Welcome to Structural Integrity at Imperial College London
Structural Integrity (SI) assessment involves a number of disciplines that exist mainly in Aeronautics, Materials, Mechanical Engineering departments and the Composites Centre at Imperial College . It is concerned with determining the performance, durability and safety of equipment that is subjected to a range of operating conditions during use. The principal disciplines involved are materials computational modelling, stress analysis, inspection techniques, advanced metallurgical investigations and experimental validation. Structural integrity assessment therefore requires several disciplines to obtain reliable predictions. Figure below gives an overall link between, materials, testing, modelling, failure mechanisms, loading history and correlating parameters that are needed to develop a sound base for SI and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) of component and strcutural failures. The schematic below (download for clarity) outlines the methodologies that need to be considered in lifing components:
Imperial College London has been at the forefront of structural integrity assessment for many years. The Department of Mechanical Engineering, in particular, was instrumental in developing elastic, plastic and creep fracture mechanics concepts for predicting failure in components under a wide range of operating conditions. Many of the procedures developed have been incorporated into national and international standards and industrial codes of practice. SI at Imperial is now expanded to bring together groups of expert within Imperial College who have common interest in the field. It allows optimisation of human resources and equipment at Imperial. The group is a virtual collaborative grouping with good links to industry and research bodies. An interdisciplinary approach able to respond to a wide range of research opportunities is taken within the SI group.
- Scope of Structural Integrity - Predicitive Modelling and Root Cause Analysis R&D (pdf)
- Softwares to download
SICLA12 Course 6-8 June 2012
Course information and registration
- SICLA12 Brochure
- Online registration and payment
- Map to South Kensington Campus
Please submit your registration and payment online. NOTE that on the ‘Event Fees’ page the Organiser option selected should be ‘Mechanics of Materials’). - Should you require alternative methods of payment or have difficulty registering/paying online please complete and return the registration form using the application form in the SICLA12 brochure to Ms Valerie Crawford by email (preferable), FAX or post to the address shown below quoting “ref: SICLA12, c/o K. Nikbin”
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ
Structural Integrity and Component Life Assessment
This well established course incorporates the most recent advances in the subject of fracture and damage based structural integrity for high temperature component lifetime assessment under static and cyclic loading conditions. The methodologies have been established from EU and International studies. Reference will be made to codes dealing with crack growth test procedures and life assessment.
The course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the latest procedures for assessing the load carrying capacities of cracked and uncracked components, so that criteria for their safe use and replacement can be specified using damage and fracture mechanics concepts. Developments in testing methods, analysis of data, failure criteria, finite element modelling, residual stresses and geometry/material constraint will be examined.
- Further information about the course techanical content:
Professor Kamran Nikbin
+44(0) 20 7594 7133
k.nikbin@imperial.ac.uk - Further information about registration and payment:
Ms Valerie Crawford
v.crawford@imperial.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)207 594 7083
