This PhD is to investigate the dynamic failure response of hexagonal-structured materials. The EPSRC-funded position is to begin in September 2014 for a period of three years. As part of the newly awarded Hexagonal Materials Programme Grant, the team will be multi-disciplinary in Materials Science, Physics, and Engineering, investigating the high-rate behaviour of hexagonal-based material systems for optimisation of properties for aerospace, nuclear and defence applications.
This PhD project will investigate the influence of microstructural and chemical variations (texture, defects, phase content) on the mechanisms of damage and failure in principally titanium and zirconium alloys. Using a suite of high-rate loading platforms (split Hopkinson pressure bar, small and large-bore launchers), key measurements of the yielding and subsequent failure responses of specific alloys will be made across a wide range of strain-rates, from 103 - 108 s-1. This work will result in improved strength models for hexagonal materials, for improved prediction of material behaviour in demanding environments/applications.