My name is Floriane Peyrouse, I am 23 years old and I joined the DACOMAT project for a 6 months internship. I am currently studying in SUPAERO, a French Aerospace engineering school. Before my last year of master, I had the opportunity to experience an internship in order to better discover the fields and applications of engineering science. My school offers a large variety of classes, and Structure and Materials and Mathematics have always been my favourite ones. To define my career choice wisely, I decided to apply for an internship focused on Structure and Materials, and more precisely in the research area, as I consider completing a PhD.

In February, I joined the SINTEF team in Oslo to assist Frode Grytten in his work. My mission was centred on the elaboration of a micromechanical model of bridging fibers, including effects of large deflections. My main mission was to develop a Python code to retranscript the model under development. My task was to write the code, test its robustness and improve it to be as efficient as possible. I conducted some comparison tests to validate the firsts results of the model using the FEM software LS-DYNA. I added elements of the code, to include for example the modelling of fibres under compression and the implementation of a statistical failure criteria of the bridging fibres. Then I started implementing the code inside Fortran as a first step to implement the model as a FEM material model.

In addition to what I learned on the specific subject of fracture mechanics and bridging fibres, I developed auxiliary capacities such as writing scientific reports and conducting tests and protocols to validate the obtained results. It was also a great experience to work in a multicultural team. This was challenging at first, I was used to work with precise and detailed instructions to follow and to get a lot of feedbacks during the project I joined in France. I was used to get many critics on my work, in a purpose of eternal improvement and not getting any was confusing when I started this internship. With time, I became more aware of the "Norwegian style of management" and adapted to it. Inside SINTEF, I could express myself and take initiatives.

My internship has ended and confirmed my choice of specialization in the specific field of Structure and Materials.