Automotive and Motorsport Engineering MSc

The course will allow students the option of specialising in automotive engineering or motorsport engineering, both in the optional modules and the dissertation.

Every student also produces a group project, usually carried out with four or five other students. The group project involves the design, manufacture, assembly, and testing of a single seater racing vehicle, that will take part in the annual Formula Student competition in July with over 70 teams competing in the event.

Research Methods and Sustainable Engineering:

• Practical research issues: research processes and strategies; researcher/supervisor roles and relationships; writing, communicating and disseminating research; principles of good research practice.

• Information retrieval: objectives; sampling methods; data analysis; when and how to apply statistics; statistical methods; preparing and sorting data; parametric and non-parametric tests; computer software for statistical analysis.

• Risk management: Risk analysis and decision support, financial indicators;

• Innovation: Brainstorming, value engineering, intellectual property protection.

Racing Team Management and Vehicle Testing:
Develops the necessary skills in racing team management and understanding of a race season and race planning, and introduces and familiarise students with racing vehicle testing. Main topics include: team management; marketing concept; ethical business; leadership; risk management; employment; vehicle testing.

Advanced Vehicle Dynamics, IC Engines, Materials and Manufacturing:
Main topics include: principles of multi-body dynamics; the mixture preparation methods and combustion process in direct injection SI engines; overview of the principal property requirements for materials used in racing car structures; theories of fibre-reinforcement in materials; performance of engineering plastics; composition and properties of high performance elastomers and rubbers; advanced processing and joining technologies for the manufacture and construction of racing vehicle components from high performance polymers; physical and metallurgical properties of high strength steels, aluminium, titanium, nickel and magnesium alloys; metal matrix composites; fabrication of metallic components; failure modes and non-destructive evaluation techniques; composition, properties and processing methods for engineering ceramics used in racing vehicle construction.

Major Group Project:
You work in groups of 4 to 6 to design, manufacture and assemble a racing vehicle (single seater) that takes part in at least one international student competition. The project mimics the real world industry in every shape and form. It is not only an engineering exercise, but one of business and team management as well. Teams are created with a hierarchical structure not dissimilar to professional racing teams. You work to a schedule and budget, and are expected to promote your team image through marketing and sponsorship.

Dissertation:
You will work independently on a project within given resources and time constraints. Students often choose project topics from a list provided by the module co-ordinator, or after having discussions with academic members of staff. Some projects may be part of the research activities undertaken by various research groups within the College. Some project topics may be initiated by organisations external to Brunel, though supervision from within Brunel is necessary in all cases. The nature of projects may be predominantly design, experimental, computing and/or analysis, or sometimes a critical literature survey. Many projects combine several of these aspects.

Advanced Modelling and Design:

• Finite Element Analysis:
  Two-dimensional elements: triangular, quadrilateral and isoparametric; applications to steady and transient heat transfer; applications to two-dimensional stress analysis.

• Optimisation:
  Types of optimisation problems; objective function; constrained and unconstrained optimisation; multivariate search methods, penalty function, Lagrange multipliers; applications to linkage synthesis.

• Manufacture:
  Computer applications in manufacturing practice, optimisation in design for manufacture, management procedures and quality requirements, application to company practice.

• Design:
  Use and application of computer aided engineering software in engineering manufacture. The integration of computer aided engineering and manufacturing methods in company practice.

Advanced Thermofluids:
Main topics include: methods and instruments in fluid flow measurements: laser doppler anemometry (LDA), particle image velocimetry (PIV), hot-wire anemometry (HWA); fluid flow and heat transfer simulations by Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) modelling, large eddy simulation (LES) and direct numerical simulation (DNS).

Racing Legislation, Finance and Sponsorship:
Main topics include: introduction of legal topics appropriate to engineering careers; contract; tort, company and environmental law; property law, licensing; employment law. Costing; tendering strategy; decision analysis; value engineering. Motorsport industry regulation; competitions; sponsorship and advertising.

Racing Vehicle Design and Performance:
Main topics include: racing vehicles and systems operation, design principles; vehicle body and structure; power unit and transmission; suspension and steering, geometry and loads; brakes and braking systems; parameters influencing vehicle performance; performance optimisation; vehicle safety.

Read more about the structure of postgraduate degrees at Brunel and what you will learn on the course.