A state of the art pulsed laser is vital to underpin the Optical Engineering Research Group (OERG) diagnostics work in fluid mechanics and specifically our use of Holographic Partide Image Velocimetry (HPIV) which we have successfully developed in recent years. HPIV allows for mesurement of three dimensional velocity vector field maps and is used to characterise complex flow fields. Our current laser system was purchased in 1992 from an EPSRC grant, ref: GR/G55426 entitled Full-Field I.C. Engine Cylinder Flow Measurement using Partide Image Velocimetry and is now obsolete. It is important to note that the new laser will find use in more applications than we can reasonably describe in this proposal. In the three applications we have described the research will allow us to:1. better understand the flow of granular materials e.g. powders and thus prevent blockage in pumping systems and silos;2. design diesel engine combustion systems to be more efficient and environmentally friendly;3. design respiratory drug inhalers to deliver a carefully controlled drug dosage to the lungs with more efficiency.

Remanufacturing is "the process of returning a used product to at least OEM original performance specification from the customers' perspective and giving the resultant product warranty that is at least equal to that of a newly manufactured equivalent". Remanufacturing can be more sustainable than manufacturing de novo "because it can be profitable and less harmful to the environment ...". Remanufacturing is a sizable industry. For example, in the USA, there are more than 73,000 companies engaged in remanufacturing. They employ 350,000 people and have turnovers totalling $53 billion. A key step in remanufacturing is disassembly of the returned product to be remanufactured. As it is complex, disassembly tends to be manually executed and is labour intensive. We propose to develop robotic technology allowing disassembly to be carried out with minimal human intervention or in a collaborative fashion by man and machine. We aim to facilitate the cost-effective robotisation of this critical step in remanufacturing to unlock the potential of remanufacturing and make it feasible for many more companies to adopt, thus helping to expand the UK's £2.35 Billion remanufacturing industry. Our research will start with a detailed investigation of disassembly processes aimed at fundamentally understanding them. Such a fundamental understanding does not currently exist but is necessary to support the development of robust disassembly strategies and systems that can autonomously handle variability in the product. We will study basic common tasks such as unscrewing, removal of pins from holes with small clearances, separation of press-fit components, extraction of elastic parts (e.g. O-rings and circlips) and breaking up of 'permanently' assembled components. We will analyse those generic disassembly tasks for feedback information that can be obtained while a robot is performing them. We will employ different types of sensors to provide feedback appropriate to a given task. In addition to visual sensing, we will focus on using contact forces and moments as a means to gauge the state of the disassembly operation. To counteract uncertainties, such feedback will be helpful in guiding the robot and avoiding damage to the components being taken apart. We will apply the acquired basic process knowledge methodically to create models, scheduling algorithms and learning tools to enable autonomous or semi-autonomous disassembly by robotic systems. We will develop strategies for planning and implementing multi-robot operation when the disassembly task is too complex for one machine. We will devise techniques for effective collaboration between humans and robots in cases where the work is too difficult for people or for machines on their own. We will validate these plans, strategies and techniques experimentally and will give public demonstrations of collaborative robotic disassembly using real products as examples. Our multi-disciplinary project team, with experience in robotic assembly, intelligent systems, CAD/CAM and process modelling, will be supported by three industrial partners (Caterpillar, Meritor and MG Motor). These user companies will supply case studies for evaluating the research results. Two technology translators (the Manufacturing Technology Centre and the High Speed Sustainable Manufacturing Institute) will contribute to converting laboratory-based technology into solutions ready for deployment on an industrial scale.

Almost all engineering systems and many biological ones contain components that are loaded and rub against one another, such as gears and bearings in machines and hip and knee joints in humans. This rubbing results both in friction, that wastes energy, and in wear and other forms of surface damage that lead to machine (and human) downtime, and the need for expensive repair and replacement. This whole field of research is called Tribology and is pivotal both in the quest for sustainability, including reducing CO2 emissions, and in improving the quality of our lives. In Tribology the effects of rubbing, such as frictional dissipation and wear, are perceived as macroscale phenomena and are traditionally studied by macroscale experiments and analysis. However they actually originate at the atomic and molecular scale, where the severe local stresses produced by rubbing cause restructuring of surface layers, while the molecules of lubricant in rubbing contacts interact with and protect surfaces. Thus to understand and so improve tribological systems we need an approach that spans the molecular, meso- and macro-scales. This will yield both information as to the origins of friction and surface damage - and unwanted phenomena are best tackled at their roots - as well as the ability to design macro-scale components such as lubricants, bearings, gears, engines and replacement joints that operate reliably and efficiently for as long as required. To meet this need, the proposed research will develop and apply advanced techniques to model rubbing contacts at all the necessary scales - atomic/molecular simulations of surfaces and lubricants, meso-scale modelling looking at structural evolution of surfaces due to rubbing, and macro-scale simulations of actual rubbing components such as bearings and engines. These simulations will be validated by experiments that also span the same range of scales, including direct observation of molecules in rubbing contacts. The most critical and innovative stage of this project, however, will be to link all these models together in to a single computer-based package. The result will be a set of modelling programs that can be used in many different ways; for example to explore the origins of tribological phenomena; to optimise lubricant surface and materials design; to predict performance of machines based on a combination of design and underlying atomic/molecular processes. Such an approach will give us tools both to understand in full tribological phenomena such as friction and wear and to enable effective "virtual testing", where new and novel designs, lubricants and surfaces can be combined and their effectiveness tested prior to recourse to time-consuming and expensive experimental development.

Achieving the carbon target for steel and aluminium requires an industry-wide transformation which will result in new business models and new metal flows. The proposal aims to identify credible scenarios for achieving the target, to specify the barriers to achieving them, and to define the economic and policy measures required to drive change. In parallel, the proposal aims to deliver basic technology research that will allow more options for a future materially efficient steel and aluminium economy.It is widely agreed that a cut of at least 60% in global greenhouse gas emissions will be required by 2050 to limit the adverse effects of climate change. Steel and aluminium are responsible for 8% of global energy related emissions. Industry efforts to date have focused on reducing energy in primary production, and recycling metal by melting and re-casting. However, demand for both steel and aluminium is forecast to double, recycling rates are already around 60-70% and the most optimistic projections for energy efficiency improvements deliver only 30% reduction per unit output of material. Efficiency improvements alone are not sufficient, but the 2050 target can be achieved if, in addition to existing measures, energy used in converting ingots to products is halved, the volume of metal used in each application is reduced, and a substantial fraction of metal is re-used without melting. In pursuing this strategy, this proposal is aligned with the EPSRC strategic theme on energy demand reduction.The need for clarity about the physical implications of responding to the carbon target has become a major priority in the metal producing and using industry. Without the work described in this proposal, it is not possible for the government, industry and the public to understand and negotiate the choices they must collectively make in order to meet the carbon target in this sector. Accordingly, this proposal comes with support of 2 million in committed effort from 20 global companies, all with operations in the UK. The business activities of the consortium span primary metal production, conventional recycling, equipment manufacture, road transport, construction, aerospace, packaging and knowledge transfer.The work of the fellowship will be split between business analysis and technology innovation themes. The business analysis theme will identify future scenarios, barriers and a roadmap for meeting the target. This work will include specific analysis of future metal flows, application of a global economic model and the analysis of policy measures. The technology innovation theme aims to optimize the requirements for metal use through novel manufacturing process design, to increase material and energy efficiency in forming and finishing, and to develop solid-state closed-loop recycling for metals. Both themes will be developed in collaboration with the consortium, and will also draw on an international scientific panel and a cross-disciplinary advisory panel in Cambridge.The work will lead to two major reports for wide distribution, direct dissemination into the partner companies, training courses, technology assessments and physical demonstrations of the technology innovations. These will include a demonstration for public engagement. The results of the work on steel and aluminium will be used to stimulate interest among business leaders in other sectors, and will form the basis for a longer term Centre for Low Carbon Materials Processing in Cambridge.The Leadership Fellowship offers a unique and timely opportunity to undertake the basic research required to drive a step-change in material efficiency, by demonstrating that a different flow of metal through the global economy is technically and economically possible, and by inspiring and informing those who can influence change.