The PDEng is a 2-year post-master's degree, technological designers programme. This programme at the University of Twente contains an educational part and a design project. For the project, you will work with an industrial partner. The educational programme will have an in-depth character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project. Together with the external organisations, you will develop a high-level and creative solution for the given problem.

Target for the PDEng project:

You will design a suitable laboratory testing method for LAT100 rubber abrasion measurements. The final aim is to support the EU tire labeling for sustainability and contribute to the reduction of tire wear particles emissions.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The tire labeling regulation has been in place since 2012. The new version of tire label with more clarity came to effect on 1 May 2021, set out under regulation (EU) 2020/740 for wet, ice, snow grip, noise level, and rolling resistance for all tire types. Yet no criteria are available on the current tire label for tire wear. A standardized tire wear test, which fits the tire manufacturers' proving ground, has been a challenge to be established; as numerous factors influence the complex phenomenon of tire wear. As soon as at least one suitable testing method becomes available, the European Commission shall assess the introduction of parameters or information requirements for mileage and abrasion in the tire label. This is also expected to vastly benefit the reduction of Tire Wear Particles (TWP) emission, as one of the largest (unintentional) sources of microplastics.

Full-scale tire wear tests are sophisticated, time-consuming, and extremely costly. A reliable rubber abrasion test method in a laboratory environment is highly demanded to predict tire wear resistance cost-effectively. The Laboratory Abrasion tester (LAT100) is known by the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) tires with ISO 23233:2016 (Grosch standard for LAT100). The present standard could be a good basis to accredit LAT100 as a reliable device for tire labeling to predict tire wear in a laboratory environment. In the current PDEng project, a feasibility study should be carried out. The knowledge gap with the required design and method in-line with regulation is identified. Functional design requirements are defined to develop the concept and test designs to be assessed qualitatively. In case of successful results, the project will be continued with a follow-up project.

• MSc graduate in Material Engineering in the field of rubber
• Strong knowledge of characterization of abrasion
• The candidate must be eager to learn, have a can-do mindset, the ambition and talent to find solutions/craft designs for complex technological issues with a multidisciplinary character
• The candidate must have strong problem-solving abilities and out-of-the-box thinking.
• Communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-initiative, self-motivation and capacity to deliver accurate work are equally appreciated.
• Professional command of English (at least level B2 (Cambridge or equivalent), both written and spoken) is mandatory.

• A very challenging position in an inspiring multidisciplinary environment.
• A tailor-made post-master design program that has an educational component (~50%) as well as a design project (~50%).
• On successfully completing the program, you will receive a certified and recognized degree. You will be entitled to use the academic degree PDEng and will be registered as a Technological Designer in the Dutch register kept by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI). The degree will soon be renamed to EngD (Doctor of Engineering), to be coherent with the more common abbreviation used in the Commonwealth.
• A salary of € 2.009 gross per month.
• An annual holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, and an annual year-end bonus of 8.3%.
• A solid pension scheme.
• Minimum of 41 leave days in case of full-time employment.