Vacant PhD topics at the Delft University of Technology

Subject Mean value first principle approach to combustion modelling in diesel engine for propulsion simulation (re: marine engineering)

Researcher To be decidedContact Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description For propulsion simulation the use of very detailed modelling of the in-cylinder processes in the diesel engine is not required. What is required is an adequate mean value description of the changes of the combustion and air supply (turbocharger) under various operational conditions. In the engine model developed in Delft a first principle approach (Seiliger's thermodynamic description) is used for the in-cylinder process. This model contains three parameters to describe the shape of the combustion. Finding, explaining and implementing a relation between operational conditions and these parameters using a first principle approach has been attempted but definitely needs further research and validation

Subject Integrated propulsion and manoeuvring control (re: marine engineering

Researcher To be decidedContact Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description For a propulsion and manoeuvring plant the control of the various actuators (CPP, engine, rudder) is now mostly separated, mainly because the manufacturers of these components have their own automation equipment that normally is developed in splendid isolation. The ship’s officers are supposed to be the integrating factor, with knowledge of the interaction between the various components, the ship and the environment. While trying to reduce maintenance, failure risk, environmental impact, underwater noise, vibrations, fuel consumption etcetera, during a manoeuvre or under certain operational conditions, the human operator should be supported by a control systems that takes part of these consideration from his hand (and head). Research must be conducted what functionalities are required and how it must be attributed to several levels of control.

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Subject Dynamic modelling of electric propulsion plants (re: marine engineering)

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description ‘All Electric Ships’ are widely used in the cruise ship industry and the preferred option for future naval ships for at least two major navies. The Royal Netherlands Navy is committed to the all electric concept in their submarines, landing dock platforms and underwater research vessels. Under the umbrella of the AES platform in recent years the benefits for other ships types has been investigated. For the initial design, insight in the dynamic behaviour of the propulsion plant is beneficial and would allow better definition of the plant and a more comprehensive evaluation of the design. Existing models are either too detailed and complex (requiring both detailed knowledge and specification not yet available in the early design stages), or too simple. A modular system is envisaged, based on first principle mean value models of the major components based on the experience of the group gained with components of more conventional propulsion systems.

Subject Fault prediction in auxiliary systems using simulation models (re: marine engineering)

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description In an earlier study the possibility of predicting faulty behaviour with simulation models was investigated for compression refrigeration plants. One of the results was a recommendation to try the same approach on complex systems with simple components, such as an HVAC or a cooling water system. The two main questions that should be answered within this research are:1. Is it possible to reliably predict faulty behaviour of these systems with simulation models2. Is there a generic approach possible to fault development in common components such as pumps, heat exchangers, valves etcetera

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Subject Modelling and controlling HVAC systems (re: marine engineeringResearcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Heating and air conditioning systems are of vital importance to some ship types, such as passenger and naval vessels. A start has been made to develop a comprehensive modular model for these systems, and prototype models have been developed and demonstrated. The true modular approach and the faulty behaviour prediction are not yet completed. With the model, research should be initiated to develop control strategies for HVAC systems, including automatic reconfiguration of the system in case of fire or other emergencies.

Subject Application of state-of-the-art evaporation models in marine engineering simulation models (re: marine engineering)

Researcher To be decided Contact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Several simulations models used within marine engineering involve evaporation and condensation. These range from diesel engines (fuel evaporation before combustion) to HVAC (condensation and evaporation of refrigerants in the condenser and evaporator of chillers) Also the condensation of steam as These are very complex phenomena that are generally dealt with in a (over) simplistic way (i.e. equilibrium). Trying to integrate more advanced models based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics should lead to better models and a better understanding of the behaviour of the equipment.

Subject Through life reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) assessment in shipping

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Reliability engineering as a tool for integrated life cycle management is used in two ways: to asses quantitative results for plant availability but also for estimating the probability of unsafe situations (i.e. availability analysis and safety analysis). In an earlier PhD study already a link was made between the two by optimising the maintenance effort and the availability of the ship along lines of equal safety level. To make such a RAM assessment possible a lot of reliability data is required. Since many ship owners use an automated maintenance systems this data could be made available. Based on a proper analysis of such data the earlier work could be extended.

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Subject Part load and transient emissions from shipsResearcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Grimmelius, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Emissions from ships, especially NOx ,SOx and particulates, are becoming a important issue now there is made good progress in reducing land based emissions. Especially in congested coastal waters and ports, emissions from shipping are becoming a major source of air pollution. Simultaneously, coastal waters and ports are also the area were ships manoeuvre the most and engines often run at reduced load and speed. Emissions in part load and during transients are however not very well known and even less understood. The research should focus on these phenomena as well explore ways and means of specifying sailing profiles based on statistical analysis of real time voyages.

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Subject Quality modelling (re: ship production) Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. ir. U. Nienhuis MBA; section Ship Production, Faculty of

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description An important characteristic of shipbuilding is the nature of its products, i.e. one-offs or very small series. For the control of the building process and the research necessary to improve that, this implies that the “quality” of the product cannot be determined in the traditional, experimental way. For products that are produced in large quantities the quality is determined in a prototype, 0-series and also during later production series. It is determined by comparing actually produced product parameter values with specified parameter values. Analysis of the discrepancies is fed back to design of the product and the production facility.This approach is not applicable for products which are engineered-to-order, as usual in utility construction and shipbuilding. But these industries also have an urgent need for increase in quality (first-time-right) because the failure costs may rise up to 15% of the total value of the product according to some indicators.For the development of models (virtual models, simulation models) of the (ship)building processes a representation of the quality of the product is problematic. But it is required for instance to be able to build simulation models wherein a proper judgement can be made between the amount of time spent on design and engineering on one hand and the repercussions on the necessary production efforts at the other hand.A first scan of literature by a PhD candidate for a simulation model of engineering processes seems to show that this “quality”-subject is hardly investigated so far. This is more or less confirmed by fellow researchers. They limit themselves to assumptions of fault percentages, amounts of rework and statistical chances for matters going wrong, in which wrong is a binary value: totally good or totally wrong. However, for complex systems the reality is much more complicated than this approach. Given the importance and the scientific challenge of this problem a full and thorough literature research is required, followed by some initial probes into the matter. This should lead to a potentially feasible approach and a draft project plan.In co-operation with other institutes a full project plan will be drafted to accommodate one or two positions for a PhD research.

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Subject Autonomous robots (re: ship production)Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. ir. U. Nienhuis MBA; section Ship Production, Faculty of

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description In the department Maritime and Transport Technology, section Ship Production ongoing research and development is devoted to automated ship production for various parts of the shipbuilding process.

This subject is dedicated to research and development of (largely) autonomous robots capable of tracing required materials, handling & transport, manipulation & positioning, actual assembly and registration of work in progress. Different application areas are envisaged including welding, shipbuilding work, conservation and painting in various shipbuilding niches such as yacht building and commercial shipbuilding.

Typical steps in the research are:1. Analysis of shipbuilding process to be robotised;2. Functional analysis of robot systems;3. Concept exploration of possible solutions and selection of best

alternatives;4. Functional design of robot solution including organisational

embedding;5. Detailed technical design and validation of robot solutions;6. Analysis of performance by means of virtual manufacturing;7. Realisation of (part) pilot plant;8. Monitoring, validation and evaluation;9. Reporting & publications.

The elements mentioned above offer ample possibilities for PhD research for MSc graduates in Marine & Mechanical Technology with a strong affinity to automation, robotisation, ICT and simulation.

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Subject Application of (portable) ICT for the shipbuilding production processResearcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. ir. U. Nienhuis MBA; section Ship Production, Faculty of

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Monitoring and control of the production process during assembly, outfitting and commissioning are mainly based on lists, drawings and oral arrangements. Portable ICT is not used: not for retrieval of production data on the spot, not to collect or to transfer logistic data, not to obtain assembly instructions or job orders and not to report completed activities.That is a pity for two reasons. In the first place further application of ICT can save costs and secondly it could contribute to a better insight in the daily matters as regards productivity, failures, obscurities, etc.In the Japanese industry there is some limited development on a wearable PC-system and both in Japan and Germany some little experiments are done with RFID to locate components.Reason to investigate whether this subject is feasible for application in the shipbuilding industry.Following questions could be relevant for such research:

- what is the productivity in various shipbuilding processes depending of the circumstances (accessibility, complexity, labour skill, facilities)

- how can RFID systems be applied in an environment with a lot of steel, bad climatic circumstances, rough treatment of components, interfering processes like grinding and preservation, etc.

- what should be the ergonomic design of a portable and robust ICT-system for production support to allow a sensible use by people with limited skill.

- How to realize a formal (automatic) knowledge system which translates the registered experiences with this portable system in recommendations for design and engineering on one hand and for the organization (design for production) on the other hand.

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Subject Development of a safety based design methodology for ships (re: ship design)

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Boonstra, Associate Professor; Section Ship Design, Faculty of

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description The design of seagoing vessels is traditionally for a major part regulated by prescriptive rules and guidelines formulated by national authorities and classification societies. Broadly speaking the national authorities are concerned with stability, reserve buoyancy, operational aspects, crew qualifications, safety of personnel and protection of the environment whereas the classification societies care for the strength of the hull, for the machinery and equipment. Requirements of national authorities are internationally harmonized through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in the sense that IMO proposes requirements, which may be enforced by national authorities. With classification rules, the harmonization is organized through IACS (the International Association of Classification Societies). The classification societies organized within IACS have agreed to mutually accept ships, which are built under another class within the IACS group.

In recent years there is a strong tendency in the maritime community to move from prescriptive rules towards formulation of a required safety level. There are several reasons for this shift: the emergence of new ship types, for which traditional standards

are no longer applicable the increase in availability of application tools, computation speed

and of information technology the increase in technical knowledge regarding the behaviour of

ships in (extreme) environmental conditions

Within the IMO this has led in recent years to the proposal of using Formal Safety Assessment (FSA) as a tool for improvement and rationalization of regulations. For the time being it appears that the application of FSA is rather time-consuming whereas the level of accuracy is questionable due to the use of a 'generic ship concept' instead of a specific situation, as is done in safety analyses for offshore field developments: the so called Safety Case.

The present situation i.e. the assessment of safety in shipping with prescriptive, 'old fashioned' rules is not satisfying. The experience with FSA as proposed by IMO shows limitations. The application, for each individual ship, of a full size Safety Case, as required for offshore field developments, seems too costly and too time-consuming.This proposal comprises the development of engineering tools that avoid these shortcomings and enable naval architects to evaluate safety aspects of ships in a probabilistic way, using up-to date technical knowledge.

Work plan

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The work plan encompasses the development of tools, to be used by naval architects, for the assessment of ships in severe environmental conditions. The method provides data, in a probabilistic way, on aspects as immersion, stability, accelerations, certain sea loads, (operational aspects?). The tools will be based on existing analytical codes and codes that are presently under development (such as non-linear motion assessment). The general structure of the method follows the Qualified Risk Assessment (QRA) procedure, i.e. system definition, hazard identification, risk assessment, risk control option assessment, cost benefit analysis. Part of work is related to adapting and streamlining existing analytical codes and the search for and establishment of accurate statistical data.

Scientific aspectsThe work will rationalize and quantify safety-related aspects in marine design. Never before have different aspects of safety in marine design brought in relation with each other in a rational manner. When 'design' is defined as the integration of scientific knowledge, and as such an 'art' on scientific level, the work is a leap forward in providing a more scientific basis for a number of aspects in marine design. It

Expected resultsThe work will result in a prototype tool for ship design, encompassing probabilistic methods, in particular for safety and economical aspects. With the tool safety is addressed in an explicit and quantified way, leading to more rational design choices than in case of using present-day prescriptive regulations. Implementation day-to-day design practice will enhance the acceptance of new ship types and new developments in marine technology.

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Subject Safety Assessment in Ship DesignResearcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. H. Boonstra, Associate Professor; section Ship Design, Faculty of

Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Traditionally, design methods in marine technology have a strong deterministic and procedural approach, regulated by prescriptive rules and guidelines. Safety consequences however, should preferably be evaluated during the conceptual phase of a design, based on an accepted safety level. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) advocates the application of Formal Safety Assessment as a tool for rule development. This initiative although an improvement with respect to the past suffers from shortcomings due to its generic nature and resources required. Safety aspects of marine transport systems should be evaluated in a probabilistic manner, combined with the application of up-to-date technical and scientific knowledge. As ICT applications facilitate new design concepts and self-reliance of crew and passengers is emphasized, the maritime community is moving towards requirements for accepted safety levels. Similar developments are present in other transport modalities, in the design of petrochemical plants and in large-scale civil projects, where probabilistic aspects are incorporated in design procedures.The main research issue of the project focuses on the development of a vessel design methodology of a combined probabilistic and deterministic nature. The methodology is based on existing maritime codes and practices and provides the integration of integral safety and scientific knowledge in the design of maritime objects.Research questions are:- which performance indicators are required and what quantified data have

to be applied to integrate safety in all phases of the design process.- how can safety be integrated in a probabilistic and deterministic way in the

design methodology and subsequent assessment procedures- how can this methodology be implemented in the design tradition in the

marine community in view of international harmonization requirements.-The general structure of the method follows the Quantitative Risk Analysis procedure, i.e. system definition, hazard identification, risk assessment, risk control option assessment and cost-benefit analysis. In addition, integration of scientific knowledge in the marine design process is pursued. Part of the work is related to adapting and streamlining existing analytical tools and codes and the search for and establishment of accurate statistical data.The work will result in a prototype tool for ship design, encompassing probabilistic methods, in particular for safety and economical aspects. The tool addresses safety explicitly and quantified, leading to a rational design approach rather than a prescriptive and regulatory approach. Implementation will enhance the acceptance of new ship types and new developments in marine technology.

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Subject Economic analysis of maritime innovation: tools, empirical analysis and lessons for the future

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. E. van Voorde; Section Ship Design, Faculty of Mechanical,

Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of TechnologyShort description Review of maritime innovation from a technical point of view,

for a period that starts before the first oil shock (i.e. before 1973)

Building a framework to make an economic analysis of maritime investments (both infrastructure and equipment)

What about the future: direction of expected innovation (based on basic characteristics)

Empirical analysis: economic analysis of innovative issues Generalisation and conclusion

Subject Optimisation of handling equipment in seaports. An economic analysis

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. E. van Voorde; Section Ship Design, Faculty of Mechanical,

Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of TechnologyShort description Analysing handling equipment in seaports (from a technical

point of view) Cost modelling (both the investment and the operational side) Handling within the logistics chain Optimisation issues (proposing changes and estimating the

consequences) Generalisation and conclusions

Subject Optimisation of handling equipment in seaports. An economic analysis

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr. E. van Voorde; Section Ship Design, Faculty of Mechanical,

Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of TechnologyShort description Analysing handling equipment in seaports (from a technical

point of view) Cost modelling (both the investment and the operational side) Handling within the logistics chain Optimisation issues (proposing changes and estimating the

consequences) Generalisation and conclusions

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Subject Hydro-elastic analysis of finite element analysis procedure of a ship hull

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. G. Hommel, Associate Professor, Section Ship Structures, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology

Short description Hydro-elastic analysis with regard to: The development of a finite element analysis procedure of a ship hull including the resulting hull pressures and inertia forces due to prescribed ship motions. These forces and pressures result from ship motion analysis based on diffraction programs. The calculated response allows determining of the fatigue behaviour. (Together with Ship Hydrodynamicss; Interaction of water pressure and deformation. (Together with Ship Hydrodynamics)

Subject Adhesives in maritime structures Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. G. Hommel, Associate Professor, Section Ship Structures, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology Ir. G. Hommel, Associate Professor, Section Ship Structures

Short description Application of adhesive bonding in maritime structures. Together with TU Delft’s Adhesion Institute.

Subject Welding of aluminium (re: ship structures) Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Ir. G. Hommel, Associate Professor, Section Ship Structures, Faculty

of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering, Delft University of Technology Ir. G. Hommel, Associate Professor, Section Ship Structures

Short description Welding of aluminium: possibilities, fatigue aspects. Together with Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering.

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Subject Fatigue and crack resistance of cement treated materials (re: road engineering)

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Cement is used very often as a binder for stabilising bases and sub-bases for pavement structures. Cement treated materials however are prone to shrinkage and fatigue cracking and for that reason knowledge about the crack and fatigue resistance of such materials is important. Testing the fatigue resistance of cement treated materials however is cumbersome because of the brittle nature of the material and the variation in characteristics. Because of that a fatigue test on a cement treated material can easily range between a few minutes and a couple of weeks. All this implies that there is a need for a procedure that allows estimating the fatigue resistance of these materials in a simple way. Such procedures have been developed for asphalt mixtures where it has been shown that the slope (n) of the fatigue relation (log N = k 1 – n log ) strongly depends on the slope (m) of the relationship between loading time and resilient modulus (log E* = a – m log t). Furthermore it has been shown for asphalt mixtures that the intercept value of the fatigue relation (k1) depends on the tensile strength, the fracture energy, m, the shape of the load signal and the geometry of the specimen. It is believed that similar relationships could be developed for cement treated materials. Influence factors to be involved are cement type and amount of cement, water/cement ratio, type of material to be stabilised.As part of this project, the influence of e.g. moisture and freeze – thaw cycles on the fatigue and cracking resistance of cement treated materials should be analyzed as well.

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Subject Design method for reflective cracking in pavements (re: road engineering)

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Pavements with a cement treated base suffer from reflective cracking. Reflective cracking is cracking that has initiated in the cement treated base due to shrinkage and fatigue which is propagating through the asphalt layers placed on top of the base. Next to that edge load conditions develop near the crack which can cause further cracking to develop. Because of the reduced load carrying capacity of cracked pavements and because water will penetrate the crack, rapid deterioration of the pavement near the crack can take place. It will be clear that reflective cracking is a major cause for maintenance and for that reason a design method that takes into account the effects of thermal shrinkage and traffic loads on the development of reflective cracking is needed. Reflective cracking in pavements can be analysed using principles of fracture mechanics together with finite element analyses. In spite of the fact that today’s computer technology allows to make complex calculations in a very short time, finite element techniques are still considered to be a tool for researchers than a tool for practice. The goal of the project therefore is to develop a user friendly design methodology to analyse reflective cracking. The methodology should be based on a large number of finite element runs on different types of structures. The results of these analyses should then be treated with Artificial Neural Network Techniques in order to obtain a methodology which can easily be used by practice.

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Subject Durability of porous asphalt concrete (re: road engineering)Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Porous asphalt concrete is widely applied because of its ability to reduce traffic noise. The problem with such layers however is the high void content (> 20%) which makes such layers vulnerable for the influences of traffic and climate. It appears that adhesive cracking (failure in the aggregate-bitumen interface) is one of the main causes for early failure of porous asphalt concrete. Although a lot of practical knowledge is available on the adhesion between aggregates and bituminous mortars, the topic has not yet been studied from a fundamental point of view. This is necessary in order to understand the driving mechanisms and in order to be able to develop materials with improved characteristics. The analysis of the adhesion phenomenon is complicated by the fact that aging due to oxygen, temperature and uv radiation changes the adhesive characteristics significantly during the lifetime of the pavement. Furthermore moisture can have a significant influence resulting in stripping of the bituminous binder from the aggregates. All these aspects have to be taken into account in the research project.

Subject Self healing of asphalt mixes (re: road engineering) Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Bituminous materials have to some extent a self healing capacity. This capacity however decreases sharply when the material gets aged. Several chemical and biological treatments however could improve the healing capacity of asphalt mixes after e.g. the bituminous mortar has hardened to a certain extent or when a certain amount of micro damage has developed. This research topic, which involves a lot of physics and chemistry, could result in products by which the lifetime of asphalt pavements can be increased significantly.

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Subject Intelligent asphalt pavements (re : road engineering)Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Currently pavement maintenance is decided on the visual condition and the bending stiffness of the pavement. The current problem with these measurements however is that are done by foot, or using a slow moving vehicle. It is clear that such types of measurements should be avoided when traffic volumes are high; in such cases a much more intelligent way of damage assessment is needed. Damage is mostly a result of the detrimental effects of traffic and climate but initial flaws can be built in during the construction process and might be present from the very beginning causing premature maintenance. For that reason it is very useful if the presence of those initial flaws can be monitored as soon as possible. It is a well known fact however that the initiation of micro damage can be monitored by means of ultra sound measurements. Furthermore infra red techniques have shown to be useful in monitoring potential weak spots. Nevertheless there is still a lot of room for the development of new measurement techniques (like measurement of background radioactivity) installment of chips measuring temperature, stresses and moisture conditions, mixing in of special products like fibres which allow the damage progression to be measured using e.g. electromagnetic techniques etc. This topic should be related to the development of such intelligent techniques.

Subject Nano modifications of bitumen (re: road engineering) Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Prof. dr.ir. A.A.A. Molenaar; Section Road & Railway Engineering,

Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description It is a well known fact that modification of polymers by means of nano clay results in a significant improvement of the mechanical characteristics of polymers. Since bitumen is a polymer structure, although a very complex and disorganised one, modification of bitumen by means of nano clay can also result in a significant improvement of the characteristics of the bitumen. As mentioned before, bitumen is a very complex polymer and the effect of the nano clay modification will be dependent on the type of bitumen as well as the type of modification. Probably some other materials need to be added to obtain the required improvement. In this research topic the principles of the bitumen – nano clay modification should be investigated, as well as the additional treatments that might have to be taken in order to let the modification to be effective. Furthermore the mechanical characteristics of the modified and reference bitumen need to be investigated as well as their resistance to aging.

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Subject X-Ray CT Quantification of Microstructural Damage Development in Asphalt Concrete

Researcher To be decidedContact DUT Dr.ir. A. Scarpas / Dr. ir. X. Liu

Section of Structural Mechanics, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Asphalt is a complex multi-phase material comprising mineral aggregate, bitumen and air. Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) is produced by mixing graded aggregates with bitumen at an elevated temperature and compacting the mixture using a static or vibratory roller. The level of compaction is controlled by compacting to a target density or air void content. The mechanical behaviour of the compacted asphalt depends strongly on the internal distribution of aggregates and air voids.The aim of this project is the utilization of X-Ray CT techniques to provide three dimensional internal images of an asphalt specimen revealing thus the internal structure and evolution of microstructure in the specimen under monotonic and repeated loading conditions. On the basis of the measurements, the micro-fabric tensor of the material will be related to the observed internal damage of the specimen. In the project, special computer software shall be developed capable of producing appropriate finite element meshes for micromechanical finite element simulations. Good knowledge of mechanics and Fortran programming skills are necessary.

Subject Chemo-Mechanics of Bituminous Materials Researcher Two researchers are soughtSupervision in The Netherlands

Dr.ir. A. Scarpas / Dr. ir. X. Liu Section of Structural Mechanics, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Chemo-Mechanics is a rapidly developing field which attempts to interpret the mechanical response of engineering materials on the basis of their physio-chemical characteristics. In the Group of Mechanics of Structural Systems, at the Section of Structural Mechanics of the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences of TU-Delft, a research project has been initiated focusing on the Chemo-Mechanics of bituminous materials. The topic combines analytical and experimental physio-chemical techniques with fundamental mechanics principles and modern computational procedures for the development of constitutive laws for bituminous materials. In the framework of this project, two PhD candidates are sought. They should have a Masters degree in either Chemistry or Chemical Engineering with emphasis on molecular thermo-dynamics and/or interfacial chemistry. Both candidates are expected to spend periods of time in the USA.

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Subject Dynamic port planning under competitionResearcher To be decidedContact DUT Dr. Ir. R.J. Verhaeghe, Associate Professor; Section Transport and

Planning, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Delft University of Technology

Short description Containerization has caused a revolution in design and operation of freight transportation modes and cargo handling facilities. Ports, as important nodes in an extensive network of transport facilities, have to make strategic decisions in the face of a strongly growing market and volatile demand. The volume of containerized transport is expected to double in the next 10 years.The aim of the research is to provide the port authority with an approach and tool to optimize its decision making. This requires research into a dynamic investment modeling for the port node, which needs to integrate information on congestion in relation to physical characteristics of the port, scale effects, competition, self-financing, the flow of freight in an international multi-modal network, and the wide uncertainty in the projected (market dependent) demand for port service.

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