PhD studentship in Production Technology - specializing in the modeling of superalloy additive manufacturing

Within the Department of Engineering Science, University West has a specific research environment in Production Technologies which includes research portfolios in Industrial Automation, Thermal Spraying, Additive Manufacturing, and Welding. The largest research area today is additive manufacturing (AM) including both powder bed fusion (PBF) AM as well as directed energy deposition (DED) AM. It involves a multi-disciplinary team of researchers from three different divisions within the department, including modelling, simulation, process control, metallurgy, mechanical characterization, and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT). 

The Department of Engineering strives for equality and diversity within all professional groups. We welcome applicants from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For us, it goes without saying that we have an inclusive working climate and that our employees can combine work with active parenting.

Research in the Division of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Engineering Science focuses on welding, additive manufacturing, thermal spray, and advanced non-destructive testing and evaluation. Our main aim is to fundamentally study and improve the understanding of these manufacturing processes and their influence on materials. In a new project in cooperation with industrial companies, we are seeking a PhD student for a position at University West.

The scientific part of the project

Additive manufacturing (AM) is attracting increasing attention for the fabrication of complex metal structures not possible via traditional machining and with minimal material wastage. Considerable research effort has been devoted worldwide towards the investigation of AM for building metallic parts using materials ranging from steels to superalloys. At University West, too, a strong research environment in AM spanning laser, electron beam, and electric arc heat sources and wire and powder feedstocks has taken shape with the aid of numerous funded projects implemented in close cooperation with industry. However, there has been very limited previous work globally addressing superalloys and laser direct energy deposition with wire (LDED-w). AM of large components in Ni-superalloy using LDED-w is thought to be a key method for the sustainable production of aircraft engines enabling the lowering of CO2 emission, and the transition to fossil-free fuels. However, this production is still hindered due to hot cracking defects.

This doctoral thesis aims to predict and gain insight into the formation of hot cracking defects formation in LDED-w of Ni-superalloy using a modelling approach. Therefore, it will include developing models and simulation tools using both multi-physics and full-scale approaches to predict hot cracking susceptibility in produced components. Measurements from experiments conducted in another ongoing project (named DEDICATE) will provide data for model validation and reliability analysis.  The gained knowledge will contribute to maturing AM into a sustainable and robust production technology for high-quality components.

To achieve these aims, potential research questions to be addressed include:

• How to model thermal convection, solidification, and solid stress in LDED-w of Ni-superalloy to reach multi-physics predictive simulation of hot cracking?
• What are the governing relationships between process parameters, process physics, and hot cracking formation in LDED-w processing of Ni-superalloy?
• What hot cracking criterion can be established for developing a full-scale model (also called a reduced model)?
• What is the reliability of the developed multi-physical and full-scale models?

Doctoral degree program: Production Technology

Research center:

Doctoral students in Production Technology become members of the research group PTW (Production Technology West). The group collaborates with the engineering industry in the region at the Production Technology Centre, which houses an advanced research laboratory. Click here for more information about our research center.

Job description:

The research program includes, in addition to participation in third-cycle courses and other activities, the implementation of independent thesis work. Doctoral students shall primarily devote themselves to their own education. A doctoral student may, however, be engaged to a limited extent in education, research, and administration, mainly within Production Technology. Such duties, before a doctorate has been conferred, may not occupy more than 20 percent of full-time working hours. (Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100) Chapter 5 section 2).

Qualification requirements:

To qualify for appointment as a PhD, two eligibility requirements must be met: basic eligibility and special eligibility.

The basic eligibility requirements for doctoral programs as set out in the Higher Education Ordinance are as follows:

• a degree at master’s level, completed courses totaling at least 240 university credits
• of which a minimum of 60 at master’s level
• or, substantially equivalent knowledge gained in some other way whether in Sweden or abroad.

To fulfil the special eligibility requirements for a doctoral degree in Production Technology, a student must hold a degree at the master’s level in a subject relevant to the doctoral degree subject. This degree may be in Mechanics, Applied Physics, Engineering Mathematics, Engineering Physics, or equivalent, with a thesis project corresponding to at least one full-time quarter of study. The eligibility requirements may be fulfilled by studies in Sweden or abroad.

For more information please read 3.1 and 3.2 in General syllabus for the third-cycle programme in Production Technology, Ref. No U 2021/160. 

Additional Qualifications:

Mandatory:

• Master of Science (or equivalent level) with the specializations specified above
• Documented experience of modeling in mechanics
• Documented experience in computational fluid dynamics
• Documented experience in programming
• Documented ability in oral and written English communication

Other relevant but not mandatory qualifications:

• Experience in thermal mechanics
• Experience in material mechanics
• Experience in free surface flow
• Knowledge of metal fusion processes
• Experience of C++ programming
• Experience of OpenFOAM
• Demonstrated scientific writing skills in the form of prior publication
• Willingness to travel and perform tasks related to the doctoral studies outside of University West if needed
• Ability to communicate in Swedish

Selection:

The basic factor for selection among qualified applicants is the ability to profit from such a program. For more information, please read 3.3 in General syllabus for the third-cycle programme in Production Technology, Ref. No U 2021/160. 

We believe that a successful applicant should have a genuine interest in the development of mathematical models describing the physics at hand. It will also be essential to actively take part in the development, verification, and evaluation of software and algorithms. For this reason, the ability to work well in a group with other employees and students is necessary.

Duration and terms of employment:

Employment as a doctoral student shall be on an open-ended basis but not for longer than to a specific point in time and never for a period extending more than one year after receiving the doctoral degree. The initial appointment must not be for more than one year. The appointment may be renewed for no more than two years at a time. A person may be employed as a research student for a total of not more than eight years. The total period of employment, however, may not exceed the equivalent of four years of full-time study at the third level of higher education. (Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100) Chapter 5 section 7). If 20% of the working hours are dedicated to education and administration, this normally means an employment of 5 years.

Application

Applications are to be submitted electronically through the University West web-based recruitment tool, Varbi.

The application must include:

• CV/Personal qualifications
• Personal letter containing
  • Interest in the research topic.
  • Previous experience regarding the proposed research topic and its research methods and scientific theories.
  • Motive to pursue doctoral studies
• Degree project of second level of higher education
• Degree certificate of first and second level of higher education in the original language and in translation
• Diploma Supplement in original language and in translation
• Course list/transcript of all semesters for bachelor's and master's degrees in original language and in translation
• Other documents which the applicant wishes to invoke

If your degree is from a university outside of Sweden, make sure that you attach a diploma and full transcripts that makes assessing your degree easier. If your degree has not been verified by a Swedish authority you need to provide contact details to the issuing university, registrar or similar, that can verify the degree at our request.

Approved written languages regarding papers, diplomas, grades and other relevant documents are the Scandinavian languages and English, or translations into those languages. Attach the original when submitting translated documents.

Documents that cannot be sent digitally, should be marked with ref.no R 2024/160 sent to:

University West
HR
461 86 Trollhättan
Sweden

The application should reach University West no later than 2024-08-31. Mark the application with ref.no: R 2024/160.

The Department of Engineering Sciences strives for equality and diversity in all professions. We welcome applicants with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. For us, it is natural with an inclusive working environment and that our employees can combine work with active parenthood.

Welcome with your application!

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