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Techniques
Image and Volume Correlation
Surface of volume imaging methods such as optical and x-ray tomography are used to acquire a sequence of images. Correlation algorithms are employed to compute either surface or volume strains and deformations during the image sequence.
[ACS Appl. Bio Materials, 2019]]
High-speed Imaging
High-speed photography is used to capture dynamic failure of materials such as in this clip. It is also employed to perform quantitative measurements such as image correlation, photoelasticity and schlieren to capture displacement, strain, velocity and pressure data during each test.
[Composites Part A, 2011]]
Computational modelling
Finite Element Method and Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations are used to study the response of various materials and tissues to a wide range of external stimuli. For example, blast response of the thoracic cage is used to test scenarios and threats to optimise future experimental avenues and reinforce mechanistic understanding of existing real-world data. Other areas of computational research include: evaluating multi-scale mechanical behaviour of various materials; damage modelling; fluid-structure interaction; and the multi-physics response of tissues during medical/surgical interventions.
[Computational Material Science, 2015]]
Micro-CT and Synchrotron Sources
Tomography imaging is used to characterise microstructures and to evaluate in situ mechanics during imaging. Synchrotron tomography performed at Diamond Light Source and other synchrotron sources around the world enable fast, high resolution tomography to capture dynamic behaviour of soft tissues such as the lung.
[Frontiers in Materials, 2017]]
Mechanical testing
A fundamental part of the research activity involves determining material properties and the behaviour of materials and structures in complex loading scenrios. Tests range from conventional uni-axial testing from 10^-3/s to 10^3/s strain rates to full-scale blast and ballistic evaluation. Uni-axial, bi-axial and volumetric measurements are performed and use supporting instrumentation to evaluate deformation and fracture behaviour.
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