Next Generation Multi-Dimensional X-Ray Imaging

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Our previous platform grant (PG) was aimed at developing the residual stress and imaging unit to extend our measurement and imaging capability beyond existing time and length scales and to become a world leading centre. This has now been achieved. The international impact of our research was recognised by the award of the most prestigious prize in the HE sector, the Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education (2012-2014) for "New Techniques in X-Ray Imaging of Materials Critical for Power, Transport and Other Key Industries." Further we have just been awarded £18m by HEFCE and £4.2m by EPSRC for capital investment to achieve a step jump in our instrumentation.This PG renewal will enable us to invent new, and develop emerging, techniques to see in 3D events that have never been seen this way before. This will maximise the benefit of the capital investment bringing together X-ray and electron imaging to examine materials behaviour under demanding environments. Many of the instruments will be completely new. The PG will enable us to have a multidisciplinary team of mathematicians, detector experts, instrument developers and applications materials scientists to explore new regimes and undertake new science. For example, normally X-rays pictures are collected in black in white (just like the x-ray radiographs in hospitals). We have developed a detector that can see in 'colour'. This will enable us to 'see' the composition of the objects in our 3D images. Normally X-ray imaging can see different phases but not the grains making up the materials. Recently together with scientists in Denmark and at the European Synchrotron in Grenoble we have developed a method to see the different grains inside a sample non-destructively. Currently this must be done using synchrotron X-rays at large facilities - we will develop a laboratory system capable of this. Finally we have recently been awarded an 5 x EPSRC Centres for Doctoral Training and we will train these PhD students in the imaging techniques we develop through the PG.