The KU Leuven Mecha(tro)nic System Dynamics division (LMSD) is looking for a PhD researcher to join its team to work on developing model-based robust design methodologies for lubricated gearboxes.
ProjectThis PhD project addresses the problem of performance variability of nominally identical gearboxes that is often observed in industry after production and/or assembly of a gearbox. The main reason for this variability are manufacturing variations, lubricant property changes, assembly variations and/or different operating conditions. These variations occur in all industrial gearboxes, irrespective of the selected quality grading, and can be detrimental for the durability and NVH performance of the gearbox when it is not purposefully designed to be insensitive to these disturbances. Traditional gear design manuals and/or software packages based on international standards lack the resolution required to include the influence of such factors as (within-tolerance) surface roughness, geometrical deviations, lubricant viscosity changes, and the presence of surface coatings. On the other hand, most advanced CAE software packages for gearbox analysis rely largely on non-lubricated and/or smooth contact mechanics, whereas general-purpose CFD software is computationally too demanding for exploring vast amounts of design variations in a reasonable time. The objective of this PhD position is to develop and experimentally validate a methodology (and associated simulation tools) for the robust design of lubricated gearboxes, based on model-based tribodynamic parameter sensitivity analyses of gearboxes on both component- and system-level.
This 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 research with industrially relevant applications, leading to dissemination in both highly ranked academic journals as well as on industrial for a. More information regarding the research group can be found on the website.
ProfileIf yourecognize yourself in the description below, then you have the profile thatfits the PhD position and research group:
Offer
Interested?To apply for this position, please usethe application tool. Enclose your full cv, motivationletter, and a full list of credits of BSc and MSc grades. If available, add a proof of English proficiency, one or two reference letters, and an English version of a MSc or PhD thesis, or of a recentpublication or assignment. For more information, contact bart.blockmans@kuleuven.be andmention the PhD title in the subject. You can apply for this job no later than November 30, 2023 via the
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