Emeritus Professor Andrej Atrens

Emeritus Professor

School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering
Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology
andrejs.atrens@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53748

Overview

Prof Andrej Atrens's research interests are in: the service performance of engineering materials and alloy development.

He received a PhD from the University of Adelaide in 1976, a DEng from the University of Queensland in 1997, and became FHEA in 2018.

His current research projects are in the fields of:

  • Mg Corrosion
  • SCC
  • Hydrogen embrittlement

Research Interests

  • Mg Corrosion
  • Hydrogen Embrittlenent
  • Stress Corrosion cracking

Research Impacts

Atrens has made significant contributions to the understanding of the service performance of engineering materials. This includes:

  • Related electrochemical hydrogen charging to equivalent hydrogen fugacity.
  • Demonstrated that there is little risk in auto service of HE for the advanced high-strength steels currently used in automobile light-weighting,
  • Elucidated corrosion mechanisms of magnesium alloys, stainless steels and copper alloys,
  • Developed a model for the patination of copper, and a procedure for an artificial patination process,
  • Developed an improved understanding of passivity in stainless steels and binary alloys such as Fe-Cr, Ni-Cr, Co-Cr, Fe-Ti, and Fe-Si.
  • Characterised the corrosion reactions, types of corrosion and the corrosion morphologies for Mg alloys and related these to alloy chemistry, metallurgy and microstructure.
  • Help to provide an understanding of the biocorrosion of Mg.
  • Produced a comprehensive explanation of the strange electrochemical behaviour of the negative difference effect, which underlies the corrosion behaviour of magnesium and its alloys.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, HEA
  • Fellow Aust Inst of Physics
  • Fellow - Institute of Engineers Aust
  • Doctor of Engineering, The University of Queensland
  • Graduate Certificate (Education), The University of Queensland
  • PhD, The University of Adelaide
  • Bachelor of Science (Honours), The University of Adelaide

Publications

View all Publications

Supervision

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • The aim is to provide an overview and summary of the state of art and description of key technical challenges, drivers and trends emerging in the technology/sector.

    The total topic is huge so it is necessary to target one part. A possible approach is to look at a particular number of sectors. Sectors can be defined in a number of ways.

    1. Focus on the manufacturing process: Casting, Shaping and forming, machining, Fabrication, Fabrication of microelectronic devices and micromanufacturing, Joining, Surface Technology, Composites, Ceramics, Wood, Concrete
    1. Focus on the industry or industry sector: Aerospace, auto, microelectronic or consumer electronics, consumer goods etc.

    A number of these sectors need to be chosen and analysed. For each sector an overview/summary is to be provided together with the references of where the information was obtained.

  • We aim to understand the kinetics of the inhibition of hydrogen embrittlement in hydrogen gas environments by added gases such as oxygen.

    We are building a gas phase permeabilty apparatus capable of operating at 200 C and 200 bar hydrogen

View all Available Projects

Publications

Book

  • Atrens, A. and Wang, Z. F. (1995). Stress corrosion cracking. Inst of Metals & Materials Australasia.

Book Chapter

  • Atrens, Andrej (2023). Magnesium alloys – corrosion fundamental. Advances in corrosion control of magnesium and its alloys. (pp. 3-21) edited by Viswanathan S. Saji. Boca Raton, FL, United States: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003319856-2

  • Chen, Xingrui, Le, Qichi, Venezuela, Jeffrey and Atrens, Andrej (2023). Materials and Technologies of Mg-Air Primary Batteries. Metal-Air Batteries. (pp. 65-76) Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/9781003295761-5

  • Yin, Yu, Atrens, Andrej, Huang, Han and Zhang, Ming-Xing (2022). Cost-effective Fe-rich high-entropy alloys: a brief review. High entropy materials: microstructures and properties. (pp. 1-21) edited by Yong A. Zhang. London, United Kingdom: IntechOpen. doi: 10.5772/intechopen.105081

  • Atrens, Andrej, Shi, Zhiming, Mehreen, Syeda U., Chen, Xingrui, Johnston, Sean, Song, Guang-Ling, Chen, Xianhua and Pan, Fusheng (2022). Corrosion of Mg alloys. Encyclopedia of materials: metals and alloys. (pp. 46-74) Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-819726-4.00046-6

  • Venezuela, Jeffrey, Johnston, Sean, Dargusch, Matthew S. and Atrens, Andrej (2021). Corrosion of metallic biomaterials. Metallic biomaterials processing and medical device manufacturing. (pp. 469-515) edited by Cuie Wen. Duxford, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing/Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/b978-0-08-102965-7.00014-x

  • Atrens, A., Venezuela, J., Liu, Q., Zhou, Q., Verbeken, K., Tapia-Bastidas, C., Gray, E., Christien, F. and Wolski, K. (2018). Electrochemical and mechanical aspects of hydrogen embrittlement evaluation of martensitic steels. Encyclopedia of Interfacial Chemistry: Surface Science and Electrochemistry. (pp. 201-225) London, United Kingdom: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.13770-9

  • Atrens, A., Song, G.-L., Shi, Z., Soltan, A., Johnston, S. and Dargusch, M. S. (2017). Understanding the corrosion of Mg and Mg alloys. Reference module in chemistry, molecular sciences and chemical engineering. (pp. 1-20) edited by Jan Reedijk, Hideaki Kakeya, Koop Lammertsma, Roberto Marquardt, Massimo Morbidelli, Hiromi Nakai, Giovanni Natile, Colin Poole, Martin Quack, Kari Rissanen and Klaus Wandelt. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-409547-2.13426-2

  • Song, Guangling, Atrens, Andrej and St John, David (2016). An hydrogen evolution method for the estimation of the corrosion rate of magnesium alloys. Essential readings in magnesium technology. (pp. 565-572) edited by Suveen N. Mathaudhu, Alan A. Luo, Neale R. Neelameggham, Eric A. Nyberg and Wim H. Sillekens. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-48099-2_90

  • Atrens, A., Cao, F., Shi, Z. and Dargusch, M. S. (2015). Corrosion of Mg for biomedical applications. Surface coating and modification of metallic biomaterials. (pp. 81-102) edited by Wen, Cuie. Cambridge, United Kingdom : Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1016/B978-1-78242-303-4.00003-X

  • Atrens, Andrejs (2015). Revolutionising biodegradable biomaterials - significance of magnesium and its alloys. Surface Modification of Magnesium and its Alloys for Biomedical Applications. (pp. 3-28) Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1016/B978-1-78242-077-4.00001-2

  • Dietzel, W., Atrens, A. and Barnoush, A. (2012). Mechanics of modern test methods and quantitative-accelerated testing for hydrogen embrittlement. Gaseous hydrogen embrittlement of materials in energy technologies. (pp. 237-273) edited by Richard P. Gangloff and Brian P. Somerday. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1533/9780857093899.2.237

  • Atrens, A., Liu, M., Zainal Abidin, N. I. and Song, G. -L. (2011). Corrosion of magnesium (Mg) alloys and metallurgical influence. Corrosion of magnesium alloys. (pp. 117-165) edited by Guang-Ling Song. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing.

  • Atrens, A., Shi, Z. and Song, G. -L. (2011). Numerical modelling of galvanic corrosion of magnesium (Mg) alloys. Corrosion of magnesium alloys. (pp. 455-483) edited by Guang-Ling Song. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1533/9780857091413.3.455

  • Atrens, A., Winzer, N., Dietzel, W., Srinivasan, P. B. and Song, G. -L. (2011). Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of magnesium (Mg) alloys. Corrosion of magnesium alloys. (pp. 299-364) edited by Guang-Ling Song. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing.

  • Atrens, A., Dietzel, W., Bala Srinivasan, P., Winzer, N. and Bobby Kannan, M. (2011). Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of magnesium alloys. Stress corrosion cracking: Theory and practice. (pp. 341-380) edited by Raja, V. S. and Shoji, T.. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1533/9780857093769.3.341

  • Dietzel, W., Bala Srinivasan, P. and Atrens, A. (2011). Testing and evaluation methods for stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in metals. Stress corrosion cracking: theory and practice. (pp. 133-166) edited by V. S. Raja and Tetsuo Shoji. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Woodhead Publishing. doi: 10.1533/9780857093769.2.133

  • Song, G. and Atrens, A. (2008). Corrosion of Non-Ferrous Alloys. III. Magnesium Alloys. Materials Science and Technology: A Comprehensive Treatment. (pp. 131-171) New York: Wiley. doi: 10.1002/9783527619306.ch13

Journal Article

Conference Publication

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Master Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • The aim is to provide an overview and summary of the state of art and description of key technical challenges, drivers and trends emerging in the technology/sector.

    The total topic is huge so it is necessary to target one part. A possible approach is to look at a particular number of sectors. Sectors can be defined in a number of ways.

    1. Focus on the manufacturing process: Casting, Shaping and forming, machining, Fabrication, Fabrication of microelectronic devices and micromanufacturing, Joining, Surface Technology, Composites, Ceramics, Wood, Concrete
    1. Focus on the industry or industry sector: Aerospace, auto, microelectronic or consumer electronics, consumer goods etc.

    A number of these sectors need to be chosen and analysed. For each sector an overview/summary is to be provided together with the references of where the information was obtained.

  • We aim to understand the kinetics of the inhibition of hydrogen embrittlement in hydrogen gas environments by added gases such as oxygen.

    We are building a gas phase permeabilty apparatus capable of operating at 200 C and 200 bar hydrogen