Thesis subject: Explore process-microstructure-property/functionality-performance relationship in novel aluminium alloys using advanced synchrotron techniques.

You will join ID19’s team at the ESRF, Grenoble, France. ID19 is a 150 meter-long ESRF beamline dedicated to high resolution X-ray imaging (radiography and microtomography) using (partially) coherent hard X-rays. The beamline combines a broad range of cutting-edge experimental setups with intense polychromatic illumination for (high-speed) phase contrast X-ray imaging at high photon energies: perfectly suited for in situ studies of materials, operando processes and engineering devices.  

The aim of the PhD project is to explore the process-microstructure-property/functionality-performance relationship in novel aluminium alloys using advanced synchrotron techniques. This will drive the science of future alloys and transform Europe’s capacity in advanced metal manufacturing towards a greener future.

Laser Metal Additive Manufacturing (LMAM) enables rapid fabrication of complex geometries from digital design. LMAM supports sustainability and circular economy by reducing material waste, by placing material only where it is needed in a component, and by extending the service life through the repair and remanufacture of components. The scientific goal of this project is to identify the process-microstructure-property/functionality-performance relationship is novel aluminium alloys to ensure the realisation of the LMAM in industrial production and achieve the targeted circular economy benefits.

Backed up by leading aluminium supplier Constellium and the Centre for Additivie Manufacturing, RMIT (Australia), this project uses advanced synchrotron X-ray imaging and tomography techniques to understand the microstructure and porosity formation mechanisms and how it improves the property/functionality-performance relationship.