Graduate Student Seminar
November 14, 2025
12:45 p.m. ET
7500 Wean Hall
Hydrogen Environment-Assisted Cracking of Binder Jet Printed 17-4PH Stainless Steel
In this study, the hydrogen environment-assisted cracking (HEAC) behavior of additively manufactured (AM) 17-4PH stainless steel fabricated via binder jet printing (BJP) is assessed through fracture mechanics-based testing conducted in representative marine environments. Results are compared to analogous data generated for similarly heat-treated 17-4PH manufactured via conventional means (CM) as well as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), which reveal key differences in HEAC susceptibility amongst the tested materials. These HEAC data are then coupled with hydrogen-metal interaction parameter measurements and microstructural observations for each alloy to understand the origins of the observed differences in HEAC susceptibility. Critically, this study reveals that AM-specific features, such as small-scale gas porosity, strongly impact HEAC behavior, which is mechanistically explained using an existing model for HEAC. The implications of these findings on the broader AM community are then discussed.
Zachary Harris, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
University of Pittsburgh
Harris leads the Environmental Fatigue and Fracture Laboratory with research focused on developing mechanistic understanding of the factors governing environment-induced degradation in the fatigue, fracture, and mechanical behavior of structural metals. Prior to Pitt, Prof. Harris was a Research Scientist within the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering at the University of Virginia, where he also received his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering.
Upcoming Events
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February 6 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical properties of materials: Multiscale modeling, neural operators and experimental inference, presented by Kaushik Bhattacharya, California Institute of Technology
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 13 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
Interfacial Fracture in Soft Polymer Networks: Revisiting Gent's Picture, presented by Gabriel Sanoja Lopez, University of Texas, Austin
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 20 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
High-Fidelity Atomistic Simulations of Chemistry-Microstructure Interactions in Metals, presented by Rodrigo Freitas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 25 2026
2:00 PM ET
Faculty Insights with Mario Berges
Please join us for CMU Engineering's virtual program, “Faculty Insights: A 20 Minute Briefing.” In this series, faculty will share insights into their research, its impact, and provide perspective for the future of the field.
Virtual, link provided to registrants
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February 27 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
presented by Tim Weihs, Johns Hopkins university
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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March 13 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
presented by Rachel Goldman, University of Michigan
CUC McConomy Auditorium