Faculty Directory

Diana A. Lados

Assistant Professor

Office: Washburn Shops, 319
Phone: +1-508-831-6168
Fax: +1-508-831-5993
lados@wpi.edu

Educational Background

• B.S./M.S., Polytechnic University of Bucharest, 1997
• M.S., Southern Illinois University, 1999
• Ph.D., Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 2004
  

Research & Teaching Interests

Fatigue, fatigue crack growth, fracture; Design and optimization of materials for fatigue and fatigue crack growth resistance in automotive, aerospace, marine, and military applications; Light metals (traditionally cast and semi-solid processed); Advanced microstructure characterization and microstructure-performance relationships optimization; Physical metallurgy aspects of solidification processes of cast alloys; Impact of post-solidification operations (heat treatment) on mechanical properties, fatigue, fatigue crack growth, and fracture behavior of materials; Alloy/process development from fundamentals to production; Traditional and novel techniques to measure residual stress and new methods to compensate for its presence; Evaluate plasticity contributions to fatigue crack growth and fracture toughness and introduce elastic/plastic growth analyses; Closure and long-crack to small-crack correlations in fatigue crack growth; Fracture mechanics concepts and their application to residual stress and crack closure corrections; "On-line" residual stress, plasticity, and closure corrections techniques; Develop appropriate/compatible fatigue life prediction models; Powder metallurgy; Novel, forensic, and historic materials

Recent Publications

• D.A. Lados, D. Apelian, and J.F. Major, "Fatigue Crack Growth Mechanisms at the Microstructure Scale in Al-Si-Mg Cast Alloys: Mechanisms in Regions II and III", to appear in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.

• D.A. Lados, D. Apelian, and J.K. Donald, "Fracture mechanics analysis for residual stress and crack closure corrections", International Journal of Fatigue (in press).

• D.A. Lados, D. Apelian, and J.K. Donald, "Effect of Asymmetric Residual Stress on the Fatigue Crack Growth Behavior of Cast Al-Si-Mg Alloys"; to appear in Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A.

• D.A. Lados, D. Apelian, and J.K. Donald, "Fatigue Crack Growth Mechanisms at the Microstructure Scale in Al-Si-Mg Cast Alloys: Mechanisms in the Near-threshold Regime", Acta Materialia, 2006 (in press).

• I. Marines-Garcia, P.C. Paris, H. Tada, C. Bathias, and D.A. Lados, "Fatigue Crack Growth from Small to Large Cracks in Gigacycle Fatigue with Fish-eye Failures", to be presented at the FATIGUE 2006 World Congress; to appear in International Journal of Fatigue, 2006.

View detailed list

Honors & Awards

• 1st Prize - Scientific Session Contest, Bucharest, Romania, 1996
• Best Graduate Student Award (sef de promotie - Polytechnic University of Bucharest), 1997
• ASM Chet Inman Award Scholarship, 1999-2000
• American Foundry Society - Aluminum Division Award, 2000
• Sigma Xi Graduate Research Scientific Award, 2001
• Axel Madsen Scholarship Award - Center for Powder Metallurgy Technology, 2003
• Finalist Bodycote Paper Prize Competition 2004, UK

Professional Experience & Activities

• Member of the Board of Review - ASM-TMS/Metallurgical and Materials Transactions

Professional Societies/Memberships

• The Materials Information Society (ASM)
  Student Chairperson 2000-2003, ASM - Worcester Chapter
• The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
• The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS-AIME)
• American Foundry Society (AFS)
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
  • E08 on Fatigue and Fracture
  • B09 on Metal Powders and Metal Powder Products
• American Powder Metallurgy Institute (APMI)
• Metal Powder Institute Federation (MPIF)
• Pi Tau Sigma
• Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society - Full Member
• Member of Who’s Who in Science and Engineering
• Member of Manchester Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals Women in Research and Science
• Member of Who’s Who in Powder Metallurgy