PhD student position in solid and structural mechanics

In this position, you will be part of the project "Modelling of crack initiation in anisotropic material", together with the supervision team. You will develop new methods for predicting when rail cracks initiate based on novel experimental and computational methods. The main focus will be on computational methods, but experimental work can be included depending on your interest.

Project description
Your project will be part of the activities in the Competence Centre CHARMEC - CHAlmers Railway MEChanics. CHARMEC is the Swedish National Centre of Excellence in Railway Mechanics, established in 1995. CHARMEC is supported through Chalmers University of Technology, the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and an industrial interest group comprising nine partners. The long-term CHARMEC research and knowledge bank aims at reducing the railway's costs for production, environment, operation and maintenance while improving safety, reliability and transport quality. Currently, about 25 research projects are carried out within CHARMEC.

Cracks in rails are a major source of maintenance cost and time. By reliable predictions of when cracks will initiate, we can optimize both the maintenance and operation of the railway infrastructure. Previous research has shown that the material close to the rail surface is highly anisotropic, which is not accounted for in existing models. The project aims to develop new models for predicting initiation of cracks in this anisotropic material.

The model development will be guided by experimental data as well as theory and simulations. An experimental method developed within CHARMEC has been used to investigate crack initiation in the anisotropic material. Additional experiments may be carried out, either directly in this project or in collaboration with doctoral students at Engineering Materials. The developed models will be implemented into finite element simulations of rolling contact to optimize maintenance and operational conditions.

The PhD student position is to be placed at the Division of Material and Computational Mechanics (Department of Industrial and Materials Science). The work will be carried out in close collaboration with researchers at the Division of Engineering Materials.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibility as a PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies related to the project. The major goal of the project is to develop models for crack initiation in the anisotropic surface layer. This includes the development of mechanical models, experimental procedures, and implementations in a finite element code. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing. You will contribute to enhanced knowledge in the scientific field, in particular by presenting your results in scientific journals and at international conferences.

In addition to the research project, you will also take courses on the advanced level within the Graduate school of Solid and Structural Mechanics. The position also includes teaching courses within Chalmers' undergraduate level, or performing other duties at the department, corresponding to up to 20 percent of full-time work.

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

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
Learn more and apply here: https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/Working-at-Chalmers/Vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=9724


Application deadline: 22 August, 2021