PhD in Mechanical Engineering

One of the most extreme events a modern aircraft must be designed and certified for, is “Fan Blade Off”. In this highly dynamic event, a fan blade becomes detached from the rotor. Carrying enormous energy, it must then be contained safely by the powerplant system, preserving the structural integrity of the airframe and the safety of passengers. Modelling a Fan Blade Off event is immensely challenging, even where detailed design data is available and large computational resources exist. In preliminary design, empirical data and experience with similar designs is often relied upon, to ensure that risks of unexpected behaviours are mitigated. However, as the aerospace industry pushes towards NetZero, radical new aircraft configurations are on the horizon – for which such empirical data and experience doesn’t exist. Radical new approaches to Fan Blade Off Analysis which minimise computational cost, handle major changes in aircraft-powerplant configurations, and support optimisation efforts are therefore vital. Our partnership with Rolls-Royce is focused on developing engineering design technology, along with a pipeline of engineering doctoral talent, necessary to enable the transition to NetZero flight. You will undertake your PhD within a collaborative research group made up of fellow PhD students, Post-doctoral Researchers, Academics and External Experts.