From Hoover to fighter jets: A vision and a framework for future aerospace metals processing research

Microstructures retain a “memory” of prior processing history through the size, shape, orientation, and spatial distributions of phases and defects. A complex interplay exists between the grain size distribution, heterogeneity of stored strain, and joint size-spatial distributions of secondary phases. It has long been a goal of the materials research community to develop an understanding of the physical relationships between these features using advanced characterization and simulation tools, then apply that understanding toward the design of revolutionary new materials. Advancements in materials face many challenges, however, in transitioning from the research laboratory into demanding applications. This talk will frame these challenges and present a vision for the path forward by linking together a number of seemingly unrelated things: Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the United States; a $10 toaster; beverage cans; electron backscatter diffraction; robotic vacuum cleaners; and a $100 million fighter jet.