Life-like Resilient Materials for Mitigating Liquid-Solid Impact Damage (LSIMPACT)

How can high-velocity liquid cause major damage to solid materials, such as erosion of wind blades? LSIMPACT embarks on a journey to not just understanding the failure mechanisms of solid materials under liquid impact, but also to create new materials with ‘life-like’ features. The team will develop materials that can heal themselves, adapt, and endure — greatly enhancing the lifetime of engineering structures,**

Data-Driven Surrogate Modelling for Liquid Ammonia Direct Injection Spray Characteristics

In this project, we are proposing a direct research and partnership building between QMUL with Kyushu University with the aim of developing data-efficient ML models for the prediction of liquid ammonia DI spray characteristics to tackle the computational and experimental costs and time.

Aeroacoustics of Dynamic Stall

PALPABLE: Multi-sensing tool for Minimally Invasive Surgery

The Architecture of Photosynthesis

Leaf structure, like a sandwich structure, has stiff upper and lower epidermal layers (face sheets) surrounding mesophyll tissue with veins (soft core). Computational models will be developed to fit diverse leaf architectures across plant species, aiming for accurately predicting the effects of mesophyll anatomical features on overall leaf stability.

iCASE Award Industrial Contribution (NDA) - Eversion robots for radiologically constrained environments characterisation and decommissioning

iCASE Award Industrial Contribution (Airbus) Rich Simulation Driven Design Optimisation

Integrated Human-Augmented Robotics and Intelligent Sensing Platform for Precision Viticulture

This project aims to revolutionize the way high-value horticultural crops such as grapes, berries, and other fruits are grown by developing and implementing a precision farming ecosystem.

DISTOPIA - Distorting the Aerospace Manufacturing Boundaries: Operational Integration of Autonomy on Titanium (TS/Y016548/1)

Innovate UK - Eureka collaborative R&D: smart advanced manufacturing Cluster (Project number 10086469)

HyPStore (Accelerating low-carbon Hydrogen Production and Safe storage for utilisation in mobility) UK-Australia Renewable Hydrogen Innovation Partnership

The project aims to develop self-healing solution for Type V all composite hydrogen storage tanks.

Solar-powered VTOL UAS-based Intelligent Sensing/Monitoring Applications of Precision Agriculture (S&E Industry Studentship Model)

Nonlinear mechanics of rods subject to surface constraints

Slender, elastic rod-like structures on or inside constrained rigid surfaces are prevalent in a wide range of engineering (drill strings in borewells, pipelines under the seabed, ocean cables), medical (stents in angioplasty of arteries), biological (DNA toroidal condensates, bacterial flagella), electronic (carbon nanotubes) and robotic (soft robots for in-pipe inspection) applications. This project seeks to employ a comprehensive variational theory of elastic two-strand braids to investigate the post-buckling behaviour of elastic rods lying on rigid tubular surfaces. Methods comprising the calculus of variations and Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics are utilised to procure more general types of solutions to various nonlinear boundary value problems, using both analytical and numerical approaches. Journal Paper Publications:  Shah R and van der Heijden GHM (2024). Buckling and lift-off of a heavy rod compressed into a cylinder. Journal of The Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Elsevier vol. 182, 105464-105464.   Shah R and van der Heijden GHM (2023). Static friction models for a rod deforming on a cylinder. Journal of The Mechanics and Physics of Solids, Elsevier vol. 173, 105224-105224.**

ESTEEM - Sustainable manufacturing for future composites

With only 1% of energy consumption compared to current manufacturing methods, high performance composites with integrated new functions like deformation and damage sensing as well as de-icing will be manufactured without needs of even an oven. This new method will be tuned to fully comply with the processing requirements of existing high performance composite systems, reducing costs in capital investment, operational, and maintenance aspects. The new functions will also provide real-time health monitoring of components' structural integrity to enable condition based maintenance with high reliability.

Increasing spatial and temporal resolution of schlieren imaging in high-speed aerodynamics

Several practical applications in high-speed aerodynamics, such as the flow over wings or the engine intakes for supersonic aircraft, can be highly unsteady. Many physical mechanisms governing time-varying flow behaviour are yet to be fully established and so require investigation using optical techniques such as schlieren visualisation. Schlieren imaging is a key technique in high-speed aerodynamics, which enables flow features like shock waves to be visualised and analysed. However, the spatial and temporal resolution of the data collected is limited by the specifications of the cameras available, which can restrict the physical insight on flow unsteadiness that can be gained from the data. Novel data processing methods, which use known physics from turbulent flows or machine learning to enable the available spatial information to increase the effective temporal resolution, and vice versa. However, these methods have thus far predominantly been applied to velocity measurements and to numerical simulations, but not to schlieren imaging. Therefore, the aim of the proposed research project is to ascertain the extent to which the spatial and temporal resolution of high-speed schlieren images be improved using such data processing techniques. In order to achieve this aim, existing and novel methods will be applied to high-frequency schlieren images collected for relevant flow fields with different underlying physics – supersonic jets and boundary layers, as well as the interaction between a shock wave and the boundary layer developing on a canonical wing geometry.**

Correlative Analysis of Crystals in 3D (EP/X014614/1)

EPSRC Equipment Business Case: Correlative Analysis of Crystals in 3D (EP/X014614/1: £2,501,463, 1 Oct 2022 – 31 Aug 2025) More info: https://gow.epsrc.ukri.org/NGBOViewGrant.aspx?GrantRef=EP/X014614/1**

Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) collaborative research project “Next Wing” in collaboration with Airbus

The project aims to develop next generation wing structures for future passenger jets . The project is led by airbus and the QMUL team will develop novel wing topologies and advanced simulation and modelling approaches .

Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) collaborative research project “Next Wing”

EPSRC Sustainable Manufacturing Call - Circular economy elastomer products

Eversion and Growing Robots: Pipe Navigation, Inspection and Characterisation

Eversion and Growing Robots: Pipe Navigation, Inspection and Characterisation in nuclear environments

CELLCOMP: Data-driven Mechanistic Modelling of Scalable Cellular Composites for Crash Energy Absorption

The recently funded EPSRC New Investigator Award project, led by Dr. Wei Tan from Queen Mary’s Mechanics of Composite Materials Group (MCM), will create an intelligent data-driven virtual testing tool to assess an emerging type of lightweight materials, known as synthetic cellular composites (CCs). Dr Jinlong Fu is currently the postdoc working on this project.    Materials found in nature are typically lightweight, strong and resilient to external loadings due to their hierarchical structures and material compositions. CCs are porous cellular materials inspired by natural materials such as wood. With unique combinations of multiple material constituents and architecture, CCs can absorb higher crash energy than many existing single-constituent cellular materials such as polymer foams and honeycombs. It is thought that the use of CCs could improve the crashworthiness of future transportation vehicles, however the lack of scalable manufacturing techniques and reliable models for crash assessments have prevented the wider adoption of these materials. The new project aims to accelerate the transition to net zero, supporting future vehicles to reach similar levels of crashworthiness to current fossil-fuel powered cars, at a relatively low cost. Moving safely towards net zero The biggest challenges holding back the shift towards zero emission vehicles are safety concerns, low mileage range and high purchase prices. In terms of safety, the main threat to passengers is the potential for fire or explosion in a crash due to the high levels of energy stored in the batteries or fuel cells of these vehicles. For this project, Queen Mary researchers form a consortium in collaboration with leading experts from Imperial College London, Delft University of Technology and University of Washington and industrial partners (Q-Flo Ltd and Ultima Forma Ltd) to address the challenges in developing lightweight cellular composites for future zero emission vehicles. Together, the research team will integrate computational modelling and data-driven methods to design the architected cellular composites and ultimately, improve the crashworthiness of future vehicles. The emergence of cellular composites will deliver enhanced crashworthiness and operational efficiencies of transportation vehicles, which will improve the safety and mileage range of future vehicles. Through this project we aim to bridge solid mechanics, materials engineering and data science to enable rapid discovery, design and prototyping of scalable energy-absorbing materials. Wider impact To support this project the researchers will develop a novel data-driven computational design tool for designing crashworthy structures that also has relevance for other sectors including aerospace and rail industries. The technology developed in this project is also transferable to other sectors, and could benefit researchers working on other porous cellular materials used in applications ranging from thermal insulation foams and battery electrodes, to artificial tissue scaffolds. Our project will also help to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in engineering design, addressing one of the Grand Challenges outlined by the Government for future UK industrial leadership.**

Distributed wind energy for urban and rural requirements, integration and energy conversion

Wind energy represents a significant sector within renewable energy. Despite substantial advancements in the development of large-scale wind turbines capable of generating several megawatts per turbine, these solutions do not adequately address the needs of small, independent users. This gap is particularly pronounced in low and middle-income countries, where there is a critical need to replace air-polluting diesel generators while supplementing or even replacing national electricity-grid supplies. Small wind-turbines of up to 20 kW, present an excellent green energy solution for this purpose. However, significant research questions persist regarding sufficient aerodynamic efficiency, efficient energy conversion, and integration with other energy and storage systems. To address these challenges, an academic-industrial consortium comprising Queen Mary University of London (UK), VIT Chennai (India), IIT Madras (India), and the SME Deutsche WindGuard India has been formed. This consortium aims to tackle these research questions through a tightly-integrated programme of education and research. Master's students (MEng, MSc, MTech) from both countries will undergo a structured training-programme covering advanced topics in aerodynamics, mechanics, control, electro-mechanical design, and system engineering, supplemented by hands-on training. Research and development efforts will focus on creating novel integrated wind energy designs tailored to the needs of small urban and rural users. Emphasis will be placed on wind resource analysis, turbine aerodynamic efficiency, control systems, and integration with water pumping for energy storage and irrigation. Throughout the design process, close collaboration with industrial partners will ensure alignment with commercialization goals beyond the project's duration. The novel designs and research outcomes will be disseminated through professional international conferences and journal publications. Additionally, a dedicated workshop, press releases, and online channels will be utilized to disseminate the results to the professional community and the general public. Local events targeting the younger population will be utilised to promote enthusiasm for addressing new energy engineering challenges.**

Next Generation TATARA Co-creation Centre (NEXTA) Award

Collaborative research project between Next Generation TATARA Co-creation Centre (NEXTA) in Japan and QMUL to concentrate on next-generation additive manufacturing technologies.

Non-probabilistic reliability calibration method and error compensation strategy for precision assembly

Design by additive manufacturing of Innovative nanocomposites for biomedical application (IES\R3\223167)

Royal Society International Exchange has brought together research expertise from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) in the UK and National University of Singapore (NUS) in Singapore. The exchange research programme will seek collaborative effort in the area of innovative digital technology. Laser-based powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) is one of the additive manufacturing (AM) processes, which employs high-power laser source to melt pre-deposited powder on the basis of a layer-by-layer build principle. The use of the nanocomposites of meta-material structure will be studied for biomedical application.

Hydrogen Heavy-duty Engine-out NOx Emissions Modelling and Prediction using a Deep Learning Framework

In this project, a physics-based deep learning (DL) framework will be developed to predict and analyse trends in transient hydrogen engine-out NOx emissions using data from 0D- 1D engine simulations.

Decoding the Material Degradation Mechanisms Under High-velocity Liquid-solid Impact Loadings

Background and Vision: The impact between a high-velocity liquid mass (or soft body) and a solid can generate transient stress waves and cause significant damage on the soft body or solid materials. This multiphysics Liquid-Solid Impact (LSI) phenomenon is not only ubiquitous in nature (e.g. coastal erosion) but also presents a major concern for energy, transportation and healthcare sectors, from leading-edge erosion on wind/steam turbine blades, bird strikes on aircraft to brain injuries in crash events. The materials exposed to hygrothermal (temperature and humidity) environments will absorb moisture and degrades the properties, making materials vulnerable to repeated high-velocity liquid impact loadings. In order to address the degradation challenges of materials, a fundamental understanding of the LSI damage mechanisms is required.  **

Marine mussel plaque-inspired anchorages for floating offshore wind platforms (EP/X017559/1)

Marine mussels can survive the harsh marine environment at intertidal zones by anchoring themselves to various wet surfaces through adhesive plaques. Recent research progress has highlighted that, in addition to the interaction of protein-based chemistry at the adhesion sites, the unique adhesive structure of a mussel plaque plays an important role. Motivated by this natural phenomenon, the proposal aims to establish the knowledge on the underwater adhesive behaviours of mussel plaque-inspired anchoring systems for the applications of the offshore floating structures. The existing deep water anchoring systems such as drilled piles, suction anchors, and gravity anchors may be subject to various limitations with respect to the cost, the seabed conditions, and the installation; and can cause significant impact on the local marine environment. In addition, removal of these anchoring systems at the decommissioning phase could be difficult and expensive. In comparison, the plaque-like anchoring systems can potentially have the following ground-breaking features: (a) the adhesion at the anchoring systems can be switched on and off based on the requirement, which can lead to revolution in the design, construction, sustainability, and life cycle operation of the offshore floating structures, (b) by using advanced composite materials, the anchoring systems can be applied to a wide range of seabed conditions, i.e., rocky surfaces and soil surfaces, with minimum impact on the local marine environment ( i.e., no drilling or excavation on the seabed is required), and (c) the manufacturing and installation processes can be much more simplified, which leads to cost-effective solutions. The proposed research has the potential for substantial impact on various applications involving offshore floating structures such as offshore floating wind turbine (OFWT) systems, offshore oil rigs, tidal current turbine systems, and subsea infrastructure. Among these applications, it is worth noting that the requirement for developing novel OFWT systems has been highlighted by the offshore renewable energy sector and the recent governmental strategy- the UK Government has already committed to 1 GW of floating wind by 2030. The research will establish lab-scale prototypes of the mussel plaque-inspired anchoring systems. Using a combination of experimental techniques, adhesion theories and numerical modelling approaches, we will (1) evaluate the performance of the prototypes, and (2) examine the failure modes, detachment forces, traction force distributions and ductility under controlled external factors. The scaling up effect will be studied by examining the performance of the prototypes at different length scales. Investigation will also be conducted to examine the adhesion on different types of substrates, i.e., rock and soil. The optimised designs will be achieved via verified parameter studies, which can act as the guidance for engineering designs. Assessment in terms of likely cost and technical effectiveness will also be conducted based on the optimised designs.**

UK-Thailand ISPF Strategic Collaboration in Science and Engineering

The International Science Partnership Fund (ISPF) was designed to support UK researchers and innovators to work with international partners and some of the most pressing themes of our time. The ODA component of the ISPF aims to create partnerships that leverage the expertise and resources of the UK's scientific community to drive positive outcomes in Low– and Middle– income countries (LMICs). This project aim to assist in the establishment of future research collaborations in materials science engineering, digital health, robotics and AI, Bioengineering and Sustainable engineering through developing ‘Tomorrow’s Talent.’ The funding will allow UK researchers and innovators to collaborate with international partners on multidisciplinary projects tackling the major themes of our time: ·      Resilient Planet (e.g. clean energy; and extreme weather and climate) ·      Healthy People, Animals and Planets (e.g. global health and pandemic; and genomics and digital health) ·      Transformative Technologies (e.g. AI; and future telecommunications) (this will be only applicable to S&E)  **

Circular economy elastomer products

The sustainability of rubber products is a major global challenge mainly due to the huge amount of rubber waste generated each year. Furthermore, many elastomer products including most car tyres are manufactured from fossil fuel-based materials, which are not renewable. This proposed research programme aims to tackle these challenges by manufacturing novel circular economy elastomer products from renewable biobased feedstocks, with zero waste, high resource efficiency and no reliance on fossil fuels, thus transforming the elastomer sector.**

Cheniere co-sponsorship of EPSRC PhD studentship equipment budget

Mechanics and biomimicking of marine mussel plaques (RPG-2020-23 )

The project investigates an interesting natural phenomenon of scientific importance and significance, i.e. how can marine mussels achieve strong anchorages on various wet surfaces through mussel plaques in order to survive the turbulent marine environment? Even though earlier attempts have been made, understanding the unique physical behaviours of the adhesive structures of marine mussel plaques, which can adapt to various underlying surfaces, still remains elusive. The originality of the research lies in (1) developing novel understanding on the complex plaque-surface interaction events through manipulating the stiffness and the surface texture pattern of the underlying surface; (2) establishing the critical principles to design the high performance porous materials inspired by marine mussel plaques, which leads to creation of novel, ultralightweight, high performance engineering structures for aerospace and transportation structure applications; and (3) establishing the novel solutions for joining dissimilar engineering materials, inspired by plaque-surface interaction, which provide reliable connections for hybrid composite structures . More discription can be found in the link **

Spray cooling of electric traction motors with hairpin windings: An experimental and CFD analysis

The project aims to investigate the performance of advanced oil spray cooling of hairpin end-windings by developing a test bench that will shed light on the ongoing detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations.

UKRI FLF Development Network Pathway programme

This is a tailored programme to support the professional development of future leaders fellows. The network delivers specialised leadership training, access to networks and mentors, and collaborative opportunities, so that members can pursue world-class interdisciplinary, cross-sector research and innovation.