About the Project
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’. 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 you are afforded every opportunity for academic success.
The project
Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) can provide the following benefits:
-During the building stage temporary structures can be monitored to detect early warning signs of collapse.
-During the building’s post-construction life, the structure can be monitored to detect failure due to ageing, environment, operation, or damage (e.g. earthquakes).
The Restructure project (a collaboration between Coventry University, MIT, and NUS) has produced a low cost prototype sensing system to measure the strain (and thus infer load) of temporary support structures. The drawback of the system is node lifetime–the node’s lifetime is estimated at 9 months but the required lifetime is at least two years.
Edge Mining techniques aim to increase node lifetime by reducing the number of radio transmissions. In the Restructure project, Edge Mining techniques reduce transmissions in SHM applications by a factor of 20. However, this reduction only achieved a factor of 1.05 reduction in power consumption as the networking protocol accounts for 90% of energy use.
This PhD will investigate the opportunity to optimise the network protocol, to maximise the energy savings, in conjunction with Edge Mining.
About the Centre/Department
Flow measurement is an integral and vital part of many industrial processes. Plant control, product quality and safety systems are often underpinned by the need to measure flows of liquids, gases and solids. Trade of fuels, industrial feedstock and chemical products relies on accurate measurement of flow. Flow measurement is an essential element of all modern industrial societies.
Our unique combination of expertise and facilities from Coventry University and TÜV-NEL (NEL, the former National Engineering Laboratory), allows us to work across multiple sectors to be the UK’s leading flow measurement and fluid mechanics research centre for the measurement and characterisation of complex flows.
Our Strategic goals are to undertake fundamental research into industrially-relevant complex flows including:
-Fundamental physics and computational modelling
-Novel measurement techniques
-Improved flow measurement uncertainty
-Understanding regimes in multi-component flows.
Successful applicants
Successful applicants will have:
-A minimum of a 2:1 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;
-Knowledge of Wireless Sensor Network/Internet of Things issues.
-A background in C programming.
-Experience with simulation/data processing in R/Matlab.
Eligibility & application procedure
Application Procedure:
Application information can be found in our how to apply section. Before completing the application please contact Ross Wilkins (cc'ing [Email Address Removed] when you do) 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 at http://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-students/research-entry-criteria/?id=88841
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