Spotlight on Jasmine Bone
Jasmine Bone, a joint PhD student funded by the University of Surrey, NPL and Element Materials Technology, has been working across industry partners to ensure the safety of materials used in marine environments.
Marine applications of polymer composites, such as in shipping, wind or tidal turbine blades and offshore structures, require high durability materials that perform well in changing and aggressive environments. This project investigates the use of elevated temperatures to accelerate the ageing of composites when exposed to immersion in water, high pressure, and mechanical loading. Various techniques have been used to identify the chemical and mechanical property degradation and correlate these changes with the moisture uptake. This allows an understanding of how the materials behave in a marine environment and can assist in determination of long-term predictions of performance.
Jasmine has actively sought opportunities to promote her research which secured her winning additional funding in the form of a three-year Industrial Fellowship with the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. This work will advance the understanding of polymer composite degradation and assist in the lifetime prediction of large structures.
"This engineering doctorate has provided multiple occasions for both professional and personal development, and opened up opportunities I didn’t know existed three years ago. Developing academic knowledge as well as the chance to present work at international conferences has been very exciting. The impact of this research will enable understanding of the environmental degradation and subsequent detection of the signs of this break down to determine effects on the material life cycle."