Metal forming at the center of excellence for the synthesis and processing of advanced materials

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Basic Energy Sciences recently established the Center for Excellence in the Synthesis and Processing of Advanced Materials. Projects at the center typically include several national laboratories, industrial partners, and universities; metal forming is one of eight projects within the center. This article describes the center’s metal forming project, which emphasizes aluminum alloy forming, particularly as applicable to the automotive industry. D.A. Hughes earned her Ph.D. in materials science at Stanford University in 1986. She is a principal member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories. M.E. Kassner earned his Ph.D. in materials science at Stanford University in 1981. He is Northwest Aluminum Professor at Oregon State University. M.G. Stout earned his Ph.D. in materials science at the University of Minnesota in 1976. He is a staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory. J. Vetrano earned his Ph.D. in metallurgy at the University of Illinois in 1990. He is a senior research scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Editor’s Note: A hypertext-enhanced version of this article can be found on the TMS web site at www.tms.org/pubs/joumals/JOM/9806/Hughes-9806.html.