Biodegradable plastic training cartridges: The future of sustainable training

About the Project

A PhD in biodegradable plastic military training cartridges. Sponsored by a leading an ammunition manufacturing company in Norway. The PhD is fully funded with a travel and consumable budget. There will be time spent in Norway to test materials etc. The PhD will be based at our Shrivenham Campus.

Microplastic pollution has become a major global concern, leading to increasingly strict regulations on the use of plastics. This challenge is particularly significant for training ammunition, where fired cartridge cases and projectiles are dispersed into the environment. Conventional plastics can persist for centuries, contributing to long-term ecological contamination. The student undertaking this project should be knowledgeable of a wide range of biodegradable materials that can with stand explosive heat and dispersion.

A scientific down selection of suitable materials that will be appropriate for the firing of military training ammunition but will also be a sustainable product that biodegrades in the environment, which does not leave hazardous bi-products.

There will be the opportunity to visit and work with the leading ammunition manufacturing company in Norway for several weeks at a time.

Working closely with both the manufacturing company and Cranfield University, the student will engage with industry experts in ammunition production as well as academics specialising in materials and environmental science, gaining a broad range of valuable and transferable skills.

Supervisor

1st Supervisor: Professor Tracey Temple

2nd Supervisor: Professor Krzysztof Koziol

3rd Supervisor: Professor Frederic Coulon

Entry requirements

Applicants should hold a first or second call UK honours degree in material science or engineering. An advantage be with a military background or an understanding.

How to apply

For further information please contact:

Name: Professor Tracey Temple

Email: t.temple@cranfield.ac.uk

If you are eligible to apply for this studentship, please complete the online application form.

Please note this studentship is based at our Shrivenham Campus.

Please note that applications will be reviewed as they are received. Therefore, we encourage early submission, as the position may be filled before the stated deadline.

Funding Notes

Sponsored by A European Manufacturing Company, a student stipend will £21, 805 per year plus fee for three years.

To be eligible for this funding, applicants must be classified as a Home fee status student. Eligibility for Home fee status is determined with reference to UK Department for Education rules. As a guiding principle UK or Irish nationals who are ordinarily resident in either the UK or Republic of Ireland pay Home tuition fees. All other students (including those from the Channel Islands and Isle of Man) pay Overseas fees. Further advice can be found on the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) website.