Sarah Hainsworth

• MSc Coordinator
• Assistant Senior Tutor
• Director of Advanced Microscopy Centre

Professor in Materials Engineering
Mechanics of Materials Research Group

BEng, PhD (Newcastle), CEng, CSci, FIMMM
T: +44 (0)116 252 5692
F: +44 (0)116 252 2525
E: svh2@le.ac.uk

Location: Room 216, Michael Atiyah Building

Main Research Interests:
Current research is progressing in four main areas, namely automotive tribology, microstructural evolution in power plant materials, measurement of residual stress in engineering components using neutron diffraction and forensic engineering. The work in automotive tribology is involved in investigating the mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of  coated components for use in the automotive valve-train. This ranges from thin hard coatings such as diamond-like carbon (DLC) and carbon nitride (CNx) to experimental coatings  and surface structures being developed in collaboration with Prof. A. Abott in the Department of Chemistry.

The research in this area is mainly experimentally based, and is aimed at providing an understanding of the performance of materials through fully characterizing the observed response under a range of experimental conditions and then developing models to predict how changes in the coatings mechanical properties will affect the overall system performance.

A number of specially developed testing rigs predict in-service performance by running under operating conditions as close to engine conditions as possible.

Fig 1: An electron backscattered diffraction map of a steel sample after exposure to high temperature and stress. Such maps allow us to monitor changes in grain sizes and orientations and help us understand how microstructure evolves over time.

Microstructural evolution occurs in materials subjected to high temperatures and high stresses in steam and gas power plant. We are investigating steels and nickel-based alloys in order to understand how their microstructures and mechanical properties evolve as a function of exposure to the operating environment. The work involves characterisation of microstructures by optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopies and the results are being used in development of appropriate models.

Fig 2: A transmission electron microscope image of particles of diesel soot. An understanding of the structure and size of particles is aiding our understanding of how soot in diesel oil leads to increased engine wear.

Neutron diffraction is being used to evaluate intergranular stresses in magnesium alloys for optimising production routes for automotive applications. Magnesium is a lightweight high strength material that can be processed by casting and forging and experiments are being conducted to better understand processing on resultant mechanical performance.

Research in the field of forensic engineering is aimed at understanding how weapons used in dismemberment can be uniquely identified and how knife sharpness can be characterized to relate to forces involved in crimes involving stabbing.

In addition to her research, Sarah is Director of the Advanced Microscopy Centre for the University and collaborates widely on the use of microscopy on a broad range of research.

Recent Publications:
• S.V. Hainsworth & N.J. Uhure, “Diamond-Like Carbon Coatings for Tribology: Production Techniques, Characterization Methods and Applications” International Materials Reviews, 52 (2007) 153-174
• P.A.Saville, S.V. Hainsworth, G.N.Rutty “Cutting Crime: The Analysis of “Uniqueness” of Saw Marks on Bone“ International Journal of Legal Medicine 121 (2007) 349-357
• S.D.A. Lawes, M.E. Fitzpatrick & S.V. Hainsworth “Evaluation of the tribological properties of DLC for engine applications”, J. Phys. D.: Applied Physics, 40 (2007) 5427-5437
• J. Veverkova & S.V. Hainsworth, “Effect of Temperature and Counterface on the Tribological Performance of W-DLC on a Steel Substrate” Wear 264 (2008) 518–525