Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) today officially launched the Ford Engine Research Unit (FERU) at the NMMU North Campus.
This initiative represents a five-year partnership between FMCSA and NMMU, and provides the platform for the development of engineering expertise in the Eastern Cape, while facilitating new research in engine testing and technology.
“We are proud to be associated with NMMU through the Ford Engine Research Unit, as it reinforces our long-term commitment to the automotive industry in South Africa,” says Jeff Nemeth, President and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa.
“This partnership will not only assist in creating a sustainable pool of automotive engineers of the highest calibre, but will promote research and development in new engine technologies.
“It is, therefore, the perfect fit with the world-class Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, which produces the impressive new Duratorq TDCi engine for the all-new Ford Ranger that is exported from South Africa to 148 markets around the world.”
The FERU is situated in the Thermodynamics Laboratory within the Department of Mechanical Engineering (a division of the NMMU Faculty of Engineering, the Built Environment and Information Technology) and focuses primarily on research and development, education and training, as well as dedicated industry projects.
“The official opening of the Ford Engine Research Unit is the culmination of the Memorandum of Agreement signed in February 2011 between FMCSA and NMMU, which is indicative of the two organisations’ continual commitment toward community engagement,” states Professor Pat McGrath, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at NMMU.
“This collaborative partnership is multi-purpose, in that the department will not only conduct engine testing for FMCSA, but will also provide a training and research platform for Ford as well as under and post-graduate learners at the university.”
The high-tech facility is equipped with a soundproof test cell featuring a Duratorq TDCi engine fitted to a new AG250 Froude Hofmann eddy current dynamometer that is capable of handling 250 kW and 1 200 Nm of torque up to 8 000 r/min. It has a wide range of monitoring and data acquisition capabilities, along with fuel conditioning and monitoring, and exhaust smoke metering capacity.
The research unit is also equipped with a Rototest Dynamometer imported from Sweden, which is the only one installed at a South African university. This
state-of-the-art equipment uses direct-coupled, hub-mounted dynamometers and a ground-breaking measuring system that brings the measurement accuracy to an unequalled level – especially compared to typical rolling road dynamometers.
It is suited to two and four-wheel drive vehicles, as well as high-performance and race cars, and can test at speeds up to 350 km/h and 1 000 kW of power in total. The dynamometer is available to undergraduate and postgraduate students for testing, practical and research work, and performance testing for the automotive industry.
Alan Straton
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