The Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Metallic Systems is a partnership between industry partners and the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester and the I-Form Advanced Manufacturing Centre, Dublin. CDT students undertake a doctorate with an in-depth technical and professional skills training across a structured 4-year programme. For more information on our cohort training programme and our impact from our doctoral research projects with industry please visit www.metallicscdt.co.uk.
This project is based at the University of Sheffield and is sponsored by British Steel. It is open to candidates with a strong degree in a STEM discipline. International applications may be considered for candidates with an IELTS standard of 7.0 or higher overall.
Future sustainability in the transportation sector will require a shift from personal transport toward public transport. Key in this drive will be a sustainable rail system built on a sustainable rail infrastructure.
Within the current rail infrastructure, steel accounts for around 43% of the embedded carbon but, on the positive side, steel is 100% recyclable. This project aims to scientifically investigate the role of steel within the rail infrastructure from both an engineering, and techno-economic perspective.
For years the ties between engineering functions and business functions, within both business and academia, have been very distinct. This project aims to blur the lines between these disciplines by encompassing both a real experimental engineering perspective, and a ‘true to life’ business application/model with respect to rail infrastructure.
From an engineering viewpoint, the project will leverage UKRRIN, the UK Rail Research Innovation Network of which University of Sheffield and British Steel are founding members. There is an extensive state-of-the-art equipment set located at both British Steel and University of Sheffield to address sustainability of steel infrastructure components through accelerated life cycle assessments and real testing. This work will be carried out both at Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering and British Steel R&D.
From a techno-economic viewpoint, the project will investigate:
• A ‘cost function’ for carbon in steel railway components as a weighted combination of all the factors influencing productive life, performance, and the costs
• Linked to the above, exploration of sensitivity to where the system boundary is defined
• Optimisation– are there some non-obvious ways to maximise outcomes?
• Alternative business models for infrastructure – lease or own?
This work will be carried out at The University of Sheffield’s Management School, and with British Steel’s Commercial and Marketing Teams. By combining these aspects with the engineering research this project has the potential to challenge the separation of engineering and commercial disciplines and produce a well-rounded graduate for which industry is craving.
For more information please contact David Fletcher ([Email Address Removed]). Application close date is 16 May 2021.But the project may be allocated earlier if the right candidate is found.