RG
Rupert Glover
Design and Engineering Portfolio
About
Rupert Glover, MEng
Hello, my name is Rupert!
I am an engineer, having graduated from the University of Bath in Mechanical Engineering, with Manufacturing and Management as my degree specialisation. After enjoying some post-graduation time for travelling and personal growth, I am currently looking to rejoin the world of engineering and put the skills I have learnt to affect meaningful and positive change in the world around us.
The website is intended to be a visual accompaniment to my CV for the discretion of potential employers. I hope you enjoy learning about some of the projects I am most proud of, and gladly welcome any discussion about the projects or my employment.
Unless otherwise stated, all creative works on this site have been produced and are the property of Rupert Glover. Reproduction or display are forbidden unless expressly permitted by the author.
Engineering & Design
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Bath University Rocket Team
Bath University Rocket Team (BRT) was a project I led to design, test, and manufacture a sounding rocket to launch at the Spaceport America Cup in 2019. It remains as one of my proudest academic achievements, and some of the most fun I have had as an engineer to date.
The project began in February 2018 as a small team of five engineers in their penultimate year of study who had the collective goal to further the University of Bath's involvement in space and rocketry. We managed to persuade the faculty to establish Bath University Rocket Team as an official university project and recruited a further seven engineers, totalling five mechanical engineers, six aeronautical engineers, and one electrical engineer. Passion was never a shortage in the team, and as project manager it was my job to ensure this passion was directed in the right places to ensure the team could achieve what we set out to do, to design, manufacture, and launch a sounding rocket to 10,000ft at the Spaceport America Cup 2019.
In the year and a half I was in charge of the project:
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We raised a budget of over £8000 from a mixture of crowd funding, private corporate sponsorship, and University trust funding
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We became the fastest growing competition team at the university, jumping from five third-year students to fifty four members from all year groups and a wide variety of academic field
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Four Masters' level research projects involving the rocket were conducted, such as hybrid rocket engine development, composite refinement and improvement, and electronic aerospace test plan development
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My research project into composite fin attachment was chosen as one of twenty teams out of the full 100+ teams at the Spaceport America Cup to be presented to a panel of judges and fellow engineers due to its significance to rocket development
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We established the University of Bath as one of the first UK teams to launch a sounding rocket in the New Mexico desert at the Spaceport America Cup 2019
Further reading/links:
Optimising Fin Manufacture for Sounding Rocket
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Master's Thesis written by myself on the topic of optimising the laminae layup of a composite fin for the purposes of aerodynamic and structural stability during sub- and trans-sonic flight
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Report written by myself and mechanical engineering half of team covering the management of the project, deliverables, and key timeline of the project
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Final assembly drawing of the rocket made by myself and the integration engineer using Autodesk Inventor
3D Design and Rapid Prototyping
Ever since my first hands-on experience with rapid prototyping from the world's first self-replicating 3D printer, developed at the University of Bath, I've been fascinated by the ability to create complex models and mechanisms without complex human involvement. This has naturally progressed to me possessing my own 3D printer, an Ender 3 Pro, and with the use of AutoDesk Fusion I am often trying out new designs and creations.
The Problem Having multiple bikes, I'm often needing to swap accessories like lights between them. Having multiple mounts that can remain fixed to the bike would make the process much more convenient.
The Solution Using a pre-existing model available free online to cut down on the time needed to measure and copy the existing interface between light and mount, I then built a custom mount which directly fit my bike's handlebars.
Lessons Learned The biggest difficulty was designing around the inherent inter-layer weakness of 3D printing. This was particularly relevant with the release clip of the mount as it relied on elastic deformation of the material. By trialling the print in various lay-up directions as well as layer thicknesses and infill patterns, and I was able to rapidly prototype the design and find a set up which was able to withstand regular use.
Remixed from Bontrager Ion 700 GoPro by N4Spd
The Problem I wished to create custom and unique Christmas presents for friends.
The Solution 3D printing is well suited to the quick creation of completely custom designs. There is a wealth of open source designs available online as a base, and these can be adapted using CAD modelling software.
Lessons Learned These designs gave me a chance to work on my CAD skills, in particular the adaption of surface mesh to solid models. Furthermore, the detail of the designs required careful calibration of print settings such as layer height, feed speed, and temperature control.
Yorkshire Pencil Holder Map is an original creation by myself
Candle holder remixed from design by MeisterEdel
Yarn Bowl remixed from design by Grimsl
Volunteering
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I am fortunate to have parents who fostered in me a strong sense of community and giving back. I frequently volunteer my time to a range of causes that hold personal importance to me, and in return I have a chance to learn and develop new skills. Click on the images below for an explanation of my volunteering
Reviews
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I take great pride in the work I produce and the experiences of my clients. I have compiled a small selection of reviews from my time as a bicycle workshop manager as proof of my commitment to customers' wellbeing
