PhD at PMMH (M/F)

European Commission; France; Sur place; EUR 40 000 - 60 000; Plein temps

Description du poste

Organisation/Company: CNRS

Department: Physique et mécanique des milieux hétérogènes

Research Field: Engineering & Materials Engineering, Physics & Acoustics

Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country: France

Application Deadline: 16 Jul 2025 - 23:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract: Temporary

Job Status: Full-time

Hours Per Week: 35

Offer Starting Date: 1 Oct 2025

Funding: Not funded by an EU programme

Research Infrastructure Staff Position: No

Offer Description

We propose to approach this project through model experiments, a simplified analytical approach, and a numerical tool, in collaboration with colleagues at INRIA (Computer Sciences) and Navier laboratory (Civil Engineering).

Inflatable structures have a wide range of applications, including temporary shelters, flexible robots, floating devices, inflatable furniture, safety equipment, and medical devices. Their advantages include being lightweight, safe, resistant, low-cost, and easy to manufacture.

Our research focuses on "baromorphic" structures that are initially flat and expand when pressurized. These structures are made from waterproof fabrics heat-welded following specific patterns. Inflating the channels causes non-homogeneous contraction, leading to out-of-plane expansion. The final shape is dictated by the architecture of the channels and can be predicted using Differential Geometry tools.

So far, we have concentrated on 2-layer fabric structures, which allow a wide variety of shapes. Increasing pressure stiffens the structure but does not significantly change its shape. Preliminary studies suggest that adding a third layer, creating two independent channel networks, provides additional control by adjusting the pressure differential, enabling shape control and soft-robotic applications.

The project aims to investigate how curvature varies with pressure differential and channel geometry, assess the mechanical rigidity of these three-layer structures, and explore possible three-dimensional shapes and applications from soft robotics to architectural elements.