PhD Scholarship in Engineering and Life sciences, Loughborough University

PhD scholarship
Numerical and Experimental 3-D Study of strain/stress fields in Engineering and Life sciences

PhD scholarship jointly funded by the Wolfson School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, UK, and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers (ENSAM), Châlons en Champagne, France. The successful candidate will spend 18 months in Châlons en Champagne and 18 months in Loughborough, aiming for a dual doctorate degree.

Up to £12,600 per annum tax free plus tuition fees.

Ref: PDR200409

Loughborough University has a world-leading reputation in the development and application of optical interferometric techniques for measuring strain fields on the surfaces of engineering components. The Mechanics and Manufacturing Laboratory at ENSAM has extensive expertise in the area of inverse identification of material properties from full-field measurements. This project aims to extend novel optical techniques to allow the mapping of strain fields and mechanical properties inside the volume of weakly scattering materials, in a non-contact way and with high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. Specific problems that will be addressed include:

• Inverse problem solution: Extraction of depth-resolved distributions of material properties inside weakly scattering materials by means of Finite Element Updating (FEU) and the Virtual Fields Method (VFM) from experimentally measured displacement fields.
• Medical applications: Evaluation of elastic modulus distributions from displacement measurements through-the-thickness of the human eye cornea to numerically predict corneal behaviour after laser ablation in refractive surgery.
• Engineering applications: Measurement of 3-D displacement fields inside 3-D granular packs under known loads to evaluate contact forces and the resulting stress distribution within the pack.
• The ideal candidate will hold, or be expecting, a 1st class or 2:1 honours degree in mechanical engineering or physical science subject, preferably with proven experience in Finite Element Analysis. Strong theoretical and numerical analysis skills, proven ability to undertake experimental projects and proficiency in MATLAB/C++ computer programming language are also required.

At Châlons en Champagne, a scholarship grant of 13,200 € p.a. will be paid by the Champagne Ardenne Regional Council. At Loughborough University, a scholarship grant of £12,600 p.a. plus PhD student fees will be paid by the Wolfson School for EU applicants; in all other cases the student will be responsible for £4,600 towards the cost of the full overseas rate.

Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact Prof. Fabrice Pierron, ENSAM, at fabrice.pierron@chalons.ensam.fr or Dr. Pablo D. Ruiz, Loughborough University, at P.D.Ruiz@lboro.ac.uk. An application form and further details are available from Ms Jo Mason, Research Administrator (J.R.Mason@lboro.ac.uk). Please quote the reference PDR200409 on your initial enquiry to Ms Mason and on the application form.

The closing date for applications to this post is 15th June­­­­­­­ 2009.