PhD Studentship: Modelling Failure in

Composite Materials Using Next-

Generation Simulation Software
University of Hertfordshire

Qualification Type: PhD Placed On: 11th December 2019

Location: Hatfield Closes: 12th January 2020
Funding for: UK Students, EU
Students, International
Students
Funding amount: Annual tax-free bursary
of approximately
£15,009, plus tuition
fees (£4,975 for UK/EU
or £13,250 for
International applicants)
Hours: Full Time

Apply

Applications are invited for a three-year, full-time PhD studentship available from March 2020 within the
Materials and Structures Research Group of the School of Engineering and Computer Science at the
University of Hertfordshire. For further information on the group’s research visit:

http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/tom-de-vuyst(d4a85f56-9c5e-4e95-bac1-
66e8d3166b68).html

Outline of the Project:

We welcome the opportunity to support a PhD that aims to enhance the ability to numerically predict the
behaviour of composite materials subjected to dynamic loading (e.g. impact on aircraft structures, car
crash). The use of composites is rapidly gaining popularity for lightweight structures, and numerical
modelling is becoming increasingly important when designing these structures. When subjected to
extreme loading, such as impact loading, composites exhibit a number of failure mechanisms that are
activated by different loading conditions. Obtaining accurate predictions for the structural response of
composites is therefore a big challenge. The project will explore how the Smoothed Particle
Hydrodynamics (SPH) method can be used to improve the prediction of failure in composite materials. The
SPH method has some attractive features for this project: the ability to deal with large deformations and
the complex physics of composite failure, and dealing with crack formation, propagation, branching and
coalescence. Within this project the successful PhD candidate will focus on combining these features with
the ability to run very large models with 10 billion or more degrees-of-freedom. This will be achieved by
using the SWIFT code (http://icc.dur.ac.uk/swift/), which takes a radical new approach to high-
performance computing, combining highly scalable parallelisation with SIMD vectorisation.
Informal enquires can be made to Dr Tom De Vuyst by emailing t.de-vuyst@herts.ac.uk

Description of the University:

The University of Hertfordshire is based in Hatfield only a short (25-minute) train journey from central
London. According to the UK-wide Research Excellence Framework 2014 over 85% of the submitted
research at the UH was judged to be internationally excellent. The University of Hertfordshire is ranked
among the Top 600 world universities according to the ‘Times Higher Education World University Rankings
2016’ and was awarded TEF Gold in 2018.

Applicant Requirements:

Applications are invited from individuals with a 1st or 2:1 in Mechanical/Aeronautical Engineering, Physics,
Mathematics or a relevant related discipline. A Master’s degree or equivalent industrial experience would
be desirable. We are seeking applicants with good understanding of Mechanics and Numerical Modelling
and with the potential to develop strong analytical and programming skills.

The studentship is available to both International and UK/EU applicants and provides a bursary of
approximately £15,009 in 2019/20 and the two following years, together with payment of fees (£13,250 for
international or £4,975 for UK/EU applicants).

How to Apply:

Please download and complete an application form obtained from the following link:

http://www.herts.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/31105/uh-application-form.pdf

With your application please also submit a research proposal not exceeding two A4 pages.

Your completed application should be emailed to the email address below:

Doctoral College Admissions email: doctoralcollegeadmissions@herts.ac.uk

Interview dates: 20-24 January 2020

Expected studentship start date: 02 March 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter

Advert information

Type / Role:

PhDs

Subject Area(s):

Physical & Environmental Sciences

Physics & Astronomy
Mathematics & Statistics
Mathematics
Engineering & Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering

Location(s):

South East England

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