A postdoc position is available in the National University of Singapore, on the development of a multi-physics degradation model for building facade materials. Description and application details are provided below.
The degradation of building façade materials such as sealants, gaskets or cement plasters, can be due to weathering which causes the materials to harden and dry out, or exposure to ultraviolet light/ thermal conditions. This project focuses on the service life prediction of these materials, subject to the cyclical environmental loading conditions. A mechanism based degradation model for the selected façade material is to be developed, calibrated and validated against laboratory data obtained from accelerated weathering tests. To capture the intricate relations between different environmental loads, the project will work towards the development of a coupled mechanism model (e.g. hydro-thermal degradation), to enable the climate parameters (temperature cycles, precipitation, etc.) to be better implemented in the service life prediction.
The applicant should have a PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computational Physics or any disciplines relevant to the project.
The applicant should be proficient in:
• Mechanics of materials
• Non-linear finite element techniques (theory, numerical implementation, analysis)
• Numerical methods
and with relevant experience in the following:
• Constitutive model development
• Writing of subroutines for FE implementation
• Coupled field analysis
The candidate is expected to start work in Dec 2021. The first contract is for 1 year, with possible extension. The project will be done in collaboration with A/Prof Pang Sze Dai. Interested candidates can apply via https://careers.nus.edu.sg/NUS/job/Kent-Ridge-Research-Fellow-%28Mechan…