Following the success of the REMS annual conference this year, a full day seminar was held on structural integrity on the 24th July 2019 at Strathclyde University. The aim of this workshop was to allow students within the REMS structural integrity community working on experimental projects from Cranfield University and Strathclyde University to learn, collaborate, and brainstorm together on ideas and issues within our research area.
The day started off with informative presentations by Professor Feargal Brennan and Dr Ali Mehmanparast on structural health monitoring and residual stresses in weldments. This was followed by individual presentations given by the REMS students on our individual research projects. These presentations included focus on the areas of corrosion monitoring, fracture toughness, additive manufacturing, residual stresses, and microstructure. The session allowed everyone to gain an insight into the other topics of research that were being undergone within the REMS structural integrity stream.
The second half of the day was focused on brainstorming and finding niches for potential inter-departmental collaborations. Hot topics of discussion included the potential issues found within corrosion monitoring, and the effect of thickness on various mechanical and material parameters. This was followed by a brainstorming session on potential cross collaborations within the REMS structural integrity community.
I personally found the workshop incredibly useful, as it allowed a platform for students to share their research within the REMS community. As EngD/PhD students, it is not uncommon to work in isolation, without sharing knowledge that each of us have gained which could help one another in our respective areas of research. I felt I learned a lot and gained a lot of insight throughout the course of the day, and it brought up many topics for further consideration within our subject area.
Figure 1 – The REMS Structural Integrity group from Cranfield and Strathclyde Universities
Satya Anandavijayan