Manufacturing of metamaterials by thermoforming and injection moulding

This PhD is part of the Horizon Europe MSCA doctoral network METAVISION: “METAmaterials for VIbration and Sound reductION” (Grant number 101072415) funded under the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie Actions Doctoral Networks within the Horizon Europe Programme of the European Commission. METAVISION is an international consortium of high-profile universities, research institutions and companies located in 7 European countries. METAVISION will train 11 doctoral candidates through intersectoral, multidisciplinary and international joint research and aims to reconcile two conflicting trends. On the one hand, people become increasingly aware of the negative health impact of excessive noise and vibration exposure. On the other hand, every kilogram of mass removed from the logistics chain has a direct economic and ecological benefit. Current noise and vibration solutions still require too much mass or volume to be practically feasible, particularly for lower frequencies. There is thus a strong need for low mass, compact material solutions with excellent noise and vibration characteristics, for which recently emerged so-called metamaterials have shown immense potential. METAVISION aims to develop novel design and analysis methods in view of broadening the performance and applicability of metamaterials, revolutionize the manufacturing of metamaterials towards large-scale and versatile solutions and advance academically proven metamaterial concepts towards industrially relevant applications.

As DC4 within this project, in view of mass manufacturing solutions which merge high narrowband noise and vibration attenuation while preserving good broadband performance, you will work on design and manufacturing strategies for novel (vibro-)acoustic metamaterial solutions, while considering the integration of porous foam phases. On the one hand, currently used techniques to produce metamaterials, including additive manufacturing, or laser cutting of separate resonator additions, are not suitable for mass manufacturing. On the other hand, metamaterials often exhibit narrowband noise and vibration attenuation, while the performance outside these frequency bands might be reduced. The potential of using injection moulding or thermoforming for mass manufacturing metamaterials was recently shown. Moreover, foam phases may be introduced in produced metamaterials, which can allow preserving or even enhancing the broadband performance. As DC4, you will investigate possible approaches to produce (vibro-)acoustic metamaterial solutions, leveraging thermoforming and injection moulding processes, with consideration of incorporating foam phases. For both technologies, the influence of production aspects will be important: numerical simulations will support the design and predict e.g. filling ratios, warpage, etc. The geometrical accuracy of the resonators and dependency on the location in the full structure, as well as trade- offs between foam and resonators will be investigated.

The PhD is supervised by prof. Elke Deckers (https: // www. kuleuven.be/wieiswie/nl/person/00059933) from the KU Leuven LMSD division. The research is hosted by the Mecha(tro)nic System Dynamics division (LMSD), which currently counts >100 researchers and is part of the department of mechanical engineering of KU Leuven. The research group has a long track record of combining excellent fundamental academic research with industrially relevant applications, leading to dissemination in both highly ranked academic journals as well as on industrial fora. More information on the research group can be found on the website: https: // www. mech.kuleuven.be/en/research/mod/about and our linkedIn page: https: // www. linkedin.com/showcase/lmsd-kuleuven/.

I have a master degree in engineering, physics or mathematics and performed above average in comparison to my peers. I am not in possession of a doctoral degree at the date of recruitment.

I am proficient in written and spoken English.

I haven't had residence or main activities in Belgium for more than 12 months in the last 3 years.

During my courses or prior professional activities, I have gathered some basic experience with the physical principles of structural dynamics and (vibro-)acoustics and the related numerical modelling techniques, such as the Finite Element Method (FEM), as well as numerical optimization, manufacturing methods (additive manufacturing, injection moulding, thermoforming), and/or I have a profound interest in these topics. Experience with/knowledge of metamataterials is considered as a bonus.

As a PhD researcher of the KU Leuven LMSD division perform research in a structured and scientifically sound manner. I read technical papers, understand the nuances between different theories and implement and improve methodologies myself.

A remuneration package competitive with industry standards in Belgium, a country with a high quality of life and excellent health care system. You will receive a monthly gross salary of €3400. The net income will be lower since a deduction of income tax, the social contributions, and other permitted deductions need to be considered. In addition to the net salary you will receive a mobility allowance of €600 and, if applicable, a family allowance of €600.

An opportunity to pursue a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, typically a 4 year trajectory, in a stimulating and ambitious research environment.

Ample occasions to develop yourself in a scientific and/or an industrial direction. Besides opportunities offered by the research group, further doctoral training for PhD candidates is provided in the framework of the KU Leuven Arenberg Doctoral School (https: // set.kuleuven.be/phd), known for its strong focus on both future scientists and scientifically trained professionals who will valorise their doctoral expertise and competences in a non-academic context. More information on the training opportunities can be found on the following link: https: // set.kuleuven.be/phd/dopl/whytraining.