Mohsen Feyzi from the College of Science an Engineering and is one of the 12 winners of the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Doctoral Thesis Excellence for 2023. Mohsen was supervised by Dr Reza Hashemi and Professor Mark Taylor from Flinders University.
Mohsen’s thesis Tribocorrosion behaviour of Ti and CoCrMo biometals in metal-on-metal contacts: analytical modelling and experimental evaluation proposed a new model for tribocorrosion in metal-on-metal situations.
We invited Mohsen to share insights into the PhD journey and what winning this award means.
What does winning this award mean?
This is an excellent outcome recognising the hard work I put into my PhD thesis over 3.5 years. I need to thank my supervisors (especially Dr Reza Hashemi as my principal supervisor) for their great help and support. Without their support, none of these achievements could be possible.
Tell us about your research
Passive metals form a protective layer onto their surface against corrosion attacks. However, in various operational conditions for metallic components, these protective layers could be disrupted by mechanical actions; hence, more corrosion would occur. This complex failure is known as tribocorrosion which results in substantial downtime and maintenance costs in various industrial sectors.
My thesis proposed a new model for tribocorrosion in metal-on-metal situations. This model determines how significantly each metallic part contributes to the progress of tribocorrosion and what impact the operational conditions have on this failure. Two metals of titanium and cobalt-chromium were studied using a custom-designed tribometer. The findings revealed that the tribocorrosion damage depends on the operational conditions and material combination. This new knowledge can be now used as a foundation to improve the design characteristics of such contacts to better mitigate and control the tribocorrosion failure in the industry reducing significant failure and maintenance costs.
Have you published anything?
Yes, I published a decent number of publications. Two most recent publications from my thesis are:
Electrochemical current at reciprocating contacts: A new analytical modelling – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013468623006382
Tribocorrosion at metal-on-metal contacts: The contributing role of geometry and material combination – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010938X23000896
What was been one of the most enjoyable parts of the journey?
The most enjoyable part of my journey was working in an interactive and friendly group which made my skills development possible and helped towards the successful completion of my PhD. I also enjoyed living in the beautiful state of South Australia and learned about Australian culture.
How did you overcome any challenges of doing a PhD?
I believe that overcoming the challenges of a PhD project requires hard work and perseverance together with well-defined aims and boundaries for the project. Expert advice and support from supervisors and helpful communication with peers are also key factors in helping one manage the challenges.
What advice would you give to those who are about to undertake a PhD?
PhD is like a journey which requires a good and well-thought planning together with a map to navigate you towards your destination. This should align with your interests and aims which you may have in mind at the start of this journey. To enjoy every moment of this timely and yet challenging travel, you require a good balance between your life and research together with an effective management to take you to your destination at the right time!