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 dynamic properties of metamaterials

   Metamaterials are a new group of materials which, due to their artificial construction and the operation of multidisciplinary domains, have interesting dynamic and mechanical properties. The aim of this work is to characterize the electro-mechanical properties of metamaterial, which is based on additive printing of matrices with embedded smart materials. This work is mainly about analyzing the damping effects and the possibility of actively tuning of the dynamic properties of metamaterials or changing its geometry.

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

3. Analysis of influence of blood flow in arteries on development of atherosclerosis

   This is an actual biomechanical topic, included in the solved project of Czech Science Foundation. It continues in the works done within the framework of a doctoral thesis terminated just now, which improved significantly the level of FSI analyses of blood flow in arteries and opened the possibility to investigate its impact on initiation of atherosclerotic chnges in critical parts of arteries. The objective of this specific topic is to identify the quantities and parameters with significant impact on initiation of atherosclerosis.

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

4. 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.

5. Computational modelling of the scratch test

   Scratch test is one of the basic tests used to evaluate the adhesion and cohesive characteristics of thin films deposited on substrates. In principle, this is a very simple test consisting of mechanical contact of the test body and the investigated thin-layer-substrate system, whereby a normal force is applied to the tip moving laterally on the surface. In this way, stress and strain fields are created in the "layer-substrate" system, leading to characteristic damage. The aim of the scratch test is to identify the critical normal loading forces at which these damages occur. Most often, the critical forces are related to the beginning of the plastic deformation of the layer, the beginning of the cracking of the layer (cohesive failure) and the beginning of the adhesive failure. By default, the scratch test is evaluated by microscopic observation of residual traces formed on the surface of the film, evaluating / identifying different types of cracks, and the degree and nature of plastic deformation. It is also possible to use records of the instantaneous position of the tip, penetration depth and applied normal, or it is also possible to use a record of friction force. A very effective tool is also the detection and analysis of acoustic emissions generated during the test. Despite the basic simplicity of the test, its correct evaluation, and especially quantification, is a relatively complicated and complex problem, which is primarily related to the large variability of elastic and plastic characteristics of both substrates and thin films. Another important factor is the thickness of the thin layer itself, which can range from tens of nanometers to units of micrometers. The primary goal of this work is to create a computational model (in the FEM system) describing the deformation response of bulk material (metal, glass, ceramics) to scratch stress, which will be validated for several precisely defined materials. Subsequently, the model will be extended to different layer / substrate systems. In the case of thin layers, emphasis will be placed on studying the effect of layer thickness in order to identify scratches in the layer and reveal the substrate. Scratch test simulations will be performed primarily for spherical indenters of different radii, which will generate different stress-strain fields distributed to varying degrees into the substrate. The results of the simulations will be compared with experimental data and will subsequently be used, among other things, also for the optimization of the scratch test and its multi-pass variant, considered as a wear test. The issue of scratch test modeling is closely related to the research activities of the workplace in the field of modeling the naniondentation process. Furthermore, cooperation is ensured with a department that experimentally deals with local mechanical testing on the border of the nano / micro area (Institute of Physics of the Academy of Science of the CR, Olomouc department).

   Tutor: Fuis Vladimír, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Development of a balloon burner

   The subject of the study is an atmospheric gas multi-jet burner used for balloon flying. These burners have been developing slowly for decades and the old and proven concept today does not meet the requirements for a comfortable flight. The problem areas are in particular: to reduce water condensate from the air on the fuel exchanger tubes, black flame burnout, poor air access, Radiant heat reduction, flame geometry requirements with respect to the application, Noise reduction These are a number of conflicting requirements that require a systematic approach and a sufficient understanding of the problem. The work will include a theoretical analysis and create a mathematical-physical model of processes, including experimental verification (description, system identification) and modeled first one burner segment), later or the entire burner. Experimental and mainly simulation methods will be used in the development. The doctoral student has a task - describe phenomenologically relevant phenomena, quantify relevant quantities (by measurement, calculation) - propose promising solutions with regard to efficiency and technical, economic, legislative and other constraints. The topic has full technical and material support, especially laboratory equipment, technology and material for experiments. Partial financial support of the student from the project is expected. The topic is related to one or more existing or submitted projects and is solved in cooperation with the company BALÓNY KUBÍCEK spol. s r.o. It is assumed that several months of internship abroad, participation in technical seminars and presentations at conferences.

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

9. Development of auxetic structure with integrated piezoelectric elements

   Metamaterials are currently being developed mainly for the aerospace industry as autonomous monitoring structures with wide potential for future applications. An interesting solution of such metamaterial is the patented auxetic structure with piezoelectric elements. The main goal of this PhD study is to develop this structure as a smart engineering component that has the potential to monitor itself and provide information for industry 4.0 applications.

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

10. Development of metamaterial structures for energy harvesting

    Metamaterials are currently being developed for many industrial applications. Metamaterials provide significant potentials for numerous applications due to their unique electromechanical properties. The increasing interest in the development of metamaterials is also driven by the self-power operation offered by metamaterials. The metamaterial phenomenon can be exploited for the development of energy harvesting devices especially in the field of aeronautics. The main goal of this PhD study is to develop metamaterial as a smart engineering component that has the potential of self-power applications.

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

11. Development of Metamaterials for Sensing and Vibration Attenuation

    Metamaterials provides significant potentials for numerous applications due to their unique electromechanical properties. The increasing interest in the development of metamaterials is also driven by the inability of traditional architecture to offer novel functionalities offered by metamaterials. The main goal of this PhD study is to develop a unique structure of metamaterial in vibratory environment. This metamaterial could be used for self-inspection applications, and it could also provide a potential of vibration attenuation.

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

12. 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.

13. Fuel nozzles of small turbine engines

    Fuel systems of small turbine engines use various methods of fuel supply to the combustion chamber, so there are different fuel nozzle designs, such as pressure swirl nozzles (simplex / duplex), evaporator tubes, spraying rings or airblast nozzles. Fuel nozzles are a very important part of the whole system, their proper function is a must to ensure sufficient engine efficiency and the fuel nozzle requirements are very high. The fuel system must deliver the exact and actually needed fuel amount to the combustion chamber. It is important to ensure good atomization and evaporation of the fuel and its mixing with the air in the entire speed range (engine control range) and especially at start-up. The work aims to classify the fuel nozzles used in turbine engines with a maximum thrust of up to 5000 N (or take-off power up to 600 kW) and to focus on a detailed description of the evaporator system and its modifications. The main subject of the work is the development and testing of the existing evaporator nozzle. The doctoral student will prepare a test stand for nozzle operation, equip it with the necessary sensors and will examine the characteristics of these systems in a given range of operating conditions (eg temperature mapping, determining the control range), assess their suitability for specific purposes and further develop the system with a focus on its problematic aspects. The tasks include: technical research and analysis of published technical solutions, their systematic comparison, evaluation of advantages and disadvantages, range of control parameters and energy requirements, description of design solutions and individual parts, analysis and physical description of their function, design and preparation of test stand for nozzle operation , functional analysis and approximate calculation of energy (heat) balance of the evaporator nozzle The topic has full technical and material support, especially laboratory equipment, technology and material for experiments. Partial financial support of the student from the project is expected. The topic is related to an existing or submitted project. The possibility of a several-month internship abroad, participation in technical seminars and presentations at conferences is expected. The work will be solved within the project and in cooperation with the company PBS Velká Bíteš. The practical part of the work will be carried out in PBS testing laboratories and in BUT laboratories.

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

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. Locomotion of robots moving in small diameter pipes

    The main goal of the thesis is development of semi-autonomous and autonomous robots optimized for motion in pipes of small diameter. The task of such locomotion is partially solved for pipes of large diameters, however, those solutions are not generally applicable to pipes of medium diameters (lower tens of centimeters) or small diameters (centimeters range). There is a number of essential problems with suitable manner of locomotion, orientation in space and localization; moreover there are technical problems with resistance towards the environment, energy consumption issues or shape instability for pipes made of flexible materials. One of possible applications that seems to be perspective and new with respect to the topis is cleaning of inner side of photobioreactor pipes.

    Tutor: Krejsa Jiří, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

17. Method of coupled models of electric machines

    The work will be focused on research and development of method of coupled models 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.

18. New generation of cooling nozzle: variable orifice

    Spraying nozzles are commonly used in metallurgical and steel industry for cooling purposes. Cooling intensity depends mainly on the flow density, the coolant temperature, the distribution of droplet sizes, the impact pressure, and the temperature of the surface being cooled. The most commonly used nozzles are those working with a single phase i.e. only one fluid is considered and often it is water. Such nozzles must be however operated in a relatively narrow range of flow rates. Pressure losses become unacceptable at high flow rates due to growing pumping costs. At low flow rates the jet atomization is poor and the jet footprint deforms. To overcome the issue of having a narrow window of usable flow rates, so-called twin-fluid nozzles are often employed, in which high speed air facilitates breakup of a liquid phase into fine droplets. Expenses for working with compressed air are however high. Assuming a single liquid phase this work should seek new designs and alternatives to twin-fluid nozzles. It is further assumed that the internal nozzle geometry will have to be variable. A prototype of the most promising design will be manufactured. The flow distribution and the impact pressure in the footprint of the jet will be examined.

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

19. Optical deformation analysis and computational modelling in musculoskeletal oncology

    Research of optical measurement applications working on the principle of digital image correlation, experiment, and computational modeling in musculoskeletal oncology. The work focuses on the evaluation of existing operating methods. Another benefit will be the design of new or modified procedures in a defined scientific area, where advanced optical analysis of the experiment and computational modeling can provide a more advantageous solution in order to increase the probability of successful completion of treatment.

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

20. Optimization of heat exchanger for thermal management systems of Li-ion cells in electric vehicles

    In electric vehicles (EVs), battery packs/modules consist of many Li-ion cells producing heat during charging and discharging cycles. The undesired heat must be effectively dissipated so that the minimum temperature difference is maintain between the cells and also the maximum allowed temperature is not exceeded. At present, research studies are rather seldom those focused on achieving uniform temperature in the battery. This will be the main topic of the doctoral thesis. A spatial distribution of a heat generated in the car battery will be known. An open-source code, e.g. OpenFOAM, will be used together with some optimization library to modify a geometry of the heat exchanger in order to minimize temperature differences in the battery. Parameters of optimization may be constants of a suitable function prescribing the thermal resistance of the heat exchanger dependent on spatial coordinates. The target function will be the sum of least squares of temperature differences in the battery.

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

21. 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.

22. Preparation and combustion of liquid fuels in the combustion chambers of turbine engines

    The energy requirements of aircraft propulsion will for a long time require high-energy-density resources, ie especially turbine propulsion. The growing demands on the ecology, economics of operation and performance parameters require the continuous development of these devices, better understanding and advanced control of the processes that affect their function. At the workplace, we have long been engaged in research and development of nozzles for spraying aviation fuels into the combustion chambers of turbine engines. After solving the design of the nozzles themselves and the mechanical interaction of the spray with the surrounding gas, it is necessary to deal with other phases of the process, ie fuel evaporation and combustion, including modern trends in turbo engines. The current ambition is to create a workplace that will enable this research and development of advanced jet engines. The doctoral student will solve the preparation of the test equipment, perform experiments on it using modern optical diagnostics and in combination with CFD simulations will contribute to a better understanding of relevant processes. The topic has full technical and material support, especially laboratory equipment, technology and material for experiments. Partial financial support of the student from the project is expected. The topic is related to one or more existing or submitted projects and is addressed in cooperation with PBS Velká Bíteš. The possibility of a several-month internship abroad, participation in technical seminars and presentations at conferences is expected.

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

23. 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.

24. Tooth displacement due to remodeling of the surrounding bone tissue in brass players

    Tooth displacement due to remodeling of the surrounding bone tissue in brass players Brass players use so-called mouthpieces in the game. The mouthpiece is in constant contact with the player's lips, so they are in contact with the teeth. Ideally, the load on the teeth due to contact should be as low as possible, which cannot always be achieved in music practice. This overloads the hanging dental apparatus. The hanging dental apparatus also includes alveolar bone tissue, which, like any other bone tissue, has the ability to remodel, which means that when overloaded, apposition occurs (ie the formation of bone tissue so that the tension in the bone tissue decreases) and at low tension in the bone tissue. tissues for resorption (i.e., bone loss). However, if the tension in the bone tissue is too high, necrosis and thus loss of overloaded bone may occur. Thanks to the remodeling process, the position of individual teeth relative to each other can change significantly, which affects the air flow during playing and thus the quality of the brass instrument itself.

    Tutor: Fuis Vladimír, doc. Ing., Ph.D.

25. Transport of fibrous aerosols in transient flow and interaction of fibres with a wall

    The ability to model the flow of fibres in transient flow is needed in many engineering applications. One of them is in inhaled fibres, either toxic or pharmaceutical. The topic involves experimental visualization of flowing fibres in a channel equipped with a bifurcation in dimensions corresponding to the human trachea and the main bronchi. Interaction with a wall will be studied – mainly adhesion forces; equations for prediction of fibre behaviour during flow and contact with the wall will be derived.

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