Opportunities at Diamond

Learn more about career and student opportunities at Diamond:

Subscribe to our Corporate and Science Update mailing list

Keep up to date with the latest research and developments from Diamond. Sign up for news on our scientific output, facility updates and plans for the future.

Subscribe here

These articles were published in our popular science magazine: Inside Diamond

Inside Diamond Cover (issue 9)

Planes, Brains and Automobiles

How materials scientists are using Diamond to engineer the transport of the future

From the Stone Age to the era of microchips and graphene, materials have always been at the centre of human discovery and exploration. At Diamond, scientists spend a lot of time researching existing materials and trying to create entirely new ones. And it’s worth the effort; everything – our homes, our roads, our synchrotrons – depends on the properties of matter. Yes, there are many applications for advanced materials, but in this case, we’re looking at things that go Vroom.

To engineer a modern jet plane, you have to start with the individual atoms. Machines like Diamond open up an entirely new world of materials research, allowing scientists to scrutinise and manipulate the particles that make up matter. Understanding the atomic structure means scientists can shape their material to make it more efficient or manipulate the atoms to make it stronger.

Great big machines like ships and jet planes are only able to function because of very small details, like the quality of the alloy and the welds keeping the different pieces of metal together. Consider a jumbo jet – that massive structure needs strong welds to keep it in one piece, but there’s a lot of stress on those joints. What’s more, many welds are safety-critical, especially in bikes, planes, cars, or submarines. In 1985, a BA flight ended in tragedy after an engine fire broke out as a result of failed welding. That’s why it’s so important to monitor and improve the strength of these joints, and scientists at Diamond are on the case.

Howard Stone, David Dye, and Sebastien Rouquette are part of a French/Anglo collaboration currently using Diamond to measure in real time how stresses develop during the welding process. Howard explains: “If you’ve ever cut a carrot vertically in half, you’ll have noticed the two ends curl outwards, that’s because the tension keeping it together has been severed; that same tension is put on aeroplane welds. By monitoring and altering the welding process at the atomic level, we’re looking to reduce the tension in the metal and mitigate the likelihood of weld defects. It’s important work because there’s a lot more at stake than a broken carrot.”

There’s more to materials science than developing new matter; scientists also want to get the most out of materials we currently have. Think of a car from the 1920s and compare that with a modern vehicle – they look very different; that’s because, over the years, clever people have devoted their careers to determining the shape and composition of material that makes the car as efficient as possible. Dave Collins is one of those clever people. A post-doctoral researcher for Oxford University, he’s working for BMW MINI, looking at ways of stretching steel in new ways to make faster and more streamlined cars.

Using experimental apparatus that he built himself from scratch, Dave studies samples of steel on Diamond’s materials beamline I12. Also known as JEEP, which stands for Joint Engineering and Environmental Processing, this beamline is designed to investigate the processes taking place inside materials as they happen. It’s housed all sorts of interesting samples, from a full sized motorbike to the fan blade from a Rolls-Royce aeroplane engine. With the capabilities of I12, Dave can watch how the properties of steel change as its atoms are altered.

“I’m looking right down into the material at the thousands of minute crystals that make up steel. Each of these crystals has a unique atomic arrangement within the metal, but by manipulating this arrangement, I’m hoping to reorient the crystals in the perfect position to make the steel much more ductile.” Dave continues: “Steel has been used for thousands of years, but there’s still so much to find out. That’s what’s so great about materials science, there’s always more to discover.”

How stuff is put together, what it’s made of, how it can be adapted and its properties improved has been a perennial fascination for humankind. These days, we’ve moved on from sharpening flint to make spears, but we’ve still got a lot to learn about how different materials work and interact together. By mastering the individual atoms inside matter, science is driving pioneering new transport technology. So sit back and relax (in the full upright position), because with materials scientists on the case, each and every trip promises to be a smoother ride.

On this website

About Diamond

For Users

Industry

Science

Instruments

Careers

Public

Procurement

Software & Tools

Sub-navigation

In This Section

Sub Navigation

Opportunities at Diamond

Subscribe to our Corporate and Science Update mailing list

Planes, Brains and Automobiles

How materials scientists are using Diamond to engineer the transport of the future