Applied Mechanics

Group Coordinator: Prof Ibrahim Esat (Personal website here)

Aims & Objectives: To develop novel theories, methods and procedures in applied mechanics and apply these to real life problems and design.

There are 20 full time academic staff, 33 research students and research staff and a number of international visitors in the group.

Current activities

Bioengineering

• Human body motion modelling, kinematics, dynamics and inverse dynamics.

• Soft tissue modelling, muscle, tendon, ligament and cartilage.

• Biofluid mechanics  and cardiac assist devices.

• Microcirculation

• Orthopaedic devices analysis and design

• Modelling of the ear

• Modelling Geometric Risk Factors in haemodynamics

• Palm Tree Biomimetics

Dynamical systems, performance enhancement and robust control

• The use of AI in control and optimal control

• Active suspension control

• Robust and fault tolerant control strategies

• Vibration optimisation and inverse Eigen value analysis

• Uncertainty modelling in structural dynamics

• Acoustics, noise control and dissipative silencers.

• Analysis of dynamics of large scale structures using GPS

• Coriolis flow meters

• Laser vibrometry

• Robustness in complex systems

Surface mechanics

• Magnetic field influence on the surface fatigue

• The floating and dynamic characteristics of squeeze film air bearing

• Performance optimisation of dry gas seal

• Multi-layer coated real rough surface contact mechanics, Polymer gear surface wear

• Gear surface micro geometry optimisation

Fluid mechanics and heat transfer

• Computational and experimental fluid mechanics and heat transfer applied to aerodynamics, environmental flows, water filtration

• Unsteady aerodynamics and aeroacoustics

• Boundary and finite element methods applied to various engineering problems

• Liquid-liquid flows

Aerospace Technology

• Use of GPS for calibrating pitot-static systems

• Validation methods for a reconfigurable engineering flight simulator

• Developing novel numerical methods for modelling of the fluid flow and heat transfer in and around micro-electromechanical systems.

• Active control of turbulence production

• The rarefied gas dynamics occurring at the micro scale.

Structural Modelling and Analysis

• Theoretical and experimental studies of plasticity, creep and fracture.

• Stochastic finite element analysis

• Silo structures

• Deep water marine risers

• Fluid-solid interactions

Bioengineering

• Short fibre hip implant

• Elbow kinematics measuring devices

• A general purpose, in-house human body motion modelling software

• Design procedure for robust vascular stent design

Dynamical systems, performance enhancement and robust control

• Novel optimal control theory suitable for real time active control

• General purpose, in-house multibody modelling software

• Quantum inspired optimisation algorithm

• Development of fast dynamic response coriolis flow meters

• Active Noise Control of Dental Drills

Surface mechanics

• Elastic bearing with adjustable geometry and self-lifting capability.

• Low leakage dry gas face seal.

• PTFE-metallic binary coatings for dry sliding/rolling contacts.

Fluid mechanics and heat transfer

• Experimental data in turbulent boundary layers and wakes

Aerospace Technology

 

• Finite element method (and updating) developments for turbomachinery and aeroelastic structures.
• Modelling of micro-scale and hypersonic gas flows.
• Evaluation of the tumble mode in weightshift controlled microlight aeroplanes.

 

Structural Modelling and Analysis

• A number of novel structural and vibration optimisation algorithms

• Finite element formulations for propellers incorporating gyroscopic influences.

• Nonlinear models for interface decohesion problems

• A new algorithm to analyse reinforced concrete beams in axial force and bending

• Formulation and development of a non-linear riser element

• Development of an efficient algorithm for coupled solution of Navier Stokes and non-linear elasticity equations.