Ultrasonically assisted severe plastic deformation

Candidates for a PhD study on "Ultrasonically assisted severe plastic deformation" are being sought. The study will take place at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom. It will commence in October 2012 (or later) and will last for three and a half years; the stipend available is approximately £14k per year.

Requirements:

• authenticated copies of your qualifications
• evidence of English proficiency (IELTS or TOEFL)
• satisfactory references

Project

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) is a method of refining grain structure and improving properties of metallic materials. From the manufacturing point of view continuous versions of SPD are much more attractive. However, the existing continuous SPD processes rely on friction to feed the material in the deformation zone. This causes problems because the friction force may not be high enough to perform the task.

The aim of the project is to check feasibility of ultrasonic excitation of SPD tools in order to reduce the feeding force required for the process.

This aim will be achieved by realizing the following objectives:
(1) FE simulation of Ultrasonic SPD (U-SPD)
(2) Designing an experimental rig for U-SPD
(3) Carrying up U-SPD experiments
(4) Structural and mechanical testing of UFG metals produced by U-SPD