Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Mechanical and Production Engineering programme. The position is available from 1 August 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.
Title:
Design of microstructure of hybrid fibre composites for strength and damage tolerance
Research area and project description:
This project is part of a bigger project lunched between Aarhus University and 3 industrial partners. The PhD project focuses on the design of hybrid composite microstructure, such that the final material is optimally strong and damage tolerant. The work focuses on the smallest length scales of our project – the nano- and micro-scale, or the graphene layers and reinforcing fiber scale, which will be brought from laboratory experiment, and mathematical and numerical approaches, to the mesoscale – lamina and laminate properties level. In specific, the PhD project will:
- develop a numerical and theoretical model enhancing existing frameworks by considering effects such as creep and thermal stresses. Here, microscale models are necessary since it is the fibre and resin materials thermal coefficient mismatch that will define levels and directions of stresses during their operational lifetime but also during material curing or post-curing. It is also the microscale model that will further enable to precisely tune manufacturing processes and fibre distributions and their organization - size of used fibre tows and number of their layers.
- uncover the initially unknown failure modes due to short- and long-term loading. The novel hybrid system will be investigated for potential failure modes establishing reliable failure loads, and, hence, design criteria using numerical models across different scales. Assessing them is safety-critical and will provide input for manufacturing, where unwanted effects could be mitigated by changing manufacturing parameters or utilizing nanomaterials. The former will be actively pursued with the specific application to tune interface properties between fibre and matrix, enabling design of fail-safe rotors.
The PhD project will be a mixture of numerical, theoretical, and experimental approaches incorporating multiple, multisectorial stakeholders. Such environment will be both vibrant and stimulating giving you a chance to expand your knowledge, soft skills beyond academic.
Project description
For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.
Qualifications and specific competences:
The successful applicant must possess a master’s degree in mechanical/aerospace/material engineering, physics or other relevant field. The successful applicant must be familiar and use numerical methods used in the field of mechanics of materials and programming. Knowledge of composite materials and mechanics will be strongly beneficial.
Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Katrinebjergvej 89F, 8200 Aarhus N.
Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:
How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.
Application deadline is 26 May 2024 at 23:59 CEST.
Preferred starting date is 1 August 2024.
For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.
Please note:
Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.
