PhD Studentship in Production Technology – Specializing in process simulation and experimental investigation of beam shaping effects on laser welding and additive manufacturing - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Based in Trollhättan, University West has over 11 000 students and around 600 employees. Work Integrated Learning is our profile, in both education and research and we are among the highest ranked universities in the country for graduate employability. With industry within the fields of aerospace and automotive as well as new business ventures and a strong confidence in the future, Trollhättan is a hub for development in their sub region of West Sweden.

The research team Production Technology West has, among other things, a long experience in modelling of welding physics, and in automation of welding technology for e.g. additive manufacturing. This includes arc and laser welding process simulation, design and integration of sensor systems, development of appropriate models for in-process monitoring and simulation-assisted process control with the aim to obtain desired properties of additively built components.

This doctoral student position is in the fields of applied physics, process simulation, process control through beam shaping of high power laser for welding and additive manufacturing applications. Since the beam energy distribution affects the heat input during these processes, strong emphasis will be put on gaining process knowledge via simulation and experimental investigation of the laser-material interaction. This knowledge will aim, among others, at understanding at what extent beam shaping technologies will improve the robustness, productivity and quality. The research is application-oriented and conducted in close collaboration with industry.

The scientific work in the project
The project aims at exploiting the recent progresses of the deformable mirror technology enabling to adapt in real time (on a millisecond time-scale) the shape and/or the beam energy distribution of a high-power laser beam to increase the robustness of laser beam welding and laser beam additive manufacturing processes. The project thus combines the scientific fields of applied physics and mechatronics. It covers process understanding (heat transfer, metal melting, flow and solidification), as well as system integration of laser beam shaping devices. This is associated with computational simulation, and experimental validation of the results. The work will be also coordinated with material scientists to bridge the gap between the process dynamics and the structural integrity of the final weld and/or built component.

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. For more information about our research center, go to https://www.hv.se/en/research/production-technology/

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

Qualification requirements: 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 master’s level in a subject relevant to the doctoral degree subject. This degree may be in Production Technology or some related discipline. 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 2015/1343 B 25: https://www.hv.se/en/research/research-education/production-technology/

Selection: The basic factor for selection from 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 Technology in Production Technology, Ref. No 2015/1343 B 25.

To be successful in this project the applicant should be highly motivated, have an accurate way of working, and have good communicative and collaborative skills. The applicant should have a strong aptitude for analysis and problem solving of physical problems that relates to industry.

Qualifications of merit for this position:

• Master of Science (or equivalent level) in applied physics, mechatronics or equivalent
• Experience in process simulation, optical devices development and/or implementation (preferably beam shaping, geometry and vision)
• Knowledge in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and implementation of optical devices in a robotic laser processing cell
• Experience in programming, e.g. C, Matlab, LabView
• Experience of openFOAM or other computational fluid dynamic software
• Experience of research work and scientific writing
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing in English (documented)
• Ability to communicate in Swedish is regarded as a merit

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).

Applications are to be submitted electronically via the University West web-based recruitment tool, MyNetwork. Go to https://www.hv.se/en/meet-university-west/job-opportunities/

The application must include:

• CV/Personal qualifications
• Personal letter containing: - Interest in the research topic. - Previous experience regarding the proposed research topic. - Motive to pursue PhD studies.
• Master thesis of second level of higher education
• Degree certificate of first and second level of higher education
• Other documents which the applicant wishes to invoke

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.

The application should reach University West no later than 2017-11-26

Documents that cannot be sent digitally, should be sent to:

Högskolan Väst
HR department
461 86 Trollhättan
Sweden

Mark the application with ref.no: R 2017/231