Lei Cao: Behavior and evolution of alloys
Title
Behavior and evolution of alloys
Mentor
Department
Biosketch
Lei Cao, Ph.D., joined the Â鶹´«Ã½AV in July 2016 after receiving her Ph.D. from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette. In 2010, she obtained her B.S. degree from the Department of Precision Instruments at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. She is the recipient of the prestigious NSF CAREER Award (2023). Her research interests focus on using large-scale phase-field micromechanical models and atomistic methods to track microstructure evolution during deformation and its impact on the mechanical properties of materials.
Project overview
The Pack Research Experience Program (PREP) student would conduct research on one of the two projects listed below.
Project 1: Atomistic investigation of the deformation behavior of alloys
The PREP student will receive training in conducting large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the LAMMPS software package. Under the guidance of the faculty mentor, the student will model the deformation behaviors of metal alloys—such as titanium alloys, magnesium alloys, and iron—that play critical roles in aerospace and automotive engineering. The student will utilize computational tools available in the faculty mentor’s lab, including MATLAB codes and AtomEye software, to construct simulation models. These models will then be submitted to a high-performance computing (HPC) system, where MD simulations will be executed on hundreds of CPU cores to capture the complex atomic-scale mechanisms governing alloy deformation.
Project 2: Microstructure evolution in titanium alloys during ultrafast laser melt-quenching
The solidification process of molten titanium alloys plays a critical role in determining the mechanical properties of titanium components fabricated through laser-based 3D printing. In this project, the PREP student will be trained in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the LAMMPS software package, as well as atomic structure analysis with OVITO. Working closely with the faculty mentor, the student will simulate the solidification of titanium alloys, analyze the resulting microstructures, and evaluate key mechanical properties such as strength and ductility. The results of this work will provide insights into the fundamental mechanisms governing microstructure evolution and mechanical behavior in additively manufactured titanium alloys.
Pack Research Experience Program information and application