This symposium will explore the scientific frontiers of driven and non-equilibrium microstructure evolution in metals. The microstructure of metallic materials evolves continuously during processing and in service. This evolution is often described as a gradual approach to thermodynamic equilibrium, as solutes partition, defects anneal, and grains grow. However, under intense, external driving forces, metal microstructures may evolve in different and often unanticipated ways: high strain rate compression forms metastable phases, irradiation causes grain refinement, and continuous cyclic loading generates complex defect aggregates. Such driven microstructure evolution leads to early failure, in some cases. In others, it gives rise to steady-state, far-from-equilibrium microstructures with enhanced performance. Similarly, far-from-equilibrium processing methods open opportunities for the synthesis of unconventional, hitherto unexplored metal microstructures.
This symposium will provide a forum for presenting cutting-edge research on far-from-equilibrium microstructure evolution in metallic materials during processing and under exposure to external drivers.
Symposium Organizers
Michael J. Demkowicz
Texas A&M University
USA
Christian Leinenbach
Empa–Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Switzerland
Manyalibo J. Matthews
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
USA
Mitra Taheri
Johns Hopkins University
Department of Materials Characterization and Processing (MCP)
USA