Engineering (MSc by Research)

The development of co-simulation procedures has led to the development of sophisticated numerical dynamic analysis tools. These are able to couple two different simulations or more, running alongside each other. Such methods allow for the study of more complex systems by coupling different sub-systems or coupling different phenomena in the same system. The aim of this work involves the study and investigation of co-simulation methodologies and its application in numerical dynamic analysis tools. Different approaches are to be implemented and tested under a series or different case scenarios and benchmarks. The final objective of this work includes the development and implementation of a new co-simulation framework on a state-of-the-art Pantograph-catenary dynamic analysis tool. This is able to handle the numerical analyses of pantograph-catenary interaction, where the pantograph is modelled as a multibody system in interaction with finite element OLE model.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Pedro Cabaco antunes
• Professor Joao Pombo

Pantograph-OLE Interaction plays a fundamental role in the traction of electric railway vehicles. The sliding contact between the overhead line and the pantograph contact strips must be as smooth as possible and uninterrupted. The study of this interaction under aerodynamic loads has become a key factor on the development of new overhead lines and current collection systems. The employment of numerical dynamic analyses tools to study pantograph-OLE interaction is now being accepted by the industry, as these types of software are becoming more reliable and accurate. Though, added model complexity is sought after in order that more complex problems can be analysed. One of these aspects is the inclusion of aerodynamic effects in these types of numerical studies, which today have an impact in the design of new pantographs and overhead line systems. This work aims to study the aerodynamic effects on the pantograph and the overhead line, and the development of a modelling methodology to include them in pantograph-OLE interaction numerical analyses. These methodologies are to be incorporated in a state-of-the-art dynamic analysis tool already developed, so its capabilities are augmented.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Pedro Cabaco antunes
• Professor Joao Pombo

Multi component and multiphase mixture flows take place through a number of industrial stems and contribute to a number of processes. Some practical examples of such flows are solid-liquid flow, solid-gas flow, solid-liquid-gas flow, oil - water flow etc. Some of the most common industries where these flows are encountered are Nuclear Industry, Mining Industry, and Chemical Industry etc. The operation, monitoring and control of these flows need detailed knowledge about the flow characteristics of individual components and individual phases. The problem becomes especially complex if the flows are taking place through complex geometries for example helical pipes, elbows valves etc. Through this project novel techniques will be developed to understand local flow features associated with individual components and phases and integrating this information to develop design tools/standards for these processes. The special computational/experimental techniques developed will enable quantification of interphase interaction mechanism. It is expected that the work carried out under this project will enable removal of empiricism embedded in design methodologies to a large extent. It will further allow development of methodologies to trouble free operation and energy use optimisation for such systems.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Rakesh Mishra
• Dr Frankie Jackson
• Dr Baba Abbagoni

A prilling tower is an integral part of any fertilizer plant. A hot fluid (normally urea) is sprayed from a nozzle at the top of the tower forming droplets of urea. These droplets fall under the action of gravity, releasing their energy content, and hence, forming solid prills of urea, which is extensively used as a fertilizer. It is often seen that a lot of the prills formed at the base of the tower doesn't have enough strength to remain in the form of a prill; hence, they disintegrate into powder, wasting an excessive amount of the product. This happens because of ineffective cooling in the tower. The current research work will look into the dynamic of vortex rings for effective cooling purposes within a prilling tower. Vortex rings are inherent in nature and have been a topic of interest for almost a millennium. The urge to utilise vortex rings for multi-purpose applications, such as in cooling of urea droplets in a prilling tower, has led to the development of various types of vortex rings. However, in-depth analysis of the flow phenomena associated with vortex rings is still very little known. This study will investigate the dynamics of a vortex ring's generation, propagation and its ultimate dissipation within a prilling tower. The effect of the geometrical, flow and fluid parameters on the rolling—upof the fluid's shear layers will be analysed using a number of analytical, experimental and numerical techniques. It is expected that this study will result into a practical device that can be installed on the top of the prilling tower, which can enhance the cooling process, hence substantially reducing the waste powder.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Rakesh Mishra
• Dr Frankie Jackson
• Dr Baba Abbagoni

In recorded and mixed form, the history of metal music has involved a broad focus on achieving greater heaviness (Berger & Fales 2005). Importantly though, there is a broad lack of detailed understanding of what heaviness actually is. Changes in performance approaches (especially performance speed), levels of down-tuning - and aspects such as design developments in guitar and bass amplifiers - have impacted our perceptions of heaviness. However, regardless of how these characteristics might or might not inform a given production, a valuable parameter of effective heaviness is clarity. “Sonic clarity can enhance the energy, intensity and impact of each and every sound in a metal production, collectively strengthening the power and drive of the music’s rhythm structures.” Mynett, 2016. With this in mind, by focussing on the mix stage of the music production process, this project sets out to gain a detailed understanding of the correlation between heaviness and clarity.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Jan Herbst
• Dr Mark Mynett
• Dr Andrew Bourbon

Infrastructure systems consist of a number of sub-systems carrying a wide variety of solid-liquid-gaseous materials. Failure of one of the sub-systems may result in release of these materials in an uncontrolled manner. Risk mitigation strategies need to be designed keeping variety of leak scenarios. Furthermore, an array of sensors is needed to provide dispersion characteristics through a well-developed formulation. The information provided through such methods is limited in scope and accuracy in the present work a CFD based solution algorithm will be developed that integrates pre-developed flow scenarios with sensor array information to provide qualitative and quantitative pollutant dispersion characteristics. The developed system will be capable of informing real time pollution dispersion characteristics and will help in developing risk mitigation strategies.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Rakesh Mishra
• Dr Baba Abbagoni
• Dr Frankie Jackson

In the oil-gas fields, slurry flow, gas-in-water two phase flows, and oil-gas-water three phase flows are frequently encountered. Generally, the measurement of volumetric flow rate for each phase is of most interest, especially in subsea oil-gas production applications, where it is essential to obtain oil, water and gas flow rates in inclined oil wells. The problem of how to accurately measure these flow parameters for such complicated flow phenomena, without using expensive test separators and intrusive technique, is a major challenge for the industry. Most conventional multiphase flow meters have severe limitations regarding types of flow and their measurement reliability. Some useful techniques containing radioactive sources are available but they are expensive and potential harmful to humans. Thus, the new developed system will be capable of measuring the local volume fraction local distribution and local velocity distributions of each phase based on tomographic techniques that does not contain a radioactive source.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Rakesh Mishra
• Dr Frankie Jackson
• Dr Baba Abbagoni

A major challenge of additive manufacturing (AM) technology is that AM processes are not robust enough and AM production machines lack sufficient process control, which consequently bring various shortcomings that are commonly seen in AM products, such as poor as-built surface finish, porosity, and mechanical properties not equivalent to those of bulk materials. X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is often employed to inspect the porosity of AM parts, providing more information (e.g. size, location, morphology) in comparison to the traditional Archimedes method. However, the accuracy and performance of XCT on AM porosity inspection need to be verified. This research project will conduct an experimental study to target the optimum scanning configuration for AM porosity measurement and compare with other porosity inspection methods, e.g. Archimedes, scanning electron microscope and ultrasonic. XCT simulation will complement to experimental work, which allows investigate the impact of major scan parameters on XCT porosity measurement. Physical and virtual AM artefacts will be developed. The project will be based on the Future Metrology Hub, Centre for Precision Technologies. The selected student will be provided with the training of XCT and simulation software.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Colin Venters
• Dr Gary Allen

The employment of finite element methods in engineering plays a large role in the analysis of structures. With the advancements in computer resources, dynamic analysis applications based on this method are able to analyse large and complex systems. This work aims on the development and implementation of novel finite element modelling methodologies, able to handle the dynamic interaction between the overhead line and the pantograph in railway systems. Focusing on the construction of finite element models of the overhead systems and its dynamic analysis. The newly developed modelling methods are to be incorporated in a state-of-the-art dynamic analysis tool already developed, so its capabilities are augmented. The new methodologies are to be validated using experimental line tests in collaboration with industrial partners of the railway sector.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Pedro Cabaco antunes
• Professor Joao Pombo

In this project the use of aerodynamic bearings to support the rotor shaft in automotive turbochargers will be investigated. The proposed bearing is supported by a metal foil structure when the shaft rotation is insufficient to generate the aerodynamic forces required to make the bearing self-supporting. The project will include:

• Investigation of the operational requirements for automotive turbocharger rotor bearings comprising load, stiffness and damping characteristics, operating conditions including temperature, shaft speed, gas and inertial loading and importantly, bearing and shaft sizes.

•Development of the multi-physics numerical models required to simulate the aerodynamic effect, the interaction of the generated air film with the metal foil support structure and the damping characteristics provided by friction between the components of the foil support structure.

•Generation of experimental data to validate the numerical models including the design and manufacture of a bearing test rig.

•Production of characteristic load, stiffness and damping curves for foil backed aerodynamic bearings using the validated numerical model.

•Use of a constrained optimization approach to identify the range of feasible bearing designs for automotive applications.

•Modification of an existing hydrodynamic turbocharger bearing housing to use an example aerodynamic bearing and demonstrate the bearing’s feasibility on an engine test bed.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Simon Barrans

Hardware-In-the-Loop (HiL) is a novel simulation technique where a physical system interacts within a simulation in realtime. This technique is employed in the development and testing of complex systems. It allows mechanical systems to be tested, avoiding real tests which would otherwise be costly or unfeasible. There are challenges in setting up these types of simulation frameworks. The simulation program is required to be efficient and able to be evaluated in real-time. A robust control system is also necessary to acquire sensor data and control the response of all actuators accordingly. The development of this work is set on the development of a HiL framework for pantograph testing, in interaction with a numerical model of the overhead line. A fully equipped, world class, £ 3.5M pantograph test bench is available to procced with this works. Industrial partners in the transport and railway sector are to be involved in this work.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Pedro Cabaco antunes
• Professor Joao Pombo

This project aims to explore the use of internet of things (IOT) connected wearables in a care home setting to improve early diagnosis of health problems while minimising contact for observations in a post-COVID healthcare environment. The research will determine if automatic periodic measurement of temperature, heart rate and blood pressure and transfer of data to the cloud will allow proactive not reactive treatment of certain conditions, with an aim to reduce resident admission to hospital and hence improve quality of life while reducing care costs and unnecessary risks to patients.

This research will investigate the technology and data management strategy necessary to track long-term health data of residents while considering what architecture is necessary to gain wide acceptance and achieve compliance. Usage of the technology by both residents, care givers and management staff will be analysed and appropriate technology chosen or developed to minimise care disruption while maximising potential benefits. The MSc by research will focus on research and demonstration of appropriate technology and development of a demonstrator and plan to implement it in UK care homes as an early warning system for virus outbreak and resident health challenges.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr James Williamson
• Professor Liam Blunt

This project will deliver a code for inverse design of blade surface for different climatic conditions. The wind turbine systems incorporating these blades will be expected to be effective in extreme weather conditions. The main benefit of this work will be to increase the efficiency of operation of wind turbines in cold regions which will also contribute to the improvement of turbine safety and lifetime.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Rakesh Mishra
• Professor Liam Blunt

This research wishes to investigate ways in which new developments in audio measurement can be utilised in the mixing and mastering process. The study will look at the design and implementation of key developments in Music Information Retrieval (MIR) both from a historical and technical perspective. In addition, recent developments in such areas as touch screen technology will be explored along with visualisation and parameter control. Proposals for new visualisation strategies will be developed along with working prototypes where applicable. The developed ideas could be implemented in C/C++ and/or MATLAB and consequently some of these skills are required. Experience of GUI programming and/or embedded systems and interfacing would be highly desirable but not essential.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Mr Christopher Dewey
• Dr Steven Fenton

Multibody dynamics methods have established the grounds for advanced dynamic analysis applications, able to simulate mechanical systems. Multibody models are generally composed by a set of interconnected, rigid or flexible, bodies which undergo large translational and rotational displacements. Hence, large and complex mechanical systems are able to be analysed and studied in a computer-aided environment. The aim of this work involves the development and employment of multibody methodologies to produce realistic and accurate railway pantograph models. The pantograph is today a critical mechanical system in the operation of electric traction trains, both at conventional and hight speeds. The models developed are to be validated with experimental data obtained from line tests and/or test bench tests. The work here developed will allow to produce more accurate, realistic, and robust pantograph models, and better understand its mechanical behaviour when interacting the electrified overhead line.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Pedro Cabaco antunes
• Professor Joao Pombo

Development of methodologies for the assessment of wheel rail friction management products. Methodologies will be developed for both solid stick and liquid forms of gauge corner lubricants and other friction management products used within the wheel rail interface. The developed methodologies will likely utilise both the Twin Disc machine and HAROLD full scale bogie test rig at the Institute of Railway Research.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Martin Evans
• Professor Paul Allen

This project will address the following hardware constraints of 5G mm-Wave system:

• The mm-Wave band allows us to pack more antennas in the same place which reduces the antenna aperture, resulting in less power captured by the receiver. • The wider bandwidth makes the multipath profile sparse, resulting in a large number of resolvable multipath at the receiver. The complexity of the receiver will be extreme if all these multipaths are resolved. • This wider bandwidth requires an analogue to digital converters (ADC) of higher resolution resulting in a large amount of energy dissipated.

The project will tackle the above issues by designing new signal processing algorithms.

• Proposed signal to noise ratio (SNR) algorithms and the 30 channel will allow rejecting the nearby interferers by the help of angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) improving the power captured by the receiver. • New techniques will be proposed where multipaths with higher energy are selected and resolved, resulting in reduced complexity and similar performance. • ADCs will be designed that will not operate at the Nyquist rate resulting in less power dissipated.

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Professor Pavlos Lazaridis
• Qasim Ahmed

Weather Forecasting and Climatology is an important topic as it helps determine future climate behaviours. By providing latitude, one can determine the likelihood of solar energy, heat, snow and hail reaching the earth's surface. Ancient weather forecasting methods usually relied on observed patterns of events, also termed pattern recognition. In this project, the Data mining technique would be used to predict the weather based on parameters such as temperature, humidity and wind. Data mining has its foundation comprised of three intertwined scientific disciplines: statistics (the numeric study of data relationships), artificial intelligence (human-like intelligence displayed by software and/or machines) and machine learning (algorithms that can learn from data to make predictions).

Please see our Research Scholarships page to find out about funding or studentship options available.

Our standard University deadlines apply. Please see our Deadlines for Applications page to find out more.

• Dr Rabia Jilani
• Dr Gary Allen