Professor W Mark Rainforth

Prof W M Rainforth

BMet PhD MIM CEng FInstP CPhys
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Address:
Department of Engineering Materials
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD

Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 5469
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5943

Email: m.rainforth@sheffield.ac.uk

After obtaining a 1st Class Honours degree from the University of Sheffield, Mark Rainforth initially followed an initial industrial career. He later joined the Department from the University of Leeds in 1989 and rapidly established state-of-the-art facilities in electron microscopy and tribology. He is co-author of the book `Ceramic Microstructures´ with W E Lee, a winner of the Rosenhain Medal of the IoM3 and is currently President of the Royal Microscopical Society.

Research interests

His research centres on the high resolution characterisation of microstructures, in particular interfaces and surfaces. His research programmes are broadly based and cover metals, ceramics and coatings:

  • Aberration corrected electron microscopy to determine atomic structure and local bonding state, particularly at interfaces in, for example, nanoscale multilayer coatings or functional ceramics
  • Understanding the dynamic microstructural changes that occur as a result of frictional contact, to thereby develop superior materials, for example, next generation hip arthroplasties
  • Surface degeneration phenomena, such as oxidation of metals (including during hot rolling) and hydrothermal degradation of zirconia ceramics
  • Microstructural evolution during the hot deformation of metals, particularly Ti, Mg and steels

Key projects

  • Nanostructure in functional ceramics
  • Innovative processes and materials to synthesise knowledge-based ultra performance nanostructured PVD thin films on gamma titanium aluminides
  • Mechanisms of thermal degradation in 3rd generation superhard coatings
  • Wear mechanisms in ceramics, e.g. for ceramic on ceramic hip prosthetics
  • Modern metals processing: transfer of knowledge and core skills to new and emerging technologies
  • Modelling surface evolution during hot rolling and wear
  • Thermomechanical processing of Mg and Ti alloys and steels

Professional activities and recognition

  • President, Royal Microscopical Society
  • Leverhulme/Royal Academy of Engineering Senior Research Fellow (2007-08)
  • Rosenhain Medal and Pfeil Prize of the IoM3, Bronze Medal and Thomas Stephens Prize of the Tribology Society of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers
  • Invited/keynote talks in recent years include: 19th Turkish Electron Microscopy Conf., Turkey (2007), Plenary, at the Annual Meeting of the Asociacion Espanola de Materialses Compuestos, Madrid, Spain, 2007, Plenary, Conference to celebrate 59th Anniversary of the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and 40th Anniversary of the Graduate School, UANL-FIME, Monterray, Mexico, (2006), Baosteel 2nd Conference, China (2006), 3rd World Tribology Congress, USA (2005), EMAG, UK, (2005), ICMCTF, USA (2005), Nanoindentation of Coatings, India (2004), EELS of Steels and Alloys, Austria (2003), VI International Meeting on Materials and Composites, Mexico (2003), 2nd World Tribology Congress, Austria (2001), Tribology Gordon Research Conference, USA (2000), 7th Asia-Pacific Electron Microscopy Conf. Singapore (2000)
  • Visiting Professor, University Juan Reyes, Madrid, Spain
  • Member Board of Review, Materials and Metallurgical Transactions; Editorial Board, Materials Science and Technology, Journal Microscopy and Advances in Applied Ceramics
  • Reviewer for a number of international bodies, including national funding agencies and RAE equivalents and international examiner for several overseas PhDs
  • EPSRC College Member, including chairing several panels
  • External examiner for Manchester MSc (2002-2006) and Surrey Materials MSc and EngD (2007-2010)
  • Director, IMMPETUS
  • Director Sorby Nano Investigation Centre

Key publications

  • W.M. Rainforth and R. Stevens, The Sliding Wear Behaviour of Zirconia Against Ceramic Counterfaces, J. Mater. Res., 13, (1998), 396-405.
  • O. Barceinas-Sanchez and W.M. Rainforth, On the Role of Plastic Deformation During the Mild Wear of Alumina, Acta Mater., 46, (1998), 6475-6483.
  • W.M. Rainforth, M.P. Black, R.L. Higginson, E.J. Palmiere, C.M. Sellars, I. Pabst, P. Warbichler and F. Hofer, Precipitation of NbC in a Model Austenitic Steel Acta Mater., 50, (2002), 735-747.
  • Z. Zhou, W.M. Rainforth, U. Falke, M. Falke, A. Bleloch & P. Hovsepian, On the structure and composition of nanoscale TiAlN/VN multilayers, Phil. Mag. A., 87(2), (2007), 967-978.
  • M. Moser, P.H. Mayrhofer, I.M. Ross & W.M. Rainforth, Microstructure and mechanical properties of sputtered intermetallic Al-Au coatings, J. Appl. Phys., 102, (2007), 023523 1-6.
  • W.M. Rainforth, Recent Developments in the Microscopy of Ceramics, Advances in Imaging and Electron Physics, Ed. P. W. Hawkes, Vol. 132, (2004), 167-246.
  • G. Angella, B.P. Wynne, W.M. Rainforth and J.H. Beynon, Microstructure Evolution of AISI 316L in Torsion at High Temperature, Acta Mater., 53, (2005), 1263-1275.
  • C. Rodenburg and W.M. Rainforth, A quantitative analysis of the influence of carbides size distributions on wear behaviour of high speed steel in dry rolling/sliding contact, Acta Mater., 55(7), (2007), 2443-2454.
  • C. Rodenburg and W.M. Rainforth, The influence of beam energy and oxidation on quantitative carbide analysis in the scanning electron microscope, J. Appl. Phys., 100, (2007), 114902 1-6.

Research group

PDRA:
Dr Ian Ross
Dr Zhaoxia Zhou
Dr Mike Frolish
Dr Michal Krzyzanowski
Dr Magda Pedrosa Lopes (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Dr John Hinton
Peter Davies (Joint with Drs Wynne and Todd)

PhD:
Nelson Garza*
Akemi Nogiwa Valdez*
Peng Zeng* (Join with Dr Inkson)
Le Ma*
Noor e Mateen (Joint with Prof Gibbs)
Jorge Zuno*
Amit Rana* (Joint with Dr Atkinson)
Anita Kamarolzaman*
Mohamad Zaky Ahmed (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Olubayo Latinwo (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Oliver Henandez-Silva (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Nima Nasseri (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Rahul Bhattacharya (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Jody Turner* (Joint with Dr Wynne)
David Randman* (Joint with Dr Wynne)
Moises Talamantes-Silva* (Joint with Dr Wynne)
*=Principal supervisor

Research centres

IMMPETUS

Sorby Nano Investigation Centre

Sorby Centre for Electron Microscopy and Microanalysis