C H R I S T A N E U Developing Next-Generation Metallic Alloys Lehigh enters $25M cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Research Lab In partnership with The Ohio State University, Lehigh has entered into a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Army Research Lab (ARL) to develop novel structural materials for high-strength applications. The agreement provides up to $25million over fve years. The team’s proposal, “LightweightHighEntropyMetallic AlloyDiscovery (LHEAD),” includes three basic science projects that seek to address the critical need for longer-lasting and more resilient alternative structural materials for use in advanced material systems such as hypersonic missiles. The frst two projects aim to develop new generations of superalloys—high-strength materials that can function at extreme temperatures—and leverage advancements in solid-state materials processing to develop high-entropy metallic alloys for improved performance. The team will also explore powder-based material processing, phase transformation pathways, atomic-resolution characterization, in-situ high-throughput mechanical testing and additive manufacturing. The third project, rooted in Lehigh’s Nano/Human Interfaces (NHI) Presidential Engineering them ideal for use in hyper- “IN ORDER TO MANUFACTURE sonic applications. However, existing superalloys HYPERSONICS THAT ARE BETTER AND have limitations that can MORE EFFICIENT AT HIGH TEMPERA- inhibit the performance of the equipment in which TURES, WE NEED NEW MATERIALS.” they’re used. “[Superalloys] are kind —RESEARCH SCIENTIST CHRIS MARVEL ’12 ’16 PH.D. Research Initiative, will support the frst two by providing participating researchers with unique resources to improve communication, problem-solving and collaborative use of research instrumentation. “We are thrilled to be partnering with ARL on this important work,” said Martin Harmer, the Alcoa Foundation Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, director of the NHI Initiative and principal investigator of the LHEAD project. “This cooperative agreement has been cultivated through an enduring and immensely valuable relationship between Lehigh and ARL that has grown stronger and more successful over time. The LHEAD project has the potential to lead to tremendous advancements in both materials development and in how scientists conduct research together.” R E S E A R C H Caro Riedel and Mari-Therese Burton demonstrate the use of Microsoft HoloLens 2 mixed-reality headsets in Lehigh’s NHI Lab. The frst installment of $3 million has been authorized by Congress. The agreement is the latest of many Lehigh collaborations with the Army Research Lab, which have resulted in signifcant discoveries, papers in high-profle publications and the placement of Lehigh students in prestigious fellowships. The LHEAD project was inspired in part by an earlier project led by Harmer, “Anti-Thermal Behavior of Materials: Reversing the Trends of Nature,” a collaboration between Lehigh and Carnegie Mellon University funded by a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. Through the LHEAD project, the researchers plan to design and produce two types of next-generation alloys to be used at temperatures greater than 1,100 degrees Celsius: BCC/B2 refractory high-entropy alloys that exhibit an optimum combination of high strength, ductility and creep resistance at high temperatures; and complex Rh-free Nibasedalloys containingnanoclusters that mitigate creep at high temperatures. Superalloys are incredibly strong, can withstand high temperatures, and are resistant to creep (deformation due to mechanical stresses) and corrosion, which makes of capped out at the temperature at which they can operate,” said research scientist Chris Marvel ’12 ’16 Ph.D., associate director of the NHI and co-principal investigator of the LHEAD project. “In order to manufacture hypersonics that arebetter andmoreefcient athightemperatures, we need newmaterials. Every aspect of the LHEAD project is trying to fnd alternative materials to get the overall performance to be a lot better.” —Kelly Hochbein S UMM E R 2 0 2 2 | 1 1
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