The Project
INSIST is an experimental investigation on the structural integrity and stability of novel steel foam sandwich panels (SFSPs) under monotonic and cyclic loading. The response of single density and graded properties cores will be studied and the differences in the observed failure modes will be quantified. Furthermore the project will explore the response of welded end-plates in steel foam sandwich panels and testing the strength and tolerance of the connection under static load and fatigue. Also a pilot corrosion test will take place in order to observe the failure propagation in fatigue within a corrosive environment. These tests are essential and will pave the way for the use of SFSPs-a novel material- in structural engineering applications. Moreover, the project seeks to explore biomimetic optimized applications for steel foam sandwich panels in the offshore and marine sector that can perform more than one function, such as weight, vibration damping and even provide data for structural health monitoring purposes.
The overarching aim of this project is the training of the researcher in the field of experimental structural stability and integrity specific to novel functionally optimized components pertinent to offshore and marine engineering, at Cranfield University’s Energy Division Structural Integrity Lab. The purpose of this fellowship will be to equip the researcher with the necessary skills to pursue independent experimental and computational research in structural integrity of offshore structures and other safety critical structures pertinent to the Energy industry which is an emerging industry in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, where the researcher’s home institution is located (Cyprus University of Technology), as well as an industry of critical importance for Europe’s Energy Security.
The project duration is two (2) years and has commenced in January 2015.
The overarching aim of this project is the training of the researcher in the field of experimental structural stability and integrity specific to novel functionally optimized components pertinent to offshore and marine engineering, at Cranfield University’s Energy Division Structural Integrity Lab. The purpose of this fellowship will be to equip the researcher with the necessary skills to pursue independent experimental and computational research in structural integrity of offshore structures and other safety critical structures pertinent to the Energy industry which is an emerging industry in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, where the researcher’s home institution is located (Cyprus University of Technology), as well as an industry of critical importance for Europe’s Energy Security.
The project duration is two (2) years and has commenced in January 2015.
The PROGRAMME
The project and the research fellow are funded by EU 7th Framework Programme, under the PEOPLE Work Programme and Marie Curie Actions. Named after the Polish-French double Nobel Prize winner, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, the actions aim to support the development of researchers at various stages in their career through mobility and training. The current project is funded through the 2013 Intra-European Fellowship call, which supports Researchers with a PhD (or 4 years of equivalent research experience) to relocate to another European Institution in order to train and undertake cutting edge research in any field. More information about Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions can be found here.
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HOST INSTITUTION
Cranfield University is located in Bedfordshire, and is one of the top 5 UK research-intensive universities in terms of research income. It is a postgraduate-only university with the best student to staff ratio in the UK and unique large scale research facilities. The university scored particularly well in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF) Assessment with 81% of the submitted research being described as world leading or internationally excellent. The Energy Division where the project is undertaken boasts work in across the field from Oil and Gas to renewables and bio-fuels. It has 200 Academics and researchers engaged in research and training, 230 MSc students across 18 courses and 150 PhD students, including students of the EPSRC funded Doctoral Training Centre in Renewable Energy Marine Structures in collaboration with Oxford University. Furthermore Energy Division has very close ties with the industry, running research and development projects with the biggest stakeholders in the global energy sector. For more information about Cranfield Energy can be found here.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPORTERS
We have the support of the main manufacturer of SAS panels, Havel Metal Foam GmbH as well as Hollomet GmbH, the main producer of steel hollow spheres ("globomet"). Both companies have agreed to support the project with subsidised material resources and provision of data.