The University of Sheffield
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Dr Claire Utton

Dr Claire Utton

MEng, PhD
Research Associate

Address:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 5504
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5943

Email: c.utton@sheffield.ac.uk

Claire completed her PhD in the area of nuclear waste immobilisation on the ‘Encapsulation of a BaCO3 waste in composite cement’ in 2007. She has subsequently worked at the French Atomic Energy Commission, the Institute of Transuranium Elements and the Tokyo Institute of Technology, in the areas of durability of encapsulated waste and thermodynamic modelling of nuclear fuels. She has since returned to Sheffield, and is currently working in the area of thermodynamic modelling of refractory metals for turbine blade applications.

Research interests

My research interests are based around using thermodynamic modelling to predict the behaviour of materials, under nominal and extreme conditions. This includes developing thermodynamic databases using the Calphad method supported by key experiments (e.g. measuring the thermodynamic and physical properties of materials).

In addition, based on my PhD work I have an active interest in waste encapsulation and cement science, in particular in the development of novel cement systems and the durability of encapsulated wastes.

Current research

My current project is sponsored by Rolls Royce and EPSRC. I am using thermodynamic modelling to predict the properties of multi-component niobium silicide-based alloys, which are next generation materials for turbine blades for aerospace or energy applications.

Key publications