Department of Engineering Design

Contact information

The Department of mechanical engineering design was founded in 1960. as the Department of engineering design basics. The Department has been active in the field of machine elements, geared and hydrostatic transmissions and devices, as well as elements of transport technic and ship's deck machinery.

Lectures are given in the field of: design in mechanical engineering, numerical methods in design, machine elements, mechanical power transmissions, fluid power systems and control, gear transmissions, tribology, industrial transport equipment and devices, ship’s deck machinery, technical logistics, mechatronics, precision engineering, microsystems technologies, MEMS and NEMS, measurement systems, engineering graphics and documenting, modelling by computer, engineering visualization, boundary element method. Lifelong Learning: 3D modelling.

Members of the department have taken or take part in several research projects. The results of their research have been published in numerous papers presented at relevant conferences at home and abroad, as well as printed in relevant domestic and foreign journals.

 

The Department has organized two important international scientific conferences.

 

The Department has cooperated with many industrial entities as well as with numerous foreign and domestic tertiary education facilities.

 

Several masters and doctoral theses have been defended at the Department.

 

Several instructional aids have been made and handbooks have been published by members of the Department in order to fulfil the needs of vocational and university studies.

 

The former Department heads are:

Prof. D. Sc.  Josip Obsieger,

Prof. D. Sc.  Zlatko Šverer,

Prof. D. Sc.  Božidar Križan,

Prof. D. Sc.  Gordana Marunić,

Prof. D. Sc.  Boris Obsieger,

Prof. D. Sc.  Saša Zelenika,

Prof. D. Sc. Neven Lovrin.

 

The research and development activities of the Department cover:

Hydraulic hybrid drives, water hydraulic systems, characterisation and numerical modelling of  material behaviour, mechanical engineering design, contact problems in machine elements, modelling, precision engineering (compliant mechanisms, ultra-high precision positioning, structural analysis, integration into mechatronics devices, measurement techniques, equipment for synchrotron radiation), energy and information transmission in hydraulic and pneumatic systems, estimation of material properties by means of classical methods and neural networks, micro-systems technologies: MEMS, handling, assembly and packaging, scaling effects, microfabrication, energy scavenging, fatigue of materials, gear transmissions, planetary gears, high transverse contact ratio gears.

 

Current and past research projects of the Department:

Automated system for tissue parameter identification, Marina Franulović, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, 2012 – 2013, bilateral Croatian – Slovenian research and scientific project

 

GOLDFISH – Detection of Watercourse Contamination in Developing Countries using Sensor Networks - Enlarged, Saša Zelenika, 2013-2015, EU FP7 research and scientific project

 

Croatian terminology of hydraulics and pneumatics, Croatian Science Foundation, project leader D. Siminiati, 01.05.2012. - 30.04.2013.

 

Croatian Terminology of Machine Elements, The National Foundation for Science, Higher Education and Technological Development of the Republic of Croatia, project leader B. Križan, 01.10.2010. - 30.09.2011.

 

Analysis of nitrogen-related defects in compound semiconductors, 009-0982886-0542, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, partner Saša Zelenika, 2007-2014, research and scientific project

 

Characterization and modelling of materials and structures for innovative applications, Scientific support of University of Rijeka, Robert Basan, 2014-2016

 

Characterisation and modelling of material behaviour for lightweight and innovative designs, MZOS-DAAD, 2014-2015, project leader R. Basan, international Croatian-German scientific project

 

Materials, Durability and Load Capacity of Modern Gear Transmissions, 069-0692195-1796, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, Božidar Križan, 2007- 2013, research and scientific project

 

ME4CataLOgue - Mechanical Engineering for Catalogue, Workgroup leader of IPA IV project (for partner Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka) Marina Franulović, 2013-2015

 

Ultra-high precision compliant devices for micro and nanotechnology applications, 069-0692195-1792, Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, Saša Zelenika, 2007-2014, research and scientific project

 

Development of evolutionary methods for material parameter identification, Initial scientific support of University of Rijeka, Marina Franulović, 2014-2016

 

Development of mathematical model of rolling-sliding-contact fatigue crack initiation and growth, Faculty of Engineering, University of Rijeka; FH Joanneum Graz; MU Leoben, project leader R. Basan, 2010-2011, international Croatian-Austrian scientific project

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