Welding Engineering Research Group (WERG)
WERG
Welding Engineering Research Group (WERG)
The Welding Engineering Research Group was originally established as a result of the significant involvement of UOW in the CRC for Welded Structures. It continues to conduct both industrially focused applied research and more fundamental studies in joining technology. The group is internationally recognized for its work on welding process technology and materials weldability. More recently a strong robotic automation activity has been developed in collaboration with the Applied Automation group in the Engineering Manufacturing Strength. An indication of the ongoing research portfolio is given under ‘Research Projects’. The group has access to excellent state of the art welding and automation equipment and is backed by substantial metallurgical facilities.
The group also maintains strong contacts with other national and international partners and is now a key player in the Defence Materials Technology Centre and the Energy Pipelines CRC.
Research
The research is supported strongly by research grants from Industry and from Federal Government competitive research grants and National Cooperative Research Centres. It also interacts with a number of universitiies and research institutes internationally. In addition to its academic members the strength involves over twenty full-time research engineers and 65 postgraduate research students. Its research covers the full spectrum of disciplines, requiring Physics and Mathematics to understand and describe the fundamental theory underlying practical problems, and Mechanical, mechatronics, Electrical and Computer Engineering used to design and develop the mechanisms and high speed controls and computer systems necessary for modern manufacturing.
