Speaker: Maria Emelianenko, Mathematics, George Mason University

Title: Microstructure Evolution: Recent Progress and Open Questions

Abstract: Preparing a texture suitable for a given purpose is a central problem in materials science, which presents many challenges for mathematical modeling, simulation, and analysis. In recent years we have witnessed a changing paradigm in the materials laboratory with the introduction of automated data acquisition technologies. This has permitted a more accurate characterization of materials properties and the collection of statistics on a vast scale, both of which pave the road to a better understanding of the way materials evolve in nature and to optimizing aspects of material behavior to better fit technological needs. In this talk, I will focus on the mesoscopic behavior of the grain boundary system and on understanding the role of topological reconfigurations during evolution. We have explored several evolution equations based on pure probabilistic and stochastic descriptions and compared against the results provided by simulation. Their advantages and limitations, numerical characteristics and possible extensions to higher dimensions will be discussed.

Place: Science and Technology Building I, Room 242

Presentation files: [pdf]

Department of Mathematical Sciences
George Mason University
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Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
http://math.gmu.edu/
Tel. 703-993-1460, Fax. 703-993-1491