Richard Brooks
Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering
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Expertise Summary
I have a broad knowledge of advanced materials technologies, in particular advanced composites, their properties and selection for a wide range of applications, manufacturing processes and component/structure design. I have a particular interest in thermoplastic composites, both short fibre systems and long fibre structural materials. I have a good understanding of the use of these materials in dynamic, e.g. impact and crash, and other extreme loading applications through experimental and computer (explicit FEA) modelling of materials and structure response. I have also studied and developed manufacturing processes for composites including injection moulding, compression moulding and vacuum forming. My work has been primarily in the automotive sector, but not exclusively. I have applied my knowledge in other areas such as sports equipment development and protective structures e.g. helmets. I have used techniques such as explicit FEA, static and dynamic impact testing, microscopy and image analysis, laser vibrometry, modal analysis and high speed photography to illucidate a greater understanding in research. I have also gained a knowledge of human injury criteria and biomechanics through work on automotive structures for pedestrian and occupant protection. I have significant knowledge in the field of instrumentation, sensors and monitoring associated with my experimental work. I believe in adopting a multi-disciplinary approach to solving problems.
Research Summary
My primary research is broadly in the area of the design, manufacture and applications of structures/components made from composite materials. Specific interests focus on thermoplastic composites… read more
Current Research
My primary research is broadly in the area of the design, manufacture and applications of structures/components made from composite materials. Specific interests focus on thermoplastic composites (TPCs), both short fibre moulding compounds as well as current developments in medium-high volume structural materials. An understanding of the effects of the manufacturing process on component performance is of particular interest with the aim of bridging the gap to achieve both high volume production and high level structural performance. Thermoplastic composites are seen to offer great potential in this respect. Much of my work has involved automotive applications and processes such as injection moulding (short fibre systems), compression moulding (GMT, LFT and structural fabric based materials) and vacuum forming (sandwich structures) have all been investigated. In recent years, impact and crashworthiness of composite structures is of particular interest. In particular, the ability of composites to contribute in the area of safety applications including crash structures and softer vehicle front-end structures to provide pedestrian protection. The latter work has involved collaboration with colleagues in biomechanics to develop a biofidelic pedestrian test legform using composite bones. The work is highly multi-disciplinary. More fundamental work is also being undertaken, including damage modelling and explicit finite element modelling of composite materials and structures under impact conditions, thus providing a firm base for understanding component performance. This work is focussing on scaling up meso-level damage models to full component level predictions of deformation and failure under impact. The expertise and knowledge gained from automotive applications of composites has also been applied in other areas including sports equipment development and protective structures, applications include composite fishing rods, cricket bats, hockey sticks and protective helmets and visors. Much of this work has also involved measurement, modelling and understanding of the dynamic behaviour (e.g. frequencies and mode shapes) to improve the performance of such equipment.
Future Research
My work on impact and crash performance of composite structures and its application in areas of safety is expanding rapidly and current research into safety structures in automotive applications will continue. This expertise is now also being extended to the area of 'passive safety' systems for infrastructure applications such as street furniture e.g. lighting columns, signposts, utility poles etc. This is a major area of interest for the Highways Agency in their quest to mitigate against injury during impact with such systems. Composites (both thermosets and thermoplastics) offer potential solutions with the ability to manage the energy of impact, however, issues of cost effective manufacturing and robust design procedures for higher energy impact situations are both areas which need to be researched. I am therefore in the process of expanding the group to work in this area and to further develop our existing expertise in both modelling and measurement of the impact performance of composites. The intention is also to develop our understanding of thermoplastic composites (TPCs) particularly under ballistic impact conditions with potential applications in defence and security. TPCs offer excellent potential for energy absorption. The expertise developed in damage modelling, using explicit FEA, will be developed to higher rate loading and its application in areas such as blast impact and fragment penetration will be investigated. Multi-material solutions, e.g. composites + shock mitigation materials, are likely to be needed to provide the improved levels of protection required and there is significant scope for research to understand the mechanisms of failure and shock transmission in such systems. It is therefore the aim to expand activities into these areas by building on current expertise.