PhD Studentship in Geotechnical Engineering at the University of Southampton, England

To develop a new generation of leaders in Geotechnical and Hydro-Mechanical Engineering, the University of Southampton is granting an extremely exciting PhD Scholarship. Students from any part of the world will benefit from this opportunity.

The purpose of this application scheme is the Development of a coupled cargo-ship model for better understanding of solid bulk cargo liquefaction.

Summary

Project Description

The successful applicant will apply geotechnical and hydro-mechanical knowledge to a real-world challenge of solid bulk cargo liquefaction, and to work in a multi-disciplinary team within the University of Southampton and engage with a range of external partners. 

 Solid bulk cargoes are granular materials including products like metal ores, carried within the hold of a bulk carrier (ship) without other containment. If the moisture content of these cargoes is above a particular threshold, the cargo may be at risk of liquefaction due to build-up of excess pore water pressure from the motions of the vessel during the maritime transportation. 

In this PhD research project, you will develop a hydro-mechanical model to capture the granular material response of the cargo during cyclic loading, a complex, partially saturated geomechanics challenge. Current models consider only the static stability of the vessel and do not couple the response of the cargo with the vessel behaviour. Therefore, you will integrate cargo (granular material) response with fluid-structure interaction models to couple the motions and loads from the cargo with a ship model to capture cargo response interactions on ship response and vice versa. 

 You will test the model through numerical modelling and experimental testing, taking advantage of the geomechanics laboratory, geotechnical centrifuge and towing tank on Boldrewood Campus. You will use the data to develop operational envelopes for solid bulk cargo carriers. 

This is an inter-disciplinary project, including 4 co-supervisors with expertise in geomaterials, ship science and external GIS data integration. The project forms part of an international, cross-sector, multi-disciplinary project funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation ‘Solid Bulk Cargo Liquefaction: Strategies for Effective Control’. The project has three key workstreams across engineering, data & communication, and law. You will interface with the other academic teams on the project and the various partners to the project, including international industry across the sector, government agencies, NGOs and seafarers’ associations. 

 You will have a remarkable opportunity to develop your engineering skills in geomaterials and hydrodynamics while working at the interface with GIS analysts and experts in law and regulation at the university along with a host of external partners. The outcomes of this project are expected to be taken up by the sector. They, therefore, have a direct impact on the industry by improving the safety of seafarers and reducing the loss of life at sea. 

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications isAugust 31 2021

Eligibility

You will need a First Class or high 2:1 Degree in Civil Engineering or related discipline with a specialism in soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering or granular material behaviour. 

Award Information

For UK students, Tuition Fees and a stipend of £15,285 tax-free per annum for up to 3.5 years.

Application Process

Applications should be made online. Select programme type (Research), 2021/22, Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, next page select “PhD  Engineering & Environment (Full time)”. In Section 2 of the application form, you should insert the name of the supervisor Katherine Kwa 

Applications should include: 

Curriculum Vitae

Two reference letters

Degree Transcripts to date

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