Professor Moataz Attallah BSc, MSc, PhD, AHEA

School of Metallurgy and Materials
Professor of Advanced Materials Processing
Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer

Contact details

Address
School of Metallurgy and Materials
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Professor Moataz Attallah holds a chair in advanced materials processing. He received his PhD in metallurgy and materials science from the University of Birmingham (2007), BSc (highest honours) and MSc degrees from the American University in Cairo (AUC) Egypt, in mechanical engineering, and materials/manufacturing engineering respectively. Following his PhD, Moataz worked as a research fellow at the University of Manchester Materials Science Centre from January 2007, prior to his appointment as a lecturer at the School of Metallurgy and Materials at the University of Birmingham in June 2010.

His research over the past 20 years focuses on developing a metallurgical understanding of the material-process interaction in advanced manufacturing processes (additive manufacturing, powder processing, friction joining, and superplastic forming) of metallic materials, focusing on the process impact on the microstructure and structural integrity development. His research is conducted through research partnerships with the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce plc, MBDA, European Space Agency (ESA), ITP, Aero Engine Controls, Johnson-Matthey, BAE Systems, TWI, Safran group companies (Safran Power Units and Safran Landing Systems), Meggitt, Honda R&D, IHI Corporation, Prima Power (Italy), M&I Materials, Magnetic Shields Limited, and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).

His current grant portfolio as a PI includes projects funded by Innovate-UK, EPSRC, DSTL, the UKAEA, as well as several industrial projects, with a career total grant income of £ 15M as a PI. He has published over 200 journal and conference papers and 3 book chapters (h-index: 47), in addition to being a co-inventor for 5 patents. He has given keynote and invited talks in conferences, universities, and research centres in the USA, Canada, Japan, Germany, China, Italy, Finland, Australia, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico, UAE, and Egypt. His awards include the UK Ministry of Defence and the French Delegation Generale pour l’Armement Award in 2013, and the Safran Group Innovation Prize in 2014.

Qualifications

  • Associate Module in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, The University of Birmingham, 2012.
  • PhD (Metallurgy & Materials Science), University of Birmingham, 2007 (Degree conferred 2008).
  • MSc (Materials & Manufacturing), The American University in Cairo, 2003.
  • BSc Hons (Mechanical Engineering), The American University in Cairo (Egypt), 2001.

Biography

Professor Moataz Attallah - Professor of Advanced Materials Processing

Moataz was born in Egypt, attending Orman Experimental Language School in Giza. He received his BSc (highest honours) and MSc in mechanical and materials/manufacturing engineering, 2001 and 2003 respectively, from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. He went on to study for a PhD in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Birmingham between 2003 and 2007. He then worked as a research fellow between January 2007 and June 2010 at the, University of Manchester’s School of Materials with Prof. Michael Preuss. He was a member of the Stress & Damage Characterisation Unit (led by Professor Phil Withers), which is the largest research group in Europe with a research portfolio focused on neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction. During that period, Moataz had a brief spell at Osaka University in Japan, where he worked on in-situ confocal microscopy in Prof. Komizo’s laboratory.

 

From June 2010, he returned to the University of Birmingham as a lecturer in advanced materials processing. He was appointed to a chair in advanced materials processing in August 2014. He leads the Advanced Materials and Processing Lab (AMPLab) www.birmingham.ac.uk/amplab . The group has raised over £15M of research funding since 2010.

 

Moataz teaches undergraduate and postgraduate modules on advanced manufacturing and aerospace materials.

Moataz has given several TV interviews and delivered lectures (in Arabic and English) on additive manufacturing and career development in different charities across the world (found here, external link).

Teaching

MSc modules

  • Materials and Manufacturing for Space
  • Netshape Manufacturing

Undergraduate modules

  • High Performance Materials and Advanced Manufacturing

Postgraduate supervision

  • Anastassia Milleret: 4D printing of magnetic shape memory alloys (DSTL).
  • Emily Lewis: Oxidation behaviour of additively manufactured Ni-superalloys (MTC).
  • Tugrul Ersoz: Additive manufacturing of NbTi superconductors (Turkish Government).
  • Peter Ibrahim: Additive manufacturing of  Titanium Alloys for Medical applications (Newton-Mosharafa)
  • Abdulrahman Alqarni: Additive Manufacturing of Ni-superalloys (King Khaled University).
  • Talal Al-Shammari: Development of Novel Al-alloys for Additive Manufacturing.
  • Daniel Porter: Characterisation, Development and Processing of Reactive Metals (DSTL).
  • Alice Appleby: Powder HIPping for nuclear applications (TWI/NSIRC).
  • Francesco Careri: Additive manufacturing of high performance Al-alloy heat exchangers (TWI/NSIRC).
  • Dina Fouad: Microstructural Control in Additive manufacturing of Ti-alloys (Topological Design CDT and GKN Aerospace).
  • Adam Jackson: Diffusion bonding technologies for space and nuclear fusion technologies (MTC).
  • Dorothy Tomlinson: Multi-theme additive manufacturing in Ni-superalloys (GKN Aerospace).
  • Dominik Bielak: Creep behaviour of controlled microstructures in Ni-superalloys fabricated using additive manufacturing (BAM).

Research

RESEARCH THEMES

  1. Laser Net Shape Fabrication (using blown powder and laser powder bed).
  2. Additive manufacturing of superelastic materials.
  3. Additive manufacturing of stents and drug-delivering implants.
  4. Additive manufacturing of soft magnets.
  5. Solid-Solid and Liquid-Solid Phase Transformations due to Friction-based Welding (linear friction, inertia, and friction stir) and laser fabrication (blown powder and laser bed) of Ti, Al, Ni, and ferrous alloys.
  6. Residual Stress, Micromechanics, and phase transformations Characterisation using Neutron and Synchrotron X-ray Diffraction.
  7. Phase Transformations in Ti-Alloys and Ni-superalloys.
  8. In-Situ Observation of the Phase Transformations in Metallic Materials using High Temperature Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy.
  9. Comparative Quantitative Microstructural Characterisation using electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction for structure-property modelling.
  10. Severe Plastic Deformation in Al-Alloys: the consolidation behaviour of nanocrystalline powders, in combination with subsequent equal channel angular processing.
  11. Plastic Deformation and Recrystallisation in Al-alloys.
  12. Alloy development

 

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

The current projects are available under the student supervision section. Some of the topics include:

  1. Mitigation of Cracking due to Laser Bed Fabrication of Nickel-base superalloys.
  2. Microstructural Characteristics of Direct Laser Deposition (DLD) products in steels, Ni-superalloys, and Ti alloys.
  3. Netshape Powder HIPping of ODS steels.
  4. AM and HIPping of refractory metals.
  5. Alloy development Laser Powder Bed Fabrication of Metallic Materials.

Other activities

Moataz is the Chief Scientific Officer of Amphora Metallicus, a commercial trading division operating under Birmingham Enterprise (UoB’s technology commercialisation company), focusing on advanced manufacturing. The company has undertaken projects with companies in the nuclear, aerospace, space, and materials processing sectors.

Outreach

Moataz was selected as the face of the British Science Festival 2014 at the University of Birmingham, featuring on the festival brochures and street adverts. Moataz delivered talks in science festivals and schools on his research and on being a materials scientist.

Advisory roles

Moataz joined the advisory board of the Advanced Metals Processing theme in the UK’s institute for materials research The Henry Royce Institute in 2021.

Moataz sits on the industrial advisory boards of the following companies:

  1. Alloyed Ltd (since 2018, previously OXMET): Alloyed is an Oxford University spinout that focuses on developing new alloys for metal 3D printing technologies.
  2. Alinor (since 2022): Alinor is a Finnish start-up company that will create the ‘Amazon’ of advanced materials and products, while maximising the emphasis on sustainability.
  3. AliveBioTechnology (since 2022): AliveBioTechnology is a UK-based start-up that works on 3D printing of biocompatible tissue scaffolds.

Publications

Highlight publications

Alhuzaim, A, Imbrogno, S & Attallah, MM 2021, 'Controlling microstructural and mechanical properties of direct laser deposited Inconel 718 via laser power', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 872, 159588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2021.159588

Li, W, Attallah, M & Essa, K 2022, 'Experimental and numerical investigations on the process quality and microstructure during induction heating assisted incremental forming of Ti-6Al-4V sheet', Journal of Materials Processing Technology, vol. 299, 117323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2021.117323

Recent publications

Article

Shakil, SI, Beamer, C, Attallah, MM & Haghshenas, M 2024, 'The Effect of Heat Treatment on Local Mechanical Properties of Laser Powder Bed Fused and Hot Isostatically Pressed Al-Cu-Mg-Ag-TiB2 (A20X) Aluminum Alloy', JOM, vol. 76, pp. 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-023-06233-3

Mahmud, RH, Jarjees, RS, Yu, Y, Nugoolcharoenlap, E, Skaik, T, Attallah, MM & Wang, Y 2023, 'A monolithically printed filtering waveguide aperture antenna', IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters, pp. 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1109/LAWP.2023.3235275

Leo, JRO, Zabeen, S, Fitzpatrick, ME, Zou, J & Attallah, MM 2023, 'A study on the effects of laser shock peening on the microstructure and substructure of Ti–6Al–4V manufactured by Selective Laser Melting', Journal of Materials Processing Technology, vol. 316, 117959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmatprotec.2023.117959

Jiang, F, Tang, L, Li, S, Ye, H, Attallah, MM & Yang, Z 2023, 'Achieving strength-ductility balance in a laser powder bed fusion fabricated TiB2/Al–Cu-Mg-Ag alloy', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 945, 169311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.169311

Careri, F, Khan, RHU, Todd, C & Attallah, MM 2023, 'Additive manufacturing of heat exchangers in aerospace applications: a review', Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 235, 121387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2023.121387

Qian, L, Martinez, R, Salek, M, Skaik, T, Attallah, M & Wang, Y 2023, 'Compact Monolithic 3D-Printed Wideband Filters Using Pole-Generating Resonant Irises', IEEE Journal of Microwaves, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 1028-1039. https://doi.org/10.1109/JMW.2023.3271433

Mostaani, A, Wang, Y, Qian, L, Mohamed, AE-MA, Attallah, MM & Skaik, T 2023, 'Compact Self-Supportive Filters Suitable for Additive Manufacturing', IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology, pp. 1-1. https://doi.org/10.1109/TCPMT.2023.3332678

Tombakti, IA, Adesina, AY, Alharith, A, Attallah, MM & AlMangour, B 2023, 'Effect of Laser Mode and Power on the Tribological Behavior of Additively Manufactured Inconel 718 Alloy', Journal of Tribology, vol. 145, no. 10, 101703. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4062361

Li, Y, Attallah, MM, Coules, H, Martinez, R & Pavier, M 2023, 'Fatigue of octet-truss lattices manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion', International Journal of Fatigue, vol. 170, 107524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfatigue.2023.107524

Li, W, Attallah, M & Essa, K 2023, 'Heat-assisted incremental sheet forming for high strength materials - a review', The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, vol. 124, pp. 2011–2036. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00170-022-10561-0

Sun, K, Mohamed, AEA, Li, S, Jeong, M, Head, J & Attallah, MM 2023, 'Laser powder bed fusion of the Ni-Mn-Sn Heusler alloy for magnetic refrigeration applications', Additive Manufacturing, vol. 69, 103536. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addma.2023.103536

Sun, K, Mohamed, AE-MA, Jeong, M, Head, J, Lewis, ER, Ibrahim, P, Brooks, OP, Sheridan, RS & Attallah, MM 2023, 'On the origin of cracking in laser powder bed fusion processed LaCe(Fe,Mn,Si)13, and the impact of post-processing', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 968, 172017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.172017

Sun, K, Li, S, Mohamed, AE-MA, Ma, K, Duan, R, Brooks, OP, Jeong, M, Head, J, Sheridan, RS & Attallah, MM 2023, 'The effect of thermal post-processing treatment on laser powder bed fusion processed NiMnSn-based alloy for magnetic refrigeration', Journal of Alloys and Compounds, vol. 961, 171063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2023.171063

Conference article

Abdulsalam, M, Feng, J, Garrard, R, Attallah, MM, Serracino-Inglott, F & Zhao, L 2023, 'In vitro study of the deployment performance of 3D printed stents in the diseased artery with the lipid arterial plaques', Procedia Structural Integrity, vol. 42, pp. 608-613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2022.12.077

Conference contribution

Mostaani, A, Skaik, T, Mohamed, AEMA, Attallah, MM, Booth, P, Miquel-Espana, C & Wang, Y 2023, A 3D-Printed Monolithic Inline Filter Fabricated With Titanium Alloy. in 20th SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference, IMOC 2023. 20th SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference, IMOC 2023, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), pp. 58-60, 20th SBMO/IEEE MTT-S International Microwave and Optoelectronics Conference, IMOC 2023, Castelldefels, Spain, 5/11/23. https://doi.org/10.1109/IMOC57131.2023.10379785

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Expertise

Metallic materials used in aerospace; characterising their properties and manufacturing processes, especially friction welding and laser powder fabrication

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