Internship | Cone Crack Formation in Ceramics During Sphere and Bullet Impact

Internship Opportunity: Cone Crack Formation in Ceramics During Sphere and Bullet Impact

About this position

By studying how ceramic materials respond to high-speed impacts, you will contribute to the development of better bullet protection equipment. The research focuses on material behavior under extreme impact conditions, leading to phenomena that do not occur in everyday applications. This makes it a unique and challenging area within material science, with clear societal relevance.

What will be your role?

Ceramic materials are used in bullet protection systems due to their ability to blunt and erode projectiles. However, this process also causes damage to the ceramics themselves, leading to cracks. As a thesis student, you will investigate the fracturing behavior of ceramics under controlled conditions using small steel spheres as impactors. This research aims to simplify the complex fracturing typically associated with ballistic impacts, allowing for accurate and repeatable measurements of cone crack angles and fragment mass. By understanding how these cone cracks form and propagate, you will help evaluate the performance of ceramic armor systems and their ability to transfer impact loads to the next layers of the protection system. Your research will involve conducting a series of impact tests on ceramic tiles, analyzing the resulting cone cracks to determine their angles and fragment mass, and developing a calculation method to predict cone crack angles in ceramics.

Your work will be a mix of office-based desk research, where you will interact with colleagues who are experts in material science applied to defense applications, and hands-on lab work, collaborating with professionals experienced in ballistic and blast testing.

What we expect from you

We are looking for a motivated and enthusiastic candidate with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. The ideal candidate should have:

• A background in materials science, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
• Experience with experimental research and data analysis.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

What you'll get in return

You want an internship opportunity on the precursor of your career; an internship gives you an opportunity to take a good look at your prospective future employer. TNO goes a step further. It’s not just looking that interests us; you and your knowledge are essential to our innovation. That’s why we attach a great deal of value to your personal and professional development. You will, of course, be properly supervised during your work placement and be given the scope for you to get the best out of yourself. Furthermore, we provide:

• A highly professional, innovative internship environment, within a team of top experts.
• A suitable internship allowance (615 euro for wo-, hbo- and mbo-students, for a full-time internship).
• Possibility of eight hours of free leave per internship month (for a full-time internship).
• A free membership of Jong TNO, where you can meet other TNO professionals and join several activities, such as sports activities, (work-related) courses or the yearly ski-trip.
• Use of a laptop.
• An allowance for travel expenses in case you don’t receive an OV-card.

TNO as an employer

At TNO, we innovate for a healthier, safer and more sustainable life. And for a strong economy. Since 1932, we have been making knowledge and technology available for the common good. We find each other in wonder and ingenuity. We are driven to push boundaries. There is all the space and support for your talent and ambition. You work with people who will challenge you: who inspire you and want to learn from you. Our state-of-the-art facilities are there to realize your vision. What you do at TNO matters: impact makes the difference. Because with every innovation you contribute to tomorrow’s world.

At TNO we encourage an inclusive work environment, where you can be yourself. Whatever your story and whatever unique qualities you bring to the table. It is by combining our unique strengths and perspectives that we are able to develop innovations that make a real difference in society.

• E-mailadres: charlotte.ivanyi@tno.nl