Crack -Microstructure Interactions

A fully funded PhD position in computational materials is available at Cranfield University (UK) to study the effects of multiaxial overloads on cracks. The candidate will develop substructure-sensitive crystal plasticity models validated at multiple scales to understand the local response at cracks. The position offers a dynamic research environment and the opportunity to work closely with researchers developing computational models and performing experiments.

Application deadline 25th April 2022.

Fatigue life prediction in the aerospace components relies on fracture mechanics for relatively long cracks (>1mm). Nevertheless, most of the fatigue life is spent while the crack is relatively short (<1mm). However life of short cracks is far from well understood leading engineers to apply over conservative safety factors which involves environmental and economic losses. The material microstructure is responsible for the large life uncertainty in short cracks.

Any fracture process ultimately involves the rupture of atomic bonds. Processes at the atomic scale therefore critically influence the toughness and overall fracture behavior of materials. Atomistic simulation methods including large-scale molecular dynamics simulations with classical potentials, density functional theory calculations and advanced concurrent multiscale methods have led to new insights e.g.