Cyclic Deformation And Damage Mechanisms In Additive Manufactured Ti-6al-4v Alloy

Eligibility: UK/EU/International

Award Details: £15,000 bursary plus tuition fees

Duration: Full Time - 3 years 6 months fixed term

Application deadline: 14th June 2017

Informal enquiries are essential before application; contact Dr. Bo Chen (http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-directories/researchers/dr-bo-chen/) to discuss this opportunity.

Congratulations on taking your first steps toward a Research Degree with Coventry’s Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing. As an ambitious and innovative University, we’re investing an initial £100m into our new research strategy, ‘Excellence with Impact’ (http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/about-research-at-coventry/). Through original approaches from world-leading experts, we’re aiming for our research to make a tangible difference to the way we live. As a research student you are an integral part of Coventry’s lively and diverse research community and contribute to our reputation for excellence. With our exceptional facilities and superb support mechanisms (http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-students/research-studentships/research-studentships-the-benefits/) you are afforded every opportunity for academic success.

THE PROJECT
This research programme is funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the First Grant Scheme (Dr Bo Chen, the grant holder), and is a joint collaboration between universities of Coventry, Oxford, Leicester and Manchester, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre and the Rolls-Royce PLC.

Additive manufacturing (AM) offers a unique opportunity to form metallic objects by building matter up layer by layer, rather than removing materials from a large billet. Both electron beam melting (EBM) and selective laser melting (SLM) have been developed to produce Ti-6Al-4V metallic parts for both the aerospace and biomedical sectors. This research will support their potential application in aero-engines by developing a mechanistic understanding of cyclic deformation and fatigue damage processes at elevated temperatures in AM-built Ti-6Al-4V parts. A particular research challenge to be addressed is the effect of the presence of graded microstructures, from the bottom to the top of build, resulting from the partial re-melting of the previously built layers by the next AM layer.

The PhD candidate will need to engage actively with all the project partners. The main duty of the PhD candidate is to develop an experimentally-validated microstructure-based model to predict the cyclic deformation and damage processes of AM-built Ti-6Al-4V. The PhD candidate will have full access to all high-end microstructure characterisation tools, mechanical testing facilities, and the UK’s word-leading neutron and synchrotron X-ray large-scale facilities, as well as high performance computing. This project also comes with financial supports for attending two international conferences and present your research innovations and scientific advances to a wider community.

ABOUT THE CENTRE/DEPARTMENT
Our research in Manufacturing and Materials Engineering (http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/areas-of-research/manufacturing-materials-engineering/) builds on our historic research strengths at Coventry, and adds new research teams through investment and growth. It integrates seamlessly with the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering, our flagship collaboration with Unipart Manufacturing.

This area of research will take a holistic approach to fabrication and manufacturing, focusing on the three strands of Materials, Processes, and Products; and underpinned by our expertise in Metrology and Advanced Experimentation.

We aim to be the research partner of choice for manufacturing industry in adding value, effecting knowledge transfer, generating intellectual property, and raising new technologies from concept up through the Manufacturing Readiness Levels.

Our summary research themes:

- Process Control / Product Verification
- Advanced Metrology and Experimentation
- Supply Chain Management
- Materials for Advanced Technologies
- Integrated Product Enhancement

SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS
Successful applicants will have:

- A minimum of a 2:1 first degree in a relevant discipline/subject area with a minimum 60% mark in the Project element or equivalent with a minimum 60% overall module average, or
- A Masters Degree in a relevant subject area will be considered as an equivalent. The Masters must have been attained with overall marks at merit level (60%). In addition, the dissertation or equivalent element in the Masters must also have been attained with a mark at merit level (60%).
- The potential to engage in innovative research and to complete the PhD within a prescribed period of study
- Language proficiency (IELTS overall minimum score of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in each component).

Additionally:

- Familiar with mechanics of materials, preferably with some experience of either analytical or numerical modelling.
- Basic computer coding and/or modelling/simulation skills.
- Understand the physical metallurgy of materials and have basic knowledge of microstructure characterisation.

ELIGIBILITY & APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Application Procedure:

Application information can be found in our how to apply section. Before completing the application please contact Dr Bo Chen [Email Address Removed] (cc’ing [Email Address Removed]) for an initial informal discussion about the opportunity.

Eligibility:

All UK/EU/International students are eligible to apply that meet the academic requirements, the eligibility criteria can be found making an application page: http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-students/making-an-application/