Mechanical Properties Characterization Facility
IMat Initiative Lead Q&A


Education

  • Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991
  • M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1988
  • B.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1986

Teaching Interests

Professor Neu’s teaching emphasizes solid mechanics, mechanical behavior of materials, and fatigue and fracture at both undergraduate and graduate levels. His courses stress the development of mechanistic understanding by linking theoretical foundations with engineering applications. The instructional philosophy integrates analytical reasoning, physical interpretation, and computational methods to cultivate rigorous problem-solving skills.

Research Interests

Professor Neu’s research focuses on the fundamental understanding and prediction of fatigue, deformation, and damage evolution in structural materials subjected to complex thermomechanical and environmental loading. Key areas of emphasis include fretting fatigue, creep, high temperature wear, and the role of microstructure in governing constitutive response, crack initiation, and life, supported by experimental characterization and mechanics-based modeling. Current activities include high-temperature fatigue of additively manufactured alloys, high-throughput mechanical testing, fretting fatigue life prediction, and machine learning approaches for process–structure–property relationships.

Recent Publications

  • Y Kashiwa, AN Caputo, A Bridges, J Shingledecker, RW Neu, Assessing Creep–Fatigue Interactions in Wrought and LP-DED-Processed 316 Stainless Steel, Journal of Engineering Materials and Technology 147 (4), 041005, 2025
  • R Acharya, AN Caputo, RW Neu, Machine learning model for predicting the influence of crystallographic orientation on thermomechanical fatigue of Ni-base superalloys, International Journal of Fatigue 194, 108832, 2025
  • F Farahmand, RW Neu, AI Safety for Physical Infrastructures: A Collaborative and Interdisciplinary Approach, Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures 48, 1919-1928, 2025
  • RW Neu, R Acharya, AN Caputo, A Bridges, J Shingledecker, LCF and TMF of Superalloys Used for IGT Blades and Vanes, Advances in Materials Technology for Power Plants 84871, 766-783, 2024
  • MM Satin, WS Johnson, RW Neu, Time- and Cycle-dependent Growth of Surface Cracks in Alloy 718, Fatigue & Fracture of Engineering Materials & Structures 47, 1395-1416, 2024