faculty of engineering dean’s report

DR OSWALD FRANKS

The year under review was a milestone in the short history of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). In 2006 the university introduced the six faculty structure with the Engineering faculty operated across three campuses, i.e., Bellville, Cape Town and Granger Bay.

In 2006 the researchers in the Faculty of Engineering contributed significantly to the university’s research output.

The research income to the faculty was just under R10 million, with about 65 percent coming from the NRF and a further 15 percent from industry.

Faculty researchers generated 29 percent of the university’s journal articles.

Of the ten CPUT staff rated by the NRF, five were from the Faculty of Engineering.

Academic staff and postgraduate students in the Faculty of Engineering are engaged in a wide range of research projects. Research in the faculty during 2006 was located in NRF-funded niche areas, research units or centres, as well as in singular researchers.

The 2006 research niche areas funded by NRF were:

•Real-time Distributed Systems

•Process Instrumentation Research

•Flow Processes

•Applied and Computational Technologies

Research Units or Centres included:

•South African Built Environment Research Centre (SABERC)

•Energy Technology Unit (ETU)

•Centre for Power Systems Research

•Centre for Wireless Application and Integration

•Centre for Instrumentation Research

The faculty’s researchers are collaborating with a diverse community of scholars at both the national and internal level. Examples of these collaborative research initiatives include Environmental and

Occupational Health, Distributed Power Systems, Gravitational Separation, Domestic and Commercial Use of Energy, and Monitoring and Control of Energy Systems.

The faculty is proud of the quality and impact of the research conducted by our academics and postgraduate students.

Congratulations to our researchers on their many accomplishments during 2006.

I am also indebted to the faculty and university research administrative staff for their support for and dedication to promoting the research agenda of the Faculty of Engineering.

University Research Funding

TECHNOLOGY STATION IN CLOTHING AND TEXTILES (TSCT)

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Eerste Rivier Project: Community Women’s Action

A training initiative by the TSCT culminated in the Community Women’s Action procuring manufacturing and delivering an order of luminous jackets for road workers to LAFARGE Construction.

House of Monatic

Visiting professor Barbara Puscher of the Albstadt University of Applied Science spent a three-month sabbatical with a TSCT client, House of Monatic, and trained three staff members on CAD software during the development and launch of the new Carducci women’s wear range.

KZN Clothing and Textile Cluster

With support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), Tshumisano, and Durban Institute of Technology, and the KZN Clothing and Textile Cluster, the TSCT was able to take Prof Dieter Liekweg of Germany to Durban. A 20 percent increase in output was achieved by participating companies.

CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Luspin, Mthatha, Eastern Cape

The TSCT liaised with the South African Bureau of Standards on behalf of this SME in respect of a capability report, further subsidised training, and certification which would allow the business to tender for government contracts.

Integral Safety Products

A production system was implemented, increasing output from 160 to 270 overalls per day.

Darkie Clothing

This is an emerging brand of clothing by young designer Themba Mnogomezulu, whose clothing is retailed by Young Designers Emporium. The TSCT prepared patterns for production and graded patterns into various sizes on the TSCT CAD system.

USABCO

USABCO, manufacturer of plastic products under the ADDIS brand, is a regular client, and was able to secure an order for products from the USA based on test reports from the TSCT.

TWR Automotive

This manufacturer of air bags and safety belts previously sent their materials to Germany for light fastness and ageing tests; however with the high quality of light fastness testing equipment at the TSCT, their materials are now tested locally. The TSCT conducted tests on safety belts for the new series Mercedes to be launched in 2007.

Testing laboratory

The testing laboratory was again audited by the CSIR on behalf of Woolworths and accredited to conduct tests according to Woolworths’ test methods until December 2007. There has been a significant growth in clientele and 1458 tests were conducted for the period under review.