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ACME Lab, Purdue University
As a masters (MS w/ Thesis) student in the School of Aeronautics & Astronautics at Purdue, I was advised by Dr. Michael Sangid as a member of the Advanced Computational Materials and Experimental Evaluation Lab (ACME). I worked on understanding and predicting the role of microstructure in dictating fatigue crack initiation. By moving away from typical empirical fatigue life relationships and towards physics-based prognosis strategies, my research will enable rapid qualification of new materials and structures and the ability to tailor component design based on fatigue performance. This work is performed utilizing the group's crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) framework. See my masters thesis here. See the publication from my research here. August 2020 - August 2022 (Expected) |
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SpaceX
Prior to beginning my graduate studies in Fall 2020, a dream of mine came true when I had the opportunity to work for SpaceX as a post-graduate intern. At SpaceX I helped develop new alloys for use in the Raptor engines of the Starship vehicle. Similar to my work at Haynes, I modeled aspects of martensitic steels including kinetics of phase transformations, precipitation hardening, and the effect of heat treatments on the mechanical properties. My work utilized physics-based models along with experimental XRD and microscopy data. My findings are contributing to the compositional and processing development of several experimental alloys that will be used in Raptor and other load-bearing structures of Starship. June 2020 - August 2020 |
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Haynes International Inc.
At Haynes International, I worked as a Research & Technology Intern this past summer (2019). I worked on two projects including microstructural evolution of HAYNES® 233™ during processing and gamma prime (γ’) precipitation in single step aging. To predict γ’ precipitation, I designed a Matlab-based application that uses existing material models. Preliminary validation of this work was encouraging, and I had the opportunity to return to Haynes as a part-time researcher. I also worked to expand my program to link the precipitation of the γ’ phase to the mechanical properties of two Haynes superalloys: HAYNES® 233™ & HAYNES® 282™. This project bridges the effects of heat treatment on γ’ precipitation to the strength of the material which is influenced by precipitation hardening. See more details regarding the application in the projects section. May 2019 - May 2020 |
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Zhang Nanometal Group, Purdue University
I worked as an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Xinghang Zhang’s Nanometal Group for two years on a study focused on the strengthening of iron-zirconium (Fe-Zr) solid solution alloys. After fabricating different Fe-based alloys as thin films through magnetron sputtering, nanoindentation was used to evaluate the hardness and modulus of the samples. We found that Zr was the best available element to add as it yielded the highest hardness increase. Using TEM and EDS, we discovered that the drastic hardening of the iron is the result of solid solution strengthening, grain size reduction, and possibly the inclusion of stacking faults. I had the opportunity to present this work at two undergraduate research conferences and won top presenter awards at both events. January 2018 - May 2020 |
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