Research Fellow

All UK vacanciesAcademic or ResearchResearch Fellow

Physical and Environmental Sciences,Materials Science,Physics and Astronomy,Engineering and Technology,Metallurgy and Minerals Technology

Short info about job

Company: University of Birmingham

Department: School of Metallurgy and Materials within the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Salary: £29,301 to £38,183 With potential progression once in post to £40,523 a year.

Hours: Full Time

Contract type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Type / Role: Academic or Research

Phone: +44-1229 5702972

Fax: +44-1202 5470886

E-mail: N\A

Site:

Detail information about job Research Fellow. Terms and conditions vacancy

Fixed term for up to 36 months

Grade 7 - Full time starting salary is normally in the range £29,301 to £38,183. With potential progression once in post to £40,523 a year.

The research will take place within a collaborative group formed of the University of Birmingham, the University of Greenwich, and the University of Oxford, with interested industrial members. Principally, the research will involve the use of a completely novel (non-contact) ultrasound generation device, invented by Greenwich University, and known as the top-coil. The role of the Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham will be to explore the effect of the top-coil in several applications.

This will principally be;

The effect of the top coil on liquid metal quality, particularly with regard to grain refinement in Al alloys, expulsion of Al oxides from the melt, to enhance liquid metal cleanliness and degassing, to remove dissolved H2 and further enhance melt quality. Following laboratory studies, the technique may then be scaled up and tested in the sump of a DC-caster at Oxford University, in collaboration with Prof. Keyna O'Reilly. This work will be carried out on an industrial Al alloy, and will evaluate the effect of the contactless sonotrode operating in a DC caster on (i). Grain size, (ii). Compositional homogeneity and (iii). Morphology of low melting point Fe-rich phases,

Following this work a Positron Emission Particle Tracking technique, (devised by the School of Physics in the University of Birmingham), will be deployed to track and study the behaviour of radioactive particles in liquid metal, with a view to developing the technique to operate with reduced sizes of radioactive particles, down to 20 µm, for validation of models of fluid flow (stirring) and cavitation, developed by the other partners.

Cavitation generated by ultrasound may also occur with gas pockets trapped within the agglomerated particles. In this work such agglomerates will be constructed by sintering together radioactive particles, to trap air pockets between them, to determine if cavitation shatters and disperses such agglomerates.

UST techniques have been extensively investigated as a means to manufacture metal-matrix composites, in both micro- and nano-forms, but there has as yet been no practicable working technique developed. The contactless sonotrode device will be examined for its suitability as a means of making ODS steels for the nuclear industry, using a conventional casting route, but containing dispersed ceramic particles, in contrast to the current preferred route of powder metallurgy.

Much of the work described will be carried out in Al alloys, as being relatively low temperature materials that are easy to handle. To demonstrate the versatility of the contactless sonotrode it is proposed to also apply the technique to a Ni-base super alloy. The contactless sonotrode technique will be used to determine its ability to grain refine an investment cast, air-melted Ni-base super alloy, without, and in conjunction with, the current practice of a mould wash containing cobalt aluminide.

Person Specification

  • An undergraduate degree and a postgraduate PhD degree in an Engineering, Materials or Physics-related discipline.

Informal enquiries should be directed to William Griffiths at [email protected]

To download the details and submit an electronic application online please click on the Apply Online button below; please quote Job Reference in all enquiries. Alternatively information can be obtained from 0121 415 9000 or visit www.birmingham.ac.uk/jobs

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