March 29, 2021: Understanding the Microstructural, Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of Advanced Materials for Aerospace and Ocean Environment

March 29, 2021
4:00 p.m.
Dr. Yao (Yolanda) Fu, University of Cincinnati
For Zoom credentials, please email cloan@vt.edu
Faculty Host: Dr. Michael Philen

Abstract: Advanced materials play key roles in the technological developments in many disciplines such as aerospace and ocean engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, and more. In order to reduce the cycle from design to deployment of advanced materials, integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) seeks to build a new paradigm that links design and manufacturing via materials models at multiple length scales in a seamless and integrated environment.

This seminar will focus on two research topics by employing the ICME approaches: i) Understanding the corrosion fatigue properties of stainless steels manufactured by laser powder bed fusion process in chloride-containing solution with concentration close to that of sea water, and how these properties depend on the unique microstructures and defects formed during the printing process. ii) Clarifying the dominant strengthening mechanism and how variant selection enables the strengthening in the preferential direction (i.e., anisotropic strengthening) in a nickel-based superalloy for turbine blades in the aircraft engine and power plant application.  This work paves the way to further understanding the microscopic features and underlying mechanisms that control the mechanical and environmental behaviors of advanced metallic materials.

Bio: Dr. Yao (Yolanda) Fu is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering & Engineering Mechanics at the University of Cincinnati since 2017. Prior to that, she conducted her postdoctoral studies at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Fu received her PhD degree in mechanical engineering at University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Fu’s research interests lie in the area of computationally guided prediction and evaluation of materials degradation under harsh environment and innovative materials design and manufacturing, including: 1) understanding environmentally-assisted cracking properties of metallic materials; 2) predicting and controlling the microstructural features and manufacture defects of additively manufactured alloys; and 3) developing high performance alloys for high temperature applications. She has been awarded by the 2020 DURIP and 2021 NSF Early Career program.