PhD Research Project: Experimental and numerical analysis of the effect of machining strategies on

With the aim of reducing fuel consumption and polluting emissions, the construction of aircraft with lighter structural elements is increasingly required. To this end, high-strength and damage-tolerant alloys are used, which make it possible to design parts with thinner thicknesses. Commonly, aluminum alloys are used to manufacture these lightened aero structural parts, due to their high specific resistance, low cost and good manufacturability properties. To a lesser extent, in certain critical components, titanium alloys are also used. However, these structural components are easily distorted during the manufacturing process, mainly as a consequence of the initial residual stresses of the raw material (caused by the rolling or forging processes and heat treatments), the high rate of material removal during machining (up to 90%) and the thermo-mechanical loads generated during this last process. Frequently, the final distortions require correction processes that increase the cost of the component or, in the worst case, lead to rejection of the part.

The general objective of this thesis is to study the effect of machining strategies on the final distortions and develop a predictive numerical model that allows selecting the machining strategy that minimizes distortions. For this purpose, characterization tests of the raw material (mechanical properties and measurement of residual stresses), machining tests of parts with different geometries and cutting strategies, and characterization of the final part (geometric distortions and final residual stresses) will be carried out. These results will be used to develop a finite element model with the ability to predict the final distortions depending on the starting material, machining strategies and cutting conditions.

Position details

Organization: Mondragon Unibertsitatea. Faculty of Engineering.

Research area: High Performance Machining.

Research area: High Performance Machining.

Researcher profile: First Stage Researcher (R1).

Type of contract: Research contract - Temporary.

Job status: Full time.

Location: Arrasate-Mondragon, Gipuzkoa, SPAIN

PhD supervisor: Aitor Madariaga, MONDRAGON Unibertsitatea (amadariaga@mondragon.edu)

PhD co-supervisor: Pedro J. Arrazola, MONDRAGON Unibertsitatea (pjarrazola@mondragon.edu)

Funding information

https://www.mondragon.edu/en/research-transfer/engineering-technology/aids-scholarships