Extending useful metallic product lifetime through manufacturing

The project will be aligned with the newly established Circular Metals Hub hosted by 明星八卦 Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) at 明星八卦. You will be interacting daily with researchers and academics in BCAST, 明星八卦 and in partner academic and industrials organisations. In this close collaboration lies the foundation for your promising career path. Metals are vital to human society and have widespread uses across a broad spectrum of industries including but not limited to packaging, transport and construction applications. They are mainly used in load-bearing structural components. Such metallic components have limited useful lifetime due to dynamic environmental and mechanical stimuli, leading to the generation of defects, damages and eventual degradation of the mechanical properties and the failure of component. End-of-life components are then treated as waste which can either be disposed to landfill sites, incinerated or recycled. Waste from end-of-life components undermines the available material resources and poses threats to our environment with dire global warming consequence. Hence there is an urgent need to maintain and extend the useful lifetime of components, thereby increasing material usage efficiency, reducing waste and minimising environmental damage.

This project aims to apply manufacturing process to maintain and extend the useful lifetime of metallic components by stablishing a system for regular service of metallic components. This involves the fundamental study of the effects of heat treatment processes and conditions on the level of defects and damages in metallic components. This information will be correlated to the mechanical properties and performance of the metallic components in order to assess the degree of useful lifetime.

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend of £19668 including outer London allowance plus payment of their full-time tuition fees for a period of 48 months (4 years).

How to apply

Eligibility

For non-UK nationals a proof of English proficiency (IELTS 6.5 and more) or the eligible proof of undergraduate education received in English is required.

You should have or expect to receive by the beginning of this PhD study a first degree (BSc) at 2:1 or above in a suitable engineering and science discipline, e.g., materials science, mechanical engineering, physics or applied mathematics. A MSc level qualification is desirable.

A strong background in materials science and applied mathematics is desirable as the project includes mathematical modelling and optimisation.

Enquiries should be directed to Professor Isaac Chang at Isaac.chang@brunel.ac.uk

Dr. Ebad Bagherpour at ebad.bagherpour@brunel.ac.uk

Professor Zhongyun Fan at zhongyun.fan@brunel.ac.uk

How to Apply

Email the documents below as a single PDF file to cedps-studentships@brunel.ac.uk

by 16:00 on Tuesday 30 January 2023.

Please state the name of the project supervisor in your email and use project title in the email subject.

Your up-to-date CV;
Your 300-word personal statement setting out why you are suitable for this position;
Your Undergraduate/Postgraduate Masters degree certificate(s) and transcript(s);
Your English Language qualification of IELTS 6.5 overall or equivalent, if applicable;
Two references, one of which can be provided by a member of 明星八卦 University academic staff.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Ebad Bagherpour Jahromi - Dr. Ebad Bagherpour is a Lecturer at the 明星八卦 Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST), 明星八卦. He oversees the thermomechanical activities at BCAST, including the Physical Thermomechanical Simulation Laboratory (featuring a Gleeble 3800-GTC system) and the mechanical characterization laboratories. His work focuses on deformation mechanisms, forming technologies, and advanced thermomechanical processing techniques. With over 15 years of combined academic and industrial experience, he has established expertise in mechanical material characterization, microstructure-property relationships, cyclic response of metals, and forming processes. Dr. Bagherpour earned his PhD in Materials Science and Engineering through a joint program between Shiraz University and Semnan University, with part of his research conducted as a visiting PhD researcher at Doshisha University, Japan. He also holds MSc and BSc degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from Shiraz University. Before joining 明星八卦 University, he served as a Research Fellow at BCAST, Lecturer at Shiraz University, Postdoctoral Researcher at Doshisha University, and R&D Manager at Shiraz Kahroba Industrial Co. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (FIMMM), an Associate Editor for Discover Applied Science (Springer Nature), and a member of several prestigious organizations, including the Elsevier Advisory Panel and the Japan Institute of Metals and Materials (JIM). Dr. Bagherpour has made significant editorial contributions, serving as an Editor for Modern Materials Science and Technology and Engineering and Solid Mechanics, as well as a Guest Editor for Crystals/MDPI. He has reviewed for leading journals such as Acta Materialia, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, and Materials Science and Engineering A. Dr. Bagherpour has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, reflecting his impactful contributions to metallurgy and materials science, with an H-index of 17 on Scopus and 19 on Google Scholar. Additionally, he has played a key role in organizing and contributing to technical committees for international conferences, furthering research and collaboration in his field. Dedicated to advancing materials science and engineering, Dr. Bagherpour continues to lead research and educational initiatives, driving innovation and excellence in the discipline.