Carl and Carolyn Koch Lecture Series: Alan Taub, University of Michigan

Elucidating the Formation Mechanisms and Resulting Microstructures of In Situ Al-TiC Nanocomposites

Abstract

Aluminum alloys have been employed extensively for structural applications owing to their high strength-to-weight ratio. However, these materials have limited stability at elevated temperatures. The incorporation of nano-scale particles in the Al matrix, termed metal matrix nanocomposites (MMNCs), is a promising approach to improved ambient and elevated temperature mechanical properties, while still retaining the lightweight benefits of Al. In situ processing methods, where particles are created directly in the melt via direct reaction, have been demonstrated to exhibit improved particle/matrix interface stability and easier incorporation within the matrix. However, the ability to reliably control critical mechanical property-dependent particle characteristics (i.e., particle size, volume fraction, and dispersion) remains a barrier to large-scale processing. This talk will describe a multi-modal, multi-scale investigation to analyze the formation mechanisms, morphology, and microstructure of Al-TiC metal matrix composites processed by different in situ processes. By combining synchrotron-based X-ray nanotomography (TXM) with scanning and transmission electron microscopy, we visualize in over five orders of magnitude of length-scale the TiC nanoparticles and Al3Ti intermetallics. The results offer general guidelines for the rational synthesis and processing of MMNCs.

Biography

Robert H. Lurie Professor of Engineering Alan Taub joined the faculty of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Michigan in the Fall of 2012 where he conducts research in advanced materials and processing. Recently, he was appointed Director of the new University of Michigan Electric Vehicle Center (EVC). He also founded and served as the first Director of the Michigan Materials Research Institute (MMRI). He continues to support the manufacturing innovation institute Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT). Taub retired from General Motors in April 2012. Prior to retirement, he was vice president, of Global Research & Development, leading GM’s advanced technical work activity, seven science laboratories around the world including the Israel Advanced Technology Center, and seven global science offices. He joined GM R&D as executive director in 2001 and was named vice president in 2009. Taub advises several startups including C2a and X2F, is the technical advisor for the strategic venture capital fund, Auto Tech Ventures, and serves on the Technology and Strategy Committees for Bocar and Master Fluid Solutions. Before joining GM, Taub spent 15 years in research and development at General Electric (GE), where he earned 25 patents. Prior to GE, he worked at Ford Motor Company for eight years. He has also authored more than 80 papers. Taub received his bachelor’s degree in materials engineering from Brown University and master’s and Ph.D. degrees in applied physics from Harvard University. Taub was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in 2006 and elected to the council for NAE in 2016 and 2019. He became a TMS Fellow in 2018, and an SME Fellow in 2019. He served as the Chair of the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology (VCAT) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and on advisory boards for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and the University of California Davis and Berkeley. Among other recognitions and honors, Taub received the 2020 TMS Application to Practice Award and the 2011 Acta Materialia Materials & Society Award. In 2010, ASM International’s Rocky Mountain Chapter awarded Taub the Charles S. Barrett Medal. In 2007, he was invited to give the TMS-50th Anniversary Laureate Lecture. He received the 2004 Materials Research Society’s Special Recognition Award and the 2002 Woody White Service Award. Brown University awarded Taub the Engineering Alumni Medal in 2002.

Taub is the second speaker in the Carl and Carolyn Koch Lecture Series.