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Crystal Plasticity Modelling of Hexagonal Closed-Pack (HCP) Materials for Manufacturing

HCP materials such as titanium and magnesium have low formability at room temperatures and tend to have brittle behaviour during forming. HCP materials have two major deformation mechanisms - slip and twinning - which is very different from FCC materials such as aluminium, which have only one major deformation mechanism which is slip. With an increase of temperature, the twinning mechanisms become more active giving in this way more formability to the HCP materials.

The study of the twinning mechanisms are thus pivotal for the understanding of the formability of these materials. HCP material have a very good ratio strength/weight and for this reason they are having an increasing use for mechanical and aerospace engineering.

The major aim of this PhD project is to use crystal plasticity for the modelling of slip and twinning of HCP materials at room and elevated temperatures and define the best forming conditions for these materials. Candidates must have some good knowledge of finite element analysis and motivation to develop new models and do programming for in-house software and also for user material subroutines for Abaqus.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

  1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
  2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
  3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Meet the Supervisor(s)