is made up of a set of advanced key mechanical engineering topics that engineers must understand to design and monitor rotating machinery. It aims to provide you with the necessary theoretical knowledge in the areas of stress analysis (theoretical and numerical), rotor dynamics, gears, bearings, transmissions, computer aided engineering, condition monitoring, vibrations and project management. Theoretical aspects of the taught course are further put into practice the use of design case studies illustrating real engineering problems. The MSc in Design of Rotating Machines is a high quality mechanical engineering course. The syllabus and teaching style has been shaped by feedback from industrial partners and former students, for over thirty years.
Energy and Power
Entry Requirements:
A first or second class UK Honours degree (or equivalent) ideally in a related subject. Other recognised professional qualifications or several years relevant industrial experience may be accepted as equivalent; subject to approval by the Course Director. For further and specific information please visit the course page.
English Language:
If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. The minimum standard expected from a number of accepted courses are as follows:
IELTS - 6.5
TOEFL - 92
Pearson PTE Academic - 65
Cambridge English Scale - 180
Cambridge English: Advanced - C
Cambridge English: Proficiency - C
In addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low. We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date). Students requiring a Tier 4 (General) visa must ensure they can meet the English language requirements set out by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) and we recommend booking a IELTS for UKVI test.
Duration:
Full-time MSc - one year, Part-time MSc - up to three years
Course Format:
Overview:
There are few machines and other mechanical systems which do not include rotating components. This course provides you with training in the area of complex machine system design, from concept to final product, and undertaking extensive monitoring of rotating machinery.
Who is it for?:
The MSc in Design of Rotating Machines comprises nine compulsory taught modules, a group project and an individual research project.
The course seeks to provide each student with a range of management, communication, team work and research techniques skills besides the development of technical proficiency in a number of key areas which are relevant for rotating equipment engineers.
- Mathematical modelling of a wide range of components and machine assemblies and exposure to a variety of engineering problems. The methods of analysis, theory and practical applications will enable students to deal with design problems varying from conceptual design and project management to complete structural integrity and dynamic performance assessment.
- Gain significant exposure to modern, state-of-the-art Computer Aided Engineering tools and techniques. The acquaintance with this rapidly changing technology should enable students to utilise and exploit this technology efficiently and knowledgeably, being mindful of good engineering practice by being aware of the various international standards.
- Perform a number of design exercises which aim to develop the appropriate engineering intuition skills applicable to, whilst gaining an insight into the physics of, the problem being solved.
- Become acquainted with condition monitoring techniques and theories that are significant for rotating machines' health evaluation and the prediction of wear and failure.
Why this course?:
The
MSc in Design of Rotating Machines is a high quality mechanical engineering course. The syllabus and teaching style has been shaped by feedback from industrial partners and former students for over thirty years. Industry has exciting opportunities for well-trained engineers capable of combining technical insight, design and analysis skills, and a practical problem-solving attitude. Typical class intakes include students from a wide range of nationalities and experience levels, from experienced practicing engineers (typically part-time students) to recent graduates.
This course is also available on a part-time basis enabling engineers with ambition to combine studying alongside full-time employment. The student will work within his/her own company and will address a company problem, guided by both academic and industrial supervisors, and making use of our facilities and expertise where appropriate.
Informed by Industry
The Industrial Advisory Panel is comprised of senior engineers in the propulsion and power industries and is responsible for maintaining the course relevancy and ensuing that graduates are equipped with the skills and knowledge required by leading employers. The members include:
- Dr Stelios Kyriacou (Chair), Technical Director, Ballast Water Management Systems at Wartsila Water Systems
- Prof Ian Bennett, Team Lead Rotating Equipment Engineering, Shell
- Dr Paul Bradley, Technical Director at Dynamechs Ltd
- Dr Martin Yates, Rolls-Royce Engineering Associate Fellow.
Your teaching team:
Dr Joao Amaral Teixeira is the Course Tutor. His current research activities include numerical analysis of turbines for OWCs and for tidal flows, investigations of gas seals, heat transfer in air cooled gas turbines and low speed turbomachinery applications. Past work includes purge flows in pyrometers, analysis of pumping rings for mechanical seal applications, pressure pulsations and close valve physics in centrifugal pumps.
Professor Feargal Brennan is Director of Energy at Cranfield University, leading a team of over 200 academics and researchers engaged in research and training in Energy Engineering, Technologies and Resource Management. Feargal is a leading authority on the development and assessment of offshore renewables including wind, wave and tidal. He has been at the forefront of internationally leading research in structural integrity and its application to ships, offshore renewables and the oil & gas sector for over 25 years. He has published over one hundred and fifty papers in peer reviewed technical journals and conferences and sits on numerous national and international committees concerning structural integrity and offshore renewable energy including current chairmanship of the International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress' Fatigue & Fracture Technical committee. He is Director of the Cranfield - Oxford University Renewable Energy Marine Structures (REMS) Centre for Doctoral Training.
Dr Athanasios Kolios is a Senior Lecturer in Risk Management and Reliability Engineering and Director of the Energy Doctoral Training Programme at Cranfield University. Athanasios has contributed over the past few years to several projects related to energy systems. Working on the ETI funded NOVA VAWT Project, he has led the design of a jacket support structure, the integration of rotor components, the successful planning and execution of a scaled proof-of-concept experiment and the Life Cycle Assessment at a wind farm scale. He was involved with a variety of projects in the Renewable Energy marine structures area including tidal devices and Offshore Wind where he has been active in the research of the structural monitoring and reliability assessment of marine energy technologies. He is a member of the board of the European Academy of Wind Energy and a member of the ISSC Offshore Renewable Energy Committee. He currently leads the Risk and Reliability Engineering, Computer Simulations in Engineering Design and Renewable Energy Technologies for several MSc courses of the Energy Theme at Cranfield University.
Dr Mehmanparast is a Lecturer in Structural Integrity and the Manager of the Cranfield - Oxford University Renewable Energy Marine Structures (REMS) Centre for Doctoral Training. His areas of expertise are Fracture Mechanics, Fatigue Crack Initiation and Growth, Creep Deformation and Crack Growth, Fracture Toughness, Residual Stress Measurement, Finite Element Modelling and Digital Image Correlation (DIC) Measurement. Ali sits on the Engineering Integrity Society (EIS) Durability and Fatigue committee and the UK Forum for Engineering Structural Integrity (FESI).
Our staff are active researchers as well as tutors, with clients that include Rolls Royce, Alstom Power, Ford, Total, JCB, Hyundai and the French Air Force. Knowledge gained working with our clients is continually fed back into the teaching programme to ensure that you benefit from the very latest knowledge and techniques affecting industry.
The course also includes visiting lecturers from industry who will relate the theory to current best practice. In recent years, our students have received lectures from industry speakers who are specialists in mechanical and industrial engineering.
Course details:
The taught programme for the Design of Rotating Machines postgraduate course is generally delivered from October to March and comprises nine compulsory taught modules. The modules are delivered over one to two weeks of intensive delivery with the later part of the course being free from structured teaching to allow time for more independent learning and reflection.
Students on the part-time programme will complete all of the compulsory modules based on a flexible schedule that will be agreed with the Course Director.
Group project:
The group project which is undertaken between March and May, enables students to put the analytical and numerical skills and knowledge developed during the course taught modules into practice in an applied context while gaining transferable skills in project management, teamwork and independent research.
The aim of the group project is to provide students with direct experience of addressing an industrially relevant problem which requires a team-based multidisciplinary solution.
The group project requires students to work as part of a team, carrying out their share of the group technical work and performing team member roles, project management, delivering technical presentations and exploiting the range of expertise of the individual members of the group.
Industrial involvement will often be an ingredient of the group project thereby enabling the students to acquire first-hand experience of working within real life challenging situations and interacting with a practicing engineer.
Part-time students can either participate in the group project, attending group meetings through remote web conferencing applications or produce an individual dissertation on a theme selected by agreement with the Course Director.
The group project assessment is performed through a group poster presentation which enables students to develop valuable presentation skills and handle questions about complex technical issues in a competent and professional manner, and through a written group technical report.
A group project would typically include:
- Conceptual design element
- Literature investigation
- Use of advanced modelling techniques and software
- Trade-off studies to focus on a solution from within a range of possible feasible design cases.
Individual project:
Individual research projects are designed to raise your practical experience to a level comparable to that of a professional engineer. Therefore, the projects deal with real industrial design problems and topics of current research interest within the field. Project topics may also be suggested by sponsors and undertaken in-house if the work is related to the sponsoring company’s activities. You will be assigned an individual project supervisor with whom you will have regular meetings during the course of research. The individual research project topic is generally selected during November from when preparation work can begin. The majority of the project work is completed between May and August.
Recent individual research projects include:
- Rotordynamic investigation of the loadings on the bearings of oscillating water column turbines
- Finite Element Analysis of elastomeric seal wear
- Development of a condition monitoring and vibration tool for rotatory flight control actuators
- Condition assessment of pitting in worm gearboxes with vibration analysis
- Investigation of vibration influence on the fatigue life of rolling bearings.
Assessment:
- Taught modules 40%, Group project 20% (dissertation for part-time students), Individual Research Project 40%.
Core modules:
- Bearing Design
- Engineering Stress Analysis: Theory and Simulation
- Stress Analysis of Rotating Machine Components
- Management for Technology: Energy
- Rotordynamics
- Vibration and Diagnostics of Rotating Machines
- Structural Integrity
- Gear Design
- Rotating Equipment Systems and Selection
Funding Opportunities:
To help students in finding and securing appropriate funding we have created a funding finder where you can search for suitable sources of funding by filtering the results to suit your needs.
Prestige Scholarship:
The Prestige Scholarship provides funding of up to £11,000 to cover up to £9,000 fees and a potential contribution to living expenses. This scholarship has been designed to attract exceptional candidates to Cranfield University so we welcome applications from UK or EU graduates with a first-class honours undergraduate degree. Prestige Scholarships are available for all MSc courses in the Water, Energy and Environment themes.
Merit MSc Bursary
The Merit MSc Bursary provides funding of up to £5,000 towards tuition fees. Applicants should be UK or EU graduates with a first class honours, 2:1 honours or in exceptional circumstances 2:2 honours undergraduate degree in a relevant subject. Merit MSc Bursaries are available for all MSc courses in the Water, Energy and Environment themes.
International MSc Bursary
The International MSc Bursary provides funding of up to £5,000 towards tuition fees. Applicants should be from outside the EU with a first class honours or upper second class honours undergraduate degree or equivalent in a relevant subject. International MSc Bursaries are available for all MSc courses in the Water, Energy and Environment themes.
Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS)
The Cranfield Postgraduate Loan Scheme (CPLS) is a funding programme providing affordable tuition fee and maintenance loans for full-time UK/EU students studying technology-based MSc courses.
Conacyt (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia)
Cranfield offers competitive scholarships for Mexican students in conjunction with Conacyt (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia) in science, technology and engineering.
Your career:
Graduates of the MSc in Design of Rotating Machines have found employment in the £30bn rotating machinery industries encompassing aerospace, automotive, engineering design, manufacturing, power generation, mechanical integrity and health monitoring, propulsion, and transmission engineering sectors. Part-time students progress their career path as a direct result of enhancing their technical competence and enrich their employer’s competitive advantage.
Employers of our graduates include:
- Rolls-Royce plc
- Alstom Power
- Ford
- Total
- QinetiQ
- JCB
- BMW
- ProDrive
- Siemens
- Renault
- Hyundai
- Shell
- French Air Force.
The depth and breadth of the course equips graduates with knowledge and skills to tackle one of the demanding challenge of securing our future energy resource.Graduates of the course can also be recruited in other upstream and downstream positions. Their knowledge can also be applied to petrochemical, process and power industries.
Graduates of the course haven taken up a range of professions including:
- Turbine Analytical Engineer
- Project Manager
- Hydro-Mechanical Design Engineer
- Mechanical Design Engineer
- Rotating Equipment Engineer
- Stress Engineer
- Condition Monitoring Engineer
- Asset Management Engineer
