The use of fibre reinforced polymer composites and development of structural composites has expanded rapidly in the Southern African region over the past ten years. The long-term effect of placing these materials outdoors ...

The key objective for this research was to construct an experimental test rig along with a finite element model. Both had to accommodate a certain extent of misalignment and unbalance to provide induced vibrations in the ...

The following dissertation describes an investigation of the structural response behaviour of a composite solid rocket motor nozzle subjected to thermal and pressure loading during the motor ignition period, derived on ...

This work describes the development of a hybrid rocket propulsion system for a reusable sounding rocket, as part of the first phase of the UKZN Phoenix Hybrid Sounding Rocket Programme. The programme objective is to ...

The South African rail industry is undergoing a phase of restructuring and much focus is concentrated on re-engineering i.e. optimising the utilisation of available assets and using existing technology in order to improve ...

Aviation is known to have some of the most stringent structural health monitoring standards in the world. An example of this would be the fact that certain bolts in the aircraft assembly must be periodically removed and ...

The Loop Heat Pipe (LHP) is a passive, two-phase heat transfer device used, most commonly, for thermal management of aerospace and aeronautical electronic equipment. A unique feature is a porous wick which generates the ...

The reliable transmission of high-voltage electricity through overhead electrical conductors is a cornerstone of the modern industrialised world. Any situation or phenomenon that impedes the functioning of this network ...

The Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems (RMSs) paradigm has been formulated to encapsulate methodologies that enable manufacturing systems to effectively cope with changes in markets and products. RMSs are systems which ...

Controlling a system with chaotic nature provides the ability to control and maintain orbits of different periods which extends the functionality of the system to be flexible. A system with diverse dynamical behaviours ...