Plasticity length-scale effects fundamentals: Investigate dislocation generation and mobility as a function of applied stress distribution and stacking fault energy

Congratulations on taking your first steps toward a Research Degree with Coventry’s Faculty of Engineering 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
Research into the strength of materials is an internationally “hot” research topic, driven by the need to develop stronger, lighter, tougher metallic components that are more sustainable, i.e. they last longer, are easier to recycle, are energy efficient and reduce emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases both in use and in manufacture. Applications are widespread in the high value and sustainable manufacturing sectors, e.g. transport, power generation (all forms, including nuclear fusion), and electronics.

In conventional “continuum” understanding of material strength, a structure of any size fails at the same stress. In reality, small beams/fibres/crystals are stronger and such ‘size-effects’ can change the strength of a material by an order of magnitude. Test size similarly affects the measurement of strength - “smaller is harder”. These effects cannot be simulated by continuum mechanics models.This project will investigate the fundamentals of “plasticity size effects” to refine the approach that the strength of a material (real and measured) is related to a characteristic length, which is the distance a dislocation can move - “length determines strength”. This project will collaborate with a world class consortium of EU National Measurement institutes, Universities and Industry to develop length-scale enabled methods to measure constitutive property relationships and understand the role of stacking fault energy in plastic zone size and dislocation generation in indentation–based measurement methods; enabling quantitative measurement of work-hardened state.

About the Centre/Department
Our research in Manufacturing and 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).

Eligibility & application procedure
Application Procedure:
Application information can be found in our how to apply section. Before completing the application please contact Professor Nigel Jennett 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/