The PhD vacancy is available in the �Mechanics of Materials and Structures� research group at Ghent University. The offices and laboratories of this group are situated in the south of Ghent (Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 903, 9052 Zwijnaarde).
Duration ?
The PhD vacancy is a full-time job position for 4 years. The funds do not allow hiring a post-doctoral researcher.
Job description ?
Nowadays, many new buildings are designed with a large glass facade, also in Belgium. Very recent and impressive examples are the new �R�sidence Palace� building in Brussels, where European president Herman Van Rompuy will have his office, and the new NATO building in Evere. Both have very large glass facades and are at the same time prone to terrorist attacks. The blast design of these glass facades is therefore mandatory. However, blast design of glass facades is still mainly a matter of rules of thumb, and of experimental large-scale certification tests.The aim of this project is to improve the fundamental knowledge on the mechanical response of glass facades to air blast loading and develop an experimental and numerical framework to assess the blast resistance of different concepts of glass facades without the need for many large-scale tests. The objectives therefore are:
experimental assessment of the blast response of laminated glass windows for use in large glass facades by widely instrumented small-scale air blast tests,
numerical modelling of the elastic, breakage and post-failure response of the laminated glass window with advanced finite element techniques,
large-scale experimental validation of the developed modelling framework for a realistic glass facade construction.
One PhD student has already started in September 2011 on the experimental investigation of the blast response of laminated glass. The currently open PhD position is for a second researcher on this project, who will deal with the numerical investigations. The experimental input and validation experiments will be supplied by the other PhD student.
The innovative aspects of this PhD work are in the simulation of the post-failure response of laminated glass. Many commercial codes can already predict the onset of failure for glass facades under blast loading, but the post-failure response is far more difficult to predict. Laminated glass consists of two tempered/heat-treated glass panes, with a polymer (PVB) interlayer in between. The combination of the very brittle fracture behaviour of the glass and the large plastic deformation of the polymer interlayer poses large computational challenges. Currently, particle finite element methods such as SPH (Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics) on the one hand, and classical finite element methods with cohesive elements on the other hand are explored.
This is a PhD position for pure numerical research, the experimental testing will be done by the other PhD student. So, the PhD candidate should have a strong background in numerical modelling, fracture mechanics and finite elements (if possible cohesive zone methods and/or SPH methods). Finally, it is important to remark that although our research group is mainly working on composite materials, this is a project on laminated glass (and not on composites).
Supervisors ?
The supervisor is Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM. Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM is professor and has 7 years experience as postdoctoral research fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research � Flanders (F.W.O.-Vlaanderen).
Who do we look for ?
you are interested in research and have the intention to obtain a PhD degree,
you have a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Materials Science, or similar,
you are familiar with mechanics of materials, experimental testing methods and computational techniques. Knowledge of composite materials, finite element software (e.g. ABAQUS, SAMCEF, ANSYS,�), programming languages (Fortran, C++) or Unix/Linux environment is an advantage,
mastering the Dutch language is not a prerequisite, but a good knowledge of English writing and speaking is absolutely required.
What do we offer ?
you will be working in a dynamic environment. Our group has expanded quite fast the last few years and currently, 4 postdoc�s and 19 PhD students are working in our group. Besides, 18 PhD students have successfully obtained their PhD degree in the last five years,
we have extensive experimental and numerical facilities. You will have access to several Linux workstations and a high performance computing cluster to run finite element simulations on 2000+ cores,
we have good contacts with the regional composite industry and regional universities, so you will come into contact with industrial applications of composites and related research in other universities,
you will get the chance to attend international conferences on composite materials (e.g. ECCM, ICCM,�) and to present papers on these conferences. For those who are interested, an international exchange with another university is possible. As publications are increasingly important (also for your career afterwards), you are encouraged to publish your results not only on international conferences, but also in peer-reviewed international journals,
you will have a personal laptop and a private workspace. All PhD students and staff have their office in the same wing of the building. The laboratories are separate in another building,
if you are just graduated, your net income is 1750 EUR per month. The grant is free from taxes, so that is the amount of money that is deposited on your bank account every month. If you have a dependent wife and/or children, the salary is raised. Also seniority can be taken into account if you can show former relevant experience,
the cost for the PhD study itself is very limited. Our education system is very different from for example the system in the United Kingdom. When you start your PhD study, you pay a once-only tuition fee of 275 EUR, and the rest of your study is free of charge,
the university offers compensations for public transport (train) and bicycle. The work location can be reached easily by public transport (train and tram/bus),
a hospitalization insurance policy can be concluded,
there are a lot of sport accommodations and other benefits (reductions on computer purchase, internet connection, fitness,�) for university personnel,
there are specific organizations for the international student community in Gent. There are ISAG (International Students Association Ghent) and ESN (European Students Network). They are quite active in organizing all sorts of events (Student Unions and Societies for international students).
Recently, a �China platform� and �India platform� have been founded for the benefit of Chinese and Indian students at Ghent University (see China platform, India Platform (1) and India Platform (2)).
How to apply ?
you write a detailed Curriculum Vitae in Dutch or English, containing:
your personal details (name, address, date of birth, nationality,�)
your education, subject of master thesis and degrees
your work experience (previous jobs)
additional skills (finite element software, programming languages, communication skills, �)
mastered languages (Dutch, English, French)
references (previous projects in the domain, published papers,�)
you send the C.V. by post or e-mail to the following person:
Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM
Ghent University
Mechanics of Materials and Structures
Technologiepark-Zwijnaarde 903
9052 Zwijnaarde
Belgium
Tel.: +32-(0)9-331.04.32
Fax: +32-(0)9-331.04.65
E-mail: Wim.VanPaepegem@UGent.be
Additional information ?
you can freely download our research brochure. This PDF-document contains a lot of pictures and impressions of our research activities. You can find it on the webpagehttp://www.composites.ugent.be/ftp/brochure_UGent_MMS.pdf
you can contact Prof. Wim VAN PAEPEGEM for any additional information, either by phone or e-mail or a personal appointment.
Source: http://www.composites.ugent.be
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