International researchers in Oulu University, Kerttu Saalasti Institute: Ahmed Abdelghany and Miguel Calvo

AHMED ABDELGHANY

1. Please, tell us, who you are and what is your current position in Oulu University Kerttu Saalasti Institute?

I am Ahmed Abdelghany from Egypt. I am currently an assistant lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University and granted a scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to fulfil my PhD degree at Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (EJUST), Egpyt.

I am currently a visiting researcher at Future Manufacturing Technologies (FMT) research group, Kerttu Saalasti Institute as a part of my PhD research work.

2. What is your background, what kind of research have you done before?

I was granted my MSc in mechanical engineering (MSc) in 2016, where the research scope was the design and testing of Filament Winding composite pipes with the aid of Finite Element Simulation. Since 2018, I have joined the Advanced Functional Metallic Materials lab (AFMM) at EJUST to start my PhD journey in the field of metallurgy.

My research focuses on the design and development of High Entropy Alloys (HEA) with low costs. High Entropy Alloy is a brand-new research area that attracts many researchers because of its unique and superior properties compared with the traditional alloying system. In the past decade, researchers found that HEAs are not only showing promising mechanical behavior but also competing for advanced functional applications such as Energy storage, thermo-electricity, etc.

3. What do you expect from you stay in Kerttu Saalasti Institute and the Future Manufacturing Technologies research group?

I expect to learn new research knowledge and gain a new perspective from this collaboration opportunity. I appreciate the stimulating discussions with the experts at Kerttu Saalasti Institute and the cooperation to embrace my research to have a benchmark international publication in collaboration with FMT researchers.

In the future, I am willing to extend the collaboration with FMT research group to integrate the research and industrial experience with the HEA steels development and expand the scope for real applications.

4. What is important for you on your reasearch field?

High Entropy Alloys are attracting more researchers in the field of metallurgy who are trying to find solutions for future applications and material challenges to jump beyond the borders of the available alloying systems. The philosophy of alloy design may be changed in the next decades, so one of the genuine ideas proposed is the High Entropy Steels, where scientists could use the huge knowledge of the steel industry to help in developing the properties of the brand-new alloys. I always say that “HEAs is the new alloying era that could be the answer for future human challenges.”

MIGUEL CALVO:

1. Pleas, tell us, who you are and what is your current position in Oulu University Kerttu Saalasti Institute?

My name is Miguel Araya Calvo, I am from Costa Rica. I’m a doctoral student at Costa Rica Institute of Technology. I am currently carrying out my doctoral research internship in the Future Manufacturing Technologies research group.

2. What is your background, what kind of research have you done before?

I’m an industrial design engineer with a master degree in medical devices engineering. For the last 6 years I have been working in the implementation of Additive Manufacturing technologies for the design and development of medical devices, particularly lower limb amputee prosthesis and osseointegrated implants. With the FMT group, We are studying the mechanical properties of open cell porous structures, fabricated with Metal Additive Manufacturing Technologies for medical applications.

3. What do you expect from you stay in Kerttu Saalasti Institute and the Future Manufacturing Technologies research group?

I’m expecting to learn deeply about how the mechanical characterization of materials, specially the study of fatigue properties, can be useful to define design criteria and specifications for the development of medical implants.

I’m also expecting to continue an international research collaboration between FMT and the research group in Costa Rica, to enhance the fatigue properties of open cell materials.

4. What is important for you on your research field?

It is very important to integrate different fields, such as material sciences, mechanical engineering, industrial design, clinical fields and so on, in order to bring research to the application level, and to develop research projects that can result in tangible solutions for human needs.

Photo: Ahmed Abdelghany (left) and Miguel Calvo (right) are making their PhD research in the Future Manufacturing Technologies research group of Oulun yliopisto, Kerttu Saalasti Institute.