Mechanical Engineering

Description

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The Department of Mechanical Engineering has a highly rated research profile which ranges across a wide spectrum of engineering subjects. Our research quality was highly ranked in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise. We also have strong links with most of the UK's top engineering companies as well as others worldwide.

Research groups The Department has three research groups representing the research interests of staff.

Design and Process Engineering

The research is focused on bioengineering, design methods and industrial applications. The group collaborates with the Bristol Dental Hospital, the United Bristol Hospital Trust (UBHT) and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory. The Group is developing and testing several proof-of-concept technologies for industrial applications such as patented duct cleaning technology (known as 'ice-pigging'). The Group is pioneering new mechanical drive technology for a wide range of industrial applications including micro air vehicles, spacecraft, dentistry, electro-mechanical valves and roller chains.

Dynamics and Control

Dynamics and control research is currently focused on the key themes of:

* Dynamic Substructuring
* Adaptive Control
* Nonlinear Vibration
* Control of Fluidised Beds

As a result we are interested in aspects of nonlinear dynamics, adaptive control, intelligent structures and fluid dynamics.

Solid Mechanics

Solid mechanics is about understanding the way engineering materials respond to loading to improve the efficiency and safety of structures. Within the broad area of solid mechanics, the main interests of the group are residual stress, non-destructive testing, structural health monitoring, composite materials, fracture, fatigue and tribology.

Contents

Key research interests Dr Kazem Alemzadeh, Reverse engineering; vision system; dental CAD/CAM in restorative dentistry; adaptive machining and predictive maintenance.

Dr Mahdi Azarpeyvand, Aeroacoustics; linear acoustic and vibration; bio-medical ultrasound, turbulence.

Dr Julian Booker, Concept design for fatigue resistance; design for reliability using probabilistic methods; design for quality; selection and costing methods for manufacturing; integration and implementation of design tools and methods in new product development.

Professor Stuart Burgess, Efficiency modelling of structures and mechanisms; insect flight mechanisms; roller-chain wear and efficiency modelling; car transport efficiency.

Dr Jeremy Burn, Biomechanics of animal locomotion; biomedical engineering.

Dr Andrew Conn, Robotics, especially 'soft' robotics; bio-inspired design; dynamics of electro-active polymers; novel mechanisms.

Dr Anthony Croxford, Guided wave structural health monitoring; defect classification and quantification using ultrasound; dynamics and control of fluidised beds.

Professor Bruce Drinkwater, Dynamics; non-destructive testing; ultrasonic sensors; ultrasonic measurement of contact and lubrication.

Dr Mark Gilbertson, Fluidisation; particle fluid interactions; validation of numerical models of multiphase flow; fluid mechanics; geophysical granular flows; segregation and mixing.

Dr Andrew Harrison, Dynamical systems and control; orthopaedic fixator design; active engine mounts; centreless grinding.

Dr Guido Herrmann, Robust control; constrained control (anti-windup compensation, nonlinear optimal control with constraints); nonlinear/neural network adaptive control; sliding mode control; high-precision servo-control.

Professor Ben Hicks, Processes/methods for design management; methods for computerbased design and optimisation; approaches for managing design information/knowledge; techniques for modelling machine-material interaction.

Professor David Inman, Energy harvesting.

Dr Jason Zheng Jiang, Passive and active mechanical control: electrical and mechanical networks; circuit theory and applications of control theory.

Dr Andrew Lawrie, Fluid mechanics; turbulence; flow stability and instability; massively parallel numerical simulation of complex flow.

Dr Dario di Maio, Measurement technologies using non-contact sensors under stationary and rotating conditions; experimental model validation of nonlinear structures; high cycle fatigue of composites; health monitoring; experimental vibrations of rotating mechanical systems.

Professor Chris McMahon, Engineering design; design theory and methodology; knowledge management; probabilistic design analysis; risk and uncertainty; design optimisation; data structures for CAD and CAM.

Professor Christopher Melhuish, Human-robot interaction; soft and nonlinear robotics; biologically-inspired robots; novel application of robots.

Dr Simon Neild, Dynamic substructure testing; control of hydraulic systems; non-linear dynamics; adaptive control; damage detection.

Dr Michael Patterson, Use of experimental techniques to examine rotating, stratified and thermally forced fluids.

Professor Martyn Pavier, Composite materials; fracture and fatigue; residual stress; finite element analysis.

Dr Matthew Peel, Metallurgy; thermo-mechanical processing; synchroton x-ray and neutron diffraction; residual stress.

Professor Joe Quarini, Process engineering; advanced process equipment; computational fluid dynamics; food processing.

Dr Hind Saidani-Scott, Thermodynamics; absorption of moisture by building materials and artefacts.

Dr Anton Shterenlikht, Mechanical behaviour of materials; computational and experimental fracture mechanics; multi-scale modelling; residual stress prediction and measurement; reconfigurable, parallel and distributed computing; high-performance computing.

Professor David Smith, Strength and performance of engineering materials including finite element analysis; high temperature fracture and fatigue; measurement of residual stresses and structural integrity assessment.

Professor David Stoten, Adaptive control; nonlinear and chaotic system control; multivariable control; system identification; control of dynamically substructured systems; filtering methods and data fusion; servohydraulic system control.

Dr Mike Tierney, Heat and mass transfer; energy efficiency; pollution abatement; computational fluid dynamics using proprietary codes.

Professor Christopher Truman, Contact problems; fracture mechanics; residual stresses and the interaction of the three, through complex loading scenarios.

Dr Alexander Velichko, Non-destructive testing; ultrasonic testing; dynamics; wave mechanics and propagation; signal processing.

Professor David Wagg, Non-linear dynamics and control of engineering systems.

Professor Paul Wilcox, Dynamics; non-destructive testing; wave propagation; smart structures; structural integrity.

Requirements

An upper second-class honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

English Language Requirements

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa.

The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.