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RECONSTRUCTION OF THE 3D MICRO-SCALE MECHANICAL STATE IN AORTIC ANEURYSM WALL
Keywords: Aortic aneurysm, aneurysm rupture, microstructure segmentation, finite element analysis, damage mechanisms
Academic context: This PhD position is part of the interdisciplinary AArteMIS - Aneurysmal Arterial Mechanics: Into the Structure - project (2015-2020) awarded to Pierre Badel (www.emse.fr/~badel) under the European Research Council Starting Grant scheme (http://erc.europa.eu/starting-grants). His group at Centre Ingénierie et Santé (a research center of Mines Saint-Etienne) focuses on carrying out fundamental investigations in the domain of arterial mechanics, especially aneurysm rupture in collaboration with vascular surgeons of Saint-Etienne University Hospital. The AArteMIS project also involves the 3SR Lab (Grenoble) for advanced analysis of the microstructure of complex materials.
Scientific context: The rupture of an Aortic Aneurysm (AA), which is often lethal, is a biomechanical phenomenon that occurs when the wall stress state exceeds the local strength of the tissue. Current understanding of arterial rupture mechanisms is poor, as the physics taking place at the microscopic scale in collagenous structures remains an open area of research. Understanding, modelling, and quantifying the deformation micro-mechanisms which drive the macro-scale mechanical response of such tissues and locally trigger their rupture represents the most challenging and promising pathway towards predictive diagnosis and personalized care of AA.
Project summary: Our group was recently able to detect, in advance, at the macroscopic scale, rupture-prone areas in bulging aneurysmal arterial tissues. These state-of-the-art results indicate that rupture occurs at a localized strain concentration. The next step is to investigate in detail the extreme condition where the fibrous microstructure is approaching rupture, in order to elucidate and quantify the mechanisms controlling the rupture response. All along the project, the successful applicant will benefit from images of the microstructure of aneurysm specimens obtained from multiphoton confocal microscopy and a specific testing bench. A method will be developed to reconstruct numerical models and meshes of these entangled fibrous materials. Then, they will be used as input for finite element simulation of the mechanical tests performed in situ under the microscope. This will allow deeper analysis and quantified description of the microstructure’s deformation mechanisms up to rupture.
Student profile: (computational) mechanical engineering or material science and engineering. Background in complex FE analysis and/or computer analysis and programing will be appreciated.
Administrative aspects: The employer is Armines, linked by state-approved agreements to Mines Saint-Etienne, one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France. This PhD is funded for 36 months, starting in Fall 2016 (Net salary, including social security ~ 1700 €/month).
If you are interested, send a curriculum vitae, a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests, the names and contact information of two references. Please, submit via email with “ERC AArteMIS PhD2” on the subject line to Pierre BADEL, PhD (badel@emse.fr).
Position open until August 2016
Keywords: Aortic aneurysm, aneurysm rupture, microstructure segmentation, finite element analysis, damage mechanisms
Academic context: This PhD position is part of the interdisciplinary AArteMIS - Aneurysmal Arterial Mechanics: Into the Structure - project (2015-2020) awarded to Pierre Badel (www.emse.fr/~badel) under the European Research Council Starting Grant scheme (http://erc.europa.eu/starting-grants). His group at Centre Ingénierie et Santé (a research center of Mines Saint-Etienne) focuses on carrying out fundamental investigations in the domain of arterial mechanics, especially aneurysm rupture in collaboration with vascular surgeons of Saint-Etienne University Hospital. The AArteMIS project also involves the 3SR Lab (Grenoble) for advanced analysis of the microstructure of complex materials.
Scientific context: The rupture of an Aortic Aneurysm (AA), which is often lethal, is a biomechanical phenomenon that occurs when the wall stress state exceeds the local strength of the tissue. Current understanding of arterial rupture mechanisms is poor, as the physics taking place at the microscopic scale in collagenous structures remains an open area of research. Understanding, modelling, and quantifying the deformation micro-mechanisms which drive the macro-scale mechanical response of such tissues and locally trigger their rupture represents the most challenging and promising pathway towards predictive diagnosis and personalized care of AA.
Project summary: Our group was recently able to detect, in advance, at the macroscopic scale, rupture-prone areas in bulging aneurysmal arterial tissues. These state-of-the-art results indicate that rupture occurs at a localized strain concentration. The next step is to investigate in detail the extreme condition where the fibrous microstructure is approaching rupture, in order to elucidate and quantify the mechanisms controlling the rupture response. All along the project, the successful applicant will benefit from images of the microstructure of aneurysm specimens obtained from multiphoton confocal microscopy and a specific testing bench. A method will be developed to reconstruct numerical models and meshes of these entangled fibrous materials. Then, they will be used as input for finite element simulation of the mechanical tests performed in situ under the microscope. This will allow deeper analysis and quantified description of the microstructure’s deformation mechanisms up to rupture.
Student profile: (computational) mechanical engineering or material science and engineering. Background in complex FE analysis and/or computer analysis and programing will be appreciated.
Administrative aspects: The employer is Armines, linked by state-approved agreements to Mines Saint-Etienne, one of the most prestigious engineering schools in France. This PhD is funded for 36 months, starting in Fall 2016 (Net salary, including social security ~ 1700 €/month).
If you are interested, send a curriculum vitae, a cover letter describing previous research experience and interests, the names and contact information of two references. Please, submit via email with “ERC AArteMIS PhD2” on the subject line to Pierre BADEL, PhD (badel@emse.fr).
Position open until August 2016