Title: Toughness, Roughness and Crack Path Engineering for Improved Fracture Resistance
Speaker: Dr. Alan Needleman, University Distinguished Professor
Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
TEES Distinguished Research Professor
Texas A&M University
Date: May 1, 2017 2:00-3:00pm
Place: Koldus Building, Room 110
Abstract: I discuss the possibility of engineering crack paths by controlling the features of the microstructure, such as the distribution of second phase particles or the grain morphology, in a manner so as to increase the ductile crack growth resistance of structural metals. The focus is on ductile fracture where crack growth occurs by the nucleation, growth and coalescence of micro-scale voids. Simulations of crack growth in various microstructures are carried out in order to address some basic questions of fracture mechanics. One such question is, do cracks choose a minimum energy path? Another is, what is the relation, if any, between measures of the statistics of fracture surface roughness and the material’s ductile crack growth resistance? The extent to which a material’s crack growth resistance can be significantly increased by suitably designing its microstructure is explored. Perhaps surprisingly, it turns out that, in a range of circumstances, adding defects to a material can increase its fracture resistance. The important role of large-scale simulations in addressing these issues will be illustrated.
Anyone who attends will have an opportunity to win a door prize (tee-shirts and scarfs). Refreshments will be served after the seminar. Please help distribute this message to anyone who may be interested.
I am looking forwarding to seeing you at this seminar on May 1.
Honggao Liu, PhD
Director, High Performance Research Computing (HPRC)
115 Henderson Hall
Texas A&M University (TAMU)
3361 TAMU
222 Jones St.
College Station, TX 77843-3361
Email: honggao@tamu.edu
Tel: 979.845.2561
Web: http://hprc.tamu.edu