1. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
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Patents
What I offer...
• to the Automotive Suspension Systems sector...
– Design studies, trouble-shooting, IP generation, design methodologies, consulting services.
• to the Product Design and Engineering Services sector...
– Highly specialised analysis and design of linkages, mechanisms and vibration isolation systems.
• A tangible and proven methodology for innovation...
– ...that eschews “black art” and provides fresh solutions with a solid engineering foundation.
• Experience and versatility, enthusiasm and professional integrity
– A 15 year career in suspension design, encompassing passenger cars, commercial vehicles & racing.
– A fascination with linkages and compliant systems, and a passion for what I do.
• Long or short term contracts
– Long term collaborations with a view to IP generation, or shorter term contracts with a specific project brief.
3. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
1981 - 1988: Bolton School (www.boltonschool.org)
1989 - 1993: Durham University (www.dur.ac.uk)
BSc Mechanical/Manufacturing Engineering: 1st Class Honours
(IMechE prize for Final Year Project)
MSc by research: “Optimisation of Ventilated Brake Disc Design”
(funded by Ford Motor Company)
4. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Student engineer - Ford of Europe (1988 - 1991)
• Selected for Ford’s Undergraduate Sponsorship Programme (Product Design)
• 6 placements of 3 months each in various F.o.E. departments
– Research & Engineering (Dunton), Manufacturing Engineering (Halewood, Dagenham)
• Before and during university degree course
5. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Chassis CAE engineer - Jaguar Cars Ltd. (1993 - 1994)
• Chassis Design Analysis function of Jaguar Cars (R&D Centre, Coventry)
• Joined Jaguar following a speculative application during a hiring ban
• Primarily concerned with modelling chassis and engine mounting components
– Static and dynamic, linear and non-linear FEA models
– Extensive use of NASTRAN, ABAQUS and SDRC I-DEAS
“I personally feel that Barney’s departure is a loss to Jaguar of quite a rare and exceptional talent.”
David Hier, Principal Engineer – Chassis Engineering, Jaguar Cars Ltd., December 1994
6. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Project leader/engineer - Randle Engineering Solutions Ltd. (1995 - 2000)
• Management and execution of vehicle dynamics and suspension design projects
– Technical activities including CAD, MBS (Adams), FEA, onsite vehicle development work
– Involvement in business development activities: presentations to prospective clients, conferences etc.
• Projects included...
– Concept studies Rolls-Royce & Bentley, DaimlerChrysler, IVECO...
– NVH troubleshooting Visteon, Rolls-Royce & Bentley ...
– Production designs Motor Coach Industries, Rolls-Royce & Bentley, Rover ...
– Consulting services Tata Technologies (Indica/Indigo) ...
– Simulation/modelling Audi AG, Heil Trailer International, Vickers Defence Systems ...
“Barney... possesses that rare intuitive quality that truly allows him to be considered an engineer, in the most meaningful sense of the word.”
Steve Randle, Director, Randle Engineering Solutions Ltd. , May 2000
7. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Senior engineer - Magneti Marelli Sistemi Sospensioni SpA (2000 - 2005)
• Responsible for a small innovation team working on suspension architectures
– Proof of concept studies
– Detailed design of prototypes
– Supervision of prototype build and on-track testing of demonstrator vehicles
• Proposed concept of flexible structural components to reduce cost and enhance K&C
– Examples of which being the FLECS, TORCS and U-Link architectures
– Demonstrator vehicles acclaimed by Ford, Nissan, PSA, Mercedes, Chrysler, VDI magazine and others
• Development of kinematic and compliant linkage design methodologies
• Frequent participation in business development activities
– OEM presentations, drive appraisals, lectures, exhibitions etc.
“It is more or less our duty as [vehicle] dynamicists to understand this theory and apply its thinking to enhance future cars.”
Jonas Jarlmark, in his article on the U-Link suspension published in Vehicle Dynamics International magazine, May 2008
8. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Three guiding principles...
• First Principles Engineering “As in music...the man who understands every note
will the more readily comprehend the whole.” Charles Darwin
• Simplicity “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,
but when there is nothing more to take away.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
• Elegance “Elegance is achieved when a variety of roles
is accepted by each part of a whole.” Krome Barratt
9. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Tools
• Licenses owned* PTC Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 CAD software
PTC Pro/ENGINEER Mechanica Finite Element Analysis
PTC Pro/ENGINEER Mechanism Dynamics Multi-Body Systems
PTC ProductView Digital Mock-Up environment
• Languages English Native
Italian C1 (full professional proficiency)
Danish C1 (full professional proficiency)
* Employed only when necessary to supplement reasoning, mathematics, pencil and paper...
10. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Publications
IMechE C513/008/96* “The Design of an Innovative Tri-Axle Coach Suspension System”
SAE 1999-01-0046 “Roll Centres and Jacking Forces in Independent Suspensions”
SAE 2002-01-0281 “Kinematic Suspension Linkages –
A Model For Their Behaviour And A Procedure For Their Design”
FISITA F2004F301 “Independent Suspension Systems Incorporating Flexible Control Arms –
Elevated Elasto-kinematic Performance With Simplified Architectures”
SAE 2005-01-1719 “The Equivalent Elastic Mechanism:
A Tool for the Analysis and the Design of Compliant Suspension Linkages”
Ingegneria dell’ “Suspension Architectures Design”
Autoveicolo – series of three articles Nov ‘05 to Mar ’06 (ATA Italy)
* Co-authored by Steve Randle
11. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Awards
• 2007 Frost & Sullivan Chassis Innovation Award FLECS suspension architecture
• 2007 SAE Arch T. Colwell Merit Award SAE paper 2005-01-1719
• 2002 SAE Outstanding Oral Presentation Award SAE paper 2002-01-0281
• 1999 SAE Outstanding Oral Presentation Award SAE paper 1999-01-0046
• 1992 IMechE University Final Year Project Award BSc final year project
12. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
Patents
• 9 patent applications for suspension architectures and components as sole inventor
– To date: 6 granted, 3 pending, 0 rejected or contested
• Patents include:
– Randle Engineering Solutions: Advanced Compliance Control (ACC) suspension architecture
– Magneti Marelli: FLECS, TORCS, U-Link and other suspension architectures
• Full list available by searching esp@cenet (European Patent Office website)
– http://ep.espacenet.com/quickSearch?locale=en_EP search for “Gerrard Miles”
13. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
14. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
15. Barney GERRARD
Vehicle Suspension Systems Consultant
Overview Education Philosophy Publications
Contact Career path Tools Awards
Patents
