Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of Steels for Nuclear Power Plant Applications

Bainitic and austenitic stainless steels are among the most critical structural materials used in nuclear power plants due to their exceptional resistance to corrosion, high-temperature stability, and mechanical robustness under irradiation. These properties make them vital for components such as reactor pressure vessels, piping systems, and fuel cladding, where maintaining material integrity is crucial for safety and operational longevity.
To ensure the reliability of these materials in challenging environments, a detailed knowledge of their microstructure and its impact on mechanical properties and fracture behaviour is essential. Microstructural features, including grain size, phase distribution and defect density, are crucial in determining strength, ductility and resistance to crack propagation.

This internship is designed as a small project where the candidate follows the material from documentation of the received samples till the final reporting of the gained results. Among the activities are:

- Fractography using state of the art optical and electron microscopes
- Microstructural analysis of the investigated materials
- Regular reporting of the gained results and summarizing them in a final report

Due to uniqueness of the available material this topic is suited for a longer term internship (>5 months) or a master thesis.