Funding

Funded (UK/EU and international students)

Project code

SMDE6081021

Department

School of Mechanical and Design Engineering

Start dates

October 2021

Application deadline

4 May 2021

Applications are invited for a fully-funded three year PhD to commence in October 2021. 

The PhD will be based in the School of Mechanical and Design Engineering and will be supervised by Professor Soran Birosca. 

Successful applicants will receive a bursary to cover tuition fees at the UK/EU rate for three years and a stipend in line with the UKRI rate (£15,609 for 2021/22). Bursary recipients will also receive a £1,500 p.a. for project costs/consumables. 

The work on this project could involve:

  • Developing an experimental method to create the best strategy for component design and manufacturing using additive manufacturing (AM) for material properties optimisation of alloys
  • Materials and mechanical characterisations of the produced additive manufacturing complex components will be conducted using state-of-the-art microanalytical tools and mechanical testing machines

The research work will be based within the Future Technology Centre at the School Mechanical and Design Engineering - University of Portsmouth. The Future Technology Centre is at the forefront of additive manufacturing, particularly coupled with production of complex parts and their evaluation, testing and characterization. The School of Mechanical and Design Engineering has an international reputation in advanced engineering materials research, producing high-impact academic outputs, securing significant external income and providing opportunities for collaborations across multiple disciplines within the university as well as nationally and internationally. 

Throughout this project, an experimental method will be developed to create the best strategy for component design and manufacturing using additive manufacturing (AM) for material properties optimisation of alloys used in automotive sector such as soft magnetic materials. The aim of this 3-years study is to develop a fundamental understanding of the relationship between AM process conditions, microstructure and micro-texture with mechanical properties of the alloys produced via AM. Work will be undertaken using the equipment available at the Faculty of Technology Centre: Metal Laser Melting 3D Systems ProX300 system, high performance CAD/CAM systems and various test facilities including Zeiss 3D Micro–computational Tomography Imaging.

The PhD student will be also responsible for materials and mechanical characterisations of the produced additive manufacturing complex components. The work includes investigation into structure/property relationship in the alloys produced via AM using various micro analytical tools including SEM, XRD, X-ray tomography, EDX, TEM and EBSD. The successful applicant will collaborate with an existing team within Prof. Soran Birosca’s research group. 

Entry requirements

You'll need a good first degree from an internationally recognised university (minimum upper second class or equivalent, depending on your chosen course) or a master’s degree in an appropriate subject. In exceptional cases, we may consider equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

How to apply

We’d encourage you to contact Professor Soran Birosca (soran.birosca@port.ac.uk) to discuss your interest before you apply, quoting the project code.

When you are ready to apply, you can use our online application form. Make sure you submit a personal statement, proof of your degrees and grades, details of two referees, proof of your English language proficiency and an up-to-date CV. Our ‘How to Apply’ page offers further guidance on the PhD application process. 

If you want to be considered for this funded PhD opportunity you must quote project code SMDE6081021 when applying.