Dr. Irene J. Beyerlein, the Robert and Victoria Mehrabian Interdisciplinary Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will deliver a seminar, "Strength of metallic materials with atomic and nanoscale complexities: new insights from following dislocations" on May 2.

Abstract:The paramount importance of dislocations in understanding the structural properties of metallic materials is undeniable. In recent years, many new high-performance alloys or metallic materials made from advanced manufacturing methods have been introduced with the promise of unusual or unprecedented properties. In many cases, they exhibit far greater compositional and microstructural complexities at the scale of a dislocation than those of traditional materials, warranting study of the underlying dislocation dynamics. In this talk, we will discuss innovations and applications of a 3D computational materials method designed to model discrete dislocation pathways in these complex systems. These applications include multi-principal element alloys (also known as high entropy alloys), temperature-sensitive glide of dislocations in refractory metals, and nanolaminates dense with thick, biphase interfaces. When pertinent, we will highlight instances when these 3D calculations led to analytical relationships that would apply to a much broader set of materials than those explicitly modeled.

Bio:Irene J. Beyerlein is the Robert and Victoria Mehrabian Interdisciplinary Professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara with a joint appointment in the Mechanical Engineering and Materials Departments. After receiving her Ph.D. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Cornell University in 1997, she began a postdoctoral appointment as a J.R. Oppenheimer Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she remained on the scientific staff in Theoretical Division, until 2016. She has published one book, nine book chapters, and more than 430 peer-reviewed articles in the field of structural composites, materials processing, multiscale modeling of microstructure/property relationships, deformation mechanisms, and polycrystalline plasticity. She is an editor for Acta Materialia and Scripta Materialia. 聽In recent years, she has been awarded the Los Alamos National Laboratory Fellow鈥檚 Prize for Research (2012), the International Plasticity Young Researcher Award (2013), the TMS Distinguished Scientist/Engineering Award (2018), the Brimacombe Metal (2019), MRS Fellow (2021), and TMS Fellow (2023).