Dr Joe Robson

Joe Robson graduated in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1993, and obtained his PhD from the same institution in 1996. Since then he has worked at Cambridge, Swansea, and Manchester universities, and in 2003 was appointed to a Lectureship. Joe is a member of the Light Alloy Processing group with research interests that are focussed on microstructural evolution and control in industrial alloys, with an emphasis on modelling.

Current work involves the coupling of thermodynamic models, based on Calphad methods, to novel kinetic models, enabling the time and temperature dependence of the microstructure (particularly second phase particles) to be determined for complex industrial alloys and processes. Such an approach is being used to predict microstructure evolution and subsequent effect on properties for a range of aluminium, magnesium, and zirconium alloys during processes such as hot rolling and welding. Applications for these materials include the automotive, aerospace, and nuclear industries.

Joe also has an active interest in developing a better understanding of the effects of processing and service on the microstructure of metals through the use of electron microscopy and X-ray analysis. Ongoing work includes investigating microstructure evolution during processing of zirconium alloys and the study of novel wrought magnesium alloys.

• Modelling Heterogeneous Precipitate Distributions in Complex Alloys (EPSRC with BAE/Airbus)
• Modelling Microstructural Evolution During Friction Stir Welding of Aerospace Aluminium Alloys (with Alcan)
• Designed Microstructures for Wrought Magnesium Alloys (EPSRC with Magnesium Elektron)
• Modelling Complex Properties for Friction Stir Welding (with BAE/Airbus)
• Thermomechanical Processing of Zirconium Alloys (with Dr M. Preuss and BNFL/Westinghouse)
• Evolution of Precipitates and Matrix Chemistry in Zirconium Alloys (with Dr M. Preuss, BNFL/Westinghouse)
• Modelling microstructural evolution during dissimilar metal welding (EPSRC)
• Texture and microstructure control in wrought magnesium alloys (Magnesium Elektron/EPSRC)

• "Effect of particles in promoting twin nucleation in a Mg–5 wt.% Zn alloy", J.D. Robson, N. Stanford, M.R. Barnett, Scripta Materialia, 63, 2010, p. 823-826.
• "The formation of nanograin structures and accelerated room- temperature theta precipitation in a severely deformed Al–4 wt.% Cu alloy" Y. Huang, J.D. Robson, P.B. Prangnell, Acta Materialia, 58, 2010, p. 1643-1657.
• "Particle effects on recrystallization in magnesium–manganese alloys: Particle-stimulated nucleation" J.D. Robson, D.T. Henry, B. Davis, Acta Materialia, 57, 2009, p. 2739-2747.
• "Characterisation and modelling of toughness in 6013-T6 aerospace aluminium alloy friction stir welds" C.G. Derry, J.D. Robson, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 490, 2008, p. 328-334.
• "Modelling of friction stir welding of 7xxx aluminium alloys" N. Kamp, A. Sullivan, J.D. Robson, Materials Science and Engineering: A, 466, 2007, p. 246-255.
• "Modelling of heterogeneous precipitate distribution evolution during friction stir welding process " N. Kamp, A. Sullivan, R. Tomasi, J.D. Robson, Acta Materialia, 54, 2006, p. 2003-2014.
• "The Maximum Precipitate Density", J. D. Robson and M. J. Stowell Philosophical Magazine A, 84, 2004, p. 3101
• "Microstructural Evolution in Aluminium Alloy 7050 During Processing", J. D. Robson Materials Science and Engineering A, 382, 2004, p. 112