Experimental Mechanics of Advanced Materials

We are an experimental characterization group with unique capabilities to understand the damage and fracture of advanced materials under extreme conditions over multiple length-scales.

Composite materials with improved properties to survive harsh environments (such as neutron/proton irradiation and elevated temperatures) are the key for nuclear fission/fusion reactors and aero engines, at present and in the future. The materials of interest to EMAM include:

⦁ Carbon/graphite

⦁ SiC/SiC

⦁ Oxide/Oxide

⦁ TRISO fuel particles/compacts

⦁ Novel nuclear fuel cladding materials

⦁ MAX phases.

Unique and cutting-edge techniques have been developed to study these materials over multiple length-scales. The aim is to correlate the materials processing nano-/micro-structure to the macro-scale damage and fracture in service conditions.

EMAM has formed strong collaborative ties with key national and international players in the nuclear fission, nuclear fusion and aerospace fields. The goal is to use scientific approaches to gain a mechanistic understanding of the failure modes in these materials. Their industrial applications are underpinned as a result.

We have active ongoing projects in the following areas with open PhD and Postdoctoral opportunities. Please contact us if you interested in learning more.

Mechanistic Understanding of the Damage and Fracture in Ceramic-Matrix Composites under Extreme Conditions: Working with many industries and processing groups, this area studies a range of aerospace and nuclear fission/fusion CMCs in terms of their local mechanical and thermal properties, residual stresses, deformation and fracture including crack initiation and propagation from ambient to temperatures higher than 1000°C with in situ imaging and diffraction methods.
Damage and fracture in nuclear graphite composites over multiple length-scale: This topic studies a large range of polycrystalline graphite materials, from highly oriented pyrolytic graphite to fine/medium/coarse grained graphite composite, unirradiated or irradiated with ions, neutrons or protons, to understand their multiple length-scale structure, physical properties before and after irradiation, at ambient and up to 1100°C.
Thermal and mechanical characterisation of TRISO fuels: This programme investigates a range of Tristructural Isotropic nuclear fuel particles (TRISO), both free-standing or embedded in SiC or graphite matrix, in terms of their local properties, residual stresses and high temperature mechanical properties changing with processing parameters.
Interfacial strength of heterogeneously integrated ceramic films: A range of micro-mechanical testing methods have been developed to evaluate the interfacial toughness of thin ceramic films (e.g., GaN) integrated on stiff substrate including SiC, Si and single/polycrystalline diamond, with the aim to enable the development of novel semiconductor materials for high power radio frequency (RF) devices.

Funding sources: