A researcher at Huddersfield University has embarked on work that will contribute to the development of more resilient, longer-lasting turbocharger compressors for the average family and small car.

Bangladeshi doctoral student Md Shams E Tabriz will develop his project through the university’s recently-launched Turbocharger Research Institute using their latest state-of-the-art test equipment.

The results of the work will be of major importance to the automotive industry where the choice of the material for manufacturing turbocharger compressors is a vital issue.

Said Tabriz: “At present, the turbocharger compressors in top-of-the-range ‘super’ cars are mainly produced using titanium, which is stronger than steel and corrosion resistant, yet very expensive.

“In contrast, the compressors in your average, reasonably-priced cars are made of aluminium alloy, which is considerably less expensive, but lacks the durability of titanium.”

Although it is decades since turbochargers were developed and used by the automotive industry, there has been little or no standard test methodology for testing the effect of low cycle fatigue of the compressors.

Low cycle fatigue is the term given by material scientists for the measurement of progressive and localised structural damage of a material that is subjected to cyclic repetitions.

Research and investigations to date have solicited different results in a lab or virtual environment for finite element analysis (FEA) tests than have been found in field results.

Tabriz hopes that his new standard test methodology will bridge that gap and satisfy both field tests and FEA results.

Tabriz has been one of the most successful students to come to the u from Bangladesh.

Originally, undertaking a foundation degree at the university’s International Study Centre, where he scored the highest marks, he went on to study for his BEng in mechanical engineering at Huddersfield .

He was also the inaugural president of the Bangladeshi Students Society.

He completed his degree in 2013 and spent a paid placement year with the UK arm of General Motorsuates of 85%, which earned him one of the university’s Chancellor’s Prizes for outstanding performance.

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