About the Project
The PhD project forms part of the Intensive Industrial Innovation Programme (IIIP) which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
The IIIP Programme is a collaboration between Durham, Newcastle and Teesside and Northumbria Universities and aims to encourage a culture of innovation that benefits business, leading to greater export opportunities and increased graduate employment.
The Programme enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop new products and services.
This project will be a collaboration between Northumbria University and The Home Engineers (NE) Ltd.
PhD student will be based at Northumbria University and The Home Engineers (NE) Ltd.
The off-site modular building system (MBS) holds promising advantages over conventional construction methods. Incorporation of innovative cold-formed steel (CFS) members into MBS is needed to enhance the structural performance in terms of load-carrying capacity. The cross-sectional flexibility in manufacturing profiles of CFS will allow for innovative beams. However, suitable manufacturing constraints need to be maintained to ensure practicality in construction.
Therefore, the overall aim of this research is to advance the knowledge and understanding of the structural performance of innovative Modular Construction Beams (MCB) made of cold-formed steel using experimental, theoretical, and advanced Finite Element (FE) analyses. This research will enable developing appropriate design rules for innovative Modular Construction Beams (MCB) within the framework of European and International standards to enhance the commercial aspects and to explore the use of innovative sections for modular building applications.
The specific tasks of this study are to,
1. Conduct a thorough literature review on CFS beams, modular building, full-scale structural tests, and finite element analyses.
2. Develop innovative Modular Construction Beams based on detailed literature review, case studies, theoretical studies and computer modelling.
3. Investigate the structural performance of innovative Modular Construction Beams using full-scale structural tests.
4. Develop and validate 3-D advanced finite element models against test results.
5. Extend finite element models to generate a wide range of results data set and propose new design equations for innovative Modular Construction Beams in line with European and International Standards.
Principal Supervisor: A/Prof Keerthan Poologanathan. Co-Supervisors: Dr Brabha Nagaratnam and A/Prof Marco Corradi.
Please note eligibility requirement:
* Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
* Appropriate IELTS Score (6.5 or above), if required.
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please note: Applications that do not include a research proposal of approximately 1,000 words (not a copy of the advert), or that do not include the advert reference (e.g. ERDF20/EE/MCE/POOLOGANATHANKeerthan) will not be considered.
Deadline for applications: Midnight 15th July 2020
Interviews will be arranged to take place during the week commencing 27 July 2020
PhD Start Date: 1st October 2020
Northumbria University takes pride in, and values, the quality and diversity of our staff. We welcome applications from all members of the community. The University holds an Athena SWAN Bronze award in recognition of our commitment to improving employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.
Funding Notes
The studentship is available to Home and EU students with a full stipend, paid for three years at RCUK rates (for 2020/21, this is £15,285 p.a.) and full Home/ EU Fees. The stipend will be part-funded by the ERDF grant and the University. The sponsor company will fund up to the home fee amount. Applicants from outside the UK/EU are not eligible for this award unless they are able to self-fund the difference between UK/EU domestic fees and international fees: (https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/fees-funding/international-fees-funding/international-pgr-fees/)
References
Keerthan, P. and Mahendran, M., 2010. Experimental studies on the shear behaviour and strength of LiteSteel beams. Engineering Structures, 32(10), pp.3235-3247.
Siahaan, R., Mahendran, M. and Keerthan, P., 2016. Section moment capacity tests of rivet fastened rectangular hollow flange channel beams. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 125, pp.252-262.
Siahaan, R., Keerthan, P. and Mahendran, M., 2016. Finite element modeling of rivet fastened rectangular hollow flange channel beams subject to local buckling. Engineering Structures, 126, pp.311-327.
Gatheeshgar, P., Poologanathan, K., Gunalan, S., Nagaratnam, B., Tsavdaridis, K. and Ye, J., 2020. Structural behaviour of optimized cold‐formed steel beams. Steel Construction.
Perampalam, G., Dobson, R., Poologanathan, K., Tsavdaridis, K., Nagaratnam, B. and Iacovidou, E., 2019. Modular Building Design: Post‐Brexit Housing. ce/papers, 3(3-4), pp.219-224.
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