About the project
Additive manufacturing enables the fabrication of engineering components with a high degree of geometric complexity. This geometric complexity makes the measurement and inspection of metal AM components very difficult. In this project, You will develop new methods for measuring and inspecting complex AM components.
Metal Additive manufacturing (AM) components suffer from a number of defects, such as:
- high surface roughness
- dimensional deviations
- sub-surface pores
- cracks
AM components must be rigorously checked for defects if they are to enter service in safety-critical applications. Traditional measurement and inspection techniques require line-of-sight access to the features being inspected, so they cannot be used to measure internal features such as cooling channels and lattice structures that can be fabricated easily using metal AM.
The inability to measure and inspect large and complex metal AM components is stifling industrial adoption of metal AM. To address this problem, new measurement and inspection techniques will be developed in this project.
AM defects may be detected during the fabrication process (in-process) and after the fabrication process is complete. Multiple non-destructive testing methods may be combined to provide a holistic picture of the quality of AM components.
Both traditional signal processing and machine learning approaches can be used to identify defect signals, with a view to minimise user influence in the measurement and inspection process.
You should have a keen interest in manufacturing processes, alongside sensors, instrumentation, and signal processing. This project will require processing of multi-dimensional data sets, so programming skills in Python or Matlab are highly desirable.
Entry requirements
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.
Desirable skills:
- signal processing
- instrumentation
- programming
Fees and funding
We offer a range of funding opportunities for both UK and international students. Horizon Europe fee waivers automatically cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for qualifying students.
Competition-based Presidential Bursaries from the University cover the difference between overseas and UK fees for top-ranked applicants.
Competition-based studentships offered by our schools typically cover UK-level tuition fees and a stipend for living costs (minimum of £19,237 in 2024-25) for top-ranked applicants.
Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.
How to apply
You need to:
- choose programme type (Research), 2025/26, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
- select Full time or Part time
- choose the relevant PhD in Engineering
- add name of the supervisor in section 2
Applications should include:
- personal statement
- your CV (resumé)
- 2 academic references
- degree transcripts to date
Contact us
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences
If you have a general question, email our doctoral college (feps-pgr-apply@soton.ac.uk).
Project leader
For an initial conversation, email Dr Joseph Lifton (J.J.Lifton@soton.ac.uk).
