About the project
This projet will investigate how impact damage triggers fatigue cracking in titanium aerospace components, combining advanced materials science with real-world engineering challenges. Using state-of-the-art testing and microscopy facilities, you’ll gain sought-after expertise in fatigue, failure analysis and aerospace materials while contributing to more sustainable aviation.
Lightweight titanium alloys are central to the next generation of more fuel-efficient aero-engines, helping to reduce aircraft weight and supporting the aviation sector’s journey towards net-zero emissions. However, titanium fan and compressor components are vulnerable to impact damage throughout service. Low-velocity impacts can occur during ground handling and maintenance, while high-velocity foreign object damage (FOD) can arise in flight from the ingestion of debris. Even when impact damage appears minor, it can significantly reduce fatigue life by creating conditions for crack initiation and growth.
Working in partnership with Rolls-Royce, this project will investigate how titanium alloy composition influences the initiation and early growth of fatigue cracks caused by impact damage. Particular emphasis will be placed on understanding the strain-rate-dependent microstructural changes that occur during impact events and how these changes govern subsequent fatigue behaviour. By linking alloy chemistry, microstructure and damage evolution, the project aims to deliver new insights that will support the design of more damage-tolerant aerospace materials and components.
You'll gain hands-on experience with world-leading experimental facilities at the University of Southampton, conducting impact testing and cyclic fatigue experiments that replicate demanding service conditions. You'll develop expertise in advanced materials characterisation techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and nanoindentation, alongside the analysis of crack initiation and propagation mechanisms. This multidisciplinary project offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge aerospace research while developing highly sought-after skills in materials science, fatigue and failure analysis.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.