PhD candidate in micromechanically based modelling of plastic flow and fracture in aluminium alloys

4 Jan 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

NTNU Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Department

Department of Structural Engineering

Research Field

Engineering

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Norway

Application Deadline

1 Feb 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Oslo)

Type of Contract

Permanent

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

At the Department of Structural Engineering, NTNU, we have a vacancy for a PhD candidate in micromechanically based modelling of plastic flow and fracture in aluminium. The position is linked to the research group SIMLab  (Structural Impact Laboratory).

For a position as a PhD candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.

Aluminium alloys are used in many structural applications due to their combination of high strength, low mass density, good formability, and excellent corrosion resistance. Today, they are increasingly being used by the automotive industry for lightweighting of vehicles and the materials’ strength and ductility are key properties for passenger safety. To predict the structural behaviour and design structural components with the desired properties, we need accurate and reliable mathematical models for the materials’ mechanical behaviour. Design is traditionally based on phenomenological models that describe relevant experimental observations but have otherwise little physical relevance. An alternative is to use physically based models that account for the micromechanical mechanisms leading to plastic flow and ductile fracture.

Aluminium alloys are polycrystalline solids with a complex microstructure that consists of numerous grains and particles of many sizes and shapes. To be useful for structural applications, the alloys are subjected to various heat treatments and forming processes that change the microstructure and mechanical properties, such as strength and ductility. While the strength is controlled by nano-sized particles and solute atoms in the microstructure, the ductility of an alloy depends on many factors. Ductile fracture is often linked to the nucleation, growth, and coalescence of voids from the microscopic particles. These particles are still much smaller than the grains that gives rise to plastic anisotropy. Micromechanically based modelling therefore requires a combination of models that resolve the underlying mechanisms at the relevant scales.

At SIMLab, several micromechanically based models and methods have been developed over the last decade. These include nanostructure models taking strain-rate and temperature effects into account, crystal plasticity models, unit cell models, strain localization analysis and artificial neural networks for upscaling. The main objective of the proposed PhD project is to further develop the existing micromechanically based models and to validate these models through dedicated and high-quality physical experiments on various extruded 6000-series aluminium alloys. The work will be experimental, theoretical, and numerical.

Your immediate leader is Associate Professor Lars Edvard Blystad Dæhli. 

Duties of the position

• Contribute towards excellent research in solid mechanics at the Department of Structural Engineering.
• Disseminate relevant parts of the research to a wider audience.
• Use and further develop existing computational models to predict strength and ductility of extruded 6000-series aluminium alloys.
• Theoretical studies of advanced computational models for plastic flow and ductile fracture.

Required selection criteria

• You must have a professionally relevant background in solid mechanics or structural engineering.
• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, 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.
• Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented by October 31st, 2024.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's doctoral program from the Faculty of Engineering .
• You must be fluent in spoken and written English.
• You must have demonstrated competence in solid mechanics and non-linear finite element analysis.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology . Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU.

Please note that the candidate holding the announced position is expected to work with critical infrastructure and areas affected by control of the export of strategic goods, services and technology. Candidates with the potential of not fulfilling requirement for security clearance, access clearance and authorization as described in the Act Relating to National Security, The Export Control Act and Act on the Implementation of International Sanctions (Sanctions Act) cannot be considered for the position (e.g., candidates from Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, among other countries).

After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

Preferred selection criteria

• Experience in conducting experimental work.
• Experience in coding, e.g., using Python and Fortran.
• Fluent in spoken and written Norwegian.

Personal characteristics

• Good cooperation skills.
• Motivated and ambitious.
• Creative and eager to learn.

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 three 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.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants , and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

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

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. 
• Name and contact information of three referees.
• If you have publications or other relevant research work.

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.  (tas bort hvis ikke aktuelt)

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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.

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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 Lars Edvard Blystad Dæhli, email: [email protected] . If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR consultant June Hovde, 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: 01.02.2024

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 Structural Engineering

We teach mechanical engineering, engineering and ICT, and civil and environmental engineering. The Department conducts internationally leading research and participates in several large national research projects. The Department of Structural Engineering  is one of eight departments in the Faculty of Engineering .

Requirements

Research Field

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/254122/phd-candidate-in-micromec…

Contact

City

Trondheim

Website

http://www.ntnu.no

Street

Richard Birkelands vei 1A

Postal Code

7491

STATUS: EXPIRED