Rob's Page

Welcome! Here you will find information about my dissertation research here at the University of Minnesota. Most published work is available for download in PostScript form below, as well as a detailed digital tour of my ferromagnetic shape memory material research. Without further ado:

Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Materials

Etched surface of a Ni₂MnGa polycrystal. Martensitic twinned microstructure is visible within the grains.

Ferromagnetic Shape Memory (FSM) materials are a new class of active materials which combine the properties of ferromagnetism with those of a diffusionless, reversible martensitic transformation. These materials have been the subject of recent study due to the unusually large magnetostriction exhibited in the martensitic phase. My dissertation work focused primarily on FSM alloy Ni₂MnGa.

For more information:

Research: Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Materials

For general shape memory information:

What are Martensites: A nice review of the properties of martensitic materials by Jim Sethna.
Kevin Hane's page has a great deal of information about the shape memory phenomena and the crystallography of specific martensitic transformations.

Current Research

Take a look at the construction of our rotating magnet. By creating a variable speed alternating horizontal/vertical field we hope to discover the dynamic response characteristics of FSM materials.

Online Publications

"Ferromagnetic Shape Memory Materials", my dissertation, is available in zipped PostScript format. This is a large file (3005 Kb), but well worth the wait of course.
"Magnetic and Magnetomechanical Properties of Ni₂MnGa", published in Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 195, 627. Zipped PostScript, 285 Kb.
"Ferromagnetic Shape Memory in the NiMnGa System", published in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, 35, no.5, 4301. Zipped PostScript, 496 Kb.

Resume

My resume at a glance. Click here for a printable PostScript file, 229 Kb.