Professor wins international award for materials research

Subhash Mahajan, Fulton Technical Fellow in the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, is being recognized by the Institute of Metal Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for his accomplishments in materials science and engineering.

The institute has selected Mahajan as the most recent winner of the Lee Hsun Award for his achievements. Hsun was director of the institute for more than 30 years.

Mahajan is visiting the institute in Shenyang, China, to accept the award and present lectures on July 14 and 16.

In lectures titled “Formation of Deformation Twins in Metallic Crystals” and “Accommodation of Deformation Twins in Metals and Alloys,” Mahajan will discuss advances in methods to shape metals and alloys.

Slip and deformation twinning are two processes by which metals and alloys can be reformed when subjected to external stress. The slip processes are relatively well understood, Mahajan says, but questions remain about the deformation twinning process. He and fellow ASU researchers “are the first to show how deformation twins evolve,” he says, “and since twins are associated with shape change, stress concentrations can develop within a solid when it deforms by slip and twinning. We developed detailed experimental evidence on the relaxation of these stresses.”

Progress in this area would improve capabilities of reshaping metals, such as those used to manufacture automobiles.

Mahajan is an ASU Regents Professor, the highest honor bestowed on university faculty.