Yukinori Yamamoto

Bio

Physical metallurgist with extensive background in phase equilibria, microstructure analysis (optical, SEM, TEM), diffusion, high-temperature mechanical properties and creep, and alloy design of advanced ferrous, nickel-base, titanium-base and intermetallic alloys.

Professional Experience

Research & Development Staff: Materials Processing Group, Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN, USA
Mar. 2009-Present: Research Associate

• “Low-Cost Stainless Steels with Superalloy Properties” Jun. 2010-Sep. 2011.
  The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), US-DOD
  Development of alumina-forming austenitic stainless steels with superalloy creep properties.
  -lead the development of low-cost, high-performance alumina-forming austenitic stainless steels which will be used as high-temperature structural materials, i.e. gas turbine, steam tubing, and heat-exchanger in fossil power plants, land-base gas turbine engines, and chemical/ petro-chemical plants.

• “Near Net Shape Manufacturing of New, Low Cost Titanium Powders for Industry” Oct. 2009-Sep. 2011
  Industrial Technology Program, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), US-DOE
  Development/evaluation of the manufacturing process of a new, low cost titanium and titanium alloy powders, in order to reduce the fabrication cost of the lightweight structural material parts which will be used for transportation vehicles, aircraft, and so on for energy conservation.
  -co-lead several projects related to Industrial Technology Program, and collaborations with industrial companies/universities/national institutes.
• “Deployment of Alumina Forming Austenitic (AFA) Stainless Steel” Oct. 2009-Sep. 2011
  Industrial Technology Program, EERE, US-DOE
  Extended research of the family of creep-resistant, alumina-forming stainless steel alloys, in order to increase oxidation and creep resistances as well as material life at elevated temperatures without increasing material cost.
  - co-lead the development of new family of alumina-forming stainless steels, evaluation of their creep properties, and characterization of microstructure.
  -3 US patents related to AFA stainless steels approved by USPTO.
  -won a 2009 R&D 100 Award for the AFA family of stainless steel alloys.
• “Four different Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) regarding AFA alloy development and evaluation” Jul. 2008-Sep. 2011
  EERE, US-DOE
  Extended research of the family of creep-resistant, alumina-forming stainless steel alloys, in order to develop, optimize and evaluate the materials for commercialization.
  - co-lead the project to characterize the mechanical and functional properties of the newly developed AFA alloys fabricated by commercial venders.
  • Manufacture of Alumina-Forming Austenitic Stainless Steel Alloys by Conventional Casting and Hot-Working Methods (CRADA NFE-08-01374), Jul. 2008 –Jan. 2009, with Carpenter Technology Corporation
  • Evaluation of Alumina-Forming Austenitic Stainless Steel Alloys in Microturbines(CRADA NFE-08-01392), Oct. 2008-Oct. 2010, with Capstone Turbine Corporation
  • Evaluation of Alumina-Forming Austenitic Stainless Steel Alloys in Industrial Gas Turbines (CRADA NFE-08-01456), Nov. 2008-Sep. 2011, with Solar Turbines Incorporated
  • Assessment of AFA Stainless Steels for Tube Products in Chemical Processing and Energy Production Applications (CRADA NFE-10-02715), Feb. 2010-Sep. 2011 with Carpenter Technology Corporation
• “Advanced Alloy Development” 2009-2011
  The Advanced Reactor Concepts Program, DOE-Office of Nuclear Energy
  Develop high strength heat-resistant ferrous materials as candidate materials of next generation sodium-cooled fast reactor.
  -lead a development of advanced austenitic stainless steel alloys.
  -make collaborations with several universities and national laboratories.
• “Multi-Phase High-Temperature Alloys” 2006-2009
  Fossil Energy Advanced Research Materials Program, US-DOE
  Co-Developed a new family of low cost, high creep strength, alumina-forming stainless steels
  -initial discovery published in the international, multi-disciplinary journal Science
  -member of research team recognized with ORNL Significant Event Research Award
• “Novel low cost, high-Mn-containing austenitic stainless steels and alloys for high temperature structural applications” 2006-2008
  Laboratory Directed Research and Development, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  Co-lead P.I.: Funded at $170 k under ORNL SEED Program (competitive proposal call)
  -proof of principle studies of alumina-forming, high-Mn austenitic stainless steels which can be described as a family of the lower-cost AFA alloys
  -lead for processing, microstructure analyses, mechanical properties and weldability
• “Manufacturing Assessment of Metallic PEM Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates” 2007-2009
  Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Infrastructure Program, EERE, US-DOE
  -in charge of the alloy development including processing, microstructure analysis and evaluation of mechanical properties
• “ARES valve materials for automotive diesel engines” 2006-2008
  EERE, US-DOE
  -in charge of the evaluation of high temperature mechanical properties of Ni base alloys which be used for an exhaust engine valve of transportation vehicles.
  -in charge of microstructure analysis of alloy with and without coating via scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques.
• “Advanced Alloys for High-Temperature Recuperators”2003-2005
  Office of Distributed Energy, US-DOE
  -Property evaluation of advanced austenitic stainless steel alloy foils at higher temperature has been conducted. Purpose of this study is to increase the efficiency of micro gas turbine generators by raising operation temperature.
  -processing-microstructure-mechanical property relationships established.
  -microstructures analyzed via analytical transmission electron microscopy techniques.
• “Phase Equilibria and Stability of TiAl Intermetallics” 2003-2005
  Office of Basic Energy Science, US-DOE
  -TiAl is a strong candidate of next generation light-weight, corrosion-resistant, high strength structural material at elevated temperatures.
  -thermal instability of lamellar structure of TiAl alloys containing boron has been evaluated in order to clarify the degradation mechanism after long time usage at elevated temperatures.
  -microstructures analyzed via scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques.

• Assistant Professor and Research Staff: Department of Metallurgy and Ceramics Science, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan
  Jun. 2001-Oct. 2004: Assistant Professor
  Apr. 2001-May 2001: Research Scholar
  Apr. 1999-Mar. 2001: JSPS Research Associate (M. Takeyama Supervisor)
  • “Thermal stability of the lamellar microstructure of TiAl/Ti3Al Intermetallics” 1999-2003
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan
    -evaluation of thermal stability of lamellar microstructure of TiAl alloys at elevated temperature.
    -microstructures analyzed via scanning electron microscopy with EBSD technique.
  • “Lamellar orientation control of directionally solidified TiAl/Ti3Al PST crystals” 1999-2003.
    Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Japan.
    -lamellar orientation control of fully lamellar single crystal of TiAl alloys using optical floating zone method.
    -microstructures analyzed via scanning and transmission electron microscopy techniques.
  • “Phase equilibria among liquid/a-Ti/b-Ti/g-TiAl of Ti-Al-M ternary systems” 2002-2003.
    Engineering Research Support Program, The Foundation “Hattori Hokokai," Japan.
    Funded at ~$10 k under Engineering Research Support Program in The Foundation “Hattori Hokokai” (selected via competitive proposal call).
    -estimation of phase diagram of Ti-Al-M ternary systems near melting point.
    -optimize alloy composition of seed materials for controlling orientation of TiAl single crystals.

Awards

2009 R&D 100 Award, for the development of the AFA family of stainless steels: November 2009.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Significant Event Award, for commercialization of alumina-forming, creep resistant austenitic stainless steels: May 2011.

Members of research team recognized with Oak Ridge National Laboratory Significant Event Award, for discovery of alumina-forming, creep resistant austenitic stainless steels: March 2007.

Best Poster Award, The 3rd International Symposium on Gamma Titanium Aluminides, TMS: March 2003.

Best Poster Award, The 3rd International Symposium on Structural Intermetallics, TMS: May 2002.

Doctoral Thesis Award, The Tejima Memorial Fellowship in Science: May 2000.

Research Presentation Award, The Japan Society of Heat Treatment: December 1999. 

Education

• Ph. D., Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, March 1999.
  Dissertation: “A Kinetic Characteristics of Microstructure Evolution for Diffusion Induced Recrystallization in Cu(Ni) and Ni(Cu) Systems using Solid/Solid Diffusion Couple Technique.” (Adviser: M. Kajihara).
• M.S., Materials Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, March 1996.
  Thesis: “Effect of Misorientation Angle of [100] Twist Boundaries on the Kinetics of Diffusion Induced Grain Boundary Migration in Cu(Zn) System using Cu Bicrystals.” (Adviser: M. Kajihara (and T. Mori)).
• B.S., Metallurgical Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, March 1994.

Professional Service

• Active reviewer of professional material science journals
  • Materials Science and Engineering A (Elsevier)
  • Materials Letter (Elsevier)
  • Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A (TMS)

Professional Affiliations

• Materials Research Society (MRS): 2000-present
• The Mineral, Metal & Materials Society (TMS): 2002-present
• The American Nuclear Society (ANS): 2010-present
• The Japan Institute of Metals (JIM): 1995-2007
• The Iron and Steel Institute of Japan (ISIJ): 2001-present

Trademarks and Patents

Active Invention Disclosure:

M. Govindarajan, Y. Yamamoto, M.P. Brady, “Cast Alumina Forming Austenitic Stainless Steel”, submitted on Nov. 11, 2010.  

Issued:

M.P. Brady, B.A. Pint, C.T. Liu, P.J. Maziasz, Y. Yamamoto, Z.P. Lu, US Patent 7,744,813 “Oxidation resistant high creep strength austenitic stainless steel”, June 29, 2010.

M.P. Brady, M.L. Santella, Y. Yamamoto, C.T. Liu, “US Patent 7,754,144 “High Nb, Ta, and Al creep- and oxidation-resistant austenitic stainless steel”, July 13, 2010.

Y. Yamamoto, M.L. Santella, M.P. Brady, P.J. Maziasz, and C.T. Liu, U.S. Patent No. 7,754,305 "High Mn austenitic stainless steel", July 13, 2010.