Ph.D THESIS PROPOSAL

Description and context:

The reduction of emissions of pollutants resulting from the combustion of thermal engines is a major
challenge in the fight against global warming. To do this, the weight reduction of vehicles and the reduction
of drag forces by playing on their shape are two levers that can help reduce energy consumption. Thus, the
proposed study focuses on the implementation of a methodology for the design of surfaces with non-uniform
curvatures and thicknesses, made of composite materials, for automotive engineering.

In connection with the existing collaboration between DRIVE laboratory and Laboratory of Generative
Engineering Design of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, STU in Bratislava, this Ph.D. thesis program
aims to take into account the constraints of manufacturing of non-planar multi-layer composite structures in
their CAD-FEM modelling. These constraints can be related to the geometry of the surfaces, the materials
and the process conditions. Thus, the combination of these factors can create highly heterogeneous zones
across the material which can therefore influence the long-term mechanical behaviour of the composite parts.

Objectives:

The associated objectives are the development of a robust methodology for generating non-uniform surfaces
by numerical tools. Then, the work will focus on the experimental validation of the manufacturing of the
surfaces in order to gain a better knowledge of the influence of the geometric (curvature, thickness,
stratification, ply-drop) and the fabrication parameters on the long term mechanical properties of composite
parts. The last part deals with the parametric analysis by model adjustment and the set-up of a demonstrator.

Keywords:

Generative Engineering Design; Shape Design; Finite element analysis; Composite materials, Manufacturing
process; Mechanical engineering.

Duration: 36 months

Starting date: October 2017

Institute/Place: Thesis under cotutelle program between:
- ISAT, Université de Bourgogne, Nevers/France
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, STU – Bratislava/Slovakia

Salary: 1540 € net/month (France/18 months) and 600 € net/month (Slovakia/18 months)

Eligibility: The candidate must have:
- Master 2 level in Mechanical or Material Engineering
- Skills in experimental mechanics, knowledge on composite materials, finite element modelling. He or she
must possess a sensitivity for numerical simulation and experimental work.
- English (read and spoken) is required.

Requirements:
Applicants should send:
- CV,
- Cover letter,
- Copies of education certificates and transcripts (M1 and M2 / 4th and 5th year of engineering school).
European nationality is required.

Contacts:
Birame Gning - [email protected]
Jana Gulanova - [email protected]