Alfredo Fantetti (ESR4) - Secondment at Politecnico di Torino from 20 February to 20 April 2019
Secondment at Politecnico di Torino from 20 February to 20 April 2019.
The first secondment of my project was in Politecnico di Torino, right after the Mid-Term Review in Barcelona.
My goal was to perform experiments with the friction rig in Politecnico and to compare them with the results obtained from the friction rig in Imperial College, in order to check that both rigs could provide the same results, confirming their reliability and accuracy.
During the months before moving to Politecnico, I had to prepare a feasible test plan and order the specimens for both rigs (manufactured from the same batch of material for a more reliable comparison). I organized several conference calls with my Supervisor and the Professors from Politecnico for this purpose.
I was really excited to start this experience, as I previously studied in Politecnico before starting my PhD in London, and coming back after few years would have certainly been an emotional experience.
In addition to that, I was really curious to apply the knowledge I built in Imperial to the friction rig of Politecnico. The opportunity to work with two different test rigs, which could measure the same parameters, would have certainly widened my experience in experimental setups.
During the first month in Politecnico there has been a delay in the specimen’s manufacturing. But this has not been a big problem, as I had the opportunity to interact with the researchers of the AERMEC lab of Politecnico, and I created opportunities for further collaborations. I collaborated with a Post-doc in Torino for the design of a damper to assess the effect of wear on turbine blades. I also started a new project with Reddy (ESR1) on the numerical modelling of wear. Finally, Reddy and I also prepared an experimental setup for normal contact stiffness measurements and we are still working on it now.
Regarding my work, once the specimens arrived I started the experimental campaign which I planned in the previous months. I collected a huge amount of data, and since the time was not enough, I proposed to a Master student from Politecnico to finish the experimental campaign.
Now, we are in the process of post processing the data, and we are really getting many useful insights on the contact behaviour. The next step is to assess a comparison with the results from the Imperial rig.
Summing up, I strongly believe that my secondment in Politecnico has been a successful experience, and I am really looking forward to completing this analysis and continuing the collaborations established with the colleagues in Torino!
P.S. Now I am in Russia with other ESRs for the Summer School on engines’ construction.
удачного дня!!!:)
Alfredo Fantetti