Greg McGlothlen
Postgraduate Researcher
University of Oxford
Co-hort year: 2024 entry
As a mechanical engineer and project manager in leadership roles at Airbus and Boeing I helped deliver large aviation projects such as the A380 and 787. In 2021 after participating in the UN Climate Convention COP26 in Glasgow, I was inspired to use my experience to work towards reducing the impact that power generation has on our climate. I completed a master’s degree in materials science at the University of Sheffield and joined the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to design and deliver an economically viable fusion powerplant for energy production. Now through the Fusion CDT, I have the opportunity to continue this work at the University of Oxford. My project, which is sponsored by UKAEA and the University of Oxford, aims to analyse, test and develop the joining of alloys of refractory metals such as vanadium to reduced activation steels using diffusion bonding. Diffusion bonding has the potential to create strong and precise joints between parts through the solid-state diffusion of atoms between mating surfaces. Development of improved methods to join high performance structural materials is one of the keys which will enable fusion power and could have important uses in other applications.
The quality of a diffusion bond between two metallic parts is influenced by many process variables. These variables and their interactions will determine the microstructure and mechanical properties of the bond. In this project I will analyse the diffusion kinetics and formation of phases in the boundary region between parts, including intermetallic compounds which could affect the bond strength. The process parameters and their interdependencies will be studied experimentally, and the resulting joints will be characterised using high-resolution electron microscopy and nanoindentation. This will allow correlation of the mechanical properties of the bond to the microstructure for a range of joint topologies and operational conditions. Using these results, my goal is to then to develop and validate novel methods to engineer high quality bonded joints between dissimilar metals including using interlayers of other alloys in the transitional boundary region.
This project is a compelling opportunity to advance the science and engineering that will help define the optimal designs for critical fusion power machine components exposed to the most demanding of environments. I look forward to contributing to development of the techniques needed to enable clean, abundant power for the future of our world.
