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Faculty of Engineering Research and Knowledge Exchange Annual Report 2019 Faculty of Engineering Research and Knowledge Exchange Annual Report 2019 If you require this publication in an alternative format, please contact us: t: +44 (0)115 951 4591 e: [email protected] For general enquires, contact: Printed March 2019. Rachael Duthie The University of Nottingham has made every effort to ensure that Senior Research Development Officer the information in this brochure was accurate when published. Please note, however, that the nature of this content means that it is subject [email protected] to change, therefore consider it to be guiding rather than definitive. +44 (0) 115 74 84494 © The University of Nottingham 2019. All rights reserved. 2 3 Contents: Introduction – Professor Chris Tuck, APVC for Research and Knowledge Exchange 6 Faculty thematic areas 8 Advanced manufacturing 10 Aerospace 12 Energy 14 Healthcare technologies 16 Sustainable and resilient cities 18 Transport technologies 20 Transport, mobility and cities 21 Faculty research portfolio 22 Research impact and knowledge exchange 24 Research in the media 30 Faculty of Engineering research groups 32 Advanced Manufacturing Technologies 34 Advanced Materials 36 Architecture, Culture and Tectonics 38 Bioengineering 40 Buildings, Energy and Environment 42 Centre for Additive Manufacturing 44 Centre for Structural Engineering and Informatics 46 Composites 48 Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Geoprocesses 50 Fluids and Thermal Engineering 52 Food, Water, Waste 54 Gas Turbine and Transmissions Centre 56 George Green Institute for Electromagnetics Research 58 Human Factors 60 Low Carbon Energy and Resource Technologies 62 Nottingham Centre for Geomechanics 64 Nottingham Geospatial Institute 66 Nottingham Transportation Engineering Centre 68 Optics and Photonics 70 Power Electronics, Machines and Control 72 Resilience Engineering 74 Sustainable Process Technologies 76 PhD highlights 78 Summary – Professor Sam Kingman, PVC for the Faculty of Engineering 83 4 5 It is my pleasure to introduce the third annual research highlights report from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham. Through the significant efforts of our staff, 2017-18 was a fantastic year for research in the faculty. Building on a base of diverse blue-sky research, through to the delivery of wider societal, economic and industrial impact, research at Nottingham has an ever increasing influence on our local community, and society at large. Supported by funding from a broad range of sources, such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), UK government, and international funders including the European Commission, international charities and of course industry, 2017-18 saw a total of over £33.5 million of new awards to the faculty. UKRI (£14.8 million) funding to the faculty is significant and the University of Nottingham is committed to successfully delivering the fundamental and applied research supported by these awards. Notable new awards from 2017-18 include the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Enabling Next Professor Chris Tuck, Generation Additive Manufacturing Programme Grant; Cornerstone: Mechanical Engineering Science to enable aero propulsion futures; EV-elocity and DigiTOP. Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor Furthermore, 2017-18 also saw significant infrastructural investments in the faculty for Research and Knowledge with the completion of the Advanced Manufacturing Building on our Jubilee campus, providing a hub for multidisciplinary manufacturing research at Nottingham Exchange in the future. Our Institutes in Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace Technology, and Energy Technology in the faculty enable our researchers to externally engage and showcase our diverse research to industry and beyond; for example, at international events such as the Farnborough International Air Show. Further afield, our research has resonance with other countries and cultures including the recent highly successful Dinosaurs of China exhibition. Internationally, the faculty continues to work on a global basis with a wide range of academic and industrial stakeholders. Our 22 research groups provide leadership and support to research programmes in Europe and across the globe. This includes our continued academic leadership of CleanSky2 and in Horizon 2020 projects. The faculty embraces our formal partnership with Virginia Institute of Technology (USA) and work with our international campuses in Malaysia and China to develop new and exciting collaborations in all areas of engineering, with a focus on energy, transport, aerospace, healthcare, manufacturing and sustainable cities. Engineering is about bringing together the best ideas, people and concepts to deliver solutions to difficult problems; almost 900 members of staff across the faculty provide the intellectual, professional and technical support to make this possible. Our annual highlights report only scratches the surface of the great work that is done by our students, academics, technicians and support staff and I implore you to dig a little deeper when you find something of interest. I look forward to another great year for the faculty, through our varied and diverse research themes, supporting real advances and changes to society. Chris Tuck Professor Chris Tuck, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange 6 7 Engineering research Future Food Rights Lab Precision Imaging Exploring Helping Transforming thematic new ways to end healthcare with to feed global pioneering areas the world slavery imaging Propulsion Futures Green Chemicals Smart Products The University of Nottingham has invested in Research in Engineering underpins many of At the heart Securing the Towards smart six beacons of excellence, which demonstrate the Beacons with broad expertise across our of a revolution low carbon production our internationally renowned research areas, 22 research groups. in greener bio-economy of smart addressing global economical and societal The Faculty of Engineering provides transport of the future products challenges. leadership in key priority areas – Advanced Future Food, exploring new ways to feed manufacturing, Aerospace, Energy, the world; Rights Lab, helping to end global Healthcare technologies, Sustainable and slavery, Precision imaging, transforming resilient cities and Transport technologies. healthcare with pioneering imaging, These interdisciplinary themes draw upon our Propulsion Futures, at the heart of a revolution strengths across the University; and enable in greener transport; Green Chemicals, collaboration, strengthening of networks securing the low carbon bio-economy of the and partnerships, attract diverse funding, future; and Smart Products, innovating new and raise the reputation of our world-leading products and means of production for the research. UK’s competitiveness and future prosperity. 8 9 Advanced Key highlights In 2017, the Institute moved to the new iconic Advanced Manufacturing Building. This state-of-the-art building will host several world-class research groups and manufacturing laboratories conducting internationally leading research, and delivering strong industrial impact in advanced manufacturing technologies including 3D printing, composites, and manufacturing processes and systems. It also houses the Rolls-Royce University Advanced manufacturing is one of the key research priority areas for Technology Centre in Manufacturing Technology. the university. Our vision is to sustain and further establish Nottingham The Advanced Manufacturing Building will provide as the leading international research centre, and preferred research and a focal point for diverse engineering and science innovation partner to industry in advanced manufacturing technologies disciplines to collaborate and contribute to pioneering and systems. The Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (IfAM) is a developments for a range of sectors. This will include aerospace, automotive, marine, energy multidisciplinary centre of excellence with a critical mass and expertise generation, food and drink, chemical products and to support strategic UK industrial sectors. pharmaceuticals, and helping to deliver economic and societal impact at both a regional and national level. The institute brings together all manufacturing related research activities The Composites research group secured £10.3 at the University of Nottingham. It provides a research environment to million in government funding for new research into enable further growth by capitalising on the synergy between different pioneering composite manufacturing techniques. The manufacturing research activities, research centres and cross-sector multimillion-pound Engineering and Physical Sciences industrial applications. The institute also connects and supports Research Council (EPSRC) grant is a major research investment for the UK community, hosted by the manufacturing research and teaching across the three campuses University’s Faculty of Engineering, working closely in the UK, Malaysia and China. with the University of Bristol – both of which have established reputations for composites research. The EPSRC Future Composites Manufacturing Hub aims to accelerate the potential of advanced polymer composite materials for automated manufacturing technologies, addressing: automation and high rate processing; state-of-the-art simulation techniques; multifunctional materials and structures; advanced inspection technologies; recycling and
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