Engineering labs honour former heads of department

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 5, 2005

Last week the University of Surrey honoured three professors and former heads of department in a lab naming ceremony at the Materials Institute Laboratories in the School of Engineering.

Last week the University of Surrey honoured three professors and former heads of department in a lab naming ceremony at the Materials Institute Laboratories in the School of Engineering.

The three laboratories were named in honour of Prof Malcolm Waldron (thermal analysis of applications in metallurgy, adhesives and polymers), Prof Peter Miodownik (materials and nanomaterials applications including energy efficient fuel cells) and Prof Jim Castle (surface chemical analysis).

The Waldron Laboratory houses a suite of thermal analysis equipment for applications in metallurgy (Prof Waldron's own subject) polymers and adhesives.

The equipment will be used on a range of projects such as the development of novel high temperature alloys for use in jet engines, adhesives for aerospace applications and biomedical polymers for a variety of uses in the human body.

The Miodownik Laboratory is associated with the characterisation and processing of particulate ceramic materials for advanced materials applications such as energy efficient fuel cells.

The latest laser methods are used to determine the size of fine powders, and high temperature presses are used to convert the powders into dense materials.

A significant proportion of the work of this laboratory is associated with the processing of nanomaterials.

The Castle Laboratory is associated with the adjacent Surface Analysis Laboratory equipped with some GBP 3 million of advanced analytical equipment for surface chemical analysis.

The Castle Laboratory is equipped with a range of equipment for testing of advanced materials and preparation for surface analysis.

In particular the work is involved with the development of high performance organic coatings, adhesives, photochromic displays as well the investigation of failures from all sectors of UK industry.