ENSTA Bretagne : Doctorante

Andreea, PhD student in adhesively-bonded assemblies - Mechanical Sciences

02 April 2020
Andreea is originally from Romania. After a Master in Material Science and Engineering, she decided to study for a PhD. The latter, on the subject of adhesively-bonded assemblies, began in March in the Department of Mechanical Sciences at ENSTA Bretagne.
Andreea
PhD student since March 2020
Doctoral student IRDL/ENSTA Bretagne

How did you hear about ENSTA Bretagne?

I did my Research Master at the University of Pitesti in Romania. It was a double degree with INP Toulouse. For my 4 month internship, I was lucky enough to join the research teams at ENSTA Bretagne (Erasmus + mobility). I became interested in the effect of pores in the adhesive and their affect on the mechanical behavior of bonds. It was a really good experience for me, thanks especially to my supervisor Claudiu Badulescu, associate professor at ENSTA Bretagne. I should like to thank him for his warm welcome and all the time he spent on me during my stay at ENSTA Bretagne last year..

Could you tell us about your PhD thesis?

My thesis started in March in Brest within the IRDL/ENSTA Bretagne. It is financed by the DGA and Thales DMS and is on “The simplified modeling of adhesively-bonded assemblies for the characterization of adhesive mechanics, adhesive-substrate interfaces and the analysis of their ageing”. This subject is directly linked to my studies (the field of mechanics and materials). I was very keen on the idea of being able to further my knowledge in this field.

What are the stakes?

Adhesively-bonded assemblies are becoming increasingly wide-spread in industrial applications in fields such as the automotive, naval construction and aeronautical industries. The growing use of this type of assembly is only possible if the characterization of the adhesive behavior and the bonded assemblies is reliable. So my thesis aims to provide robust and efficient calculations to predict the mechanical behavior of bonded assemblies, taking ageing into account.

What was your arrival on campus like ?

I was warmly welcomed on campus, everything was ready thanks to very efficient organization.
I would like to thank my thesis director, Philippe Le Grognec, and my co-supervisors, Pierre Bidaud and Claudiu Badulescu, for having supported and guided me in my work, even during this confinement.

As you are living on campus, how are you finding the confinement?

From the beginning of the confinement, we have all been careful but that does not stop us from working, being young and in the sun.
However, we miss the restaurant. We hope things will get back to normal as soon as possible.

Luckily, I am in close contact with friends and family. Thanks to today’s technology, I feel as if they are close by me through phone calls or video calls every day. They support me in everything I do and I thank them and love them for that with all my heart.

What are you planning to do once the pandemic and confinement are behind us?

When the pandemic is over, I want to go swimming in the ocean and see my boyfriend who is back in Romania !