Thesis Work - Corrosion Modelling using CFD for automotive vehicles

About this opportunity - Background

Innovation starts with being curious. At Volvo Cars, we believe that being curious and truly committed to understanding people is the key to future success. We are looking for driven and motivated students interested in pursuing their master thesis within Vehicle Engineering during the spring term 2026.

At Vehicle Engineering, our responsibility spans the entire chassis, interior, climate, body & exterior functions, mechanical Integration and a range of vehicle attributes with impact on design and customer experience of our complete product. Across these domains and all development cycles we will lead an effective delivery operation on complete level in close sync with other Engineering units, functions and stakeholders across the company.
This thesis work is within the area of Metallic Materials at Material Engineering Center.

Background

Atmospheric corrosion remains a significant challenge in the automotive industry, particularly in areas of the vehicle that are shielded from direct exposure to water splashes, such as the engine bay, the surroundings of the electric engines, and the battery case. Accurately predicting the extent of corrosion in these hidden regions is complex, as current approaches show weak or inconsistent correlation between laboratory-based tests, complete vehicle assessments, and actual customer usage in real-world conditions.

Objective

The primary objective of this thesis project is to improve the understanding and prediction of corrosion severity in concealed car areas. 
The aim is to establish methods for complete vehicle simulation to predict corrosion on these hidden regions of the car.

Scope of the thesis work

The project will involve both experimental and computational approaches.
•    Literature investigation about corrosion-contamination modeling, multiphase flow in fluid dynamics, and corrosion mechanisms in the automotive. 
•    Develop a multiphase flow model using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that predicts corrosion events on surfaces, including force modelling of water droplets, dust, and/or any other atmospheric agents relevant for the studied problem.  
•    Correlation Analysis: Compare outcomes from physical tests, vehicle-level evaluations, and simulation data to enhance predictive accuracy.

Expected Outcomes
The results are expected to contribute to improved vehicle design methodologies that reduce the risk of corrosion in critical areas while optimizing durability and performance.

What you'll bring

To succeed in this project, the Master student should possess the following competencies and qualifications:
•    Solid understanding of materials science or/and Chemistry, with emphasis on corrosion phenomena and protective coatings.
•    Solid understanding of fluid mechanics. Interest in multiphase flow is preferable.
•    Experience with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools is preferred, especially meritorious in StarCCM+.
•    Programming skills for automation in Java and for data visualization in Python.

Keywords: Corrosion, Material, Chemistry, Contamination, Automotive, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), multiphase flow.

The student needs to be on site to do the job.

Duration

•    Tentative proposed thesis work period: 19th January 2026 to 26th of June 2026 (dates can be flexible with +/- 7 days)
•    The duration for this thesis work is 20 weeks.
•    30 ECTS (Master academic credits) in agreement with your Thesis Advisor in University
•    This thesis is to be conducted by 1 Student.