Postdoctoral position on numerical modelling of textile materials using finite element analysis

All information regarding this job offer and how to apply can be found on:

https://www.ugent.be/ea/match/textiles/en/about-us/jobs.htm  

Where

You will work at the ‘Centre for Textile Science and Engineering’ research group at Ghent University (UGent-CTSE). Ghent University is a large university in Belgium, counting about 45,000 students and consistently ranks among the best 100 universities in the world. UGent-CTSE is a research group that investigates the different aspects related to textile materials, going from the development of new fibres, to analysing production processes and material performance, up to the design of smart and better textiles and related materials. It counts 4 professors and has a staff of about 20 people working directly with industry and about 20 researchers doing fundamental research.

The research group and its laboratories are situated in the Tech Lane Science Park in the south of Ghent (Technologiepark 70, 9052 Zwijnaarde). The campus is easily accessed by bike, bus or car.

Duration

Full time position of 3 years.

Job description

Advanced material simulation is a key technology for engineers. Material and process optimization are key factors that could improve textile production and application, especially with the quest for faster and better production processes as well as higher material performance in technical applications. Although a model-based virtual twin is often used in other industries, the multi-scale nature of textile materials makes this a challenging topic for these kind of materials and requires advanced modelling procedures. At UGent, we are therefore developing a new simulation methodology using finite element analysis which has the capability to simulate and predict the microstructure of textiles as well as their mechanical behaviour.

In this project, it is the purpose to further develop the multi-scale textile modelling strategy based on the ‘virtual fibre method’ for different cases. This is still a very new research topic and many scientific questions remain unanswered. You will develop models at the lowest scale, i.e. that of the (virtual) fibres, and build up towards larger structures such as complete fabrics. This also encompasses the development of homogenisation techniques of “1D” (yarns, braids), “2D” (fabrics, …) and “3D” (3D woven structures, spacer fabrics, …) structures. Alongside a strong numerical research focus, it is necessary to have an experimental research track to determine input properties for the simulations as well as to serve as validation of the models.

Contact person

The contact person and promotor of this PhD vacancy is Prof. Lode DAELEMANS (research profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4mTrbq8AAAAJ&hl=en ).

What are we looking for

• You are interested in research and have obtained a master’s degree and/or PhD in mechanical engineering, computational mechanics, materials science, or similar;
• You are familiar with mechanics of materials and experimental and computational techniques;
• Experience with finite element modelling (e.g. Abaqus™) is required;
• Experience with textile materials is a plus;
• You have a good knowledge of English writing and speaking;

What do we offer

• We have extensive experimental and numerical facilities. You will have access to several workstations and a high performance computing cluster to run finite element simulations;
• You will get the chance to attend international conferences (e.g. ECCM, ICCM,...) and to present papers on these conferences. You are encouraged to publish your results not only on international conferences, but also in peer-reviewed international scientific journals;
• A personal laptop and workspace;
• The university offers compensations for public transport (train) and bicycle. The work location can be reached easily by public transport (train and tram/bus);
• There are a lot of sport accommodations and other benefits (reductions on computer purchase, internet connection, fitness, hospitalization insurance policy, ...) for university personnel;
• As a junior postdoc, your net income is about 2500 EUR per month. That is the amount of money that is deposited on your bank account every month (after taxes);

How to apply

Please write a detailed Curriculum Vitae in Dutch or English, containing:

• Personal details (name, nationality, date of birth, …);
• Education, include subject of master’s thesis, PhD thesis and degrees;
• Transcript of records of bachelor’s and master’s degree;
• Work experience (previous jobs);
• Additional skills (finite element software, programming, communication, experimental techniques, …);
• Language skills;
• References (previous relevant projects, published papers, conference contributions, …);

Send the C.V. by e-mail to [email protected] using the subject ‘Application for Postdoc Vacancy 202110’.