Department of
Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering
 

Image of Kathy Johnson

Kathy Johnson

Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering

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Biography

Following her graduation from Manchester University with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering Kathy (Simmons) worked for Thorn EMI Flow Measurement (subsequently Schlumberger Flow Measurement) for 3 years as a research engineer and senior research engineer developing a new domestic gas meter based around a fluidic oscillator. Following a career break when her children were small, Kathy undertook a PhD at Nottingham University, graduating in 1998 and progressing to a post-doctoral position in the newly formed Rolls Royce University Technology Centre in Gas Turbine Transmissions where she developed CFD modelling of an aeroengine HPIP bearing chamber.

Kathy became a member of academic staff at Nottingham University in 2001 continuing her research within the Transmissions UTC and contributing to a number of EU and UK funded research consortia. In 2007 Kathy moved to Rolls Royce in Derby as Global Chief of R&T in Transmissions Structures and Drives, a post she held for 2 years before returning to Nottingham University in 2009.

In 2015 Kathy was given the role of course director for a new course in Aerospace Engineering at Nottingham and was a key member of the team who developed and delivered the new course, which has its first intake in 2016. 2018 saw Kathy become Head of Department for Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, a role she held for 18 months.

Kathy is currently an associate professor in the department holding a number of departmental roles including Admissions tutor. She is an active member of the Gas Turbine and Transmissions Research Centre (G2TRC), home to the Transmissions UTC. (Her surname changed from Simmons to Johnson in 2019.)

Expertise Summary

Experimental Fluids

Kathy has always had an interest in experimental fluids and through the Transmissions UTC has had the opportunity to work with Rolls Royce and G2TRC engineering colleagues to develop some increasingly complex test rigs and test facilities. These rigs have been used yield improved understanding and design capabilty for aeroengine bearing chambers including the internal gearbox. Optical methods including high speed imaging are using alongside other measurement techniques.

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Throughout her industry and university research career Kahty has worked on projects where CFD has been applied to enhance understanding of industrially relevant flow situations. The CFD and experimental strands of research are closely interlinked with experimental work providing validation data for CFD. Her primary research activity is linked to aerospace transmissions where, through the University Technology Centre in Gas Turbine Transmission Systems, she have supervised a number of projects that have enhanced the ability of engineers to model the two-phase flow within aeroengine bearing chambers and gearboxes. Many of these projects have applied commercial CFD packages, primarily Fluent and some open source and in-house codes for specialist applications (thin film motion within bearing chambers, droplet impact on thin films) have been developed.

Applications

In terms of engineering applications, Kathy's current research is all aeroengine focussed, primarily on bearing chambers (two-phase highly rotating flow, film droplet and jet interactions etc). Recent research has investigated intershaft seals and oil scoops. In the past some interesting work on gear windage (mostly the spiral bevel gear of an aeroengine internal gearbox, but some spur gear work too) has been done.

Teaching Summary

Kathy enjoys teaching and has taught Thermofluids, CFD, Introduction to Aerospace and Management related modules. She currently convenes the 3rd year Aerospace Management module and the first year… read more

Research Summary

My current research is focussed around two main themes. Firstly the application of optical and other investigative techniques to multiphase flow in aeroengine bearing chamber geometries and secondly… read more

Recent Publications

Kathy enjoys teaching and has taught Thermofluids, CFD, Introduction to Aerospace and Management related modules. She currently convenes the 3rd year Aerospace Management module and the first year Aerospace module that includes Maths, Matlab and the design activity of the 3 project weeks.

Kathy was part of the team that developed and implemented the Aerospace Engineering course at Nottingham, holding the role of course director for a few years.

Current Research

My current research is focussed around two main themes. Firstly the application of optical and other investigative techniques to multiphase flow in aeroengine bearing chamber geometries and secondly the development and application of CFD to model flow and heat transfer in aeroengine transmissions systems, primarily bearing chambers.

The vast majority of my research takes place within the Gas Turbines and Transmissions Research Group (G2TRC) and is closely linked to capability acquisition at Rolls Royce Aerospace.

Past Research

The majority of my research career has been associated with CFD and experimental approaches to understanding, modelling and improving aeroengine transmissions systems with particular focus on bearing chambers.

In my early career I worked on Vortex shedding and fluidic oscillators using PIV, CFD and optical techniques.

My PhD invovled the application of CFD and PIV to ceramic candle filters for clean coal technology.

Future Research

I hope and plan to continue to research collaboratively within G2TRC and with Rolls Royce Aerospace colleagues.

Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Materials Engineering

The University of Nottingham
University Park
Nottingham, NG7 2RD


telephone: +44 (0) 115 95 14081