Background:

Christopher received his MEng degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Loughborough University in 2009, followed by his PhD from Loughborough University in 2012. Immediately following his PhD, he was employed as Lecturer in Structural Mechanics at Loughborough University in the Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering. Then in 2017 he was promoted to Senior Lecturer. He is also Programme Director of Aeronautical Engineering Undergraduate Courses, and has been since 2016. At present, his major research interests include the analytical, numerical and experimental aspects of interface fracture; the spallation mechanics of thermal barrier coatings and ultrasonically assisted drilling.

Qualifications:

• PhD 2012, Loughborough University
  • Thesis title: “Mixed-Mode Partition Theories for One-Dimensional Fracture”
• MEng Aeronautical Engineering 2009, Loughborough University
• Fellow of the Higher Education Authority FHEA 2015

Key Awards:

• Teaching Awards (Part A), Academic years 2015–16, and 2013–14
• PhD Rapid Completion Award 2012
• Science, Engineering and Technology Award 2009

Outline of main research interests:

• Fracture mechanics: Analytics, numerical simulation, and experimental test
  • Mixed-mode fracture partitions
  • Fracture initiation and propagation
• Mechanical performance of thin coatings
  • Thermal barrier coating systems
  • Graphene membrane adhesion
  • Spallation
  • Buckling and post-buckling
• Ultrasonically-assisted drilling of re-reinforced plastics
• Numerical simulation; Finite element method
• Digital image correlation

Grants and contracts:

• Direct Partition of Mixed-Mode Fractures Using Digital Image Correlation, 2014-2015, EPSRC

Current teaching responsibilities:

• TTP402 Body Engineering
• TTA003 Fluid Mechanics
• TTD009 Group Design Project
• TTC012 Spacecraft Engineering
• Aeronautical Engineering BEng/MEng Final Year Project

Current administrative responsibilities:

• Programme Director for Aeronautical Engineering undergraduate courses
• Member of Welfare and Communications Committee for School of AACME

Recent publications: 

• Harvey CM, Wang B, Wang S (2017). Spallation of thin films driven by pockets of energy concentration. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics. DOI: 10.1016/j.tafmec.2017.04.011.
• Wang S, Harvey CM, Wang B (2017). Room temperature spallation of α-alumina films grown by oxidation. Engineering Fracture Mechanics. DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2017.03.002.
• Wood JD, Harvey CM, Wang S (2016). Effect of Poisson’s ratio mismatch on brittle interfacial cracking between two dissimilar elastic layers. Composite Structures, 158, pp. 56–63, DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.09.024.

Selected publications:

This is some our most recent work to understand the spallation mechanics of thin films. It draws on the understanding developed in our theoretical work on the interfacial fracture of layered materials. Excellent agreement with independently-obtained experimental measurements is obtained.

• Harvey CM, Wang B, Wang S (2017). Spallation of thin films driven by pockets of energy concentration. Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics. DOI: 10.1016/j.tafmec.2017.04.011.

Fracture between dissimilar interfaces is an important consideration in the design and application of composite materials and structures, for example, to determine the toughness against fracture or spallation. It has, however, proved an extremely challenging problem for decades to obtain analytical solutions for the complex stress intensity factors and the crack extension size-dependent energy release rates based on 2D elasticity. These papers achieve a solution and present elegant analytical formulae.

• Wood JD, Harvey CM, Wang S (2016). Partition of mixed-mode fractures in 2D elastic orthotropic laminated beams under general loading. Composite Structures, 149, pp. 239–246, DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2016.04.016.
• Harvey CM, Wood JD, Wang S (2015). Brittle interfacial cracking between two dissimilar elastic layers: Part 1—Analytical development. Composite Structures, 134, pp. 1076–1086, DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.06.080.

These two papers present Loughborough’s mixed-mode fracture partition theories in an easy-to-use format. They are helpful references for researchers carrying out mixed-mode fracture toughness testing. They also make comparisons between the theories and several sets of independently-obtained fracture toughness test data. A key observation is that Loughborough’s Euler/classical beam-based partition theory gives the best predictions for the mixed-mode fracture toughness of the graphite/epoxy fibre-reinforced composite laminates.

• Harvey CM, Eplett MR, Wang S (2015). Experimental assessment of mixed-mode partition theories for generally laminated composite beams. Composite Structures, 124, pp. 10–18, DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2014.12.064.
• Harvey CM and Wang S (2012). Experimental assessment of mixed-mode partition theories. Composite Structures, 94, pp. 2057–2067, DOI: 10.1016/j.compstruct.2012.02.007.

This early paper presents the fundamentals of Loughborough’s powerful orthogonal pure fracture mode methodology, and analytical formulae for mixed-mode partition theories based on Euler/classical beams and Timoshenko/first-order shear-deformable beams, and an approximate rule for 2D elasticity-based partitions. It underpins all the subsequent developments. It is a helpful paper for those wishing to understand in detail the fundamental mechanics of mixed-mode fracture.

• Wang S and Harvey CM (2012). Mixed mode partition theories for one dimensional fracture. Engineering Fracture Mechanics, 79, pp. 329–352, DOI: 10.1016/j.engfracmech.2011.11.013.

 View central publications database

External Collaborators: 

• Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, China
• AMRC with Boeing
• Bombardier
• Caterpillar
• Rolls-Royce

External roles and appointments:

• Visiting scholar at School of Machinery and Equipment Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, China.
• Joint organiser of a two-day international symposium at Hebei University of Engineering, Handan, China in August 2017.
• Joint organiser and chair of a session at the 21st International Conference on Composite Materials in Xi’an, China in August 2017.
• Plenary lecture at the Chinese-Franco Symposium on Damage and Fracture of Composite Structures, Peking University, Beijing, China. August 2017.
• Session chair at the 20th,19th, 18th and 17th International Conference on Composite Structures in (Paris September 2017, Porto 2016, Lisbon 2015, Porto 2013).
• Plenary lecture and joint organiser and chair of a mini-symposium at the 14th International Conference on Fracture in Rhodes, Greece in June 2017.
• Session chair at the 2^nd International Conference on Mechanics of Composites (Porto 2016).
• Plenary lecture at the National Seminar on Nanostructured Materials, NSS Hindu College Changanacherry, Kerala, India in August 2014.
• Plenary lecture at the 1st World Conference on Fracture and Damage Mechanics at Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala, India in August 2014.
• Plenary lecture at the 16th International Conference on Composite Structures in June 2011.
• Invited lecture at a meeting of Technical Committee 4 of the European Structural Integrity Society, Les Diablerets, Switzerland, May 2012.
• Participation during 2012–2013 in an international `numerical round-robin' on mixed-mode fracture, invited by Technical Committee 4 of the European Structural Integrity Society.