Dr. Bamber Blackman

Biography

Bamber Blackman is a Professor of Mechanics, Materials, and Structures in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, where he leads the Adhesion & Adhesives research group. His research interests encompass fracture mechanics, structural adhesive joints, and polymeric fibre-reinforced composite materials. He specializes in the effects of mode-mix, test rate, and service environment on structure-property relationships. His work includes the study of adhesion-related phenomena, surface pre-treatment prior to adhesive bonding, quantification of surface modification, and assessing the long-term durability of adhesive joints. He has explored the combination of mechanical and adhesive joining techniques in hybrid systems and focuses on designing sculpted metal surfaces that efficiently join polymer-based fibre composites. Furthermore, his research on fracture damage mechanics is routinely applied to understand performance and predict the surface life of materials. He has managed relevant BSI ISO committees for the development of standards in measuring fracture toughness of adhesively bonded fibre-composite materials and is an active member of the European Structural Integrity Society. He has served as a Guest Editor for various journals and chaired multiple, relevant society divisions. He has authored over 100 refereed papers and book chapters on structural adhesives and composites.

Research Interests