Understanding crush behaviour of recycled 6xxx Aluminium alloys subjected to different thermomechanical treatments

Applications are invited for one full-time EPSRC Industrial CASE (ICASE) PhD studentship for the project “Understanding crush behaviour of recycled 6xxx Aluminium alloys subjected to different thermomechanical treatments”

BCAST is a specialist research centre in metallurgy with a focus on the processing of metallic materials for lightweighting applications. See www.brunel.ac.uk/bcast for more information. The project is sponsored by Constellium, a leading global manufacturer of high-quality, technically advanced aluminium products and systems.

Successful applicants will receive an annual stipend (bursary) starting from approximately £23,000 plus payment of their full-time home tuition fees for a period of up to 48 months (4 years).

The net-zero and sustainability targets, as well as export cost, mean that there is an increased need to rely on a new class of alloys with higher recycle content that must be developed for both high-strength and crash-resistant alloys. Due to the differences in minor impurity additions in the recycled alloys compared with the alloys based on primary alloys, there is a need to develop new, and modify the current thermo-mechanical process used to strengthen the current generation of crush alloys. The programme will use different thermomechanical processing paths, including heat treatment and more complex paths, including deformation and ageing and other non-conventional paths to provide the best combination of crush performance and strength along with energy absorption properties from the new generation of high-recycle-content crush alloys. The main objective of the project is to understand the deformation behaviour of the high-recycle-content crush alloys and the role of tramp elements in controlling the final property profiles. The understanding developed here will provide pathways to exploit the alloy composition and thermomechanical treatments to optimise the property profiles of the next generation crush alloys and allow the full exploitation of the various tramp elements found in the recycled alloys to maximise the property profiles.

The project will be part of the activities of the Constellium University Technology Centre (UTC) established with BCAST. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to interact with researchers in BCAST and with Constellium’s industrial research engineers. An industrial supervisor of the project will be appointed by Constellium. This close collaboration provides a strong foundation for a future career, whether in industry or academia.

Please contact Dr Chamini Mendis at Chamini.Mendis@brunel.ac.uk for an informal discussion about the project.

Eligibility

You should have or expect to receive a first degree at 2:1 or above in a suitable engineering and physical science discipline, e.g. metallurgy, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering or physics. A Master’s level qualification is desirable but not essential. A strong background in materials science and/or modelling is essential. Experience in machine learning, computer vision, and computer programming is desirable.

In addition, applicants should be highly motivated, able to work independently, as well as in a team and have effective communication skills.

Applicants must be eligible for home tuition fees through either nationality, residency (living in the UK for at least three years and not wholly for educational purposes) or other connection to the UK.

How to apply

Please submit your application documents (see list below) in one PDF file by noon on 24 April 2025 to cedps-pgr-office@brunel.ac.uk. Interviews will take place in May 2025.

  • Your up-to-date CV;
  • Your personal statement (300 to 500 words) summarising your background, skills and experience.
  • Your Undergraduate/Postgraduate degree certificate(s) and transcript(s);
  • Evidence of your English language skills to IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent, 6.0 in all sections), if appropriate.
  • Contact details for two referees, one of which can be an academic member of staff in the College.

Remember to state the title of the project at the top of your personal statement.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Chamini Mendis - Dr. Chamini Mendis is a Reader in Metallurgy at BCAST in Brunel University of London  Her research interest includes development of advanced magnesium alloys for structural applications using low cost alloying additions for both cast and wrought applications, microstructure property relationships of light alloys, solid-state phase transformations in light metallic alloys with focus on Al and Mg alloys and solidification and thermomechanical processing .Understanding the structure proeprty relationships that develop in Aluminium alloys subjected to thermomechanical processing including precipitate evolution and texture development in industrially relevant alloys Broadly speaking research interests spans the phase transformations on the microstructures and mechanical and physical properties of the metallic materials processed via casting, forming or through other conventional and non conventional processing paths  She received her Ph.D. (2005), M.Eng.Sci. (2000) and BE/LLB (1995/1997)) in Materials Engineering from the Monash University, Australia. Following the doctoral studies, prior to moving to MagIC,  she spent 6 years at the National Institute for Materials Science (Tsukuba, Japan) working with Prof. Kazuhiro Hono, first as a JSPS postdoctoral fellow and then as a MANA researcher, the design and characterization of light metallic materials especially newly developed precipitation hardable magnesium alloys, with a special focus on the characterization of nano-scaled particles using advanced transmission electron microscopy and 3 dimensional atom probe tomography. She has published over 100 research publications including research papers in scientific journals, conference proceedings and a book chapter. She is a member of the magnesium committee The Materials Metals and Mineral Society (TMS) was a guest editor of the institute journal JOM.