PHD/ENGD Research

Ashley Scarlett – EngD in Small Scale Laboratory to Large Scale Component Manufacture – Scaling of Heat Treatment Behaviour of Low Alloy Steels.

This project is a collaboration between the CDT in Advanced Metallics at the University of Sheffield and Rolls Royce (Derby) in low alloy steel, aiming to bridge the gap between small scale laboratory heat treatment measurements and the conditions experienced during large scale manufacturing processes. This is a challenging step for manufacturing, as behaviour observed in laboratory specimens weighing as little as a few grams is not always directly relevant to components weighing hundreds of tonnes. Understanding how these differences arise is key to relating what can be measured accurately and routinely in a laboratory environment to the optimisation and robustness of large scale industrial processes.

The major themes of this project are to;
1) Establish a meso-scale measurement capability for phase changes and mechanical performance in structural, pressure vessel and high integrity bolting grades of low alloy steels,
2) Explore the effect of inherent variation in the material; this could be due to compositional segregation or processing variability,
3) Refine understanding of length scale effects by undertaking finite element method modelling and validating models through physical experimentation.

Kamila Nowosad – EngD in Using Historic Materials Data from Assurance Testing to Optimise Future Manufacturing Processes of High Integrity Components.

This project, sponsored by Advanced Metallics CDT and Element Materials Technology, and conducted in partnership between the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the School of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Sheffield is focused on the area of fracture toughness estimation in the ductile-to-brittle transition region. Assessment of fracture toughness in the transition range is challenging for a number of reasons, such as inherent data scatter, specimen geometry effects, often limited amount of sample material available for testing, and material inhomogeneity. The aim of this project is to develop an in-depth understanding of the statistical methods suitable to assess fracture toughness of ferritic steels in the ductile-to-brittle transition region and associated uncertainties, as well as tools to apply statistical process control approach to the data generated over time.

WORK PACKAGES

PHD/ENGD Research

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