This project is now filled.

Supervisors: James Kermode (Engineering); Albert Bartok-Partay (Engineering, Physics)

Reactor pressure vessel (RPV) steels used in nuclear power plants have very complex behaviour due to the large number of alloying elements. Irradiation effects affect the flow of impurities towards grain boundaries, modifying solute segregation and leading to embrittlement and reduced operational performance. This project is part of the ENTENTE European consortium developing a multiscale model for embrittlement. The PhD project targets one of the last remaining gaps within the multiscale modelling of irradiated materials: linking neutron irradiation to variation of mechanical properties. The model will be validated by experiments carried out by partners at EDF and CEA (both in Paris).