Prize for the best European thesis on powder metallurgy
Ibon Azkona has been awarded with the prize for the best European doctoral thesis on powder metallurgy. The result of the research carried out by the young research worker has been the production of ultra hard materials based on transition metal boride through a feasible rout at industrial scale. The prize awarded within the conferences held on 8th October in Lausanne, Switzerland, organised by the European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA). Five years have been required to carry out this research, in which the Influence of processing conditions about densification by SINTER-HIP of diboride titanium cermets has been studied. The research has been done in CEIT (Centre of Studies and Technical Investigations) under the supervision of Dr. Jose Manuel Sanchez. Among the results of the work, the excellent resistance against wearing of the developed materials has been emphasised. Therefore, they can be used in many applications in the area of engineering, for example, in mechanisation of metals, production of engine pieces or of special bearings for pumps used in the chemical industry. Those applications have been studied within a project financed by the European Union. In this project, in addition to CEIT, three European Universities and two multinationals have participated. The most outstanding results have been obtained, particularly, in bearing prototypes resistant against corrosion. Ibon Azkona, graduated in Physical Sciences in the Autonomous University of Madrid, has developed his doctoral thesis thanks to a grant given by the foundation EITE (Basque Association of Technological Research Centres). Previously, he had also received a grant from the Basque Government, in the fifth year of his studies, to research applications of nanostructures of semiconductors in lasers, optical detectors and electronic devices. ,CEIT awards in 2002 In addition to this prize, the Department of Materials of CEIT has been also recently awarded. The prize was awarded for the work Intelligent Steel, carried out by the section of Powder Consolidation of the Department of Materials. It was awarded last June of 2002 in the World Congress on Powder Metallurgy organised by the American Metal Powder Industries Federation. The second project is directed to the achievement of cutting tools that are applied in industry and have higher quality and less production cost. This project includes some of the results of the work that started by three Basque companies two years ago.
Countries
Spain