PhD Annual Scholarship Competition 2016

Transcription

1 PhD Annual Scholarship Competition 2016 (DEL & VCRS Studentship) Built Environment Research Institute (BERI) Research Degree Topics Fire Safety Engineering Research & Technology Centre (FireSERT) Page 1 of 9

2 1) Theme Title Structures, Materials Behaviour and protections systems in Fires Named Supervisors Professor Ali Nadjai, Professor Faris Ali, Dr Bryan Magee Theme Description The principal thrust is the experimental evaluation of the structural behaviour in fire of a variety of materials and structural assemblies. The focus is on the principal building materials i.e. steel, concrete, brickwork, timber, Fiber Reinforced Plastic FRP, flooring systems, Facades Glazing panel systems and compartmentation. The second thrust is the study of the correlation between thermo-structural response and the quantification of thermal onslaught and transmission, seeking definitions of fire severity on structures. Fire testing studies examined furnace severity on both the large scale and indicative furnaces at FireSERT, complying with European Standards, enable direct correlation to end user needs. In examining the behaviour of structural assemblies in fire, the principal objective of FireSERT s research is to use experimental parametric studies to provide comprehensive scale model test data. This informs design guidance within a limit state philosophy (parametric experimental data linked to computer simulations forming the basis of statistical and sensitivity analyses). For cost effective research FireSERT also have a number of small purpose designed furnaces for this research work. The Structural Fire Engineering Current Principal Research Programmes Focus On: Experimental and Numerical study on Fire Performance Steel Joints during fire Localised Experimental and Analysis of Compartment fire tests using pool fires. Fire resistance of Ultra high strength concrete columns, beams and slabs with reference to spalling Fire interaction with sprinkler/water mist system in commercial stores Behaviour of composite floor and offshore platform systems in fires Steel and concrete elements in extreme fire environment including protection Behaviour of Glazing Façade Panel System in Tall Buildings Outline of the Research Environment in which this project will take place e.g. facilities, equipment etc. FireSERT has state of the art research facilities which are virtually unique within a university setting. These include a 600m 2 burn hall which houses a range of calorimeters including a tenmegawatt facility for full-scale research. Large-scale combination wall and floor furnaces together with intermediate/small scale furnaces facilitate experimental research and product development. Equipment to be used in this project is listed as: crane, data logging systems, thermocouples, LVDTS, large furnace, load cells, hydraulic loading equipment, dynamic loading equipment. Concrete lab including using concrete mixers, vibrating table, curing tanks Page 2 of 9

3 Skills required from the applicant: In delivery of this theme you will have an appropriate degree in (subject discipline) and possibly a relevant postgraduate qualification. The skills you bring will be.. - Describe the potential Interdisciplinary Research Options and/or Transferrable Skills that arise from the intended PhD research activity The research in Structures and Materials Behaviour in Fires involves a wide range of disciplines such as engineering, materials, Chemistry, mathematics and computer advanced software. The diversity of this research theme means that the student will potentially cross these disciplines. Depending on the specific project, the student will learn experimental fire modelling, Fire Resistance, material behaviours in fire, Euro code design development, Finite element modelling using sophisticated software and the structural fire using the design performance best approach. Extended the existing Euro code design method, produce quality journal papers and key conference presentation Outline the potential opportunities for International Networking and Industry Interaction that may enhance the PhD researchers future mobility FireSERT has collaborated with a number of national and international organisations and is currently involved in deferent projects linked with European, industrial and building control partners in the sustainability and resilient buildings. FireSERT's unique data was used by British Steel to press the UK case regarding the plate thermometer in European harmonisation debates. FireSERT possess the only heat flux-time curves for the Cardington LBTF full scale compartment fire tests and the NFSC2 compartment tests and recently conducted large scale fire compartment for long cellular beams with a recent development of new Eurocode.The research student will have opportunities to attend meet with experts in his research area and also to collaborate with other leading groups in the School Built Environment. Page 3 of 9

4 2) Theme Title Material Flammability & Fire Dynamics Named Supervisors Dr Jianping Zhang, Professor Ali Nadjai, Professor Michael Delichatsios Theme Description Experimental testing of material flammability and fire dynamics is of fundamental importance in studying the fire properties of materials and how they burn in real fire situations. Micro-scale tests using milligram samples in a well-controlled environment allows the determination of the degradation mechanisms and quantification of the pyrolysis gases, which are important in understanding the initiation and development of a fire when such a material is burns in real fire situations. Meso-scale tests using the cone calorimeter allows the determination of the intrinsic flammability properties which are essential inputs in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. Finally, large scale tests such as single burning item (SBI) and ISO corner test can be used to study the burning behaviours of a material in real scale and these tests also provide data for validation or verification of CFD models. The candidate will be able to use any or a combination of these facilities to study the flammability of various materials, such as wood, polymer or liquid pool fires, or smoke development and fire dynamics in compartment fires. For material flammability, the student can also study the effects of new environment-friendly fire retardants such as nanoparticles and intumescent coatings. Outline of the Research Environment in which this project will take place e.g. facilities, equipment etc. The Fire Dynamics and Material Lab (FML) at FireSERT is equipped with a range of advanced micro-scale experimental apparatus capable of detailed measurements of thermal degradation of mg samples, including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), attenuated total reflectance (ATR), tube furnace and two cone calorimeters. These apparatus are supplemented with advance analytical software. There are also large-scale test facilities such as SBI and ISO corner test and a number of experimental rigs that have been used in previous and current PhD or research projects including a corridor-like enclosure and glazing system. Skills required from the applicant: In delivery of this theme you will have an appropriate degree in (subject discipline) and possibly a relevant postgraduate qualification. The skills you bring will be.. - Describe the potential Interdisciplinary Research Options and/or Transferrable Skills that arise from the intended PhD research activity The research in material flammability and fire dynamics crosses disciplines of engineering and chemistry. The student is expected to develop advanced knowledge and skills in both of these areas. The student will design and conduct experiments (micro- to large-scale), develop advanced analytical skills and learn complex experimental instrumentation skills with an emphasis on the action and effectiveness of modern fire retardants. Those knowledge and skills would be highly transferable to any other related areas. Page 4 of 9

5 Outline the potential opportunities for International Networking and Industry Interaction that may enhance the PhD researchers future mobility FML at FireSERT has collaborated with a number of national and international organisations and is currently having joint EU and National projects in the field of fire dynamics and material flammability. FML has also been collaborating with a number of fire retardants companies in developing new environmentally-friend fire retardants. This research will provide the student of excellent opportunities to work closely with these companies in understanding the fire retardant action and effectiveness of modern fire retardants. The student will also present research outputs at international conferences. Page 5 of 9

6 3) Theme Title Fire Modelling Named Supervisors Dr Jianping Zhang, Dr Seng-kwan Choi, Professor Michael Delichatsios Theme Description Over the last decades, computer modelling has gained considerable popularity in fire safety design both in research and industry. Advanced computer modelling allowing accurate prediction of smoke movement and fire spread in complex buildings and behaviours of structural elements in fire. The aim of this research is to improve fire safety by making computer modelling (computational fluid dynamics, CFD, and finite element analysis, FEA) credible to be able to predict the fire sizes and hazards for people and infrastructure in real fire situations so that costly large scale testing becomes not necessary. The candidate will develop advanced sub-models to address the important phenomena in fire such as combustion, radiation, production of smoke and carbon monoxide and structural behaviours. These models will be validated against literature data and/or available experimental data at FireSERT from previous or current research. Some areas of concentration addressing these objectives are: a) burning behaviours of liquid pool fires, 2) fire dynamics of façade fires, c) glazing in fire and d) ventilation in atria. Outline of the Research Environment in which this project will take place e.g. facilities, equipment etc. The Fire Dynamics and Material Lab (FML) at FireSERT is equipped with advanced experimental apparatus capable of detailed measurements of both thermal degradation of mg samples and burning of complex materials in large-scale tests. For numerical simulation, the group has the most widely used computer software packages for fire simulations, such as Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS), OpenFOAM, and Abaqus. Not only are there dedicated workstations we also have access to UK national high performance computing facility. Skills required from the applicant: In delivery of this theme you will have an appropriate degree in (subject discipline) and possibly a relevant postgraduate qualification. The skills you bring will be.. - Describe the potential Interdisciplinary Research Options and/or Transferrable Skills that arise from the intended PhD research activity The research in fire modelling involves a wide range of disciplines such as engineering, mathematics and computer engineering. The diversity of this research theme means that the student will potentially cross these disciplines. The student will learn advanced numerical modelling (CFD modelling or finite element analysis (FEA)) or a combination of both. These techniques have been widely used far beyond the fire application so the student will be able to apply the knowledge and skills learn from his study in any other relevant areas. Page 6 of 9

7 Outline the potential opportunities for International Networking and Industry Interaction that may enhance the PhD researchers future mobility FireSERT has collaborated with a number of national and international organisations and is currently having joint EU and National projects in the field of fire dynamics and material flammability. FireSERT is a partner in the UKCTRF consortium (UK Consortium on Turbulent Reacting Flows). The student will have opportunities to meet with experts in his research area and also to collaborate with other leading groups in fire and structure modelling. Page 7 of 9

8 4) Theme Title Human Behaviour in Fire and Emergencies Named Supervisors Dr Karen Boyce, Dr Nigel McConnell Theme Description This research area is the study of people s awareness, beliefs, attitudes, motivations, decisions, behaviour and coping strategies relative to fire and emergencies and the factors that influence them. The area spans pre, peri and post events, i.e. the preparedness of individuals or organisations for evacuation, through evacuation behaviour to post evacuation analysis of the impact of their involvement. It is highly multidisciplinary traversing the fields of psychology, sociology, human factors, mathematics, engineering, architecture, health and safety. The primary aim of this research is to minimise the risk to people from fire. This is achieved by generating and collecting quantitative and qualitative data and information which can be used to develop theories for use in fire safety education and management, performance based design and evacuation modelling. Research projects in the following, or any other related research area, are welcome: behavioural responses to fire cues and influencing factors, movement dynamics and impact of changing demographics, stair usage (merging behaviours, impact of fatigue) fire safety for vulnerable populations (children, elderly, disabled) human behaviour in domestic settings understanding the impact of training and community fire safety programmes impact of involvement in fire e.g. PTSD Outline of the Research Environment in which this project will take place e.g. facilities, equipment etc. Supervisors have worked and published in the field of human behaviour in fire for many years. Students will be based in the FireSERT laboratories with other PhD students, researchers and academic staff. The nature of the work will depend on the proposed topic but may involve (in addition to desk top research) experimental work (laboratory or field), surveys, interview studies of survivors of real fires etc. Potential monitoring/measuring equipment are available i.e. cameras, eye-tracking equipment and the research team have links to other departments in the University e.g. Sports Science where more specialist movement monitoring equipment is available. Skills required from the applicant: In delivery of this theme you will have an appropriate degree in (subject discipline) and possibly a relevant postgraduate qualification. The skills you bring will be.. In delivery of this theme you will have a degree or masters degree in a cognate discipline. This may include, but is not limited to, Psychology, Sociology, Fire Safety Engineering, Health and Safety, Human Factors. Good oral and written communication skills are essential. The applicant should be able to demonstrate evidence of conducting previous independent research. Page 8 of 9

9 Describe the potential Interdisciplinary Research Options and/or Transferrable Skills that arise from the intended PhD research activity This research area potentially transverses the disciplines of psychology, sociology, human factors, mathematics, engineering, architecture, health and safety. Irrespective of the project, it is inevitable that interdisciplinary working will take place across one or more of these areas. In undertaking this type of research the student will develop a high level of creativity and innovation in research design, demonstrate their ability to collect, analyse and present complex data using a range of methods and techniques and recognise the potential application of the research in the wider context of fire safety engineering, fire safety education or management. Outline the potential opportunities for International Networking and Industry Interaction that may enhance the PhD researchers future mobility FireSERT s HBiF group have been active in the field internationally for over 25 years and have many close contacts in the international arena. There will be opportunities to work network with other researchers and practitioners e.g. at the 12th International Association of Fire Safety Science Symposium in 2017, the 7th International Symposium on Human Behaviour in Fire in 2018 and other prestigious fire symposia. The team have close relations with the fire services, controlling authorities, engineering practitioners and evacuation modellers, and international researchers all of which can be exploited in the pursuit of a valid research project. Page 9 of 9