Mike Hill wins 2022 G.A. Brewer Award
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Professor Mike Hill was named the recipient of the 2022 G.A. Brewer Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics.
Since 1989, the award is given annually to an outstanding practicing experimentalist and recognizes skill in the practical application of experimental mechanics techniques. Hill was recognized for, “contributions to experimental techniques for residual stress measurement, fatigue, and other material characterization.” He will be recognized at the Society for Experimental Mechanics annual conference, June 13-16, 2022.
“It’s really wonderful for our work to be recognized by colleagues at SEM,” he said. “The award speaks volumes about the excellent student researchers we have at UC Davis and the many partnerships we have built across industry and government. This is a great honor.”
Hill’s research focuses on the impact of residual stress, the mechanical stress left over from manufacturing or applied during service to improve performance, and its impact on the structural performance of materials. Though sometimes residual stress is desirable and makes materials more durable, it’s also a leading contributor to unexpected behavior like fatigue (when cracks grow over time) and fracture (when the materials break).
To combat this, Hill and his lab develop new techniques to accurately measure and effectively manage residual stress. His lab uses both experimentation and simulation to characterize residual stress so researchers and manufacturers can optimize their processing and manufacturing techniques. His work has helped the aerospace, power generation, manufacturing, rail and automotive industries assess new materials and maintain their fleets.
Hill received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona and his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at Stanford University. He joined UC Davis in 1996, shortly after completing his Ph.D. He teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in experimental methods and mechanical design.
He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and founder and CEO of Hill Engineering, an engineering services company that provides measurements and analyses to solve complex structural problems related to fatigue and fracture.
The Society for Experimental Mechanics—founded in 1943 and comprised of international members from academia, government and industry—is committed to interdisciplinary research and development, education and promoting experimental methods. The award is named after G.A. Brewer, founder of Brewer Engineering Laboratories, which carried out over 700 projects using experimental and theoretical techniques.