"Welcome Aboard Flight MT180" with Déborah Faucon
Déborah Faucon is a third-year Ph.D. student atthe Institute of Electronics and Systems (IES) at the University of Montpellier. On May 28, she won the jury prize at the regional final of the “My Thesis in 180 Seconds” (#MT180) competition organized by the Doctoral College. The 2020 edition was shaped by the constraints of the lockdown. A profile of a high-achieving doctoral student.
What is Déborah Faucon’s specialty? Metal. But not just any metal—the kind used to make airplanes and even more: the material used for the door frames of the Airbus A350—titanium! To be worked, this material must be heated and then hammered“like bread dough,” explains the doctoral student. It’s an effective process, but one that can nevertheless cause small defects to form within the part itself, thereby accelerating its wear and tear.
But let those with a fear of flying relax—these defects? Déborah takes care of them, and using ultrasound, she tracks them down, detects them, and pinpoints their location:“It’s exactly the same process as for an ultrasound scan. I send an ultrasonic signal into the metal sample, capture the signal reflected back from the material, and process it using digital systems and algorithms. ” While the use of ultrasound is not new in metallurgy, Déborah Faucon’s work is innovative due to the nature of the defects she identifies: “I’m not looking for air bubbles but for coarse grains; yet there are very few ultrasonic approaches to evaluating the microstructural behavior of metals.”
From Chemistry to Metallurgy
She’s working on her thesis with one foot—or rather, one wing—in the university and the other at the metallurgy company Aubert&Duval. It’s a good compromise for this young woman with an unconventional background:“After earning a DUT and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in England, I went on to pursue a master’s in materials engineering in Toulouse, my hometown. ” Upon completing her master’s degree, the Toulouse native began adjusting her flight plan to break into the aerospace industry and join Airbus:“I was hired as a temp and stayed there for a year and a half. It was pretty hands-on work where we examined large aircraft parts to understand the cause of the damage.”
During this experience, Déborah was introduced to non-destructive testing and identified some specific issues. She then began to see a possible thesis topic that would definitively move her away from chemistry and toward physical metallurgy. “It just so happened that this coincided with an offer from Aubert&Duval, so I took off. It’s true that my time at Airbus shifted the focus of my career, but chemistry continues to help me understand the properties of metal.”
A Contest During Lockdown
Her love of a challenge also played a big part in her decision to enter the regional finals of the MT180 competition. This year’s finals were held under unusual circumstances: due to the lockdown, the thirteen contestants had to perform from home, in front of their phone cameras.“It was a difficult challenge. I practiced in front of the mirror and sent the videos to my colleagues or the other contestants to get feedback. I had to adapt the script that was originally intended for the stage and try to make it as lively as possible, but giving a speech in front of a camera when there’s no audience is a bit dull and frustrating.”
It’s a frustration that Déborah Faucon hopes to make up for if health conditions allow a national final to be held on stage in front of a live audience:“I’m super motivated. I’m nearing the end of my thesis, and on top of that, there’s a competition at stake. It’s important for me to showcase my work and that of my lab, and I’m really looking forward to seeing firsthand how the audience reacts to my text.” While the departure date for this long-haul MT180 flight remains unknown, one thing is certain: the entire University of Montpellier will be on board to cheer her on!