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Post-doctorate researcher speciality : pultrusion of reactive thermoplastic composite materials and related properties

On-site
  • Albi, Occitanie, France
Matériaux à haute performance et éco-matériaux

Job description

Job environment

As a school of the French Ministry of Industry, IMT Mines Albi is part of the Institut Mines-Télécom, the leading group of engineering and management schools in France. At the forefront of industrial and academic issues on the international scene, it acts as a scientific and economic driver for the region by combining its missions in a virtuous circle of innovation. The research teams are distributed among its 3 centers, working on the emergence and improvement of industrial processes, in particular on its 4 technological platforms.

This position is opened within IMT Mines Albi and is attached to the Institut Clément Ader Albi (ICA-Albi) center. This center is part of the Institut Clément Ader (ICA - UMR CNRS 5312), a laboratory whose five supervisory institutions are IMT Mines Albi, INSA Toulouse, ISAE-SUPAERO, Université Paul Sabatier and CNRS. ICA-Albi is composed of about 75 people and carries out research in three of the ICA groups: the MSC group (Composite Materials and Structures), the SUMO group (Surface, Machining, Materials, Tools) and the MICS group (Measurement, Identification, Control, Monitoring). ICA-Albi is in charge of the management of the research and innovation platform MIMAUSA (Processing of aeronautical materials and active monitoring).

The activities of ICA-Albi are mainly oriented towards problems of the industrial sectors of aeronautics, space and energy. They particularly concern:

the study of new materials and processes, mainly in the fields of metals and composites but also in those of ceramics, polymers and multi-materials,

tools and molds for forming, based on multidisciplinary approaches (materials, mechanics, thermal, environment, instrumentation),

the development of new metrological techniques based on non- or low-intrusive optical sensors, for experimental photo-thermo-mechanics and process and system monitoring.

Research projet Infralight

Local rail transport is an effective way to relieve congestion in city centers, but it is not widely used because of the prohibitive costs of maintaining traditional tracks. To revitalize this mode of green transportation, a new track design that breaks away from the traditional pattern of metal rails supported by ballast is possible. This is the aim of the INFRALight collaborative project funded by the PIA4 through an ADEME AMI. The objective of this project is to develop a light rail infrastructure on piles made of composite material rails for the circulation of very light autonomous shuttles.

For the manufacture of the rails, the pultrusion process of composites with a reactive thermoplastic matrix has been selected. A part of the INFRALight project therefore aims to develop this process of reactive processing in the case of these thick structures of long length. These particular thermoplastic matrices are obtained by in situ polymerization of a reactive mixture of monomers and polymerization agents. This polymerization reaction can be carried out in situ after impregnation of the fibrous reinforcements in order to obtain a composite structure, which facilitates the impregnation operation without increasing the processing time compared to conventional thermoplastic matrices.

Missions

The application of composites for the manufacture of rail nevertheless raises new issues compared to steel rails. In particular, the thermal expansion of the rails is an critical parameter that needs to be controlled as it can lead to distortions and geometrical defects of the tracks.

The main mission that will be assigned to the recruited candidate will therefore be to study the thermal expansion of pultruded composite structures. In particular, the candidate will be in charge of :

the characterization and modeling of the thermal expansion of pultruded coupons made of composite materials in order to analyze the influence of the nature of the constituents: fibers (synthetic, organic, mineral) and matrix (conventional and reactive thermoplastic, thermoset),

the characterization of the deformation induced by the thermal expansion of segments of pultruded rails in order to analyze the influence of the architecture of the pultruded structure (fiber ratio and orientation),

depending on the candidate's profile, the development of a numerical model to predict the distortion of the pultruded parts.

Furthermore, the pultrusion fabrication of large cross-sections with reactive matrices represents a particular challenge due to the exotherm of the reaction. Indeed, the thermal regime corresponds to a stabilization of thermal gradients in the section of the pultruded parts. These gradients influence the reaction kinetics and consequently the quality of the pultruded parts. A perfect understanding of the coupling between polymerization kinetics and thermal diffusion is necessary in order to ensure a high level of reaction throughout the structure while avoiding hot spots that can cause monomer boiling. Two PhD students and interns will work on these aspects of the project. Depending on his expertise in this field, the candidate may also be asked to participate in the supervision of these PhD students and trainees.

Conditions d’exercice

Visits to the industrial partners are required, in particular to the production sites of the pultruder partners. Participation in national and international conferences is also planned during the project.

Duration of the proposes mission

12 months, renewable for a total duration of 24 months.

Background and profile

By the expected start date, the candidate should have graduated with a PhD within the last three years, in materials science, heat transfer or mechanical engineering.

He/she must be familiar with composite materials and their processes and have an interest in experimental work as well as a basic knowledge of finite element simulation (Comsol Multiphysics, Abaqus).

The candidate must be able to demonstrate autonomy and rigor to achieve the ambitious objectives of this project. The ability to communicate is also an important skill expected from the candidate because of the industrial context of the project.

Special condition

As the position is open in a restricted area (ZRR) of the ICA, the recruitment is subject to the opinion of the senior defense and security official of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Supporting information

For any additional information, refer to:

Research position:
Dr. Olivier De ALMEIDA, Assistant Professor,
(E-mail : olivier.dealmeida@mines-albi.fr ou +33 (0)5 63 49 32 95)

Administrative aspects:
M. Thomas BRENAC, HR department,
(e-mail : thomas.brenac@mines-albi.fr - phone : +33 (0)5 63 49 33 65)

Closing date for application: December, 31st 2022

Expected starting date: from February 2023

Job requirements

Background and profile

By the expected start date, the candidate should have graduated with a PhD within the last three years, in materials science, heat transfer or mechanical engineering.

He/she must be familiar with composite materials and their processes and have an interest in experimental work as well as a basic knowledge of finite element simulation (Comsol Multiphysics, Abaqus).

The candidate must be able to demonstrate autonomy and rigor to achieve the ambitious objectives of this project. The ability to communicate is also an important skill expected from the candidate because of the industrial context of the project.

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