The John Holland Research Centre is named after an important figure in Irish Engineering. It recognises the achievements of John P. Holland in the area of Fluid Dynamics in which this centre hopes to excel.
John Holland attended schools in Liscannor, Ennistymon, Co. Clare and Limerick City. He was constantly engaged in devising mechanical contrivances and designed "the mother of all submarine craft". The Holland No. 9 was the first submarine craft to be bought and commissioned by a national Government. John Holland, her inventor had built eight submarines in a series of experiments before he produced the famous boat. On the surface the boat could make six knots an hour under gasoline power and about eight knots with the assistance of the electric motor.
His inventions include a screw propeller, a hydrocarbon engine, submarine craft and an aircraft. He published "How to Fly Like a Bird," Newark, NJ: Gasser Print Shop, n.d. [ca. 1906]. Aviation experts have stated that his design would have worked, but he was beaten to the punch by the Wright brothers and abandoned his efforts.
Aims of the Centre
To develop a centre of excellence in Computational Fluid Dynamics contributing to :
- Utilising CFD and Design of Experiments to make improvements in engineering processes and products
- The development of academic excellence in CFD at the University of Limerick
Objectives of the Centre
The objectives of the Research Centre are :
- Transfer of knowledge from academia to Irish industry by applying novel R&D and Computational Fluid Dynamics to process technology
- Develop a knowledge base at the University of Limerick to advance the knowledge of Computational Fluid Dynamics and thereby enable its validation as a design tool
- To become recognised in Ireland and Europe as a centre of excellence and thereby enhance the reputation of University of Limerick internationally
