We are seeking an enthusiastic person to join the Biohaviour (biohaviour.com) team. The airplane of the future will look and feel very different to that which we are accustomed to today. To support our targets of net zero emissions in 2050 engines will need to be even lighter than today and still cost effective. The biohaviour team is exploring new structural geometries and representations that have an organic look and feel, and we are building the tools to automatically create these geometries. The challenge to be addressed in this project is that our manufacturing capability significantly affects the resulting shape, form and material of the configuration and current design methods cannot deal with this. New design methods, CAD tools and algorithms to link with manufacturing will be created and evaluated using computer based methods and virtual reality. This project is part of a major programme funded by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) called Re-Imagining Engineering Design.
Biohaviour is a bioinspired integrated design and manufacturing system created and developed in QUB. It aims to observe the rules nature uses when designing the world around us, and to capture these in a system where they can be applied to engineering design problems. It is envisaged that by doing so it will be possible to design and manufacture innovative products, free from the constraints imposed on the designs of today by existing design processes.
This PhD will play an important role in the overall project, determining how best to create complex representations of engine structures. This will involve assessing the different potential modelling methods and to select the most promising approach to construct a representative engine structure. The second step will be to identify how the geometric description can be integrated with the advanced manufacturing approaches which Biohaviour aims to exploit (e.g. 3D printing).
In this PhD project the appropriateness of a range of different geometric modelling approaches (e.g. digital geometry, level sets) will be evaluated for this application, along with tests on the different methods of parametrisation that can be applied to each. The most appropriate approach will be implemented in a prototype framework where it will be controlled via the bioinspired rules being researched by other members of the team.
Aims and Objectives:
The aim is to determine the most effective design approach for Biohaviour applications in aircraft engine structures and to provide a useable prototype capability to the project.
The objectives are to:
- Identify the different modelling approaches that are available and suited to generative design of gas turbine engines.
- Identify the different parameterisation strategies that can be used with each geometric modelling approach
- Evaluate the different geometric modelling approaches in terms of their ability to be adapted as part of a bioinspired design system
- Evaluate the different geometric modelling approaches in terms of their ability to be manufactured using innovative manufacturing approaches
- Prepare a prototype geometric modelling environment for use in biohaviour
AEROSPACE ENGINEERING OVERVIEW
Doing a PhD in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is a highly rewarding experience. You will carry out your research in a friendly and supportive environment, supervised by academics who are leaders in their field, using well-equipped laboratories and research facilities, alongside students from all over the world. We have around 100 students enrolled on a PhD at a time. The School has a vibrant PhD student mentoring programme and a student led Research Culture Committee.
The School’s research is focused around six interconnected research themes: Advanced Manufacturing and Processing, Future Aircraft, Composite Materials and Structures, Simulation Technologies, Clean Energy and Biomaterials and Biomechanics.
PhD opportunities are available in a wide range of subjects aligned to the specific expertise of our PhD supervisors. Many are linked with leading companies and organisations.
Key Facts
Research students are encouraged to play a full and active role in the research activities undertaken within the School. Students attend international conferences and participate in relevant external academic and industrial networks worldwide.
- The School has strong links with both local and international engineering employers, and has longstanding relationships with companies such as Airbus, Caterpillar, ExxonMobil, Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Lotus, McLaren F1 and Rolls-Royce.
- PhD research contributes to major interdisciplinary centres in the University, including:
- •Northern Ireland Advanced Composites and Engineering Centre (NIACE)
- •Polymer Processing Research Centre (PPRC)
- •Northern Ireland Technology Centre (NITC)
- The School has well equipped laboratories and great research facilities. PhD students share offices alongside postdoctoral staff. The School has Research Culture Committee to enhance the research environment of the School and support PhD students.
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