PhD Studentships in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University

UK. Open for application, PhD studentships in the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering. The studentships will fully covers University tuition fees and provides a tax-free bursary of £10,000 per year for a period of three years (conditionalto student’s successful progression), commencing on 1 October 2006.Home/UK and international students are eligible to apply.

Applicants should hold a first class, higher upper second class degree, or equivalent, in either Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics or Mathematics, with knowledge of materials,numerical methods and computer programming; experience of finite elements is preferred.

Project Description

Scatter in the properties of fibres and non-uniformity of their distribution in fabrics determine the deformational behaviour and mechanical properties of non woven materials. These two factors of randomness act at various scale lengths and should be studied accordingly. Existing commercial finite-element software packages cannot be used without modifications to predict the response of non wovens to an external mechanical load.

Instead, multi-scale approaches are necessary to incorporate properties of single fibres and fabric structure into modelling schemes. The suggested approach aims at a detailed analysis of principal mechanisms, affecting mechanical properties, at various levels and ways to bridge scale levels in a holistic model of non wovens, accounting for their microstructure.

This research will draw on existing collaboration with the Non wovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC) North Carolina State University(Raleigh, NC, USA).

The Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Loughborough University is a 5-rated research school with an international reputation and one of the largest Engineering Schools devoted to this subject area in the United Kingdom. The successful candidate will work with a group of highly motivated, first class researchers and research students in the areas of computational and experimental mechanics of advanced materials.

Informal enquiries should be made to: Professor Vadim Silberschmidt,Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Leicestershire. Tel: 01509-227504. Fax:01509-227502. E-mail: V.Silberschmidt@lboro.ac.uk

For application forms etc., contact Ms J R Mason, ResearchAdministrator, Wolfson School of Mechanical & ManufacturingEngineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leicestershire,LE11 3TU, England. Tel: +44 (0)1509 227642. Fax: +44 (0)1509 227648.E-mail: J.R.Mason@lboro.ac.uk . Ref: VS30606

Applications will only be considered on receipt of a completed application form. Please send supporting documents to Ms J R Mason at the above address.

Applications deadline is 15 August 2006.