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Brian G. Thomas


Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Telephone: 217-333-6919
Fax: 217-244-6534


Research Interests:
  • Metals Processing
  • Continuous Casting of Steel
  • Fluid Flow
  • Heat and Stress Modeling


Mail Address:
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
140 Mechanical Engineering Building, MC-244
1206 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801

Education:
Ph.D., Metallurgical Process Engineering, University of British Columbia, 1985
B.Eng., Metallurgical Engineering, McGill University, 1979
D.E.C., Pure and Applied Science, John Abbott College, 1976

Awards:

HPC (High-Performance Computing) Innovation Excellence Award, 2011, International Data Corp., (jointly with S. Koric)

Jerry Silver Award, 2011, Assoc. for Iron and Steel Tech., Best paper at AISTech 2010 with a student, (jointly with M. Dyer, J.G. Speer, D. K. Matlock, A. J. Shutts, S. Jansto, and K. Xu), “Microalloy Precipitation in Hot Charged Slabs”

Application to Practice Award, 2011, The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society

Fellow, ASM International, 2009

Henry Marion Howe Memorial Lecture, 2009, Association for Iron and Steel Technology, AISTech, invited presentation to start the AISTech 2009 Conference, (St. Louis, MO, May 4-7, 2009), "Industry Implementation of Mathematical Models: Examples in Steel Processing", presented May 4, 2009

C.J. Gauthier Professor, 2008-date, Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

MPMD Distinguished Scientist / Engineer Award, 2008, Materials Processing and Manufacturing Division, TMS, conferred New Orleans, LA, March 11, 2008

Baosteel Honorary Professor, 2006-2010, conferred Shanghai, PRC, May 25, 2006

Robert W. Hunt Silver Medal, 2004, Association for Iron and Steel Technology.
Best original paper on iron and steel appearing in AIST publications between July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2003, “Turbulent Flow and Particle Motion in Continuous Slab-Casting Molds”, ISSTech 2003 Process Technology Proceedings, Indianapolis, IN, Apr. 27-30, 2003, ISS-AIME, Warrendale, PA, 913-927, April 2003. (jointly with Q. Yuan and S.P. Vanka).

W. Grafton and Lillian B. Wilkins Professor, 2003-2008, Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe Lecture, 2001, Iron and Steel Society,
Invited presentation at the Electric Furnace Conference, (Pheonix, AZ, Nov. 11-14, 2001), honoring the accomplishments of Dr. J. Keith Brimacombe in process metallurgy, “Modeling of the Continuous Casting of Steel: Past, Present and Future”.

Best Paper Award, 2000, Metallurgical Society of CIM (Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy).
Best paper in 1999, “Measurement and Modeling of Heat Transfer across Interfacial Mold Flux Layers”, Canadian Metallurgical Quarterly. (jointly with D.T. Stone)

Robert W. Hunt Silver Medal, 1999, Iron and Steel Society.
Best original paper on iron and steel appearing in ISS publications between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1998, “Modeling Study of Intermixing in Tundish and Strand During a Continuous Casting Grade Transition”.

Anderson Consulting Award for Excellence in Advising, 1998, College of Engineering, UIUC

Best Experimental Paper Award, 1998, MCWASP VIII conference.
Best paper on benchmark experiments presented at the Modeling of Casting, Welding, and Advanced Solidification Processes VIII Conference, San Diego, CA, June 7-12, 1998 for “Measurement of temperature, solidification, and microstructure in a continuous cast thin slab“. (jointly with R.J. O’Malley and D.T. Stone)

Charles H. Herty, Jr. Award, 1998, Iron and Steel Society.
Best paper presented at the 1997 Steelmaking Conference with special consideration of the reduction of a scientific principle to practical steel plant utilization, “Analysis of Thermal and Mechanical Behavior of Copper Molds during Continuous Casting of Steel Slabs”. (jointly with G. Li, A. Moitra and D. Habing)

Robert W. Hunt Silver Medal, 1998, Iron and Steel Society.
Best original paper on iron and steel appearing in ISS publications between July 1, 1996 and June 30, 1997, “Intermixing Model of Continuous Casting During a Grade Transition”. (jointly with X. Huang).

Extraction and Processing Technology Award, 1998, TMS.
Best series of papers which represents a notable contribution to the advancement of the technology of extraction and processing metallurgy, with emphasis on nonferrous metals, “Numerical Study of Steady Turbulent Flow through Bifurcated Nozzles in Continuous Casting” and “Flow and Thermal Behavior of the Top Surface Flux / Powder Layers in Continuous Casting Molds”. (jointly with F. Najjar, D. Hershey, and R. McDavid)

Marcus A. Grossmann Young Author Award, 1997, ASM International.
Best paper in Metallurgical Transactions in 1996 by authors under 40, “Flow and Thermal Behavior of the Top Surface Flux / Powder Layers in Continuous Casting Molds”. (jointly with R. McDavid)

Frank B. McKune Award, 1997, Iron and Steel Society.
Best paper presented at 1997 Steelmaking Conference by authors under 40, “Model of Inclusion Removal During RH Degassing of Steel”, (jointly with Y. Miki, A. Dennisov, and Y. Shimada).

Steelmaking Conference Award, 1997, Iron and Steel Society.
Second best paper presented at 1997 Steelmaking Conference by authors under 40, “Analysis of Thermal and Mechanical Behavior of Copper Molds during Continuous Casting of Steel Slabs”. (jointly with G. Li, A. Moitra and D. Habing)

John Chipman Award, 1996, Iron and Steel Society.
Best paper contributing to process technology of iron and steel that appears in ISS publications in previous 2 years, “Modeling of Steel Grade Transition in Continuous Slab Casting Processes”, (jointly with X. Huang).

Xerox Award for Faculty Research, 1991, University of Illinois College of Engineering.

Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, 1990, Society of Manufacturing Engineers.

Best Investment Casting Paper, 1990, American Foundry Society.
"Finite-Element Modeling of Solidification Conditions of Investment Cast, Single-Crystal Cylinders," AFS Transactions, 98, 417-430, 1990, (jointly with Yu, K. O., J. J. Beffel, M. Robinson, D. D. Goettsch, D. Pinella, and R. G. Carlson).

Rossiter W. Raymond Award, 1991, American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers. Best paper in mineral technology by an author under 33, "Application of Mathematical Models to the Continuous Slab Casting Mold".

Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation, 1989.


Publications