Full-time study

4 years

prof. Ing. Jiří Burša, Ph.D.

Chairman :
prof. Ing. Jiří Burša, Ph.D.
Councillor internal :
prof. Ing. Luboš Náhlík, Ph.D.
prof. Ing. Jindřich Petruška, CSc.
prof. Ing. Miroslav Raudenský, CSc.
doc. Ing. Jaroslav Katolický, Ph.D.
prof. RNDr. Michal Kotoul, DrSc.
prof. Ing. Ivo Dlouhý, CSc.
doc. Ing. Robert Grepl, Ph.D.

The study programme in Applied Mechanics is focused on the preparation of highly qualified experts with the prerequisites for scientific work, mastering modern computational and experimental methods in the field of body mechanics, including specific areas of mechatronics and biomechanics. The aim of the study is to provide students with the necessary theoretical knowledge and practical experience in the field of mechanics corresponding to the topic of doctoral studies. To achieve the set goals and profile, students complete the subjects prescribed by their Individual Study Plan, which creates a theoretical basis for mastering the topic at the highest level. They then prove their practical mastery of the topic by passing the State Doctoral Examination and preparing and defending the Doctoral Dissertation.

Graduates of the doctoral program Applied Mechanics have highly specialized professional knowledge and competencies, especially in modern computational and experimental methods in the field of applied mechanics, or mechatronics or biomechanics, and their use in research and development in technical and medical. At the same time, it has professional adaptability, which gives great chances for employment in research and development, as well as in the field of technical calculations and managerial positions. This is evidenced by graduates working not only in academia and private research, but also in small computer and software companies, including leadership and management positions in design, computing and development departments or sales offices of international companies. With the penetration of computer modelling and support into the field of medicine, the application of biomechanics can be expected not only in this interdisciplinary sphere of research and development, but also in newly emerging positions of computer support in hospitals and clinical workplaces.

The graduate of the doctoral programme in Applied Mechanics has highly specialized professional knowledge, but also professional adaptability, which gives great opportunities for employment in research and development, as well as in the field of technical calculations and managerial positions. This is evidenced by graduates working not only in academia and private research, but also in small computer and software companies, including leadership and management positions in design, computing and development departments or sales offices of international companies. With the penetration of computer modelling and support into the field of medicine, the application of biomechanics can be expected not only in this interdisciplinary sphere of research and development, but also in newly emerging positions of computer support in hospitals and clinical workplaces.

See applicable regulations, DEAN’S GUIDELINE Rules for the organization of studies at FME (supplement to BUT Study and Examination Rules)

The rules and conditions of study programmes are determined by:
BUT STUDY AND EXAMINATION RULES
BUT STUDY PROGRAMME STANDARDS,
STUDY AND EXAMINATION RULES of Brno University of Technology (USING "ECTS"),
DEAN’S GUIDELINE Rules for the organization of studies at FME (supplement to BUT Study and Examination Rules)
DEAN´S GUIDELINE Rules of Procedure of Doctoral Board of FME Study Programmes
Students in doctoral programmes do not follow the credit system. The grades “Passed” and “Failed” are used to grade examinations, doctoral state examination is graded “Passed” or “Failed”.

Brno University of Technology acknowledges the need for equal access to higher education. There is no direct or indirect discrimination during the admission procedure or the study period. Students with specific educational needs (learning disabilities, physical and sensory handicap, chronic somatic diseases, autism spectrum disorders, impaired communication abilities, mental illness) can find help and counselling at Lifelong Learning Institute of Brno University of Technology. This issue is dealt with in detail in Rector's Guideline No. 11/2017 "Applicants and Students with Specific Needs at BUT". Furthermore, in Rector's Guideline No 71/2017 "Accommodation and Social Scholarship“ students can find information on a system of social scholarships.

The doctoral study programme in Applied Mechanics is a continuation of the currently accredited follow-up master's study programme in Applied Mechanics and Biomechanics. However, it focuses more generally on graduates of subsequent master's degree programmes in various fields of mechanics and mechatronics, or mathematical, physical or materials engineering, the graduates of which are able to continue in the third stage of study and obtain the scientific degree of Ph.D. demonstrate the ability of scientific work.

1. Adaptive control and state estimation of dynamic systems using local linear models

   The thesis will deal with research in the field of control and identification of nonlinear dynamic systems using methods based on the idea of local linear models (Lazy Learning, LWR, RFWR). The identificated inverse dynamic model will be used as a feedforward compensator in the structure of a composite regulator. The results of the research will be verified experimentally with real systems available in the Mechatronics laboratory (education models, automotive actuators, etc.) using the Matlab/Simulink computational environment and available hardware resources. Implementation in the form of an electronic control unit with a microcontroller is expected.

   Tutor: Grepl Robert, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

2. Analysis of the flexoelectric effect in thin layers of crystalline material

   Flexoelectricity is the electromechanical coupling between electrical polarization and strain gradients. This property of dielectrics can be used for designing new generation electronics, e.g. sensors, photodetectors or energy harvesters. Unlike the piezoelectric effect, which only exists in non-centrosymmetric crystalline materials, the flexoelectric effect induces the electric polarization in all crystalline materials. However, the flexoelectric effect is size dependent, i.e. it is strongly dependent on the dimensions of the internal structure of the material and practically it is appeared only in thin surface layers, nanofibers or in the close domain of the material defects, where large deformation gradients dominate. The aim of the dissertation is research of the flexoelectric effect in a thin layer of crystalline material, the thickness of which is to be in nanometers to micrometers, deposited on a substrate with orders of magnitude larger dimensions. The dissertation will concern the fracture and electromechanical properties of thin layer from the point of view of its damage and its ability to generate an electric charge. The problem of the flexoelectric effect will be formulated as a boundary value problem in elasticity, which will include the effect of the size dependency (gradient elasticity) and the flexoelectric effect in the form of flexoelectric coefficients in constitutive relations. The analytical and numerical calculations and methodological approaches known from classical elasticity and fracture mechanics will be extended to the boundary value problem including the micro and nanostructure of the material. Numerical calculations will be provided by the finite element method and available numerical libraries in Python and C language. Analytical calculations will be provided with help of libraries in Python and other available software enabling work with computer symbolic algebra.

   Tutor: Profant Tomáš, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

3. Application of artificial intelligence on ductile fracture at various strain rates and temperatures

   The ductile fracture is an up-to-date topic in solving various industrial operations, such as the forging under various temperatures, or failure states as crass tests at high strain rates. The work should utilize a dynamically developing area of the machine learning for the calibration of ductile fracture criteria and eventually for the crack prediction.

   Tutor: Šebek František, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

4. Cavitation erosion model

   Cavitation, i.e. local inception of vapor bubbles due to low pressure, can occur during operation of hydraulic machines. Consequent condensation (collapse) of the bubbles generates strong pressure pulses, which cause erosion of the machine surface. Goal of the PhD study is to create description of the vapor bubble behavior and then predict locations of the erosion and its intensity, i.e. to set up a cavitation erosion model. Model will be mainly based on numerical solution of Rayleigh-Plesset equation and CFD simulations, which describes change of the bubble radius in variable pressure field. Model will be experimentally validated in hydraulic lab of our department on exp. circuit for cavitation erosion testing and in collaboration with material engineers. Collaboration with internationally renowned teams is anticipated (UPC Barcelona, University of Ljubljan, etc.).

   Tutor: Rudolf Pavel, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

5. Compensation foil created by cutting plotter including connecting manifolds

   The concept of a compensation foil was introduced in Heat Transfer and Fluid Laboratory to achieve a uniform distribution of surface temperatures of batteries in electric vehicles. The concept’s functionality has been already confirmed in the numerical simulation by finding the spatial distribution of the thermal resistance that needs to be applied on the battery surface to obtain the uniform temperature distribution. The main objectives are: (i) to check suitability of a cutting plotter and find its limits for production of the compensation foil, (ii) to design and test the technology of application of the foil on the battery, including the materials needed to fill the holes made after using the plotter and generate the necessary and wide range of the effective thermal conductivity, (iii) to measure the surface temperature of the battery with and without the foil. The battery may be replaced by the dummy cell with an electric heater.

   Tutor: Boháček Jan, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

6. Computational modelling of effects of metabolic inhibition on electromechanical activity of cardiac cells

   The reduction of coronary blood flow reduces the supply of oxygen and nutrients to cardiac cells, which results in inhibition of cell metabolisms. This is accompanied by a decrease of intracellular ATP concentration and pH. These changes affect substantially the activity of ion transporters in cell membrane. The aim of this work is to mathematically formulate the effects of metabolic inhibition on the membrane ion transport system of cardiac cells and to explore the impact of these effects on electromechanical activity of cardiomyocytes by means of computational modelling.

   Tutor: Pásek Michal, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

7. Computational modelling of electromechanical activity of cardiomyocytes in failing hearts

   The aim of this work is to mathematically formulate the changes in membrane ion transport and in excitation-contraction coupling in myocytes of failing hearts and to explore the consequences of these changes for the electromechanical activity of cardiomyocytes by means of computational modelling.

   Tutor: Pásek Michal, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

8. Computational modelling of impact of reduction of membrane t-tubules on electro-mechanical activity of cardiac cells

   The membrane of cardiac cells contains a system of tubules (t-tubules) that enable the spread of electrical excitation from the surface to the interior of the cells and subsequently initiate processes leading to cell contraction. T-tubules, therefore, play a key role in the electromechanical activity of cardiac cells. Chronic heart diseases are accompanied by a loss of t-tubules but a detailed mathematical analysis of the effect of their reduction on cell contractility is still lacking. The aim of this work is to supplement the existing models of cardiac ventricular cells with a mathematical description of cellular mechanical activity and to simulate the effect of pathological reduction or remodelling of t-tubules on this activity.

   Tutor: Pásek Michal, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

9. Design of new spraying bars

   Hydraulic descaling is a technological process used to remove oxides layers from the surface of the steel. This process is energy-intensive and optimization can achieve maximum effect with minimal energy consumption. The properties of the hydraulic headers are affected by a variety of parameters. The role of the PhD student will be based on numerical modeling and experimental research to clarify the mechanism of removing the surface layer from the surface and to optimize spray parameters with regard to surface quality and energy intensity of the process.

   Tutor: Kotrbáček Petr, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

10. Development and experimental verification of deformation model of steel strip during continuous heat treatment

    Nowadays it is trend to produce high-grade steels without the need for a large percentage of expensive admixtures such as nickel, chromium, titanium, copper, aluminum, etc. This is achieved by appropriate heat treatment in continuous steel production. During the heat treatment, there is a significant but undesirable deformation of the steel, in which the phase changes (changes in the metallographic grid) occur during this process. The steel deforms during the heat treatment and the resulting product often does not reach the required geometry - most often flatness. Poor flatness causes, among other things, major problems in post-processing such as surface treatment, or causes problems in passing through the conveyor system. The aim of this work is to create a complex model that will describe in detail the processes that occur during continuous heat treatment of steel sheets. This model will allow to better understand the processes that occur here and will help optimize cooling to achieve better flatness of the final sheets. During the work, the measurement and simulation of the heat transfer coefficient during cooling of hot plates, measurement of the impact forces from the cooling nozzles, the study of the coolant flow on the curved surface and its effect on the cooling change are expected.

    Tutor: Pohanka Michal, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

11. Development of metamaterial structures for sensoric and energy harvesting applications

    The work will be focused on the research of technical solutions of material systems and metamaterial structures with unique mechanical, piezoelectric or thermal properties, which will allow, among other things, to integrate piezoelectric or other functional sensing layer and possibly also active actuators. Such a multi-material internally structured metamaterial system is being developed with specific mechanical property requirements in mind, while additional electromechanical functionalities will be explored. Metamaterials allow for additional functionality of active electrical signal generation that is proportional to the mechanical load. These electrical signals of piezoceramic layers can be used for both sensing and generating modes.

    Tutor: Kotoul Michal, prof. RNDr., DrSc.

12. Development of morphing operation of metamaterials

    Metamaterials are a unique group of materials which, due to their artificial construction and the operation of multidisciplinary domains, have unique dynamic and mechanical properties. The aim of this work is to develop and characterize the electro-mechanical properties of metamaterial, which is based on additive printing of matrices with morphing operation.

    Tutor: Hadaš Zdeněk, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

13. Development of new mathematical models for preheating furnaces

    Heating of semi-finished product in preheating furnaces is a very energy-intensive process. This process can be optimized using mathematical models based on operational measurements. The PhD student will participate in the operational measurements and in creation of a mathematical model used to optimize the heating of semi-finished products.

    Tutor: Kotrbáček Petr, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

14. Development of spray systems for application of nanoparticle surfaces

    Nanocoatings, with thicknesses below 100 nm, are used in a wide range of applications where surface properties need to be modified while maintaining the original dimensions. Nano-coatings are widely used especially as protection against abrasion and IR radiation, the advantage of coatings is greater chemical and corrosion resistance, the possibility of altering friction and thermal resistance. Different methods can be used to deposit nanoparticles, such as X-ray lithography, nanografting, electroplating or spray coating. The main requirement is ease of application, low and homogeneous layer thickness over the entire surface. This dissertation focuses on the formation of nano-coatings by spraying, where the final quality of the coating is influenced by the chemical composition of the solution, the concentration of the nanoparticles, the type of atomization device chosen and the interaction of the aerosol with the surrounding environment before application to the surface. The resulting quality of the applied layer may not exhibit optimal parameters if the spray equipment is not properly selected or if the application conditions are inappropriate. The aim of this work is to assess the effect of aerosol formation (grid atomizer, ultrasonic atomizer, dual media atomizer) and ambient conditions (humidity, temperature, flow rate) on the quality of the deposited layer for the chemical solutions used with a wide concentration of nanoparticles. The topic is multidisciplinary. It has full technical and material support, especially laboratory equipment, technology and material for experiments. Partial financial support of the student from the project is assumed. The topic is related to an existing or submitted research project. Several months of internship at a foreign institution with the intention of strengthening international cooperation, participation in technical seminars and presentations at conferences are foreseen. The supervisor will be contacted by the applicant and the details of the study will be discussed prior to admission.

    Tutor: Jedelský Jan, prof. Ing., Ph.D.

15. Exploitation of structural models of living cells in simulations of their response at fluid flow

    This actual topic aims at computational modelling of mechanical behaviour of living cells when tested in vitro. The recently created computational model represents the inner structure of the cell (nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, cytoskeleton) and should be enhanced with viscoelastic properties. It will be further exploited in simulations of the influence of fluid flow on the mechanical response of a cell adhered on a substrate.

    Tutor: Burša Jiří, prof. Ing., Ph.D.

16. Characteristics of dynamic vapor layer development during the cooling of hot steel surfaces

    This project deals with the experimental study of vapor layer development during the interaction of water flows on moving hot surface. Laminar cooling is tricky due to the existence of various boiling regimes. The lowest cooling intensity is in film boiling, where the water is isolated from the surface by a layer of steam. Layer thickness decreases as the surface temperature decreases until the layer is broken and rapid increase in cooling intensity follows (transient boiling). The rewetting temperature is dependent on the dynamics of the water flow on the surface. It is higher in the region under the water stream than between. This leads to local overcooling and undesirable heterogeneity in material properties. The water streams from the surrounding jets interact in the areas between the streams and influence the heat transfer mechanism. Articles deal with laminar cooling, mainly for cooling on a stationary surface, which is different to real-life applications. The heat transfer and fluid flow laboratory is equipped to study steam layers on surfaces through experimental research and simulations.

    Tutor: Hnízdil Milan, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

17. Lattice-Boltzmann method in transport calculations inside porous media

    Porous media can be encountered in fundamental phenomena of physics as well as in various applications of industry. In Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Laboratory one can come across two following examples. In metallurgical and steel processes the formation of oxide scales takes place on hot surfaces of materials being processed. Oxide scales are thin layers of iron oxide with thickness ranging between a few and hundreds of micrometers. Oxide scales often contains many pores having various orientation. Presence of such pores naturally affects the thermo-physical properties. In composition different iron oxides have a different impact on the cooling intensity of hot surfaces. In many topic-related processes is knowing the exact cooling intensity essential. Use of polymeric hollow fibers in heat exchangers could be listed as a second example of a porous structure. Often having a diameter of less than one millimeter, fibers are relatively long and several thousands of them can be utilized in one heat exchanger. The performance of the heat exchanger as well as the pressure drop are strongly dependent on orientation of fibers. Therefore, an optimal pattern of fiber distribution should be searched for. Numerical methods are frequently being engaged to explain some fundamental physical phenomena or to optimize engineering processes. The most of commonly used commercial software is based on finite element and finite volume codes that are inherently problematic when it comes to generation of geometry and computational grid. Lattice-Boltzmann method appears to be a suitable alternative. In fact, it has been already proved to perform very well in simulations of transport mechanisms inside porous media. For example, the open-source software PALABOS allows working directly with raw data obtained by a tomography imaging, which are typically represented by a voxel matrix. The main goal of this work is a simulation of fluid flow and heat transfer in porous structures, which geometry can be delivered by a tomography imaging. It is assumed that the calculations will be performed in parallel on one of the Czech supercomputers. Given a large data being processed, it is further anticipated that the I/O operations will be also done in parallel. A possibility of local lattice refinement will be considered for setups with only a partial occupation of a porous structure. In addition, a physically correct, yet a highly parallel, algorithm will be introduced for setups with multi-material zones coupled via appropriate conjugate boundary conditions.

    Tutor: Boháček Jan, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

18. Methodology for creating digital twin of electrical machines

    The work will be focused on research and development of method of digital twin of electric machines. The aim will be development of procedure for complex modeling of operating states of the electrical machine. Theoretical results will be practically verified on real machines.

    Tutor: Vlach Radek, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

19. Predictive maintenance for custom production machines

    Predictive maintenance combines the processing of large quantities of measured data with machine and plant process models to obtain accurate wear data for machine parts and potentially achieve significant economic savings. Currently, it is an intensively used, applied and researched topic of science and research. The topic of the thesis is related to a specific MPO project.

    Tutor: Grepl Robert, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

20. Research on the stability of rotor systems with low-viscosity working media

    The research will deal with determining the stability of rotor systems, including packings, bandages and electromagnetic circuits, which are characterized by working with low-viscosity fluids and gases with which they are surrounded in whole or in part. Due to the low viscosity of the medium, it is necessary to consider turbulent flow regimes in the analyses.

    Tutor: Návrat Tomáš, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

21. Rupture prediction of carotid artery atheroma

    This is an actual biomechanical topic, included in the solved project of Czech Science Foundation. Assessment of vulnerability (rupture risk) of an atherosklerotic plaque in carotid artery as one of common causes of brain stroke is an issue with a significant scientific and clinical potential. Stress strain analyses will exploit patient-specific computational models with geometry reconstructed on the basis of MRI images. Constitutive models and strength parameters should be obtained from literature as well as from experiments realized in our lab, including structural information from our histological analyses.

    Tutor: Burša Jiří, prof. Ing., Ph.D.

22. Structural integrity of additively manufactured polymer materials

    While additive manufacturing of polymers, has become increasingly popular for design studies, rapid prototyping and the production of noncritical spare parts, its application in structurally loaded components is still scarce. One of the reasons for this might be skepticism of engineers due to the lack of knowledge regarding the expected lifetime and reliability as well as knowledge to failure mechanisms. Therefore presented work will be focused on fatigue damage of additively manufactured polymer materials, experimental testing of such materials as well as on numerical modeling of fatigue damage and fatigue crack propagation. This work will be solved in close cooperation with PCCL- Polymer Competence Center in Leoben.

    Tutor: Hutař Pavel, prof. Ing., Ph.D.

23. Study of deformation processes at the micro level

    Current cutting-edge applications such as the aerospace industry or medical technologies require materials, that are able to sustain severe conditions of mechanical, thermal and chemical loading. These materials have to be suitable for new types of fabrication methods such as additive manufacturing. Very often, new materials need to be specifically designed and produced for a particular application. For such development, it is necessary to exactly know the material‘s properties at a microscopic level. Nanoindentation is a very suitable method for the analysis of deformation processes at the micro level as it allows to study of such phenomena inside the volume of a few micrometers. One limitation of this method is the complex stress state introduced by the indenter tip, which complicates the resulting analysis. Therefore, it is necessary to complement this method with numerical simulations, that provide information about the stress state inside the analyzed volume. A unique combination of experiments and numerical simulations allows analyzing deformation processes at the micro level and also verification of materials models for numerical simulations, that can be consequently applied on larger scales. During this project, student will focus on the study of deformation processes at the micro level using the combination of nanoindentation experiments and numerical simulations based on the finite element method and advanced theories of plasticity.

    Tutor: Šiška Filip, Ing., Dr.

24. The application of digital image correlation in the determination of residual stresses

    Residual stress is important factor in the design or life assessment of various engineering components. During the determination of residual stresses by the hole-drilling method, the strains around the drilled hole are measured by a strain gauge rosette, which provides information only from a few discrete locations. In contrast, optical methods allow to measure the entire strain field, which has many advantages. The work will be focused on the optical method of digital image correlation and will investigate its applicability in the determination of residual stresses.

    Tutor: Petruška Jindřich, prof. Ing., CSc.

25. Transport of fibrous aerosols in flow with high velocity gradients

    Fibrous aerosol particles exist in the form of asbestos or man-made nanofibres. They can ba produced in biodegradable form as carriers of inhaled therapeuticals. Flow mechanics of such fibres is a complex taskm which has not been mastered so far. Especially transport of fibrous particles in flow with high velocity gradients requires combination of experimental and computational tools. For solution of this topic, the equipment of laboratory of aerosols will be used.

    Tutor: Lízal František, doc. Ing., Ph.D.