Current Research

In-situ evaluation of crack-tip deformation modes, strain fields and crack growth behavior in aluminum single/bicrystals and aerospace aluminum alloys

The current research focuses on the development of testing capabilities to perform in-situ examinations of micro-mechanics damage modes for aluminum alloy specimens within a scanning electron microscope, and interact with fellow researchers (at NASA LaRC) constructing these models to insure they are representative of the physical testing being performed. This includes the acquisition and interpretation of orientation imaging data to characterize crack-path, damage modes and dislocation structure/density for a loaded crack-tip, microstructure characterization – orientation and texture, and the supplying of information on the basic metallurgical structure of test specimens for verification of atomistic-based analyses.

Publications

V.K. Gupta and S.R. Agnew, “Indexation and misorientation analysis of low-quality Laue diffraction patterns,” J. Appl. Cryst. 42 (2009) 116-124.
V.K. Gupta and S.R. Agnew, “Measuring the effect of environment on fatigue crack-wake plasticity in aluminum alloy 2024 using electron back-scatter diffraction,” Mater. Sci. Engg. A 494 (2008) 36-46.
V. Kain, V.K. Gupta and P.K. De, “Embrittlement cracking of a stabilized stainless steel wire mesh in an ammonia converter,” in Environment-Induced Cracking of Metals (EICM-2, 2004), Sergei Shipilov, ed., Elsevier Science, Oxford, UK, 2007, pp. 411-420.