Department of Polymer Engineering of the University of Akron, Ohio, is searching for a soon graduating student, specializing in computational continuum mechanics, to work towards his/her PhD in theoretical/ computational group of Professor A.I. Leonov. An interested person ould discuss the conditions by e-mail: leonov@uakro.edu.
PhD topic:
Numerical Investigation of Impact Fatigue at Rubber Surface made by Solid Particles
The study consists of two problems.
(1) A dynamic problem of skew impact of a spherical particle on viscoelastic rubber - like material with finite deformations and dissipative resistance. The issues of interests here are: the time dependent strain and stress fields near the particle, depending on the velocity and incident angle of impact during both the penetration and bouncing phases of the impact.
(2) Evaluation of 'damage' accumulating in the material in series of periodic or quasi-periodic (random) impacts, using some approaches of damage theories. Relation of damage to the physico-chemical effects of polymer chain scission.
The problem has applications in tire exploitations as well as for understanding the wear phenomena in rubber coating of slurry pumps.
The research is supported by an industrial company.
There is a computer code elaborated by Abacus Company for solving similar problems.
