Thermo-mechanical behaviour of titanium alloys under process-representative conditions for predictive modelling of linear friction welding

This project is part of cohort 3 of the EPSRC CDT in Developing National Capability for Materials 4.0, with the Henry Royce Institute.

This project will investigate how titanium alloys behave under the extreme thermo-mechanical conditions experienced during linear friction welding (LFW), a critical manufacturing process used in high-value aerospace components. During rapid heating, kinetic processes in titanium alloys cannot fully keep pace with the imposed thermal cycle, resulting in retention of lower-temperature strengthening features at temperatures where equilibrium would predict a significantly softer material state. This leads to substantially higher flow stresses than expected under equilibrium conditions and strongly influences deformation and weld behaviour. Despite the widespread industrial use of LFW, these transient material states remain poorly understood, limiting predictive modelling and constraining the introduction of new materials and process conditions.

The project will develop a semi-automated experimental capability for thermo-mechanical testing under process-representative conditions, combining advanced deformation testing, rapid heating, and full-field diagnostics such as digital image correlation (DIC) and thermography. This will enable systematic exploration of material response across a wide range of temperatures, strain rates, and thermal histories, while generating high-quality datasets for predictive modelling and validation.

Detailed microstructural characterisation will be used to investigate the relationship between thermal history, phase evolution, and flow stress. The project will involve close collaboration with Rolls-Royce and academic partners working on multiscale modelling of welding processes, providing the opportunity to contribute directly to the development of predictive manufacturing approaches for aerospace applications.

The successful student will receive training in high-temperature materials testing, experimental mechanics, advanced diagnostics, and materials characterisation, with opportunities for industrial collaboration, specialist external training, and potential synchrotron-based experiments.

This project is ideally suited to students with interests in materials science, mechanical engineering, experimental mechanics, manufacturing, or high-temperature material behaviour, particularly those interested in combining advanced experimental research with real industrial impact.

Enquiries

For general enquiries, please contact doctoral-training@royce.ac.uk.

For application-related queries, please contact graduate.studies@materials.ox.ac.uk.

For project-related queries, please contact the lead supervisor, David Chapman (david.chapman@eng.ox.ac.uk).

Application Process

Please note that each partner of the CDT in Materials 4.0 will have their own application process.

The Materials 4.0 CDT is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from underrepresented groups.

Application Web Page

Please follow the link to apply, https://eng.ox.ac.uk/study/research-studentships.