I completed my undergraduate degree in Materials Science at the University of Oxford. My Master’s project investigated the structures of screw dislocations in BCC metals, using microscopy and image simulations to study the core structure of the dislocations and the locks formed when two dislocations interact. My PhD project is based at the University of Manchester, supervised by Dr Ed Pickering and Prof Joao Fonseca, and focusses on investigating the ductile-to-brittle transition in BCC blanket alloys.
The temperature of the ductile-to-brittle transition increases with irradiation, which effectively decreases the fracture toughness of the material and therefore limits the useful life of components. This presents a challenge for both nuclear fusion and fission reactors. The investigation into the ductile-to-brittle transition will involve studying candidate alloys for fusion as well as irradiated samples using high resolution digital image correlation (HRDIC). This method allows use of smaller quantities of samples compared with typical macroscopic fracture tests, which is necessary when large quantities of irradiation damaged material are difficult to obtain, or in the case of fusion does not yet exist. The HRDIC method will provide detailed quantitative information about the pattern of deformation inside a material. As the ductile-to-brittle transition involves a change in the deformation behaviour of the material, HRDIC should provide greater insight into the ductile-to-brittle transition.