Two PhD students within Sustainable Metallurgy
The Unit of Properties at KTH Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering has two open PhD student positions within the Green Steel initiative ( www.greensteel.proj.kth.se/ ), a joint programme between KTH and Luleå University of Technology with broad opportunities for collaboration with academia and affiliated research institutes as well as industry partners. The potential candidates should have a strong background in physical or mechanical metallurgy and be interested in collaborative work in an international research environment with state-of-the-art experimental and computational capabilities.
Supervisors project 1:
Supervisors project 2:
Project 1: Static and dynamic thermomechanical behavior of sustainable steels and their integrated computational materials engineering for processability
The urgent need for the decarburization of the steelmaking industry necessitates the development of new steels that cope, or use to their advantage, the altered alloy-composition-space that is dictated by the increased use of scrap feedstock or novel, hydrogen-based steelmaking processes. To ensure thermomechanical forming and qualification for application, the static and dynamic behavior of these new materials must be assessed and the data integrated with suitable computational frameworks for accelerated development. In this project, you will combine micro- and macro-scale static and dynamic mechanical testing (from tensile testing to nanoindentation and high-strain-rate, ballistic impact testing) to study materials response and microstructure evolution upon dynamic thermomechanical processing across decades of strain rates. You will utilize this fundamental knowledge to build constitutive materials models and establish design guidelines for integrated computational materials engineering for new classes of steels.
Project 2: Advanced characterization to detail the effects of hydrogen on properties of steel and develop strategies to design hydrogen tolerant steels
Hydrogen is a key, renewable green carrier of energy, to be used in fossil-free steel production but also in general for sustainable industrial production. However, Hydrogen is detrimental to the mechanical properties of steel, through a phenomenon known as ‘hydrogen embrittlement’. Hydrogen embrittlement reduces product lifetime and increases safety risks. Hydrogen embrittlement thus constitutes a critical obstacle for the shift to a hydrogen-based economy. To remove the hydrogen embrittlement constraint it is necessary to develop steels that can tolerate an increased hydrogen content during production and handle hydrogen exposure at various points of operation. In this project we will further develop methodology for studying hydrogen uptake and trapping at nanoscale structures in the steel. Synchrotron x-ray and neutron methods as well as atom probe will be explored. The experimental work will be supported by a computational design framework to develop a deep understanding of the effectiveness of potential hydrogen barriers and traps. This will provide a foundation for the development of new fossilfree steel grades.
Further information and application process
The PhD students will be employed at KTH, Stockholm, Sweden. 100% of the 4-year employment will be dedicated for research studies. For more information about KTH and its employment benefits, please visit www.kth.se/en/studies/phd .
Please apply with all required material following the link to KTH webpage until January 31 2024: www.kth.se/lediga-jobb/664960?l=en . In your application, do not hesitate to note your specific interest in the here-advertised positions. Also feel free to reach out to the supervisors in case of questions.