Leicester researchers lay it on the line

The work of Leicester engineers has been profiled in a national publication for industry.

The National Grid (NG) Annual Summary 2015/16 by Nicola Shaw, the UK Executive Director of NG, features Leicester’s research as its very first case study.

The Department of Engineering delivered for NG a successful mathematical model for life prediction of the underground electricity transmission cables, which will enable NG to better plan and deliver efficient asset management and investment management.

This was part of a £360k research grant to Leicester - the largest ever in the College of Science and Engineering that was wholly funded by industry.

Professor Jingzhe Pan and Dr David Weston of the Department of Engineering have unique expertise in understanding corrosion fatigue of engineering systems. It is verified through the research that corrosion fatigue is the underlying mechanism responsible for the end-of-life of underground transmission cables.