PHD Position on Impact Analysis of Composite Structures

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PhD Position on Impact Analysis of Composite Structures - Op locatie - - Marknesse , Flevoland , Nederland - Aerospace Vehicles
Vacature details Solliciteren Functieomschrijving
Background
The Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) is a leading institute for aerospace research and development in the Netherlands. Our organization is involved in various national and international projects, focusing on innovative technologies and materials for the aerospace industry. As part of our research efforts for the Ministry of Defense, we aim to develop methods to analyse advanced composite structures. The main focus is on implementing high-fidelity computational methods for reliable analysis of high-velocity impact events, with the goal of transforming these into computationally efficient, robust tools suitable for rapid design iteration, optimization, and certification of these advanced composite structures. Within this project, we are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our Computational Mechanics team.
Project description
The candidate will research the available computational methods and (open-source) software suitable for simulating high-velocity impact events. The method should be capable to predict all the relevant damage mechanisms observed in experimental testing that will be performed by the candidate in the first phase of the project. This includes investigating methods such as finite element analysis, mesh-free methods, and smoothed particle hydrodynamics, among others, to determine their suitability for capturing complex damage phenomena like delamination, fiber breakage, and matrix cracking. The first phase of the project is concluded with a comprehensive literature review that summarizes the state-of-the-art in computational modelling of high-velocity impacts on composite structures, highlighting the strengths and limitations of existing approaches. After a s...