Projects are listed by broad research area. Supervisors will be happy to provide further information.
Frequently, new projects become available, and this list is only an indication of the sort of projects which might be available. It is often possible to create a new project to suit your interests. Please discuss research projects with the staff working in your areas of interest.
Masters or PhD
Structural control and mitigation. Earthquakes and other large disturbances cause a significant and damaging structural dynamic response, often nonlinear in nature. The damage can be substantial at 10-20% of GDP for a large event. The damage to society as jobs are lost when business don’t reopen fully due to structural damage to premises is significant and can last 10-30 years before abating in a given region. Finally, the damage to lifelines, like bridges and energy distribution, can result in making recovery more difficult and further loss of lives or injury.
This project requires students interested in multi-disciplinary research in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering, taking the useful parts of dynamics and finite element analysis, as well as design and control systems to create new devices and systems to mitigate dynamic response of structures. It is undertaken with our Dept of Civil Engineering and other oversease collaborators. There are also analytical and theoretical studies associated with this topic.
Overall, this project area is about structural dynamics and control systems development, and the use of these and analytical methods to analyse these problems and design creative solutions.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
Structural health monitoring is the examination of structures for damage by examining changes in their vibration response to inputs from expected values. This research area is very important for areas, such as New Zealand, that are subject to earthquakes and other damaging excitations. This technique is also heavily employed in the aircraft and manufacturing equipment industries to test for damage before it is visible.
More specifically, given one or more sensors, vibrations resulting from known or random inputs may be analysed to determine the change in model parameters. Adaptive digital filtering techniques are widely used in digital telecommunications and represent a potential means of dealing with this problem in a fashion that is far more easily implemented in noisy, real-time environments than current methods. While the central focus will be on benchmark problems put forward by Civil Engineering Societies the methods developed are expected to generalize to wider ranges of problems.
This project requires students interested in multi-disciplinary research in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering, taking the useful parts of approaches to similar problems to develop a novel solution using elements from each field as necessary. The approach used is expected to be a mixture of analytical and experimental culminating in trials on a hardware benchmark problem created by ASCE. This research will occur in conjunction with faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at Texas AandM University and any interested faculty in the Electrical and Civil Engineering Departments at UC.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Micro-electromechanical arrays offer a tangible solution to high-speed, precision information and manipulation technologies such as scanning probe microscopy and nano-lithography. However, the associated multi-physics coupling and observed nonlinear dynamic behaviour are currently not understood and thus prevents successful implementation of an otherwise promising solution. Ongoing collaborative efforts focus on the development of a fundamental understanding of the underlying nonlinear dynamics and coupling phenomena of an array of multi-physics cantilevers. Our theoretical approach is based on nonlinear classical continuum mechanics in combination with numerical simulations and experimental investigations. With these new fundamental insights, underlying dynamic processes can be predicted and controlled, enabling reliable operation of future information and manipulation array technologies.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
There is a growing need among biologists to precisely monitor the dynamic phenomena on extremely soft living cells like mammalian cells in their native environments i.e. liquids. Most of the biological events are faster than the time it takes to capture a full frame. Hence, it is very demanding to track the real-time motion of tiny cells at faster rates using a new non-contact AFM array technology. The operation mode is largely characterized by collective and nonlinear effects (geometric, material, tip-sample interactions and fluid damping). Collective array dynamics in air has been theoretically and experimentally studied. But results will significantly vary when the sample is imaged in its native environment i.e. liquids. This project aims at explaining the underlying physics of a non-contact AFM scan process in fluid with the help of suitable analytical models, analysis and experimental investigations.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
One way to manage noise exposure in manufacturing and processing facilities is to use dosimeters that record the noise levels that employees are exposed to. This gives exposure levels and durations but no detail of the activities undertaken or where areas of high exposure levels are. Another way is to carry out measurement surveys and prepare noise maps of the facility – but this does not give detail of where employees are at any given time or what they are doing. Video dosimetry uses simultaneous sound and image recording to present a full picture of employee noise exposure in the workplace. The purpose of this project is to develop a complete image capture, sound level exposure system for use by plant safety managers or acoustic consultants, building on an in-house prototype. Case studies using the system will validate the concept.
Acoustics, computer science, imaging.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
The measurement of vibration and shock of machinery and plant and equipment, relies on transducers that respond to displacement, velocity or acceleration. They convert the mechanical motion into an electrical signal output. The quality of the measured data is dependent upon the accuracy of the transducer - whose performance is checked by calibration using a reference standard. The University has many accelerometers used in research and commercial activities and the objective of this project is to develop a facility for their calibration across appropriate frequency ranges. Back-to-back comparison against a sub-standard and laser vibrometer displacement measurement are two methods available.
Instrumentation, quality management, uncertainty in measurement
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
One way to manage noise in a space such as manufacturing and processing facilities, halls and venues with high headroom, is to install absorption materials and/or acoustic assemblies to control reverberant sound. One such method is to suspend absorbers from roof trusses or ceilings in the spaces that require treatment - assuming adequate clearance above the working space. One type of proposed absorber is the resonant box, which has a rigid boundary and two opposed faces that are thin membranes. The objective of this project is to establish the performance of these devices by experiment in-situ and to compare with analytical predictions, optimising the thickness of the membranes and absorption by arrays of the boxes. Enhancing the performance of these absorbers by other means would also form part of the project.
Acoustics, rotational moulding of plastics
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Noise exposure of employees in manufacturing and processing facilities is frequently managed by simply issuing earmuffs and/or earplugs (hearing protectors). This approach assumes a level of protection concomitant with the manufacturer’s rated performance as determined by laboratory testing. This approach has been shown to be flawed and the testing method inappropriate for real world use. The objective of this project is to establish the statistical variation of head-forms for New Zealand’s population and devise a methodology for adjusting rated data to account for differences of fit of hearing protection devices resulting from these differences. A head and torso simulator is available for comparison of lab test data with in-situ test data.
A second project is available to examine the effect of earmuff shell shape and the materials used in their construction.
Acoustics
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
Doors form an obvious part of a building construction, affording privacy and separation from noisy environments. Doors vary in their construction according to end use and in some applications are required to have a high sound transmission loss (STL) rating. In addition, the materials used and the manner of installation must meet Building Code requirements for smoke and fire. This project aims to determine best construction and material use for lightweight doors with high STL rating. The project will be carried out in conjunction with a national supplier of interior doors.
Acoustics
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
The presence of gaps around the peripheral seatings of door and window frames can compromise the acoustic performance of doors and windows. In some applications, seals are specified and there are a wide range available on the market to select from. These range from static deformable polymer type to pressure seals activated when the door or window is closed. The objective of this project is to develop seals activated by rheological fluids, based on a review of current designs for door seals. A test facility that complies with the standard BS EN 10140-2 will be developed, in conjunction with a local test laboratory, for evaluation of designs.
Acoustics
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Rain falling on a roof can be unacceptably loud in the room or space below if the sound absorption and transmission loss properties of the roofing system are poor. Current prediction methods are imprecise due to the orthotropic nature of metal roofs. The objective of this project is to commission a facility for the simulation of rainfall that complies with the international standard ISO10140-5, for the experimental evaluation of several roof structures, comparing the results with current software tools for prediction of noise levels - such as ENC and INSUL.
Extending the project into development of a method for prediction of the impact response of orthotropic panel structures subject to continuous randomly spaced pulses is possible.
A major supplier of roof systems in New Zealand will collaborate with this project.
Acoustics, computer science, imaging.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
This project aims to establish whether there is a link between anthropogenic noise in New Zealand’s national parks and the reduction in the observed reduction in bird populations. Anthropogenic noise has been linked to increased activity in tourism both on the ground (walking tracks) and in the air (especially helicopters). The objective here is to design suitable autonomous acoustic instrumentation for remote monitoring of bird activity, carry out acoustic surveys in known ‘hot-spots’, develop a methodology for analysis of the ‘big’ data and use known metrics, or develop metrics for local application, that give indication of bird population change. This work will be carried out in conjunction with the New Zealand Department of Conservation and the National Park Service, USA.
Acoustics, computer science, imaging.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
The results of surveys or predictions of noise levels in urban and rural environments is usually presented as maps or diagrams using contours of sound level metrics overlaid on the mapped area of interest. The metric used is commonly chosen to be used for local body planning or resource management applications – typically LAeq(t), Ldn, LAmax, or LAn(t). This manner of presentation of the data when moving noises sources are involved, such as aircraft, trains and road traffic, often make it difficult to visualise where a problem might arise or when exposure levels become unacceptable. The objective of this project is to develop a methodology for 3D display of the data, draping the contours over the landscape and presenting it in video format, such that the contours move with transit of the noise source.
Acoustics, computer science, imaging.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Noise in the environment has a negative impact on wellbeing and enjoyment of our surroundings. The degree to which we rank that impact is being studied for visitors to national parks. Ambient sounds are recorded in-situ and then subjectively assessed in a laboratory by a statistically sampled panel of participants, to test correlation of the field data with graded responses. The current methodology is being reviewed to assess whether there are different effects for 3D recording of the visual and aural settings with subsequent replication in the laboratory using virtual reality techniques. The researcher will develop the instrumentation and methodology and carry out a series of trials to validate the technique. The outcome will be compared to the traditional method of evaluation.
Acoustics, computer science, imaging, human interface technology
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
The propagation of noise from road traffic is problematic where roads are adjacent to populated areas, drawing adverse reaction from occupants of dwellings, offices and other buildings. One solution is to install barriers at the margins of the carriageway(s). The barriers must meet design requirements for national roads authorities (NZTA in New Zealand, individual state authorities in Australia), for structural loading (mainly for wind), and noise attenuation performance. In Australia, there is an additional requirement for resistance to bush fires. This project is concerned with enhancement of barrier performance:
Acoustics, engineering design
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters
A prototype low frequency absorber has been developed using rotational moulding to produce an hermetically sealed box with a stiff frame and two thin facing membranes. Absorption of sound energy occurs by vibration of these thin faces. This absorber was developed to fill a gap in the standard products generally available, where performance is limited to absorption in mid and high frequencies. The prototype is a tuned panel absorber and is effectively only active at one design frequency. The objective of this project is to develop the absorber further so that it performs across a range of frequencies. Incorporating multiple cavities, inclusion of an open cell or fibrous material in the cavity, and micro-perforation are examples of possible approaches. The challenge is to gain performance enhancement whilst retaining the rotational moulding process for production.
Acoustics, engineering design, rotational moulding of plastics
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Earthquake engineering is not solely the domain of civil engineers. While overall structural design might be their domain, there are numerous areas where a mechanical or mechatronics engineer’s skillset is more applicable. Mechanism design, instrumentation, sensor development, and dynamic modelling are all areas where mechanical/mechatronics engineers can excel.
This project is broad and has potential research areas in mechanical design and testing of damping devices, structural modelling (finite element analysis and dynamic modelling), and experimental testing of mechanical subassemblies and connections. The overall project is very broad and the specific postgraduate project can be tailored to individual interests. Anyone interested in any of these complementary fields of engineering should ask for more information.
Opportunities exist to undertake large-scale tests with national and international collaborators in China, Canada, and the US.
Funding is available (fees and stipend) for either a Masters or PhD.
Masters or PhD
Diabetes is a widespread problem reaching epidemic proportions in New Zealand and the world in general. This project looks at a variety of aspects of automating the monitoring and dosing of insulin for Type I diabetics. Specific aspects of this project will address issues of advanced modelling and adaptive control design for the automation of insulin infusion for diabetics.
The project is expected to entail extending current research in this area to employ more sophisticated models that account for greater physiological variation and effects than the current models. More adaptive and model based methods will be examined, including proofs of stability and convergence for existing and developed control methods. It is of particular interest to determine whether there is a truly "optimal" control design method for this non-linear control problem. The project will be scaled to account for the type of degree the student is interested in pursuing.
The project will be require cooperation between the student and the following diverse team of personnel: The Lipids and Diabetes Research Group at Christchurch Hospital and the UoC Applied Maths Group. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking silicon technology and physiological processes as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that could significantly impact the quality of life for millions.
New field of study.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and Insulin Pump Companies but has not yet materialized.
Masters or PhD
Mechanical ventilation is a commonly applied therapy in critical care to assist breathing and ameliorate the impact of diseases such as ARDS and SARS. This project addresses the growing need for non- or semi- invasive methods of optimising the pressures and other settings for mechnical ventilation - particularly in an adaptive, feedback controlled fashion that accounts for patient variation and changes in patient condition.
Current methods are based on trial and error, and the application of medical experience and intuition - the so-called "art of medicine". The result is extremely variable ventilation protocols that impact the effectiveness of treatment. What we will do in this research is develop simple, minimal models of lung dynamics that include the impact of disease - most notable acute respiratory distress syndromes (ARDS) such as SARS and pneumonia. These dynamic models will allow us to capture a variety of patient conditions. From these results we will determine what to measure and how best to optimise ventilation using that measurement. Clinical trials on critical care subjects will follow successful research results.
The project will require cooperation between the student and the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, and Dr. Geoffrey M Shaw in particular. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking mechanical engineering, dynamic system modelling, and physiological processes -- better known as Biomedical Engineering -- as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that can significantly impact the prospects for millions of patients a year.
Biomedical or Bio-Engineering.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Masters
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often intubated to help them breathe, and sedated to minimize pain and agitation from the intubation as well as other injuries. Patients that are not sedated enough often become agitated and try to remove the breathing tube causing distress and anxiety that are difficult to control without unnecessary extra sedation.
The goal of this project is twofold
The basic premise of this project is that patient motion, and other metrics, are directly correlated to patient agitation. Current measures of patient agitation are qualitative relying on medical staff to make periodic, subjective judgements. The application of modern sensor and signal processing technology presents the opportunity to gather more data and apply it to create a qualitative, far more precise, determination of patient agitation. Success would enable better sedation-agitation modelling as well as a more quantified approach to controlling sedation processes.
This project is being run in conjunction with Dr. Geoff Shaw, M.D. a research anaesthesiologist with the Christchurch Hospital and the Otago School of Medicine. Students who take this multidisciplinary project will be expected to spend significant time understanding the medical systems involved and working in conjunction with Dr. Shaw and medical staff as well as with Dr. Chase on the technology side. This research represents an entirely new area of research for an ambitious Post-Grad interested in leading edge biomedical research with significant human impact.
New field of study
Funding is being developed however there is currently none available.
Geoff Chase and Dr Geoffrey Shaw (Otago Med. - Chch)
PhD
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often intubated to help them breathe, and sedated to minimize pain and agitation from the intubation as well as other injuries. Patients that are not sedated enough often become agitated and try to remove the breathing tube causing distress and anxiety that are difficult to control without extra sedation. Conversely, over, or heavily, sedated patients take significantly longer returning to a conscious state, adding significant cost and time to their hospital stay as well as additional risk due to over sedation.
The primary problem is twofold
This project looks at addressing these two problems. The first part is to create a quantifiable sedation-agitation model suitable to covering the majority of patient behaviours in terms of relating sedative concentration to qualitative level of sedation and a quantified level of measured agitation. The second part examines applying control systems technology to this system to obtain more robust and consistent results, and to achieve more minimal levels of sedation to minimize ICU stays and healthcare cost.
This project is being run in conjunction with Dr. Geoff Shaw, M.D. a research anaesthesiologist with the Christchurch Hospital and the Otago School of Medicine. Students who take this multidisciplinary project will be expected to spend significant time understanding the medical systems involved and working in conjunction with Dr. Shaw and medical staff as well as with Dr. Chase on the technology side. This research represents an entirely new area of research for an ambitious Post-Grad interested in leading edge biomedical research with significant human impact.
New field of study
Funding is being developed but currently not available
PhD
People with disabilities are often required to work at or near their physical limits in performing daily activities. Hence, subtle improvements to the design of assistive devices can have life changing consequences. The purpose of this research is to better characterise the strength of people with disabilities to enable improvements in the design of assistive devices.
In an earlier study at the University of Canterbury, the strength characteristics of people with normal motor and sensory control were characterised by mapping forward push strength in the sagittal plane. The data obtained indicates that particular strength maps will be obtained for particular groups of people e.g. people with normal strength characteristics will have one characteristic map and people with particular disabilities will have distinctively different maps.
The purpose of this project is to:
Tasks are likely to include:
Funding is being pursued in collaboration with Industrial Research Limited. A scholarship will be available for a suitable student.
Masters or PhD
The last 20 years of research have been about "silicon". The next 20 will be about linking silicon technology to controlling or enhancing physiological function in the human body. To accomplish this task accurate models that capture the essential dynamics of human physiology must be created. This research therefore requires someone interested in both analytical modelling as well as experimental or clinical validation. These models will also be used for creating the fundamental control theory necessary to create new medical therapies and devices to improve patient care quality and decrease its cost to society.
Current research is primarily focused on areas where critical care patients can make the most use. This focus ensures that the outcomes have large or significant potential usage in the medical field. Particular areas of interest include modelling the dynamics associated with
Clinical trials on critical care subjects would follow successful research results to verify the models and prove any control systems concepts applied.
These projects require cooperation between the student and the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, and Dr. Geoffrey M Shaw in particular. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking mechanical engineering, dynamic system modelling, and physiological processes - better known as Biomedical Engineering - as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that can significantly impact the prospects for millions of patients a year.
Biomedical or Bio- Engineering.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Dr. Yilei Zhang
Masters or PhD
Brain is one of the most complex systems in the universe and related to all aspects of human beings, such as emotion, perception, intelligence, etc. Additive manufacture (3D printing) and electrospinning are powerful technologies with significant applications in developing in vitro brain model, which allows us to systematically control and study brain functions, particularly neural networks. It has been shown that in vitro brain model could be linked with brain diseases and disorders, for example, we have cultured in vitro brain model for Alzheimer’s disease. The performance of the in vitro brain model is significantly influenced by the structural design, cellular microenvironment as well as the cell-material interactions. The objectives of this project are to develop novel technologies for 3D biofunctional in vitro brain model. Students with experience in bioprinting, electrospinning, laser, microfluidics, biotechnology, instrumentation, etc. are welcome to apply.
Biomedical or Bio- Engineering
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Masters or PhD
Total hip replacement implants provide improved quality of life for patients and typically have high success rates. However, several failure modes can lead to the need for early revision, such as failure of the main bearing surface, loosening of the implant within the surrounding bone, infection, and other potential issues.
There is a distinct gap in knowledge of the biomechanics of hip replacement implants within the human body. This project is seeking to combine acoustic emissions/ultrasonic sensing, with multiple inertial measurement units (IMUs) and video motion tracking to record human walking (gait) and link this to recorded implant vibrations and implant failure modes.
The project has strong links with the Prof Gary Hooper, Orthopaedic Surgeon at the University of Otago Christchurch, and A/Prof Justin Fernandez at the University of Auckland Bioengineering Institute. This project is a chance to apply your engineer skills, signal processing and/or biomechanics to a medical application, with close collaboration with a practicing surgeon.
Some limited funding is available, and additional funding is being sought.
Masters or PhD
The last 20 years of research have been about "silicon". The next 20 will be about linking silicon technology to controlling or enhancing physiological function in the human body. To accomplish this task accurate models that capture the essential dynamics of human physiology must be created. This research therefore requires someone interested in both analytical modelling as well as experimental or clinical validation. These models will also be used for creating the fundamental control theory necessary to create new medical therapies and devices to improve patient care quality and decrease its cost to society.
Current research is primarily focused on areas where critical care patients can make the most use. This focus ensures that the outcomes have large or significant potential usage in the medical field. Particular areas of interest include modelling the dynamics associated with
Clinical trials on critical care subjects would follow successful research results to verify the models and prove any control systems concepts applied.
These projects require cooperation between the student and the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, and Dr. Geoffrey M Shaw in particular. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking mechanical engineering, dynamic system modelling, and physiological processes - better known as Biomedical Engineering - as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that can significantly impact the prospects for millions of patients a year.
Biomedical or Bio- Engineering.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Masters or PhD
Forestry is a major export industry, but workers face some of the highest risks of injury and fatality. To provide a long-term solution we have designed, built and developed a tree-traversing robot that could move through a plantation forest by gripping trees rather than the usual wheeled vehicles that also cause soil damage. The fully-functional, remote-controlled tree-traversing robot (1/4-scale prototype) is the first of its kind in the world. The trunk-gripping mechanism allows the robot to rotate around the tree and to accurately grasp any other trunk within its maximum reach in any direction. The prototype includes actuator control translated into joy-stick operation by the forester. In a separate research attempt an innovative cutting mechanism was designed, built and added onto the existing robot. When the current ¼-scale design is scaled up to full size the resultant machine will be heavy. Aim of this work is to develop and to produce a light weight machine which retains the ability to cut down standing Pinus radiata trees and keep the operator at a safe distance from the tree. Therefore the project’s focus is optimising the machine
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
This project is broad and has potential research areas in mechanical design, finite element modelling, and experimental testing. Most commercially available dampers for structural applications offer fairly basic/crude damping behaviour. Applications in mountain bikes and cars have developed many customisable dampers that can offer tailored damping behaviour for a given application. This project will build upon prior work on displacement and direction dependent damping devices that offer customisable response characteristics. The project can be planned around the specific interests of the applicant, with more focus on analytical, computational, or experimental work, as desired.
Funding is available (fees and stipend) for either a Masters or PhD.
Digby Symons, John Pearse, and Michael Kingan (UoA)
PhD
This project concerns the design of propeller blades for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) and other vertical take off air vehicles (e.g. flying taxis).
Noise generation can be an issue for all of these types of aircraft. Highly swept blades have been suggested as a design strategy for noise reduction, particularly in contra-rotating high thrust applications. However, highly swept designs present a greater structural performance challenge than more conventional straight blades: coupling of bending and twisting for example.
This project will explore the interaction of deflections with aerodynamic and acoustic performance, particularly under high yaw / roll /pitch rate manoeuvring (i.e. gyroscopic loading). The aim will be to develop optimal designs (and design methodology) that minimise mass but retain adequate stiffness and strength to achieve other design criteria. Low cost manufacture will be a key objective; the use of additively manufactured blade core materials and moulds will be one area to explore.
The project will be a collaboration between the University of Auckland and the University of Canterbury.
Structural mechanics, composite materials, manufacturing
TBC
Masters
Low-cycle fatigue is an important characteristic for steel that it cycled beyond the elastic limit. In structures where energy dissipation is provided by yielding steel fuses, assessing damage and residual capacity following an earthquake is crucial to low-damage structural designs, reliable repair strategies, and rapid recovery from an earthquake.
Low-cycle fatigue and strain-ageing in Grade 300E reinforcing steel creates uncertainty in residual capacity. Grade 500E steels do not exhibit strain-ageing, but have much lower ductility than Grade 300E.
It is expected that low-cycle fatigue performance of G500E will be similarly lower, but there is no clear evidence of this trend. Monotonic ductility gets used as a broad and imprecise surrogate for low-cycle fatigue performance, but there is a scarcity of research and guidance on this topic. This project will undertake low-cycle fatigue and strain-ageing assessment of reinforcing bars and sacrificial steel fuses made from Grade 300E and 500E steels. Accelerated diffusion will be induced on the steels to induce the strain ageing phenomenon.
Key Aspects of the Project: The project will involve an extensive amount of experimental testing and data processing. The project would be well suited to a student who wishes to extend their experimental testing and data analysis capabilities.
Funding is available (fees and stipend) for a Masters.
Masters or PhD
The nature of professional practice is finding solutions to complex problems, and this often involves working with others in a a collaborative way. Hence a key component of professionalism (in any discipline) is the ability to communicate effectively in teams. This attribute appears prominently in accreditation and in job descriptions. However the nature of team work in the professional context is still incompletely understood. While there are generic theories of team communication, they show poor applicability to the more specialised team environments in which professionals find themselves, especially project teams and agile teams. Communication theories such as Tuckman's model (1965) and Belbin's roles still dominate the professional discourse, and there is an urgent need to move the field forward. Key questions are role adoption, and how the coordination arises.
Engineering, project management, psychology.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Masters or PhD
In moving engineering safety forward it is necessary to better understand the reasons why operators voluntarily take safety risks. This is called perverse agency. A possible project (ME/PhD) would be to explore this using qualitative research methods (interviews).
Engineering, safety, psychology, industrial operations.
Good English skills and an interest in learning more about psychology.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Masters or PhD
There is a growing need among biologists to precisely monitor the dynamic phenomena on extremely soft living cells like mammalian cells in their native environments i.e. liquids. Most of the biological events are faster than the time it takes to capture a full frame. Hence, it is very demanding to track the real-time motion of tiny cells at faster rates using a new non-contact AFM array technology. The operation mode is largely characterized by collective and nonlinear effects (geometric, material, tip-sample interactions and fluid damping). Collective array dynamics in air has been theoretically and experimentally studied. But results will significantly vary when the sample is imaged in its native environment i.e. liquids. This project aims at explaining the underlying physics of a non-contact AFM scan process in fluid with the help of suitable analytical models, analysis and experimental investigations.
Funding is always being pursued.
PhD
Dr Mathieu Sellier, Dr Volker Nock (Electrical and Computer Engineering)
Digital microfluidic devices play an ever increasing role in nano- and biotechnologies. These rely on the micromanipulation of discrete droplets which are transported, stored, mixed, reacted, or analyzed in a discrete manner. One of the key challenges is to transport them in an efficient and reliable way. This research proposes to investigate experimentally and numerically a previously unexplored propulsion mechanism which relies on the induction of a surface tension gradient in the droplet by mixing droplets of different substances having a large surface tension contrast. We have recently proven the feasibility of this new mechanism in "proof of concept" experiment.
One of the key advantage of this new droplet propulsion mechanism is that it does not rely on high-tech, high-cost micro-fabrication techniques. The experiment raised a number of fundamental questions such as what is the role of the thin film connecting both droplets? What is the role of the surrounding atmosphere in the generation of the surface energy gradient? Can the coalescence enhance fluid mixing, a difficult task in microfluidic applications? The project aims to understand the underlying physics of this phenomenon and assess its potential in engineering applications.
Sellier, M., Nock, V. and Verdier, C. (2011) Self-propelling coalescing droplets. Int. J. Multiphase Flow, 37, 462-468.
(fees and living expenses)
Masters or PhD
Free surface flows occur in wide range of context. They arise, for example, in the form of water droplets when we take a shower, in the form of a thin liquid film when we apply a paint layer on a wall. They are also prevalent in geophysics where they appear as river or glacier flows to name a few. The recent development of numerical simulation tools has tremendously expanded our understanding of such flows but to date the focus has mostly been on "what if" scenarios. For example, how does the free surface of a river respond to an increase of the flow rate? How does the free surface of a glacier respond to bedrock variations? This viewpoint, referred to as the direct problem, consists in finding the observable consequences of a set of causes and conditions. The proposed research focuses on the inverse problem for which the causes and conditions of the flow are reconstructed from the knowledge of observable consequences. In this new paradigm, the free surface is a "signature" of the flow which can be related to unknown flow quantities. The proposed research will develop a theoretical framework and numerical tools to solve such inverse problems. More specifically, the research program will enable the reconstruction of the bedrock profile from free surface data in geophysical flows such as river or glacier flows. It will allow the reconstruction of the surface tension distribution in Marangoni driven flows, i.e. flows driven by surface tension gradients, thereby shedding light on phenomena such as the formation of a coffee stain or the transport of surface active agent (surfactant) at interfaces. Finally, the research program will pave the way to a new methodology to characterize the rheology of fluids based on the free surface response to prescribed perturbations.
Gessese, A.F., Sellier, M., Van Houten, E. And Smart, G. (2011) Reconstruction of river bed topography from free surface data using a direct numerical approach in one-dimensional shallow water flow. Inverse Problems, 27, 025001.
self-funded or through University scholarship. Funding is sought from the Royal Society.
Dr Mathieu Sellier, Prof XiaoQi Chen
Masters or PhD
Using numerical simulation to compute the dynamics of flows or the response of structures to external loads is nowadays routine practice in engineering and science. The development of sophisticated numerical techniques has allowed substantial progress in the solution of direct problems which consists in finding the effects of a set of causes. For example, how are the aerodynamics coefficients of a body immersed in a flow affected by its shape? We are now in a position to tackle more challenging problems where the effect is known (or desired) and the cause is sought. For example, an engineer might want to find the shape of a body which maximizes its lift, reduces its drag, or prevent flow separation. Such problems are called optimal shape design problems and they are particularly difficult. Typically, addressing such problems first involves the definition of an objective function which measures the performance of the current shape and constraints. This objective function may, for example, be the total lift generated by the body and the constraint may be the area of the cross section. The evaluation of the objective function typically requires a numerical simulation using Computational Fluid Dynamics. The next steps involve parameterizing the body shape and evaluating the sensitivities. The sensitivities give a measure of how the objective function varies with elementary variations of the body shape. This step is particularly difficult as an explicit relationship between the body shape and the objective function is usually unavailable. Once the sensitivities are known, it is possible to infer a new estimate of the shape closer to the optimal solution. The process is repeated iteratively until a extremum in the objective function is obtained. A difficulty associated with this process relates to the fact that after every iteration in the optimization process, a new shape is generated. Consequently, a new mesh needs to be generated in order to compute the objective function. Also, there is no explicit relationship between the objective function and the body shape. In order to address these issues we propose to use the Boundary Element technique to discretize the problem and compute the objective function. The main feature of the boundary element technique is that only the contour of the body is discretized instead of the entire flow domain. This is a significant advantage because the required remeshing after each iteration of the optimization procedure is considerably simplified. Also, the Boundary Element technique opens up the prospect of finding an explicit expression for the sensitivity thereby considerably enhancing the convergence. The particular problem we propose to focus on relates to the optimal design a Non-Contact Adhesion Pad (NCAP) for robotic pick-and-place applications, often referred to as Bernoulli grippers. Such a pad recently developed at the University of Canterbury has recently been shown to hold great promise, see Reference 1.
[1] Journee, M., Chen, X., Robertson, J., Jermy, M. and Sellier, M. “An investigation into improved non-contact adhesion mechanism for wall climbing robotic application” in Proceedings of the 2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.
self-funded or through University scholarship.
Dr Mathieu Sellier, Dr Wolfgang Rack (Gateway Antarctica), Dr Christian Heining (University of Bayreuth, Germany)
Masters or PhD
The melting of ice-sheets and glaciers is stigmatic of global warming and climate change. Because the ice-mass is such a good indicator of climatic changes, it has been under intense scrutiny in the recent past. As counter-intuitive as it sounds, solid ice tends to flow under its own weight like a “very thick” liquid would and the mathematical description of its dynamics bears many similarities with that of highly viscous flows. One of the major challenges geologists face when it comes to understanding ice flows is that while information at the surface of the ice-sheet or glacier is easily accessible, the base is notoriously difficult to access and assess [1]. Current techniques to indirectly infer the bedrock topography rely on radar measurements from an aircraft, a costly operation.
In order to circumvent this difficulty and cost, the aim of the proposed work is to use information from the surface of the ice mass such as the free surface elevation and/or the free surface velocity to infer unknown basal conditions such as the bedrock elevation and/or the basal slip, i.e. the amount by which the ice mass slips on the bedrock. Such problems are often referred to as “inverse problems” since one tries to infer the unknown causes of observed consequences.
The proposed research builds on parallel efforts from the proposed supervisory team to solve similar inverse problems in a different context. For example, Sellier [2] and Sellier & Panda [3] proposed a simple technique to reconstruct the topography of a substrate from the knowledge of the free surface variation in the context of thin liquid films such as coatings. Gessese et al. [4] applied the same idea to river flows, i.e. the authors showed that it is possible to reconstruct the riverbed topography from the knowledge of the free surface elevation or the free surface velocity. Heining & Aksel generalized the results of [5] to include the effects of inertia [4] and showed that the full velocity field could be reconstructed [6].
A preliminary step to solve this inverse problem is to understand and describe in mathematical terms glacier dynamics. To do so, we propose to use the Shallow-Ice-Approximation developed by Hutter in the 80’s [7] which express the evolution of the glacier free surface as a function of the bedrock profile, the ice properties, and the rate of ice accumulation/ablation. However, to model realistic glaciers or ice-sheets, a large computational domain with a sufficient mesh resolution combined with a long simulation span is required. In order to tackle this simulation challenge, we propose to develop and implement a numerical technique known for its optimal convergence rate, the Multigrid technique with adaptive time-stepping and local mesh refinement similar to the one developed by the senior supervisor in the context of creeping flows, [8]. A key advantage of this numerical technique is that it easily lends itself to parallel computation, [9]. We will use here a geometric decomposition of the domain assigning each subdomain to a single parallel processor. Each processor is then responsible for implementing the Multigrid algorithm on its own subdomain. The Message Passing Interface framework which facilitates portability across different (distributed and shared memory) high performance computing platforms will be used.
With the participation of Dr W Rack from Gateway Antarctica, we will have access to the necessary field data to calibrate and validate the implementation of the forward Multigrid solver and solution methodology for the inverse problem.
The student participating in this project will gain valuable experience in scientific computing, numerical techniques, parallel computing/programming, and inverse problem theory. He will be involved in a project with a multi-disciplinary research team. It is hope that the student will be able to visit the University of Bayreuth to interact with a proposed member of the supervisory team, Dr Christian Heining.
[1] Maxwell D., Truffer M., Avdonin S., Stuefer M., 2008, “An iterative scheme for determining glacier velocities and stresses”, J. Glaciology 54, 888-898.
[2] Sellier M., 2008, “Substrate design or reconstruction from free surface data for thin film flows” Phys. Fluids 20, 062106.
[3] Sellier M. and Panda S., 2010, “Beating capillarity in thin film flows”, Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids 63, 431-448.
[4] Gessese A.F., Sellier M., Van Houten E., Smart G. „Reconstruction of river bed topography from free surface data using direct numerical approach in one dimensional shallow water flow“, Inverse Problem 27, 025001
[5] Heining C., Aksel N., 2009. “Bottom reconstruction in thin-film flow over topography: Steady solution and linear stability”, Phys. Fluids 21, 083605.
[6] Heining C., Aksel N. “Velocity field reconstruction in gravity-driven flow over unknown topography”, to appear in Physics of Fluids.
[7] Hutter, K., 1983, “Theoretical glaciology; material science of ice and the mechanics of glaciers and ice-sheets”, Dordrect, etc., D. Reidel Publishing Co./Tokyo, Terra Scientific.
[8] Gaskell, P.H., Jimack, P.K., Sellier, M., Thompson, H.M., 2004, “Efficient and accurate time adaptive multigrid simulations of droplet spreading”, Int. J. Num. Meth. Fluids 45, 1161-1186.
[9] Gaskell, P.H., Jimack, P.K., Koh, Y.-Y., Thompson, H.M., 2008, “Development and application of a parallel multigrid solver for the simulation of spreading droplets”, Int. J. Num. Meth. Fluids 56, 979-989.
self-funded, through University scholarships, or HPC scholarship.
Masters or PhD
Anyone who has ever painted a wall understands the challenges of producing a defect-free finish when the surface on which the paint is deposited is imperfect in some ways.
For example, when the paint layer encounters an occlusion such as a nail, a dry patch may develop downstream of the occlusion. The appearance of not of this defect in the paint layer is a result of capillary and wetting phenomena. As the wetting front, also known as the contact line, passes over the occlusion it may find energetically favourable to detach from the occlusion and form a downstream dry patch. It can be anticipated that the contact line behaviour as it flows past the occlusion is dependent on several parameters such as its velocity, the nature of the fluid, or the surface properties of the occlusion and the substrate. In spite of its obvious practical relevance, this problem has not to date been investigated in a rigorous and systematic way.
The proposed project consists in studying experimentally the effect of an occlusion on the contact line and comparing the results with a theoretical model developed by the project leader. The envisaged experimental rig is rather simple. It consists of a plane which can easily be inclined at a desired angle to the horizontal and on which fluid can released at a desired flow rate or a desired volume. A simple mechanism will allow the clamping of occlusions of different sizes, shapes and materials on the inclined plane. The contact line dynamics past the occlusion will be monitored using a simple video camera but high-speed imaging is also available if deemed necessary. The surface properties such as the surface wettability which determines the tendency of the surface to attract the fluid or repel it will be measured using a purposely purchased surface force measurement device known as a goniometer. Part of the project will also involve reviewing the underlying theory, running the simulations in the commercial Finite Element Package COMSOL based on the model developed by the project leader. As a nice addition to the project and depending on the available time, it may be possible to quantify the free surface elevation in the flow field which would be another very useful outcome of the project to validate the numerical model.
self-funded or through University scholarship.
Masters or PhD
Viscous fluid dampers are used widely to dampen the vibration response to an external excitation and control the displacement of structures. Viscous dampers are used in applications from mountain bikes, cars, heavy industrial equipment, through to buildings and bridges during earthquakes. Across this wide range of scale and applications, the underlying fluid mechanics are similar. Most dampers used in structural applications exhibit non-linear force velocity response by using non-Newtonian fluids such as silicone fluid. This project will involve computational fluid dynamics modelling of both linear/Newtonian fluids and nonlinear/non-Newtonian fluids. Unique damper designs to provide different compression/rebound etc will be of interest. The computational models will be matched against an existing databased of experimental results. Depending upon the interest of the student, the project can be tailored to be more focused on just the computational fluid dynamics, or could involve a joint experimental and computational study.
Funding (fees and stipend) is available for either a Masters or PhD.
Masters or PhD
Rhino Manufacturing is a well-established manufacturing operation that is a market leader in the supply of components to the transport industry. We produce plastic rotational molded and metal wheel guard products for trucks and trailers. The core product range is focused around mudguards, with associated components to support the fitting of guards (plastic, aluminum, stainless steel), poles, saddles/clamps and toolboxes. We have high growth ambitions and established partnerships with customers, government and Research and Development (R&D) agencies. Our R&D focus includes new product lines, measuring/improve performance, and production efficiency. You will be responsible for demonstrating the performance effects of different product designs and their effect on attributes such as water spray and aerodynamics.
For the right candidate, we offer a competitive stipend funded via Callaghan Innovation R&D Student - Fellowship Grant. This will enable up to two years for Masters or up to three years for PhD students. The role and funding are subject to Callaghan's approval. Working with Rhino gives you the opportunity to gain valuable real-life experience in
a successful business with a continual focus on R&D, quality and high performance.
PhD
The University of Canterbury and Scion are running the research programme “Protecting Aotearoa from aerial invaders in a changing climate”. The data obtained from this PhD will be incorporated into an atmospheric model that will predict the ability of migratory moth species to survive the conditions experienced during long distance dispersal (LDD) flights between Australia and New Zealand.
Invasive species are a threat to natural and managed ecosystems. Little is known about the aerial dispersal of invasive species such as insects. New approaches are needed to predict and identify what species will arrive in Aotearoa New Zealand, and when we can expect these incursions to occur. Such knowledge will enable NZ to respond rapidly to the most economically damaging species. For example, the Fall Army Worm recently migrated to NZ via a long-distance dispersal from Australia, and presents a serious threat to our corn and maize production. While international research has already documented the impacts of extreme temperatures and humidity on insect flight, very little is known about rainfall and the role it plays in insect flight termination. Migratory pest insects such as invasive moths are the most likely to succeed in long distance flight over the sea. While updrafts and fronts of variable pressure gradients may assist their flights, the cessation of flight will result in drowning. Hence the importance of understanding what atmospheric conditions will increase or decrease the likelihood of invasive moths reaching NZ.
You will conduct new, internationally unique research to quantify the impact of rainfall on insect flight behaviour and survival. You will design an entirely new vertical flight wind tunnel to be constructed on the UC campus. It will incorporate systems to track the vertical flight of moths against a downward airstream, maintaining the moth within the field of view of a set of cameras. Adult Tropical Armyworm moths, bred at a Scion facility, will be used for the tests. Migratory moths are motivated to keep flying by the presence of light above, and biological drives to migrate. The novel aspect of this PhD study will be the introduction of different droplet sizes and intensities of rain on Lepidoptera flight duration. Survival will be quantified and recorded by high-speed video.
You will be jointly supervised by an entomologist from Scion, Dr Toni Withers, and by mechanical engineer Prof Mark Jermy.
Aerodynamics, image processing, insect flight
Fees, plus a stipend of $30,000 per year, will be paid, for three years.
Masters or PhD
Model freight for a sea port (or air port) using discrete event simulation. The intent would be to model not only the operations within the port, but also the effect on society in the form of traffic through the town, and the safety implications thereof. The intent is to develop a method to include the port risk assessment (per ISO31000) into the operational simulation.
Production engineering, simulation, environmental engineering, software programming.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Masters or PhD
This research project is to simulate the interaction of people (agents) in a workplace using multi-agent simulation (or agent based modelling). We are interested in seeing how they interact. We seek to extract from this the occupational safety implications. Emergency evacuation is also of interest.
Simulation, software programming, industrial engineering, safety engineering, psychology.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Masters or PhD
Apply the principles of life cycle assessment (LCA) method to health prediction. This involves developing a system along the lines of LCA, but applied to predicting long-term health impacts.
The topic would involve databases and some programming.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Masters or PhD
This research project is to model the PROJECT MANAGEMENT (PM) process using a PLANT SIMULATION approach. While simulation is already used in PM, particularly the PERT approach, the methods are often simplistic. PERT only admits the possibility that the duration of the task might vary stochastically - it does not correlate this with other variables, nor does it accommodate structural changes to the work breakdown structure (WBS). The purpose of this project is to attempt to adapt plant simulation to represent more complex variability in the project plan (stochastic, correlation, and structural).
Project management, software programming.
Applicants will need to apply for scholarship.
Dr. Yilei Zhang
Masters or PhD
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) have changed the traditional manufacturing sections significantly. Tactile sensor and display have broad applications in robotic grasping, autonomous systems, etc. We have developed biomimetic tactile sensor and neurocomputing algorithms to mimic the biological nerval system. Applications have been successfully demonstrated in surface roughness discrimination. For details, please refer to our previous publications. The objectives of this project are to 1. Design and fabricate new bioinspired tactile sensors; 2. Develop new neurocomputing algorithms to better process tactile signals; 3. Develop hardware system for industrial applications. Students with background in AI, NLP, IoT, signal processing, etc. are welcome to apply.
Intelligent manufacturing
Funding is being pursued with the MBIE and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
A/Prof Catherine Bishop (UC), Prof Edwin Garcίa (Purdue, USA)
PhD and Masters
The ferroelectric devices prevalent in modern life, e.g. actuators, sensors and capacitors, degrade by aging and fatigue. These processes are widely observed, but not well-understood. They are linked to the complex microstructure and chemistry, but a unifying theory is missing. We will fill this void by marrying a new model based on our recent work with experimental validation of predicted microstructures and properties. This will elucidate the underlying physics controlling ferroelectric degradation. The outcome will enable the development of novel lead-free materials, reducing toxic environmental waste. Our new insights will also inform the design of next-generation perovskite solar cells.
We are seeking postgraduate researchers to contribute to Marsden-funded research “Are interface transitions the key to controlling ferroelectric aging and fatigue?”. The goal of the project is to develop fundamental thermodynamic models of defects and interfaces in oxide perovskite ferroelectrics and validate them for complex, real systems. Phase transition behaviour will be identified. Phase-field simulations will be used to model the kinetics of defect-defect interactions to investigate degradation during cycling and storage. This research builds on our new multi-phase field approach to interferroelectric transitions and is aimed at the new Pb-free ferroelectric chemistries.
The PhD and ME students will work in a team that includes international experts at Purdue University, USA and a Postdoctoral Fellow at UC. Experimental work will be carried out at Purdue.
You will acquire skills in advanced materials, mathematical descriptions of multi-physics, numerical modeling, research methods and collaborative, interdisciplinary research. These skills are highly desirable by employers.
Materials Science
Full funding for one PhD position
Full funding for one Masters position
A/Prof Catherine Bishop (Mech Eng, UC), A/Prof Aaron Marshall (Chem and Process Eng, UC), Prof Matthew Watson (Chem and Process Eng, UC)
PhD and Masters
Rapidly scaling up the deployment of renewable energy generation and low emissions technologies requires securing the production of minerals and metals needed to build them. Yet the current systems for mining and processing of minerals and metals are not always efficient, often polluting, geopolitically insecure and subject to increased social pressure and public protests. New processes are needed to address future supply needs.
In this research, we will design a near-zero emissions process to produce strategic metals from mixed oxides, leveraging high temperature experimental capabilities and predictive software to develop a molten oxide electrolysis (MOE) platform. The science challenges will be in the identification of suitable electrolytes, inert electrodes and operating conditions for particular metals.
Two high-value, technology-critical elements, tantalum and neodymium, will be targeted as proof of concept. Each occurs in ores of mixed oxides with valuable, chemically-similar metals, Ta with Nb in coltan and Nd with many of the rare earth elements. These elements, crucial for advanced clean energy technologies, with different traditional processing routes have been chosen to spread the science risk.
We are seeking postgraduate researchers to contribute to this project to develop all-oxide routes to electrowinning critical metals from mixed oxides in order to reduce the complexity and environmental impact of obtaining critical metals. This research builds on our recent successful all-oxide electrowinning of titanium from mixed-oxide waste slag from the New Zealand Steel ironsands ironmaking process.
The PhD and ME students will work in a team that includes experts at Victoria University of Wellington and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.
You will acquire skills in theoretical and applied electrochemistry, thermochemical modelling, materials characterisation, high-temperature experimental work and industry engagement/commercialisation of research. These skills are highly desirable by employers.
Fully funded (stipend and UC fees) PhD position
Fully funded (stipend and UC fees) ME position
A/Prof Catherine Bishop (Mech Eng, UC), A/Prof Dan Lewis (RPI, USA)
PhD or Masters
Once challenge in developing new alloys is that the microstructure and chemistry are linked and together dictate properties and performance. We’ve made a breakthrough in developing a high-throughput microstructural testing method that could accelerate new alloy development. This would be especially welcome in the large search space for high-entropy alloys or in critical components in energy generation that have stringent long-duration qualification testing, e.g., 100,000 hours creep testing. Our method uses specially designed samples and axial deformation followed by heat treatment to obtain gradient microstructures. Fundamental materials behaviour, such as grain growth kinetics and recrystallisation, can be determined using this method.
We are seeking postgraduate researchers to perform proof-of-concept for microstructural testing in model alloys. This project builds on the work of previous postgraduate and undergraduate students. Students will work in a team that includes experts at RPI (USA) in materials and image driven machine learning.
You will acquire skills in design for deformation processing and heat treatment of alloys, materials characterisation using optical and/or scanning electron microscopy, image processing and statistical analysis.
Fees-only scholarships for domestic students may be available. We are continually seeking external funding for this work.
Dr. Yilei Zhang
Masters or PhD
Additive manufacture (3D printing) is a rapidly developing technology with significant applications for customized and decentralized manufacturing in modern society. It has been shown that printed scaffolds offered great flexibility in tissue engineering, for example, we have used Gelma to print high value products for vascularization in tissue engineering. The performance of the vascularized tissue is significantly influenced by the structural design and hydrogel properties of the scaffolds as well as the cell-material interactions. Our bioprinting technology had won Astrolab prize for commercialization. The objectives of this project are to develop novel bioprinting hydrogels for high resolution and high speed bioprinting. Students with experience in biprinting, polymer, biotechnology, etc. are welcome to apply.
Material
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Masters
Low-cycle fatigue is an important characteristic for steel that it cycled beyond the elastic limit. In structures where energy dissipation is provided by yielding steel fuses, assessing damage and residual capacity following an earthquake is crucial to low-damage structural designs, reliable repair strategies, and rapid recovery from an earthquake.
Low-cycle fatigue and strain-ageing in Grade 300E reinforcing steel creates uncertainty in residual capacity. Grade 500E steels do not exhibit strain-ageing, but have much lower ductility than Grade 300E.
It is expected that low-cycle fatigue performance of G500E will be similarly lower, but there is no clear evidence of this trend. Monotonic ductility gets used as a broad and imprecise surrogate for low-cycle fatigue performance, but there is a scarcity of research and guidance on this topic. This project will undertake low-cycle fatigue and strain-ageing assessment of reinforcing bars and sacrificial steel fuses made from Grade 300E and 500E steels. Accelerated diffusion will be induced on the steels to induce the strain ageing phenomenon.
The project will involve an extensive amount of experimental testing and data processing. The project would be well suited to a student who wishes to extend their experimental testing and data analysis capabilities.
Funding is available (fees and stipend) for a Masters.
Masters or PhD
Forestry is a major export industry, but workers face some of the highest risks of injury and fatality. To provide a long-term solution we have designed, built and developed a tree-traversing robot that could move through a plantation forest by gripping trees rather than the usual wheeled vehicles that also cause soil damage. The fully-functional, remote-controlled tree-traversing robot (1/4-scale prototype) is the first of its kind in the world. The trunk-gripping mechanism allows the robot to rotate around the tree and to accurately grasp any other trunk within its maximum reach in any direction. The prototype includes actuator control translated into joy-stick operation by the forester. In a separate research attempt an innovative cutting mechanism was designed, built and added onto the existing robot. When the current ¼-scale design is scaled up to full size the resultant machine will be heavy. Aim of this work is to develop and to produce a light weight machine which retains the ability to cut down standing Pinus radiata trees and keep the operator at a safe distance from the tree. Therefore the project’s focus is optimising the machine
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Diabetes is a widespread problem reaching epidemic proportions in New Zealand and the world in general. This project looks at a variety of aspects of automating the monitoring and dosing of insulin for Type I diabetics. Specific aspects of this project will address issues of advanced modelling and adaptive control design for the automation of insulin infusion for diabetics.
The project is expected to entail extending current research in this area to employ more sophisticated models that account for greater physiological variation and effects than the current models. More adaptive and model based methods will be examined, including proofs of stability and convergence for existing and developed control methods. It is of particular interest to determine whether there is a truly "optimal" control design method for this non-linear control problem. The project will be scaled to account for the type of degree the student is interested in pursuing.
The project will be require cooperation between the student and the following diverse team of personnel: The Lipids and Diabetes Research Group at Christchurch Hospital and the UoC Applied Maths Group. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking silicon technology and physiological processes as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that could significantly impact the quality of life for millions.
New field of study.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and Insulin Pump Companies but has not yet materialized.
Masters or PhD
Mechanical ventilation is a commonly applied therapy in critical care to assist breathing and ameliorate the impact of diseases such as ARDS and SARS. This project addresses the growing need for non- or semi- invasive methods of optimising the pressures and other settings for mechnical ventilation - particularly in an adaptive, feedback controlled fashion that accounts for patient variation and changes in patient condition.
Current methods are based on trial and error, and the application of medical experience and intuition - the so-called "art of medicine". The result is extremely variable ventilation protocols that impact the effectiveness of treatment. What we will do in this research is develop simple, minimal models of lung dynamics that include the impact of disease - most notable acute respiratory distress syndromes (ARDS) such as SARS and pneumonia. These dynamic models will allow us to capture a variety of patient conditions. From these results we will determine what to measure and how best to optimise ventilation using that measurement. Clinical trials on critical care subjects will follow successful research results.
The project will require cooperation between the student and the Department of Intensive Care Medicine at Christchurch Hospital, and Dr. Geoffrey M Shaw in particular. Interested students have the opportunity to engage in research in a cutting edge area linking mechanical engineering, dynamic system modelling, and physiological processes -- better known as Biomedical Engineering -- as well as the opportunity to work developing technology that can significantly impact the prospects for millions of patients a year.
Biomedical or Bio-Engineering.
Funding is being pursued with the HRC and a variety of commercial ventures but has not yet materialized.
Masters
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often intubated to help them breathe, and sedated to minimize pain and agitation from the intubation as well as other injuries. Patients that are not sedated enough often become agitated and try to remove the breathing tube causing distress and anxiety that are difficult to control without unnecessary extra sedation.
The goal of this project is twofold
The basic premise of this project is that patient motion, and other metrics, are directly correlated to patient agitation. Current measures of patient agitation are qualitative relying on medical staff to make periodic, subjective judgements. The application of modern sensor and signal processing technology presents the opportunity to gather more data and apply it to create a qualitative, far more precise, determination of patient agitation. Success would enable better sedation-agitation modelling as well as a more quantified approach to controlling sedation processes.
This project is being run in conjunction with Dr. Geoff Shaw, M.D. a research anaesthesiologist with the Christchurch Hospital and the Otago School of Medicine. Students who take this multidisciplinary project will be expected to spend significant time understanding the medical systems involved and working in conjunction with Dr. Shaw and medical staff as well as with Dr. Chase on the technology side. This research represents an entirely new area of research for an ambitious Post-Grad interested in leading edge biomedical research with significant human impact.
New field of study
Funding is being developed however there is currently none available.
Geoff Chase and Dr Geoffrey Shaw (Otago Med. - Chch)
PhD
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are often intubated to help them breathe, and sedated to minimize pain and agitation from the intubation as well as other injuries. Patients that are not sedated enough often become agitated and try to remove the breathing tube causing distress and anxiety that are difficult to control without extra sedation. Conversely, over, or heavily, sedated patients take significantly longer returning to a conscious state, adding significant cost and time to their hospital stay as well as additional risk due to over sedation.
The primary problem is twofold
This project looks at addressing these two problems. The first part is to create a quantifiable sedation-agitation model suitable to covering the majority of patient behaviours in terms of relating sedative concentration to qualitative level of sedation and a quantified level of measured agitation. The second part examines applying control systems technology to this system to obtain more robust and consistent results, and to achieve more minimal levels of sedation to minimize ICU stays and healthcare cost.
This project is being run in conjunction with Dr. Geoff Shaw, M.D. a research anaesthesiologist with the Christchurch Hospital and the Otago School of Medicine. Students who take this multidisciplinary project will be expected to spend significant time understanding the medical systems involved and working in conjunction with Dr. Shaw and medical staff as well as with Dr. Chase on the technology side. This research represents an entirely new area of research for an ambitious Post-Grad interested in leading edge biomedical research with significant human impact.
New field of study
Funding is being developed but currently not available
Masters or PhD
Micro-electromechanical arrays offer a tangible solution to high-speed, precision information and manipulation technologies such as scanning probe microscopy and nano-lithography. However, the associated multi-physics coupling and observed nonlinear dynamic behaviour are currently not understood and thus prevents successful implementation of an otherwise promising solution. Ongoing collaborative efforts focus on the development of a fundamental understanding of the underlying nonlinear dynamics and coupling phenomena of an array of multi-physics cantilevers. Our theoretical approach is based on nonlinear classical continuum mechanics in combination with numerical simulations and experimental investigations. With these new fundamental insights, underlying dynamic processes can be predicted and controlled, enabling reliable operation of future information and manipulation array technologies.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
There is a growing need among biologists to precisely monitor the dynamic phenomena on extremely soft living cells like mammalian cells in their native environments i.e. liquids. Most of the biological events are faster than the time it takes to capture a full frame. Hence, it is very demanding to track the real-time motion of tiny cells at faster rates using a new non-contact AFM array technology. The operation mode is largely characterized by collective and nonlinear effects (geometric, material, tip-sample interactions and fluid damping). Collective array dynamics in air has been theoretically and experimentally studied. But results will significantly vary when the sample is imaged in its native environment i.e. liquids. This project aims at explaining the underlying physics of a non-contact AFM scan process in fluid with the help of suitable analytical models, analysis and experimental investigations.
Funding is always being pursued.
PhD
People with disabilities are often required to work at or near their physical limits in performing daily activities. Hence, subtle improvements to the design of assistive devices can have life changing consequences. The purpose of this research is to better characterise the strength of people with disabilities to enable improvements in the design of assistive devices.
In an earlier study at the University of Canterbury, the strength characteristics of people with normal motor and sensory control were characterised by mapping forward push strength in the sagittal plane. The data obtained indicates that particular strength maps will be obtained for particular groups of people e.g. people with normal strength characteristics will have one characteristic map and people with particular disabilities will have distinctively different maps.
The purpose of this project is to:
Tasks are likely to include:
Funding is being pursued in collaboration with Industrial Research Limited. A scholarship will be available for a suitable student.
Masters
Structural health monitoring is the examination of structures for damage by examining changes in their vibration response to inputs from expected values. This research area is very important for areas, such as New Zealand, that are subject to earthquakes and other damaging excitations. This technique is also heavily employed in the aircraft and manufacturing equipment industries to test for damage before it is visible.
More specifically, given one or more sensors, vibrations resulting from known or random inputs may be analysed to determine the change in model parameters. Adaptive digital filtering techniques are widely used in digital telecommunications and represent a potential means of dealing with this problem in a fashion that is far more easily implemented in noisy, real-time environments than current methods. While the central focus will be on benchmark problems put forward by Civil Engineering Societies the methods developed are expected to generalize to wider ranges of problems.
This project requires students interested in multi-disciplinary research in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering, taking the useful parts of approaches to similar problems to develop a novel solution using elements from each field as necessary. The approach used is expected to be a mixture of analytical and experimental culminating in trials on a hardware benchmark problem created by ASCE. This research will occur in conjunction with faculty in the Department of Civil Engineering at Texas AandM University and any interested faculty in the Electrical and Civil Engineering Departments at UC.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Structural control and mitigation. Earthquakes and other large disturbances cause a significant and damaging structural dynamic response, often nonlinear in nature. The damage can be substantial at 10-20% of GDP for a large event. The damage to society as jobs are lost when business don’t reopen fully due to structural damage to premises is significant and can last 10-30 years before abating in a given region. Finally, the damage to lifelines, like bridges and energy distribution, can result in making recovery more difficult and further loss of lives or injury.
This project requires students interested in multi-disciplinary research in Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering, taking the useful parts of dynamics and finite element analysis, as well as design and control systems to create new devices and systems to mitigate dynamic response of structures. It is undertaken with our Dept of Civil Engineering and other oversease collaborators. There are also analytical and theoretical studies associated with this topic.
Overall, this project area is about structural dynamics and control systems development, and the use of these and analytical methods to analyse these problems and design creative solutions.
Funding is always being pursued.
Masters or PhD
Earthquake engineering is not solely the domain of civil engineers. While overall structural design might be their domain, there are numerous areas where a mechanical or mechatronics engineer’s skillset is more applicable. Mechanism design, instrumentation, sensor development, and dynamic modelling are all areas where mechanical/mechatronics engineers can excel.
This project is broad and has potential research areas in mechanical design and testing of damping devices, structural modelling (finite element analysis and dynamic modelling), and experimental testing of mechanical subassemblies and connections. The overall project is very broad and the specific postgraduate project can be tailored to individual interests. Anyone interested in any of these complementary fields of engineering should ask for more information.
Opportunities exist to undertake large-scale tests with national and international collaborators in China, Canada, and the US.
Funding is available (fees and stipend) for either a Masters or PhD.
Geoff Rodgers/Chris Pretty/Geoff Chase
Masters or PhD
The ability to understand how buildings respond during earthquakes has significant research interest and can lead to increase resilience of a community after an earthquake. Removing uncertainty in building response behaviour can inform re-occupancy decisions and help to get a community back into operation.
A reliable method to record the displacement between two adjacent floors during an earthquake is the holy-grail of structural health monitoring methods. This data can be obtained by double-integrating acceleration, but this method is fraught with the influence of sensor noise and associated drift in the integrated signal. A direct displacement measurement solves these issues and will significantly improve the field.
A recent PhD project has developed an initial prototype of a non-contact, non-line-of-sight, radar-based sensing method. We are looking for a student to continue with this project and further develop the system.The project would be most suited to a mechatronics or electrical engineering student who enjoys sensing and experimental testing.
Opportunities exist to undertake application of this sensor in large-scale building tests with national and international collaborators in China, Canada, and the US.
Funding (fees and stipend) is available for either a Masters or PhD.
