content:
Non-linear statics: Overview of non-linear effects: geometric, material and boundary conditions. Continuum mechanics: tensors, indicial notation, deformation gradients, stress and strain measures, transformations and rotations, stress-strain relationships, constitutive models. Principles of virtual work. Solution methods: direct iteration, Newton methods, incremental/iterative procedures. Lagrange engineering strains. Large displacement finite element analysis of continua: total Lagrangian formulation. Small strain plasticity: Additive decomposition, flow rule, hardening laws, continuum and consistent tangents.
Module content:
Sensors: mechanical and optical limit switches, encoders, thermocouples, strain gauges, CCD cameras, IR sensors, piezo-electric sensors, capacitive sensors, torque sensors, tactile sensors, gyroscope and ultrasonic sensors. Actuators: DC motors, stepper motors, AC motors, pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators, memory shape alloys. Signal conditioning: component interconnection, amplifiers, analogue filters, modulators and demodulators, analogue-digital conversion, sample-and-hold circuitry, multiplexers, software and hardware implementation of digital filters and Wheatstone bridge. Control: H-Bridge motor control, PWM motor control, control of stepper motors, non-linear control of hydraulic and pneumatic actuators, PLCs, SCADA systems, industrial Fieldbus, micro-processor control.
Module content:
Vibration measurement: conventional and optical technique, digital signal processing in vibrations, vibration monitoring: diagnostics and prognostics, artificial intelligence in vibration monitoring, human vibration.
Module content:
Convection correlations: high speed flows, boundary layers, similarity, conservation equations, scale analysis. Thermal radiation: physics, exchange between surfaces, solar, directional characteristics, spectral characteristics, radiation through gasses. Convection, evaporation and boiling: film condensation, film evaporation, pool boiling, forced-convection boiling and condensation, flow regime maps, phase change at low pressures, heatpipes. Heat exchangers: types, regenerators, heat exchanger design. Mass transfer: Fick’s Law, mass diffusion, mass convection, simultaneous heat and mass transfer, porous catalysts. High mass transfer rate theory. Mass exchangers.
Module content:
Theory and practical applications of condition based maintenance techniques. Pitfalls of the various condition based maintenance techniques. Acoustic emission, wear debris monitoring, oil analysis, thermography and non-destructive testing.
Module content:
Modelling Philosophies, Background Mathematics for Modelling with Data, Modelling Formulation, Data Representation and Projections, Model Calibration, Model Selection, Uncertainty Quantification, Computational Tools.
Module content:
Introduction to Asset management, Mechanisms of failure, Quantitative descriptions of failure, Maintenance policies/strategies, Renewal theory, Lubrication, Asset management strategy, Replacement decision-making, RCM principles, Maintenance & failure risk, A business case for maintenance, Repairable systems, Integrated failure data analysis, Maintenance profit impact, Life cycle modelling.
Module content:
Introduction to Logistics, RAM (Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability), Measures of Logistics, Inventory Systems,
Systems Engineering and Supportability Analysis: Systems Engineering Process, Supportability Analysis,
Aspects of Logistical Design: Logistics in the Design and Development Phase, Just-in-Time Systems, Facility Layout, Job Design and Work Measurement,
Logistics from the Development to the Retirement Phase: Logistics in the Production/Construction Phase, Logistics in the Utilisation and Support Phase,
Planning and Scheduling: Forecasting, Planning, Maintenance Scheduling, Project Management, Theory of Constraints,
Logistics Management: Quality Management, Supply Chain Management, Logistics Management.
Module content:
Introduction to probabilistic distributions, computation of system reliability, building reliability models and optimisation of system reliability; Fault Tree Analysis; Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), Monte Carlo Simulation; probability-based design.
Module content:
Review of the fundamentals of thermodynamics. Introduction to compressible flows. Advanced topics in compressible flows: transonic flow and supersonic flow. Oblique shock waves, expansion waves, shock-expansion theory, wave interactions and wave drag. Linearized compressible-flow theory. Effects of heat and friction on gas flow. Design aspects of high speed aeroplanes and viscous effects. Fundamentals of hypersonic flow and high temperature gas dynamics. On completion of this module the student will be able to understand the fundamental phenomena associated with compressible flow and competently apply analytical theory to compressible flow problems
Module content:
Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems, applications and examples. System breakdown and major components. Airframe and systems. Core avionics, architecture, flight control, navigation, health monitoring. Mission systems, sensors, weapons and stores, electronic warfare. Aircraft installation and integration. Ground segment, control station, take off / launch support system, landing and recovery. Command and Control, data and video link. Logistic support system. Safety and regulatory elements.
Module content:
Introduction to the functions performed by the avionics system in modern aircraft; the way in which these functions are mapped to the avionics components, starting from a presentation of the major avionics function, and the associated equipment and technologies: Human / Machine Interface, Flight Sensing (attitude, altitude, airspeed), Navigation (INS, SATNAV, Radio Nav), Flight Control and Guidance (autopilot), Radio Communication, Engine Management, Mission Sensors (radar, optronics), Health and Usage Monitoring. The main engineering challenges in Avionics System design, system integration, flight testing, safety justification and certification.
Module content:
Comfort and indoor air quality. Psychometrics. System types and selection. Cooling and heating load calculations: conduction, radiation, convection, internal loads and thermal storage. Design of air handling unit, ducts, plant and reticulation. Control systems. Introduction to integrated system simulation.
Module content:
Elements of optimisation, optimisation problem identification and classification, optimisation formulations for physics-based models, model identification, data-driven models, optimisation background mathematics, loss functions, regularisation, constrained and unconstrained real-parameter optimisation. Optimisation solution philosophies: minimisation, optimality criteria, non-negative gradient projection points. Optimisation algorithms: gradient-based, derivative-free, gradient-only. Compute using a high-level programming language.
Module content:
Planar multibody dynamics with special emphasis on the mathematical formulation of the equations of motion of a multibody mechanism that moves in a two-dimensional plane instead of in three-dimensional space. Numerical techniques for solving the equations of motion will also be applied.
Module content:
Historical development; Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM): Stress concentrations and singularities, stress intensity factor, stability of crack propagation; Elasto-plastic fracture mechanics: crack tip plasticity, small scale yielding, measurement of Kic, J-integral; Fatigue crack growth: Paris Law; life prediction; combined mode fracture, strain energy density methods.
Module content:
Fluid Mechanics refresher (governing equations, boundary conditions, application of inviscid, laminar and turbulent flow). Methods of weighted residuals (finite element, finite volume and difference methods). Mesh generation and boundary conditions: Types of mesh structured and unstructured mesh generation and application (inviscid flow, heat conduction etc.). Heat conductions: Governing equations, discretisation, finite approximation, solution methods (Gauss-Seidel, Tri-diagonal matrix algorithm) etc. This module is suited to postgraduate students doing research in thermofluids and who wants to use available CFD codes or who wants to write their own codes to solve fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer problems.
Module content:
The Efficient Solvers: Background, muligrid theory and detailed description of the algorithm. Finite Volume method: Understand the governing equations, general form of the transport equations, Gauss's theorem and the finite volume discretisation. Iterative solution algorithm: Pressure-velocity coupling, types of grids, unsteady flows, multiple phases. Finite Volume Discretisation: Diffusion term, convection term and source term for steady flows. Convection-diffusion problems: Boundary conditions, higher order discretisation, accuracy / stability. Solution Algorithm for Pressure-Velocity coupling: SIMPLE, SIMPLER, SIMPLEC and PISO. Laminar, transitional and turbulent flow: Background and theory. Turbulence modelling and examples: Definition of turbulence, turbulence modelling approaches, turbulence models ( zero-equation models, one equation, two equation, Reynolds Stress Model (RSM), Large Eddy Simulation, wall function approach), turbulence modelling guidelines. Recent CS developments: Current state of the art in turbulence modelling etc. Viscous boundary meshes: Background and objectives, internal and external flow, turbulence modelling considerations.
Module content:
*This is a compulsory research module.
This module allows a student to do research on a certain topic in mechanical or aeronautical engineering, as specified by a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, on an individual basis, under the supervision of that lecturer. The study should be seen as a precursor to the master’s degree research that may follow the honours degree. The total volume of work that is to be invested in this module by an average student must be 320 hours. The body of knowledge studied must be of an advanced nature, at the level of the other postgraduate modules offered by the Department. Normal requirements for assessment that include the use of an external examiner apply to this module also.
Module content:
Fatigue principles addressing both elasticity and plasticity; notch effects; variable amplitude loading conditions; multi-axial fatigue and weld fatigue.
Module content:
Mathematical preliminaries: historical overview, scalar, vector and tensor algebra (in context of partial differential equations), Green's lemma and the Divergence theorem, Eularian/Lagrangian representations, derivative of a function, Reynolds transport theorem. Governing equations: viscous compressible and incompressible flow, derivation of conservation of mass, derivation of conservation of momentum, boundary conditions, mathematical characteristics, non-dimensionalisation. Viscous compressible and incompressible flow: derivation of conservation of mass, derivation of conservation of momentum, boundary conditions, mathematical characteristics, non-dimensionalisation.
Module content:
This module allows the Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering to arrange a short course on a specialized nature in mechanical or aeronautical engineering, typically (but not limited to) a course presented by a visiting academic. The total volume of work that is to be invested in this module by an average student must be 160 hours. The body of knowledge studied must be of a specialized and advanced nature, at the level of the other postgraduate modules offered by the Department.
Module content:
Fundamental concepts of thermodynamics, total flow exergy, restricted dead state and unconstrained equilibrium state, heat transfer, fluid flow and chemical irreversibilities, thermodynamic optimisation, irreversibility distribution ratio, lost exergy, application of entropy generation minimisation (EGM) technique to the fundamentals of power generation, solar power, wind power, and low temperature refrigeration.
Module content:
Design of reactor coolant system, heat sources in reactor systems, heat transmission principles, heat transmission in systems with internal sources, temperature distribution along path of reactor coolant flow, heat transfer characteristics of fluids, heat transfer to boiling liquids, heat transfer characteristics of gasses.
Module content:
Atomic structure, nuclear energy and nuclear forces, nuclear fission, nuclear reactions and radiation, energy removal, nuclear reactor systems, radiation protection, radiation shielding, meteorology, reactor safety analysis.
Module content:
Probability concepts and nuclear cross sections, multiplication factor and neutron flux, slowing-down process in the infinite medium, diffusion theory the homogeneous one-velocity reactor, Fermi age theory: the homogeneous multi-velocity reactor, transport theory, reflected reactors, reactor kinetics, heterogeneous reactors, control-rod theory.
Module content:
Overview of the functions of the various classes of nuclear materials, elastic deformation, yielding and use of texture in nuclear components, atomic processes in plastic deformation and radiation damage, strength of engineering materials.
Module content:
Creep deformation, fracture processes and metallurgical fracture mechanics, fatigue fracture in nuclear materials, fabrication processes of nuclear materials.
Module content:
This module contains a comprehensive study of all mechanical systems and processes of a fossil fuel power station. The module will include the analysis of steam cycles, combined cycle power generation, fuels and combustion, combustion mechanisms, combustion equipment and firing methods, the draught group, steam generators, steam turbines, condenser, feed water and circulating water systems, coal handling, ash handling, compressor plant, water treatment, the importance of HVAC, control and instrumentation, control philosophies and environmental considerations.
Module content:
Tyres: Characteristics and tyre models used in simulation of ride comfort and handling. Road inputs: Classification of roads. Road profiles. Road roughness. Suspension components: springs, dampers. Controllable suspension systems. Modelling aspects. Human reaction: Human response to vibration. Driver models. Human reaction times. Vertical vehicle dynamics (ride comfort): Vibration levels in a vehicle. Simulation of ride comfort. Effect of seat characteristics on vibration levels. Test and evaluation procedures. Lateral vehicle dynamics (handling): Simulation of steady state and dynamic handling. Rollover propensity. Test procedures. Computer applications: Application of computer codes in the analysis of vehicle dynamics.
Module content:
Solving systems of linear algebraic equations using direct and iterative methods from small to large scale systems. Numerical solutions of nonlinear systems of equations. Solving eigenvalue problems. Numerical approximation strategies. Numerical differentiation. Numerical Integration. Numerical solutions to initial-value problems for ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions to boundary-value problems for ordinary differential equations. Numerical solutions to partial-differential equations.
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