Katherine Faber

Faber was the youngest daughter of an aspiring aeronautical engineer whose education was halted by the Great Depression.[6] As the only one of her siblings who had an interest in the sciences, she was encouraged by her father to pursue an education in engineering. An initial interest in chemistry evolved to an appreciation for ceramic engineering after Faber recognized its potential in solving many engineering problems. Faber eventually obtained her Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering at the New York State College of Ceramics within Alfred University (1975).[2] She completed her Master of Science in Ceramic Science at Penn State University (1978) where she studied phase separation in glasses with Professor Guy Rindone.[2] After graduating with her MS, she worked for a year as a development engineer for The Carborundum Company in Niagara Falls, New York, on the development of silicon carbide for high performance applications such as engines.[7] Following her year in industry, Faber decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Materials Science at the University of California, Berkeley, which she completed in 1982.[2][8]

Katherine Faber lecturing on mechanical behavior of solids

From 1982 to 1987, Faber served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Ceramic Engineering at the Ohio State University.[9] She participated in the first class of the Defense Science Study Group, a program which introduces outstanding American science and engineering professors to the United States’ security challenges (1985–1988).[10] From 1988 to 2014, she taught as Associate Professor, Professor, and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University. During her time at Northwestern, she served as the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research, overseeing more than $25 million in faculty research funds.[11] She went on to complete a 5-year term as department chair of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern, where she also served as the Chair of the University Materials Council (2001–2002), a collaborative group composed of directors of a number of materials programs from across the US and Canada.[2] Additionally, from 2005 to 2007 she sat on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Lab.[2] In 2014, she joined the teaching faculty at Caltech.[1]

From 2006 to 2007, Faber served as the President of the American Ceramic Society,[12] and in 2013 was named a Distinguished Life Member in recognition of her notable contributions to the ceramic and glass profession.[12] In 2014, Faber was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences class of fellows.[9]

Faber at the WiMSE Reception

She has also been recognized with:

• IBM faculty development award (1984–1986)[2]
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Presidential Young Investigator Award (1984–1989)[2]
• Society of Women Engineers Distinguished Educator Award (1995)[2]
• YWCA Achievement Award for Education (1997)[2]
• NSF Creativity Extension Award (2001–2003)[2]
• Fellowship in ASM International (2003)[2]
• Pennsylvania State University College of Earth and Mineral Sciences Charles L. Hosler Alumni Scholar Medal (2004)[2]
• NSF American Competitiveness and Innovation Fellow and Creativity Extension Award (2010)[11]
• Toledo Glass and Ceramics Award, Michigan/Northwest Ohio Section of the American Ceramic Society (2012)[11]
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2014)[11]
• American Ceramic Society John Jeppson Award (2015)[13]

Faber's research is focused on fracture in brittle materials and mechanisms by which they can be strengthened and toughened.[1] Her current work comprises research into characterizing the behavior of high-temperature ceramic coatings under cyclic thermal loading, which has applications in improving engine efficiency and wear;[1] and the creation of high-temperature porous ceramics with increased strength and toughness, which have applications in filtration, energy storage, insulation, and medical devices.[1]

Faber heads many collaborative projects, including several with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Her research with JPL encompasses composite systems of graphite and hexagonal boron nitride for Hall-effect thrusters in spacecrafts as well as the study of environmental degradation of composites in space.[14] Her research interests also include silicon-based ceramics and ceramic matrix composites;[1] polymer-derived multifunctional ceramics;[12] graphite- and silicon carbide-based cellular ceramics synthesized from natural scaffolds, such as pyrolyzed wood;[12] and cultural heritage science,[9] with emphasis on porcelains and jades.[10]

Main Article: Faber-Evans model

Distinguished Lecture by Dr. Katherine Faber at UC Davis College of Engineering, Winter 2018

Katherine Faber and her PhD advisor, Anthony G. Evans, first introduced a materials of mechanics model designed to predict the enhancement of fracture toughness in ceramics. This is achieved by accounting for crack deflection around second-phase particles prone to microcracking within a matrix.[15] The model considers particle morphology, aspect ratio, spacing, and volume fraction of the second phase. Additionally, it accounts for the decrease in local stress intensity at the crack tip when deflection or bowing of the crack plane occurs.

Faber showed that by utilizing imaging techniques, the actual crack tortuosity can be determined, enabling the direct input of deflection and bowing angles into the model. The subsequent rise in fracture toughness is then contrasted with that of a flat crack in a plain matrix. The degree of toughening hinges on the mismatch strain resulting from thermal contraction incompatibility and the microfracture resistance at the particle/matrix interface.[16] This toughening effect becomes prominent when particles exhibit a narrow size distribution and are suitably sized.

Faber's analysis revealed that fracture toughness, regardless of morphology, is primarily determined by the most severe twisting of the crack front rather than its initial inclination. While the initial tilting of the crack front contributes to significant toughening in the case of disc-shaped particles, the twist component remains the dominant factor in enhancing toughness.[17] Additionally, she showed that the distribution of inter-particle spacing plays a crucial role in the toughening effect of spherical particles. Specifically, the toughness increases when spheres are in close proximity, causing twist angles to approach π/2. These insights by Faber formed the foundation for designing stronger two-phase ceramic materials. The Faber-Evans model is widely used by materials scientists to indicate that materials with approximately equiaxial grains can experience a fracture toughness increase of about twice the grain boundary value due to deflection effects.[18][19]

Faber is the co-founder and co-director of the Northwestern University–Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts (NU-ACCESS), a collaboration between Northwestern University and the Art Institute of Chicago in which advanced materials characterization and analytical techniques are used to further conservation science for historical artifacts.[2] NU-ACCESS, the first center of its kind, provides opportunities for scientists and scholars from a variety of institutions to make use of the center's facilities to study their collections.[20]