Metal structures in 4D

In the center activities, the unique assessment capabilities offered by the 3DXRD microscope are combined with several linked avenues of scientific investigation that focus on challenging scientific problems.  In these research avenues, we seek to derive fundamental theories and formulate models for structure evolution during processing of metallic materials.  The problems to be addressed span large scales of dimension, from near atomic scale processes involving dislocation interactions, to macroscopic structures formed during metal deformation processes.  They span a range of metallic material types, from high purity research materials used to probe fundamental processes, to alloys of technological importance.  They span a range of material phenomena related to structure evolution during processing, and they address problems ranging from classic materials science problems that remain unsolved after decades of study to novel challenges such as developing nanoscale structures that have emerged only in recent years.  Thus, within the focus area of structure evolution during processing of metallic materials, the scientific problems to be addressed are comprehensive.