Work continues on obtaining methods of assessing risk of perforation in metal structures subjected to impact by small sub-ordnance velocity fragments or missiles. Failure criteria representing kinematic constraints on deformation as well as material properties are being developed for oblique penetration and dishing of thin to moderately thick metal plates. Dr D J Cole and Dr D Cebon were awarded the 1996 Crompton Lanchester Medal for Automotive Engineering, and the 1996 Thomas Hawksley Gold Medal, by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, for a paper on design of heavy vehicles to minimise road damage. A book on gear noise has been completed and will be published soon. Following the successful testing of the Smith Shock technique for monitoring scuffing on a medium size gearbox, it is proposed to test the technique on a large gearbox.
Current work is aimed at a system to fit underneath a train.
It was also shown that laminate theory can be inverted to give accurate calibration information on the elastic and damping properties of a single ply of the laminate. K.L. Johnson Unsteady motion is sometimes observed during a steady traverse of the probe tip in the Atomic Force Microscope. The vibrational behaviour of musical instruments continues to provide challenging scientific problems. A finite-width bow has been shown to behave quite differently from a point bow, such as has been studied extensively in the past. In particular, some parts of the bow may be sticking to the string while other parts are slipping.