Research Interests

Pete is integrally involved with a large number of programs within the Center for the Accelerated Maturation of Materials.  Currently, he is actively working on developing the necessary characterization tools to extend traditional two-dimensional microstructural characterization to three-dimensional microstructural characterization, the development of predictive models that relate microstructure to properties, the development of a new titanium alloy for extended temperature (i.e., >650°C) applications, novel powder metallurgy approaches, the development of schemes to permit the real-time remote control of microscopes, and the educational opportunities that come from such work. 
The first work, namely the development of characterization tools to extend microstructural characterization to the third-dimension, includes the application of novel techniques that span the length scales, including Robo.Met-3D (optical length scale), DB-FIB (SEM length scale), and TEM/STEM tomography (TEM length scale).  Included in this work is an effort to understand how traditional two-dimensional quantification schemes, including stereology, relate to the true three-dimensional microstructure.

The development of predictive models relating microstructure to properties in Ti-based alloys is currently based on two-dimensional stereology.  Some of the newest databases that include compositional and microstructural information have resulted in models that have an accuracy of ± 2.5%.  This work includes a rigorous treatment of the data, so that the models are based on data of the highest fidelity.  Such high quality data has lead to the development of new stereology procedures, as well as several new observations of microstructural features to be included in models currently under development.

A new titanium alloy is currently under development that promises to have increased creep resistance at elevated temperatures while maintaining a reasonable level of oxidation resistance. The alloy development scheme is based on a combinatorial approach that allows several alloys to be tested very quickly to determine what region of composition space is the most attractive for further work.
The novel powder processing routes include both directed laser deposition (Laser Engineered Net Shaping – LENS™) and subsonic cold-spray (Kinetic Metallization) techniques.  The first is an extension of Pete’s thesis work on the use of the LENS™ and elemental blends to affect a range of Ti-based alloys in a rapid fashion. The second is aimed at producing novel microstructures that can not be produced in other fashions, including the addition of non-equilibrium second phase particles.

Additionally, Pete has focused much of his attention on the development of schemes for the real-time remote control of electron microscopes.  Currently, he has tested an approach from 150 miles and from 1200 miles, each operating a SEM in real-time (i.e., the beam could be properly aligned with respect to both gun tilt/shift, focus and stigmation).  The next extension will be for the remote control of the state-of-the-art transmission electron microscopes.  As an ancillary task to this work, Pete has been the point-of-contact for the use of a mini-SEM, with an anticipated application in K-12 and undergraduate classrooms.

Previous Research/Scholarly Activities may be found in the resúme.

Education / Experience
Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, March 2004
M.S. Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, May 2001
B.S.  Metallurgical Engineering at The University of Missouri – Rolla, 1999
with a minor in History

2006 - current Senior Research Associate and Engineer for CAMM, The Ohio State University
2005 - current Associate Director of CAMM, The Ohio State University
2004 - 2006 M Post-Doctoral Fellow
1999 - 2003 CAMM Graduate Research Fellow

Additional work experience at Chino Copper Smelter, Hurley, New Mexico (1997) and The Ford Scientific Research Laboratory (1998).

Publications

1. Schwendner KI, Banerjee R, Collins PC, et al., "Direct laser deposition of alloys from elemental powder blends", SCRIPTA MATER 45 (10): 1123-1129 NOV 19 2001
2. Banerjee R, Collins PC, Fraser HL, "Phase evolution in laser-deposited titanium-chromium alloys", METALL MATER TRANS A 33 (7): 2129-2138 JUL 2002
3. Banerjee R, Collins PC, Fraser HL, "Laser deposition of in situ Ti-TiB composites", ADV ENG MATER 4 (11): 847-851 NOV 2002
4. Collins PC, Banerjee R, Fraser HL, "The influence of the enthalpy of mixing during the laser deposition of complex titanium alloys using elemental blends", SCRIPTA MATER 48 (10): 1445-1450 MAY 2003
5. Collins PC, Banerjee R, Banerjee S, et al., "Laser deposition of compositionally graded titanium-vanadium and titanium-molybdenum alloys", MAT SCI ENG A-STRUCT 352 (1-2): 118-128 JUL 15 2003
6. Banerjee R, Collins PC, Bhattacharyya D, et al., "Microstructural evolution in laser deposited compositionally graded alpha/beta titanium-vanadium alloys",ACTA MATER 51 (11): 3277-3292 JUN 27 2003
7. Banerjee R, Collins PC, Genc A, et al., "Direct laser deposition of in situ Ti-6Al-4V-TiB composites", MAT SCI ENG A-STRUCT 358 (1-2): 343-349 OCT 15 2003
8. Banerjee R, Bhattacharyya D, Collins PC, et al., "Precipitation of grain boundary alpha in a laser deposited compositionally graded Ti-8Al-xV alloy – an orientation microscopy study”, ACTA MATERIALIA 52 (2): 377-385 JAN 19 2004
9. Banerjee R, Genc A, Collins PC, et al., "Comparison of microstructural evolution in laser-deposited and arc-melted in-situ Ti-TiB composites”, METALLURGICAL AND MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS A, 35A (7): 2143-2152 JUL 2004
10. Collins, PC, Connors S, Banerjee R, and Fraser HL, “A Combinatorial Approach to the Development of Neural Networks for the Prediction of Composition-Microstructure-Property Relationships in a/b Ti Alloys”, Proceedings of Ti-2003 Science and Technology, Vol. 3, 1389-1396, 2004.
11. Banerjee R, Genc A, Hill D, Collins PC, and Fraser HL, “Nanoscale TiB precipitates in laser deposited Ti-matrix composites”, SCRIPTA MATERIALIA 53 (12): 1433-1437 DEC 2005.

*note* - Five more publications in final stages of preparation.

Presentations

• Research has been presented at more than 12 national conferences and 2 international conferences. 
  
  
• Has given invited talks to Timken in Canton, OH, and to universities in Beijing and Shenyang, China..

Pete is married to Jessica. They are currently raising two dogs (Nava - a Golden Retriever, and Kane - a Labrador Retriever mix), and are expecting a child in March, 2008. 
When Pete is not in the lab or working, he is involved in his on-campus church and chairs a committee that works to strengthen the university-church ties.  He also spends time working on projects around the house, including woodworking projects.  He and his wife like to travel - when funds allow, and both are ardent Buckeye fans.  In the spring, summer, and fall, both Pete and Jessica can be found outside, in the woods or playing Ultimate Frisbee. They also both play around with amateur photography. 

Here are some amateur photography photos. Please click on each image and it will open in a new window. The images are quite large though so be aware that if you're on a dialup or slow internet connection, it may take a while to complete.