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The University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials (CCM) experienced another highly successful year in fulfilling our mission of conducting high-quality research, educating the next generation of scientists and engineers, and successfully transitioning technology to the composites industry. In 2004, we celebrated our 30th anniversary with an international symposium in honor of Prof. Jack Vinson, founding director of CCM. The occasion was an excellent opportunity to review CCM's history and current successes. |
This year's annual report highlights technology transfer. To fulfill our mission, it is essential that we not only perform basic and applied research, but also convey the resulting technology to industry and government. A testament to our effectiveness is the large growth in our Industrial Consortium, “Application of Composite Materials to Industrial Products.” Founded in 1978, the Consortium included 60 companies in 2003-2004, an all-time record. All of these companies benefit signficantly from our technology transfer mission by leveraging past and ongoing research and by gaining access to our experts and state-of-the-art facilities. Members of our Consortium are our first choice as partners in pursuit of addtional funding. We have also been very successful in partnering with our small business members to win Phase I and Phase II SBIR and STTR programs as another route for successful transition of our research. |
The 2005 Posterbook and Annual Report is now available.Please call |
A major source of leveraged research originates from three DoD Centers of
Excellence estabalished at CCM: (1) the Army Research Laboratory Materials
Center of Excellence on Multifunctional Materials; (2) the Office of Naval
Research Advanced Materials Intelligent Processing Center; and (3) the Army
Research Laboratory Center on Composite Material Technologies. These prestigious
Centers of Excellence enable a critical mass of basic and applied research
to be conducted in materials, processing, and performance. These Centers focus
on the critical needs of DoD and allow our researchers to conduct high-risk/high-payoff
long-term research and to develop new design and simulation capabilities, as
well as transition emerging technologies to our industrial sponsors through
advanced technology demonstrators. Composite Design Software (CDS) is one of
this year’s highlights and is an outgrowth of these programs providing
user-friendly, web-based software tools for advanced design and analysis of
composites structures to our sponsors.
Projects like the TARDEC composite replacement parts for tactical vehicles
have enabled CCM to establish a state-of-the art design and reengineering laboratory
where new design concepts, materials, and processes can be turned into full-scale
prototypes for labortory and field testing. Working closely with our government
and industrial partners, we have numerous success stories to report this year.
We have continued to build and strengthen our six core competencies, in multifunctional
materials, processing science, materials, mechanics, sensing and control, and
performance of composites. Within these theme areas, CCM creates a truly intellectually
stimulating and interdisciplinary research environment on campus for faculty,
staff, Army scientists in residence, students, and visitors.
Our tradition of documenting our research activites via posters continues with
more than 120 projects organized by theme areas, described in this annual report.
In addition, we have highlighted some of the undergraduate research projects
in a dedicated section. I encourage you to review these posters and contact
the researchers for more details. In addition, our newsletters and our website
provide up-to-date information on our activities throughout the year.
In FY 03-04 research funding from federal, state, and industry sources approached
$8 million, enabling remarkable productivity. from 240 faculty, staff, post-docs,
graduate and undergraduate students, and interns involved in Center activities.
We enjoy the active participation of 38 faculty members from all departments
in the College of Engineering as well as Physics & Astronomy, Chemistry,
Mathematics, and Business in our programs. The distribution of other CCM personnel
include 2 visiting faculty, 27 research professionals, 16 postdoctoral fellows,
27 visiting scholars, and 54 graduate and 57 undergraduate research assistants
along with a 15-member administrative team. We have the breadth of expertise
and facilities to address almost any need. Our ability to form interdisciplinary
research teams is quite unique and a key to research productivity, innovative
solutions, and rapid technology transfer to our sponsors.
We continue to modernize our state-of-the-art facilities. Upgrades to our Manufacturing
Science, Reengineering, and Nondestructive Inspection Laboratories have been
completed and new equipment installed. Facilities improvements underway include
the Machine Shop and the Mechanical Testing and Chemical Characterization Laboratories.
Our new facillities will serve us well to conduct interdisciplinary research
within CCM as well as to interface efficiently with our sponsors.
Another highlight this year has been the redesign of the CCM website (www.ccm.udel.edu)
to provide more efficient access to up-to-date information. The site went
active in July 2004. New features include CCM's software suite for composite
materials design and analysis and a World Business Review segment aired
in July.
In conclusion, I'd like to acknowledge the significant support we receive
for our initiatives from University of Delaware President David Roselle,
Provost Daniel Rich, College of Engineering Dean Eric Kaler, the Delaware
Congressional Delegation of Senators Biden and Carper and Congressman Castle,
the State of Delaware (Delaware Economic Development Office), and our many
other sponsors cited throughout this annual report. We are also grateful
to the tens of thousands of CCM alumni and friends who support us in our
endeavors.
John (Jack) Gillespie, Jr.
Director
During Kaler's initial term as Dean, the size, quality, and diversity of the faculty have increased; undergraduate enrollment has grown; and sponsored research has increased substantially.
Roselle and Rich see the College as now characterized by “a spirit of optimism and by a notable commitment to cooperation and collaboration among its departments and faculty.” They also credited Kaler with forming stronger connections with faculty and programs across campus, adding to its impact on and importance to the entire University community.
“We're very pleased to learn that Dean Kaler has agreed to continue leading the College,” said CCM Director Jack Gillespie. “He has been a good friend to the Center, and we appreciate the support he has provided over the past five years.”
On March 18, 2005 , CCM hosted a group of students from the Industrial College
of the Armed Forces (ICAF) as part of its Strategic Materials Industry Study
seminar. The ICAF's mission is to “prepare selected military officers and
civilians for senior leadership and success in developing our national security
strategy and in evaluating, marshalling, and managing resources in the execution
of that strategy.”
According to USMC Major General F.C. Wilson, Commandant
of the ICAF, the trip allowed the students to more fully appreciate the benefits
of strategic partnerships with academic institutions.
Wilson credited Dirk Heider, Shridhar Yarlagadda, John Tierney, and Steve Andersen with delivering outstanding briefings, which provided the students with a better understanding of the challenges, complexity, and importance of developing innovative solutions to enhancing the survivability and lethality of American forces.
“We were impressed with the consortium approach to enhance collaboration and reduce costs,” Wilson said. “Student reaction was enthusiastic and positive, as evidenced by their lively discussion during and following each presentation.”
“The Industrial College of the Armed Forces has made CCM an integral part of its Industry Studies program for the past several years,” said Center Director Jack Gillespie . “This demonstrates their confidence in us as a valuable resource in national security and their view of us as a recognized authority in the application of advanced materials to the solution of military problems.”
“These students are being trained to be the future program managers and decisions makers,” he concluded, “and it's great that they come to CCM to discuss policy and strategic research needs.”
Galvin Presents Inaugural Lecture
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Mary E. Galvin, a CCM-affiliated faculty member, gave her inaugural lecture as Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering on April 26, 2005 . She was introduced by Eric W. Kaler, Dean of the College of Engineering , who noted that the breadth of Prof. Galvin's work is truly exceptional. Galvin's lecture—“Plastic Electronics: Are They the Future?”—focused on possibilities for the use of polymeric light-emitting diodes, thin film transistors, and organic photovoltaic cells. In addition to UD faculty and students, two of Galvin's former graduate students and a colleague from Lucent Technologies attended this celebration. |
Galvin's appointment as Distinguished Professor began on September 1, 2004 , and was announced in November. Galvin joined the faculty in 1998 after working as a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Bell Laboratories, Lucent Technologies.
She has M.S. and Sc.D. degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society. She has been on the advisory council of the Gordon Research Conferences, co-chaired Materials Chemistry Workshops for NSF, and served on panels for the National Research Council.
Galvin's work for CCM's Composite Materials Research (CMR) and Composite Materials Technology (CMT) programs has included polymeric light-emitting diodes, organic photovoltaic cells, and nanocomposites.
According to Kaler, endowed chairs and named professorships are not only a good way to recognize excellence in the University's faculty but also a very effective means to recruit and retain outstanding faculty. “The lecture series provides a forum for us to honor these individuals while allowing them to share some aspect of their work with the general University community,” he says.
CONSORTIUM NEWS
CCM would like to welcome GKN Aerospace, Meriden, CT and Honeywell Engines, Systems, & Services, Morristown, NJ, to the University-Industry Consortium. To find out more about this program and the various benefits offered to participants, please go to www.ccm.udel.edu/Consortium/
NEW PUBLICATIONS
Conference ProceedingsLopatnikov, S. L., and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “On the Mechanical Equilibrium of the Fluid-Filled Poro-Elastic Body,” 3rd Biot Conference on Poromechanics, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK , May 24-27, 2005 .
Gama, B. A., S. L. Lopatnikov, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Compliance Calibration and Small Strain Measurement for the Compression Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005.
Gama, B. A., A. D. Bogdanovich, R. A. Coffelt, M. J. Haque, M. Rahman, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Ballistic Impact Damage Modeling and Experimental Validation on a 3-D Orthogonal Weave Fabric Composite,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005.
Gama, B. A., S. M. W. Islam, M. Rahman, J. W. Gillespie, Jr., T. A. Bogetti, B. A. Cheeseman, C-F. Yen, and C. P. R. Hoppel, “Punch Shear Behavior of Thick-Section Composites under Quasi-Static, Low Velocity, and Ballistic Impact Loading,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Gama, B. A., S. Mahdi, S. Yarlagadda, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Structural Repair of Composite Structural Armor,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Suwanwatana, W., S. Yarlagadda , and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Hysteresis Heating Based Induction Bonding of Thermoplastic Composites,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
McBride, D., T. Harmon, J. Kiel, D. Dierdorf, S. Yarlagadda, C. H. Newton, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Responding to Composite Fires: First Responder Training Module,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005.
Gao, X., R. E. Jensen, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “The Role of Fiber Sizing Incorporating Mechanical Interlocking on Polymer Composite Properties,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005.
Abu Obaid, A., S. Andersen, J. W. Gillespie, Jr., R. Vaidyanathan, and A. Studley, “Investigation of Thermal and Acoustic Performance of Aerogel-Based Glass Fiber Composites,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Vaidyanathan, R., J. Campbell, L. Studley, B. Hecht, S. Yarlagadda, S. Andersen, J. W. Gillespie, Jr., D. Dunaj, B. Guest, and R. Saenz, “Water Soluble Tooling Materials for Filament Winding and VARTM,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005.
Gokce, A., A. Abu Obaid, S. Yarlagadda, and S. G. Advani, “Manufacturing and Structural Performance of Composites with Interlaminar Inserts using VARTM,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Neacsu, V., A. Abu Obaid, and S. G. Advani, “Role of Capillarity in Fiber Tow Impregnation During Composites Processing” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Gokce, A., and S. G. Advani, “Permeability Estimation Algorithm to Predict the Permeability of the Distribution Media in VARTM,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005 .
Lawrence, J. M., P. Hughes, and S. G. Advani, “Dependence Map Based Control of Mold Filling in Liquid Composite Molding,” Proceedings of the SAMPE 2005 Symposium & Exhibition (50 th ISSE), Long Beach, CA, May 1-5, 2005
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