IMB Professionals

Prof. Dr. Vincent Bourquin

Europe, Switzerland

Prof. Dr. Eng. Vincent Bourquin is professor at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland.

Prof. Dr. Eng. Vincent Bourquin is professor at the University of Applied Sciences of Western Switzerland (HES-SO) / HEIA-FR in Fribourg, Department of mechanical engineering.

Professional Experience

Vincent Bourquin is teaching power transmission (linear and rotative electrical motors, engineering systems, metrology, engineering design, manufacturing techniques, structural design engineering. Contribution to courses in turbomachinery and fluid power systems, in transportation, in ethics and in Engineering systems.

Vincent Bourquin is the president of the Pro Swissmetro Association promoting the idea to combine maglev with tunnel and vacuum.

Prof. Bourquin serves as a permanent member, representing Switzerland, of the “Observatoire des politiques et stratégies de transport en Europe”, OPSTE, in Paris, since 2013. He is an expert at the Federal Office of Transportation (Bern, Switzerland) in the commission for the implantation of the « Stratégie énergétique 2050 » for transportation since 2015.

He is the Co-director of the Sustainable Engineering Systems Institute - SeSi (applied research on innovative sustainable systems, products and processes development, manufacturing and operation). Coordination and research in the fields of underground transportation (Swissmetro, metro), railway equipment, hybrid motorisations, racing cars, ships and balloons, energy consumption analysis.

Research interests

  • Transport as an engineering system (interaction between technical, societal, economic and environmental spheres) and system engineering to make the system reach goals and targets defined at the engineering system level
  • Engineering design applied to transportation and mobile machinery (evacuated tunnel transportation, linear motors, hybrid-electric, electro-hydraulics, light vehicles, low consumption ships and aircrafts)
  • System modelling, design optimisation and operation optimisation
  • Telematics and automation of vehicles and processes
  • Manufacturing (3D printing for metal and concrete) and industrial production (industry 4.0). Performance simulation modelling.
  • Innovative technical architecture for efficient digital production

Industrial experience

  • Project methodologies: IPPD (Integrated Product and Process Development), value analysis, market analysis, testing definition and prototyping.
  • Definition of R&D strategies for sustainability targets.
  • Total cost of ownership analysis and optimization.
  • Multidisciplinary and multicultural projects.
  • Industry network organisation and operation.
  • Multidimensional information system for safety and reliability in healthcare and engineering.
  • Engineering design and industrial production process for electro-vehicles with experience in bikes, cars, buses, trucks, ships, portuary equipment (container mover).
  • Electromechanical technologies (rotating and linear motors, electrical contact and contactless energy transfer, levitation technologies, electrical damping systems, electrical energy storage, electrical motor design, in-wheel motor design.
  • Tunnel aerodynamics, pressure wave generation, transmission and reflection, sonic boom problems, aerodynamics of vehicles in evacuated tunnels, development of sensors.
  • Evacuated tunnel transportation system (Swissmetro): integration of linear motors, levitation, guiding system, energy transfer, development of guideway construction, tunnel construction, safety components, maintenance, light vehicle structure, vacuum systems, vehicle engineering.
  • Automated road vehicles and shuttles

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