Research Associate in Additive Manufacture of Polymeric High Voltage Components

Job reference: SAE-028322
Salary: £37,174 to £45,413 per annum dependent on relevant experience
Faculty/Organisational Unit: Science and Engineering
Location: Oxford Road
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Hours Per Week: Full time (1 FTE)
Closing date (DD/MM/YYYY): 31/03/2025
Contract Duration: 15 months
School/Directorate: School of Engineering

A motivated materials scientist is needed for an industrial funded project to undertake research in developing additive manufacturing techniques for high voltage components.

The move to a green economy requires a significant expansion of the existing electricity transmission networks. There is thus an increased demand for installing new transmission and distribution assets including cables, transformers and switchgear etc. The polymer components in such equipment are typically produced by moulding and casting techniques, which are cheap when produced at very large quantities. For the power industry, however, some of the critical products are produced in comparatively smaller volumes, which result in a much higher manufacturing cost per unit especially for a new product to market. 3D Printing, one of the most effective additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, is already a proven method used in high performance industries such as formula one and aerospace and ideal for making such parts. Furthermore, 3D printing allows rapid prototyping and new approaches to be applied in fundamental research. However, there is little ageing data or knowledge on long-term operational experience using components created through this method.

You will be using fused deposition modelling (FDM) and direct writing to additively produce a new generation of polymeric insulators for high voltage applications. You will be using both epoxy- and silicone-based polymers with and without nanofillers, including 2D materials. You will be developing the processing-structure-property relationships with a particular focus on how the interface between the consecutively printed layers determines the electrical insulation properties. This interface is a concern since point defects are known to act as initiation sites for electrical breakdown. Technical aspects that need exploration in this project include additive manufacturing, nanomaterial and their composites, rheology, dynamic thermal analysis, electron microscopy and high voltage testing and qualification.

You will have experience in additive manufacture of elastomer and epoxy polymers and the characterisation of their structure and processing. Preferably you will have experience in materials for high voltage applications. You should be able to maintain a high degree of accuracy, and to write and present your work both internally and for wider dissemination. You should have a PhD in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics or a related discipline and an emergent publication track record.

You will be part of a world-leading team working on nanomaterials, across the Henry Royce Institute, National Graphene Institute and High Voltage Laboratories.

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