PhD Scholarship in Development of Simulation for the Fatigue Life Prediction of AM Components based on Process-Induced Defects

DTU, Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, the Section for Manufacturing Engineering invites applications for a PhD position (3 years) on the topic of simulation of process induced defects and the resultant fatigue life of metal additive manufactured samples.  

The project is part of a Villum Investigator grant titled “Microstructural engineering of additive manufactured metals - MicroAM” funded by the VILLUM FONDEN. The overall aim of the project is to introduce microstructural engineering to the field of additive manufacturing (AM) of metals. This is to set the stage for optimizing metals microstructures in-situ during the AM process as well as ex-situ during post-AM treatments and enable predictions of the microstructural evolution, and thus changes in properties, while AM components are in use.

More specifically, the PhD position will look towards connecting different advanced software tools (of multi-physics and data-based models) simulating the metal AM process & microstructure with experimental observations of fatigue failure in AM samples under aggressive/corrosive environments. The goal is to establish causal pathways for understanding failure in AM components. The position will involve development of codes/models simulating the nucleation and propagation of stress corrosion cracking in samples under low cycle fatigue conditions, as well as models for linking the microstructure from the AM process to the fatigue behavior. The position will involve active collaboration with international research groups working on the simulation of corrosion of metal AM, as well as close interaction with the other PhDs/Postdocs and more senior scientists within the MicroAM project.   

Responsibilities and qualifications

If you are interested in numerical simulations of advanced manufacturing processes which involve several physical phenomena and subsequent cross-linking of these simulations over different length-scales as well as of simulations and experiments, perhaps you are our new PhD student. 

The aim is to predict the impact of external cyclic loads (during real-life loading scenarios under aggressive conditions) on the porosity and microstructural evolution in additively manufactured metallic samples, by the development of advanced computational multiphysics models of stress corrosion cracking and coupling these with process-microstructure models (being developed within MicroAM project). Main focus will be on additively manufactured AlSiMg alloys. You will be responsible for the development, calibration and validation of the corresponding advanced multi-physics computational models. You will collaborate closely with a postdoctoral researcher responsible for in-situ fatigue testing under corrosive environments, and will participate in the 4D (x,y,z,time) analysis of the AM microstructure and crack formation/propagation phenomena. In addition to the direct project related research, you will have the opportunity to disseminate your research through publication of papers and presentations at international conferences.

You will work in close collaboration with a group of senior scientists, technicians as well as Post Docs and PhDs all engaged in the Villum Investigator project MicroAM. A 3–6-month foreign stay at an international research group focusing on microstructural modelling of corrosion in AM parts will be part of the PhD project. 

You must have a two-year master's degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master's degree. 

Application

To apply, please read the full job advertisement via the 'Apply' button above.

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