Manufacturing TN Events

The talk explains how UK regulations impose legal obligations on everyone at work from employees to employers, mainly under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It also highlights that there are additional and significant obligations for those involved with the manufacture, design, installation, commissioning, maintenance, importation and distribution of equipment, noting that engineers frequently become involved with one or more of these roles at some point in their career.

In the 1960s, many rotary piston engine developments were launched based on the principles established by Felix Wankel and his colleagues at NSU. While most of these engines were petrol-fuelled, Rolls-Royce (Crewe) was uniquely commissioned in 1964 by the Military Vehicles and Engineering Establishment (MVEE) to develop a diesel variant for use as a high power-to-weight ratio engine in fighting vehicles. This presentation explores the engines design concept, technical challenges, extensive development programme, and the successes and setbacks that shaped the project. Although the programme ended in 1974, the engines had already demonstrated successful operation on testbeds and in a vehicle. The talk will also provide an update on the recommissioning of one of the surviving engines. The presenter briefly worked on the project in the 1970s and is now involved in restoring the engine at the Anson Engine Museum.