Want to turn cutting-edge CFD into a practical design tool for tire manufacturing? In this internship you’ll use OpenFOAM to build and validate a simulation workflow that predicts the shape of rubber as it exits an extrusion die—exploring everything from meshing and rheology to post-processing and visualization. The project can be tailored to your goals and curriculum, whether you’re looking for a hands-on collaborative internship, a research-focused internship, or a graduation thesis project.
The R&D department Rubber Process & Tire Technology (RPTT) serves as a research and technology group (6 employees) to support other departments within VMI in topics related to rubber processing and tire technology. In that role RPTT researches current and potential promising topics relate to processing rubber compound. It additionally supports product groups to make the right design decisions to shape rubber in the right way in their machines.
In this project you’ll tackle a real industrial CFD challenge: predicting the shape of a rubber strip after it exits an extrusion die using OpenFOAM. You’ll build the simulation workflow end-to-end—starting with creating and comparing meshes (e.g., with snappyHexMesh, Salome or Ansys Mesher), then diving into the governing equations and how OpenFOAM solves them (Finite Volume Method, solvers and numerical schemes).
Next, you’ll set up realistic rubber behavior using appropriate high-viscosity generalized Newtonian material models, define initial and boundary conditions, and run transient multiphase simulations for flow inside and out of the die. As you iterate, you’ll perform parameter studies (mesh, time step, solver settings, rheology parameters) to improve stability and realism, and you’ll use ParaView plus Python/Matlab to turn the results into clear visualizations, plots and/or videos. Throughout the project you’ll document your steps and settings into a repeatable, standardized “recipe” so the workflow can be reused as a future design tool—optionally extending the work to the extra challenge of asymmetric dies.
Goals
Develop an algorithm/workflow in OpenFOAM to perform transient multiphase simulations of rubber flow out of asymmetric dies (challenge/extension).
Produce a written report that presents the approach and results in a clear, structured way.
Deliver a sandbox/package containing the cases, codes/scripts, algorithms, and post-processing setup used for the simulations and analysis.
We’re looking for an enthusiastic and analytical student who enjoys tackling technical challenges and wants to apply CFD and modelling skills in a real industrial setting. You’re comfortable working both independently and in collaboration with engineers, and you’re motivated to stay long enough to really build, test, and document a robust simulation workflow.
Master’s student or final-year Bachelor student in Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, or a similar field
Interested in CFD/modelling, numerical methods, and data analysis (programming experience is a plus)
Available to work 3 days per week from the office and up to 2 days remotely (from home)
Able to communicate clearly and document your work in a structured way
Internship duration can be adapted to 6 months up to 12 months
Preference for students who can stay longer than 6 months
You will have the opportunity to carry out challenging research in which you can add real value to the organization. For this internship you will receive an internship allowance that you can expect from a leading company and a travel allowance.
In addition to our own internship program, you will have the opportunity to participate in a Master Class at Perron038.
These Masterclasses are organized each time by different companies and relate to soft skills, but can for example also be about LinkedIn, project management and job application tips.
VMI is one of the partners at innovation center Perron038 in Zwolle. Various technical companies work together here in the field of Technology and they share knowledge and experiences with each other in an inspiring environment. At the training sessions & Tuesday afternoon drinks at Perron038 you will also meet students from the other companies in the region. Want to know more about Perron038? Read more
For VMI, this internship delivers a practical and reusable CFD “recipe” to simulate rubber extrusion more reliably. The outcome is a standardized OpenFOAM workflow (including recommended settings, case templates, and post-processing scripts) that enables engineers to predict the rubber strip shape after the die more consistently—covering symmetric dies and, if extended, asymmetric designs. This reduces trial-and-error in the design process, shortens iteration cycles, lowers dependency on commercial software, and creates a flexible foundation for future, more advanced simulations and automation.
Have you become interested and do you think you are the student we are looking for? Then apply immediately!
A screening test may be part of the application procedure
