Materials Engineering
 

This list is not exhaustive, if there are any other areas of interest please contact the supervisor.


 

Project Supervisor

Associate Professor Brian Monaghan
 

1. TiC and Ti(CN) Precipitation in Liquid Iron

A fundamental study into the thermodynamics of TiC and Ti(CN) in the lower zone of a blast furnace is to be carried out. This information is required to understand how TiC and Ti(CN) precipitates from liquid iron in a blast furnace forming a protective layer on the hearth.

2. The Kinetics of Carbon Transfer in the New Zealand Steel Melter Process

The mechanism of carbon transfer in the New Zealand Steel melters in not understood. Ideally iron leaving these melters should be approximately 5%. Currently they run at approximately 3%. A fundamental understanding of carbon transfers to the iron in this process will enable strategies to be developed that will improve carbon usage and lower greenhouse gasses produced by the melters.

Project Supervisor

Associate Professor Brian Monaghan, Associate Professor Sharon Nightingale
 

1. Tundish Refractories and Steel Cleanness

Steel cleanness (low non-metallic content in iron) is critical in the production of high quality steel. Recent studies have shown that the refractories using in tundishes can have an impact on the type and amount of non-metallic particles formed. A fundamental investigation involving thermodynamic modelling and phase characterization is required to fully understand this problem.

Project Supervisor

Professor Geoffrey Spinks, Dr Philip Whitten
 

1. Development of high performance polymer actuators

Polymer actuators delivering high power outputs are required for mobile, microrobots and other micro-machine components. Based on our previous work with conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes and hydrogels, this project will aim to optimise the device architectures to develop hybrid materials of improved performance in terms of the generated movement, force and / or speed of response.

Project Supervisor

Professor Geoffrey Spinks, Professor Hugh Brown, Dr Philip Whitten
 

1. Tough Hydrogels

Hydrogels are polymer networks that are highly swollen with water. Many biological tissues are hydrogels. Most synthetic hydrogels are fragile and limited in application. Recently, several methods for increasing the hydrogels fracture toughness have been discovered allowing production of revolutionary tough hydrogels. We wish to further develop these tough hydrogels for applications as artificial tissues and muscles. They may also be used in electrical devices where flexible electrochemical cells are required like electronic displays, electronic windows and batteries.
 

Project Supervisor

Dr Philip Whitten
 

1. Tough Hydrogels – New Engineering Materials with a Big Future

Hydrogels are polymer networks that are full of water. In the past they have been fragile and limited in application. Recently, we have discovered that the polymer network’s topology controls the hydrogels fracture mechanism allowing production of revolutionary tough hydrogels. We are seeking students to develop for the first time tough hydrogels using gamma-irradiation or the click chemical reaction. These materials will find many applications in biology as artificial tissues and muscles. They will also be used in electrical devices where flexible electrochemical cells are required like electronic displays, electronic windows and batteries.

2. Smart Surfaces – Conducting Polymer Nano-fibre Arrays

Conducting polymer nano-fibres can change colour, shape or size in response to an applied potential. We are able to produce and characterise these nano-fibres at ease. We are seeking students to create smart surfaces by using self-assembly to produce arrays of nano-fibres from a flat surface. These surfaces will change their colour or morphology in response to an electrical stimulation. They will find application as electronic displays, electronic Velcro and artificial noses.
 

Project Supervisor

Professor Elena Pereloma

1. Effect of annealing on the microstructure, texture and mechanical properties of cold rolled TWIP steels

This project will involve a detailed texture analysis of the samples after various stages of recrystallisation using FEGSEM with EBSD, their mechanical properties and modelling of their mechanical behaviour.
 

Project Supervisor

Professor Elena Pereloma, Dr Azdiar Gazder

1. Materials Characterisation using Advanced Experimental Techniques

This project uses advanced Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) and Atom Probe Tomography (APT) techniques to study alloying constituent behaviour and identification of solid-state reactions such as solid phase clusters and precipitates in various High Strength, Low Alloy (HSLA) steels.
 

Project Supervisor

Professor Elena Pereloma, Dr Azdiar Gazder, Andrey Kostryzhev
 

1. Role of Niobium in the Recrystallisation of Model Ni-Fe-Nb-C Alloys

Microstructure characterisation including Nb precipitation and segregation and the effect of Nb alloying addition on the recrystallisation behaviour of model Ni-Fe-Nb-C alloys will be analysed using a combination of Transmission Microscopy (TEM), Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction (EBSD). Microstructure and crystallographic texture modelling during recrystallisation will also be undertaken.

Project Supervisor

Dr Yue Zhao, Associate Professor Huijun Li

1. Development and synthesis of superhard thin films on cutting tools using PVD and CVD methods.

Thin films for cutting tool applications have particularly demanding requirements with respect to coating adhesion, hardness and environmental stability. This research project aims to develop and synthesize super-hard coatings for the cutting tool industrial, in particular for machining light metals, such as titanium alloy. Experimental work will utilize physica vapor deposition (PVD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) to coat tool steel surfaces with TiN, TiC, TiAlN, CrN, and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings. Particular expertise has been developed at University of Wollongong in the areas of plasma nitriding and filtered cathodic arc PVD systems supported by a wide range of equipment for testing of wear and corrosion performance, and extensive facilities for materials characterization.

2. Surface Engineering of Ti alloys for medical applications

Titanium and titanium alloys are widely used in biomedical devices and components, especially as hard tissue replacements as well as in cardiac and cardiovascular applications, because of their desirable properties, such as relatively low modulus, good fatigue strength, formability, machinability, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. However, titanium and its alloys cannot meet all of the clinical requirements due to the low surface hardness and wear resistance. Therefore, in order to improve the biological, chemical, and mechanical properties, surface treatment is often performed. PhD thesis topics in this area will focus on physical vapour coating (PVD, chemical vapour coating (CVD), and surface treatment of casted Ti alloy parts. The performance with be examined and optimized toward the specific medical applications. The University has an extensive range of surface treatment facilities and state of the art analysis equipment to support these thesis topics.
 

Project Supervisor

A/Prof Zaiping Guo, Prof Chris Cook, Dr Hongtao Zhu

1. Development of a smart battery management system

Lithium ion battery has an unpredictable discharge profile.  The charge remains varies, depending on the discharge rate, temperature, and life of the cell. Addressing this problem, in this project, we will develop a smart battery management system for lithium ion batteries. The battery management system is promising not only for EVs/HEVs, but also for other applications that require both high power and reliability such as a hybrid electric train.

2. Understanding the Mechanical Behaviour of TRIP Steels using In-Situ Experimental Techniques

Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels exhibit an excellent combination of mechanical properties due to the transformation of austenite to martensite and the complex interaction between the various phases under load. Deformation substructure and crystallographic texture evolution of Nb-Mo-Al TRIP steels will be explored during in-situ uniaxial testing via synchrotron beam-line, X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) approaches.

3. Mechanical Properties and Crystallographic Texture of TRIP/TWIP Steels

The remarkable mechanical properties of advanced Fe-Mn-C steels are due to the inherent competition between different deformation mechanisms involving crystallographic slip, martensitic phase transformation and twinning under load. This allows classification of such alloys as combined Transformation (TRIP) and Twinning (TWIP) -Induced Plasticity steels. In this project the above deformation mechanisms participating in strain accommodation will be characterised using in-situ Electron Back-Scattering Diffraction (EBSD), X-ray (XRD) and neutron (ND) diffraction techniques. Mechanical property prediction and crystallographic texture modelling will also be undertaken.

Project Supervisor

A/Prof Zaiping Guo

1. New directions to miniaturized power sources: Integrated all-soild-state rechargeable batteries

The project aims to develop integrated all-solid-state miniature lithium ion batteries for small autonomous devices. The success of this project will lead to innovative three-dimensional electrodes and batteries with high electrochemical properties, novel lithium ion cell fabrication techniques, and better understanding of the characteristics of lithium ion cells. The novel 3D nanoarchitectures and the integrated electrode/electrolyte techniques with significantly improved ion transport will lead to possible new breakthroughs in energy technologies. We expect to make discoveries that will be useful not only in the area of lithium ion battery, but also in the area of supercapacitors and sensors.

2. Controlled synthesis of novel semiconductor nanostructures for high efficiency gas sensor applications

The overall aim of this project is to develop high efficiency gas sensors that meet these requirements: high sensitivity towards chemical compounds, high selectivity (low cross-sensitivity), high stability, low sensitivity to humidity and temperature, high reproducibility and reliability, short reaction and recovery time, robustness and durability, easy calibration, and small dimensions (portability). We will design, synthesise, and fabricate miniature and high efficiency gas sensors.

3. New approach to achieve highly flexible energy storage devices with high performance

This project will lead to the development of highly flexible energy storage devices for variable applications, such as rollup displays, wearable devices, small autonomous devices with sensing and actuation. This will make a significant contribution to the nation in the areas of science, technology, health, and the economy.

4. Development of advanced hydrogen storage materials

This project will design and synthesize novel amine-borane complexes systems employing material design strategies such as a new synthesis technique, dopant destabilisation and dehydrogenation catalysts to design and experimentally validate novel multicomponent hydride systems with high storage capacities, able to desorb hydrogen of up to 9 wt% under near-ambient conditions. The outcomes of this project will mark a step change in the performance of solid state hydrogen storage materials and will deliver a viable storage technology for a range of furl cell applications.

Project Supervisor

Dr M Muruganant

1. Modelling Weld Bead Shape

When a weld bead is deposited on a plate, the shape of the weld bead dependson various factors. The control variables that could influence the shape of the bead can be current, voltage, electrode diameter etc. A systematic research is needed to construct a model that can predict the bead shape. The model would fit in the welding robots for further processing.

2. Structure-property modelling in microalloyed steel welds

Models are required to understand the influence of welding parameters on the microstructure development. Microstructure influences the properties. Hence appropriate property models need to be constructed to understand the influence of microstructural constituents. This research would focus on building structure-property models for microalloyed steel welds.