I joined Professor Scherer’s group in September 2006 as a visiting student from the Oxford Materials Science department.  My research is in the mechanics of buckling of stones that swell on exposure to moisture.  This swelling is due to the clay inclusions in the stone that expand during wetting.  I am investigating why we often see peeling layers on the surface of buildings and monuments, the parameters that control this process and how we can suppress the buckling to minimise damage to buildings, monuments and sculptures.

Research on buckling:

Apparatus for measuring buckling of stone: LVDT measures upward displacement and load cell measures axial force