Sprayable fire protective coating for safer construction

Job description

Fire safety in the built environment is a major concern that is sometimes still taken lightly. Experience has shown that the current technological solutions do not always hold up to the intended fire protection, and this has resulted in various serious catastrophes. This NWO (Dutch research council) funded project intends to bring to market an all-round lightweight fire-protective coating product with flexible application by 3D spraying-printing for full protection purposes. Industrial by-product ladle slag from Tata Steel IJmuiden will be used as the major resource. This research will evaluate the effects of the industrial cooling procedure and weathering on the cementitious property of ladle slag and an industrial processing guideline will be proposed, targeting a high cementitious property. Then, an eco-activating system will be proposed, aiming at the promoted reaction rate, which will result in a high performance geopolymer binder product, with special attention to its high temperature response. Carbon dioxide will be then investigated as an aerating agent by applying a novel mechanical foaming method to enhance the fire property, achieving simultaneously excellent fire extinguishing properties as well as carbon emission reduction. 3D spray printing will be investigated in order to apply this new lightweight coating product to substrates with various profiles to explore its flexible adaption potential. Furthermore, the developed product will be tested for in-field application, where the integrity of the product under various influences. In addition, numerical thermal-physical-mechanical models will be developed from nano- to macro-scale to understand the in-situ fire response and predict its fire behavior under different engineering scenarios.

Eindhoven University of Technology is an internationally top-ranking university in the Netherlands that combines scientific curiosity with a hands-on attitude. Our spirit of collaboration translates into an open culture and a top-five position in collaborating with advanced industries. Fundamental knowledge enables us to design solutions for the highly complex problems of today and tomorrow. 

The chosen PhD candidate will join the Building Materials Group which contains 25 PhDs, 3 postdocs, 2 assistant professors, 1 associate professor, and 2 full professors. This research group works on new, sustainable, and circular building materials containing or synthesized from secondary raw materials with good chemical, physical and aesthetic properties, and added functionalities. Examples are natural fibers, fly ashes, nano-silica, aerogels, slags or recycled aggregates. Functionalities, including fire resistance, air purification, self-cleaning, high performance, and hydrophobicity, are investigated and developed for these building materials. Moreover, durability and sustainability, such as the degradation of, or leaching from, building materials when exposed to aggressive service environments, are studied. The investigations are carried out based on experimental observations and modeling.

The research group possesses a well-equipped, state-of-the-art building material laboratory for physical/chemical/mechanical/environmental treatment, testing and recycling, and has access to the structural design laboratory at the same department, and shares facilities with the sister Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The group has close contacts with the building material industry and frequently cooperating with other researchers, both domestic and international.

Job requirements

A master’s degree (or an equivalent university degree) in Civil Engineering, Materials Science, or Chemistry or similar.

Knowledge about building materials (especially cement and concrete), and preferably with experiences on high temperature related researches.

A research-oriented attitude.

Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team and interested in collaborating with industrial partners.

Motivated to develop your teaching skills and coach students.

Fluent in spoken and written English: C1 level = IELTS: 7.0 score or TOEFL: 90 score.

Conditions of employment

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.

Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,901 max. €3,707).

A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.

High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.

An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.

An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.

A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates.