The construction industry is now entering a new and exciting phase with the development of 3D printing. Concrete materials and structures can now be easily printed into much more complex shapes than before. Another interesting change that construction materials suffered over the last decade concern their functionality. A better understanding of its microstructure and the rapid expansion of research in nanomaterials opened the door for a new generation of building materials, with tailored functionalities, that were not available before. Examples of these are self-healing concrete, graphene-cement composites and self-cleaning concrete. This project proposes to address the challenge of merging both worlds, the 3D printing building components and producing functional construction materials. Within this project, you will work on adding new functions to 3D printed mixes, but you will also be part of the team that will develop a 100% automated solution for printing concrete with a pre-defined property or shape. To create these new compositions and make them work in 3D printing, it is necessary to rethink the current technology. These complex cement composites require better control of the properties throughout the entire process, so the team working in the project will upgrade the printing equipment available at TU/e with a new control system that combines smart sensor technology with real-time measurements and artificial intelligence (AI).

This is a project funded by NWO, led by TU/e in collaboration with a consortium of industrial partners. https://www.nwo.nl/onderzoek-en-resultaten/programmas/ttw/materialen-nl-challenges/17895.html

You will work within the 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) research group that operates and develops its own 3D Concrete Printer at the Department of the Built Environment. The group is currently running several projects, including Project Milestone, the world's first commercial housing project based on 3D-concrete printing - http://www.tue.nl/3Dconcreteprinting

Description of the positions available:

PhD 1 - Fresh properties of new functional compositions for 3D printing of concrete.
The study of new compositions for 3D printing of concrete and its fresh state behaviour.

PhD 2 - Smart functional materials for the building industry 4.0.
Development of new functional construction materials (e.g. self-healing, self-cleaning, sensing properties) for 3D printing.

PhD 3 - Intelligent automated systems for additive manufacturing of construction materials.
Creating a smart and fully automated system for 3D printed building structures, integrating AI, machine learning and robotics.

Specific requirements:

PhD 1 - Fresh properties of new functional compositions for 3D printing of concrete.
- MSc degree in Materials Science, Materials Chemistry, or equivalent,
- A strong background in construction materials (experience with rheology characterisation techniques, inorganic chemistry) is essential.

PhD 2 - Smart functional materials for the building industry 4.0.
- MSc degree in Civil Engineering, Materials Engineering, or equivalent,
- Experience with developing testing protocols for material characterisation and experience of using large-scale extrusion-based additive manufacturing or hybrid processes is essential.

PhD 3 - Intelligent automated systems for additive manufacturing of construction materials.
- MSc degree in Mechanical, Civil, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent,
- Experience with numerical methods is essential,
- Knowledge of artificial intelligence and/or machine learning is desirable.

General requirements:

- Good communication and organisation skills,
- Strong cooperation skills and the ability to work in a team,
- Excellent command of the English language, both in speaking and writing.

What we offer:

- A full-time temporary appointment for 4 years,
- Gross monthly salary in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement of the Dutch Universities (CAO NU), increasing from € 2.325,-- per month initially, to € 2.972,-- in the fourth year,
- A yearly holiday allowance of 8% of the yearly salary,
- A yearly end-of-year allowance of 8.3% of the yearly salary,
- A broad package of fringe benefits (including an excellent technical infrastructure, moving expenses, savings schemes, and excellent sports facilities, parental and maternity leave).