An article in the 'Harvard Business Review', entitled How To Avoid Catastrophe(1), explored how understanding the causes of ‘near-misses’, can play a key part in anticipating the more significant failures. The article, by Tinsley, Dillon and Madsen, examined failures from a diverse range of industries, including BP’s Deepwater ...

Depending on how wind turbines are situated relative to each other and to the prevailing wind, those not directly in the path of the wind could be left to extract energy from significantly depleted airflow. However, according to researchers, there are ways to get around this issue of diminishing wind returns. You've probably seen them, perhaps on long road trips: wind turbines with enormous, hypnotic rolling blades, harnessing the clean power of wind for conversion into electric ...

[caption id="attachment_44712" align="alignright" width="200"] Sculpture of Harry Ferguson at Dromara, Co Down, by John Sherlock[/caption] In the small village of Dromara, Co Down, stands a sculpture that digs into the collective memory of those of us that grew up in the Irish countryside. The scene it sets is that of a farmer looking out into a field over a gate lost in his own thoughts. It evokes the memory of the ordinary farmer laying his protective eyes over his crops or animals. No ...

The Le Mans 24-hour race is a high endurance, day-long race that puts the world's best race cars to the test. In 2017, jaws dropped when an LMP2 car was placed second and third overall. But, why was this a poignant moment for this engine type and why is this significant to the design and development of these race car engines? And how does miniature bearing specialist SMB Bearings fit in to this? Certain design criteria must be fulfilled A Le Mans Prototype (LMP) is the type of sports ...

More than 300 years ago, a Spanish galleon disappeared at sea. A robot named REMUS is now responsible for discovering one of the most valuable finds in the last century. REMUS 6000 used its autonomous diving and sensing capabilities to help researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute find roughly $17 billion (about €14.5 billion) in gold and other valuables that went down with the Spanish ship. The bronze cannons on the ship told researchers this wasn't just any find; it ...

For many, the Middle Ages is not seen as a period of great technological development, especially in the field of mechanical engineering. The period is generally agreed to lie between the fall of Rome in 476 AD and the Renaissance of the 14th century it is often seen as the doldrums of human advancement. It is often seen as a period of burning books, superstition, and all-out warfare characterized by a regression in human understanding. Although these times were undoubtedly violent this is ...