Models in engineering, and the engineering in models

Models have been used since ancient times as a method for rapid prototyping, often at small scale, but also full size mock-ups. They offer a number of advantages in speed, size and cost. Not least, the visualisation in three dimensions, coupled with movement and scenario planning, allow customers to gain confidence and select from options. In systems with complex interactions, models have been a classic method for pre-production troubleshooting. When models are made at scale, there are some interesting challenges. The physics of length, area and mass change rapidly with scale. Tolerances become critical. The art of a successful model is compromise: the effect may be more important than the precision. The talk will be illustrated with some railway examples, including recent developments in track inspection robots for Network Rail.

Speaker

Professor Andrew Starr