ESR 11: Analysis of the failure mechanisms associated to the unfolding failure in CFRP profiles

  • Application deadline: 30/06/2020 17:00 CEST Brussels
  • Offer starting date: 01/11/2020
  • Researcher profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
  • Type of contract: Temporary
  • Job status: Full-time
  • Hours per week: 40
  • Secondments: 6 months at Universidad de Sevilla (Spain) & 4 months at Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

Contract signing and incorporation dates are indicative and have yet to be defined.

Project Description

Objectives

Unfolding failure consists of a delamination produced in curved composite laminates when they are loaded under a bending moment which tries to open the curvature. This failure is typically associated to the interlaminar normal stress (INS) characterized by the interlaminar tensile strength (ILTS). The ILTS is generally obtained by a four-point bending test.

The four-point bending test applied to the curved composite laminates causes a thickness-dependence of the ILT S with the thickness of the specimens. Several authors have associated this dependency to manufacturing defects or porosity, but results are not conclusive. The aim of this project is to analyse numerically and experimentally the failure mechanisms involving the unfolding failure in order to demonstrate a novel idea of unfolding failure associated to intralaminar stresses instead of the INS.

Preliminary analyses of existing experimental results (facilitated by an external company) have shown a good agreement with this new hypothesis. The study will be based in a set of new experimental results specifically oriented to observe the effect of the intralaminar failures.

Since failure is catastrophic and difficult to be precisely observed, the experimental results will be complemented by numerical simulations, using FEM models, in which crack onset will be determined using FFM, and crack propagation (including possible migration from layers to interfaces and vice-versa) will be simulated with PF. Correlation between experimental and numerical results will provide important proof of the existence of this novel failure mechanism.

Additional Information

Benefits

A full-time fixed-term contract is offered. Marie Curie ITNs provide competitive financial support to the ESR including: a competitive monthly living and mobility allowance and salary, coverage of the expenses related to the participation of the ESR in research and training activities (contribution to research-related costs, meetings, conference attendance, training actions, etc.). The recruited researchers will have a regular contract with the same rights and obligations as any other staff member of the institution.


Eligibility criteria

Applicants must at the time of recruitment:

  1. Be in the first four years (full-time equivalent) of their research careers. The four years start to count from the date when a researcher obtained the degree (e.g. Master’s degree) which would formally entitle him/her to embark on a doctorate.
  2. Candidates could be of any nationality but have not resided in the host country for more than 12 months in the last 3 years.
  3. Have not been awarded a doctoral degree.

Selection process

Applicants are evaluated by a selection committee on the basis of past academic performance (grades) and background, scientific relevance and aptitude to research, and any other additional pertinent data submitted in the application (such as scientific publications, if any).

The candidates that pass the initial assessment of the applications will be invited for an interview with the selection committee, either in person at the campus, or via standard internet videoconference. Equal opportunities are ensured to all candidates throughout the evaluation process.


EURAXESS offer ID: 491140

ESR11 - PhD Student Position within EU MSCA-ITN-ETN NewFrac

Requirements


Offer requirements

  • Required Education Level: Engineering - Master Degree or equivalent
  • Required Languages: English - Excellent

Skills / Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in Mechanical/Aeronautical/Civil Engineering/ Physics/ Applied Mathematics, earned before September 2020
  • Excellent undergraduated and Master’s degree grades
  • High level of written and spoken English
  • Teamwork ability

Specific Requirements

  • Previous experience in the manufacturing of composite laminate and in the use of Finite Element Method will be appreciated.
All PhD positions

ESR project

Host Institution

Details

IRP/ESR 1: Total energy minimization with stress conditions for mixed mode fracture in anisotropic heterogeneous materials and structures

Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)

IRP/ESR 2: Toughening composites by micro and meso structural optimization

Universidad de Sevilla (Spain)

IRP/ESR 3: Fracture analysis of advanced layered ceramics

Sorbonne Université (France)

IRP/ESR 4: Fracture of LFRP ultra-thin ply laminates in aeronautical applications

Universidade do Porto (Portugal) 

IRP/ESR 5: Nucleation and propagation of compressive cracks

Sorbonne Université (France)

IRP/ESR 6: Multiscale modeling of fracture processes in injection molded SFRPs

Robert Bosch GmbH (Germany)

IRP/ESR 7: Debonding of the reinforcement in LFRP externally strengthened curved beams

Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

IRP/ESR 8: Fracture in biological anisotropic hard tissues (human bones)

Tel-Aviv University (Israel)

IRP/ESR 9: Multi-field and multi-scale modeling of fracture for renewable energy applications

IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca (Italy)

IRP/ESR 10: PF modeling of fracture in the human femur

Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zürich (Switzerland)

IRP/ESR 11: Analysis of the failure mechanisms associated to the unfolding failure in CFRP profiles

Fundación Investigación, Desarrollo y Aplicación de Materiales Compuestos (Spain)

IRP/ESR 12: Fracture in fibre-reinforced thermoplastics (FRTPs) across the scales

Universidade do Porto (Portugal)

IRP/ESR 13: Phase Field and Finite Fracture Mechanics for dynamic crack propagation and delamination in brittle materials and composites

Politecnico di Torino (Italy)

Upcoming Events

European Commission under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Funded by the European Commission under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Grant Agreement n° 861061