PhD Studentship in Shock Mechanics

4-year D.Phil. studentship 

Project: On the mechanisms of deformation and failure in BCC metals under dynamic tension

Supervisors: Prof Daniel Eakins

Materials in extreme engineering environments must often contend with stresses that dramatically overwhelm their strength, leading to severe and rapid deformation. Under “modest” shock compression, for example, a material’s compressive yield stress may be overdriven by an order of magnitude or more, leading to profound differences in the underlying mechanisms governing deformation and failure. While significant attention has been given to materials subjected to extreme dynamic compression, comparatively less focus has been on dynamic tension, not least due to the challenges in rapidly applying controlled tension and in physically interpreting material behaviour under these unique conditions. The plastic behaviour of BCC metals, for example, is known to be anisotropic with respect to the sense and direction of loading, displaying a relatively large tension–compression asymmetry compared to other common cubic crystal structures, e.g. face-centred cubic. Understanding this behaviour is therefore key to predicting the response of materials to complex loading.

This DPhil will study the tensile deformation of body centred cubic (BCC) materials under combined conditions of high plastic strain (>1) and high strain-rate (>10³ s^-1). Techniques for producing and diagnosing dynamic tension in materials in real-time will be developed, building on the extensive capabilities within the Impact and Shock Mechanics Laboratory. There will be opportunities to investigate the role of purity, microstructure, and temperature, with advanced microscopy (SEM, EBSD, TEM, etc.) used to characterise resulting texture evolution, defect environment, and deformation mechanisms. These results will be used to inform and advance our crystal-plasticity/finite-element models to improve understanding of materials in this unique loading regime.

This project offers the opportunity to join a vibrant research group and undertake ground-breaking research in the fields of impact engineering, shock-physics, and materials science, involving elements of both experimental and computational physics.

Eligibility

This studentship is fully funded by AWE, and is open to UK students (full award – fees plus stipend).

Award Value

Course fees are covered at the level set for UK students (c. £10,070 p.a.). The stipend (tax-free maintenance grant) is c. £20,007 p.a. for the first year, and at least this amount for a further three years. 

Candidate Requirements

Prospective candidates will be judged according to how well they meet the following criteria:

• A first class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in Engineering, Physics or Materials Science
• Excellent English written and spoken communication skills

The following skills are also highly desirable:

• Ability to program in Matlab, Python or similar
• Strong laboratory-based skills

Application Procedure

Informal enquiries are encouraged and should be addressed to Prof Daniel Eakins (daniel.eakins@eng.ox.ac.uk). 

Candidates must submit a graduate application form (via the ‘Apply’ button above) and are expected to meet the graduate admissions criteria. Details are available on the course page of the University website.

Please quote 25ENGMM_DE in all correspondence and in your graduate application.

Application deadline: noon on 03 December 2024

Start date: October 2025

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