Prof Alireza Maheri, Dr P Dunning
Applications accepted all year round
Self-Funded PhD Students Only
About the Project
Smart structures have a wide range of applications in aerospace, wind energy, automotive, bio-mechanics and robotics, to name a few. Smart structures can be classified as extrinsically smart, in which the structure has integrated actuators [1], or as intrinsically smart, which are made of materials such as elastically tailored composites, functionally graded materials and poroelastic materials. Examples of elastically tailored composites and functionally graded materials include morphing aerodynamic surfaces, which can change their shapes to produce optimal performance dependant on operating conditions and provide load control to reduce stresses [2-4]. This has potential applications in wind turbine blade to enhance the power capture capability and to increase its lifespan and therefore to reduce the cost of energy produced and well-stablished applications in aerospace industry. Poroelastic materials have also a wide range of applications, including but not limited to artificial bone scaffold and tissue, reversible crash protection elements, micro actuators and motors, and adaptive aerodynamic surfaces.
The overall design of a smart structure requires a multi-scale modelling and optimisation taking into account design variables at material level (e.g. elastic coupling in case of elastically coupled composites and topology, concentration and size of the pores, in case of poroelastic materials) as well as at structural level (e.g. size and shape). This project aims at multi-scale modelling and design optimisation of intrinsically smart structures with applications in high performance reversible crash protection elements and morphing aerodynamic surfaces.
The successful candidate should have, or expect to have, an Honours Degree at 2.1 or above (or equivalent) in Mechanical, Aerospace or Structural Engineering.
Essential background: Applicants must have good background knowledge in advanced materials and structural analysis and must be willing to develop strong background knowledge in optimisation techniques and computational mechanics (FEA and CFD) during the course of their PhD study.
Knowledge of-
Essential: Engineering materials, structural analysis and fundamentals of computational mechanics
Desirable:
• Optimisation techniques
• Programming in MATLAB
Funding Notes
This project is for self-funded students only. There is no funding attached to this project. The successful applicant will be expected to pay Tuition Fees and living expenses, from their own resources, for the duration of study.
References
1. Macquart, Terence and Maheri, Alireza (2015) Integrated Aeroelastic and Control Analysis of Wind Turbine Blades Equipped with Microtabs. Renewable Energy, 75. pp. 102-114
2. Maheri, A. (2016). 'Simulation of Wind Turbines Utilising Smart Blades'. Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol 2, no. 1, pp. 557-565.
3. Vo, TP., Thai, H-T, Nguyen, T-K, Maheri, A. & Lee, J. (2014). 'Finite element model for vibration and buckling of functionally graded sandwich beams based on a refined shear deformation theory'. Engineering Structures, vol 64, pp. 12 - 22.
4. Maheri, A. (2012). 'A finite element suite for deformation analysis of composite aeroelastic structures subjected to operational aerodynamic loading'. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers - Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, vol 226, no. C8, pp. 2062-2076.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
This project is advertised in relation to the research areas of the discipline of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics-Smart Structures.
Formal applications can be completed online: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply. You should apply for Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering, to ensure that your application is passed to the correct College for processing.
NOTE CLEARLY THE NAME OF THE SUPERVISOR AND EXACT PROJECT TITLE YOU WISH TO BE CONSIDERED FOR ON THE APPLICATION FORM. Applicants are limited to applying for a maximum of 2 projects. Any further applications received will be automatically withdrawn.
Informal inquiries can be made to Dr A Maheri (alireza.maheri@abdn.ac.uk) with a copy of your curriculum vitae and cover letter. All general enquiries should be directed to the Graduate School Admissions Unit (cpsgrad@abdn.ac.uk).