PhD Candidate in Advanced Forming of Extruded Aluminium Profiles with High-Content Recycled Alloys

15 Apr 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Research Field

Engineering » Mechanical engineering
Engineering » Materials engineering
Engineering » Industrial engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

15 May 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

37,5

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description
This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the job

We are looking for a 3-year PhD candidate within the field of “Advanced Forming of Extruded Profiles Based on Recycled Aluminium”. The position is within the research project “HEXAL” funded by the Research Council of Norway.

The HEXAL Project:

HEXAL seeks to develop and verify a step-change in the use of aluminium post-consumer scrap (PCS) for structural products particularly for the automotive industry, aiming to meet the automotive OEM's ambitious goals for decarbonization.

The project is focused on a new process for heat treatment and extrusion of high strength aluminum for automotive applications named HyperAl. With this process the production cost can be reduced while the material properties are improved. A new patented calibration method for significantly improving the geometrical tolerances of parts will be integrated with the HyperAl process. This combination will enable fabrication of modules with very strict requirements on geometrical tolerances without costly machining of the included parts.

By utilizing primary aluminium produced with renewable electricity in combination with a high amount of PCS it will be possible to produce aluminium parts with a carbon footprint below 2 kg CO2/kg Al, which is only 1/8 of the world average footprint of aluminium. This will be very attractive for the OEM’s and a competitive advantage for Hydro and Raufoss Technology.

The PhD Position:

In this PhD position you will work on developing advanced forming processes for aluminum extruded profiles based on PCS recycled materials, thus improving the mechanical properties and product quality (including dimensional accuracy and integrity) of automotive components. The use of PCS in the production of automotive components is limited by the alloying elements of PCS, which may affect the mechanical properties and product quality, including dimensional accuracy and integrity. Your PhD research will particularly focus on be placed on developing, prototyping and validating new forming methods and processes for improved dimensional accuracy and mechanical properties of extruded profiles, leveraging the use of PCS in the automotive industry.

The research work is expected to cover practical experiments (including forming experiments, and mechanical/microstructure characterization tests), theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation.

You will work in collaboration with industrial partners Hydro and Raufoss Technology, and needs to be responsible for reporting progress and delivering outputs to the project.

The PhD position is linked to NTNU Aluminium Product Innovation Center (NAPIC) and MANULAB – Norwegian manufacturing research infrastructure.

Your immediate leader is Professor Torgeir Welo, Head of Department.

Duties of the position

• develop, prototype and validate new forming processes of extruded profiles for improved accuracy and mechanical properties
• investigate the impact of thermal-mechanical processing in aluminum extrusion on the subsequent forming processes and product quality
• perform mechanical and microstructural testing, characterization and analysis to assess the properties of components
• investigate the process behaviours, mechanisms and models to improve the process capabilities
• conduct and publish high-level research at peer-reviewed journals and international conferences to qualify for PhD career
• take part in the mandatory PhD research education programme

Required selection criteria

• you must have a professionally relevant background in Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Materials Processing
• your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree programme, where 120 credits are obtained at master’s level
• you must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• you must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program
• documented strong background in process development in metal forming
• excellent written and oral English

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate  and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant 

Preferred selection criteria

• knowledge and testing skills in mechanical properties and microstructure analysis of aluminium alloys
• experience in the design and development of machine tools in metal forming processes
• experience with modelling of material, process, and product behavior (like using analytical, finite element (FE) analysis, data-driven modelling approaches)

Personal characteristics

• highly motivated, independent and enthusiastic
• strong ability to systematically carry out goal-oriented work
• enjoy interdisciplinary research
• keen interest in learning and working in teams
• good skills to deliver oral and written presentation of research results
• strong interest in conducting experimental and numerical research

Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment  with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Engineering  within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

--------------------------------

The position is subject to external funding.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include: 

• CV and certificates
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's and master's degrees. If you have not completed the master's degree, you must submit a confirmation that the master's thesis has been submitted.
• a copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment
• preliminary research plan (max. 2 pages)
• documentation relevant to the required criteria
• name and contact information of three referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates. 

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

-----------------

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

----------------------

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation . You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Jun Ma, e-mail: [email protected] , and Professor Torgeir Welo, [email protected] .

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Consultant Hedda Winnberg, e-mail: [email protected] .

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.  

Application deadline: 15.05.2024

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

 

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

We educate graduates who can create new products, operate and maintain products, and manage projects. The Department has a variety of bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes. We conduct wide-ranging research in fields such as technology, energy, product quality and development, and productivity. The Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering.

Requirements

Research Field

Engineering » Mechanical engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Materials engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Engineering » Industrial engineering

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Country

Norway

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/261649/phd-candidate-in-advanced…

Contact

City

Trondheim

Website

http://www.ntnu.no

Street

Richard Birkelands vei 2B

Postal Code

N-7034

STATUS: EXPIRED