Braze Repair of Superalloys

PhD Studentship for Braze Alloy Development for Advanced Repair of Aeroengine Components, funded by EPSRC and Rolls-Royce. Brazing offers the prospect of revitalising high temperature structural components in the gas turbine engines used for civil aviation, thereby extending service life and reducing cost. This PhD project will carry out fundamental metallurgical research to understand how elemental redistribution takes place between the constituents of repair brazes in superalloys. The research will involve detailed characterisation using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical testing. Thermodynamic and kinetic modelling will also be performed to build a predictive capability of how interdiffusion proceeds during processing and the nature of the phases that are formed. The insights obtained will be used to optimise braze alloy chemistry and processing as well as better understand the impact on braze repair on the adherence of protective surface coatings. The PhD will be conducted in close collaboration with Rolls-Royce plc and will be based at the University of Cambridge in the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy as part of the Structural Materials Group.