Honorary Symposia

Materials Engineering -- From Ideas to Practice: An EPD Symposium in Honor of Jiann-Yang Hwang

Dates and Times:
Monday, March 15, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, March 16, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT; Poster Session, 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 17, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
Sponsored by: TMS Extraction & Processing Division (EPD)
Organizers: Bowen Li, Michigan Technological University; Baojun Zhao, University of Queensland; Jian Li, CanmetMATERIALS; Sergio N. Monteiro, Military Institute of Engineering; Zhiwei Peng, Central South University; Dean Gregurek, RHI Magnesita; Tao Jiang, Central South University; Yong Shi, Futianbao Environment Technologies; Cuiping Huang, FuTianBao Environment Protection Technology Company Ltd.; and Shadia Jamil Ikhmayies

Professor Jiann-Yang Hwang has been dedicated to the field of mineral processing, metallurgy, water treatment, microwave-assisted material process, hydrogen storage, and by-product recycling as his career for over 40 years. His most recognized and awarded contribution has been in microwave-assisted steelmaking process, fly-ash beneficiation and reuse, recycling and reuse of metallurgical byproducts, and wastewater treatment. This symposium will be mainly focused on the characterization and processing development in minerals, metals, and materials.

This symposium will cover topics such as:

• Characterization methodology of minerals, metals, and materials
• Microwave-assisted material processes
• Recycling and reuse of metallurgical byproducts
• Materials for hydrogen storage
• Wastewater treatment and environmental protection
• Natural materials for value-added applications
• Principles and interactions of material characterization and manufacturing processing
• Pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy

Any presentations and manuscripts related to Prof. Hwang’s research background and achievements will be specially encouraged.

Aluminum Reduction Technology Across the Decades: An LMD Symposium Honoring Alton T. Tabereaux and Harald A. Øye

Dates and Times:
Tuesday, March 16, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
Wednesday, March 17, 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT
Sponsored by: TMS Light Metals Division (LMD)
Organizers: Arne P. Ratvik, SINTEF; Marc Dupuis, GeniSim Inc.; Kristian Etienne Einarsrud, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Two sessions of the Aluminum Reduction Technology Symposium at TMS2021 Virtual will be dedicated to this honorary symposium. The Tuesday afternoon session on March 16 will be the Alton Tabereaux Honorary Session: Reduction Cell Operation and Process Control - Joint session with Aluminum Reduction Technology. The Wednesday afternoon session on March 17 will be the Harald Øye Honorary Session: Fundamentals in Anode and Cathode Technology - Joint Session with Electrode Technology.

Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts — Concurrent Alloy Design and Processing Science: An LMD Symposium Honoring Raymond Decker

Dates and Times: 
Monday, March 15, 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT
Tuesday, March 16, 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EDT
Sponsored by: TMS Light Metals Division (LMD)
Organizers: Victoria M. Miller, University of Florida; Eric A. Nyberg, Tungsten Heavy Powder & Parts; J. Brian Jordon, University of Alabama; Wilhelmus H. Sillekens, European Space Agency; Neale R. Neelameggham, IND LLC; Vineet V. Joshi, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The most impactful developments in materials science are rarely just a new material or a new process; it is the simultaneous and complementary advancement of alloy and process together that can drive an innovation into the marketplace. Few researchers have adopted and been as successful with this design philosophy as Ray Decker.

Over his more than 50 years of experience as a research metallurgist, he has applied this over a wide range of alloys. His work in superalloys revealed alloying strategies for improved strength via coherency hardening. At the same time, his work revealed that trace elements from the crucible could play a role in the mechanical properties of the alloy. Developments in alloying strategy and improved heat treatments were equally critical in his work as a co-inventor of maraging steel. In his most recent venture, he has applied this philosophy to Mg alloys, developing and broadly commercializing thixomolding technology to obtain refined microstructures with high strength and retained ductility that are able to be thermomechanically processed without developing a deleterious amount of crystallographic texture. He has taken this processing technology and combined it with alloy design, resulting in his recent development of the BioMg 250 for bioabsorbable surgical implants. Thixomolding (or magnesium injection molding), as a light-alloy processing technology, was globalized by the vision of Ray and his partners in the commercialization of the semi-solid process through their company, Thixomat LLC. Leading Thixomat, Ray expanded the use of this technology from a few dozen thixomolding machines, to today where there are hundreds if not thousands of semi-solid, thixomolding machines through Thixomat and their affiliates. This has resulted in millions of parts for the video, cell phone, automotive, computer, and other industries being produced with improved properties, integrated part design, and net-shape manufacturing.

Over his career, Ray Decker has made critical technological advances to address challenges including reducing environmental damage, conserving energy, and making more effective orthopedic devices. In addition to his contributions as a technologist, he has consistently taken a long-term vision for his work by involving graduates and undergraduate students through strong collaborations with university faculty and volunteering through his professional societies. His career is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. It is the Light Metals Divisions great honor to recognize his lifetime of achievements at TMS2021.