BEng Automotive Engineering

Year 3

(Award available for year: Bachelor of Engineering)

Learning outcomes

On completion of the third year, students should have provided evidence of being able to:
- Explain the principles that underpin the process of vehicle modelling including an understanding of tyre behaviour and the generation of tyre-ground forces and the influence of aerodynamically induced forces and moments on the mechanics of a road vehicle.
- Critically assess the acceleration/deceleration behaviour of a road vehicle through consideration of its powertrain/brake system characteristics.
- Understand the fundamentals of handling behaviour and relate this to the process of vehicle design.
- Understand the principles of combustion thermodynamics and elementary chemistry, compressible flows, principles of heat transfer and air-conditioning along with the principles and operation of various types of turbomachines that are found within a road vehicle.
- Understand the principles that underpin the delivery of a project in the field of automotive engineering through consideration of the following: Planning and management of time and other limited resources, assessment of risk (including health and safety) and its management, ethical considerations, the importance that attaches to the critical review of literature in the field, the importance and management of intellectual property and the ability to think freely and critically when developing engineering solutions to the problem posed.
- Demonstrate experience in approaching an automotive engineering problem in a systematic and rigorous manner. This will embrace: Application of logical reasoning based on a firm knowledge of engineering science and design gained from previous and current taught modules, development of the power of critical judgement and effective communication skills.
- Understand the basic principles of structural analysis using finite element methods, including an appreciation of the limits of any model along with the skills with which to validate and interpret the results.
- Appreciate the processes and assumptions that underpin the definition and development of a finite element model that is to answer a specific automotive engineering question.

Transferable (key) skills

Students will have had the opportunity to acquire, as defined in the modules specified for the programme:
- the transferable/key/generic skills necessary for employment related to the area(s) studied;
- the exercise of initiative and personal responsibility;
- the deployment of decision making skills in complex and unpredictable situations;
- the communication of information, ideas, problems and solutions in a variety of ways to a variety of audiences;
- the ability to undertake appropriate further training of a professional or equivalent nature.

Assessment

Achievement will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:
- demonstrating the ability to apply a broad range of aspects of the discipline;
- work that draws on a wide variety of material;
- the ability to evaluate and criticise received opinion;
- evidence of an ability to conduct independent, in depth enquiry within the discipline;
- work that is typically both evaluative and creative.