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Tribology & Contact Mechanics — PhD
Wiyao
EDJEOU
R&D Engineer · Wear · Friction · Rolling Resistance
PhD engineer with 5+ years of industrial R&D experience across automotive and rail sectors. Currently at Michelin. Available for freelance consulting and expert missions.
5+
Years R&D
6
Selected works
FR/EN
Bilingual delivery
Available for freelance missions
One integrated R&D approach
Measure. Model. Predict.
Connecting surface measurements, contact mechanics and simulation to make engineering decisions more reliable.
01Experiment
02Model
03Predict
Abaqus · Python · Matlab · MountainsMap · Alicona
Who I am
Engineer. Researcher.
Problem solver.
I am a Tribology & Contact Mechanics Engineer with a PhD from IFSTTAR / Centrale Nantes. My work bridges fundamental research and industrial application — from the physics of tire-road friction to rail fatigue and rolling resistance modelling.
Over 5 years, I have worked across multiple sectors — academia, transport infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, and now automotive R&D at Michelin in Clermont-Ferrand, where I develop predictive wear models and digital twins.
I combine deep technical expertise with practical problem-solving, scientific rigour with engineering pragmatism. A native French speaker, fluent in English (C2), with experience in international teams across France, Sweden, and beyond.
Tribology & Wear
Contact Mechanics
FEA & Numerical Modelling
Multiscale Surface Analysis
Rolling Resistance
Experimental Validation
Python / Matlab / C++
Digital Twins
Career path
Professional
Experience
Mar 2025 → Present
R&D Engineer — Tire Wear & Rolling Resistance
Michelin · Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Development of predictive models and digital twins for tire wear and rolling resistance
- Contact mechanics simulations of rubber–road interactions
- Experimental characterization of friction and wear mechanisms
Jan 2023 → Jan 2025
R&D Engineer — Rail Wear & Fatigue
Trafikverket / LTU · Luleå, Sweden
- Experimental method for in-situ replication of rail surface roughness (Project Topolagom)
- Elastoplastic numerical model for wheel–rail contact considering surface roughness
- Fatigue parameter definition incorporating roughness effects
Jan 2022 → Dec 2022
R&D Engineer — Embedded Skid Resistance Estimation
EASE · Nantes, France
- Embedded method to estimate water film height and tire/road skid resistance (Project ENA)
- Experimental validation through instrumented braking tests on autonomous vehicles
Oct 2018 → Dec 2021
R&D Engineer — Tire/Road Tribology & PhD
IFSTTAR / University Gustave Eiffel · Nantes, France
- Multiscale analysis method for pavement surface roughness and skid resistance
- Viscoelastic simulation code for tribological analysis and skid resistance prediction
Earlier experience3 roles · 2016–2018
Jan 2018 → Jul 2018
R&D Engineer — Pipeline Fatigue Analysis
LEM3 · Metz, France
- FE simulations of pipeline ovalization using Abaqus; extended ovalization limits per ASME B31G
- Integrated welding defects and corrosion effects into structural integrity assessment
Jun 2017 → Aug 2017
Product Development Assistant Engineer
TUBAUTO — groupe Hörmann · Gron, France
- Technical analysis and benchmarking to identify product weaknesses and failure modes
- Proposed design improvements and corrective solutions for industrial systems
- Contributed to product development and performance optimisation
Oct 2016 → Jan 2017
Operations & Technical Support Intern
BH Technologies · Grenoble, France
- Technical monitoring and performance oversight of public lighting infrastructure systems
- Coordinated maintenance activities and supported field technicians
- Identified technical issues and contributed to process improvement initiatives
Scientific output
Selected
Research
Six representative journal articles, research projects and doctoral work. The complete publication record is available on ResearchGate.
2025 JOURNAL ARTICLE
Effect of the rail surface topography on wear and fatigue
🔍 Key finding: Surface topography significantly drives both wear rate and crack initiation in wheel-rail contact.
A combined experimental and numerical study of how grinding-generated rail roughness influences wear and fatigue damage.
2025 JOURNAL ARTICLE
Evaluating the Impact of Rail Surface Roughness Post-Grinding: An Experimental and Elastoplastic Modelling Approach
🔍 Key finding: Grinding-induced roughness concentrates stress and strain, significantly increasing crack initiation risk.
Replicated rail roughness is integrated into an elastoplastic contact model to assess contact pressure, residual strain and stress distributions.
2024 JOURNAL ARTICLE
Multiscale analyse of the relation between skid resistance and pavements surfaces texture evolution with polishing
🔍 Key finding: Different texture scales govern early-age friction gains and long-term skid resistance loss.
Continuous wavelet decomposition identifies the spatial scales that drive skid resistance changes during laboratory polishing.
2023 JOURNAL ARTICLE
Contribution of multiscale analysis to the understanding of friction evolution of aggregates surfaces
🔍 Key finding: Continuous wavelet decomposition reveals aggregate-scale texture features controlling long-term skid resistance.
A multiscale method connects aggregate surface evolution during polishing with measured road friction.
2021 R&D CASE STUDY
Embedded estimation of tire/road skid resistance for autonomous vehicle safety
🔍 Key finding: Real-time water film height estimation enables dynamic skid resistance prediction for autonomous vehicles.
An embedded approach developed for the ENA autonomous-shuttle project and validated through instrumented braking tests.
2021 PHD THESIS
Analyse multiéchelle de la texture des chaussées — effet sur l'adhérence des revêtements routiers
🔍 PhD thesis: Full multiscale framework for pavement texture analysis and skid resistance prediction.
Experimental multiscale texture analysis combined with a viscoelastic numerical simulation framework.
Technical writing
Blog &
Technical Notes
Five articles in English and French: two method introductions and three research case studies.
Why Do the First Wheel Passes After Rail Grinding Matter So Much?
From rail replicas to elastoplastic modelling: how post-grinding asperities affect contact, with a clear distinction between simulation and validated service life.
Why Can a New Pavement Gain Skid Resistance Before Losing It?
Why asphalt skid resistance can rise before declining: binder removal, aggregate polishing and multiscale interpretation of laboratory experiments.
From Surface Topography to Pressure: Understanding Rough-Contact BEM
An introduction to rough-contact BEM: pressure, separation, FFT acceleration and the limits of elastic and elastoplastic formulations.
Pavement Texture: Why Scale Changes How We Understand Skid Resistance
Understanding multiscale pavement analysis: measurement, wavelets, aggregate wear and the connections between texture, contact and skid resistance.
Freelance services
What I can
do for you
Tribology & Wear Consulting
Technical analysis of friction, wear and rolling contact problems. Root cause identification, material selection, surface treatment recommendations.
- Wear failure analysis
- Friction coefficient characterisation
- Material pairing optimisation
- Surface engineering guidance
MOST REQUESTED
FEA & Numerical Modelling
Custom simulation code development, finite element analysis, digital twin implementation. From concept to validated predictive model.
- Abaqus / Ansys / Comsol studies
- Python/Matlab simulation code
- Contact mechanics models
- Digital twin development
Technical Expertise & Reports
Scientific writing, technical reports, literature reviews, state of the art, patent analysis. Bilingual deliverables.
- State-of-the-art reports
- R&D project support
- Patent technical analysis
- Experimental protocol design
How it works
1
Brief
Tell me about your challenge and objectives.
2
Proposal
I provide a detailed technical proposal and timeline.
3
Execution
Rigorous execution with regular progress updates.
4
Delivery
Full deliverables: report, documentation and post-project support.
Let's work
together
Whether you face a specific tribology challenge, need a numerical simulation developed, or want to explore a potential collaboration — I'm open to it. Response within 24 hours.