PhD in Centre for Doctoral Training on Innovation for Sustainable Composites Engineering

We are offering two PhD projects that focus on the development of sustainable and efficient solutions for the design of composite structures. The projects will be part of the new CDT launches in 2024 following on from five previous successful centres in Bristol Composites Institute https://www.bristol.ac.uk/composites/cdtsustainablecompeng/ . The purpose of the CDT is to train future leaders with the skills and expertise to address the design, manufacture and assurance of composite products. Alongside conducting your research project you will follow a taught programme that provides an in depth knowledge of composite and a professional development programme to prepare you for a future career in industry and academia. 

We are seeking highly motivated and committed individuals with an eye on the future, who are interested in conducting stimulating and essential industrial research and have a passion for finding sustainable solutions. There are many challenges in understanding the behaviour of composite structures, so the two projects seek to develop new design concepts, analysis procedures and development of new sensors to make composite structures more efficient and relevant in future aerospace, transportation, and wind and tidal turbine blades applications.

Improved design and damage tolerance of lightweight composite sandwich structures

The key design drivers for the adoption of sandwich structures include high specific stiffness and strengths, damping, thermal insulation and excellent fatigue properties by adopting particular constituents and tailored geometric layouts for the face sheets and core materials, respectively. Whilst structurally efficient, and composite sandwich structures with e.g. carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) face sheets and honeycomb or polymer foam core materials are being successfully deployed across application areas, there are still a number of challenges that have yet to be fully resolved. The PhD project will:

·      Devise a multi-scale modelling framework for the prediction of the load response and progressive damage and failure behaviour of CFRP sandwich structures.

·      Provide a high-fidelity experimental methodology combining imaging approaches applied to data-rich analysis of the load response and progressive damage and failure behaviour of CFRP sandwich structures.

·      Enable novel design concepts for damage tolerant CFRP sandwich structures.

·      Stimulate your interest in composites and mechanical design to unlock doors for the next-generation of analysis procedures and efficient lightweight engineering structures to facilitate Net-Zero sustainability goals.

Novel flexible photonic based sensors for health monitoring of composite structures

A radical redesign of optical fibre (making its external profile flat and internal profile microstructured) will enable a new in-situ measurement paradigm that elicits through-thickness strains in laminated composite structures during manufacture and service. The novel sensor technology will inform composite design and manufacturing strategies to facilitate Net-Zero sustainability goals by reducing scrappage and extending operational lifetime. The PhD project will:

·      Design a calibration procedure to enable the flexible photonic sensor to simultaneously quantify through-thickness and in-plane strains, as well as temperature.

·      Investigate the application range of the new sensor in both manufacturing and through in service life of a composite structure.

·      Result in methodologies that enable the sensors to be deployed during manufacturing and produce components that are self-sensing to provide timely repair interventions.

·      Provide a new validated sensing technology that supports product life extension and the circular economy.

·      Stimulate your interest in new, developmental sensing methods used as the basis for future design of sustainable composite products.

Scholarship Details

An enhanced stipend of £24,917 for 2024/25, a fee waiver and generous research financial support for the successful candidates.

Candidate Requirements

Applicants must hold/achieve a minimum a 2:1 MEng or merit at Masters level or equivalent in engineering or physics. Applicants without a master’s qualification may be considered on an exceptional basis, provided they hold a first-class undergraduate degree. Please note, acceptance will also depend on evidence of readiness to pursue a research degree and performance at interview.

To apply

please submit a personal statement, outlining your experience and why you are interested in PhD project, your CV and transcript of results to https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/. Be sure to apply for the PhD in Advanced Composites. The supervisors of the projects are Professor Janice Barton (janice.barton@bristol.ac.uk) and Professor Ole Thomsen (O.Thomsen@bristol.ac.uk). Please do not submit a project description as this is unnecessary as the project is already defined.