16 June 2011
Professor partners with global car manufacturer
Professor Simon Watkins and PhD candidate, Mark Thompson, from RMIT University's School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, were recently awarded a research contract with Kia/Hyundai Motors.
Mark Thompson and Professor Simon Watkins with a research colleague in South Korea.
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Kia/Hyundai Motors is one of the largest car companies in the world and is spear-heading research into sustainable automotive solutions - one of the School's key research concentrations.
Professor Watkins and Mr Thompson spent time at the Kia/Hyundai research centre outside the South Korean capital of Seoul where they delivered a short course to the company's engineers, followed by three weeks of measurements of wind noise and atmospheric turbulence.
A range of cars were equipped with sophisticated instruments to measure wind speed - including wind gusts, road speed and in-cabin noise.
The research involved driving on the Kia/Hyundai's high-speed proving ground and similar measurements in its full-size aero-acoustic wind tunnel, with subsequent analysis taking place at RMIT and at Kia/Hyundai Motors.
Professor Watkins said: "Our research into the nuances of wind noise, and especially how noise gets affected by turbulence, is of increasing concern to car companies worldwide, particularly with the emergence of quiet, all-electric cars."
This research expanded upon current work into sustainable automotive technologies and further strengthened ties with global industry leaders, he said
