Education
Ph.D., University of Tennessee, 2007
M.Sc., University of Missouri, 2003
B.Sc., University of Missouri, 2001
Research Areas and Descriptors
Nondestructive evaluation, characterization of structural materials for nuclear applications, materials aging, structure-property relationships, neutron and high energy x-ray scattering.
Background
Dr. Wall come to Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010 as an adjunct assistant professor of mechanical engineering. He currently holds a joint appointment at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in Charlotte, NC, where he has been on the staff since 2007. Prior to that, Dr. Wall worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Research
Dr. Wall’s research focuses on materials degradation and aging in nuclear power generation applications and the development of novel nondestructive evaluation and inspection techniques to characterize such degradation. Primary materials of interest are ferritic steels, austenitic stainless steels and nonmetals (concrete). Systems of interest are primary loop components (reactor vessel and piping), reactor internals, reactor structural support systems, containment and shield buildings and spent fuel pools. Stressors of interest are neutron and gamma radiation, corrosion (e.g., boric acid attack in spent fuel pools), weld residual stresses, containment internal stresses and elevated temperature exposure. The ultimate goal of this research is to use a mechanistic understanding of damage phenomena to develop better methods of characterization.