Supervisor: Jan Čupera

Materials research of the future: Master electron microscopy and MATLAB! Are you interested in what the world of metals looks like at a resolution beyond the limits of human vision? Do you want to learn how to work with state-of-the-art TESCAN and Zeiss microscopes whilst delving into the world of MATLAB programming?

As part of this SOČ project at ÚMVI, Brno University of Technology, you will become part of a team developing the innovative ECCI method for analysing the structure of metallic materials. We will explain you not only how to prepare and observe samples, but also how to process them using software and validate the results using advanced EBSD analysis. If you are looking for a topic that combines precise laboratory work with modern programming and want to gain a unique head start for your future studies, this topic is just for you!

Supervisor: Miroslava Horynová

The aim of the project is evaluation of the effect of the manufacturing process on the structural heterogeneity and corrosion rate of a thin-walled components form magnesium alloy produced by the wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). WAAM is a high-volume 3D printing method for metals, based on arc welding. With the aid of a robotic arm, the component is gradually built up, layer by layer, by melting wire electrode. This technology enables rapid component production with minimal waste and, unlike additive technologies with a build chamber, is not limited for the building of large components. A disadvantage is that the material produced in this way exhibits anisotropy of properties and structural heterogeneity, which may further affect the properties and application of the manufactured component.

The student will familiarise himself/herself with WAAM technology and prepare samples for microstructural analysis and corrosion testing. Corrosion will be assessed using samples from different parts of the thin wall samples using a method based on hydrogen evolution. As part of the microstructural analysis, the student will evaluate grain shape and size, porosity. Further, him/her will analyze present phases, their quantity, and changes in individual parts of the sample in relation to the manufacturing process (individual layers, bottom, middle and top of the wall).

The results will be used to verify the optimisation of the WAAM process; the student will analyze obtained data and compare them with previously conducted pilot tests and the available literature.

Supervisor: Roman Štěpánek

Graphitic cast irons are widely used even in advanced applications. The combination of their mechanical properties and production costs makes them, for example, one of the suitable materials for the manufacture of gas turbine casings. However, depending on the gas used, there is a risk of so-called hydrogen embrittlement in this application, whereby the material loses its toughness when operating in a hydrogen-rich environment, which in extreme cases can lead to a failure. Although graphite cast irons are less susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement than other materials, risks do exist.

As part of this project, the student will familiarise themselves with the nature of the hydrogen embrittlement issue and analyse the effect of a hydrogen-rich environment on a real component. The analysis will involve tensile testing, followed by fractographic analysis of the resulting fractures. Furthermore, the student will also analyse the microstructure to distinguish the influence of the hydrogen environment from structural influences. The results will be quantified, and the level of risk and the suitability of the application will be assessed.

Supervisor: Petr Havlík

Titanium alloys are commonly known as a material for the aerospace industry. However, they are also used in a number of other fields. This is due to the specific properties of titanium alloys, which include high strength, low density, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. The expansion of the use of titanium alloys is supported by the possibility of heat treatment of selected titanium alloys. These are primarily two-phase titanium alloys, including the most widely used alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. This type of alloy allows for heat treatment involving recrystallisation, thereby enabling a wide range of microstructures to be obtained and, consequently, the potential to broaden the spectrum of mechanical properties of titanium alloys. It is therefore important to understand the influence of temperature and cooling rate during heat treatment on the resulting microstructure of the titanium alloy.

During this project, the student will be introduced to and involved in the field of heat treatment of titanium alloys. The project will involve carrying out selected heat treatment processes on a two-phase titanium alloy. The next step will be metallographic evaluation using light and electron microscopy, along with hardness measurements, to assess the effect of heat treatment on the resulting microstructure of the titanium alloy. The project results will also be used as teaching material when covering the subject of titanium alloys within the materials engineering curriculum. The project thus offers a unique opportunity to gain practical experience, develop technical skills and gain an initial insight into the study of materials engineering.

Supervisor: Ondřej Adam

How does a material change when heated? And how do these changes affect its properties? Understanding these processes is key, for example, to designing the correct heat treatment procedure or determining the maximum safe application temperature. The reactions occurring in the material can be described not only by temperature, but also by their rate – kinetics. Studying kinetics allows us to understand the mechanism by which the reaction proceeds, and also to create simulations of the reaction’s progress under various temperature cycles.

The aim of the project will be to create a model example of the kinetic analysis of the tempering of hardened steel and to determine the activation energy of this reaction – that is, the figure indicating how ‘easily’ the reaction proceeds at elevated temperatures. Two approaches will be compared to determine the kinetic parameters. The conventional method will utilise a set of samples tempered at different temperatures and times. Metallographic sections will be prepared from the samples, and the amount of tempered martensite will be evaluated using microstructural analysis. The second approach will be based on measurements using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the processing of the obtained data in specialised kinetic software.

Both methods will be compared, and the quality of the kinetic parameters obtained will be verified by heat treatment simulation. The project will thus enable an understanding not only of the theory but also of the practical procedures used in modern materials science. The project results will be used as a basis for laboratory assignments and teaching focused on the thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformations.

Supervisor: Karel Němec

The aim of the project is to familiarise the student with the issues surrounding the manufacture and operation of aluminium alloy bicycle frames. It is important to understand the challenges of welding these materials and their heat treatment, as well as the resulting advantages and limitations of using aluminium alloys in the bicycle industry. Above all, it is necessary to identify the risk factors for damage to products made from these alloys, specifically bicycle frames. The practical outcome of this project will be an analysis of a cracked bicycle frame using structural analysis of the material in the damaged area, as well as the determination of the basic mechanical properties of the material.

Supervisor: Simona Hutařová

It’s true. Even corrosion-resistant steels corrode. The question is how quickly they corrode and in what environment. There are various types of corrosion-resistant steels, each suited to specific applications and having their own advantages and disadvantages.

Non-magnetic austenitic steel AISI 304L is one of the most widely used steels in practice within the field of stainless steels. It is highly ductile, easy to work with and welds well. Thanks to its chemical composition, it has excellent corrosion resistance and a minimal risk of intergranular corrosion following welding. It is widely used in the healthcare, food and chemical industries. If it is not produced by conventional means (i.e. forming), but, for example, using modern additive manufacturing technology, this may affect the corrosion properties of this steel.

Cold spray, i.e. cold kinetic deposition, is a modern, advanced additive technology for creating coatings, in which metal powder (e.g. spherical steel particles) is carried by a gas and deposited onto a surface at supersonic speeds. The individual particles deposited onto the surface in this way deform, interlock and thus gradually form a layer. As this technology is used to create coatings, to refurbish worn components or to produce new structural parts with complex geometries, it is desirable to study any changes in the material’s corrosion behaviour.

As part of this project, the student will compare the corrosion resistance of AISI 304L steel produced by conventional forming (sheet metal) and Cold Spray additive technology in a chloride environment, i.e. in seawater. Pre-prepared samples will be immersed in seawater and, after several weeks, will be gradually removed from this corrosive environment. The student will measure weight loss by weighing the samples before and after exposure, thereby determining the corrosion rate. They will also study how corrosion manifests itself and how it spreads through the sample by observing it under a light and electron microscope. The outcome of the work will be the determination of the corrosion rate and an assessment of whether additive manufacturing affects the corrosion resistance of the otherwise corrosion-resistant 304L steel. The results will serve as a basis for further research and will be used in teaching.

Supervisor: Klára Částková

The aim of the work will be to prepare multi-material Ca-P-based structures using 3D printing, with potential applications in the field of bone tissue engineering.

Research into materials for bone replacement is focused on the preparation of structures that mimic natural tissues with a complex structure, providing an optimal biological response whilst also offering mechanical support. Ceramic materials, as inorganic materials that are chemically and mechanically stable and non-toxic, are ideal candidates for such replacements. Advanced additive technologies, which enable the creation of complex and precise structures whilst combining different materials within a single object, are therefore promising for the production of these complex materials. The research will therefore focus on the synthesis and combination of ceramic materials and their processing using 3D printing (DLP – Digital Light Processing) and the evaluation of the resulting microstructure and phase composition of the prepared ceramics.

In particular, the possibilities (parameters) of chemical synthesis and the combination of synthesised calcium phosphate-based materials for the preparation of printable suspensions will be investigated. The printing of these suspensions using DLP technology and the thermal processing of the printed structures will be tested, and their microstructure and composition determined. The relationships between process and structural parameters will be evaluated, with a view to optimising the process to produce a defect-free ceramic structure suitable for hard tissue replacements.

Supervisor: Lukáš Řehořek

Modern security and military forces require lightweight yet highly effective ballistic protection. The Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (ÚMVI FSI VUT) is developing a new generation of armour using innovative Cold Spray technology. These composite coatings combine a lightweight and strong titanium matrix (Ti6Al4V) with extremely hard silicon carbide (SiC) ceramic particles, which are designed to effectively fragment incoming projectiles. To maximise ballistic resistance, the material is subsequently heat-treated at high temperatures (>1000 °C), resulting in massive diffusion and the formation of entirely new phase structures (e.g. Ti5S3 and TiC). However, visualising these phases is considerably difficult due to the high chemical resistance of titanium and the presence of a nickel interlayer.

This work focuses on addressing this critical research issue: the experimental optimisation of selective chemical etching and the subsequent identification of the newly formed phases using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The outcome is an optimised metallographic protocol that will enable a deeper understanding of the relationship between structure and ballistic resistance in these advanced materials.

Supervisor: Jakub Judas

3D printing of metals and their alloys currently represents a highly promising method for manufacturing advanced materials and mechanical components. This technology enables the production of parts directly in their final shape, significantly reducing the need for subsequent machining, which is often costly and time-consuming. One of the most popular methods of metal 3D printing is LPBF (Laser Powder Bed Fusion), whose principle is based on the successive deposition of thin layers of metal powder that are subsequently melted and fused by a scanning laser.

Alloys produced by this technology exhibit a unique internal structure that differs significantly from the microstructure of materials manufactured by conventional methods (such as forming or casting). Repeated melting of the metal powder by the laser beam leads to the formation of a large number of micro-welds within the material structure. Together with the extremely high cooling rates during the printing process, this contributes to the formation of a very fine-grained and compact microstructure, providing the resulting material with a remarkable combination of mechanical and physical properties.

The work will focus on determining the fatigue resistance of a 3D-printed aluminum alloy (AlSi9Cu3Ni), which plays an important role especially in the automotive industry. Cyclic testing will be carried out on a modern fatigue testing machine driven by a linear motor, with the aim of determining the fatigue life of the prepared test specimens. Fatigue tests will be further complemented by the observation of the obtained fracture surfaces using an electron microscope in order to identify the mechanisms of alloy failure. The work will also include ongoing activities in a metallographic laboratory, where samples will be prepared for microstructural observation of the studied aluminum alloy.

Supervisor: Martin Zelený

Machine learning algorithms are currently undergoing rapid development and are also finding application in materials science. They can be used to obtain information about the bonds between atoms, which can then be used in computer simulations of real systems to predict, for example, the melting temperatures of new materials without the need for experimental preparation. The application of these algorithms requires extensive databases of data, on which machine learning using artificial intelligence can take place. This data can be obtained using ab initio methods, which are capable of effectively simulating simple systems based solely on knowledge of basic physical rules and do not require any input from experiments.
The aim of the work is to program automated procedures in Python to run ab initio calculations and create a database of binding forces between different atoms in crystalline materials that will be suitable for machine learning.

Supervisor: Lukáš Řehořek

Cold Spray technology is a modern technology in the field of surface treatment that allows the creation of solid coatings on various materials without the need for high temperatures. This method works on the principle of spraying microscopic particles of material onto the surface of a substrate using a high-speed gas stream, which leads to their mechanical and metallurgical anchoring and the creation of a solid composite coating. Since the process does not require high temperatures, there is no significant thermal damage to the substrate. This allows for application to a wide range of materials, including those that are heat-sensitive.
Cold Spray technology has a wide range of applications, from repairing damaged parts in the aerospace and automotive industries, to creating protective coatings in the energy sector, to biomedical applications for the manufacture of implants. Its flexibility and efficiency open up new possibilities for materials engineering and manufacturing.
As part of this project, the student will be directly involved in the manufacturing process using Cold Spray technology. They will have the opportunity to learn about the principles of this innovative method, while gaining practical experience in the creation of composite materials. The main task will be to study the material composition of composites, where they will examine the mutual deposition efficiency of individual components. Using metallographic sections, they will analyze the microstructure of the created composites and use a microhardness tester and nanoindenter to determine the basic mechanical properties of the sprays, such as hardness and elasticity modules. The project offers students a unique opportunity to gain practical experience, develop their technical skills, and gain a deeper understanding of materials engineering.