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Students: 14,800
Staff: 1,300
Contact for R&D Engagement:
Matthew Briggs
m.briggs@uwtsd.ac.uk
Research Strengths:
– Materials
– Computational modelling
Location: Most of the research is conducted in partnership with industry
at non-university facilities, e.g. TWI Technology Centre,
Port Talbot
Space Research Areas:
– Materials
– Computational modelling
Point of Contact:
Professor Peter Charlton
Website:
uwtsd.ac.uk/research/research-in-architecture-computing-and-
engineering/non-destructive-testing
Staffing:
1 academic staff, numerous research students placed in industry
Facilities & Equipment:
At TWI Facility
Research lab:
– Robotic NDT systems – operating based off CAD models
– 3D twinning and raster scanning with ultrasonic testers
– Phase array ultrasonic probes – faster & more focused component inspection
– Rail testing probes for moving NDT inspection
– 3x X-ray systems (225/250/450kV)
Composites Inspection facility:
– Ultrasonic probes mounted in waterjets, 2 robotic arms, sample mounted on turntable
– Remote NDT inspection setup
– X-ray booth with rotation table
– Reconstruction algorithm for limited NDT
– Deployable robot for ‘tap testing’ and acoustic NDT measurements
Collaboration History:
Collaborative research in academia includes Brunel and the University of Strathclyde. In industry, companies include TWI, Silverwing Ltd, Oceaneering Ltd, SpaceX, and Tata Steel. The group’s PhD students are based in industry and sponsored by these companies or through Prince of Wales Innovation Scholarships (POWIS).
Summary of Unique Capabilities:
The emphasis of the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) research is on ultrasonic time-of-flight methods, using novel digital signal processing and parallelisation techniques for real-time diagnostic applications. There is frequent engagement with the aerospace sector, with some more specialist testing carried out on space equipment.
School of Applied Computing research focuses on four distinct areas, each of which is strongly focused on applied research outcomes, including medical signal processing, and
the application of artificial neural networks. Work facilitated by the group includes the Automated Sensing Technologies for Coastal Monitoring (ASTEC) project which involved the deployment of terrestrial sensor networks for erosion monitoring at the Welsh coastline. This kind of project has the potential to be enhanced with the adoption of space-based monitoring systems and Earth observation.
uwtsd.ac.uk/research/research-in-architecture-computing-and-
engineering
The Sophia Centre investigates humanity’s relationship with the sky, from the history of astrology in the ancient world, India and the west, the nature of space and place on Earth, to the ethics of modern space exploration. It offers the world’s only academic degree in cultural astronomy and astrology. They oversee the publication of Culture and Cosmos – a peer-reviewed journal which focuses on the history of astronomy.
Welsh universities cover virtually the full range of space research areas
Nine organisations that support space-related research in Wales
The RAD capabilities and facilities relating to the space sector in Wales
Contact information for the Universities in Wales with Space sector capabilities
The Wales Academic Space Partnership (WASP) was established by Space Wales to encourage co-operation between Universities operating in the space sector and to strengthen the links with industry.
