Maraging stainless steel family gathers chromium (10-15 wt%) and nickel (4-9 wt%) rich grades with a low carbon content (<0.02wt%). After austenitization and quenching, these grades consist in a Body Centered martensitic structure different from the conventional tetragonal carbon rich martensite.
For Sodium Fast Reactors core components, martensitic steels are studied as they exhibit a lower void swelling under irradiation compared to austenitic grades. In order to improve the creep properties they are sometime strengthened by a very stable and fine oxide precipitation (Oxides Dispersed Strengthened). These conventional ODS martensitic grades have a limited chromium content (9-11 wt%) and often exhibit a poor toughness at room temperature.
This PhD work offers the original approach of associating the outstanding toughness and corrosion properties of a Maraging martensitic matrix to an ODS type precipitation. To this end, few innovative compositions will be selected, elaborated and characterized in the CEA and academic partner laboratories.

JOB PROFIL: The applicant must be master-2 graduated with training in materials science and ideally metallurgy. The proposed subject is mainly experimental. A basic knowledge of electronic microscopy and/or XRay diffraction is required for this position. At the end of the PhD the applicant will get a solid knowledge in steel metallurgy and will have used and operated a large number of microstructural characterizations advanced tools (SEM, TEM, SAXS XRD, DSC). Naturally, he/she can pretends to a metallurgy researcher position in a large range of industries.