OPtimise POwder pRoducTion UsiNg Intelligent Sensing Technologies (OPPORTUNIST)

Project ID: 2228cc1456 (You will need this ID for your application)

Research Theme: Manufacturing The Future

UCL Lead department: Mechanical Engineering

Lead Supervisor: Dr Chu Lun Alex Leung

Industry partner: Carpenter Additive

Stipend enhancement: £1,500 per year

Closing date: 13:00 UK time on 06 May 2024

The UCL EPSRC DTP (Doctoral Training Partnership) is recruiting 70 outstanding students to undertake fully-funded four-year PhD (including EngD) studentships at UCL. These studentships are open to Home fee status students only.

For full details about eligibility requirements and how to apply, please visit the UCL EPSRC DTP Studentship website.

Funding

This PhD studentship is fully funded for 4 years and provides:

• 4 years tuition fees (Home rate). International students will receive an additional UCL award to cover the home/international fee difference.
• A maintenance stipend at the UCL EPSRC DTP enhanced rate (this was £21,622 in 2023/24, and rises each year).
• A stipend enhancement of £1,500 per year from the industry partner.
• A Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of £4,800. This is to cover additional costs of training, courses, project costs, conferences and travel.

We welcome applications for full-time or part-time study. Part-time students will be funded pro-rata for up to 8 years. 

Project Summary:

Metallic powders play a crucial role in the global transition towards industrial 4.0 and a net-zero society as they are being used for a wide range of digital manufacturing technologies and industries, including press & sinter, metal injection mould, and additive manufacturing.

Gas atomisation (GA) is one of the most common powder production processes owing to its excellent chemistry control, wide particle size distribution, and high flexible capacity. Currently, the nozzle of the GA unit often suffers from cogging and melt splashing during GA, damaging the nozzle and reduce production yield. In worst case scenario, the damage nozzle may pose safety hazards and halt production.

These anomaly events are governed by complex gas flow and gas-liquid interactions within milliseconds; their underlying mechanisms are not well understood as they are difficult to monitor and predict. This project aims to develop a novel imaging and data analytics platform to understand the fundamental mechanisms of the GA process, continuous monitoring and predict anomaly events. The aim is divided into four objectives:

1. A GA simulator will be developed at UCL coupled with an ultra-fast speed imaging platform (up to 1MHz) to reveal and elucidate the liquid breakup, cogging, and splashing mechanisms. The GA simulator will be used to test fluid with various viscosities to simulate molten metal at various compositions/temperature.
2. The collected data will be used to develop data-driven machine-learning (ML) models that will evaluate a combination of time-series data, fluid viscosities, gas flow velocities, nozzle geometry, etc.
3. Such imaging platform will then be replicated in a GA unit at Carpenter Additive to collect and provide real-world training data to generalise the ML models developed in the laboratory.
4. Finally, an ensemble ML model will be deployed to test its suitability and generalisability for prediction of anomaly events.

During the project you will gain work experience with Carpenter Additive, a global powder manufacturer, and become an expert in particle technology, materials science & engineering, data science, and employing cutting edge imaging techniques for scientific research and experimental design. You will have opportunities to collaborate with Carpenter Additive colleagues from Sweden and the USA who work on optimisation strategies and the modelling of the powder production process.

Supervisory Team

Dr Chu Lun Alex Leung (Principal Supervisor), Associate Professor, FIMMM, has over 10 years’ experience in advanced manufacturing research. Dr Leung has a track record in establishing novel imaging platform for additive manufacturing, high-pressure die-casting, production of batteries and composites in laboratory and large facilities, e.g., Diamond Light Source. Dr Leung’s research outputs include 8 research proposals (£6.5 m research portfolio), 7 academic awards, 41 publications, and >30 invited talks.

Prof. Peter D Lee (Co-supervisor) is a world-leading expert in solidification and in situ characterisation of additive manufacturing processes. He has supervised 46 PhD students, led over 30 UKRI/EU/Industrial research projects, and published >480 articles. Prof, Lee is RAEng Chair (2019-2029) and UCL lead of the EPSRC Future Manufacturing Hub on Powder technology;

Dr Joseph Oluleke (Industrial supervisor) is Materials Development Director at Carpenter Additive. He has over 10 years in AM technology and managing a team of 10 staff to develop next-generation powder production and monitoring technologies. Dr Oluleke has Doctorate degrees in metallurgy and material science, specialised in powder production for special materials, including stainless steel, Ti, Ni, and Cu alloys.

The doctoral student will be mentored by supervisors who are CSci, CEng, FIMMM, FREng, and the RAEng Chair in the Emerging Technology.

Eligibility

This PhD studentship is available to Home status candidates only. Full details of eligibility status are below, but in most cases to be eligible you need to be in one of these categories: UK nationals; Irish nationals resident in Ireland or UK; EU nationals with pre-settled or settled status; those with indefinite leave to remain or enter the UK.

• UK nationals are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• EU nationals with settled status are Home category.
• EU nationals with pre-settled status are Home category, provided they meet residency requirements.
• Irish nationals living in UK or Ireland are Home category
• Those who have indefinite leave to remain or enter are Home category.
• All others are classified as International category.

Residency requirements for UK nationals:

• living in UK, EEA, or Switzerland on 31-Dec-2020 and lived in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins
• lived continuously in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar between 31-Dec-2020 and the start of the studentship

Residency requirements for EU, EEA, or Swiss nationals with pre-settled status:

• living in UK by 31-Dec-2020 (a requirement to receive pre-settled status)
• living in UK, EEA, Switzerland, or Gibraltar for at least 3 years immediately before the studentship begins