Two students in MME and their supervisor are celebrating their hard work with an award from the Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AIST) for the 2025 Jerry Silver Award. This award was based on their research, "Effect of Dewpoint on the Evolving Radiative Properties of Advanced High-Strength Steel During Intercritical Annealing," by Fatima Suleiman, PhD candidate and Nishant Narayanan, a PhD student, along with their Supervisor, Dr. Kyle Daun, in the WatLIT Lab.
The research is based on pyrometry errors that are associated with the imperfectly-known spectral emissivity that cause temperature variations during intercritical annealing of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) in the automotive industry, which can lead to quality degradation when it comes to mechanical properties. Pyrometry is the measurement of temperature using thermal radiation. AHSS is important for vehicle lightweighting to help cut down on emissions, but proper vehicle lightweighting also ensures that cars are safe for consumers.
Precise temperature control is needed to produce AHSS with the right mechanical properties, but errors in the pyrometric temperature measurements used to control the annealing process makes this challenging.
The research quantifies the uncertainty associated with the pyrometric temperature measurements, allowing steelmakers to compare this with predefined temperature tolerances for the mechanical properties of AHSS.
On the impact of the research, Fatima says, "Ultimately, improved pyrometry of AHSS optimizes process efficiency and reduces energy consumption and emissions, contributing to more sustainable steel production—an essential step toward minimizing the steel industry's global carbon footprint."
This specific award was re-established in 2005 after being awarded in the 1990s in honour of Jerry Silver in recognition of his leadership in developing programs for students for the Iron & Steel Society.
Both awardees express gratitude for the award, with Nishant saying that "the award is a great honour, and it feels great to have a positive impact on the steel industry."
Congratulations, team!