PhD Studentship: Monitoring and Toughening of High Performance Composite Structure

Short info about job

Detail information about job PhD Studentship: Monitoring and Toughening of High Performance Composite Structure. Terms and conditions vacancy

Application Deadline: No deadlineStart Date: FlexibleEligibility: UK, EU, International (self-funded)Duration of award: 3 years

Supervisors: Dr. Hamed Yazdani Nezhad Dr. Vijay Thakur Kumar

This Self-funded PhD project is available at the Enhanced Composites and Structures Centre at Cranfield University on toughening/strengthening and in-situ monitoring of aerospace grade fibre-reinforced polymer composites structures.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work with the industrial partners, external collaborators and a team of researchers at the Centre in collaboration with the Through-life Engineering Centre at Cranfield University, aiming to develop and optimise a novel toughening and in-situ measurement technique for high performance composite. The materials, consumables and research facilities will be supplied by the industrial partners and the Centre.

The globally growing market of polymer composites in high performance critical structures such as aerospace has necessitated structural toughening and monitoring. Two industrial-oriented scientific PhD researches, to be carried out at the Enhanced Composites and Structures Centre at Cranfield University in collaboration with the Through-life Engineering Services Centre, aim to develop and optimise novel toughening and in-situ measurement techniques for high performance composite. These will be carried out in close collaboration with the projects’ industrial partners. The technology will directly be applicable to a variety of composite industries from the highly conservative aerospace industry to automotive, and to renewable energy sectors.

The successful candidate will be involved in an intense three year PhD research via experimental and numerical analysis. This will involve a variety of polymer matrix composite processing and testing. Furthermore, the researchers will be responsible to carry out mechanical testing and characterisation on the composite specimens, along with computational modelling in multi-scale to understand the underlying physics of the developed composite.

The PhD candidate will be expected to work with the rest of the team at the Centre and collaboratively with the project’s industrial partners, and to publish the work in high impact composite journals and proceedings.

The candidate will have the opportunity of learning about high performance composite structures and its significance for aircraft airworthiness, working on novel material embedment and monitoring, learning about non-destructive inspection techniques, and working with researchers and world-class facilities in the two Centres.

Entry requirements:

The applicant should have a first or second class UK honours degree or equivalent in a related discipline, such as engineering or material science. The ideal candidate should have understanding in the area of polymer composites manufacturing, testing and numerical modelling. The candidate should be self-motivated, have fluent communication skills in English with appropriate language certification for regular interaction with the industrial partners and other stakeholders. The applicant should also express their interest for scientific and industrial oriented research. The applicant is encouraged to first directly email Dr. Yazdani Nezhad with their CV and an expression of interest letter.

Funding:

Self-funded (funding for materials and consumables are provided by the industrial partner)

How to apply:

For further details about the positions and projects please email Dr. Yazdani Nezhad: [email protected]

If you are eligible to apply for this research studentship, please complete the online application form

For further information contact us today:

School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing T: 44 (0)1234 758008 E: [email protected]