James Famelton
DPhil Student
Reducing the weight of automotive vehicles is a critical consideration in improving their fuel efficiency and hence reducing the environmental impact. My research focuses on new high strength 6XXX series alloys developed for crush strength to be used in car safety systems.
There is a lack of understanding about how the desired microstructure develops, particularly the initial cluster formation. Atom probe tomography allows visualisation and quantification of these initial stages of microstructure formation. In particular the aim is to identify the effect of trace alloy additions on the cluster formation for a range of alloys and heat treatments. This should hopefully inform the design of future high strength 6XXX series alloys.
