February_AMP_Digital

2 / 54

9639 Kinsman Road
Materials Park, OH 44073
Tel: 440/338-5151 • Fax: 440/338-4634
Frances Richards, Senior Editor
Julie Kalista , Editor
Barbara L. Brody , Art Director
Joanne Miller, Production Manager;
Editor, ASM News
Press Release Editor
EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Mario Epler, Chair, Carpenter Technology Corp.
Yu-Ping Yang, Vice Chair, Edison Welding Institute
Ellen Cerreta, Past Chair, Los Alamos National Lab
William Lenling, Board Liaison
Laura Addessio, PCC Structurals Inc.
Arvind Agarwal, Florida International University
Gerald Bruck, Siemens Westinghouse Power Corp.
Steven Claves, Alcoa Inc.
Adam Farrow, Los Alamos National Lab
Nia Harrison, Ford Motor Co.
Alan Luo, The Ohio State University
Roger Narayan, UNC-NCSU
Scott Olig, Vision Point Systems
Nina Pang, Boston University
Somuri Prasad, Sandia National Lab
Fei Ren, Oak Ridge National Lab
Michael Rigsbee, North Carolina State University
Kumar Sridharan, University of Wisconsin
Jaimie Tiley, U.S. Air Force Research Lab
Cong Wang, Saint-Gobain High Performance
Materials
ASM BOARD OF TRUSTEES
C. Ravi Ravindran, President
Sunniva R. Collins, Vice President
Robert J. Fulton, Treasurer
Gernant E. Maurer, Immediate Past President
Jeffrey A. Hawk
William J. Lenling
Linda S. Schadler
Iver Anderson
Mitchell Dorfman
James C. Foley
Jacqueline M. Earle
John R. Keough
Zi-Kui Liu
Thomas S. Passek, Secretary and Managing
Director
STUDENT BOARD MEMBERS
Jessica Booth, Karly Chester, Raymond Hickey
Individual readers of Advanced Materials & Processes may,
without charge, make single copies of pages therefrom for per-
sonal or archival use, or may freely make such copies in such
numbers as are deemed useful for educational or research pur-
poses and are not for sale or resale.Permission is granted to cite
or quote from articles herein, provided customary acknowl-
edgment of the authors and source is made.
materials wi tness
ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES • FEBRUARY 2014 2
It’s complicated
L iving in Cleveland in the heart of winter offers ample time for
reflection on a wide range of topics, from the economy and
materials science breakthroughs to matters closer to the heart.
With sub-zero temperatures blanketing much of the country
lately, I’m sure many of you can relate. The arctic cold snap in early
January sent windchill temps to below -35°F here, though I was
fortunate to be in balmy Alexandria, Va., during that stretch visit-
ing NIST in Gaithersburg, Md., and NASA in Washington, D.C. I’ll
take 7° over -35° any day.
Both NIST and NASA are busy working on interesting projects, which we will report
on in the next few months. Many of their efforts support the Materials Genome Initia-
tive and big plans are underway with regard to testing and characterizing various ma-
terials in new and comprehensive ways. It may sound trite, but the stuff of
life—materials—used to be so much simpler. As we report in this month’s Market Spot-
light, a new study from Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies
reminds us that less than a century ago, fewer than 12 materials were in widespread
use—wood, brick, iron, copper, gold, silver, and a few plastics.
Contrast that with today’s complex multi-material products such as the latest com-
puter chips, superalloy turbine blades, and ever more complicated vehicle technology.
The scary part? Many of these wonder materials contain elements that are becoming
scarcer and harder to source. The bright spot is that well trained scientists and engi-
neers will be in high demand to develop alternative and substitute materials.
Speaking of vehicle technology and modern materials, the aluminum versus steel
drama continues to play out. Consider Ford’s big splash at the 2014 North American In-
ternational Auto Show, held last month in Detroit. Ford’s new F-150 pickup truck, which
goes on sale later this year, uses more high-strength steel than ever, making it stronger
and lighter than previous models. More interesting though, high-strength, military-
grade aluminum alloys are used throughout the body for the first time. Up to 700 lb
were shaved away, helping the F-150“towmore, haul more, accelerate quicker and stop
shorter, and improve efficiency,” say company sources. Cost will be an issue though:
Aluminum is more expensive than steel and factory retooling costs need to be ac-
counted for if and when automakers make the switch from steel to aluminum.
In steel’s corner at the Auto Show was the 2014 North American Truck of the Year
award that went to the Chevrolet Silverado—featuring a large amount of advanced
high-strength steel, “which offers significant lightweighting benefits at a lower cost,”
says Ron Krupitzer of The Steel Market Development Institute. “It’s an exciting time in
the automotive industry, as automakers evaluate vehicle components for lightweight-
ing potential to meet industry needs, while also balancing customer preferences and
safety expectations. It’s no surprise that in the case of the Silverado, those solutions
were advanced steel.”
Ultimately, consumers will vote with their purchasing power as automakers fig-
ure out ways to meet increasingly stringent fuel economy mandates. Look for a re-
port next month on NIST’s efforts in this area via their Center for Automotive
Lightweighting. In the meantime, try to savor the time for reflection and solitude
offered by Old Man Winter.