The Advanced Metals Processing research area aims to build on the UK’s strength in metals processing and provide the support needed to deliver innovative metals processing technologies and novel alloy solutions.

Our focus on metals process innovation is the gap between small-scale laboratory metals processing and the industrial scale. Through a combination of small-scale experiments, materials characterisation, and modelling, our aim is to develop an integrated computational materials engineering approach to metals processing across the whole manufacturing process. This will enable the UK metal industries to transition to a resource efficient, zero-pollution, digitalized and agile future.

The Nuclear Materials research area aims to help increase the UK’s existing economic strengths and competitive advantages in nuclear energy, and support its net-zero ambitions, by enabling innovation in research on radioactive materials.

Next generation fission and fusion power stations require development of more resilient materials due to the increased demands they place on materials, from corrosion to high radiation fields and severe thermal loads.

This research also enhances modelling across length and time scales to aid in the development of new codes and standards, which will positively benefit new nuclear build and potentially have impact across multiple sectors.

The Imaging and Characterisation research area aims to provide access to the cutting-edge techniques across the entire scope of Royce’s research areas. This includes the specific expertise needed to describe and quantify the structure and properties of such a broad range of advanced materials. These techniques provide vital information to accelerate and support materials optimisation to improve performance, production, functionality and sustainability.

The applications of the Imaging and Characterisation capability across the partner institutes spans and complements the entire scope of Royce’s research areas and are vital in accelerating the development of advanced materials.

Modelling and Simulation research aims to accelerate innovation in materials through physics-based modelling and computational simulation and facilitate collaboration between academia and industry.

Covering all the types of materials, numerous approaches to modelling and simulation exist across the full range of time and length scales where their behaviour is significant, from atoms and electrons to the scale of engineering components and beyond.

The Modelling and Simulation Research Area is integral to all Royce activities and serves as a key pillar of the Institute’s Materials 4.0 strategy, which drives the acceleration of materials innovation through digital methods.