Profile

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Tom Pratt

Curriculum Vitae

  • Education:

    Kinver High School, Oldswinford Hospital School, University of Bristol

  • Qualifications:

    GCSE’s in Maths, Science, English, P.E, Business Studies, French, Electronics. A-levels in Maths, Physics, Biology, Electronics. Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering.

  • Work History:

    Pub kitchen, product assembly line, Marks and Spencer, festival steward, cleaner, Wittenstein Aerospace and Simulation, MBDA

  • Current Job:

    PhD Researcher in Advanced Composites.

  • Employer:

    • About Me

      I'm an Aerospace Engineer with a love of sports/outdoor activity/cats

    • Read more

      I live in Bristol with my girlfriend. We do fish and chips on a Friday night and pizza on Saturdays. We have a cat called Indy, she is two years old and loves tuna, her mum was a farm cat so she loves hunting. My girlfriend is a doctor and is currently giving covid vaccinations for the NHS, she is a superhero. I am an Aston Villa season ticket holder, my favourite player is Jack Grealish, my sister got me a signed shirt of his which I have framed in the office.

    • My Work

      I am looking into ways to improve the strength of materials used in aeroplane wings, if the materials are stronger we can use less of them and make the aeroplane lighter (which helps a lot)

    • Read more

      I am looking into ways to improve the performance of carbon-fibre composite materials under compression. Aeroplane structures have to be very light, which often means then are very thin, so they have a tendency to buckle when they are loaded in compression. This is exactly the same as what happens when you stand on a Coca Cola can and someone flicks the edge it, causing it to collapse. Watch the YouTube video below for an example of this if you haven’t seen it before.

    • My Typical Day: My typical day involves logging on at around 9am, I normally start off with some admin and then get started on some coursework or classes. I go for a run around the park at lunch and have some food. In the afternoon and evenings I will continue with coursework and classes.

    • Read more

      I have only just started my course and so haven’t begun the project in anger, but we intend to build some prototype aeroplane wing panels and test them, possibly using cameras and other equipment to record the results of the test.

      We will use computers to make predictions about the performance of the wing panels under compression loading using Finite Element Analysis, producing colourful plots such as the one below. The Finite Element Analysis predictions and experimental results will be compared to show how accurate the model is, the model can then be used more widely in other scenarios once it is shown to be accurate.

       

    • What I'd do with the money

      Outreach with schools

    • Read more

      Develop some resources to use for public engagement either in schools or at an Air Training Corps centre. My mum is a teacher so I would either like to get involved with her school or do something with the Air Cadets as I used to be a cadet and would like to give something back. Ideally this would include the purchasing of kitchen composite materials which could be used to demonstrate the principles behind composites in a hands-on interactive way.

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        coke-can-crushing aerospace engineer

        What's the best thing you've done in your career?

        I developed a flight control system used in a rocket which was tested in the Arctic Circle.

        What or who inspired you to follow your career?

        My Dad subtly encouraged me to apply for Engineering courses whilst at school, I didn't really know what I wanted to do if i'm honest though.

        What was your favourite subject at school?

        Mathematics and science.

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        I honestly never really thought about it, I just picked a course I was interested in to study at university, I would encourage you to think about this more than I did though!

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Sometimes but not too often.

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        Cycle around the world.

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        'Shame' - they're a great rock band.

        What's your favourite food?

        Cheese.

        What is the most fun thing you've done?

        I drove from London to Mongolia in a small Toyota Yaris with three friends, we did some Karaoke in the Gobi desert and played cricket with some Russian soldiers on the Mongolian border.

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        1. More wishes. 2. Aston Villa to win the Premier League. 3. England to win the world cup.

        Tell us a joke.

        What cheese do you use to get a bear out of a tree? Camembert!

Questions answered by Tom

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