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I'm a mechanical engineer with a PhD in materials engineering and an MSc in sports engineering. I develop metamaterials, which are rationally designed materials with rare or unexpected characteristics, mainly for impact protection. I like working with sports engineers, material scientists, sports brands and manufacturers of protective equipment. I am a chartered engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and co-lead a Special Interest Group within the UK Metamaterials Netowrk on Mechanical Metamaterials.
Sports engineering, impact testing and novel materials and strucutres showcase some of the most exciting aspects of solid mechanics, dynamics and materials engineering - with applications including fashion design, protective equipment and manufacturing. I enjoy sharing these interests.
Enthusiatically, with examples of exciting applications.
PhD in Advanced Materials
- Postdoctoral research associate in advanced materials at Manchester Metropolitan University
- Postdoctoral research assistant in auxetic materials at Sheffield Hallam University
Sports engineers combine interdiscliplinary engineering with human movement, to improve performance and safety, and promote physical activity. Sports participants often rely on novel materials to safely improve their performance, combatting concussion in extreme sports or contact sports, mitigating injuries to the lower limb in running and reducing the weight of bicycles. Sports engineers learn about the latest material innovations, and how to design equipment around people.
Professional Design and Practice
Solid Mechanics and Dynamics
Computational Mechanics
Computer Aided Engineering
MEng Group Project
Research Methods and Skills
Haid, D. Smart materials for ice-hockey helmets, PhD commenced September 2019.
As a PhD student and Postdoc, I developed foams for impact protection and am working with sports brands to implement them. I continute to develop, characterize and apply new materails to impact protection, using novel and established auxetic open and closed cell foam fabrications, 3D printing, finite element modelling, digitial image correlation and impact testing.
I am part of the growing sports engineering research group at Manchester Metropolitan University. I work with members of the Centre for Sports Engineering Research (Drs Hart and Foster, Mr Haid) and the Materials and Engineering Research Institute (Prof Alderson) at Sheffeild Hallam University, a group interested in head and spine injury at the École de Technologie Supérieure (Montreal; Profs Wagnac and Petit, Dr Bailly), and materials engineers and scientists from the University of Maribor, Poznan University of Technology and the University of Malta.
O. Duncan (2024). Fast optimisation of honeycombs for impact protection. International Journal of Impact Engineering. 189, pp.104973-104973.
N. Novak, O. Duncan, T. Allen, A. Alderson, M. Vesenjak, et al. Z. Ren. (2021). Shear modulus of conventional and auxetic open-cell foam. Mechanics of Materials. 157,
T. Allen, M. Pagan, R. Martin, O. Duncan Effect of Rest Periods on Mechanical Ageing of Running Shoes. The 13th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association.
O. Duncan, G. Naylor, JG. M, T. Allen, L. Foster, et al. J. Hart, A. Alderson. Plantar Pressure Distribution under Uniform and Gradient Foam during Running and Jumping. The 13th Conference of the International Sports Engineering Association.
O. Duncan, F. Clegg, A. Essa, AMT. Bell, L. Foster, et al. T. Allen, A. Alderson. (2019). Effects of Heat Exposure and Volumetric Compression on Poisson's Ratios, Young's Moduli, and Polymeric Composition During Thermo-Mechanical Conversion of Auxetic Open Cell Polyurethane Foam. Physica Status Solidi (B) Basic Research. 256(1),
T. Allen, J. Shepherd, J. Wood, D. Tyler, O. Duncan (2021). Wearables for disabled and extreme sports. In: Digital Health. Elsevier, pp.253-273.
T. Allen, O. Duncan, M. Pagan, R. Martin Effect of Rest Periods on Mechanical Ageing of Running Shoes.
O. Duncan, L. Foster, T. Senior, T. Allen, A. Alderson (2016). A Comparison of Novel and Conventional Fabrication Methods for Auxetic Foams for Sports Safety Applications. In: Procedia Engineering. Delft, NETHERLANDS, 11/7/2016. pp.384-389.
The 9th International Conference and 14th International Workshop on Auxetics and Related Systems with “Negative” Characteristics, Sheffield Hallam University, September 10th-13th 2018
Article reviewer for Sports Engineering and Materials
Finite element analysis
Material characterisation
Experimental mechanics
Sports injury prevention
Sports equipment design
Auxetic materials
Guest Editor for a topical collection on Sports Equipment and Materials in Applied Sciences (MDPI)