High temperature testing

The Materials Engineering Group has an international reputation for its research activity in the fields of residual stress measurement and analysis, high-temperature materials behaviour and materials characterisation. We have an excellent suite of testing facilities on campus, ranging from X-ray residual stress measurement to state-of-the-art electron microscopy. We have invested over £1.6 million in research equipment and infrastructure, and the group’s research is currently supported by around £2 million of external income. We work closely with a range of industrial partners.

High-temperature performance of materials is important to applications in aerospace and power generation. We have one of the largest UK university creep facilities for characterising high-temperature deformation of materials, and are developing novel non-contact strain measurement methods, such as high temperature digital image correlation (DIC) for characterisation of deformation in welded joints.

Entry requirements

Minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree (or equivalent). If you are not a UK citizen, you may need to prove your knowledge of English. 

Potential research projects

Project areas are available depending on funding, but we would expect to recruit in the following general areas:

• Multiscale characterisation of creep deformation of materials for fusion reactor
• Creep of materials for power plants
• Application of digital image correlation at high temperature
• High-temperature weld integrity assessment

Current/recent research projects

• Application of Digital Image Correlation to characterisation of weld mechanical properties
• Testing techniques of miniature samples for determining residual creep life
• Residual stress and creep performance of P91 pipe girth welds

Potential supervisors

• Dr Salih Gungor
• Dr Hedieh Jazaeri
• Dr Richard Moat

Fees and funding

For detailed information about fees and funding, visit Fees and studentships.

To see current funded studentship vacancies across all research areas, see Current studentships.

Links

• Research in Engineering