DANIEL HORTELANO ROIG
PhD Student - University of Oxford
Project Title: Dislocation-based modelling of engineering alloys
Daniel Hortelano Roig completed a BSc in Theoretical Physics at the University of Guelph, Canada, followed by an MSc in Mathematical and Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford. He is now a PhD student in Materials at the University of Oxford.
Zirconium is an essential material in the fuel assembly of light water reactors (LWRs). However, Zirconium exhibits an anisotropic hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystallographic structure at the operating temperatures typical of LWRs. This results in complex dislocation dynamics which leads to poorly understood macroscopic failure mechanisms.
Daniel’s project consists of developing three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics (DDD) simulations. DDD is a micron-scale computational approach which, although incredibly useful in developing phenomenological models of plasticity, is notoriously difficult to implement. A goal of his project is to extend the capabilities of the current generation of DDD codes and enable large-scale DDD simulations of materials in finite domains, such as in microcantilevers. His particular focus is in modelling materials with HCP crystallographic structures to enable an increased understanding of their corresponding dislocation dynamics.