Located in the south west corner of Cranfield University this renowned research centre is near the airfield.
Cranfield University describes this research centre:
(
visit link)
'The Welding Engineering Research Centre, within the Materials Department at Cranfield University, provides fundamental, strategic and applied research as well as related postgraduate studies in welding science and engineering.
Established in 1961, our Centre is the only specialist welding research centre in UK academia dedicated to welding and welding automation with a portfolio of research programmes supported by an international group of clients. Facilities at the Welding Engineering Research Centre include a fully equipped welding laboratory with state-of-the art equipment for arc welding process development, welding metallurgy and welding process automation.
The Centre also supports Cranfield's damage tolerance capability. Factors controlling damage tolerance, fatigue and structural integrity are studied in relation to a wide range of material types associated with both fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. Research into damage tolerance is multidisciplinary, involving elements of fatigue and fracture of metallic and polymer composite materials, structure and component design, manufacturing quality, damage detection and monitoring systems and structural reliability.'
Wikipedia describes Cranfield University and research:
(
visit link)
'Cranfield School of Applied Sciences
The School of Applied Sciences (SAS), Cranfield University, formerly the School of Industrial and Manufacturing Science (SIMS), operates across materials, manufacturing, natural resources and sustainable systems. The School’s focus is on research and its application to meet the needs of industry and society. This research informs the teaching, training and consultancy services offered by the School.
The School provides full and part-time Master's degree and postgraduate level courses together with research opportunities across a wide range of areas including automotive and motorsport, environment, manufacturing, materials, offshore, sustainability and water. Consultancy services to clients and a range of continuing professional development (CPD) courses are also offered.
The School of Applied Sciences is led by Professor Tom Stephenson who is a graduate of the University of York and Imperial College London.
Rankings
Applied Sciences is a major contributor towards Cranfield University being ranked third in the UK's Research Assessment Exercise for the impact of its mechanical, aeronautical and manufacturing research and for receiving a strong result in the Agriculture Unit of Assessment with 85% gaining international status and 40% of that research being deemed of an internationally excellent standard.
Cranfield’s manufacturing research integrates decision engineering, manufacturing systems and competitive creative design. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) - supported Cranfield Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (IMRC) provides a platform for further integration across the wider university and for continued growth of manufacturing research including Product service system (PSS) research.
Manufacturing research centres:
• Centre for Competitive Creative Design (C4D)
• Decision Engineering Centre
• Manufacturing Systems Centre
Materials Research
The school's materials research is directed towards processing, properties and performance together with the associated manufacturing technologies, including precision and ultra precision engineering. More specifically the focus is on polymer composites, functional ceramics, surface engineering, coatings and high temperature materials and arc and laser pipeline welding.
Materials research centres:
• Composites Centre
• Integrated Vehicle Health Management Centre
• Microsystems and Nanotechnology Centre
• Precision Engineering Centre
• Surface Science and Engineering Centre
• Welding Engineering Research Centre
Natural Resources research
Research in natural resources department focuses on soil and water sciences in the context of land management for food, fibre and bio-energy crops, environmental services and biodiversity. The main research themes are land processes, natural resources management and soil.
Natural resources research centres:
• Centre for Sports Surface Technology
• Integrated Environmental Systems Institute
• Natural Resources Management Centre
• National Soil Resources Institute
Sustainable Systems research
The School’s sustainable systems department focuses on managing treatment processes, service systems, utility infrastructures, transportation, policy and regulatory processes and the future development of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (defra) funded Risk Centre.
Sustainable Systems research centres:
• Centre for Automotive Technology
• Centre for Resource Management and Efficiency
• Centre for Water Science
• Energy Technology Centre
• The Risk Centre
Advanced Materials MSc
Agricultural and Environmental Engineering MSc by Research
Cost Engineering PgCert
Economics for Natural Resource and Environmental Management MSc
Engineering and Management of Manufacturing Systems MSc
Enterprise System Implementation MSc
Environmental Diagnostics and Management MSc
Environmental Management for Business MSc
Geographical Information Management MSc
Innovation and Creativity in Industry MDes
Innovation and Design for Sustainability MSc
Knowledge Management for Innovation MSc
Land Management MSc with options:
* Ecological Conservation
* Land Reclamation and Restoration
* Natural Resource Management
* Soil Management
Management and Information Systems MSc
Microsystems and Nanotechnology MSc
Motorsport Engineering and Management MSc
Operations Excellence MSc
Offshore and Ocean Technology MSc with options:
* Offshore Materials Engineering
* Offshore Renewable Energy
* Pipeline Engineering
* Risk Management
* Subsea Engineering
Sports Surface Technology MSc by Research
Sustainable Manufacturing MSc
Ultra Precision Technologies MSc
Waste and Resource Management MSc
Water and Wastewater Engineering MSc
Water and Wastewater Technology MSc
Water Management MSc with options:
* Advanced Irrigation
* Community Water and Sanitation
* Environmental Water Management
* Water and Society
Water Processes (Advanced Professional Masters) MTech
Welding Engineering MSc'