Thesis Work - Influence of Corrosion Chamber Design on the Outcomes of Accelerated Corrosion Tests

About this opportunity - Background

Innovation starts with being curious. At Volvo Cars, we believe that being curious and truly committed to understanding people is the key to future success. We are looking for driven and motivated students interested in pursuing their master thesis within Vehicle Engineering during the spring term 2026.

At Vehicle Engineering, our responsibility spans the entire chassis, interior, climate, body & exterior functions, mechanical Integration and a range of vehicle attributes with impact on design and customer experience of our complete product. Across these domains and all development cycles we will lead an effective delivery operation on complete level in close sync with other Engineering units, functions and stakeholders across the company.
This thesis work is within the area of Metallic Materials at Material Engineering Center.

Background

Within the automotive industry, accelerated corrosion testing plays a critical role in validating the durability and longevity of materials, coatings, and components. At Volvo Cars, only a limited portion of these accelerated corrosion tests are conducted in-house, using corrosion chambers sourced from a single supplier. However, a substantial number of validation and verification tests are outsourced to component suppliers or third-party laboratories, which utilize corrosion chambers manufactured by a wide range of suppliers. Differences in chamber design may therefore introduce variability in test results, potentially influencing interpretations of material performance and long-term reliability.

Objective

The main objective of this thesis is to investigate how variations in corrosion chamber design affect the outcomes of accelerated corrosion tests. The study aims to generate deeper knowledge of chamber-specific effects and provide recommendations to reduce result variability between internal and external test environments.

Scope of the thesis work

The project will include testing of selected automotive components with varying geometry and levels of complexity. Both painted and unpainted test panels will be evaluated, covering common materials and surface treatments used in the automotive industry. The focus will be on identifying and analyzing the most frequent corrosion phenomena affecting automotive components, while systematically comparing results obtained from different chamber designs.

Expected Outcomes
•    Improved understanding of how chamber design parameters (e.g., airflow, humidity control, salt spray distribution) influence corrosion development.
•    Guidelines for aligning or standardizing corrosion testing across different laboratories.
•    Recommendations for reducing variability in accelerated corrosion test results in industrial practice.

What you'll bring

To succeed in this project, the Master's student should possess the following competencies and qualifications:
•    Solid understanding of materials science or/and Chemistry, with emphasis on corrosion phenomena and protective coatings.
•    Experience with laboratory testing, measurement techniques, and data collection.
•    Basic skills in surface analysis methods (e.g., optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy) are advantageous.
•    Strong ability to analyze experimental data and draw evidence-based conclusions.

Keywords: Corrosion, Material, Chemistry, Microscopy, Automotive
The student needs to be on site to do the job.

Duration

•    Tentative proposed thesis work period: 19th January 2026 to 26th of June 2026 (dates can be flexible with +/- 7 days)
•    The duration for this thesis work is 20 weeks.
•    30 ECTS (Master academic credits) in agreement with your Thesis Advisor in University
•    This thesis is to be conducted by 1 Student.