Sydney Coates
Biographical Sketch
Sydney was born in Ohio but spent most of her life growing up in Toronto, Canada. She graduated from OSU with a bachelors in welding engineering and a minor in Philosophy in Spring 2021.
Graduate Research
Project Title: Development of Computational Tools for Determining Process Conditions for Laser and Electron Beam Welding of Strategic Materials – Phase II
Sponsor: NSF I/UCRC Manufacturing and Materials Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)
Collaborators: Boyd Panton, John Lippold (OSU MSE/WE), Los Alamos National Lab (LANL)
Project Summary: Sydney’s current graduate research focuses on metallurgical issues that arise from laser welding. She also works on weld geometry prediction for laser welding utilizing a neural network approach.
Alexey Kuprienko
Biographical Sketch
Alexey pursues a PhD degree in Welding Engineering (WE). Before starting his PhD track (Spring 2021), Alexey completed one year of postgraduate research in the Welding Program at The Ohio State University following his graduation with a Master’s degree in WE (OSU). Alexey focused on developing finite element models of resistance welding processes and integrating elevated temperature mechanical testing with digital image correlation during that time. He also worked in power generation industry at the Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) after graduating with BE degree in Mechanical Engineering from Youngstown State University. At B&W, Alexey’s main efforts consisted of investigating the susceptibility of Ni-based super alloys to stress relaxation cracking, conducting experiments on boiler tube cladding using cold metal transfer process and welding of Ni-based thin-walled components.
Graduate Research
Project Title: High Productivity Direct Energy Deposition (DED) Additive Manufacturing (AM) with In-Situ Cryogenic Cooling Control
Sponsor: The Office of Naval Research (ONR) ManScience Program
Collaborators: Dennis Harwig (OSU MSE/WE), Caroline Vail (NSWC Carderock)
Project Summary: Alexey works on developing fundamental process-microstructure-property relationships for implementing in-situ liquid nitrogen cryogenic cooling (ILNCC) technology in robotic arc direct energy deposition additive manufacturing (DED AM) of nickel aluminum bronze (NAB). Robotic arc DED AM offers maximum build volume for manufacturing of large-scale metal structures (i.e. propellers, hub bodies). However, long wait times between weld passes significantly reduce the duty cycle of the process (up to 80% of build time). Application of ILNCC technology aims to improve the duty cycle by regulating the deposit cooling rate while serving as a tool for controlling microstructure, properties, residual stresses, and build feature stability. The core tasks of this research include engineering process simulation using FEA, build microstructure and property characterization, and thermodynamic and kinetic materials modeling.
Jeremy McNicol
Biographical Sketch
Jeremy is from Newark, OH and graduated from The Ohio State University in 2020 with his bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering. He’s worked internships for GE Aviation and John Deere, and was an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Fink group. Jeremy’s experience with undergraduate research and internships led him to want to continue his education and earn a master’s degree. Outside of work and classes, Jeremy is a big fan of Pittsburgh sports, Buckeye football, running, record collecting, and playing guitar. He’s played guitar for 13 years and enjoys learning about music composition and theory.
Graduate Research
Project Title: Waveform controlled gas metal arc welding of corrosion resistant alloys without back purging
Sponsor: NSF I/UCRC Manufacturing and Materials Innovation Center (Ma2JIC)
Collaborators: Narasi Sridhar (OSU MSE), Lincoln Electric, Shell, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Project Summary: Jeremy’s research is an NSF Ma2Jic project focused on no-backing gas (NBG) welding of corrosion resistant alloys. Welding without backing gas can cause welds to lose much of their corrosion resistance and become susceptible to localized corrosion, however welding with backing gas can be difficult or costly in certain cases. It’s theorized that if modern waveforms are utilized then the need for backing gas can be lessened and be eliminated without worry of corrosion. Jeremy’s research goal is to make a connection between corrosion resistance properties and weld metallurgy for NBG welds.
Emily Flitcraft
Biographical Sketch
Emily graduated in December 2018 with a B.S. degree in Welding Engineering, and a minor in Humanitarian Engineering from The Ohio State University. She started graduate school in the Welding Engineering Program in Spring 2019. Emily worked for the OSU Engineering Diversity Office for over 3 years, with a passion for bringing more women into engineering… and retaining them! She worked as an intern for General Motors during the summer of 2017. Since January 2020, Emily has worked as a TA for several of Dr. Phillips’s Welding Processes courses. Outside of school, her interests include; reading, listening to podcasts, biking, hiking, yoga, and relaxing with family (born and raised in Columbus).
Graduate Research
Project Title: Mechanisms of Hierarchical Microstructure Formation under Rapid Solidification of Functional Heusler Alloys
Sponsor: National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research (NSF DMR)
Collaborators: Markus Chmielus, Wei Xiong (University of Pittsburgh)
Project Summary: Ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) have the ability to revert back to original shapes and properties after significant deformation. When in single crystalline form, these alloys produce up to 10% reversible magnetic field induced strain (MFIS) which can be beneficial in actuators, sensors, and space applications. With the aim to utilize advanced manufacturing techniques for production, concern is risen for how Heusler alloy functional properties (i.e. MFIS) are affected by this multifaceted fabrication. Thus, there is a critical need to establish a fundamental understanding of how non-equilibrium processing (rapid solidification) and complex thermal cycling (reheating) affect microstructural evolution and functional properties. In partnership with the University of Pittsburg, the overall goal is to identify the fundamental mechanisms of processing-microstructure-property relations over several length scales that enable laser based advanced manufacturing techniques for functional Ni-based Heusler alloys. Research specifically focuses on Ni2MnGa Heusler alloy, processed with laser metal deposition (LMD).
Dean Sage
Biographical Sketch
Dean is a fourth year PhD student in the Welding Engineering program at The Ohio State University. His undergraduate career consists of B.S. degrees in Biological Engineering as well as Materials Engineering with a specialty in metals processing from the University of Florida. His research experience covers failure analysis and fracture mechanics of nickel-based gas turbine components.
Graduate Research
Project Title: Insight into Liquid Metal Embrittlement in the Fe-Zn and Fe-Cu Systems
Sponsor: OSU Institute for Materials Research (IMR), OSU Fellowship
Collaborators: Joerg Jinschek, Antonio Ramirez (OSU MSE/WE)
Project Summary: Dean’s graduate research project focuses on identifying the fundamental mechanism behind liquid metal embrittlement (LME) in the Fe-Zn and Fe-Cu systems. He is currently working on the effect of microstructural features (e.g. grain size, grain boundary character) on crack initiation and propagation in 304 stainless steel.
Others
- Claire Cary (PhD Candidate), starting in August 2021
Former Students
- Luke Johnson (MS), graduated in Fall 2019
- Louie Aguilar (MS), graduated in Summer 2019
- Alexander C. Martin (MS), graduated in Summer 2019