Professional Doctorate of Engineering Design and Visualisation Tool for Functional Surface Texture at the University of Twente

The PDEng programme is a 2-year post MSc technological programme with a focus on technological design. This programme at the University of Twente contains an educational part that will be followed at the University (~50%), and a design project (~50%) that will be carried out in cooperation with a major global steel producer. The educational programme will have an in-depth and broadening character with ample attention for professional development and will be partly tailored to the design project. In collaboration with the external organization involved, high level, creative and new designs for complex issues will be aimed at.

The surface aspect of a part or product is an important facet in terms of product performance and saleability. The performance of a surface is related to its functionality (or functionalities) - be it a heavy-end tribological contact, the aesthetic appearance of a product or anything in between. In part due to the nature of current steel mass-production routes, which rely on surface imprinting during rolling to achieve the desired surface finish, surface design within the steel-making industry currently rarely extends beyond targeting a simple Ra (roughness) range.

However, many other functionalities/sectors can be aided and improved through better surface design and control. Considering the automotive sector for example - one of the most demanding and quality-critical development areas – the reason for applying a roughness is twofold. Firstly, a relatively high roughness is required for good press (forming) behaviour, while a relatively low roughness is desirable for paint appearance. However, the processing of the surface itself often hinders freedom and optimisation of a surface within this broad surface definition.

In order to understand, develop and visualise tailored surfaces designed for functionality, surface descriptors and a 3D surfacevisualization software tool will be designed and developed in this project underpinned by understanding how a surface can be described mathematically and subsequently (re)constructed from a mathematical description encompassing multi length-scale phenomena.

If you have any further questions about this vacancy of the PDEng programme, please contact:
Email: Dr.ir. M.B. de Rooij (m.b.derooij@utwente.nl) or Dr. Dave Matthews (D.T.A.Matthews@utwente.nl)
Telephone: +31 (0)53 489 1178
General information about the PDEng programme you can find at: www.utwente.nl/pdeng/
Please send your letter of motivation, with a curriculum vitae, a list with grades of courses attended, references and, if applicable, a list of publications before 15 March 2015 through the link below.

https://www.academictransfer.com