Yanfei Gao
University of Tennessee-Knoxville, TN·Materials Science
Welding and other ways of joining metals hold together products critical to health, safety and national security, from bridges and pipelines to defense systems. Metal additive manufacturing, often called 3D printing of metals, is changing how such parts are made.
- Fields
Materials Science
Engineering
- Topics
materials joining
welding
metal additive manufacturing
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through May 2027
What they work on
- Examine how materials and manufacturing processes affect the mechanical, functional and environmental performance of welded or 3D-printed metal parts, to improve reliability and extend the service life of critical infrastructure.
- Address basic challenges in joining and metal additive manufacturing processes, including robotics, process control and integrated computational materials engineering (ICME), which links models of processing, structure and properties.
- Develop understanding and testing methods for how a metal's microstructure affects its weldability and printability, using UTK's characterization facilities and Machine Tool Research Center milling and additive manufacturing systems.
More about the research
Both raise basic questions about how materials behave when joined or printed. This grant supports the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) site of the Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center (Ma2JIC). Ma2JIC is a multi-university consortium that works with industry and government partners to turn materials joining and additive manufacturing research into practical use.
Why it matters
Reliable welds and printed metal parts matter for the safety and service life of infrastructure, defense systems and many manufactured products. Better understanding of how processing affects joint performance could help manufacturers cut costs, extend the life of critical components and develop metals that are easier to weld or 3D print. This could strengthen U.S. domestic manufacturing.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Glenn Daehn
Ohio State University, OH·Engineering
Develop numerically controlled deformation sequences and equipment to produce complex components currently made as closed-die forgings, where metal is pressed into shaped tooling, with the goal of shorter lead times and improved part performance.
Gregory Odegard
Michigan Technological University, MI·Materials Science
Use molecular dynamics simulations to measure how polymer chains mix, crystallize and build up stress at interfaces between carbon fiber layers. Simulate conditions from automated fiber placement, induction welding and stamp forming.
Yue Zhou
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach, FL·Engineering
Measure how directed energy deposition settings affect both short-range clustering and overall 3D uniformity of micro-scale ceramic particles in printed metal matrix composites, using controlled experiments and advanced characterization.
The school
University of Tennessee-Knoxville: 16 labs on PI Pages, $387M a year on research, 426 research doctorates a year.
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