Below is a list of suggested projects, this is not exhaustive so if you have another project in mind or would like to explore potential projects, please contact Prof. Oosterbeek. These projects do not have guaranteed funding; fully-funded projects are advertised on the main Vacancies page and on the Departmental website.

Fatigue and degradation in bioresorbable lattice materials

Porous, structured, lattice materialsmade from biodegradable materials are of interest for temporary medical implants. This project will investigate the mechanics of fatigue in lattice materials, the interaction of this process with long-term material degradation, and methods for improving fatigue life through structural/material design. This will involve both experimental work and development of theoretical modelling approaches.

Mechanics and degradation of additively manufactured foams

Incorporation of gas-releasing foaming agents in 3D printing enables tuning of material density across a component. This project will develop filament- and/or powder-based additive manufacturing methods for foaming materials, focusing on bioresorbable polymers. The behaviour of printed foam structures, including hierarchical porosity, functional gradients, and metamaterial structures will be explored in terms of material mechanics and long-term biodegradation.

Manufacturing complex components from bioresorbable composites using powder bed fusion

Powder bed fusion (PBF) is a 3D printing technique that enables production of highly intricate and detailed structures such as mechanical metamaterial lattices. Such systems are often optimised for a small set of materials like Nylon, rather than the variety of bioresorbable materials used for biodegradable medical implants. This project will develop heuristic or material-property based algorithms to rapidly optimise printing parameters for new combinations of bioresorbable composite materials.

Water absorption under mechanical load in bioresorbable particulate composites

The interaction with water is essential to the degradation process of bioresorbable composites. Despite this the factors that govern absorption in particulate composites (diffusion, interfacial wicking, component hydrophilicity) are not well understood. This project will use experimental and modelling approaches to understand the water absorption behaviour of polymer-ceramic particulate composites, and the influence of external loading on this process.

A 3D printed, bioresorbable osteotomy wedge

Osteotomy is a surgical procedure used to correct the mechanical axis of a joint and prevent osteoarthritis. Currently bone grafts are often used to fill this space and provide mechanical support, however a synthetic, bioresorbable replacement would be highly advantageous. This project will be undertaken in alongside a collaborating surgeon, and will aim to develop a suitable prototype device, considering mechanical support and long-term degradation.