Impact performance of sports balls – evaluation and simulation.

Many sports rely on the consistent performance of a variety of different balls undergoing repeated impacts. The design of these balls, and our understanding of the implications for the objects the interact with (e.g. bats, rackets, playing surfaces, human body parts, protective equipment for human body parts), relies on computational analysis backed up by experimental evaluation of impact phenomena. Recent and proposed advance in these areas will influence the rules and regulations in sport, but also a broader understanding of other impact scenarios in the years to come. This PhD is a career launching opportunity to make a significant contribution to international developments in ball, sports equipment and human impact research.

Links to find out more
The work is currently supported by the ECB sport science and medicine team, the FIH and the UK Home Office Centre for Applied Science and Technology:
https://www.ecb.co.uk/national-cricket-performance-centre/sport-science-and-medicine-team
https://www.ecb.co.uk/national-cricket-performance-centre/sport-science-and-medicine-team
https://www.ecb.co.uk/national-cricket-performance-centre
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/centre-for-applied-science-and-technology-information

Additional funding is being sought from EPSRC.
The work complements previous and current work by Tom Payne, Jon Farmer and Ben Stone:
https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/17951
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/sti/postgraduate/current-researchers/jon-farmer/
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/sti/postgraduate/current-researchers/ben-stone/

Entry requirements
Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2:1 Honours degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Sports Technology or a related subject.

A relevant Master’s degree and/or experience in one or more of the following will be an advantage: Engineering Design; Biomedical Engineering; Finite Element Analysis; or similar