Our precision balance works to 0.00001 g accuracy (ie 10 micrograms). It has touch-operated slide doors and is isolated from vibration, sitting on a floating granite base with rubber feet.

We use it for wear experiments and other tests to identify loss of material, and in failure investigations to confirm expected weights.

Would your project benefit from our state-of-the-art equipment and expertise? If so, get in touch and let’s talk.

Our Senior Corrosion Consultant Dr Spencer Court has been busy measuring the electric potential of metal structures within the University of Southampton Towing Tank to ensure they stay corrosion-free for many years to come.

If you’d like to know more about our corrosion monitoring services, get in touch and we’ll be happy to discuss your requirements.

It was great to meet students at the Physics Careers Speed Networking Event at King Edward VI School, Southampton, where we talked about what nC² does and the many exciting career opportunities that STEM subjects can open up. All part of our mission to inspire future generations of engineers and materials scientists.

Thanks for having us!

With International Women in Engineering Day fast approaching, what better time to introduce a recent addition to our network of experts, Dr Dimitra Georgiadou.

If your company is seeking insights into novel nanoscale electronic/optoelectronic materials or devices, Dimitra can help. She is our go-to specialist for the fabrication, testing and characterisation of thin films and opto/electronic devices, including flexible substrates and organic materials. She is skilled in the use of advanced characterisation techniques, such as Kelvin probe and atomic force microscopy (AFM), using the University’s suite of high-spec instruments.

This vivid image illustrates the power of erosion.

In combination, water and sand have strong erosive properties, as receding coastlines demonstrate. In an industrial context, at nC² we can test the effect of erosion on materials and components using our state-of-the-art sand/water slurry rig.

The image shows a strong steel sample that has been blasted with slurry perpendicular to the surface. The colours represent the amount of erosion that took place after just 2 hours of exposure. The middle of the sample was left untouched because of a cancelling out effect in the centre. The outside was not so lucky and a donut ring of material was eroded away.

To find out more about our erosion testing services, please get in touch with our expert team.

Hurrah for the students at The Mountbatten School in Romsey, who answered our SOS call and recovered our stolen lab keys from the evil Professor Nogood! We set them our escape-room style challenge as part of the school’s Big Bang outreach day. They got stuck in with enthusiasm, working together to crack a series of science and engineering puzzles, each one revealing a code to unlock a box and ultimately retrieve the keys.

One teacher said: “Our students absolutely loved the tribology escape room! The hands-on tasks are engaging and educational, offering a perfect blend of fun and learning.”

And it was great fun for the nC² team too. All part of our mission to inspire new generations of scientists and engineers.

Abrasion takes place when, during operation, mechanical components slide against other surfaces. To limit this type of damage, surfaces are protected with coatings.

At nC² we have specialist micro abrasion facilities to assess the abrasion resistance of coatings, including evaluating the multilayer thickness of a coating, as shown in this image.

If you’re looking for reliable and robust abrasion testing and analysis – perhaps to help select the best coating for a new product, improve a design where abrasion has caused failure, or set appropriate inspection and maintenance schedules – get in touch for a free initial consultation.

Learn more about our abrasion testing services.

We have a vast range of capabilities at our fingertips thanks to our ever-growing network of experts. For example, if your project involves elemental or isotopic analysis we can call on the specialist skills and knowledge of Professor Andy Milton, Dr Matthew Cooper and Dr Agnes Macey-Michalik at the Centre for Earth Research and Analysis Southampton (CERAS).

With a wealth of experience and a range of advanced facilities, they can optimise samples and select the right instruments to get the data you are looking for. Learn more about the CERAS team.

Although long retired from battle, HMS Victory is still vulnerable to attack. Senior Consultant Rachel Triggs has been on TV and radio news talking about nC²‘s work on the use of nanoparticles to help protect Nelson’s flagship from rainwater, fungus and deathwatch beetles.

Watch Rachel explain the project in the video, and read about how we’re using futuristic science to help preserve a historical treasure.

Professor Nicola Symonds recently attended the International Maritime Pilots’ Association (IMPA) Congress in Rotterdam to present the results of our work on the safe use of pilot ladders.

Ladder-related accidents claim the lives of maritime pilots and other seafarers every year. This was the first study to use mechanical testing to determine the safest way to tie off ladders; using our evidence, IMPA’s aim is to strengthen international standards and ultimately prevent injury and loss of life.

Find out more about the pilot ladders project.

Some BIG billboards for a project with big impact! We’re proud that our work supporting the conservation of HMS Victory is being highlighted across the city alongside other University of Southampton achievements. Our Director, Professor Nicola Symonds, is shown for scale! 

Learn more about our work on the HMS Victory project.

The best thing about being a University-based consultancy? It gives us access to unrivalled expertise and facilities on behalf of our clients. For example, Dr Mark Light, Head of the Materials X-ray Diffraction Facility, is our go-to specialist for any project with an XRD element.

With over 25 years’ experience in this field of materials characterisation, including numerous industry projects, he’s able to advise on optimal techniques and uses the Facility’s state-of-the-art instruments to get the data our clients need.

We’ve been making a film about our involvement in the conservation of HMS Victory – here’s Rachel Triggs talking to camera about the materials testing she’s doing for the team at the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Read more about the HMS Victory project here.

With Easter approaching, we set out to answer the questions on everyone’s lips… which is stronger, chocolate egg or chocolate bunny? And what would it look like if we put them in an Instron electromechanical axial testing machine? Watch the video to find out.

The winner was the bunny, which was much stronger than the egg, requiring 436 N of force to break, while the egg needed just 51 N. On closer inspection (between mouthfuls) we did spot that the bunny was made of thicker chocolate than the egg, which explains its added strength…

A very happy Easter from all of us at nC²!

Our Director Professor Nicola Symonds has been back in the classroom as an industry guest lecturer, sharing her extensive knowledge of materials failure and failure investigation with University of Southampton engineering students.

They are learning from one of the best! Internationally recognised for her expertise in failure and accident investigation, Nicola helps our industry clients solve failure problems, and is regularly asked to provide testing and analysis to the UK’s rail, marine, rail and air accident investigation bodies.

Find out more about Nicola’s expertise.

As March draws to a close we are coming to the end of our celebration of nC²’s super-talented women, but not before we shine the spotlight on Rachel Triggs.

Role: Senior Consultant
Area of expertise: Corrosion control, paint and coatings testing
Career in a nutshell: Worked with nC² since 2016 as a contractor, then recruited as a consultant, after 15 years at the Ministry of Defence
Best thing about the job? “Our team ethos – we always support each other to ensure that we deliver the best results to our customers.”

Find out more about Rachel.

At nC² we’re keen to share our passion for engineering and inspire young people to go into the sector. Here’s Dr Jelili Bello and Sam Hambrook putting this into action at a careers day at Wyvern College in Eastleigh.

They talked about their own motivations and career paths, and their roles at nC2, hopefully sparking some new career ideas and encouraging pupils to pursue their interest in STEM.