PhD position on Polymeric Friction for Offshore Industry Applications

Job description

The ongoing 4th industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) will continue experiencing an evolving trend, marked by the exponential growth of additive manufacturing, and an increasing demand of customization of the manufactured products. However, the manufacturing sector needs to meet unpostponable sustainability guidelines and criteria. This means minimizing the energy losses as much as possible. To fully sustain this ongoing transition, two key technical challenges need to be simultaneously tackled: the uncertainty induced to the product by the production process (e.g. human errors, geometrical and material variabilities caused by the manufacturing process and/or by the machine setup) and the increasing complexity of the manufactured goods, especially if they are the critical parts or components. The ambition of APRIORI is to develop new technologies that will enable for the first time the development of a unique integrated product design strategy that will drastically improve the performance of critical parts or components under uncertainties.

This doctoral project is part of a larger, multidisciplinary and international project APRIORI: “Active PRoduct-to-Process LearnIng fOR Improving Critical Components Performance” (no. 101073551) funded under the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks within the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Commission. APRIORI gathers universities (KU Leuven, TU Delft, Aalborg University), research institute (Jozef Stefan Institute) and small- and large-scale industry (Grundfos Holding AS, Materialise NV, Temporary Works Design 9 B.V., Qlector) from manufacturing, equipment design, manufacturing software and data-driven solutions sectors. The APRIORI mission is to train the next generation of doctoral candidates regarding the uncertainty induced by the production process (e.g. human errors, geometrical and material variabilities caused by the manufacturing process and/or by the machine setup) and the increasing complexity of the manufactured goods characterized by their critical parts or components.

APRIORI is set to offer 10 doctoral candidates the organizational framework and resources necessary for undertaking high-impact research within a multidisciplinary and international network, involving  academic and practice partners from Belgium, Slovenia, Denmark and the Netherlands. In addition to their research activities, the doctoral candidates will participate in peer-educational initiatives, further enhancing the collaborative and scholarly dimensions of the program.

Your involvement in this project concerns the investigation of the tribological and frictional performance of polymeric surfaces sliding against coated steel surfaces. Specifically, you will focus on the understanding and prediction of the transition from stick to slip behaviour. The research is framed within the context of offshore industry friction-based connections used in mission equipment on offshore wind installation vessels. Currently, there is a lack of high-fidelity guidelines for the design, characterization and selection of these friction-based support elements. To fill this gap, you will develop testing and predictive models to quantify the friction force variability with reference to the interface features, such as interfacial stiffness, roughness, hardness and other material, environmental, and operational properties. Potential friction models will be sought within the direction of physics-informed probabilistic models, by integrating aspects of contact mechanics, tribology and acquired experimental data.

The project is embedded in a cross-departmental collaboration within the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, including the Department of Mechanics, Materials, Management and Design (3MD), the Department of Hydraulic Engineering (HE) and the Department of Engineering Structures (ES).

Job requirements

Consider joining us on this PhD journey if:

• You have a MSc level background on, or you are eager to learn, experimental mechanics;
• You have a MSc level background on numerical methods for mechanics;
• You have a MSc level background on, or you are eager to learn, scientific machine learning and probabilistic modelling.
• You have earned an MSc degree in fields like applied mathematics, applied physics, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, offshore (marittime) engineering, hydraulic engineering, aerospace engineering.
• You have a good attitude in improving communication skills and a good teamwork attitude within a multicultural group comes naturally to you.
• You are passionate about applied research, self-driven and a quick learner.

This is a unique opportunity to advance both your academic and practical skills and to create a strong international network, and we encourage you to apply if you meet these criteria.    

TU Delft

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences

The Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences (CEG) is committed to outstanding international research and education in the field of civil engineering, applied earth sciences, traffic and transport, water technology, and delta technology. Our research feeds into our educational programmes and covers societal challenges such as climate change, energy transition, resource availability, urbanisation and clean water. Our research projects are conducted in close cooperation with a wide range of research institutions. CEG is convinced of the importance of open science and supports its scientists in integrating open science in their research practice. The Faculty of CEG comprises 28 research groups in the following seven departments: Materials Mechanics Management & Design, Engineering Structures, Geoscience and Engineering, Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Transport & Planning, Hydraulic Engineering and Water Management.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Civil Engineering & Geosciences.

Conditions of employment 

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. 

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2872 per month in the first year to € 3670 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills. 

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.  

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

EU Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher allowances will be used to cover both the employee's as the employer's mandatory charges. As a member of APRIORI, you will also be offered the opportunity to visit different institutes and industrial partners for a number of months every year. You will also be part of a unique doctoral training program designed specifically for APRIORI researchers.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Alessandro Cabboi A.Cabboi@tudelft.nl, or Dr. Oswaldo Morales Napoles O.MoralesNapoles@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than 25 November 2024 via the application button and upload the following documents:

• CV

• Motivational letter

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements. 

Please note:

• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post. 

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.

• A knowledge security check will be part of the selection procedure. (for details page 45: national knowledge security guidelines)

• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.