PhD in Experimental and Numerical Study of a Rough-Wall Boundary Layer

Information about the research/the project/the division
The Department of Applied Mechanics is one of the leading environments within Mechanical Engineering and Vehicle research. The six different research divisions conduct world-leading research, usually in close collaboration with national and international industries. Research topics encompass both fundamental and applied research questions. Our goal is to contribute to the development of safe and environmentally friendly products for a sustainable society. The Department of Applied Mechanics offers a wide range of courses in the undergraduate programmes, in addition to two international Masters Programmes in Applied Mechanics and Automotive Engineering. Courses are available within the four graduate schools: Thermo and Fluid Dynamics, Machine and Vehicle Systems, Solid and Structural Mechanics, and Internal Combustion Engine Technology. In addition Applied Mechanics provides international continuation courses.

The department has approximately 170 employees. The details of the departmental research activities may be found at http://www.chalmers.se/am

The project will be a part of a large European project which aims to contribute to the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly marine transport by use of advanced surface coatings. For a typical ship such as a container vessel or bulk carrier the frictional resistance of the underwater hull contributes to 70-90 % of the total ship resistance. The frictional resistance depends significantly on the surface roughness. Typically, the frictional resistance and performance of hull coatings is evaluated by measurements in a towing tank, which is very expensive and labor intensive method.

The aim of current PhD project is to develop a reliable CFD method for prediction of the frictional resistance of surfaces with a roughness of arbitrary type. The numerical results will be validated by measurements in a small-scale rig and by towing tank tests. The development of a new small-scale rig at Chalmers will require a use of design tools and CAD during the early stage of the project. The work will involve close cooperation with Norwegian companies Jotun and Marintek.

Major responsibilities
Present project focuses on measurements and simulations of the boundary layer flow over rough surfaces. The measurements will be conducted in our own small-scale rig with PIV (particle image velocimetry). The design of the rig will be a part of the project. The CFD studies will be conducted with ANSYS Fluent and CFX. Thus, good knowledge of measurement techniques, CAD, CFD, turbulence modeling, boundary layer theory is beneficial.

Your major responsibilities as PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing, both in Swedish and in English. The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 20 per cent of working hours.

Positions summary
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in Swedish and English. If Swedish is not your native language, you should be able to teach in Swedish after two years. Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Application deadline: 2013-10-09

For questions, please contact:
Associate Professor, Docent Valery Chernoray
Division of Fluid Dynamics
valery.chernoray@chalmers.se
+46 31 772 5030

Professor Lars Davidson
Division of Fluid Dynamics
lada@chalmers.se
+46 31 772 1404




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