Residual Stress & Damage Characterisation: Extending Across Length & Time Scales
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Manchester
Department Name: Materials
Abstract
Under the existing Platform grant, the Unit for Stress & Damage Characterisation (USDC) has become a world-leading centre for excellence. Platform grant funding was an essential aspect in maintaining and developing our measurement and imaging capability. Over the 4 years since the Platform grant begun it has supported and helped us win 80 research grants including 29 Research Council (8,519k), 32 industry (4,983k), and 20 other (3,343) grants dependent on the Unit's facilities and staff. This portfolio of funding has enabled us to develop a stable research and development infrastructure analogous to the instrument scientist roles at large-scale facilities. Our post-doctoral fellows have been predominantly supported on grant income but Platform grant funding has ensured continuity of appointment. Further it has enabled them to follow a mixed programme comprising: a) world class experiments written up in world class journals (170 papers in the 3.5 years in addition to a similar number of conference proceedings); b) adventurous or speculative proof of concept studies often leading to follow-on funding; c) collaborations with other UK and international academics to provide new insights not available to them at their host institutes; d) visits abroad and work with visitors attracted to the Unit.This environment has been a very successful breeding ground for training and developing independent researchers. Six of its PDRAs have gone on to full lectureships; five have taken up instrument scientist posts at international large-scale facilities.The current proposal will allow the USDC to strengthen its position by developing capability and to thereby undertake world-leading experiments. At 1.7M and 156 man months it represents some 10% of the funding of the Units activities and 15% of its workforce. We anticiapte a high level of continutuity of support, indeed our existing portfolio reaches well into the period of this grant (see our man power chart in the justification of resources).In particular the grant will enable us to:a) extend our measurement capability beyond existing time and length scale confines to enable a wide range of ground breaking in situ and ex situ studies;b) undertake in situ studies of corrosion, cracks and failure processes;c) study the relationships between structure and properties in composites and architectured solids;d) observe transition processes in functional 'Smart' materials.Research in these areas is timely as the developments in fabrication of these materials are matched by developments in the measurement and imaging capabilities.
Organisations
Publications
Abdullahi H
(2021)
Single droplets to particles - size, shape, shell thickness and porosity analyses using X-ray computed tomography
in Chemical Engineering Science
Alberto M
(2021)
High-grip and hard-wearing graphene reinforced polyurethane coatings
in Composites Part B: Engineering
Barden HE
(2015)
Geochemical Evidence of the Seasonality, Affinity and Pigmenation of Solenopora jurassica.
in PloS one
Berg M
(2017)
Deformation-aided segregation of Fe-S liquid from olivine under deep Earth conditions: Implications for core formation in the early solar system
in Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors
Bosworth LA
(2014)
Dynamic loading of electrospun yarns guides mesenchymal stem cells towards a tendon lineage.
in Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials
Bradley R
(2016)
Estimation of bias and variance of measurements made from tomography scans
in Measurement Science and Technology
Bradley R
(2016)
Correlative multiscale tomography of biological materials
in MRS Bulletin
Bradley RS
(2017)
3D X-Ray Nanotomography of Cells Grown on Electrospun Scaffolds.
in Macromolecular bioscience
Bradley RS
(2016)
Post-processing techniques for making reliable measurements from curve-skeletons.
in Computers in biology and medicine
Burnett T
(2016)
Xe+ Plasma FIB: 3D Microstructures from Nanometers to Hundreds of Micrometers
in Microscopy Today
| Description | This grant provided the continuity of support necessary to maintain a very large team (20 PDRAs) within the Unit for Stress & Damage Characterisation. The job security offered by the backup of platform funding has been key to developing senior research fellows who have then gone on to permanent research posts. Preuss, Da Fonseca, Stone (Cambridge), Eichhorn, Shterenlicht (Bristol) and Zou have all taken up university Lectureships and our Industrial Fellow was appointed to Direct the nuclear Materials Performance Centre. Five post doctoral fellows have taken up Instrument Scientist positions at international facilities. On average we have had around 15 full-time research fellows of which Platform funding accounted for some 18 man-months per year. Over the course of the Platform the associated post doctoral team have been responsible for a very large number of publications using the facilities of the Unit. We were one of the first groups to study crack growth and stress corrosion cracking by x-ray tomography. We have since embarked on a major effort to develop nanotomography and grain imaging with the ESRF In collaboration with Risø, Denmark and ESRF we have developed a new high resolution synchrotron x-ray tomographic method (Diffraction Contrast Tomography) by which grain orientations and shape can be imaged non-destructively in 3D The Platform grant has helped us to develop or extend a number of stress measurement techniques. We are one of the leading groups in the UK developing image correlation. In particular we have measured strains in 'difficult' materials such as graphite and biological samples developed the method for non-contact strain field measurement at temperatures up to 1000ºC as well as for determining the gradients in mechanical properties across narrow weld zones. We have undertaken a number of standardisation/validation activities: Shackleton contributed to the NPL Good Practise Guide on stress measurement by X-ray diffraction Withers was a member of the world-wide Targeted Working Group 20 of the Versailles Agreement on Measurement and Advanced Materials that developed a draft standard for stress measurement by neutron diffraction. This standard is now nearing acceptance. We have become the only UKAS accredited X-ray stress measurement facility in the UK. 3 staff (one originally a Platform fellow) making a variety of measurements. Rolls-Royce have transferred their X-ray system to the Unit and we now make commercial measurements each month as part of Rolls-Royce process accreditation procedures for wide chord fan blades production. Mummery sits on BSI committee WEE/046/0-/19 on Computed Tomography that develops protocols and standards for 3D imaging and aalysis. We are working with the contour method originator (Mike Prime, Los Alamos), the Open University, British Energy and Frasier and Nash to look carefully at validating the Contour Method of stress measurement. We have a number of EPSRC and DTI grants through which new methods for stress and damage characterisation, e.g. stress measurement by eddy currents, damage assessment by non-contact laser ultrasound, are being validated against more well established methods. The Unit's capability and flexibility in structural integrity research has been critical in attracting support, as we are able to integrate state-of-the-art techniques to validate the modelling approaches employed in industrial practice. Our work on thermal barrier coatings has intensified; we have developed a novel method to infiltrate alumina as stress sensor in TBCs, and used fluoresence spectroscopy to map the stresses in TBCs; developed modified a theoretical model for indentation measurements of thin oxide film on metal substrate, and obtained both hardness and Young's modulus of oxide scale accurately; used nano-identation to measure the surface residual stress in TBCs, in comparison with measurements using fluoresence spectroscopy; developed a FE model on impedance spectroscopy of TBCs, validified by experimental results and used compressive stresses generated in coatings to promote sintering. We have developed synchrotron techniques for stress measurement in natural materials. In collaboration with Exeter University and Manchester Computing, we have initiated work looking at the fundamentals of microstructurally-faithful modelling. Acoustic and image correlation techniques for characterising structure and mechanical behaviour of skin. We have developed microstructurally-faithful models for thermal and mechanical behaviour of ceramic matrix composites. We have developed microstructurally-faithful models of dinosaur claws and limbs from tomographic scans of fossils which have enabled new insights into velociraptor behaviour. We have identified new weight-dependent failure criteria for self-bonded fibrous materials such as paper and advanced structural models characterising the observed behaviours. In related work, models and experimental techniques to predict the tensile behaviour of such materials from the properties of their constituent fibres have been advanced. We've fabricated & characterised bioactive scaffolds using tomography for tissue engineering applications. |
| Exploitation Route | Desk-top XCT systems available in many labs are able to provide good quality images of static artefacts. The USDC aims to complement this capability by concentrating on in situ studies well suited to our current and planned future large cabinet capability (large samples/long timescales), or at synchrotron sources (high resolution/short timescales). Renewal of our Platform would enable us to develop in situ experimentation, for example we are working with Bolton to undertake the first in situ studies to examine the auxetic response of certain foams. Crack monitoring by image correlation, at long and short scales. We can now image the displacements due to small cracks, in-situ. This allows observations under difficult environments (e.g. high temperature SCC) revolutionising the measurement of short crack propagation rates, and can be applied to studies of short-range residual stresses, for example. Although currently elastic strains are not well measured by image correlation, improvements in camera quality and algorithms will improve this. We will use displacements to estimate stress intensity factors (SIF) and the crack driving forces. This is important as nominal SIFs are often in error due to the crack shape and residual stresses. Ultimately, we wish to be able to observe short fatigue and stress corrosion cracks in 3D, in-situ, whilst also obtaining spatially resolved elastic and plastic strain data from the surrounding grains. Such measurements are essential to validate models for the prediction of crack nucleation over very long timescales in real components and microstructures. Whilst highly challenging, we have already developed some key tools for this: in-situ tomography, diffraction contrast tomography, 2D image correlation, and are making progress in others such as fast reconstruction, sub-volume tomography, 3D image correlation and plasticity observations in DCT. While diffraction methods are mature we will continue to extend the range of conditions over which they can be applied. Of particular interest is their use in studying phase transformations in so-called smart functional materials. Other stress measurement techniques are less well advanced and have the potential to provide exciting new information. In particular we will investigate the use of dual beam focused ion beam microscopy to make destructive stress measurements at the grain scale level (1?m). Our preliminary work to date is very promising. We will examine a range of machined geometries (slotting, cantilevers, almen style-strips) to evaluate their efficacy for different types of microscale stress fields. We will also evaluate the extent to which the ion beam introduces residual stresses as a function of beam conditions and material. Microstructurally-faithful modelling obviates the need for generating idealisations of a material. This is a key methodology for studying composites and architectured solids. However, there are currently limitations to the approach as the architecture of the material becomes more complex, larger volumes of material at higher resolution are needed to capture its behaviour. We will exploit expertise in parallel computing and image processing/analysis to develop more capable codes and routines. Complex 3D woven composites are becoming increasing important in nuclear and aerospace sectors. However, the current understanding of behaviour in these heterogeneous, anisotropic materials is very poor. We propose to a) design and fabricate a systematic series of woven composite architectures using capabilities within the School of Materials; b) characterise their mechanical properties; c) study their deformation in situ in 3D; and d) develop generic models for performance. Soft tissue replacement - we are currently making good 3D scaffolds for hard tissue replacement using tomographic imaging and digital fabrication techniques. There is a desperate need for scaffolds for soft tissue replacement for organs with complex, cellular architectures with features on a smaller length scale (liver, kidney). We will extend our fabrication processes to these finer length scales; image deformation mechanisms in situ; develop microstructurally-faithful models for mechanical behaviour/fluid flow. Hierarchical structures - There is growing interest in making hierarchical functional materials that have a distinct range of features crossing all size-scales from nanometers to millimetres. These structures have a range of applications including pre-pregs for composites, catalyst support, biochemical purification, diffusion barriers, cell scaffolds and electrodes. We will make these architectures in various materials including bioceramics, polymer and carbon. Multi-scale tomography will help us to accelerate our development schedule. Carbon nanofibrils can have a variety of internal structures, including the graphene planes perpendicular to the fibres axis (platelets), 45º to the axis (herringbone) and parallel to the axis (nanotubes). These nanofibrils are used in both energy storage (e.g. lithium-ion intercalation electrodes) and composites. We will combine X-ray analysis and Raman spectroscopy to examine the stresses in the fibres introduced by intercalation (collaboration with Dyfre, in chemistry) and when incorporated in a polymer resin as a function of fibre type. Auxetic foams contract laterally when compressed axially and are produced through combined compression and heat treatment of conventional foams. We propose to develop an understanding of the relationships between the processing, structure and properties of thermoplastic foams produced through combined heating and compression. This will be achieved by linking processing to in situ imaging of the deformation response of the resulting foams in situ; microstructure faithful finite element modelling to establish the auxetic mechanisms and to optimise the processing procedures needed to obtain auxetic microstructures. Biomimetic microstructures - we propose to use a combination of tomographic imaging and digital fabrication techniques to design microstructures based on natural materials. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Construction,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| Description | This award contributed to the opneing up of the Henry Moseley X-ray Imaging Fcaility to industry. Each year we provide over 100 days of X-ray Imaging beamtime to around 50 industry users providing 3D insights that are not acheivable in any other way. These provide companies with information about their manufacturing processes or the in service degradation in 3D non destructvely. In additon we have scanned many precious museum artefacts including one of the oldest metallic beads in the world which we demosntrated was not the result of smelting but from a meteorite. We also regularly present some of our results collated through this project at exhibitions and science days including the Royyal Society Summer Exhiition (2020 and others), the Manchester Science & Industry Museum, Bluedot festival (2018-2020) etc. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Transport |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Economic |
| Description | Multidisciplinary Charactersation Facility |
| Amount | £18,017,381 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | Mancheter RPIF Round 2 |
| Organisation | Higher Education Funding Council for England |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2013 |
| End | 03/2015 |
| Description | Next generation multidimensional x-ray imaging |
| Amount | £1,219,152 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/M010619/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2015 |
| End | 12/2019 |
| Description | Structural Evolution across multiple time and length scales |
| Amount | £1,656,509 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/I02249X/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2011 |
| End | 09/2016 |
| Description | Tomographic Imaging |
| Amount | £238,693 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/M022498/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2015 |
| End | 08/2020 |
| Description | Tomographic Imaging |
| Amount | £469,584 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/J010456/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2012 |
| End | 08/2015 |
| Title | Data from: Metamorphosis revealed: time-lapse three-dimensional imaging inside a living chrysalis |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2013 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Description | Cheltenham Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We were part of the DinoZone and showed how light based technologies were used to examine fossils.Nearly 14,000 visitors came through and many people stopped and said "wow" as they walked in before getting involved. We made a Lego model of a synchrotron where children (or adults) could insert balls and turn it on so the electron (balls) go round the ring A game where children rolled ball bearings rolled down a ramp and changed their trajectory using magnets. This simulates how electrons are bent round the ring in a synchrotron. They won a sweet if they can control the ball to hit a target. We have a video touchscreen kiosk that will run Dristhi Prayog software. This is a "public space ready" interface that allows users to interface with the 3D data generated by X-ray CT and synchrontrons. It has content showing data from fossils and archaeological human remains which have been scanned by X-ray CT |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/science/science-in-the-square/dinozone/ |
| Description | Organised Chaos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Seven teachers from local primary schools came to meet with researchers to get ideas for communicating science in the class room |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Pi session |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Museum of Science and Industry ran a special weekend event focusing on light based science and technologies. We took several interactive activities for the public to get involved with and learn about how synchrontrons and X-rays are used in material science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Science into Drama |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | CBBC factual/entertainment development team and CBBC drama team came to the university and met with 7 academics in materials science. They wanted to know the potential impact of research being done today would have on the world/society in 50 years time. The CBBC representatives were so inspired by the conversations that they would like to organise a much wider search for new ideas with the region's universities.Discussions are ongoing as to how CBBC can tap into experts from a range of STEM areas who could inspire 8-12 year olds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |