During the last several years, aluminum use in car industry marks the highest growth from all other aluminum applications, in any segment of use. The electric vehicle revolution makes an additional prospect for even higher aluminum demand to reduce vehicle weight and meet consumer demands for higher driving range at a given battery size and weight. This trend obliges the car industry to expand and improve knowledge in stamping of aluminum sheets. The design of stamping processes is generally supported by finite element (FE) analyses. For a realistic prediction of the FE simulations, accurate models for material (plastic deformation) behavior as well as friction are vital. The material constitutive modelling of aluminum has advanced over the last decades to a degree that the main error in simulation now stems from description of friction.

Friction is one of the key parameters in sheet metal forming which can directly influence the formability of the product. In a typical forming process, the coefficient of friction is a transient parameter and varies from location to location throughout the part due to evolution of the contact conditions at the tool-sheet metal interface. The contact condition in turn is a function of the topography of the contacting surfaces, contact loads, material and lubricant behavior and temperature. Most literature on friction in forming is focused on steel sheet, however, little is known on friction in forming of aluminum sheet.

During the past decade, University of Twente has developed multi-scale friction models for steel sheet forming applications which are currently used extensively in industry. The main goal of the current project is to investigate tribological behavior of aluminum sheet at micro, meso and macro-scales and finally to develop and validate friction models of aluminum sheet surface in a deep drawing process, leading to an advanced friction model that can be used for industrial-scale process simulations.

Job Description

For this project, we are looking for a PhD candidate with relevant expertise. The candidate will plan and execute his/her research towards the project goal, build numerical/analytical friction models for aluminum sheet forming and perform experiments in our well-equipped mechanical and tribology testing labs.

The candidate will report his/her research during bi-weekly meetings of our research group and quarterly meetings with the project partners. The candidate is encouraged to present his/her results at international scientific conferences and publish them in academic literature.

The PhD research will be performed in collaboration between the chair of Nonlinear Solid Mechanics and the chair of Surface Engineering & Maintenance at University of Twente and in close interaction with industrial partners.

• MSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field with excellent results and special interest in mathematical modelling, experimental mechanics and sheet metal forming.
• Prior knowledge of nonlinear solid mechanics, tribology and computational methods.
• Curious and highly motivated to do interdisciplinary scientific research with a clear industrial application.
• Working independently and taking ownership for your own research.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills. Proficiency in English is required, both spoken and written. You need to provide IELTS test results (minimum score 6.5) or TOEFL-iBT (minimum score 90). The latter is not necessary for native speakers of English or whose MSc program was in English.

The UT provides a dynamic and international environment, combining the benefits of academic research with a topic of high industrial relevance, excellent working conditions, an exciting scientific environment, and a green and lively campus. We offer:

• A full-time 4-year PhD position;
• We provide excellent mentorship and a stimulating international research environment with excellent facilities;
• You are offered a professional and personal development program within Graduate School Twente;
• A starting salary of € 2.325 gross per month in the first year and a salary of € 3.061 in the fourth year gross per month;
• A holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;
• A solid pension scheme;
• Minimum of 29 holidays per year in case of fulltime employment;

The Chairs of Nonlinear Solid Mechanics & Surface Engineering and Maintenance , Faculty of Engineering Technology, University of Twente has an opening for a PhD candidate on characterization of tribological interactions in aluminum sheet forming.