History
Founded in 1974 within the University of Delaware's College
of Engineering, the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) is an internationally
recognized, interdisciplinary center of excellence for composites research
and education. CCM's 34,000-square-foot Composites
Manufacturing Science Laboratory houses some $8 million worth of
composites manufacturing, characterization, testing, and computational
equipment used by students, faculty,
staff, visiting scholars,
and industrial and Army interns from both the United States and abroad.
More than 35 faculty members,
17 graduate students, and
25 undergraduates are currently affiliated with the Center.
During its first quarter century, CCM has developed core
competencies in a number of composites science and engineering areas.
These core competencies are applied to the Center's many research
programs, which are supported by a variety of funding sources, including
the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL),
the Army Research Office (ARO), the Office of Naval Research (ONR),
industry (100+ companies representing materials suppliers and end users
in the aerospace, automotive, civil engineering, and durable goods industries),
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the National
Academy of Science (NAS), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and
the State of Delaware.
Although all activities of the Center are supported by
external contracts and grants,
CCM has a longstanding commitment to the education of graduate, undergraduate,
and postdoctoral students. Students and faculty in the Center are affiliated
with the Departments of Chemical
Engineering, Chemistry
& Biochemistry, Civil &
Environmental Engineering, Electrical
& Computer Engineering, Materials
Science & Engineering, Mechanical
Engineering, and Physics
& Astronomy, as well as the College
of Business & Economics.
Milestones
| 1974 |
Center
for Composite Materials founded |
| 1978 |
Industry-University
Research Consortium established |
| 1985 |
CCM
named NSF ERC for Composites Manufacturing Science and Engineering |
| 1986 |
CCM
awarded initial ARO/URI grant for Composites Manufacturing Science,
Reliability, and Maintainability Technology |
| 1988 |
Composites
Manufacturing Science Lab built and occupied |
| 1992 |
CCM
awarded follow-on ARO/URI grant for Multidisciplinary Program in
Manufacturing Science of Polymeric Composites; DARPA RAPTECH-PMC
and RAPTECH-CMC grants |
| 1994 |
CCM
awarded four substantial grants in partnership with other academic
institutions and/or industry: AMPP-ARO RAPTECH-ACM, DARPA
Bridge Infrastructure Renewal (BIR),
and two other DARPA TRPs--the Manufacturing Education and Training
Program in Composite Materials for the DoD and Durable Goods Industries
(jointly awarded with Michigan State University) and Affordable
Composites for Propulsion (ACP) |
| 1995 |
Tuskegee
University Research Consortium (which includes CCM) program, Intelligent
Resin Transfer Molding for Integral Armor Applications, awarded
by ARO |
| 1996 |
CCM
selected for Army Research Laboratory Composite Materials Research
(CMR) Collaborative Program,
involving collaborative research, scientific exchange program, and
facilities/equipment sharing via a Cooperative Research Agreement |
| 1997 |
The
Office of Naval Research funds Advanced Materials Intelligent Processing
Center (AMIPC) at UD (through
CCM and the Department of Mechanical
Engineering) to focus on intelligent manufacturing via liquid
molding technologies |
| 1998 |
The
Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP)
funds a team comprising CCM, the Army Research Laboratory, and industry
to investigate "Non-Polluting Composites Repair and Remanufacturing
for Military Applications." |
| 1999 |
CCM
celebrates its 25th anniversary by hosting "Composites 2000:
An International Symposium on Composite Materials" at the University
of Delaware. |
| 2001 |
CCM
selected for Army Research Laboratory Composite Materials Technology
(CMT) Collaborative Program,
directed toward applied research |
Past Directors
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Questions? Call 302-831-8149 or email us at info-ccm@udel.edu |