FOCUS

OBJECTIVES

• To establish a centre of expertise in sound and vibration measurement, analysis and assessment with the associated measurement equipment and software tools to contribute to the international research arena.
• To train engineers with the necessary skills and knowledge to work in the field of sound and vibration research and to serve industry as specialists in the field.
• To assist South African companies in solving sound and vibration problems to ensure that their products are more competitive and that their workforce enjoys a safe and healthy working environment.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• General noise and vibration measurement, analysis and assessment to reduce overall noise and vibration levels, troubleshoot specific problems and investigate the application of advanced methodologies, such as vibration monitoring, to reduce maintenance and operating cost.
• Modal analysis, both experimental and using finite element models to verify structural response.
• Signature testing and order analysis on rotating machines.
• Measurement and assessment of industrial noise and vibration to ensure healthy and safe working environments.
• Assessment of automotive NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) according to national and international standards.
• Environmental testing of components and structure for vibration endurance.
• In-situ measurements of sound for playback in jury panel evaluations and the calculation of metrics to assess the sound quality of products and vehicles.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF THE SA AGULHAS II

Industry 4.0 is the digital transformation of global industry. Digital twins pose to disrupt conventional business as they harness real-time data alongside a digitized representation of the state and behaviour of real assets to offer decision support. Sound and vibration research often entails multi-sensor measurements, signal processing and analytics providing an ideal training background to embrace the current innovation climate.

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HEALTHPROP

HEALTHPROP pursues life prediction and health monitoring of a marine propulsion system under ice impact. During ice navigation, ship propulsion system failures pose grave implications, as vessels often cannot be repaired outside of port, creating risks to the vessels and their passengers as well as great logistical challenges for supporting rescue operations and infrastructure. Stellenbosch University will partner with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Technical University of Hamburg, RWTH Aachen, Piening propeller and EDRMedeso to develop a digital twin for the remaining useful life of a ship propulsion exposed to ice impact. This 36 month project will kick off in August 2020 and will be commissioned and evaluated on the SA Agulhas II on full-scale.

THE WEDDELL SEA EXPEDITION

In January 2019 the SA Agulhas II embarked on the Weddell Sea Expedition, funded by the Flotilla Foundation. The ship would be the first vessel to sail in this remote environment since the Polarstern in 2004. The ice-going limits of this PC-5 vessel would be challenged by the effort to navigate through multi-year ice to reach the wreck site of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance. This voyage allowed the unique capture of data, including multiple ice ramming events, during which the SA Agulhas II carved out almost a square kilometre of ice to recover an Automated Underwater Vessel from under a multi-year ice floe. Sensor data confirmed that the hull of the SA Agulhas II is prudently strengthened to DNV ICE-10 and that the limiting factor in her ice-going ability is her propulsion power.

POLARSTERN: FULL-SCALE OPERATIONAL MODAL ANALYSIS

In 2016 two students from the SVRG participated in the PS-100 voyage from Tromso in Norway, via Svalbard to the Arctic onboard the German RV-Polarstern. The ship was equipped with 2 km of cable to allow for a network of 20 accelerometers to be installed throughout her hull structure. Strain gauges were also added to her shaft to allow engineers to determine her propulsion thrust and the twisting torque in the shaft-line when ice impacts the propellers. Stellenbosch University determined the principal modes of bending and twisting of the ship when she voyages in ice in collaboration with the German Space Agency and the Technische Hochschule, Ingolstadt, Germany.