BCAST at Brunel University

Training in casting and solidification

The Brunel Centre for Advanced Solidification Technology (BCAST) is a research centre within Brunel University London that delivers short courses to research students and specialty courses for industry in metallurgy, materials science, and the circular economy for metals.

The following courses have been approved for professional development

Solidification and casting of aluminium alloys

This week long, advanced level, classoom course includes lectures and practical workshops and will provide you with:

An understanding of melt preparation, safety and sustainability for aluminium casting processes
Important knowledge relating to the fundamentals of solidification and structure formation, including grain refining, eutectoc modification and inclusion control
An overview of major casting technologies and the control of casting quality, including casting defects
Access to leading experts in the fiels with broad expertise.

Microstructure & Mechanical Characterisation of Metallic Materials

During this 4.5 day advanced level course, delegates will learn about the following through a programme of lectures, workshops and practical activities:

Metallographic preparation
Chemical etching and electrolytic polishing for optical microscopy observations
Scanning electron microscopy and microstructure
Measurement of microstructural features
Tensile and hardness testing
Thermal analysis
CT scanning and defect analysis
Advanced characterisation techniques

Integrated Physical & Digital Twins in Materials Processing & Manufacture

This course aims to provide an overview of the top-down approaches to current materials processing and manufacturing challenges, using modern experimental and modelling methods. The three-day course will cover the following

Introduction to challenges in materials processing and top-down approaches, and the evolution and role of physical and digital twins in materials processing
Acquisition of data by physical simulation methods, characterisation methods, digitalisation of experimental data, and realtime acquisition
Physical-based modelling including mean-field and thermodynamic modelling and full-field numerical simulation techniques
Data driven modelling including machine learning methods, and uncertainty analysis

Materials Integrity

This one-day course provides foundational knowledge of mechanical properties, testing methods, and failure mechanisms of engineering materials, particularly metals. The course is designed for engineers, researchers, and industry professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of materials behaviour in structural applications and will cover:

Funamentals of materials integrity
Mechanical testing of materials
Fracture mechanics and toughness
Fatigue behaviour and testing
Creep and high temperature behaviour
Advanced materials and future trends

Microstructure evolution and phase transformations in solid state during thermo-mechanical processing

This two-day course, which is suitable for processing engineers, industrial metallurgists and materials laboratory staff, explores the following topics:

Microstructural evolution during extrusion or rolling processes to produce wrought material
Recrystallisation and grain growth processes during wrought processing
Texture development and its importance
Role of dispersoids in developing microstructure
Strengthening mechanisms in wrought alloys
What happens during heat treatments
Development of solid-state precipitates and how they strengthen light alloys