Professor Russell J Hand
MA PhD MEd FSGT CPhys MInstP CEng
Professor of Glass Science & Engineering/Deputy Faculty Director of
Learning & Teaching
Address:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Sir Robert Hadfield Building
Mappin Street, Sheffield, S1 3JD
Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 5465
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 5943
Email: r.hand@sheffield.ac.uk
Russell Hand joined the Department in 1989, from Cambridge University, as the Redland Research Fellow. He was appointed to a lectureship in 1990 (Senior Lecturer 2001; Reader 2010; Professor 2012) and in 1999 obtained an MEd in Teaching and Learning for University Lecturers. In 2001 he became Sub-Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the Faculty of Engineering and in 2008 Deputy FLTD Engineering.
Research interests
He has wide ranging research interests in glass and ceramic science, with particular emphases on mechanical properties and waste immobilisation. He is significantly involved with the Immobilisation Science Laboratory (ISL). He is significantly involved with both the Society of Glass Technology and the Technical Committees of the International Commission on Glass. He is Senior Editor of the learned journals Glass Technology: The European Journal of Glass Science & Technology A and Physics and Chemistry of Glasses: The European Journal of Glass Science & Technology B.
His research on immobilisation of both nuclear and toxic wastes involves studies on the incorporation of "difficult" anionic species and graphite into vitreous wasteform, studies on the early stages of melting of waste in borosilicate glasses and the vitrification of phosphate rich wastes in iron phosphate and other related glasses. He is collaborating with Dr Karl Travis on developing an understanding of viscosity- composition relationships for nuclear borosilicate glasses. He also has a particular interest in glass durability and is now responsible for the long term glass burial site at Ballidon, an experiment now in its 42nd year, and which involves collaboration with Dr Strachan from Pacific North-West National Laboratory, USA.
His other major research focus is on the mechanical properties of glasses, with a particular emphasis on the effects of composition on these properties and has found that the role of MgO is particularly important in silicate glasses. Recently he has also focussed on assessing the changes in near surface mechanical properties of glasses due to hydration by nanoindentation and currently he is looking at the effects of high temperature mechanical contact on surface damage. He also has ongoing work on the development of smart composites using fibres as damage and chemical sensing elements (in collaboration with Dr Hayes) and has previously worked on the development of tough silicate based glass ceramics for dental applications (in collaboration with Prof van Noort, Dept. of Restorative Dentistry).
Key projects
- Development and characterisation of new glass compositions for nuclear wastes and toxic wastes
○ Current emphasis on sulphate containing wastes and irradiated graphite - Relationships between composition and the mechanical properties of silicate glasses
Learning and teaching interests
Russell Hand has significant contributes to learning and teaching with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Engineering. He has successfully completed an MEd in Teaching and Learning for University Lecturers. He currently contributes to first year undergraduate modules on the mechanical properties of materials and masters modules on fracture mechanics and heat transfer. In addition he has a specialist masters level module on glasses and contributes to the teaching of fibre reinforced composite materials and to the taught component of both the Nuclear FiRST and E-Futures Doctoral Training Centres. For the past decade he has also been involved with teaching related matters at Faculty level firstly as Sub-Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and since 2008 Deputy Faculty Director of Learning and Teaching.
Professional activities and recognition
- Society of Glass Technology
○ Fellow since 2000
○ Senior Editor of “Glass Technology: The European Journal of Glass Science & Technology A” and “Physics and Chemistry of Glasses: The European Journal of Glass Science & Technology B” and member of Council
○ Member of Council and Steering Committee
○ Member of the Basic Science & Technology Committee (have previously been Secretary and then Chair of this Committee) - International Congress on Glass
○ Chair of Technical Committee 6 – Mechanical Properties of Glass
○ Member of Technical Committee 5 – Nuclear and Hazardous Waste Vitrification - Member of the Institute of Physics
Key publications
- A.J. Connelly, R.J. Hand, P.A. Bingham and N.C. Hyatt Mechanical properties of nuclear waste glasses, J. Nucl. Mater., 408 188-193 (2011).
- R.J. Hand and D.R. Tadjiev Mechanical properties of silicate glasses as a function of composition, J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 356 2417-2423 (2010).
- D.R. Tadjiev, R.J. Hand and P. Zeng, Comparison of glass hydration layer thickness measured by transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation, Mater. Letts., 64, 1041-1044 (2010).
- D.R. Tadjiev and R.J. Hand, Surface hydration and nanoindentation of silicate glasses, J. Non-Cryst. Solids, 356 102-108 (2010).
- P.A. Bingham, A.J. Connelly, R.J. Hand, N.C. Hyatt and P.A. Northrup, Incorporation and speciation of sulphur in glasses for waste immobilization, Glass Technol.: Europ. J. Glass Sci. Technol. A, 50 135-138 (2009).
- N.J. Cassingham, P.A. Bingham, R.J. Hand and S.D. Forder, Property modification of high-level nuclear waste borosilicate glass through the addition of Fe2O3, Glass Technol: Europ. J. Glass Sci. Technol. A, 49 21-26 (2008).
- R.J. Short, R.J. Hand, N.C. Hyatt and G. Möbus, Environment and oxidation state of molybdenum in simulated high level nuclear waste glass compositions, J. Nucl. Mater., 340 179-186 (2005).
- R.J. Hand, B. Ellis, B.R. Whittle and F.H. Wang, Epoxy based coatings on glass: strengthening mechanisms, J. Non-Cryst. Solids., 315 276-287 (2003).
- B R Whittle and R J Hand, The Morphology of Vickers Indent Flaws in Soda-Lime Glass, J Amer Ceram Soc, 84, 2361-2365 (2001).
- R J Hand and A B Seddon, An Hypothesis on the Nature of Griffiths Cracks in Alkali Silicate and Silica Glasses, Phys Chem Glasses, 1997, 38 11-14.
Research group
Research students:
Ayilaran Ajayi
Erhan Kilinç
Mohd Zul Hilmi Mayzan
James Miller
Jesús Gonzalez Rodriguez
Shengheng Tan
Peter Wilson