The Industry and Innovation Research Institute (I2Ri) draws on talents, expertise and facilities across Sheffield Hallam University. The vision is to be the leading provider of applied research excellence delivering materials, computing, science and engineering innovations meeting the development needs of industry.
This project is part of a Graduate Teaching Assistants scheme, in which the successful applicant will undertake certain teaching duties associated with the student experience, in addition to working towards a PhD qualification. They contribute to up to 180 hours of support for research or teaching related activity per academic year. This activity forms part of the scholarship award and there is no additional payment.
PhD Research Topic
Energy sustainability and NetZero are global priorities. A primary component of the UK’s solution is the development of viable nuclear fusion reactors and the UKAEA’s Spherical Tokomak Energy Production (STEP) project is leading this development in the UK. Materials performance requirements in reactor pressure vessels are continuously pushing boundaries and particularly so in STEP, where the operational environment is extreme. A long-standing problem in design of safety critical structures is the validity of experimental data in driving analytical and numerical models, often exacerbated by the size of specimen required to produce valid data in high strength structural materials. It is critical to overcome this problem to accelerate materials qualification for fusion timescales.
A particular application is the study of complex cooling channels in reactor pressure vessels and the influence of constraint (geometry changing the stress field) on mechanical behaviour. To increase both confidence and performance in such structures we require development of rich-data experimental methods to drive valid models based on viable physical testing. This PhD project will apply of state of the art measurement methods to obtain high fidelity full field digital optical data and use these to drive development of analytical models of the constitutive behavior of advanced steels to address performance and confidence issues. These will feed into numerical materials models using finite element analysis to predict material behaviour.
A key aim of this project is to increase the data available from a single test at the extreme of specimen geometry through innovative test design, as many of the required measurements in developing materials models are made on large testing matrices or require specimens of a scale beyond practical testing.
The project will run in collaboration with the recently established Experimental Mechanics team at the Applied Materials Technology Group in the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Rotherham and Culham facilities. This collaboration will enable the project to work with the latest development of nuclear steel and ensure that the range and scope of the work fits directly with the strategic requirements of fusion power development.
Candidates will ideally have some experience of materials testing and experimental stress analysis, and a basic knowledge of computational solid mechanics possibly linked failure analysis to support the numerical modelling. The PhD will develop practical experience in these areas with support from state of the art facilities and teams at both SHU and UKAEA, support for spending time in facilities in Rotherham and Culham is also included.
Eligibility
Applicants should hold a 1st or 2:1 Honours degree in either Engineering, Physics, Materials Science or a related discipline. A Master’s degree in a related area is desirable. We are offering this as a full-time PhD scholarship. We welcome applications from all candidates irrespective of age, pregnancy and maternity, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, or marital or civil partnership status. We particularly invite candidates from Black, Asian and minority ethnic British students.
Information for International applicants
We have a mandatory English language requirement of IELTS 7 with a score of at least 6.5 in all test areas, or equivalent language qualification, for all applicants to whom English is not their first language. This qualification should have been taken within the last two years.
Further information about equivalent English language qualifications can be found here
Generally, the shortfall between the Home and International fee, currently around £10,300 per year, will need to be covered by the student for the duration of the studentship. As part of the Sheffield Hallam PhD scholarship programme, additional funding may be made available to assist International students with this fee gap. This additional funding is limited, though, and will only be offered to exceptional International applicants. Allocation of this additional funding will be based on information obtained through the standard GTA recruitment process, and no additional application will be required.
How to apply
We strongly recommend you contact a member of the supervisory team before making an application.
To apply for this GTA scholarship, please use our online application form.
You must ensure that you upload:
1. A letter of intent (1 page maximum) detailing why you are interested in the project and how your experience and background can make you the best candidate for this project. Please also identify potential areas you can contribute to within the teaching departments associated with this project. (Please upload this in place of a proposal)
2. Two letters of reference, one must be from an academic and both must be dated within the last 2 years (if you are not able to collate these by the application deadline please include referee details and these can follow afterwards).
3. Copy of your highest degree certificate (if available).
4. Non-UK applicants must submit IELTs results (or equivalent) taken in the last two years and a copy of their passport.
The closing date for all applications is 11:59pm (UK time) 12 May 2023. Ensure that applications are submitted before the deadline as late applications will not be accepted.
Interviews are scheduled for: 6 June 2023 onwards
Further information about our research degrees can be found here
An Overview of the GTA scheme can be found here
The Conditions of the Award can be found here
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