Thu, 25 March, 2021
The National Structural Integrity Research Centre in Cambridge is pleased to welcome Siddharth Patil as a PhD Student. Starting this spring, his PhD will be awarded by Coventry University, with sponsorship from the Lloyd's Register Foundation.
All NSIRC Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students receive supervision from an academic supervisor, provided by their University, as well as a industrial supervision provided by TWI Ltd. For Siddharth, his supervision will be with Professor Xiang Zhang in the Institute for Future Transport and Cities at Coventry University and Adrian Addison, Programme Manager in the Arc Processes, Fabrication and Welding Engineering Section at TWI.
Based within Industry at TWI in Cambridge, NSIRC student research seeks answer an industrial need from research that either builds on previous research conducted at the centre, or is entirely new and falls within early Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).
Interview:
Hi Siddharth, first thing to say is welcome to NSIRC and TWI! Please could you tell us a little about yourself, and why you wanted to do a PhD?
I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2010 after that I worked as Welding & Quality Engineer in various sectors like Manufacturing, Energy and Oil & Gas for almost 9 years. This experience encouraged me to enhance my knowledge, so I decided to pursue a Master’s in Welding Engineering at Cranfield University in England.
During my Master’s I was fascinated by the research process, and this lead to developing my interest in carrying out further research and doing a PhD. Also, TWI is one of the world’s pioneers in welding and related industries and has state-of-the-art equipment. To have TWI experts mentoring you to become successful and ethical researcher is also one of the main reasons to choose a PhD with NSIRC.
What is your research topic and why is this research important…?
My research topic is 'Development of Directed Energy Deposition (DED) process to achieve consistent bead geometry & microstructure with optimised feedstock chemistry'.
In the recent past, there was immense research conducted on the improvement of DED process. However, there are a few challenges for the development of the process which are mainly (a) consistency in bead geometry and (b) uniform microstructure. My research will be mainly addressing these pressing issues in my PhD work.
This research covers improving deposition process parameters and various methods to place consistent bead during manufacturing of complex geometric shapes using DED. Deposited welds will be investigated under scanning electron microscope (SEM) to study microstructure. Furthermore, thermal fields and process parameter effects will be measured as inputs to other linked projects which are being conducted under the NSIRC umbrella.
"If the opportunity is from TWI & NSIRC just grab it without second thought."
Siddharth Patil, PhD student at NSIRC
How have you been coping with the coronavirus pandemic?
In the year 2020, I was working with one of the EPC contractors in Muscat, Oman. Due to pandemic, we could work from home and only necessary visits to project site were permitted. However, now I am in India to join TWI, UK in April 2021. At both the places government rules are being followed and I am part of that process. One positive thing to take this from the pandemic is that I was able to spend time with my family (mainly with my sweet little daughter) which I was missing in past few years.
What hobbies do you have when you’re not working on your research?
I love to explore historic destinations as well as trekking in hilly areas which is unrealistic in this pandemic. Other than that, reading books and watching web series amuse me.
What was the last book that you read and the last podcast that you listened to?
One month ago, I finished reading book called “The Alchemist” which was originally written in Portuguese language and later translated in English. After translation the book become one of the bestsellers. Main motto of the book is finding one’s destiny.
I rarely use podcast and the last podcast I enjoyed was one of the episodes of “On Purpose with Jay Shetty” which share our life experiences during pandemic. It also emphasises on gratitude towards this life we have now and contribution of life saviours towards society in this pandemic crisis.
What advice would you give someone who may be hesitating about applying for a PhD in the UK?
If the opportunity is from TWI & NSIRC just grab it without second thought. I am saying this because TWI is one of the leaders in providing knowledge of advanced technologies and NSIRC who believes in nurturing developing engineering minds across the globe.
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