PhD scholarship in Nonlinear Strain Paths in Sheet Metal Forming - DTU Construct

If you are looking for a research opportunity and a PhD position, here is a possibility at the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark. The PhD project involves experimental testing of formability limits and contact conditions under complex in-plane loading paths of sheet metal during forming. Analytical and numerical models will be developed to describe the experimental findings, and new theories will be established to extend current state of the art. Academic, international partners will be involved, and Danish industry will support the project with experimental facilities and will be following the developments to ensure applicability for industry. The position is to be filled April 1, 2025, or soon after that.

Responsibilities
The PhD project will explore formability and contact mechanics under non-linear strain paths, where the principal strain directions change. In the limit, the major and minor principal strain axes may even swap. This will add a new dimension to the understanding of both formability and the development of real contact area against a tool surface, which is important for estimation of friction. A new tool will be developed for combining real-time measurements of in-plane strains and live-update of the actual formability curve/surface accounting for the nonlinear strain paths. Analytical and numerical modeling will be carried out to enrich the understanding of the strain path influence on both formability and real contact area.

Your primary tasks in the PhD project will be to:

• Characterize sheet material in terms of flow stress curves and anisotropy.
• Design and carry out experiments following selected strain paths.
• Evaluate resulting formability based on measured in-plane strains.
• Evaluate real contact area in tool contacts.
• Establish new models to describe the experimental findings.
• Apply FEM simulations to gain necessary process information.
• Demonstrate how the new models can be used for prediction and link to industrial use.

Furthermore, your tasks as academic employee will include:

• Assistance in teaching.
• Supervision of BSc and MSc student projects.
• Dissemination of research results in scientific journals and conferences.

Qualifications:

• Good understanding of metal forming processes and/or solid mechanics.
• Experience with experimental work is an advantage.
• Experience with numerical simulations (FEM) is an advantage.

You will work in a research team combining manufacturing engineering, solid mechanics, experimental methods and analytical/numerical modeling. A longer period at a university outside Denmark is needed, lab work will partly be carried out with an industrial partner, and visits and presentations to Danish industry are also generally expected.

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.

Approval and Enrolment  
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU's rules for the PhD education . 

Assessment
The assessment of the applicants will be made by Associate Professor Chris Valentin Nielsen and Associate Professor Brian Nyvang Legarth. 

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here http://www.dtu.dk/english/about/job-and-career/working-at-dtu/career-paths.

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Chris Valentin Nielsen, [email protected]  and Associate Professor Brian Nyvang Legarth, [email protected] . 

You can read more about Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at www.construct.dtu.dk/.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU. 

Application procedure 
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 14 January 2025 (23:59 Danish time) . Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply now", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file . The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae 
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master's degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply. As DTU works with research in critical technology, which is subject to special rules for security and export control, open-source background checks may be conducted on qualified candidates for the position.

DTU Civil and Mechanical Engineering develops and utilizes science and technical knowledge for the benefit of society and sustainable development. We undertake research, education, innovation, and scientific advice of the highest quality within building design and processes, building construction and safety, building energy and installation, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, materials technology, manufacturing engineering, engineering design and thermal energy systems.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,500 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.