Zhang, Wei

Biography

Dr. Zhang is a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering - Welding Engineering Program at The Ohio State University. Prior to coming to OSU in January 2013, he worked as a Senior Researcher at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) from 2008-2012 and as an Engineer Team Leader at the Edison Welding Institute (EWI) from 2004-2008. He earned his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in Spring 2004. Dr. Zhang has been serving as the Associate Chair of the MSE department since 2019.

Honors, Awards, and Appointments

  • 2021-2022 Visiting Professor in Welding Technology, University West, Sweden
  • 2020 Honorable Mention, Vice Admiral E. L. Cochrane Award, Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), coauthor for Best Peer-Reviewed Paper published in the Journal of Ship Production and Design.

  • 2018 Fellow of American Welding Society, in recognition of significant contribution to the knowledge, science, and application of welding.

  • 2018 Lumley Research Award from College of Engineering, The Ohio State University in recognition of outstanding research activities.

  • 2017 Henry Granjon Prize from International Institute of Welding, coauthor for a best paper in Category B: Materials Behaviour and Weldability.

  • 2016 Adams Memorial Membership Award from American Welding Society (AWS) in recognition of teaching activities that have advanced the knowledge of welding at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

  • 2010 UT-Battelle Significant Event Award from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for significant research accomplishment by a research team.

  • 2010 Koichi Masubuchi Award from AWS for significant contributions to the advancement of science and technology of materials joining through research and development.

  • 2006 Henry Granjon Prize from International Institute of Welding for a best paper in the category of Joining and Fabrication Technology.

Expertise

  • Additive manufacturing of metals (powder bed, blown-powder, binder jetting and sintering)

  • Light-metal and dissimilar-metal joining for transportation (automotive, shipbuilding etc.)

  • Creep-resistance steels and alloys for power generation

  • Inertia and linear friction welding for aerospace engine shafts and blisks

  • Resistance spot welding, projection welding and mash seam welding of sheet metals

  • Modeling of welding and additive manufacturing processes and materials (Abaqus, Simufact, Flow-3D, DEFORM, Thermo-Calc, LS-Dyna, and Sysweld)

  • Fatigue and fracture mechanics testing and analysis of welded cast steels and dissimilar joints

  • Specialized thermal-mechanical-metallurgical testing in Gleeble with high-temperature digital image correlation (DIC) to generate "material cards" or property database for high strength steels