About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials Kinetics and Mechanisms Under External Forcing-Driven Conditions
|
| Presentation Title |
Exploring Metastability Wells: Phase Evolution and Functional Design via Solid-State Processing |
| Author(s) |
Bharat Gwalani |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Bharat Gwalani |
| Abstract Scope |
Understanding and engineering phase evolution during solid-state processing remains a central challenge in materials science. Unlike equilibrium methods, solid-state routes—especially friction stir and plastic flow techniques—enable access to metastable states that can be tailored to respond to external stimuli. This talk highlights how such metastability wells can be leveraged to create smart, adaptive materials. Case studies include an Al + Fe₃O₄ system where processing yields finely dispersed Fe and FeO in Al₂O₃, forming stress-mitigating structures with triggerable magnetic responses. Broader applications are demonstrated in Cu–Ni and Fe–Co–Ni–Cr systems, where mechanical energy enhances diffusion and reaction kinetics, yielding high-strength, ductile alloys. Emerging results on nanocrystalline grain structure stabilization—maintained up to 500 °C—suggest a new mechanism involving frustrated grain boundary configurations formed during shear-driven processing. This presentation outlines a path toward metastability engineering, offering a framework for designing materials that are not only strong and thermally stable, but also capable of functional evolution. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Aluminum, Composites, Characterization |