Xiang (Frank) Chen

Bio

Dr. Xiang (Frank) Chen is a research staff member in the Materials Science & Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He is the principal investigator under several U.S. Department of Energy programs, including Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Light Water Reactor Sustainability, and Fusion Energy Science. His research interests include the mechanical behavior of structural materials under extreme environments and the correlation of mechanical properties and materials microstructure. He has over 110 combined publications in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters,  conference proceedings, and technical reports. He also holds two patents for advanced high-strength steels for automobile applications. He is the co-chair for the ASTM E08.07.06 task group in charge of ductile-brittle transition fracture toughness. He is the pathway lead for the Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program Materials Research Pathway. Frank holds a Ph.D. degree and an M.S. degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.E. degree in Nuclear Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Professional Experience

• Lead for the Materials Research Pathway of the DOE-NE Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program (03/2023 – present)
• Research Staff at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (01/2022 – present)
• Research Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (06/2016-12/2021)
• Research Engineer at ArcelorMittal East Chicago Global R&D (10/2014 – 06/2016)
• Postdoctoral Research Associate at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (07/2012 – 09/2014)

Awards

• Covered in the ASM International news coverage for the development of fracture toughness analysis software which was added into the ASTM standard, 2020
• Covered in LWRS newsletter for the development of fracture toughness analysis software which was added into the ASTM standard, 2020
• Covered in ORISE newsletter for mentoring summer intern student in developing fracture toughness analysis software which was added into the ASTM standard, 2020
• Cover page appearance of April 2014 Issue of Advanced Materials & Processes, 2014
• Outstanding contribution in reviewing for the Journal of Nuclear Materials, 2014
• Alpha Nu Sigma nuclear engineering honor society, 2010-present
• American Nuclear Society Graduate Scholarship Award, 2010-2011
• University of Illinois graduate college conference travel award, 2008 & 2010
• University of Pisa, Italy scholarship for the development of sensors for the measurement of diffusible hydrogen in steels, 2009
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University bulletin board system “Study Abroad” program vice president, 2005
• China National Scholarship, 2003-2004 (top 5% in the College of Engineering of Shanghai Jiao Tong University)

Education

• PhD, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012
• MS, Nuclear Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008
• BE, Nuclear Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2005

Professional Service

• ASTM E08 and E10 committee members. Co-chair for the ASTM E08.07.06 task group in charge of ductile-brittle transition fracture toughness. Participate standard development activities for ASTM standards E399, E900, E1820, and E1921 by joining working groups and round-robin testing, attending committee meetings and giving technical presentations, casting votes for ballots, etc. Made significant contributions in adding Annex 18 related to the application of DCPD technique into the ASTM E1820 standard and the revision of the ASTM E900 standard
• International advisory committee for 21st International Conference on Fusion Reactor Materials (ICFRM-21)
• Session chair for the irradiation damage session of the 21st International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors
• Co-chaired ASME 2022-2023 PVP conference MF-06 sessions entitled "Materials and Technologies for Nuclear Power Plants." and CS-22 session entitled "Fracture Toughness and Other Small Specimen Mechanical Properties."
• Participant of IAEA Coordinated Research Project on “Towards the Standardization of Small Specimen Test Techniques for Fusion Applications.” Lead the task group for applying the ASTM E1921 Master Curve method for fracture toughness characterization of small size specimens
• Reviewer for more than ten academic journals, including ASTM Selected Technical Papers, ASME PVP, Materials Science and Engineering: A, Metallurgical and Materials Transaction A, Journal of Nuclear Materials, Fusion Engineering and Design, etc.

Professional Affiliations

• ASTM International
• American Nuclear Society

Specialized Equipment

Fracture mechanics testing, Charpy impact, Fatigue, Tensile, digital image correlation, hot cell PIE

Trademarks and Patents

1. O. Yakubovsky, D. Fan, H.J. Jun, N. Pottore, X. Chen, COLD ROLLED AND COATED STEEL SHEET AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF, WO 2020/245627 A1, 10 December 2020
2. H. J. Jun, N. Pottore, D. Fan, X. Chen, O. Yakubovsky, COLD ROLLED AND COATED STEEL SHEET AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THEREOF, WO 2020/245678 A1, 10 December 2020