EPSRC Fellowship in Manufacturing: Controlling Geometrical Variability of Products for Manufacturing

该奖学金将创建一个学术团队，领导一个致力于未来制造业的新研究主题。重点研究几何产品规格和验证（GPS）系统，以控制制造产品的几何变异性，促进21世纪新兴的工业需求。例如，用于以下领域的几何产品：下一代自由曲面光学、流体动力学界面（节能喷气发动机、飞机机身和机翼）、长寿命人体关节植入物、纳米技术应用中的微电子和MEMS/NEMS设备。英国前沿产业正在寻求具有更高功能和更低制造成本的下一代产品。这促使制造产品具有更综合的性能，但更复杂的几何形状。如果没有工具来指定、优化和验证允许的几何变异性，制造复杂几何形状的能力是不可能的。该奖学金旨在探索几何分解（即尺寸，形状和纹理）的数学基础，并创造突破性的技术来控制制造产品的几何变化。这种新颖的方法是将基本的几何数学直接与不同工业部门（即航空航天、光学、医疗保健和弹射中心）的关键部件的设计、制造和验证联系起来。在这种情况下，不同类型的几何分解（通过信息内容在最终因果关系层面）到指定的几何表面要求（光谱、形态和分割分解）。该奖学金试图建立这个从未发生过的新兴主题，这需要复杂的工业制造技能和深入的基础学术知识。在实践中，没有一个表面是完美的：表面总是有一些变化。公差区只控制这种可变性的大小，而不控制其形状。研究人员提出的方法是分解（分解）每个对称类的表面可变性，以使形状能够被控制。挑战是产生一个完整的几何分解（连同相关的理论和实际算法），以解决数学上的重大挑战。例如，接触（机械、电气、热等）需要分解表面包络层。其他功能需要在不同的尺度上分解为表面特征（“山丘和山谷”）。该系统旨在为描述几何变异性的技术工具箱提供必要的数学基础：远远超出目前在国家和国际标准中定义的简单公差区。来自不同部门的八封支持信：劳斯莱斯、NPL（工程测量）、NPL（数学和建模）、Taylor Hobson、英国标准协会、Catapult -先进制造研究中心、UCL（骨科和肌肉骨骼科学研究所：皇家国家骨科医院）、Prifysgol Glyndwr （OPTIC）都强调，从广泛的英国工业的角度来看，迫切需要拟议的技术。

This fellowship will create a academic team to lead a new research theme dedicated to manufacturing the future. It focuses research on geometrical product specification and verification (GPS) systems to control geometrical variability in manufactured products that facilitate emerging industrial requirements in 21st century. For example, geometrical products used in: next generation freeform optics, interfaces in fluid-dynamics (energy-efficient jet engines, aircraft fuselages and wings), long life human-joint implants, microelectronics and MEMS/NEMS devices in nanotechnology applications. The UK frontier industry is seeking next generation of products having much higher functional capabilities with much lower manufacturing costs. This is driving manufactured products to have more integrated properties but more complex geometries. Without the tools to specify, optimise and verify the allowable geometrical variability, the ability to manufacture complex geometries is not possible.This Fellowship is to explore the mathematical fundaments for the decomposition of geometry (i.e. size, shape and texture) and create ground-breaking technology to control geometrical variability in manufactured products. The novel approach is to link fundamental geometrical mathematics direct to key component's design, manufacturing and verification from different industrial sectors (i.e. aerospace, optics, healthcare and catapult centre). In this case, the different types of geometrical decompositions (at the ultimate causation level via information content) to specified geometrical surface requirements (spectrum, morphological and segmentation decompositions). This fellowship attempts to establish this emerging new theme that has never happened before, that requires sophisticated industrial manufacturing skills with in depth fundamental academic knowledge.In practice no surface is manufactured perfectly: there is always some variability in the surface. Tolerance zones only control the size of this variability and not its shape. The approach proposed for the Fellowship is to break up (decompose) the surface variability, for each of the symmetry classes, to enable the shape to be controlled. The challenge is to produce a complete range of geometrical decompositions (together with the associated theory and practical algorithms) that will solve the mathematical grand challenge. For example contact (mechanical, electrical, thermal, etc.) requires the surface envelope to be decomposed. Other functions require decomposition into surface features ('hills and dales') at different scales. This system aims to provide the necessary mathematical foundations for a toolbox of techniques to characterise geometric variability: going far beyond simple tolerance zones as currently defined in national and international standards.The eight letters of support from different sectors: Rolls-Royce, NPL (Engineering Measurement), NPL (Mathematics and Modeling), Taylor Hobson, British Standards Institute, Catapult - Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, UCL (Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science: Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital), Prifysgol Glyndwr (OPTIC) all highlight that there is an urgent need for the proposed technology from a point of view of wide UK industry.