Claire Davis is Professor of Ferrous Metallurgy. Her research interests are on the development of microstructure during processing and the relationships between microstructure and properties (both physical and mechanical) in metals; predominantly steels. She is also interested in the non-destructive evaluation of microstructure and defects in metals using a range of NDT techniques and modelling approaches.
Claire is a member of the Rail Research UK (RRUK) Association and has received research project funding from Tata Steel, Network Rail, EPSRC, EU, Alstom, E.ON, TWI amongst others.
Claire became a National Teaching Fellow in 2001, has received numerous awards and grants for educational activities and carries out educational pedagogy and teaching developments. She undertakes public engagement activities through links to local museums, schools and the media.
Claire Davis graduated from St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge, with a BA (Hons) 1st class degree in 1990. She was awarded various prizes, including the Griffiths medal. Claire completed her PhD on ‘Cleavage initiation in the intercritically reheated coarse grained heat affected zone of steel’ sponsored by SERC (now EPSRC) and British Steel (now Tata Steel) from the Department of Materials and Metallurgy at the University of Cambridge in 1994, during which time she spent 2 months at Nippon Steel as part of the European Research Student Experience Scheme.
Following her PhD Claire held a SERC Research Fellowship, followed by a one year University Lectureship in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge. Concurrently she also held a Research Fellowship at St. Catharine’s College. In 1995 Claire moved to a lectureship position in the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham. She was promoted to senior lecturer in 2000, reader in 2007 and professor in 2009.
Claire has published over 80 papers in international journals, given invited and keynote lectures and has/is supervising 28 doctoral students and 5 Masters students. She works closely with Tata Steel and has a number of sponsored students working on steel projects.
Her research interests focus on steels – understanding how the desired microstructure develops during processing; the relationships between microstructure and properties; and non-destructive evaluation of microstructure and defects. She was a founding member of Rail Research UK and has a strong interest in rail related research activites.
Claire has been a member of the EPSRC peer review college since 1998 and was a member of the EPSRC Strategic Advice Team for Public Engagement from 2002-2009. Claire was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship in 2001, a Birmingham University Teaching Fellowship in 2008 and the ExxonMobil Excellence in Teaching Award in 2008.
She gave the Isambard Brunel Lecture at the British Association Science festival in 2006, has lectured at the Royal Institution in London and has worked closely with the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and ThinkTank Museums. Claire has published a number of educational pedagogy papers and presented at workshops and conferences on teaching matters.
Recent journal publications:
Rowshandel H., Papaelias M., Roberts C. and Davis C. (2011) “Development of Autonomous ACFM Rail Inspection Techniques” INSIGHT, 53, 2
Garnham J.E., Franklin F.J., Fletcher D.I. and Davis C.L. (2011) ‘Visualisation and modelling to understand rail rolling contact fatigue crack shape in three dimensions’, Proc. IMechE Part F: J. Rail and Rapid Transit, 225: 65-178
Kostryzhev A.G., Strangwood M. and Davis C.L, (2010) “Bauschinger Effect in Microalloyed Steels: Part I. Dependence on Dislocation-Particle Interaction”, Metallurgical Transactions, 41, 6: 1399-1408: 1399-1408
Yin W., Hao X.J., Peyton A.J., Strangwood M., Davis C.L., (2010) “Measurement of decarburisation of steel rods with an electromagnetic sensor using an analytical model” NDT & E International, 43, 8: 667-670
Garnham J.E., Ding R-G. and Davis C.L., (2010) ‘Ductile inclusions in rail, subject to compressive rolling-sliding contact”, WEAR, 269: 733–746
Hao X.J., Yin W., Strangwood M., Peyton A.J., Morris P.F., Davis C.L., (2010) ‘Modelling the electromagnetic response of dual-phase microstructure of steels’ NDT&E International, 43; 305-315
Papaelias M.Ph., Blakeley B., Roberts C., Davis C.L., Lugg M.C., (2010) “Further developments in high speed detection of rail rolling contact fatigue using acfm techniques” Insight, 52, 7: 358-360
Kundu A., Davis C.L. and Strangwood M., (2010) “Modelling of grain size distributions during single hit deformation of a Nb-containing steel.” Metall. Mat. Trans A, 41A, 4: 994-1002.
Peyton A.J., Yin W., Dickinson S., Davis C.L., Strangwood M., Hao X., Douglas A.J. and Morris P.F., (2010) “On-line microstructure analysis or rod by using induction spectroscopy”, Journal of Ironmaking and Steelmaking, 37, 2: 135-139
Chapters in a Book:
Garnham J.E. and Davis C.L., ‘Rail Materials’ in Wheel/Rail Interface Handbook edited by R. Lewis and U. Olofsson, published by Woodhead publishing. ISBN 978-1-84569-412-8, pp 125-171
Franklin F.J., Garnham J.E., Fletcher D.I., Davis C.L. and Kapoor A., ‘Modelling damage in rails’ in Wheel/Rail Interface Handbook edited by R. Lewis and U. Olofsson, published by Woodhead publishing. ISBN 978-1-84569-412-8, pp 311-348
Davis C.L. and Wilcock E., Chapter 4 ‘Case studies in engineering’ in ‘Effective Learning and Teaching in engineering’, Editors Caroline Baillie and Ivan Moore, Published by RoutledgeFalmer, ISBN 0-415-33489-6, pp51-71