Internship - Development of Next-Generation Recycled Aluminium Alloys

Constellium SE; Voreppe; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 16,000; Full time

Job summary

Constellium SE offers an internship focused on developing next-generation recycled aluminium alloys. The role involves studying Fe-containing intermetallic nucleation and growth, combining industrial and academic environments in Voreppe (C-TEC) and Sorbonne University in Paris, with SEM/EBSD characterization and in situ solidification studies.

The candidate will work on model alloys, investigate solidification, and explore heat treatments to understand and control Fe-rich intermetallic phases

Qualifications

• Engineering student (last year) or Masters (M2) in Physics or Material Science.
• Knowledge in Material science and eager to develop experimental skills.
• Good communication skills in English and French are essential.

Responsibilities

• Support development of recycling-friendly next-generation aluminium alloys.
• Participate in in situ and real-time solidification experiments.
• Contribute to microstructural characterization and data analysis.
• Collaborate between industrial and academic partners (Voreppe and Paris).

Skills

Material science knowledge

Communication skills

Autonomy

English and French proficiency

Education

Bac+5 / M.Sc. Mechanical Engineering - Physics or Material Science

Job description

Internship - Development of Next-Generation Recycled Aluminium Alloys

Development of Next-Generation Recycled Aluminium Alloys

Constellium is a world leader in the development and manufacture of high value-added aluminum products and solutions for a wide range of markets and applications, focusing in particular on aerospace, automotive and packaging. Constellium also has nearly 12,000 employees worldwide.We are committed to minimizing the environmental impact of our operations and improving the life cycle footprint of aluminum throughout the value chain.

In our company, safety is essential, it is one of our core values without compromise. Our Research and Technology Center, C-TEC Constellium Technology Center, based in Grenoble (Voreppe – 38) employs about 240 people.

By joining our company, you will discover a multicultural company (over 20 nationalities) which is committed to diversity and the well-being of its employees.

Your mission : Understanding Fe-containing intermetallic phase nucleation and growth for tailoring Next generation Recycling Friendly Aluminium Alloys

Main objective and key accountabilities

Contribute do the development of a comprehensive understanding of the nucleation, growth, and subsequent evolution of Fe-containing intermetallic (Fe-IM) phases in aluminium alloys in order to refine their morphology and distribution, ultimately enabling the design of next-generation recycling-friendly aluminium alloys with increased recycled content and improved performance.
Building upon an ongoing research effort initiated in 2023 through a previous internship and continued within a collaborative PhD project between Constellium C-TEC and Sorbonne University, the candidate will contribute to advancing the fundamental understanding of Fe-IM formation during solidification and possibly heat treatment, while helping identify pathways for industrial implementation.

The aluminium industry is facing increasing pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and support a circular economy through the increased use of post-consumer recycled scrap. However, higher recycled contents inevitably introduce larger concentrations of impurity elements, particularly Fe and Si, which promote the formation of brittle Fe-containing intermetallic phases that can negatively affect mechanical properties and processability.
The development of new generations of impurity-tolerant aluminium alloys therefore requires a deeper understanding of the mechanisms governing Fe-intermetallic nucleation, growth and transformation during solidification and subsequent thermal treatments.
This internship is part of a broader research programme launched in 2023 through an initial internship and currently pursued within a PhD collaboration between Constellium C-TEC (Voreppe, France) and Sorbonne University (Paris, France). The programme combines advanced experimental solidification studies with microstructural characterization to identify processing routes capable of controlling detrimental Fe-rich intermetallic phases in recycled aluminium alloys.
The candidate will spend his/her internship between Constellium C-TEC in Voreppe and Sorbonne University in Paris, providing a unique opportunity to work in both industrial and academic environments while contributing directly to an ongoing long-term research project.
The work will initially focus on model aluminium alloys and recycling-friendly alloy compositions relevant to future automotive and aerospace products. Special emphasis will be placed on understanding the influence of chemical composition and solidification conditions on Fe-IM nucleation and growth. The candidate will participate in alloy preparation, in situ solidification experiments and advanced microstructural characterization using optical and electron microscopy techniques.
In addition to investigating in situ Fe-IM formation during solidification, the internship could explore other complementary research directions such as :

• Extension of the methodology developed for near-eutectic compositions to hypoeutectic alloys, with particular attention given to the nucleation and growth of secondary Fe-IM phases and to the interactions between the advancing FCC-Al solidification front and the formation of Fe-rich intermetallic compounds.
• Investigation of the in-situ evolution of Fe-IMs during homogenization heat treatment, including the transformation of α-AlFeSi phases into β-AlFeSi phases, and the resulting impact on final intermetallic morphology and distribution. This approach will contribute to establishing links between casting conditions, as-solidified microstructure, and the microstructure after homogenization.
• Assessment of pathways for upscaling the most promising microstructural control strategies toward laboratory-scale castings, followed by representative downstream thermomechanical processing and mechanical characterization. This will help quantify the influence of the observed microstructural modifications on final alloy performance and bridge the gap between fundamental understanding and industrial application.

The internship will be supervised by :
Dr. Georges Salloum-Abou-Jaoude
Constellium C-TEC, Voreppe, France

And

The candidate will spend part of the internship at Constellium C-TEC's R&D Centre in Voreppe to become familiar with the industrial challenges associated with aluminium alloy solidification and manufacturing. He/she will contribute to the production of novel recycling-friendly next-generation aluminium alloys. The candidate will then spend a significant portion of the internship at Sorbonne University in Paris, working with world-leading scientists in the field of aluminium eutectic phase nucleation and growth. At Sorbonne University, the candidate will contribute to the development and execution of in situ, real-time solidification experiments aimed at studying the effects of alloy chemistry, solidification parameters, and potentially homogenization treatments on the nucleation and growth of AlFeSi phases. The candidate will return periodically to C-TEC for post-mortem microstructural characterization and quantification using advanced techniques such as SEM and EBSD.

Expected results

This internship decomposes into several stages :

• Familiarization with the principle of solidification of metallic alloys
• Familiarization with aluminium alloy production and direct chill casting
• Manufacture recycling friendly model alloys, preparation of : experimental protocols, quality inspection/investigation and sample machining and preparation.
• Familiarization with in situ and real time investigation of aluminium alloy solidification
• Prepare aluminium samples using plasma sputtering
• Perform in situ and real time experiments of aluminium alloy solidification
• Data and image processing of solidification experiments
• Analysis and reporting of the findings

Profile

Education level: Bac+5 / M.Sc.
Mechanical Engineering - Physics or Material Science

Competencies & technical & soft skills requirement :

• Engineering student (last year) or Masters (M2) of Physics or Material Science
• Candidate motivated, creative, rigorous, curious, good communication skills and autonomous
• Knowledge in Material science, and eager to develop experimental skills
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Good communication skills in English and French are essential