PhD Studentship in Non-destructive Evaluation and Structural Health Monitoring (UK Students Only)

Project:

With the growing interest to use laminar composite materials in aerospace, automotive, nuclear and gas & oil industries, much attention is devoted to the development of rapid, accurate and cost-effective built-in systems for the detection and evaluation of structural defects. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) systems based on acoustic/ultrasonic wave propagation have been developed to provide an early warning of the damage occurrence, resulting into safer structures and operative costs saving. SHM ultrasonic systems have a common basis with non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. Indeed, several standard NDE methods can be converted in SHM techniques by integrating a network of ultrasonic transducers on the monitored structure. However, there is still a big gap between a laboratory based set-up for SHM methods and certified industrially used NDE inspection systems. 

This project will address the required advances to close this gap and develop in-situ SHM systems for the localisation of low-velocity impacts and the detection and imaging of structural damage in metallic and composite materials. Both linear and nonlinear ultrasonic methodologies will be used to characterise different damage scenarios and identify impact events and their magnitude. This will be done both experimentally and numerically. This project will be also focusing on the development of energy harvesting solutions to provide power for the lifespan of the SHM electronic devices. 
The PhD studentship will focus on a topic within this broad scope, according to the skills and interests of the successful candidate. The student will contribute to the ongoing research at the Department and have access to a highly equipped SHM and NDE lab dedicated to research. The student will also join an interdisciplinary team and will benefit from training and travel opportunities.