Researchers at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, have secured new funding to explore how acoustics can be applied to materials engineering, in a project aimed at improving the safety and performance of building materials.
Dr Hasina Rahman, a research fellow at WMG’s Advanced Materials Manufacturing Centre, has been awarded backing from Noise Network Plus to develop “AcouPore”, an initiative that combines sound-based analysis with nanoporous materials.
The project seeks to address a longstanding industry challenge: assessing the performance of insulation materials without causing damage. By using acoustics to monitor how materials respond to pressure, gases and environmental conditions, the research aims to enable smarter building systems capable of self-monitoring and early fault detection.
AcouPore will also focus on developing a new diagnostic tool that integrates acoustics, nanoscale gas fluidics and future digital-twin modelling. This approach is expected to generate a detailed database on the behaviour of nanoporous materials, supporting both engineering applications and future research programmes.
The need for improved monitoring technologies has been underscored by issues surrounding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC), a widely used lightweight material in buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1990s that has proven vulnerable to deterioration and sudden failure. The WMG-led project aims to help identify early signs of such degradation, while also contributing to the development of more durable and sustainable insulation materials.
According to the funding body, the project aligns with wider efforts to reduce noise and its impacts on people, the environment and the economy through multidisciplinary research.
The six-month pilot is intended to generate initial data to support a larger-scale research programme, as Dr Rahman looks to expand the application of acoustics in advanced materials engineering.
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