Dr Peter Bollada

Profile

Applied Maths and Physics degree: Open University

PhD in Relativistic Elasticity: University of Lancaster

MSc in Complex fluids; University of Wales Aberystwyth

Post docs: Geomtric CAD; Journal bearing lubrication simulation; Earth mantle convection; Alloy simulation;

Research papers in the area of:

Gravitational waves and elasticity;

Modelling expanding bodies - bread;

Smoothed particle dynamics

Visxcoelastic lubrication

Compressible viscoelastic fluid modelling;

Multiphase field modelling;

Parallel Adaptive Multigrid solver for phase field modelling.

Responsibilities

• Procter and Gamble Sim Centre Manager
• Research Phase Field modelling of Intermetallics

Research interests

My research activity is the modelling and simulation of micro structure formation in binary alloys. This avoids expensive molecular dynamic modelling by the use of macroscopic parameters: temperature, alloy concentration and phase. The latter is an order parameter that takes the value one if a particular phase of matter is present and zero if not. The challenge of the research is both the formulation of a  thermodynamically consistent  model and its implementation and simulation on computer.  One difficulty at the modelling stage is the generic nature of the problem to cope with the seemingly infinite amount of possible alloy combinations. The problem is also inherently multiscale since, for example, the temperature field is typically 1000 times the size of the area of interest of the growing microstructure. To date a three dimensional simulations of this problem has not been achieved internationally despite wide availability of high performance computing facilities.  With the combined resources of the School of Chemical and Process Engineering and the School of Computing department this problem is now successfully being addressed. The results are not only vital for macroscopic modelling in the casting industry, the simulation results give physical insight into processes that are difficult or impossible to view experimentally. Current research is on the simulation of intermetallic alloys, these are marked by very narrow ranges of possible concentration at the macroscale due to underlying molecular forces. The simulation of these materials is hampered by discontinuities in the energy as a function of alloy concentration which is highly non-linear and complex. 

I am part of the modelling contingent of the LIquid, Metal Engineering group (LIME), based in Brunel, Oxford, London, Manchester and Leeds. This was established to understand the properties of Alumium and its combination with other metals, notable, Iron. High grade pure Aluminium is currently very difficult to reclaim from alloy waste on an industrial scale. consequently huge energy and resources are currently employed to obtain Aluminium directly from the ground, whilst secondary Aluminium can only be recycled where quality is not critical. The aim of the project is to make the primary sourcing of aluminium redundant, by ultimately making recycling more cost effective. Aluminium - Iron alloys form Intermetallic compounds, which translates, on the macroscale as alloys with very narrow bands of possible alloy ratios. To model such alloys by extending current phase field modelling techniques is challenging both at the modelling level and of computational resources and methods. The phase field modelling is primarily being done in Leeds. Its motive being to gain a quantitative understanding of the Aluminium alloy solidification process in a variety of physical conditions. Such understanding should aid the construction of industrial processes to extract high grade Aluminium from industrial waste.

From March 2023 I hve been teaching assistant  (TA) in the school of computing

Qualifications

• PhD
• MSc
• BSc

Student education

I have taught:

Tensors fields for complex fluids (Master level, Wales)

Modelling complex fluids (Master level, Wales)

Numerical analysis (Master level, Wales)

Fluids (Masters level, Leeds)

Quantum mechanics 2nd and 4th year course (Wales)

Introductory vectors 1st year BSc (Wales)

Vector calculus 2nd year BSc (Wales)

Elementary numerical methods (Leeds)

Tutored: Electromagnetism, General relativity, Engineering mathematics (at degree level).