Zhou, Wenbin

Dr

Accepting PhD Students

Calculated based on number of publications stored in Pure and citations from Scopus
20132024

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Biography

Dr. Zhou is a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Dundee. He obtained his PhD degree from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London. Prior to this, he held a BEng degree in Engineering Mechanics from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, and MSc degree in Solid Mechanics from Peking University. His PhD study was funded by the President’s PhD Scholarship of Imperial College London, and his PhD thesis was awarded the 'Unwin Postgraduate Prize' by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, in recognition of the best thesis submitted in the academic year 2019. 

Teaching

Mechanical Engineering Project II (3D Printing)

Thermodynamics I

Computer Aided Design

Manufacturing Project I

Research

My research activities cover the broad area of renewable energy, mechanics of materials, materials processing, and sustainable manufacturing/fabrication, including light alloys, composites and energy materials. A main focus is the investigation of multiphysical phenomena in materials and structures under multi-field (thermal, mechanical, electrochemical, etc) coupling conditions, aiming to address grand challenges in sustainability, environment and health. 

1. Sustainable Manufacturing

I have proposed and led the development of a novel flexible extrusion technique, differential velocity sideways extrusion (DVSE), for manufacturing lightweight streamlined extrusion profiles with superior mechanical properties and applications in sustainable transportation, which minimises the manufacturing defects, cost, and energy consumption compared with the traditional manufacturing methods requiring multiple steps of extrusion and subsequent bending. This technology is also known as Flextrude®, which has been patented worldwide and will be commercialised by a spin-out company, CurvEx Technology Ltd.

2. Lightweight porous functionally graded materials and structures

To solve the problems of heat short and low strength at high temperature for traditional fasteners used in aerospace thermal protection systems, I designed and fabricated porous ceramic-metal (ZrO2/(ZrO2+Ni)) functionally graded materials (FGMs) and composite joints with low thermal conductivity and high strength, whose microstructure, thermal-mechanical performance and failure behaviour were systematically analysed. 

3. Li-ion battery electrode materials and electric vehicles

Diffusion-induced stress in electrode materials of Li-ion batteries during internal static cycling (charging/discharging) and external dynamic loading (e.g. vibration load cases in electric vehicles) is a major factor causing the deformation, fracture and capacity fade of the electrodes. I developed electrochemical-mechanical coupled analytical models to study the diffusion-induced stress field considering concentration-dependent modulus and external unified mechanical loading conditions (tension, compression, and bending). 

Research interests

  • Sustainable/Intelligent manufacturing for lightweight materials and structures
  • Materials reuse and recycling
  • Composites and structures
  • Process - (micro)structure - function relationships 
  • Lightweighting in electric vehicles & Life cycle analysis
  • Renewable Energy
  • Biomaterials, Biomechanics, 3D printing
  • Surface engineering

Accepting PhD students

For PhD applications, visiting researchers, postdoc opportunities, and research collaborations, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]

PhD or Postdoctoral Fellowships:

Editorial

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
  • SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
  • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 14 - Life Below Water

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy, Imperial College London

1 Oct 201530 Jun 2019

Award Date: 1 Sept 2019

External positions

Academic Visitor, Imperial College London

1 Jan 2023 → …

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