Joint Research Institute (JRI)in

Mechanics of Materials & Structures and Bioengineering (MMSB)

Biom

echan ics and

Rehab ilita tion E ng in eering

P e rfo rm a n c e o fM a te ria ls a n d S tru c tu re s

Com

posite

s and

Emer

g ing

Mat

eria

ls

M ech a n icsC h ar ac ter is a tio n

T es tin g C o n s titu tiv e M o d ellin g C o m p u ta tio n a l M ec h an ic s An aly tic a l M ec h an ic s S y m b o lic C o m p u tin g M u lti P h y s ic s M o d ellin g M u lti S c a le M o d ellin g C o n tr o l T h eo r y

W id e r B io e ngine e ring R e s e a rc h W e s t o f S c o tla nd

S U , G U , G C U , U W S , H o s p ita ls G ro u p s D e p ts , C e ntre s . . .

W id e r re s e a rc h c o nte xtin M e c h E ng, C iv ila nd S tru c tu ra l E ngng,W e s t o f S c o tla ndG U , S U , U W S , G C UG ro u p s D e p ts , C e ntre s . . .

W id e r M a te ria ls R e s e a rc h W e s t o f S c o tla nd G U , U W S , S U , G C U G ro u p s D e p ts , C e ntre s . . .

7 academic staff

Jim Thomason (SU)

Liz Tanner (GU)

Domenico Gallipoli (GU)

Wenzhong Zhu (UWS)

Aleksandra Vuckovic (GU)

Heba Lakany (SU)

Ben Stansfield (GCAL)

GRPE investment within the JRI

2 Postdocs (Coupaud, Chastin)

10 PhD studentships

£600k on equipment

Simon Wheeler (GU) succeeded Nenad Bicanic as JRI Director.

JRI Committee consists of Wheeler (GU), Conway (SU), Thomason (SU), Cartmell (GU), Hughes (UWS), Granat/Stansfield (GCal).

University restructuring at GU has included the formation of a Biomedical Research Division within the School of Engineering. This involves areas not currently included in the JRI (bioelectronics, micro-fluidics, cell engineering) as well as several areas already included in the JRI (rehabilitation engineering, biomaterials, biomechanics), thus opening up new possibilities for collaboration.

JRI organisation and activities

Workshop on Wood micromechanics on 13 October 2010 organised by JRI/Napier University/Telford Institute

Over 40 delegates, including JRI members, representatives from Timber Engineering Research Centre (Napier University), staff from WestChem, industry representatives, Forestry Commission and BRE.

Guest speaker was Dr Karin Hofstetter, University of Vienna, chair of the EU COST Action FP0802 on “Experimental and computational micro-characterisation techniques in wood mechanics”.

Modelling and characterisation of timber and wood drying and its influence on mechanical properties identified as a research theme to be taken forward by JRI/Napier/WestChem under Telford umbrella.

JRI organisation and activities (continued)

Proposal being developed by SU (lead) and GU in discussion with Scottish Enterprise (SE) and industry (Aerospace/Defence and Energy).

Advanced composites; multifunctional materials; embedded sensors; smart and adaptive structures; modelling and simulation; structural health monitoring; informatics; automated manufacture and assembly.

Envisaged as a partnership between industry, academia and the public sector, bridging the gap between university research and industrial exploitation (AFRC is a possible model).

Capital funding would be from Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Government, Scottish Funding Council, Universities, Industry, EU. Operational funding would be from Industry (membership fees and bi-lateral project funding), EPSRC, Technology Strategy Board, EU).

Concept being developed in individual meetings with companies and in regular (every 2 weeks) meetings involving SU, GU, SE and companies.

Would be complementary to the new Scottish Sensor Systems Centre and the Energy Technology Partnership and could contribute to applications such as a possible TIC for Renewable Energy.

Proposal for Centre for Intelligent Structures Research (CISR)

Funded EPSRC cross-disciplinary feasibility grant (£250k) on “Bug-free prosthetics” (degradation of liners for

prosthetics) to Lunn (SU Engineering), Sloan (GU Engineering) and Meyer (SU National centre for prosthetics)

EPSRC grant (£1.4M) on “Geological disposal of nuclear waste” to a consortium led by SU (Lunn, Tarantino) and also involving GU (Gallipoli, Grassl), Oxford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Nottingham, Newcastle and the British Geological Survey.

International Spinal Injuries Research Trust Prize Studentship (£86k) to Conway (SU), Gollee (GU) and Allan (Queen Elizabeth Spinal Injuries Unit, Southern General Hospital).

Under review EU Marie Curie Initial Training Network application (€4.6M) on “Maintaining earth structures under

environmental change” by a consortium of 11 European partners, led by UPC Barcelona and including GU (Gallipoli, Wheeler) and SU (Tarantino).

CSO grant application on “Development of biomechanical models for the simulation of load distribution and fracture risk in osteoporotic bones after spinal cord injury”, Gislasson (SU) and Coupaud (GU).

EPRSC-NSF Materials programme grant application, Galloway et al. (SU) and Zhu (UWS).

Carnegie grant proposal on “Building stone decay” by GU (Earth Sciences) and Hughes (UWS).

Inter-institutional research grant awards and applications under review (GRPE appointments in bold)

GRPE-funded academic staff are well bedded-in and collaborating with colleagues in their own institution, in other GRPE partner institutions and externally. Three examples are:

Gallipoli (Senior Lecturer, GU)

Collaborating on several projects with Wheeler (internal colleague)

Main supervisor for 3 PhD students (1 funded by GRPE, supervised jointly with Sanchez (SU))

Main supervisor for 2 EU Marie Curie Fellows

Recent award of EPSRC grant with colleagues from SU

Publishing widely in leading international journals and picking up indicators of external esteem

Recently appointed as Convenor of Graduate Studies (PGR) for School of Engineering

Recently promoted from Senior Lecturer to Reader

Lakany (Lecturer, SU)

Supervising 5 PhD students

Research project with Southeast Mobility & Rehabilitation Centre, Edinburgh

Research Project with University of Copenhagen

Knowledge exchange with Touch Bionics, Livingston and Inquisitive Systems, Edinburgh

Zhu (Lecturer, UWS)

Leading a work package on EU “Codice” project

Co-investigator on EPSRC-NSF Materials grant application with Galloway et al. (SU)

Co-supervision of one PhD student with Tanner (GU) and one with Galloway (SU)

Joint project with Thomason & Yang (SU), joint project with Tanner (GU) and Hermens (GU Art History),

Joint project with Cusack (GU Earth Sciences)

Activities of academic staff funded through GRPE

10 PhD studentships funded by GRPE are generally nearing completion. Majority involve inter-institutional supervision.

Real time event mining in complex time series

Cycle technology for neurological and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation

Surrogate materials for assessing the performance of ultrasonic surgical devices

Effect of bone signalling molecules on the mechanical properties of bone

Biomechanics of the spine

Biomechanics and activity

Magnetorheological elastomers

New direction in structural ceramics – from ultra rapid sustainable material processing to nano ceramics

Risk management of slope instabilities

Multi scale modelling of fibre reinforced thermoplastic composites

PhD studentships funded by GRPE

Numbers of joint publications, in journals and conferences proceedings, have increased substantially.

Teaching activities

Joint MSc in Geotechnics (SU and GU) is now in its second year and student numbers have increased from 18 to 23.

Publications

Development of proposal for Centre for Intelligent Structures Research (CISR).

Research project of Le (GRPE-funded PhD student at GU/SU) one of 4 invited presentations at British Geotechnical Association annual research-industry conference.

Geotechnics MSc is supported by industry staff from Atkins, Jacobs, Donaldson Associates, Halcrow, Ritchies, Fugro and Keller.

EDF Energy are funding two projects at GU (Bicanic, Pearce, Kaczmarczyk) on “Non-smooth contact dynamics” and “Efficient 3D predictive modelling of crack propagation in nuclear graphite”.

MAKO Surgical , NHS and a US consortium are funding (£525k) research at SU (Rowe and Blyth) comparing robotic knee joint surgery with conventional knee joint arthroplasty.

SEEKIT/ERDF knowledge exchange award (£680k) on general medical devices and bioengineering to SU (Connolly) and Strathclyde MedTech (supports Scottish SMEs in medical device sector)

Cartmell (GU) is part of a Europe-wide “Centre of Excellence for Modern Composites Applied in Aerospace and Surface Transportation” funded by EU-FP7 grant.

Bombardier Aerospace have awarded two contracts (£100k and £90k) for commercial R&D using large (1000t and 200t) testing machines at GU.

Research work (SU and GU) in collaboration with the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit has featured in a series of articles in The Times (written by a journalist who is a patient at the spinal injuries unit)

Knowledge exchange, impact, industry interaction

Within Engineering, appointments are being made to vacant posts and to new posts.

For example, two Chair positions within this JRI (in Structural Engineering and in Biomedical Engineering) are currently being filled at GU, and these will be followed by other academic appointments.

Staffing developments

New Advanced Materials Research Laboratory (£3M investment) recently opened at SU.

GU is currently re-organising all mechanical testing facilities for research and commercial testing purposes within the School of Engineering into a single large laboratory.

GU is using a £400k bequest to form the new Tuck Laboratory for teaching of materials, mechanics and structures within the School of Engineering.

UWS has made further investment in the micromechanical testing facilities.

Major infrastructure or equipment developments