Baylor UniversityMechanical Engineering

Research area

Nuclear & Fusion Structural Materials

Connect microstructural stability with performance under heat and irradiation.

Hardness map and EBSD inverse-pole-figure maps across a friction-consolidated oxide-dispersion-strengthened steel puck
Hardness and EBSD grain maps across a friction-consolidated GARS-derived ODS steel puck.Zhang et al., Journal of Nuclear Materials (2022), Fig. 6 · Source

Overview

The research record spans FeCrAl alloys, nanostructured ferritic materials, oxide-dispersion-strengthened steels, irradiation effects, and manufacturing challenges for fission and fusion systems.

Research questions

  • How does irradiation change solute distributions and defect populations?
  • How can high-temperature strength and radiation tolerance be designed together?