2020 Physics/Theoretical Colloquium
 
Thursday, February 6th , 2020
3:45 – 4:45 p.m.
Rosen Auditorium (TA-53, Bldg. 001)
 
 
Refreshments at 3:15pm
 
Speaker: Prof. Gary S. Was
 
University of Michigan
 
 
“Capturing the Multiple Components of Extreme Environments for the Development of Materials”
 
 
 
Abstract: 
 
Traditional methods of experimenting with materials in extreme environments often focus on single features of that environment. This is an appropriate approach if the goal is to unfold the dependence of material properties on that particular feature. But too often programs become confined to this method until all features and their effects are exhausted, at which point victory is declared. However, really interesting and sometimes surprising things happen when material behavior is assessed in an environment that contains multiple features. For example, in the extreme environment of a nuclear reactor core, temperature, stress, coolant corrosion and irradiation are all simultaneously acting on the structural materials. Yet studies that combine these features are difficult and therefore rare, but they are critical to the understanding of behavior in the actual environment. What is needed is new, innovative ways to capture the various facets of the extreme environment along with accelerated test methods to conduct experiments more expeditiously. This is a tall order as either one poses many daunting challenges. Nevertheless, we cannot hope to design new materials or to assess promising candidates in a meaningful fashion without considering how the actual reactor environment impacts their performance. This talk will focus on the need for such an experimental paradigm and what is risked by not taking a more holistic approach to the evaluation of materials in the reactor environment. Or put another way, some surprises when the actual environment is considered rather than the lab environment.
 
Bio:
Gary S. Was is the Walter J. Weber, Jr. Professor of Sustainable Energy, Environmental and Earth Systems Engineering and hold appointments in Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences, and in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan. He received his B.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering from UM, and his S.M. in Nuclear Engineering and Sc.D. in Nuclear Materials Engineering from MIT. He has been on the faculty at the University of Michigan since 1980 and has served as chair of the Nuclear Engineering Department, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering, and Director of the Energy Institute at UM. His research includes materials for advanced nuclear energy systems and radiation materials science, including environmental effects on materials, radiation effects, ion beam surface modification of materials and nuclear fuels. He has graduated 41 Ph.D. students, created 5 graduate level courses on materials for nuclear systems, published over 290 articles in archival journals, presented over 500 conference papers or talks, and delivered 260 invited talks and seminars, published a graduate level textbook on Radiation Materials Science in 2007 and a second edition in 2017, and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Nuclear Materials. He is fellow of ANS, MRS, ASM, NACE, and TMS.


 If you are interested in meeting with the speaker, please contact his host: Prabir. K. Roy pkroy@lanl.gov