UMass Amherst

Robert W. Hyers

Assistant Professor, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
ELAB 310, University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA 01003-9292
(413) 545-2253
hyers@ecs.umass.edu
http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/hyers.html

Materials Processing and Process Modeling

We study the relations among processing, properties, and structure of materials through continuum modeling of transport phenomena (fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and mass transfer).  Current projects include the formation and interaction of nanoscale clusters in undercooled liquid metals, and nanocomposite materials.

Research Interest Potential Application
Resorbable materials Synthetic bone, tissue scaffolds

Honors and Awards

  • Professor of the Year, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, 2005
  • EPD Young Leader Intern, TMS, 2005
  • NASA Special Service Award, 2000

Publications

  1. R.W. Hyers, R.C. Bradshaw, J.R. Rogers, T.J. Rathz, G.W. Lee, A.K. Gangopadhyay, and K.F. Kelton, “Surface Tension and Viscosity of Quasicrystal-forming TiZrNi Alloys”,  International Journal of Thermophysics, Vol. 25, No. 4, 2004, pp. 1155-1162.
  2. R.W. Hyers, G. Trapaga, and B. Abedian, “Laminar-Turbulent Transition in an Electromagnetically Levitated Droplet”, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions B, vol. 34B, February 2003, pp.29-36.
  3. K.F. Kelton, G.W. Lee, A.K. Gangopadhyay, R.W. Hyers, T.J. Rathz, J.R. Rogers, M.B. Robinson, and D.S. Robinson, "First X-Ray Scattering Studies on Electrostatically Levitated Metallic Liquids: Demonstrated Influence of Local Icosahedral Order on the Nucleation Barrier", Physical Review Letters 90, 195504, 2003.
  4. G.W. Lee, A. K. Gangopadhyay, K. F. Kelton, R. W. Hyers, T. J. Rathz, and  J. R. Rogers, “Difference in Icosahedral Short-Range Order in Early and Late Transition Metals Liquids”, Physical Review Letters, to appear, 2004.
  5. M.P. SanSoucie and R.W. Hyers, “Calcium Phosphate Based Ceramics via Spinodal Decomposition”, Ceramic Transactions, submitted March 2004.
  6. G.W. Lee, T. H. Kim, B. Sieve, A. K. Gangopadhyay, R. W. Hyers, T. J. Rathz, J. R. Rogers, D. S. Robinson, K. F. Kelton, and A. I. Goldman, " In-situ high-energy x-ray diffraction study of the local structure of supercooled liquid Si", submitted to Physical Review Letters, February 2005.