Mechanical Engineering New Route PhD
The New Route PhD is a four-year research-based programme leading to the submission of a thesis and the award of a PhD degree. In addition to pursuing your research, during the first three years you will study a tailor-made programme of taught modules to underpin your academic study and enhance your skills as a researcher.
The programme aims to educate graduates not only to the high academic standards expected from PhD research but also in generic personal, business and communication skills. This approach extends the individual’s subject expertise beyond the bounds of the usual research degree.
YEAR 1
Issues and Methods of Research
Proposal Writing
Research Methods in Mechanical Engineering
Discipline-specific Module
YEAR 2
Communication Skills (speaking, writing, computing, information retrieval)
Global Context (political, economic and social contexts)
Thesis Research
YEAR 3
Research Dissemination
The Business World (including career planning)
Peer Review (and its use in assessment of research proposals and publication)
Thesis Research
YEAR 4
Thesis Submission
DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC MODULES
Modules from the taught MSc programmes are selected according to thesis research. For example:
Modern Environmental Control Systems for Buildings
Environmental Hands-on Review and Audit
Energy Conversion and Management
Energy, Economics and the Environment
Advanced CAD and Numerical Modelling
Advanced Solid Body Mechanics
Advanced Thermodynamics
Advanced Vehicle Dynamics, IC Engines and Materials
Aerodynamics, Mechanics and Propulsion Systems
Computer Aided Engineering Methods
Contextual Design
Topical Issues in Aerospace Industry
Design and Analysis of Aircraft and Spaceship Systems
Enterprise and Innovation
Graphics
Managing Project Innovation
Racing Team Management and Vehicle Testing
Research Planning, Methodology and Innovation
Strategic Management and Enterprise
USUAL ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
A good degree in a relevant subject and/or appropriate professional qualifications and experience.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Contact Research Office Administrator, School of Engineering and Design
Tel +44 (0)1895 266876
RESEARCH AT MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
Brunel’s Mechanical Engineering is a very active research subject area with collaborative research projects supported by industrial, governmental and overseas partners ranging from major oil companies, vehicle manufacturers, built environment consultacies and government laboratories in addition to major funding by EPSRC and the EU. There is collaboration with many universities in Asia, Europe and the US.
This is a thriving, high-quality research department with an international reputation which has extensive and well-equipped laboratories, particularly in fluid mechanics, IC engines and their fuels, vibrations, environmental and building services engineering and structural testing. Our in-house cluster of parallel computer facilities are enhanced by advanced software for large scale simulation of structures, flows and engines, to name but a few
Research Areas
CENTRE FOR ADVANCED POWERTRAIN AND FUELS RESEARCH
The activities of this Centre, one of the largest, most renowned and active engines research groups in the UK, contribute in a number of areas related to advanced automotive powertrain, alternative and bio fuels, and their impact on the environment.
In particular, the Centre focuses on:
Ultra-low emission and high efficiency internal combustion engines through new combustion process and its control;
Novel hybrid engines for future automotive vehicles;
Fuel injection, spray formation, mixing and combustion and their application to the design of internal combustion engines and low emission fuels;
Experimental and computational techniques for in-cylinder flow, combustion, pollutant formation and emissions and application to the design of more efficient and clean engines;
Fuel reforming and after-treatment devices for ultra-low emission diesel vehicles;
Optimised bio-fuel powered combustion engines and their impact on the environment.
Further information Professor H Zhao, School of Engineering and Design
Tel +44 (0)1895 266698
Web www.brunel.ac.uk/research/centres/capf
CENTRE FOR ENERGY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH
The activities of this Research Centre contribute to a number of areas in the energy field including:
The improvement of energy conversion efficiency from renewable sources;
The design of more efficient systems to provide heating and cooling and achieve the required thermal environment for buildings and processes;
The reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants to the atmosphere.
The Group has substantial facilities that include:
An 80m3 environmental chamber capable of achieving conditions between 0°C and +40°C and 30 to 95%RH;
An anechoic chamber, sound-level meters and other acoustic equipment;
Refrigeration and heat pump test rigs;
Solar energy test rigs;
A range of data-logging and control systems.
In-house simulation software and a suite of commercial packages include:
Building services software that includes thermal simulation, acoustics, lighting, and other services design programmes;
Computational fluid dynamics and other fluid flow and heat transfer codes for flow and heat transfer modelling.
Further information Professor T Karayiannis, School of Engineering and Design
Tel +44 (0)1895 267132
Web www.brunel.ac.uk/research/centres/ceber
CENTRE FOR ENGINEERING TRIBOLOGY AND DYNAMICS
Brunel has a long and proud tradition in tribology research, going back some thirty years. The Research Centre for Engineering Tribology and Dynamics (RCETD) is now officially recognized as the University Research Centre, thus affirming the importance of tribology research in an era of energy crunch and environmental sustainability.
The current portfolio of research funding is about £0.8M and the written output of all members of RCETD over the last three years totals 74 papers and conference presentations. Research takes place in various laboratories within the School of Engineering and Design, which accommodate unique experimental equipment enabling research in a wide range of topics.These experimental facilities, coupled with workstations for numerical modelling, equip the Centre with a competitive edge and form a solid foundation for attracting research funding.
Further information: Dr Mark Atherton, School of Engineering & Design
Email:
Tel: (0)1895 266690
ADVANCED COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS GROUP
Brunel’s Advanced Computational Mechanics Research Group conducts leading edge research in the area of computational solid and fluid mechanics. The group which has close links with industry is involved in developing numerical solutions and constitutive models for a number of engineering problems with applications in the aerospace, offshore and medical engineering industries. The group’s research activities include:
Boundary element methods
Non-linear finite element methods: e.g. computational plasticity and modelling of contact problems
Computational fluid dynamics
Finite element modelling of sound propagation in acoustic waveguides
Fluid-solid interaction modelling
Fracture mechanics
Multi-scale modelling
Further information Professor Hamid Bahai, School of Engineering and Design.
Email:
Tel +44 (0)1895 265773
Web: www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/sed/sedres/cem/acm
APPLIED MECHANICS GROUP
The key areas covered by this large research Group include:
Bioengineering;
Dynamical Systems, Performance Enhancement and Robust Control;
Surface Mechanics and Tribology;
Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer;
Aerospace Technology;
Structural Modelling and Analysis.
Further information Professor I Esat, School of Engineering and Design.
Tel +44 (0)1895 266681
Web www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad /sed/sedres/cem
MATERIALS RESEARCH
This area focuses on the development of biodegradable materials, novel processing technologies and applications. These materials are based largely on natural raw materials, or non-food crops, such as starch and plant fibres, and may be used for a wide range of applications including packaging and construction. Made from renewable resources and being fully biodegradable, the materials offer much greener alternatives to oil-based materials to reduce the environmental impacts by composting as an effective means of materials recovery and reducing landfill.
Research areas include:
Biodegradable materials formulation;
Materials processing;
Materials characterisation;
Product design with biodegradable materials;
Computer modelling of material behaviour during processing, application and post-use treatments.
Further information Professor J Song, School of Engineering and Design
Tel +44 (0)1895 266698
Web www.brunel.ac.uk/about/acad/sed/sedres/me