PhD: Plasticity of high-strength steels in structures

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The use of Very High Strength Steels (VHSS – structural steels with a nominal yield strength greater than 690 MPa) is of considerable interest for structural weight reduction or the reduction of thickness where very high forces are introduced into a structure. There are a number of aspects that inhibit the further uptake of these steels in the maritime and offshore industry, and the relatively low level of work hardening is one aspect. This PhD will focus on the hardenability of the material, which is often quantified as the ratio of the yield strength to the ultimate tensile strength of a steel. The outcome of this PhD research will be to recommend scientifically-based rules for the maritime and offshore industry on the required work hardening of steels. These recommendations will take stress localizations due to stress concentrations, plastic hinge formation, necking, and ductile fracture into account. The successful applicant will work efficiently with analytical methods, commercial FEA software, and experiments in order to develop analytical techniques that will serve as the foundation for the recommended rules. Therefore, the successful applicant will be well rounded, and be especially comfortable with the analytical approaches associated with engineering structural plasticity. As this project is funded by a consortium of companies from the maritime and offshore industry, the selected PhD should have the ability to relate to the needs of the sponsors and identify relevant structural configurations.   

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