ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 15 – LTH | product development
5.2 Research Infrastructure Very good (4)
The experimental resources available to the department appear to be
very good, with a broad range of standard and specialized equipment in
the manufacturing laboratory, covering a wide range of manufacturing
methods, and a unique metal cutting research lab for measuring dynamic
cutting forces and for machinability studies. Furthermore, special equipment
for studying induction heating and for high-pressure tribology is
available. In Materials Engineering, the laboratory facilities and support
engineer are shared with the Division of Solid Mechanics (Department
of Construction Science). No information is supplied on the computing
facilities for numerical modelling.
5.3 Research Quality Good (3)
The organization of the department has undergone a number of changes
over the last several years, a factor which makes it difficult to establish
patterns of research activity and output. The rationale for this restructuring
is not clear and the end result is a small department without a critical
mass, with four separate divisions that combine to form two research
groupings. This fragmented structure, particularly in the Materials
Science area, must contribute to administrative complexity and seems
to have restricted research potential. External R&D revenue in 2007,
per research staff, decreased around 8% from 2003, while EU funding
decreased by more than 70%.
5.3.1 Quality Good (3)
In terms of international comparability, the department performs well,
for its size, and has an international profile in a couple of focused areas
such as fatigue (thermo-mechanical, short crack propagation) and metal
cutting (tool wear). In Machine Elements, the department has had a
strong international reputation in tribology, however the research leader
in this area retired in 2006. Much of the research activity in the DPME/
ME group is applied and the spread of research projects is large for a
relatively small research group. Although this interdisciplinary research
is valuable, the range of interests makes it difficult to make an impact in
any particular area, which is mandatory to achieve international research
excellence.
The Materials/Mechanics research group is actively pursuing research in
the field of nano mechanics, an important area with potential for growth.
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