AIST Foundation Steel Intern Scholarship
Trevor L. Racine
This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work at SSAB America’s Research & Development facility in Montpelier, Iowa. The R&D site is co-located on the same campus as the SSAB Montpelier mill. The Montpelier mill is one of two electric arc furnace steel mills owned by SSAB in North America, and it produces steel plate for several industry sectors, such as energy, construction, agriculture and transportation.
My main project centered on investigating the evolution of steel microstructures and their corresponding mechanical properties across different stages of the heat treatment process. This project involved extensive hands-on work using equipment in the machine shop and laboratories. These tasks included preparing and machining specimens for tensile and CVN impact testing, as well as microhardness testing, metallographic evaluation, phase fraction image analysis and using the scanning electron microscope on a wide range of samples.
Through testing and analysis, I was able to document the various microstructures exhibited by steel from different heat treatment conditions. This involved determining how austenitization at different intercritical temperatures impacts quenched-and-tempered microstructures, as well as the relationship between these microstructures and their resulting mechanical properties. This project highlighted the importance of precise temperature control during production heat treatment procedures.
During my internship at SSAB, I learned to work independently and in a team setting to complete my project. This included working alongside co-op students, analysts and engineers to accomplish all necessary tasks associated with the project. I gained significant experience and acquired new skills by performing mechanical testing and metallographic investigation, analyzing data, writing reports, and creating presentations.
I had a great experience at SSAB, and I am grateful for the opportunity to intern there this summer. I would like to thank both AIST and SSAB for the continued support and investment in the future of the steel industry. The experience combined practical applications with theoretical understanding in an exceptional learning environment. It was a great balance of hands-on and technical work, and the people at SSAB supported me throughout and made sure I gained valuable experience during my time there. I will carry what I have learned from this internship into my academic and future career, as my passion for metallurgy has only grown from this experience.