"We investigate how microstructure evolves in materials exposed to extreme conditions-- stress, strain rate, gaseous and chemical environments and radiation--and use this information to understand macroscale property changes."

Ian M. Robertson

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Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Office 408B Materials Science and Engineering Building

Telephone 217-333-6776 Fax 217-333-2736

Mail Address Department of Materials Science and Engineering
1304 W. Green St., Urbana, IL 61801

ianr@illinois.edu    Robertson research group page

  • Profile
  • Research
  • Publications
  • Awards

Profile

Professor Robertson received his B.Sc. degree in applied physics from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, in 1978 and his D.Phil. in metallurgy from Oxford University, England, in 1982. He joined the faculty at UIUC in 1983. In 1984 he shared, with Professor H. K. Birnbaum, the Department of Energy Outstanding Science Award in Metals and Ceramics. In 2009 he was named a Fellow of ASM. He was selected to be the 2014 ASM Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecturer.

My research program focuses on understanding the basic processes controlling the mechanical response of materials exposed to extreme conditions. Particular programs include the mechanisms of strain transfer across interfaces, dynamics of deformation and fracture in aggressive and non-aggressive environments, superplasticity, deformation mechanisms under extreme conditions and deformation in nanograined materials. A common theme among these areas is that the experiments are performed in situ in the transmission electron microscope. This approach provides information in real time at high spatial and temporal resolution. Molecular dynamics computer simulations are used to provide insight at the atomistic level to the dynamic interaction of dislocations with obstacles. This information is then used as the foundation for developing predictive plasticity models.

2005 Research Summary

Publications

I. M. Robertson, "Microtwin formation in deformed nickel," Phil. Mag. 54A (1986): 821-35.

D K Tappin, I M Robertson and H K Birnbaum, "On the formation of a periodic surface structure on Zr3Al during anodic dissolution," Acta Mater. 44 (1996): 735-46.

D. K. Dewald, T. C. Lee, J. A. Eades, I. M. Robertson and H. K. Birnbaum, "An environmental cell transmission electron microscope." Review of Scientific Instruments 62 (1991): 1438.

T. C. Lee, I. M. Robertson and H. K. Birnbaum, "Interaction of grain boundaries with dislocations in Ni3Al," Acta Metallurgica et Materialia 40 (1992): 2569.

P. J. Ferreira, I. M. Robertson, and H. K. Birnbaum, "Hydrogen effects on the interaction between dislocations," Acta Metallurgica 46 (1998) 1749-57.

P. J. Ferreira, I. M. Robertson, and H. K. Birnbaum, "Hydrogen effects on the character of dislocations in high-purity aluminum," Acta Metallurgica 47 (1999): 2991-98.

M. W. Bench, I. M. Robertson, M. A. Kirk, and I. Jencic, "Production of amorphous zones in GaAs by the direct impact of energetic heavy ions," J. Appl. Phy. 87 (2000): 49-56.

I. M. Robertson, "The effect of hydrogen on dislocation dynamics," Engineering Fracture Mechanics (Invited) 64 (1999): 649-73 (invited), Engin. Fract. Mech. 68, no. 6 (2001): 671-92.

B. W. Lagow, I.M. Robertson, M. Jouiad, D. H. Lassila, T.C. Lee and H.K. Birnbaum, "Observation of dislocation dynamics in the electron microscope," Materials Science & Engineering A, A309-A310 (2001): 445-50.

L. M. Dougherty, I. M. Robertson, J. S. Vetrano and S. M. Bruemmer, "A Microstructural Study of the Effect of Particle Aging On Dynamic Continuous Recrystallization in Al-4Mg-0.3Sc," Materials Science Forum (2001): 357-359, 93-8.

I. Jencic, E.P Hollar and I. M. Robertson, "Electron-induced regrowth of isolated amorphous zones in GaAs," Nuclear Instruments & Methods B (2001): 175-177, 197-201.

D. F. Teter, I. M. Robertson and H. K. Birnbaum, "The effects of hydrogen on the deformation and fracture of b-titanium," Acta Materialia 49 (2001): 4313-23.

P. Sofronis and I. M. Robertson, "TEM observations and micromechanical/continuum models for the effect of hydrogen on the mechanical behavior of metals," Phil. Mag. 82 (2002): 3405-13.

H. Xiao, I. M. Robertson, and H. K. Birnbaum, "Deuterium driven phase transitions in the Ti3Al intermetallic," Acta Materialia 50 (2002): 3671-82.

I. Jencic, E. P. Hollar and I.M. Robertson, "Crystallization of isolated amorphous zones in semiconductors," Phil Mag. 83 (2003): 2557-71.

J. S. Robach, I. M. Robertson, B. D. Wirth, and A. Arsenlis, "In-situ transmission electron microscopy observations and molecular dynamics simulations of dislocation-defect interactions in ion-irradiated copper," Phil. Mag. 83 (2003): 955-67.

L. Dougherty, I. M. Robertson and J. S. Vetrano, "Direct Observation of the Behavior of Grain Boundaries During Continuous Dynamic Recrystallization in an Al 4Mg 0.3Sc Alloy," Acta Materialia 51 (2003): 4367-78.

B. E. Gore, S. Harnish, H. Padilla, B. J. Robinson, A. J. Beaudoin, J. A. Dantzig, I. M. Robertson, and H. Weiland, "High temperature properties and processing of AA7050," TMS Spring meeting (2003).

A. M. Alvarez, I. M. Robertson, and H. K. Birnbaum, "Hydrogen Embrittlement of a Metastable Beta-Titanium Alloy," Acta Materiali 52, no. 14 (2004): 4161-75.

K. AL-Fadhalah, C. N. Tome, A. J. Beaudoin, I.M. Robertson, J. P. Hirth, and A. Misra, "Modeling Texture Evolution During Rolling of Cu-Nb Multilayered System" Phil Mag. (2004) in press.

D. Legzdina, I. M. Robertson, H. K. Birnbaum, “Oxidation behavior of single-phase -TiAl alloy in low pressure oxygen and hydrogen,” Acta Materialia 53 (2005): 608-10.

Chun-Ming Li, I. M. Robertson, M. L. Jenkins, J. L. Hutchison and R. C. Doole, “In situ TEM observation of the nucleation and growth of silver oxide nanoparticles,” Micron 36, no. 1 (2005): 9-15.

S.F. Harnish, H.A. Padilla, B. E. Gore, J. A. Dantzig, A. J. Beaudoin, I. M. Robertson, and H. Weiland, “High-temperature mechanical behavior of hot rolling of AA705,” Metall. Trans. (2005): in press.

I. M. Robertson, A. Beaudoin, K. Al-Fadhalah, Chun-Ming Li, J. Robach, B. D. Wirth, A. Arsenlis, D. Ahn, and P. Sofronis, “Dislocation-obstacle interactions: dynamic experiments to continuum modeling,” Materials Science and Engineering (2005) in press.

B G. Clark, I. M. Robertson, L. M. Dougherty, D. C. Ahn, P. Sofronis, “High temperature dislocation-precipitate interactions in Al Alloys: an In-situ TEM deformation study,” J. of Materials Research (2005) accepted.

K. Hattar, J. Han, T. Saif and I. M. Robertson, “In situ TEM observations of toughening mechanisms in ultra-fine grained columnar aluminum thin films,” J. of Materials Research (2005) accepted.

Awards
  • DOE Award (with H. K. Birnbaum) for Outstanding Scientific Accomplishment (1984)
  • Elected Senior Associate Member of Pembroke College, Oxford University (1994)
  • SERC fellowship (1994)
  • Donald Burnett Teacher of the Year Award (1992)
  • Donald B. Willett Professor of Engineering, UIUC (2005-)
  • Fellow, ASM (2009)
  • ASM Edward DeMille Campbell Memorial Lecturer (2014)