Education

• BS 1984, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Metallurgical Engineering
• MS 1986, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Metallurgical Engineering
• PhD 1991, University of California, Santa Barbara, Materials Engineering

Research interests

• Fatigue, Fracture and Failure Analysis of Materials
• Structure-Processing-Property Relationships of Advanced Materials
• Interfacial Structure and Properties
• Corrosion and Degradation of Materials
• Adhesive Bonding Joining of Composites and Advanced Materials
• Detection of Thermal Damage in Composite Materials

Throughout my career, my scientific research has been focused on the relationships between material processing, structure, and properties in structural materials. When a layperson asks me what I research, the short answer is: I make it, break it, look at it and make it better.

At the University of Washington my research covers a variety of materials (metals, ceramics, polymers and composites) with the common goal of improving structural properties by relating the processing to the microstructure and subsequent mechanical behavior. This approach has been successfully implemented in both basic scientific research and applied research with industry. Fundamental issues relate the strength and fracture behavior of materials to their processing technique and resulting microstructure. This behavior is often related to the characteristics and properties of the material surfaces and interfaces. The design and implementation of experimental techniques to measure material behavior for the development of materials models, e.g. constitutive laws, for computational modeling of material or component performance is often necessary.

Specific research projects included adhesive bonding of composites, fracture and fatigue of metallic nanolaminates, processing and properties of dental ceramics, mechanical properties of natural composites, nondestructive evaluation of thermal damage and surface analysis techniques for quality assurance of bonded structures.

Professional activities and responsibilities

• Fellow of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE)
• Chairman, Seattle SAMPE Chapter 2000-2002; Director 2003-2007, 2016-2019
• Faculty Advisor, UW SAMPE
• FAA Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials for Transport Aircraft Structures (AMTAS)
• Washington Council for Engineering and Related Technical Education
• Society of Plastic Engineers (SPE)
• Keramos (Ceramic Honor Society)
• American Ceramic Society
• American Society of Metals/TMS
• NACE International
• Professional Engineer, licensed in the States of Washington and Nevada.

Selected publications

Ryan Toivola, Farshid Afkhami, Shawn Baker, John McClure, Brian D. Flinn: Detection of incipient thermal damage in carbon fiber-bismaleimide composites using hand-held FTIR. Polymer Testing 08/2018; 69:490-498

Tijana Stijacic, Wenjie Hu, Kwok-Hung Chung, Cheng Zheng, Brian D. Flinn, Ariel J. Raigrodski: Fatigue reliability of dental ceramic materials – an in vitro study. Advances in Applied Ceramics 05/2018

Ryan Toivola, Sei-Hum Jang, Shawn Baker, Alex K.-Y. Jen, Brian D. Flinn: Thermochromic Polymer Film Sensors for Detection of Incipient Thermal Damage in Carbon Fiber–Epoxy Composites. Sensors 04/2018; 18(5):1362.

Ryan Toivola, Sei-Hum Jang, Donald Mannikko, Stefan Stoll, Alex K-Y. Jen, Brian D. Flinn: Photochemical changes in absorption and fluorescence of DDM-containing epoxies. Polymer 04/2018; 142:11-22.

Ryan Toivola, Sei-Hum Jang, Donald Mannikko, Stefan Stoll, Alex K-Y. Jen, Brian D. Flinn: Mechanochemical changes in absorption and fluorescence of DDM-containing epoxies. Polymer 03/2018; 142.

Toivola RE, Howie TL, Yang J, Lai PN, Shi Z, Jang SH, Jen AK and Flinn BD. Highly Sensitive Thermal Damage Sensors for Polymer Composites: Time Temperature Indicator Based on Thermochromic Fluorescence Turn-On Response.  Smart Materials and Structures, 2017 June 20.

Toivola RE, Lai PN, Yang J, Jang SH, Jen AK and Flinn BD. Mechanochromic fluorescence in epoxy as a detection method for barely visible impact damage in CFRP composites. Composites Science and Technology, 2017 February 8 74–82.

Ryan Toivola, Po-Ni Lai, Jeffrey Yang, Sei-Hum Jang, Alex K.-Y. Jen, Brian D. Flinn: Mechanochromic fluorescence in epoxy as a detection method for barely visible impact damage in CFRP composites. Composites Science and Technology 12/2016; 139.

Flinn BD, Raigrodski AJ, Mancl LA, Toivola R, Kuykendall T. Influence of aging on flexural strength of translucent zirconia for monolithic restorations. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. 2016 Sep 22.

Li ZA, Toivola R, Ding F, Yang J, Lai PN, Howie T, Georgeson G, Jang SH, Li X, Flinn BD, Jen AK. Highly Sensitive Built‐In Strain Sensors for Polymer Composites: Fluorescence Turn‐On Response through Mechanochemical Activation. Advanced Materials. 2016 May 1.

Career history

2016 2014 - present - Principal, GT Engineering
2002 - 2016 - Research Associate Professor Emeritus, University of Washington, Seattle
2002 - 2016 - Research Associate Professor, University of Washington, Seattle
1995- 2002 - Research Assistant Professor, University of Washington, Seattle
1991 - 1995 - Research Associate, University of Washington, Seattle
1986 - 1991 - Research & Teaching Assistant, University of California, Santa Barbara
1984 - 1986 - Research & Teaching Assistant, Colorado School of Mines, Golden
1981 - Technician, Esco Corporation, Portland, Oregon