PhD Studentship - Acoustic Black Holes for Noise and Vibration Control

Supervisor: Dr Jordan Cheer

Co-supervisor: Prof Steve Daley

Project description

A fully funded industrial studentship is available for a high-quality student to work in the area of acoustic black holes for noise and vibration control. This is an extremely exciting area of current research, which aims to improve upon traditional passive noise and vibration control treatments by providing an extremely lightweight and compact solution. You will work as a part of a team on the development of intelligent systems for low noise environments, being supported by the multi-million pound EPSRC Prosperity Partnership with BAE Systems, Lloyds Register and the University of Nottingham's Centre for Additive Manufacturing.

Acoustic black holes (ABHs), which are based on introducing carefully designed geometrical features into a structure, have been shown to achieve significant levels of structural damping in both beams and plates. The aim of this project is to develop the design, optimisation and practical implementation of ABHs and, therefore, facilitate their exploitation in complex practical structures. In particular, the project may investigate the interaction between multiple ABHs and also explore methods of optimising their locations on complex structures to minimize structural vibration and sound radiation. The integration of active technologies, as used in active noise cancelling headphones, may also be explored and the trade-off between performance and structural integrity that is inherent in the design of acoustic black holes will be investigated. The links with the Centre for Additive Manufacturing at Nottingham may also be exploited within the project, in order to realise advanced novel designs. The specific focus of the research is likely to depend on the skills of the successful candidate, but will involve a mixture of theoretical, numerical and experimental investigation.

This project is supported by a large industrial collaborator, which provides a wide range of potential opportunities for the successful candidate. In particular, the strong industrial connection helps to ensure that the research will have a direct impact on real-world engineering.

This position also benefits from a tax-free stipend, which may be enhanced from the standard studentship depending on the successful candidate's previous experience. This includes the standard EPSRC studentship of £15,285 and a top-up from the industrial partner.

The successful candidate will be based in the Signal Processing and Control Group of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research. This is home to an internationally renowned research group working in diverse areas of signal processing and control.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Jordan Cheer, Signal Processing and Control Research Group, Email: j.cheer@soton.ac.uk.

We aim to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all sections of the community.