Spring 2001

ME/IE 8773-8774

Variability in Thermal Spray Coatings with a Special
Reference to Biomaterials: A Problem or an Opportunity?

by

Christopher C. Berndt
Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
State University of New York
Stony Brook

Wednesday, March 21, 2001
3:30-4:30 p.m.
Room 108 ME
Broadcast on UNITE Channel A
Coffee and cookies will be available in 152 ME following the seminar

Thermal spray deposits demonstrate a wide range in their extrinsic material properties; whether it be hardness, porosity, thermal diffusivity or any other physical measurement. Such a variation is not surprising considering the highly textured and anisotropic character of these materials that are, essentially, manufactured in situ. This presentation will initially list some of the important properties that engineers require for their design purposes. The talk will then shift towards understanding the root causes that determine these material characteristics. Then there will be further discussion concerning how modern diagnostic measurements can be employed to form variegated structures that are functional. A significant portion of the presentation will be devoted to the case history of thermal spray coatings that have been developed for biomaterial applications; specifically hydroxyapatite which is used for orthopedic appliances. In such instances, the microstructural variability in terms of porosity, crack networks, and phase structure can be used in the context of a materials engineering paradigm. Open discussion will be encouraged throughout the presentation as is prior reference to the home page address provided above.

Chris Berndt hails from Adelaide in South Australia yet very early on in his career as a trainee metallurgist spent four years working in a small country town in the area of iron smelting and steel making. His first degree in 1977 was a Bachelor of Applied Science in Secondary Metallurgy, Hons from what is now called the University of South Australia. This was followed by 3.5 years in the Materials Engineering Department of Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) to earn a Ph.D. in the area of "The Adhesion of Flame and Plasma Sprayed Coatings". Berndt took on several Post Doctoral Fellowships in the USA which, for example, included a 2 year stint from 1983-85 at NASA-Lewis Research Center in Cleveland (OH-USA). In this capacity he was a Fellow of the Institute for Aerospace Propulsion and Power and focused his research on thermal barrier coatings. Berndt returned to an academic appointment at Monash University in mid-1985 and rose to the rank of Senior Lecturer in Materials Engineering before being invited to apply for a position at USB. He was granted a tenured Associate Professor position in 1994 and was promoted to Full Professor with tenure in 1995. He was appointed an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics in 1996. Berndt has been the Undergraduate Program Director for the Engineering Science program since 1995 and the Deputy Chairman of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering since 1995. At the administrative level he is responsible for the ABET activity within the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Berndt's professional responsibilities gravitate around the National Organizing Committee of the Thermal Spray Society of the ASM of which he has been a member since 1991. He was appointed as the Vice President of this society in 2000. He has been the Proceedings Editor for the Thermal Spray Conferences held in the USA since 1992. He is the Founding Editor for the Journal of Thermal Spray Technology (first issued in 1992) which is published by ASM International. Berndt is a Member of some 13 professional Societies in the materials, mechanical, manufacturing and biomedical fields. He is a Fellow of the Australian Institution of Engineers, Fellow of ASM International and Fellow of The Institution of Metallurgists (UK). He is also a Chartered Engineer (UK), a Professional Engineer (Australia), and a Member of the College of Bioengineers (Australia). Berndt has held positions as a Faculty Fellow of ORNL and Guest Scientist of Brookhaven National Laboratory. BERNDT has over 200 publications in the thermal spray and deposit characterization fields. He is the Editor / Co-editor of 8 conference proceedings on thermal spray

Informal Faculty Luncheon: Wednesday, March 21, 2001, 12:00 noon. A table is reserved at McCormick's Restaurant, Radisson Hotel Metrodome. Prof. Berndt will be able to attend.