University of Liège

General Description

University of Liege is one of the six complete Universities in Belgium. It has 23.000 students and a staff of 3.300, with 10 faculties covering all disciplines in humanities, life sciences, physical sciences & engineering and offering 193 master programmes and 68 complementary masters. University of Liege is an excellence centre in Europe for its research and its educational offer (several unique master degrees in Belgium including two Erasmus Mundus programs) in transportation systems: aerospace, automotive and naval engineering.

In the early sixties, the "Laboratoire de Techniques Aéronautiques et Spatiales" (LTAS) of University of Liege was one of the pioneering research team of the development of the finite element (FE) method. Since 1961, LTAS has developed leading expertise in the field of Computational Mechanics covering an increasing number of field such non-linear mechanics, multibody system dynamics, composite materials, multiphysic simulation, biomechanics and multidisciplinary optimisation… http://ltas.ulg.ac.be/

Supervisors and Expertise

Prof. P. Duysinx, coordinator for ULg, structural and multidisciplinary optimisation, modelling and simulation of drivetrain systems, supervisor of 4 defended PhD theses ; Prof. O. Bruls, flexible multibody system dynamics and mechatronics, supervisor of 1 defended PhD thesis; Prof. J.-C. Golinval, structural dynamics, mechanical vibrations and rotordynamics health monitoring, vibration testing, identification of linear and non-linear structures, supervisor of 10 defended PhD theses ; Dr. A. Rassili, material and process modelling, past-president of one COST action, in charge of Short Time Scientific Mission (STSM) for two other COST actions, supervisor of 2 defended PhD theses.   

Key Facilities and Infrastructure

The Automotive Laboratory is equipped with various test beds (chassis, engine and electric motors dynamometers, battery and supercap test beds) to test and characterise powertrain and drivetrain system in conventional and electric / hybrid vehicles. (see www.ltas.ulg.ac.be).

The Mechanical Vibration Laboratory is equipped with a whole range of shakers (electrodynamic, piezoelectric for higher excitation frequencies or hydraulic for low frequencies) and related acquisition devices to carry out vibration testing and experimental modal of linear and non-linear structures (see http://www.ltas-vis.ulg.ac.be/).

Previous Involvement in Research and Training Programmes

In the last decade, the LTAS of ULG has been involved (as active or leading partners) in several EU networks and training programs sponsored by COST office (COST-541, COST-542), by INTERREG 4a (AC-EMR-2012). LTAS has also been the partner of several INTERREG 4 and Regional Funded projects (Walloon Region) projects (e.g. RW-WIST1-IC&C, WIST2-EFCONIVO, RW-DYNAWIND, ARC-MEMS). All projects have produced several PhD theses and Postdocs.

Current Involvement in Research and Training Programmes

Running EU research and training projects: JU-Hydrogen-SWARM), INTERREG 4a ASTE (Automotive Sustainable Training in EUREGIO), FRED (Rapid Prototyping and Eco Design)

Two on-going COST actions (COST-MP1004 about hybrid energy storage systems and COST-TU1005 about noise and vibration of electric / hybrid vehicles).

LTAS is also involved in an Erasmus Mundus Program THRUST about Aerospace Propulsion.

Regional Projects: RW-LIGHTCAR (Simulation and optimisation of lightweight vehicles facing CO2 challenges), RW-VIRTUALCOMP (Simulation and Optimisation of New Aircraft Composite Structures), RW-FEDO (Simulation and Optimisation of Electric Motors for Stationary and Mobile Applications), ARC-BRIDGING (An Integrated Approach of Material Tailoring: Bridging Material Science, Imaging and Numerical Simulation)

 

Publications

 

1- Brüls O., et al. (2010). « Optimization of Multibody Systems and their Structural Components” In, Multibody Dynamics: Computational Methods and Applications, Computational Methods in Applied Sciences, Volume 23, pages 49-68, Springer, 2011.

2- Bruggi M. & Duysinx P. (2012). “Topology optimization for minimum weight with compliance and stress constraints”. Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. Vol 46, pp 369–384.

3- Virlez G., et al. (2012). « Modelling of Joints with Clearance and Friction in Multibody Dynamic Simulation of Automotive Differentials”. CSTAM International Journal of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics Letter. Accepted for Publication.