Nickel Superalloy Design for Corrosion Resistance

My fellowship will lead a research programme employing state of the art experimental and computational techniques to provide new, fundamental insight into the environmental degradation of nickel superalloys and steels that occur as a result of interactions with the corrosive gaseous species they encounter in-service. I have published some preliminary work from my corrosion and oxidation research program, though the full potential benefits for the development of corrosion resistant high temperature materials, have barely been explored. I plan to address these questions through advanced characterisation of samples exposed to corrosive environments in laboratory furnaces, during high temperature mechanical tests and a study of ex-service components provided by my industrial collaborators. The results will then be used to design a new generation of alloys, whose corrosion resistance will be tailored to their specific applications.

To maximise the impact of my research, I will work closely with my industrial collaborators such as Rolls-Royce plc, as well as my academic collaborators, including Prof Michael Moody (Atom probe Tomography Group, University of Oxford), to characterise the samples, inform alloy design and produce new superalloys with improved corrosion resistance. Corrosion research is extremely timely and globally important with potential for substantial future savings and component lifetime extension.

My research will lead to the development of improved corrosion-resistant nickel-based superalloys. Where applicable, intellectual property rights arising from my fellowship will be protected for valuable innovations with significant commercial potential.

The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IoM3),of which I am an active member, provides me with mechanisms to reach other UK based companies with interests in corrosion resistant high temperature materials. I am a member of their High Temperature Materials Committee, which puts me in contact with industrial partners and academic collaborators on a regular basis. I will continue to attend a broad range of meetings, workshops and conferences to ensure dissemination of my research. To ensure that my work reaches industrial as well as academic audiences, I intend to organise a workshop, in collaboration with the High Temperature Materials Committee. The structure of this workshop will involve long overview presentations as well as allowing time for discussion and for setting up collaborations.

For an academic audience, the primary dissemination route will be through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. My fellowship will continue to produce high-quality peer-reviewed publications and submit them to respected journals in the field. Publications will be open access, therefore attracting the widest possible readership particularly from companies which may not have access to publications otherwise.

Direct industrial collaborations with leading UK enterprises such as Rolls-Royce plc, Good Fabrications Performance Exhausts and others will be direct beneficiaries of the innovations arising from my research fellowship.

Outreach and public engagement are of particular importance to me. My plan to increase the impact of my research includes the publication of articles for The Naked Scientist and Materials World, visits to local schools and public talks. I am a registered STEM ambassador and plan on continuing that work throughout my fellowship and involving my students in outreach programs too, with a particular focus on equality, diversity and women in engineering. My membership of the IoM3 High Temperature Materials Committee facilitates my involvement in outreach and public engagement activities through publications aimed at a non-specialist audience and by providing me with an education slideshow aimed at school children about high temperature materials and their uses.

Through these dissemination paths, my research will be reaching the widest possible audience of academic collaborators, industrial partners and the general public.