Operation of sustainable marine structures under complex loading

Whilst marine structures vary in scale from metres to hundreds of metres, they're all subject to complex fluid structure interactions. As the materials from which they're built become more scrutinised at the earliest of design stages for their environmental impact, the lack of understanding of sustainable materials' performance in dynamically loaded structures becomes an obstruction to their uptake.
This research will explore the new opportunities of active control of morphing structures made possible by composite components working in conjunction with active control elements created using additive manufacturing techniques. More subtle tailoring of shape to local flow conditions has many maritime applications: notably tidal turbine blades, propellers, hydrofoils and rudders. It will form part of the Prosperity Partnership Intelligent structures for low noise environments between UoS and Baesystems, University of Nottingham and Lloyds Register