EngD position: “Design of a model to predict the wet grip behavior”

Job description

The EngD is a 2-year post-master’s degree, technological designers programme. This programme at the University of Twente contains an educational part and a design project. For the project, you will work with an industrial partner. The educational programme will have an in-depth character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project. Together with the external organisation, you will develop a high-level and creative solution for the given problem.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wet grip is a crucial performance of tires, related to safety of the passengers in the vehicle. The wet grip performance of tires should be already predicted in the lab during the initial phase of designing the tread compound formulation. The prediction is often based on the dynamic-mechanical analysis of the tread compound and evaluation of its glass transition process. Various ingredients present in the tread compound and their interactions with each other can influence the glass transition process and affect the potential wet grip performance. 

The project objectives are to design a model which allows a prediction of the wet grip behavior, depending on the compound formulation. Different compound formulations will be used with different ingredients causing a different glass transition temperature. They will be tested with regard to their dynamic-mechanical behavior in a DMA. The influence of the glass transition process on their dynamic-mechanical response (simulating a rolling tire) in a broad range of temperatures and frequencies will be investigated. This achieved experimental data in this DMA study will be used as a basis for deriving and training a data driven model, which would then be used to predict the wet grip behavior, for a new, alternative, compound formulation.

Your profile

• MSc graduate in Material Engineering in the field of rubber would be perfect, having some experience with viscoelasticity and/or DMA plus knowledge about programming (ideally coding in Matlab)
• strong analytical skills and good communication skills
• can-do mindset, the ambition and talent to find solutions/craft designs
• strong problem-solving abilities and out-of-the-box thinking
• very good communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-initiative, self-motivation and capacity to deliver accurate work are equally appreciated
• Applicants with a non-Dutch qualification and who have not had secondary and tertiary education in English can only be admitted with an IELTS-test showing a total band score of at least 6.5, internet. TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT) showing a score of at least 90, or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

Our offer

• A very challenging position for two years, with the flexibility to work (partially) from home.
• A tailor made post-master design programme that has an educational component (50%) as well as a design project (50%).
• On successfully completing the program, you will receive a certified and recognized degree. You will be entitled to use the academic degree EngD (Engineering Doctorate), and will be registered as a Technological Designer in the Dutch register kept by the Royal Institution of Engineers in the Netherlands (KIVI)
• A salary of €  2618,-- gross per month.
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme.
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.

Information and application

Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before 31-01-2023, and include:

• A cover letter (maximum 2 pages of A4), emphasizing your specific interest, qualifications, motivations to apply for this position.
• A Curriculum Vitae, including a list of all courses (and grades) attended and grades obtained, and, if applicable, a list of publications and references.
• An IELTS-test, Internet TOEFL test (TOEFL-iBT), or a Cambridge CAE-C (CPE).

For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Prof. dr. Inna Gitman at i.m.gitman@utwente.nl or Prof. Dr. Anke Blume at a.blume@utwente.nl.

About the organisation

The Faculty of Engineering Technology (ET) engages in education and research of Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Industrial Design Engineering. We enable society and industry to innovate and create value using efficient, solid and sustainable technology. We are part of a ‘people-first' university of technology, taking our place as an internationally leading center for smart production, processes and devices in five domains: Health Technology, Maintenance, Smart Regions, Smart Industry and Sustainable Resources. Our faculty is home to about 2,900 Bachelor's and Master's students, 550 employees and 150 PhD candidates. Our educational and research programmes are closely connected with UT research institutes Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Center and Digital Society Institute.