Research Studentship in Hypersonics

Research Studentship in Hypersonics

4-year D.Phil. studentship

Project: Aerothermodynamics research for hypersonic vehicles

Supervisors: Prof Matthew McGilvray, Prof Luca Di Mare and Dr Luke Doherty

Hypersonic vehicles are broadly classed as flying at five times the speed of sound, which at sea level is over 4000 miles/hour (> 1.8 km/s). At these high speeds, complex interactions occur due to the conversion of extremely high kinetic energies into the internal energy of the gas, which can reach higher temperatures than those encountered on the surface of the sun (> 5000 K). This leads to high temperature gas effects, such as dissociation and ionisation of the gas, that can strongly influence the aerodynamic forces acting on a vehicle and the heating of the vehicle.

Research would be conducted in the following topic:

Transpiration Cooling in the presence of non-equilibrium thermochemistry: The injection of a coolant into the boundary layer of a hypersonic vehicle can reduce the incoming heat flux and create a barrier to oxidation. This has shown promise and continued research, both numerical and experimental, is needed to understand the utility of this technology for use in hypersonic vehicles. This project continues on the research that has been undertaken in the Oxford Hypersonic group for the past 8 years. The project will examine the cooling effectiveness when in the presence of strong non-equilibrium thermochemistry effects that occur when the gas in front of a hypersonic vehicle is dissociated and possibly ionised.

This project offers the opportunity to undertake fundamental research in the field of hypersonics. In particular, the student may perform experiments in the unique National Wind Tunnel Facilities, applying advanced ultrafast diagnostics. Further information on the research group and facilities are available at: https://oti.eng.ox.ac.uk/research-groups/osney-hypersonics-group/

Candidate Requirements

Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:

·        A first class honours degree in Engineering, Physics or Materials Science

·        Excellent English written and spoken communication skills

The following skills are also highly desirable:

·        Programming experience (i.e. Matlab, Python, etc.)

·        Strong laboratory-based skills

Application Procedure

Informal enquiries are strongly encouraged before applying and should be addressed to Prof Matthew McGilvray ([Email Address Removed]), Prof Luca Di Mare ([Email Address Removed]) and Dr. Luke Doherty ([Email Address Removed]).

Candidates must submit a graduate application form and are expected to meet the graduate admissions criteria. Details are available on the course page of the University website.

Please quote 23ENGTH_MM in all correspondence and in your graduate application.

Application deadline: 7 April 2023

Start date: October 2023