The Department of Applied Mechanics conducts research in the areas of vehicle design and mechanical engineering. The research is often carried out together with national and international academic and industrial partners, and it concerns both fundamental and applied problems.

The research at the Division of Dynamics at the Department of Applied Mechanics is directed towards various dynamic, vibration and wave propagation problems, also with coupling to other physical phenomena such as wear or piezoelectricity. Both fundamental and applied research is performed, and although the main thrust is towards modelling and numerical treatment, experimental activities also play an important role. A large part of the applied research is performed within the competence centre CHARMEC (CHAlmers Railway MEChanics).

The division has a large teaching involvement giving basic courses in mechanics and strength of materials and advanced courses in mechanics, FEM, structural dynamics, and optimization of dynamical systems.

The Division of Dynamics at the Department of Applied Mechanics is seeking a new PhD student to start in the spring of 2010. The research will be conducted within the project described below.

PhD Project: Improved performance of brake discs for trucks

The brake discs of trucks are exposed to high thermomechanical loads when the kinetic energy of the vehicle is transformed into heat when brake disc and brake pads are pressed together during braking. The complex load case leads to wear of the disc but also to initiation and growth of cracks that are caused by thermally induced stresses resulting from the repeated heating and cooling of the disc. Since these cracks often control the life of the brake disc, this PhD project has been initiated in order to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms that control the crack growth and life of brake discs.

The PhD student will work on several topics that are important for the life of a brake disc and will include aspects such as: heat partitioning between disc and pad, thermomechanical interaction between pad and disc, friction and wear at elevated temperatures, thermal fatigue, and thermally induced crack growth. Simulation of temperatures and stress gradients in the brake disc at braking is central in the project. The theoretical work will be supported by brake rig tests and material testing that allows for calibration of the developed models. Different combinations of brake discs and brake pads will be studied using both simulations and testing and the results will be compared.

The project will be performed in collaboration between the Swedish truck manufacturer Scania and Chalmers Applied Mechanics and is partly financed by VINNOVA (The Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems). The project will be performed in co-operation with the relevant projects performed within the competence centre CHARMEC (CHAlmers Railway MEChanics).

We are searching for a PhD-student with good knowledge of mathematics, solid mechanics, finite element modelling, and also an interest in experimental work. As a doctoral student you will have a main supervisor and associate supervisor(s). The project includes applied research of industrial relevance. You will present your research at scientific seminars and conferences, and in reference groups. The project requires that you develop an ability to extract industrially useful results from your research and to communicate these, verbally and in writing, in Swedish and in English. This is in addition to the general requirement of good basic knowledge within your chosen research field.

You will be employed as a doctoral student by Chalmers and will receive a salary according to current salary agreements. A maximum of 20% of your working time will be devoted to duties at the department in question, mainly teaching of undergraduate courses. The remaining time will be devoted to your own research education, where the aim is to complete your PhD examination within 5 years (nominal time without department duties is 4 years).

• Professor Roger Lundén, roger.lunden@chalmers.se, tel 031-772 1511
• Tore Vernersson, tore.vernersson@chalmers.se, tel 031-772 8501

On the Internet:

• The Department of Applied Mechanics
• CHARMEC - Centre of Excellence in Railway Mechanics at Chalmers

• SACO: Jan Lindér
• ST: Marie Wenander
• SEKO: Johan Persson

All reachable via Chalmers exchange: +46 31 772 10 00