Dr Harry Coules

Summary

My research focusses on the integrity of engineering structures and materials, often dealing with high-dependability metallic components in the energy sector. It includes the mechanics of failure processes (eg. fracture and high-temperature creep), analysis of factors which affect structural integrity (eg. residual stresses) and the development of approximate methods for practical integrity analysis. I am also interested in the manufacture of components for high-dependability applications and often work on welding processes and on the mechanics of additive-manufactured materials. My research typically uses a mix of experimental and modelling/analytical approaches. On the experimental side I have particular interests in residual stress measurement, engineering applications of neutron diffraction and fracture mechanics testing. On the modelling side I am interested in analysis of defects in structures, constitutive models of materials for failure prediction and stress field reconstruction. Companies I currently work with include EDF Energy, Frazer-Nash Consultancy and TWI.

I frequently have funded opportunities for PhD study available and I welcome enquiries from prospective students. Examples of PhD projects I currently supervise are: properties of additive-manufactured nickel superalloys, effects of residual stress on non-brittle fracture and probabilistic failure assessment.

Biography

I joined the Solid Mechanics group at Bristol in 2013 after an MEng in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford and a PhD in Welding Engineering at Cranfield University. After working on measurement and modelling of residual stresses, in 2015 I was awarded an EPSRC fellowship on structural analysis for nuclear power applications. I became a lecturer in 2016 and now I do a wide variety of research and teaching in the structural integrity field. I am also a professional member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

Keywords

• Structural integrity
• Residual stress
• Fracture mechanics
• Welding
• Additive manufacturing
• Stress analysis
• Neutron diffraction

Memberships

Organisations

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Other sites

• Engineering

Links

•   Google Scholar profile
• EPSRC fellowship page
• ORCID profile
• ResearchGate profile

Recent publications

• Coules, H & Bezensek, B, 2019, ‘Analysis of defect interaction in inelastic materials’. in: Proceedings of the ASME 2019 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference.
• Probert, M, Coules, H, Truman, C & Hofmann, M, 2019, ‘The effect of crack growth history on fracture toughness’. in: Proceedings of the ASME 2019 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference.
• Coules, H, Horne, G, Peel, M & Connolley, T, 2019, ‘Localised prior strain-hardening increases the tearing resistance of ductile steel’. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, vol 150., pp. 103-111
• Probert, M, Coules, H & Truman, C, 2018, ‘Effects of crack introduction history on fracture initiation in residually stressed components’. in: Proceedings of the ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels & Piping Conference.
• Seow, C, Coules, H & Khan, R, 2018, ‘Effect of crack orientation on fracture behaviour of Wire + Arc Additively Manufactured (WAAM) nickel-base superalloy’. in: Proceedings of the ASME 2018 Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference.
• Benghalia, G, Rahimi, S, Wood, J, Coules, H & Paddea, S, 2018, ‘Multiscale measurements of residual stress in a low-alloy carbon steel weld clad with IN625 superalloy’. Materials Performance and Characterization, vol 7., pp. 606-629
• Wang, YQ, Coules, HE, Truman, CE & Smith, DJ, 2018, ‘Effect of elastic follow-up and ageing on the creep of an austenitic stainless steel’. International Journal of Solids and Structures, vol 135., pp. 219-232
• Coules, H & Smith, D, 2018, ‘Measurement of the residual stresses in a PWR Control Rod Drive Mechanism nozzle’. Nuclear Engineering and Design, vol 333., pp. 16-24
• Coules, HE, Horne, GC, Venkata, KA & Pirling, T, 2018, ‘The effects of residual stress on elastic-plastic fracture propagation and stability’. Materials and Design, vol 143., pp. 131-140
• Coules, HE, 2018, ‘On predicting the interaction of crack-like defects in ductile fracture’. International Journal of Pressure Vessels and Piping, vol 162., pp. 98-101

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system

Courses

Dr Coules currently teaches 1 courses: