Internship-R&D engineer-Lean Aluminum Alloy Processing and Its Impact on Wear and Conductivity F/H/X

C-TEC RECRUTE  

INTERNSHIP - R&D ENGINEER F/H/X

Constellium is a global leader designing and manufacturing innovative and high value-added aluminum products and solutions for a broad range of applications dedicated primarily to aerospace, automotive and packaging markets. Constellium Technology Center (C-TEC) based in Grenoble (Voreppe - 38) is Constellium’ s European research center with 246 employees and 20 nationalities.

PROJECT TITLE : « From Efficiency to Performance : Lean Aluminum Alloy Processing and Its Impact on Wear and Conductivity » 

Context : 
Constellium is a world leader in the production of best-in-class aluminium alloys for the transport, industry and defense sectors all while making great efforts to improve sustainability in the aluminium lifecycle. Due to its low density, aluminium can be suited for a variety of applications where its use is currently limited or its production cost is too high; specifically in applications surrounding electrical conductivity and wear. Applications such as brake discs, dump trucks, and sprockets are subjected to a lot of friction and this friction wears down the components requiring the material to be replaced. Applications like bus bars, cooling plates and balance rings all require high electrical and thermal conductivity in order to replace the existing metals or alloys currently being employed. For these various components, a combination of properties is required electrical/thermal conductivity, corrosion, strength, wear, intrusion resistance and bending. This internship looks at optimizing a panel of existing and potentially development aluminium alloys produced by Constellium using conventional and non-conventional processing routes; exploring and evaluating the ability for these alloys to be further optimized to maximize their wear resistance and/or electrical and thermal conductivity without compromising their mechanical properties. 

The project will contain multiple streams :

• Assisting in the general transformation of industrially produced and/or lab produced alloys at the lab-scale.
• Use models to assist in the understanding and design of experiment for promoting efficient research.
• Evaluating wear resistance, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, bending, intrusion and hardness testing the different production routes of multiple aluminium alloys and creating a comprehensive database.
• Analyze the data and draw conclusions to make concrete suggestions on methods to further optimize the wear resistance and/or electrical conductivity.
• Bibliographic research to bring innovative ideas for new processing routes that could lead to improvements.

The role of the intern will consist, after a first phase of training in our trade and tools, to plan and assist in the execution of the transformation of the industrially produced aluminium alloys in the lab with the aid of various technicians. Perform hardness, electrical conductivity, bending, intrusion and wear testing, polish and observe the microstructure of the tested samples. Perform image analysis to better understand the key process parameters and key microstructure features controlling wear, electrical conductivity and bending. Compile, analyze and clearly present the data during update meetings to different audiences (scientific, project, client) and make solid recommendations for next steps and further optimizations. 

Profile : 

Education level : Bac + 4/5
Engineering school INSA, Polytech, Mines, ENSAM and/or degree / option required materials or metallurgy, physical measurements

Competencies & technical & soft skills requirement :

• Someone who is dynamic, enthusiastic, curious, enjoys performing experimental work and being hands-on
• A high level of organization is necessary and the ability to multi-task will be required
• Basic understanding of metallurgy and phase transformations and metals processing (cold rolling, annealing, etc) with a willingness to learn
• Bibliographic research skills and ability to synthesize information
• Ability to work independently in the lab but also be integrated into the team of researchers
• Use critical thinking to explain the observations of different experimental designs
• Ability to compile, analyze, synthesize and present results requiring various levels of technical detail (high-level vs. research focused)
• Attraction to working in a fast-paced environment with a multi-national team in both English and French
• Actively work in a safe manner and follow standard operating procedures and adhering to Constellium’s required safety practices
• Strong skills in English (B2 minimum) and French (B2 minimum), both written and spoken are required for this role
• A first experience in basic image analysis (ImageJ/Fuji) is a plus