The Biodiesel Motorbike Yanmar Diesel Japan

							             MECH ENG NEWS                                                       SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
           ISSUE 7
           SEPTEMBER 2006                                                               THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
                  Phone: 08 8303 5460              -     Fax: 08 8303 4367 -                 Email: victoria.samra@adelaide.edu.au


                                                         The Biodiesel Motorbike
                                                                      By Dr. Colin Kestell


Nine of Colin Kestell’s final year students are building a biodiesel                      Fuels (SAFF), The South Australian Research and Development
motorbike with the intention of participating in the World Solar Car                      Institute, The South Australian Department of Trade and Economic
Challenge in 2007. The notion of a biodiesel motorbike in the World                       Development and The South Australian Department of Primary
Solar Car Challenge may surprise those who associate the event with                       Industries and Resources. One of SAFF’s conditions was that they
stealth-like, black tiled cockroach cars, but there is also a ‘Greenfleet                 had to exhibit the bike at their stand at the Royal Show in September.
Class’ that is designed to show-case practical alternative fuel vehicles.                 This proved to be extremely successful and the bike was very popular.
The project serves a number of purposes: First and foremost it raises                     Students have now completed a naturally aspirated and rideable bike.
the students’ awareness of sustainable engineering, particularly with                     They also modelled the engine performance and are currently
respect to fossil-fuel alternatives. The pedagogical value also extends                   conducting dynamometer testing so that they will soon be able to
beyond this and develops the students’ ability to market (attract                         incorporate an intercooler, a supercharger and a more refined fuel
sponsors), work to a set budget, project manage and work as a team                        delivery system into the bike. While they hope to have a totally
on a practical engineering design exercise directed towards real and                      completed supercharged, intercooled biodiesel bike by the end of the
unmovable deadlines. Participation in this event should also raise the                    semester, this aspect of the project may extend into next year, when
public profile of our alternative fuel research. The students have                        the rolling prototype will be developed and improved for the World
attracted generous sponsorship from Yanmar, Australian Farmers                            Solar Car Challenge.




      The BioBike nearly completed during construction                                   Visit by Senior Executives from Yanmar


                                                         Yanmar Diesel Japan
                                                                  By Dr. Colin Kestell


One of the first purchases for the biodiesel motorbike project was a                     with the students. The students presented Yanmar with a framed
410cc Yanmar diesel engine, which had an excellent power to weight                       team shirt and Yanmar were extremely happy with the progress and
ratio for a diesel. Before any attempt was made to attract sponsors,                     future plans of the team. Yanmar also came armed with another
Yanmar were approached for a solid model and engineering drawings                        proposition. They intend to launch an advertising campaign in
of the engine. They agreed to provide these, but only if the biodiesel                   Australia for their products, which promotes them as an
project team agreed to take their money and adopt them as principal                      environmentally friendly company. Towards this aim, they hope to use
sponsors. Needless to say, Yanmar are now the principal sponsors of                      the bike and our students as the central theme. This has resulted in
the biodiesel motorbike project and their generosity continues. They                     an exchange of ideas between Yanmar Japan, the School of
have since donated a second engine so that students can                                  Mechanical Engineering and our Department of Marketing and
simultaneously test one on the dynamometer, while the bike is built.                     Strategic Communications. Yanmar visited Adelaide again in
Yanmar also recently sent three senior executives from Japan to meet                     September to see the bike exhibited at the Royal Adelaide Show..
                                                Laura has finally arrived
                                                              By Professor Colin Hansen


After attending a conference in Vienna Austria where she presented a                Achievement. She is one of 20 recipients of this year's Fulbright
paper on her research work, Laura Brooks headed off to the USA (via                 Scholarship - and the only one from South Australia. Through winning
England and France) to take up her Fulbright Postgraduate                           the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship, Laura has been able to secure a
Scholarship at the Marine Physical Laboratory (MPL) in the Scripps                  place in the institute where the foremost researchers in the world are
Institute of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego,                undertaking cutting edge research on the same topic and where the
where she arrived at the end of July. Laura intends to stay there for a             research facilities in underwater acoustics are second to none. While
year working on techniques for mapping the ocean floor properties                   at Scripps, Laura will be supervised by an internationally renowned
using noise generated by passing ships as part of their normal                      expert in marine acoustics, Dr Peter Gerstoft. The educational
operation. That way she is able to achieve outcomes for an important                opportunity provided by the Fulbright Scholarship is enormous and
defence project without having to impact the marine environment. Her                Laura is already actively participating in sea trials off the East coast of
work is important for developing more accurate ways of modelling                    the USA. She expects to be at sea for several weeks but remains in
underwater sound transmission to assist in sonar range finding,                     email contact at lbrook02@gmail.com.
underwater communications between defence vessels and under sea
mineral exploration. Exploration of the sea floor between Australia and             Laura will return to Adelaide in August, 2007 to finalise her project
Antarctica is vital for economic and defence reasons and the results                work and complete her thesis. Her University of Adelaide project
from Laura’s work will greatly assist the efficient execution of this task.         supervisors are Dr Anthony Zander, Professor Colin Hansen and
                                                                                    Dr Michael Kidner. Her Co-supervisor is Dr Yong Zhang from the
Laura has a first class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering                    Defence, Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO).
and a University of Adelaide Medal for Outstanding Academic




                                  Dr Ben Cazzolato – Teacher Extraordinaire
                                                                   By Professor Colin Hansen


To add to his many other awards for excellence in teaching, Dr Ben
Cazzolato has now won an award from the Carrick Institute for
Learning and teaching in higher education. He was one of seven
University of Adelaide staff (including three from Engineering) to be
presented with an inaugural citation for Outstanding Contributions to
Student Learning, worth $10,000. His citation was “for the
development of innovative and engaging approaches to teaching and
assessing control theory in order to stimulate independent learning
and critical thinking”. Congratulations Ben, you exemplify the quality
and commitment to which we all aspire.




                                          Dr Maziar Arjomandi – Staff Profile
Dr Maziar Arjomandi graduated from Moscow Aviation Institute with a
PhD in Aerospace Engineering in 1999. After seven years experience
of working in Aerospace Industries he moved to Adelaide to take up a
position of lecturer for Aerospace Engineering within our school.
Dr Arjomandi has an active research program which is both
fundamental and applied. His expertise is in the general area of
aircraft design and optimisation techniques. He has an interest in flight
dynamics, aircraft structural design, aerodynamics and fluid
mechanics.
Since his graduation in 1999 he has been involved in many projects.
Some of the projects he has managed and worked on are:
      -    Designing, manufacturing and standardisation of a four seat
           full composite aircraft
      -    Designing and prototyping of a hand launch electric mini
           UAV (unmanned air vehicle)
      -    A Multi D Education Forum 'Water - the lifeblood of                      In addition to the above-mentioned areas of expertise, Dr Arjomandi
           communities' Conducting the conceptual design of a MAV                   has extended his research interests to new methods of energy
           (micro air vehicle)                                                      production. These include wind energy utilisation as well as cavitation
      -    Designing and prototyping a pulse jet engine                             and vortex energy discharging. Dr Arjomandi is interested in forming
      -    Developing an optimisation procedure on the basis of AHP                 partnerships with industry for short term and long term projects and
           techniques (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for a LO (low orbit)             can be contacted by email at maziar.arjomandi@adelaide.edu.au.
           satellite