Development of Methods for Advanced Understanding of the Crack Growth Behaviour in Aerospace Materials

Applications are invited for a fully funded PhD studentship (4 years) to work within the Gas Turbines and Transmissions Centre within the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham and in association with Rolls-Royce plc.

The University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering is one of the premier Engineering faculties in the UK. The Faculty conducts research that has been recognised by the last Research Assessment Exercise as being world-leading/internationally excellent, placing
Nottingham in the UK’s top five universities for Engineering. The Faculty is a vibrant and supportive environment in which to work. It provides state-of-the art experimental and computational facilities and attracts leading scholars from around the world.

Project Background
In the design of new critical aerospace components, knowledge of the rate at which cracks propagate is of great importance. Electrical signals can be used to provide such measurements, typically by direct current potential difference (DCPD). The use of alternating current potential difference (ACPD) presents opportunity for obtaining advanced understanding of the details of the crack growth behaviour and it is the development of this which forms the basis of this PhD project. More specifically, if novel information of the geometry of the growing crack was available, as well as the average length, this could significantly impact on the way in which the components are designed, run and monitored in service.

If the response of the potential difference across the crack could be measured for several alternating current frequencies simultaneously, it is hypothesised that the outputted data relating to several electrical skin depths can be used to build up a profile of the crack shape. Test Results are being generated at the University of Nottingham and the focus of the proposed project is to progress the interpretation of the data generated to crack development.

The successful PhD student will work alongside another PhD student and a post-doctoral researcher involved in a related project. This project is supported industrially by Rolls-Royceplc. as well as the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) though andindustrial case (ICASE).

Students must have a 1st or 2:1 class academic qualification in an Engineering or Mathematics related subject. A Masters degree in a similar discipline will be an advantage.