Research themes – Structural materials
The structural materials grouping represents a wide cross-section of activities in the core area of materials science. An outstanding range of both established and novel processing capabilities is central to much of the work. These include facilities for the production of carbon nanotubes, metallic foams, surface coatings (PEO, VPS, PVD and CVD), as-solidified materials covering a wide range of cooling rate, electrolytic reduction of metallic oxides, laser drilling, explosive and anodic joining etc. Modelling activities figure strongly, encompassing processing, thermo-mechanical performance and microstructural development. Materials and systems receiving particular attention include bainitic steels, (Ru-containing) superalloys, metallic glasses, porous and multilayered materials, carbon nanotubes and nanofibres, thermal barrier coatings and metallic fibre network materials. The Cambridge Micromechanical Testing Centre (CAMTEC), which opened in 2006, houses a unique range of nanoindenters, one of which operates in a vacuum chamber.
The following research groups carry out research under this theme and academic staff working in each group are listed under each heading:
- The Gordon Laboratory
- Ceramics and Inorganic Materials Group
- W.J. Clegg
- Composites & Coatings
Group
- T.W. Clyne
- Ceramics and Inorganic Materials Group
- Inorganic
Microstructures Group
- K.M. Knowles
- Joining Group
- E.R. Wallach
- Macromolecular Materials
Laboratory
- A.H. Windle
- K.K. Koziol
- Microstructural
Kinetics Group
- A.L. Greer
- Phase
Transformations Group
- H.K.D.H. Bhadeshia
- Rolls-Royce UTC in
Advanced Materials
- C.M.F. Rae
- H.J. Stone
