Professor Genevieve Langdon
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Professor of Blast and Impact Engineering
genevieve.langdon@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 5737
+44 114 222 5737
Room D121, Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Full contact details
Professor Genevieve Langdon
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room D121
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering
Room D121
Sir Frederick Mappin Building (Broad Lane Building)
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
-
My research is concerned with the response and failure of structures and materials subjected to explosion loading and other extreme loading conditions.
Professor Genevieve Langdon
Genevieve Langdon is Professor of Blast and Impact Engineering. She is trained as a mechanical engineer, completing her undergraduate and doctoral studies at the University of Liverpool.
Her PhD work focused on the response of corrugated blast walls with semi-rigid connections to gas explosion loading and was sponsored by the EPSRC, HSE and industry.
She is a chartered engineer and member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. She is also a member of the British Society for Strain Measurement.
Genevieve joined the department in 2020 after spending fifteen years working in Cape Town as an academic.
She gained first-hand experience in explosion testing there and was Director of the Blast Impact and Survivability Research Unit for five years. She is currently an Honorary Professor at the University of Cape Town.
Genevieve has been funded by the National Research Foundation of South Africa, the Defence Science and Technology organisation of Australia, the EPSRC and the Royal Society on work related to the survivability of lightweight structures and materials to blast loading, blast injury, and the transient response of structures subjected to explosion loading.
- Research interests
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Genevieve’s research is concerned with the response and failure of structures and materials subjected to explosion loading and other extreme loading conditions.
She takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding this multi-faceted problem and is interested in every aspect of the blast event chain.
Her work uses modern instrumentation techniques in carefully controlled experiments to elucidate understanding of the material and structural behaviour.
Although primarily experimental, her work involves a mix of laboratory scale physical testing, material characterisation experiments, analytical work and computational simulations.
This involves fundamental, experimental and applied research projects. Her goal is to make the world a safer place by mitigating the harmful and devastating effects of explosions on people, equipment and infrastructure.
Research interests include:
- Explosion and impact resistance of lightweight materials (composites, novel materials, meshes, lattices)
- Blast effects in complex geometries.
- Material, structural and human response due to explosions
- Dynamic properties and failure of composites, hybrid & lightweight materials
- Passive explosion mitigation
Genevieve has published over one hundred peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers in these areas, plus various industry reports.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Experimental evaluation of hybrid lattice structures subjected to blast loading. Additive Manufacturing, 76, 103751-103751.
- The effect of scaling building configuration blast experiments on positive phase blast wave parameters. Applied Sciences, 13(10).
- The damage and impulse transfer characteristics of flexible steel V-structures with large bend radii. Applied Sciences, 13(3).
- Dynamic response of aluminium matrix syntactic foams subjected to high strain-rate loadings. Composite Structures, 303.
- A numerical investigation of blast-structure interaction effects on primary blast injury risk and the suitability of existing injury prediction methods. International Journal of Protective Structures.
- Blast behaviour of fibre reinforced polymers containing sustainable constituents. Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites, 41(19-20), 771-790.
- Influence of ball bearing size on the flight and damage characteristics of blast-driven ball bearings. Applied Sciences, 12(3).
- Optical diagnostics in near-field blast measurements. Fire and Blast Information Group Technical Newsletter(82), 25-30.
- Towards an understanding of the effect of adding a foam core on the blast performance of glass fibre reinforced epoxy laminate panels. Materials, 14(23).
- Out with a bang: the challenge of measuring explosions. Careering Ahead(11), 74-77.
- Towards a better understanding of near-field explosions. Counter IED Report, 2021(Autumn), 47-51. View this article in WRRO
- Transient response and failure of medium density fibreboard panels subjected to air-blast loading. Composite Structures, 273.
- Defining blast loading ‘zones of relevance’ for primary blast injury research: A consensus of injury criteria for idealised explosive scenarios. Medical Engineering & Physics, 93, 83-92.
- Guidelines to inform the generation of clinically relevant and realistic blast loading conditions for primary blast injury research. BMJ Military Health.
- The effect of explosive charge backing in close-proximity air-blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 151.
- Spherical equivalence of cylindrical explosives: Effect of charge shape on deflection of blast-loaded plates. International Journal of Impact Engineering. View this article in WRRO
- An all-Mach number HLLC-based scheme for multi-phase flow with surface tension. Applied Sciences, 11(8).
- Behaviour of a blast-driven ball bearing embedded in rear detonated cylindrical explosive. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 146. View this article in WRRO
- Preliminary yield estimation of the 2020 Beirut explosion using video footage from social media. Shock Waves. View this article in WRRO
- Influence of venting on the response of scaled aircraft luggage containers subjected to internal blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 141. View this article in WRRO
- Improving the impulse transfer and response characteristics of explosion loaded compound angle V-plates. Thin-Walled Structures, 148. View this article in WRRO
- The effect of the bend radius on the impulse transfer characteristics of V-hulls : numerical simulations. International Journal of Protective Structures, 11(1), 69-89. View this article in WRRO
- The mechanical behaviour of spherical egg-box sandwich structures. Polymer Testing, 78. View this article in WRRO
- Predicting the response of plates subjected to near-field explosions using an energy equivalent impulse. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 128, 24-36. View this article in WRRO
- Blast response of aluminium/thermoplastic polyurethane sandwich panels – experimental work and numerical analysis. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 127, 31-40. View this article in WRRO
- Round-robin test of split Hopkinson pressure bar. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 126, 62-75. View this article in WRRO
- Experimental Measurement of Specific Impulse Distribution and Transient Deformation of Plates Subjected to Near-Field Explosive Blasts. Experimental Mechanics, 59(2), 163-178. View this article in WRRO
- A study on the response of single and double circular plates subjected to localised blast loading. Latin American Journal of Solids and Structures, 15(11). View this article in WRRO
- Experimental response of high strength steels to localised blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 115, 106-119. View this article in WRRO
- The response of mild steel and armour steel plates to localised air-blast loading-comparison of numerical modelling techniques. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 115, 81-93. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of interfacial bonding on the response of lightweight aluminium and glass fibre metal laminate panels subjected to air-blast loading. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 232(8), 1402-1417. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of charge geometry on the response of partially confined right circular stainless steel cylinders subjected to blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 108, 252-262. View this article in WRRO
- Deformation of thin plates subjected to impulsive load : Part III – an update 25 years on. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 107, 108-117. View this article in WRRO
- Transient response of steel plates subjected to close proximity explosive detonations in air. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 102, 102-116. View this article in WRRO
- The influence of a low density foam sandwich core on the response of a partially confined steel cylinder to internal air-blast. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 92, 32-49. View this article in WRRO
- The response of plates subjected to loading arising from the detonation of different shapes of plastic explosive. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 89, 102-113.
- The influence of material type on the response of plates to air-blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 78, 150-160.
- Dynamic response of Dyneema® HB26 plates to localised blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 73, 91-100.
- The response of partially confined right circular stainless steel cylinders to internal air-blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 73, 1-14.
- The energy-absorbing characteristics of composite tube-reinforced foam structures. Composites Part B: Engineering, 61, 127-135.
- The response of polymeric composite structures to air-blast loading: a state-of-the-art. International Materials Reviews, 59(3), 159-177.
- The blast resistance of stitched sandwich panels. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 65, 137-145.
- Compaction of metal foam subjected to an impact by a low-density deformable projectile. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 62, 196-209.
- Inelastic deformation and failure of partially strengthened profiled blast walls. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(5), 4196-4196.
- The air-blast response of sandwich panels with composite face sheets and polymer foam cores: Experiments and predictions. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 54, 64-82.
- Impact delamination testing of fibre reinforced polymers using Hopkinson Pressure Bars. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 101, 80-90.
- The blast and impact loading of aluminium foam. Materials & Design, 44, 311-319.
- What is the research experience of young scientists in South Africa?. South African Journal of Science, 109(11/12), 1-2.
- Inelastic deformation and failure of partially strengthened profiled blast walls. Engineering Structures, 46, 671-686.
- The influence of core density on the blast resistance of foam-based sandwich structures. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 50, 9-16.
- Propagation of compaction waves in metal foams exhibiting strain hardening. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 49(19-20), 2763-2777.
- Response of V-shape plates to localised blast load: Experiments and numerical simulation. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 46, 97-109.
- The response of sandwich structures with composite face sheets and polymer foam cores to air-blast loading: Preliminary experiments. Engineering Structures, 36, 104-112.
- NextGenVoices — Results. Science, 335(6064), 36-38.
- High strain rate compression testing of glass fibre reinforced polypropylene. EPJ Web of Conferences, 26, 01039-01039.
- The influence of separation distance on the performance of perforated plates as a blast wave shielding technique. Engineering Structures, 33(12), 3537-3545.
- Blast loading of fibre-metal laminates: preliminary tests. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 164(3), 139-146.
- The quasi-static and blast response of steel lattice structures. Journal of Sandwich Structures & Materials, 13(4), 479-501.
- Corrigendum. Journal of Sandwich Structures & Materials, 13(4), 505-505.
- The blast resistance of a woven carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composite. Journal of Composite Materials, 45(7), 789-801.
- The Response of Honeycomb Core Sandwich Panels, with Aluminum and Composite Face Sheets, to Blast Loading. Journal of Sandwich Structures & Materials, 12(6), 733-754.
- Performance of mild steel perforated plates as a blast wave mitigation technique: Experimental and numerical investigation. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 37(10), 1021-1036.
- Evaluating risk awareness in undergraduate students studying mechanical engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education, 35(5), 553-562.
- Large inelastic response of unbonded metallic foam and honeycomb core sandwich panels to blast loading. Composite Structures, 92(10), 2465-2475.
- Fracture of aluminium foam core sacrificial cladding subjected to air-blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 37(6), 638-651.
- Simulation of the response of fibre–metal laminates to localised blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 37(6), 766-782.
- Blast attenuation in Cymat foam core sacrificial claddings. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 52(5), 758-776.
- The influence of core height and face plate thickness on the response of honeycomb sandwich panels subjected to blast loading. Materials & Design, 31(4), 1887-1899.
- Learning as acquiring a discursive identity through participation in a community: improving student learning in engineering education. African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(2), 6-14.
- Response of GLARE© panels to blast loading. Engineering Structures, 31(12), 3116-3120.
- Behaviour of sandwich panels subjected to intense air blast – Part 1: Experiments. Composite Structures, 91(4), 433-441.
- Behaviour of sandwich panels subject to intense air blasts – Part 2: Numerical simulation. Composite Structures, 91(4), 442-450.
- Learning as acquiring a discursive identity through participation in a community: improving student learning in engineering education. European Journal of Engineering Education, 34(4), 359-367.
- Response of flexible sandwich-type panels to blast loading. Composites Science and Technology, 69(6), 754-763.
- The Blast Behavior of Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Laminates. Journal of Composite Materials, 42(21), 2275-2297.
- The quasi-static and blast loading response of lattice structures. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 35(8), 795-810.
- Perforated Plates as Passive Mitigation Systems. Defence Science Journal, 58(2), 238-247.
- The response of fibre metal laminate panels subjected to uniformly distributed blast loading. European Journal of Mechanics - A/Solids, 27(2), 107-115.
- The effect of stand-off distance on the failure of fully clamped circular mild steel plates subjected to blast loads. Engineering Structures, 29(10), 2723-2736.
- Localised blast loading of fibre–metal laminates with a polyamide matrix. Composites Part B: Engineering, 38(7-8), 902-913.
- Behaviour of fibre metal laminates subjected to localised blast loading—Part II: Quantitative analysis. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 34(7), 1223-1245.
- Behaviour of fibre–metal laminates subjected to localised blast loading: Part I—Experimental observations. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 34(7), 1202-1222.
- Failure characterisation of blast-loaded fibre–metal laminate panels based on aluminium and glass–fibre reinforced polypropylene. Composites Science and Technology, 67(7-8), 1385-1405.
- Experimental investigation of blast wall panels under shock pressure loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 34(6), 1095-1118.
- Response of Quasi-statically Loaded Corrugated Panels with Partially Restrained Boundaries. Experimental Mechanics, 47(2), 251-261.
- Understanding the behaviour of fibre metal laminates subjected to localised blast loading. Composite Structures, 76(1-2), 82-87.
- Deformation and failure of profiled stainless steel blast wall panels. Part III: finite element simulations and overall summary. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 32(6), 988-1012.
- Validated finite element analysis model of blast wall panels under shock pressure loading. Ships and Offshore Structures, 1(3), 257-271.
- The blast response of novel thermoplastic-based fibre-metal laminates – some preliminary results and observations. Composites Science and Technology, 65(6), 861-872.
- Peer tutoring in conceptual design. European Journal of Engineering Education, 30(2), 245-254.
- Inelastic deformation and failure of profiled stainless steel blast wall panels. Part II: analytical modelling considerations. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 31(4), 371-399.
- Inelastic deformation and failure of profiled stainless steel blast wall panels. Part I: experimental investigations. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 31(4), 341-369.
- Experimental and numerical studies on the response of quadrangular stiffened plates. Part II: localised blast loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 31(1), 85-111.
- Modelling the response of semi-rigid supports under combined loading. Engineering Structures, 26(4), 511-517.
- Unusual strain rate sensitive behaviour of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel. The Journal of Strain Analysis for Engineering Design, 39(1), 71-86.
- Inelastic deformation and failure of clamped aluminium plates under pulse pressure loading. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 28(10), 1107-1127.
- Special Issue on Explosion Effects in the Built Environment. Applied Sciences, 13(15), 8706-8706.
- Some Insights into the Response of "Shallow V Shape" Structures to Air Blast Loading. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, 79(4), 695-695.
- Using Perforated Plates as a Blast Wave Shielding Technique for Application to Tunnels. Applied Mechanics and Materials, 82, 467-472.
Chapters
- Blast response of sandwich structures: The influence of curvature, Dynamic Deformation, Damage and Fracture in Composite Materials and Structures (pp. 337-359). Elsevier
- Using optical diagnostics for near field blast testing, Current Perspectives and New Directions in Mechanics, Modelling and Design of Structural Systems (pp. 515-520). CRC Press
- Blast behaviour of natural fibre composites: Response of medium density fibreboard and flax fibre reinforced laminates, Current Perspectives and New Directions in Mechanics, Modelling and Design of Structural Systems (pp. 572-576). CRC Press
- Blast behaviour of natural fibre composites: Response of medium density fibreboard and flax fibre reinforced laminates, Current Perspectives and New Directions in Mechanics, Modelling and Design of Structural Systems (pp. 201-202). CRC Press
- The blast response of composite and fiber-metal laminate materials, Polymer Composites in the Aerospace Industry (pp. 415-439). Elsevier View this article in WRRO
- Impact of Cellular Materials, Encyclopedia of Continuum Mechanics (pp. 1266-1287). Springer Berlin Heidelberg View this article in WRRO
- Simulation of ATD pelvic response of an under body blast, Advances in Engineering Materials, Structures and Systems: Innovations, Mechanics and Applications (pp. 788-793). CRC Press
- Impact of Cellular Materials, Encyclopedia of Continuum Mechanics (pp. 1-22). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- 8.17 Blast Protection for Polymer Composite Materials in Structures Subjected to Air-Blast Loading, Comprehensive Composite Materials II (pp. 332-350). Elsevier
- Influence of Curvature and Load Direction on the Air-Blast Response of Singly Curved Glass Fiber Reinforced Epoxy Laminate and Sandwich Panels, Explosion Blast Response of Composites (pp. 133-160). Elsevier
- Blast response of sandwich structures, Dynamic Deformation, Damage and Fracture in Composite Materials and Structures (pp. 365-389). Elsevier
- The blast response of composite and fibre-metal laminate materials used in aerospace applications, Polymer Composites in the Aerospace Industry (pp. 371-391). Elsevier
- The Blast Response of Sandwich Structures, Advanced Structured Materials (pp. 189-217). Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Sandwich Panels Subjected to Blast Loading, Dynamic Failure of Materials and Structures (pp. 297-325). Springer US
- Fiber–Metal Laminate Panels Subjected to Blast Loading, Dynamic Failure of Materials and Structures (pp. 269-296). Springer US
Conference proceedings papers
- Experimental Validation of Viper Underwater Explosion CFD Solver. Proceedings of The 19th International Symposium for the Interaction of Munitions with Structures. Interaction of the Effects of Munitions with Structures (ISIEMS 19). Bonn, Germany, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
- Characterisation of Underwater Shock Parameters in Shallow and Open Water Conditions. Proceedings of The 19th International Symposium for the Interaction of Munitions with Structures. Interaction of the Effects of Munitions with Structures (ISIEMS 19). Bonn, Germany, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
- A fragmentation assessment method for submerged charges. Proceedings of The 19th International Symposium for the Interaction of Munitions with Structures. Interaction of the Effects of Munitions with Structures (ISIEMS 19). Bonn, Germany, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
- Probabilistic analysis of the response of plates subjected to near-field blast loading. Earthquake Engineering and Dynamics for a Sustainable Future. Cambridge, UK, 14 September 2023 - 14 September 2023. View this article in WRRO
- Preliminary results of shallow buried charge testing on carbonate based sand. Proceedings of 6th International Conference on Protective Structures (ICPS6)
- BLAST BEHAVIOUR OF FIBRE-REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE STRUCTURES. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials
- Using optical diagnostics for near field blast testing. Current Perspectives and New Directions in Mechanics, Modelling and Design of Structural Systems. Cape Town, South Africa, 5 September 2022 - 7 September 2022.
- Transient response of structures subjected to blast loading: the chase for better experimental measurements. Proceedings of 3rd International Conference on Impact Loading of Structures and Materials 2022 (pp 28-29), 13 June 2022 - 17 June 2022.
- Deformation and damage characteristics of ball bearings under blast loading. EPJ Web of Conferences, Vol. 250 (pp 05008-05008)
- Attempts to improve on the V‐hull structural design for air‐blast loading applications. ce/Papers, Vol. 4(2-4) (pp 1499-1506). Sheffield, UK (virtual conference), 1 September 2021 - 3 September 2021.
- An all-mach HLLC based scheme for multi-phase flow with surface tension. Proceedings of the 31st (2021) International Ocean and Polar Engineering Conference, Vol. III (pp 1802-1809). Rhodes, Greece, 20 June 2021 - 25 June 2021.
- Dynamic response of blast loaded metal plates with composite beam stiffeners (pp 794-798)
- Comparison of curved GFRE foam sandwich panels response to close-proximity air-blast loading: Influence of curvature and load direction (pp 779-783)
- Investigation into the effect of V-tip radius on the blast performance of steel V-plates (pp 784-787)
- Experimental response of S2-glass fibre reinforced composites subjected to localised blast loading (pp 816-822)
- Near-field blast loading and transient target response : a collaboration between Sheffield and Cape Town. Advances in Engineering Materials, Structures and Systems: Innovations, Mechanics and Applications. Cape Town, South Africa, 2 September 2019 - 4 September 2019. View this article in WRRO
- Near-field blast loading and transient target response: A collaboration between Sheffield and Cape Town (pp 749-754)
- Blast response of panels containing sustainable materials. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials, Vol. 2019-August
- Towards Standardising SHPB Testing - A Round Robin Exercise. EPJ Web of Conferences, Vol. 183. Arcachon, France, 9 September 2018 - 14 September 2018. View this article in WRRO
- Deformation and rupture of armour grade steel under localised blast loading. Procedia Engineering, Vol. 197 (pp 13-22). Trondheim, Norway, 12 September 2017 - 14 September 2017. View this article in WRRO
- Impact Bend Tests Using Hopkinson Pressure Bars (pp 421-426)
- Failure of singly curved sandwich panels subjected to blast loading. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials, Vol. 2013-July (pp 6639-6648)
- Metallic filler powders to improve electromagnetic shielding of FRP laminates. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials
- The response of steel-based fibre-metal laminates to localised blast loading. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials
- Response of flexible sandwich panels to blast loading. ICCM International Conferences on Composite Materials
- The blast performance of novel fibre-metal laminates. Structures and Materials, Vol. 15 (pp 455-464)
- Scale testing of profiled stainless steel blast walls. Structures and Materials, Vol. 15 (pp 111-120)
- The response of stiffened square plates subjected to localised blast loading. Structures and Materials, Vol. 11 (pp 3-12)
- Experimental assessment of near-field blast loading using Digital Image Correlation. Proceedings of The 19th International Symposium for the Interaction of Munitions with Structures. Interaction of the Effects of Munitions with Structures (ISIEMS 19). Bonn, Germany, 9 December 2024 - 9 December 2024.
- Influence of Charge Backing on the Response of Blast Loaded Plates. The 18th International Conference on Experimental Mechanics, Vol. 107 (pp 442-442)
- Modelling the Behaviour of Fibre-Metal Laminates subjected to Localised Blast Loading (pp 319-328)
Presentations
- Blast analysis in 280 characters How social media can be used to predict the size of the Beirut blast. Online.
Other
- Editorial. International Journal of Impact Engineering, 92, 2-2.
- Experimental evaluation of hybrid lattice structures subjected to blast loading. Additive Manufacturing, 76, 103751-103751.
- Research group
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Blast & Impact
- Grants
- Teaching interests
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Genevieve teaches modules on mechanics and structures, as well as research and professional skills.
- Professional activities and memberships
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- Genevieve is an Honorary Professor and sometime Fellow of the University of Cape Town. She is also the Secretary of the International Society of Impact Engineering. She sits on the editorial board of the International Journal of Impact Engineering and the Journal of Thin-walled Structures. She is a member of several scientific advisory committees for international conferences in impact, strain analysis and defence subjects.
- Genevieve was a founder member of the South African Young Academy of Sciences (2011 – 2016) and is a now a full member of the Academy of Sciences of South Africa. She has twice been a finalist for the TW Kambule-NSTF award for research (2014, 2017) and twice placed second for the South African DST Women in Science Awards (2014, 2017) in the distinguished young scientist in the natural and engineering sciences category.
- Genevieve was the recipient of the British Association Silver Medal in 2014 from the Southern Africa Association for the Advancement of Science. This is awarded for work by a person under the age of 40 who is actively engaged in research and has, by way of international participation and publications, shown outstanding capability and achievement.
- Genevieve also won a number of awards during her student days, including the McLaren International Award for Best Mechanical Engineering Student in the UK, Science, Engineering and Technology Awards (1999), the Women Into Science and
- Engineering Award for the highest scoring female entrant at Science, Engineering and Technology Awards and the William Rathbone Medal and Prize for being the top graduating student in the Engineering Faculty at the University of Liverpool in 1999.
- PhD opportunities
Characterising the loading and structural response from combined blast and fragmentation experiments
This project proposes to use both systems to characterise the loading and structural response of a plate when subjected to combined blast and fragmentation-impact loads. It is anticipated that the project will examine the factors influencing the nature of the combined loading and response (such as stand-off distance, fragment impact geometry, explosive charge dimensions) using state of the art experimental facilities at Buxton and commercial computational software.
Loading and transient response of structures subjected to air-blast loading using Digital Image Correlation
Past work on measuring transient response to near field blast loads has examined the behaviour of steel alloys with significant plastic capacity. Materials with enhanced yield strengths (such as RHA steels) and/or limited ductility (such as fibre reinforced polymer composites) are likely to exhibit transient behaviour that differs greatly from the permanently deformed profile evident after an explosive event. This project would have the potential to study the response modes of such structures and materials, as well as more traditional steels studied extensively in the past.
Characterising the failure and fracture of blast loaded structural materials
To support the interpretation of the fragmentation and fracture testing, the candidate will use dynamic material characterisation techniques and explicit finite element modelling to explore the modelling of material failure, fracture and its progression. It may be possible to apply these techniques to a wide range of materials, from structural steels to lightweight lattice materials to fibre reinforced polymer composites.
Development of fast running engineering models for predicting structural response and failure under blast loading
This project will use a combination of numerical/optimisation techniques (to generate large datasets) and advanced statistical/regression techniques or machine learning approaches to derive physically-valid predictive models from this data. These models will incorporate effects such as explosive configuration (mass and stand-off), as well as material parameters such as span, support conditions, thickness, material type and strength, etc.
If you're interested in one of these projects, or would like to self-propose a project, please contact Genevieve at the above email. Current PhD opportunities in the department can be viewed here.