Professor T. W. Clyne

T. W. Clyne, Ph.D. is Head of the Composites & Coatings Group and Professor in Mechanics of Materials, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge.
 
After completing his first degree and Ph.D. (Solidification Cracking of Aluminium Alloys) at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, Bill took up a lectureship in Brazil (University of Campinas), followed by further academic posts in Switzerland (EPFL) and the UK (Surrey), before returning to Cambridge in 1985. His current post is Professor of Mechanics of Materials.
 
Bill was appointed Director of the Gordon Laboratory in 1998, when it was set up by DERA. He’s also a Fellow of Downing College, where he has until recently been Director of Studies and Admissions Tutor. In the latter capacity, he instigated an ongoing Target Schools Initiative aimed at Comprehensives in the South-West of England. (He was brought up in Cornwall.)
 
The basic theme of his research over the past dozen or so years has been study of the thermo-mechanical behaviour of a wide range of composite systems, including metal-based composite materials, layered systems, sandwich sheets, metallic foams, and certain types of surface coating. This work has an emphasis on processing aspects and also on the development of analytical and numerical models — both for process simulation and for prediction of thermo-mechanical performance.
 
Current activities include studies of residual stresses and interfacial adhesion, development of customized numerical process models, and investigation of the failure characteristics of various composite materials and coating systems. There is also ongoing work on thermal barrier coatings and other systems for protection against various extreme environments. Recent innovations include the development of actuators based on magnetic and shape memory materials, with potential applications in the biomedical field.
 
Bill coauthored An Introduction to Composite Materials, An Introduction to Metal Matrix Composites, A Sintering Model for Plasma-Sprayed Zirconia TBCs Part II: Coatings Bonded to a Rigid Substrate, Stainless Steel Sandwich Sheets with Fibrous Metal Cores, and Ferrous Fibre Network Materials for Jet Noise Reduction in Aeroengines Part I: Acoustic Effects, edited Interfacial Effects in Particulate, Fibrous, and Layered Composite Materials, and coedited Metal Matrix Composites and Metallic Foams.