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Sheffield Hallam University - Materials and Engineering Research Institute (MERI)

MERI (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/) is a vibrant multi-disciplinary research institute with a clear vision to pursue high-quality academic research which is informed by, and relevant to, industrial needs. The intellectual capital, capabilities and facilities accruing from these research programmes are utilised to deliver contract research and consultancy services to industry.

 MERI consists of around 140 research, technical, professional services,   finance staff and postgraduate research students (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/who-we-are). The organisation is comprised of four research centres – Automation and Robotics (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/automation-and-robotics), Polymers, Nanocomposites and Modelling (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/polymers-and-nanocomposites), Structural Materials and Integrity (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/corrosion-and-structural-integrity), and Thin Films (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/who-we-are?centreid=36), and a complimentary consultancy unit.

This unit was accredited as the Materials Analysis and Research Services Centre of Industrial Collaboration (MARS CIC) (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/who-we-are?centreid=63).  It utilises the MERI suite of characterisation equipment (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/equipment) which includes state-of-the-art electron microscopes, X-ray and other characterisation instruments. There is also an additional consultancy arm - Sheaf Solutions (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/who-we-are?centreid=63) which is dedicated to improving efficiency and promoting engineering simulations modelling in Maunfacuring.

The Polymers Nanocomposites and Modelling Research Centre incorporates two research groups. The interests of the Polymers, Composites and Spectroscopy group encompass polymers, minerals and composites (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/polymers-and-nanocomposites). The group routinely applies quantitative vibrational spectroscopy and thermoanalytical methods to characterise the innovative materials under investigation. The Materials Modelling and Fluid Flow Research Group (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/materials-modelling-and-complex-flows), which is equipped with state of the art laboratories and equipment including a 100 node Beowulf cluster, applies computer simulation and mathematical modelling to materials challenges while the fluid flow researchers address the efficiency of energy conversion devices.

The Structural Materials and Integrity (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/corrosion-and-structural-integrity) Research Centre brings together scientists and engineers to work on evaluating the performance and structural behaviour of engineering materials. The centre encompasses the following key industry-focussed research areas.

• Corrosion Technology (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/corrosion-and-structural-integrity), which addresses corrosion detection and mitigation technologies.
• Infrastructure Management (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/infrastructure-management), which is dedicated to projects supporting the construction industry.
• Welding and Joining, which is dedicated to the development of new, sustainable protocols for existing joining techniques and manufacturing processes.
• Structural Integrity, that is devoted to assessing the fatigue and fracture performance of engineering materials operating across diverse sectors such as aerospace and offshore oil and gas.
  
  

The Thin Films Research Centre encompasses the Nanotechnology Centre for PVD NTCPVD laboratory. (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/advanced-coatings) It was established in autumn 2006 and is committed to fundamental and industrial development of high performance nanostructured functional coatings for applications in extreme environments. The centre has pioneered the development of the novel high Power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/services/hipims) technology and is world leading in this field. Based on this success, the first UK based Joint Sheffield Hallam University-Fraunhofer IST  HIPIMS Research Centre, was established in 2010, with the main focus to serve industry with advanced PVD coatings.  Electronic materials and sensors focuses on the characterisation and development of novel semiconductor materials, including PV cells, and sensors including THz technology.  They are supported by dedicated laboratory facilities.

The Centre for Automation and Robotics Research (CARR) is a focal point where diverse robotics and automation projects are developed alongside each other.  There are two research groups within CARR – Mobile Machine and Vision Laboratory and the Systems Modelling and Integration Group (http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/meri/who-we-are?centreid=10). Current activities include mobile robotics, collective and swarm robotics, human-robot interaction, computer vision and 3D modelling and automation