Engineering

SRAS++: Using acoustic waves to measure the single crystal elasticity of aerospace alloys.

About the project

Aim: Develop the next generation of a laser ultrasound instrument to simultaneously measure the single-crystal elasticity matrix, the microstructure and the crystallographic orientation of high value aerospace alloys.

What we offer:

• A world-class multidisciplinary research environment, spanning optics, ultrasonics, manufacturing and AI
• A supportive culture for researchers as signatories of the Researcher Development Concordat (www.vitae.ac.uk/policy/concordat)
• A chance to learn new skills: optics, ultrasonics, instrumentation, coding, manufacturing, AI
• The opportunity to produce high-quality publications
• Travel to visit international partners and attend conferences
• 3.5 years funding including fees and stipend (home fee status only i.e. UK, Ireland and some UK-resident EU) 

Vision: Most metals are made up of many small crystals and the size, shape, orientation, and distribution of the crystals that make up the microstructure has a significant impact on the material’s performance. Underlying all of this are the elastic properties of the single crystals themselves and, remarkably, these are often not known because measuring them is incredibly challenging and expensive because individual single crystals must first be prepared to exacting specifications before measurements can be made.

At the heart of this project is an intriguing problem where we will extract two unknowns (orientation and elasticity) from one known (velocity) by imposing the physics of real-world materials on the solution and exploiting the powerful imaging ability of the laser ultrasound technique SRAS.

Motivation: We believe that a measurement tool to easily measure the elastic constants of a material would be a ground-breaking development in materials science. In advanced manufacturing measuring the elasticity matrix will allow control and optimisation of the mechanical properties, where it may be sought as a proxy for hard-to-measure crystallographic properties. The impact will also be felt in non-destructive evaluation, where for the first time, high-fidelity materials data, usually the domain of laboratory-bound electron microscopes, will be available to measure on in-service components.

What you should have:

• 1st or 2.1 honours undergraduate or master’s degree in Engineering, Physics, or similar
• Enthusiasm for hands-on experiments
• Coding abilities in any language (e.g. Python or MATLAB or C/C++)
• Excellent communication skills
• The ability to work collaboratively in a team across disciplines

Please contact Dr Richard Smith if you are interested in applying at Richard.j.smith@nottingham.ac.uk

Note that the funding associated with this role is awarded via an internal competition and is therefore only confirmed sometime after the admission application is approved.

Our university is a supportive, inclusive and caring community and we encourage applications from a diverse range of backgrounds. The Faculty of Engineering was the first in the UK to be awarded an Athena SWAN Gold Award, in recognition of our commitment to supporting and advancing women’s careers in Engineering.