Applications are invited for a PhD studentship funded by the Graduate School to start in October 2015. The project will be based in the Department of Materials and the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering at Loughborough University.

Multiphase armour – Armour, for both body and vehicular use, includes various types of material to simultaneously cope with a range of very demanding requirements. Typically, advanced ceramics are used for the front plate to shield the projectile whilst light alloys and advanced composites are used for the back plate to absorb the fierce vibration caused by the dynamic impact and to manage the reflective waves. This combination of materials makes the front plate more sustainable to aggressive, or multiple hit scenarios. The combination of materials, their appropriate selection and interface engineering is therefore essential in order to maximise the ballistic impact resistance of armour. In this project, the primary objectives of the PhD research are (a) to understand the roles of interface structure and phase on the damage of both front and back plate, by using up-to-date fracture mechanics theory and computing tools, to guide the interface design; (b) to develop bonding technology to validate the understanding through dynamic impact testing. A range of model materials from armour application and bonding technologies suitable for different materials are expected to be investigated in this project. The ultimate goal is to have the theoretical understanding and practical development of bonding integrated as a package for developing optimised performance in multiphase armour.   

The studentship is for 3 years and is intended to start in October 2015. The studentship provides a tax-free stipend of £13,863 per annum for the duration of the studentship plus tuition fees at the UK/EU rate.  International (non-EU) students may apply but will need to find the difference in fees between those for a ‘UK/EU’ and ‘international’ student themselves.

Students will normally need to hold, or expect to gain, at least a 2:1 degree (or equivalent) in materials/engineering. A relevant Master’s degree and/or experience in one or more of the following will be an advantage: advanced materials, solid mechanics, finite element modelling.

General information about the Department of Materials and the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/materials/ andhttp://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/aae/.

For informal enquiries about the project, please contact Dr Houzheng Wu (h.wu2 @lboro.ac.uk), Dr Gary Critchlow (G.W.Critchlow<στο>lboro.ac.uk) and/or Dr Simon Wang (S.Wang<στο>lboro.ac.uk).

To apply, please complete the online application using the following link:https://luis.lboro.ac.uk/web_apx/f?p=100:1.

Interviews will take place in March.

Please quote the following reference when applying: GS15AACME/M3.