Ship scientists and engineers at the University of Southampton have a high profile collaboration with Lloyds Register through the LRF UTC.
It focuses on three important issues affecting ship performance and operations and offshore structures such as oil and gas rigs. Basic research into the themes has now developed into the successful application of these discoveries within the shipping industry.
- Hydromechanics to understand how hull shapes affect vessels’ loads and motions
- Structural mechanics to examine the optimal use of materials in safe and reliable structures
- System models to explore how different systems within ships can work better
The Centre was established in 2002 with a grant from Lloyds Register Educational Trust, now the Lloyds Register Foundation*. Since then, many projects have been undertaken in Southampton by researchers and students on degree programmes ranging from BEng to PhD and postdoctoral contracts. The team’s research on hydromechanics led to the award of a Queen’s Anniversary prize for Higher and Further Education for its innovation and world-leading expertise in performance sports engineering. Much potentially lifesaving work has also been undertaken with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). Researchers have set up two international joint laboratories with Wuhan University of Technology, China, on ‘green ship technology’ and the Singapore Government’s Institute of High Performance Computing on Ship and Offshore Structures.
Academic Staff
Dr Sally S Bennett
Research Fellows
Dr Francesco Giorgio-Serchi
Postgraduate Research Students
Mr Yu Cao
Mr Biju George
Mr Apostolos Grammatikopoulos
Mr John Kecsmar
*The Lloyd’s Register Foundation funds the advancement of engineering-related education and research and supports work that enhances safety of life at sea, on land and in the air. It is funded partly by the profits of Lloyd’s Register Group Limited, a global engineering, technical and business services organisation, now based at the University of Southampton’s Boldrewood campus. The Foundation’s vision is to be known worldwide as a leading supporter of engineering-related research, training and education that makes a real difference in improving the safety of the critical infrastructure on which modern society relies.
Contact details:
023 8059 2356