3 Year funded PhD Studentship

Fully completed applications must be sent to Ms Zane Kalnina, tdestudentships<στο>brookes.ac.uk

Interview date: Please be advised that the selection process will involve an interview in the week commencing 15^th December 2014.

Start date: April 27^th 2015

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at Oxford Brookes University is pleased to offer an unprecedented opportunity to work with global market leader 3M United Kingdom Plc, the project’s Adhesive Technology Sponsor, over a three year full-time PhD Studentship commencing in April 2015. The successful applicant will receive an annual bursary of £14k for three years (with no inflation increase) and the fees will be waived by the University. S/he will work with the Sustainable Engineering and Innovation team under the supervision of Dr James Broughton.

Topic of research:

The research  will consider an evaluation of the performance of next generation light-weight materials such as TPO's / polypropylene; nylon composites both glass and carbon filled; PEEK based composites; Polyimide and substrates based on recycled materials bonded to themselves and also to other materials such as coated aluminium, thin gauge steel sections and carbon fibre composites. There is also increasing demand for shorter cycle times and faster curing products combined with the development of faster application processes.

With these new generation materials the use of traditional mechanical fixings are significantly less desirable both from a mechanical design/strength perspective and also for weight saving. This makes adhesive bonding an attractive option to bond the next generation of engineering composites and plastics. One of the gaps in knowledge in the use of these materials is the lack of durability and long-term performance data on adhesive bonding when compared to traditional materials such as steel and aluminium.

Applicants must have a first class honours degree in engineering or materials science (or a 2:1 with demonstrable relevant skills or experience). Applicants will be enthusiastic about materials technology and future trends, have a very high standard of literacy, be highly self motivated and have balanced inter personal skills. Previous experience of mechanical testing and a hands-on aptitude will be desirable.

The successful candidate will work on an evaluation to identify future trends in material usage, identify likely means of assembly, and demonstrate possible bonded joining solutions. The work will involve acquiring expert knowledge in adhesive bonding, material surface properties, and the durability of potential systems.

General information on research at Oxford Brookes can be found athttp://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/research-degrees-team/prospective-students/research-students/research-funding-opportunities/ . For further information about Sustainable Engineering and Innovation within the Department and further information on the project, consulthttp://mems.brookes.ac.uk/research/sei/index.html. Additional information on similar Research can be found on the Joining Technology Research Centre’s web page:http://mems.brookes.ac.uk/industry/jtrc/index.html.                                                                                                  

If you would like to apply you should request an application pack from Ms Zane Kalnina,tdestudentships@brookes.ac.uk, quoting ‘Composite bonding PhD Studentship’.