Student Achievement Recognized at 2005 Honors Day

On May 6, 2005 , UD-CCM-affiliated graduate and undergraduate students received awards for achievements in original research and scholarship as well as professional and personal growth. The UD-CCM ceremony was held as part of the University of Delaware 's campus-wide Honors Day. Dean Eric Kaler of the College of Engineering provided keynote remarks and Professor Suresh G. Advani, UD-CCM Associate Director, presided over the annual event. A new award to acknowledge research contributions by the professional staff was established this year. Named the CCM Scholarship Award, the honor was shared by Drs. Bazle Gama and Pavel Simacek.

2004-2005 Award Recipients

CCM SCHOLARSHIP AWARD

The CCM Scholarship Award recognizes research contributions of Post Doctoral Fellows or Research Professionals affiliated with CCM. Selection of the recipient for this award is based on publication of papers in high-quality refereed journals and their impact on the research community of composite materials.

Recipient: Dr. Bazle Gama, Associate Scientist
Recipient: Dr. Pavel Simacek, Research Associate III

R. L. MCCULLOUGH SCHOLARS AWARD

The Scholars Award recognizes original contributions to the literature on composite materials. This award was renamed in memory of Professor Roy L. McCullough in 2002. The tribute is bestowed on the student author of a paper accepted for publication in a refereed journal. Selection of the recipient for this award is based on the quality of the paper.

Recipient: Ronald Egres, Jr., PhDCHE
Advisor: Prof. Norman Wagner

Recipient: Jeffrey Lawrence, PhDME
Advisor: Prof. Suresh Advani

PROGRESS AWARD

The Progress Award recognizes research contributions of students to the research goals of CCM. This award is given to a student author of a CCM Research Report, thesis, or dissertation. Selection of the recipient of this award is based on the quality of the report, thesis, or dissertation.

Recipient: Peng Yao , PhDECE
Advisor: Prof. Dennis Prather

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

The Achievement Award recognizes outstanding personal growth demonstrated by a CCM-affiliated student. The tribute is bestowed on a student who has demonstrated superior achievement.

Recipient: Xiao Gao, PhDMSE
Advisor: Prof. John W. Gillespie, Jr.

Recipient: Solange Amouroux, PhDMSE
Advisor: Prof. John W. Gillespie, Jr.

OUTSTANDING SENIOR AWARD

The Outstanding Senior Award recognizes the contributions of students participating in the Undergraduate Research Program of CCM. This award is presented to outstanding seniors for cumulative contributions (service as well as research) to CCM activities.

Recipient: John Hrycushko, BCHE
Advisor: Dr. Joseph Deitzel,

Recipient: Golt, Michael BECE
Advisor: Dr. Shridhar Yarlagadda,

Recipient Smith, Matthew BME
Advisor: Dr. Shridhar Yarlagadda,

Recipient: Andrew Conklin, BCE
Advisor: Prof. Shenton

Recipient: Scott Kasprzak, BME
Advisor: Prof. James Glancey

DIRECTORS AWARD

The Directors Award recognizes outstanding personal growth demonstrated by a CCM-affiliated employee. The tribute is bestowed on an employee who has demonstrated superior progress.
Recipient: Stephen Andersen, Associate Scientist

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AWARD

The Undergraduate Research Award is bestowed on a student in their junior year whose proposal to perform research on composite materials under the guidance of a UD-CCM affiliated faculty member is selected. The student is required to enroll in UNIV401 and UNIV402 and write a senior thesis. Selection of the recipient for this award is based on the research objective and plan submitted by the student in a one-page abstract.

Recipient: Stephen Koellhoffer, BME
Advisor: Prof. Tsu-Wei Chou

Recipient: Courtney Herbein, BME
Advisor: Prof. Suresh Advani

Recipient: Matthew Decker, BCHE
Advisor: Prof. Norman Wagner

CCM Accomplishments Showcased at SAMPE 2005

SAMPE, the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering, held its 50th annual Conference & Exhibition in Long Beach , California earlier this month. The theme of SAMPE '05 was “New Horizons for Materials and Processing Technology.” It is the premier materials and processing industry conference in the country.

Dr. Bazle A. Gama, CCM Researcher, presented the paper cited as First Place for the Outstanding Paper by a SAMPE Member. Entitled "Punch Shear Behavior of Thick-Section Composites under Quasi-Static, Low Velocity, and Ballistic Impact Loading," the paper was written by Gama, S.M. Waliul Islam, Mostafezur Rahman, John W. Gillespie, Jr., from the University of Delaware/Center for Composite Materials, and Travis A. Bogetti, Bryan A. Cheeseman, Chian-Fong Yen and Chris P.R. Hoppel, from the Army Research Laboratories, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD.

Solange Amouroux, CCM student and SAMPE-UD Treasurer, placed third in the University Research Student Symposium. As a finalist in the symposium, Ms. Amouroux received a SAMPE sponsored trip to Long Beach . "The student competition was a great experience and I am glad I was able to be part of it. As for the conference, it was very motivating as a student to meet professionals, who could possibly use my work and to communicate them the excitement I feel for my research." Dr. Jack Gillespie is Amouroux's advisor in research on the role of membrane to improve quality of VARTM processed composites.

Vahik Krikorian, member of the SAMPE-UD Student Chapter and a graduate student in Materials Science & Engineering, received a SAMPE-sponsored trip to compete as a finalist in the student symposium. Krikorian won 4 th place in the competition. “I would highly recommend it for BS/MS students looking for jobs in the composites industry. Their (SAMPE) trade show was fantastic and great for networking with companies,” said Krikorian.

Several CCM researchers were on hand to present at least fifteen papers and interact with nearly 4,200 industry professionals. More than 275 technical papers covering a variety of concerns were presented. Twelve tutorials disseminated the latest advancements in the fields of materials and processes.

Over 200 exhibitors provided the latest in technical competence and there were experts available to provide information and answer participants' questions. Valentin Neacsu, SAMPE-UD Secretary said, “The conference was a great opportunity to meet people working in fields directly connected with the research we do here at CCM. It always feels good to exchange ideas with other researchers, opening the way to new collaborations. The highlight of my participation was attending "SCRIMP™, The Process That Started a Revolution in Infusion Technology for Large Structures", a talk given by William Seemann III, President of Seemann Composites and the SAMPE '05 keynote speaker.

Dr. John Tierney, Associate Scientist at CCM, attended SAMPE to demonstrate CCM's new CDS (Composite Design Software) suite. CDS was developed as a tool for CCM, Army and Consortium members to conduct advanced design and analysis of composites in complex structures. The latest suite of programs includes:

•  CDS-MAT: Materials Database Management Software.

•  CMAP: Composite Materials Analysis of Plates.

•  LAM3D: 3D Laminated Media Analysis Software

•  CST: Composite Structures Toolkit.

•  DART: Data Analysis and Reduction Toolkit.

•  PIRSA4: Process Induced Residual Stress Analysis.

•  CCDS: Composite Cylinder Design Software.

•  MICRO : Simple Micromechanics Toolkit.

•  COMPROSOFT: A generic composites processing software program.

According to Dr. Tierney, “A number of companies and universities showed great interest in either joining our industrial consortium to use this software or using it as an instructional aid for classes that teach the basics of composite mechanics. A number of companies that develop FEA solutions also expressed interest in incorporating CDS into their commercial packages to expand existing capabilities to include real time analysis and design.”

SAMPE '06 will be sponsored by SAMPE's Los Angeles and Taiwan chapters. The conference will run from April 30, 2006 to May 4, 2006 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Center Participates in ME Alumni Career Celebration

On Friday, April 29, 2005 , the Department of Mechanical Engineering hosted its first Alumni Career Celebration, held at The University's John M. Clayton Conference Center and attended by more than 150 UD-ME alumni, faculty, and students.

“We realized that we have about 2700 active alums,” said Nate Cloud, coordinator of alumni relations for the Department, “and probably close to 300 of them are in high leadership positions as CEOs, owners, vice presidents, and directors. This is a significant number of people who have achieved success, and we wanted to hear their stories.”

The celebration agenda included a tour of the Composites Manufacturing Science Laboratory by CCM Assistant Director Dirk Heider, lunch, an overview of the department by ME Chair Thomas Buchanan, research highlights by three ME faculty members, a poster session, a discussion of career options at Delaware Technical Park, alumni career presentations, and dinner.

More than 20 posters were set up in the lobby of Clayton Hall, with students and research staff available during breaks to answer questions and explain their work. Alumni from four and five decades ago had the opportunity to learn more about UD-ME's twenty-first century research in topics ranging from fuel cells and orthopedic implants to coating systems and nutrient transport in cartilage.

With a large presence from CCM, many of the posters addressed ongoing research in advanced materials, and the Center's annual poster book, featuring information on more than 100 projects, was available for participants to take home. CCM's participation in the poster session was organized by the student chapter of SAMPE, led by Justin Clews.

The keynote speech, following dinner and completing the day, was delivered by CCM founder Jack R. Vinson, H. Fletcher Brown Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

For the past four decades, Vinson has been a dedicated teacher, a prominent researcher in structural mechanics and composite materials, an author or co-author of seven popular textbooks, a highly active contributor to several professional societies, and an inspiring mentor to graduate and undergraduate students.

“I really enjoyed Prof. Vinson's talks,” said junior Ross Rozansky. “It was interesting for us to hear about how he started CCM and how the University has changed over the 40 years that he's been here.”

“A large number of the students who have worked with CCM over the past three decades were MEs,” said Center Director Jack Gillespie, “and we continue to work with several of them. It was great to see a lot of them back for the event. The tour of CCM was well received by those who attended.”

Patent for Induction Laminator Granted

Last week, a patent was granted for “Apparatus for Induction Lamination of Electrically Conductive Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic”, developed at CCM. The inventors were J. K. Gerhard, E. J. Lynam, and M.R. Shaffer of ATK, B. K. Fink, of the Army Research Laboratory, and S. Yarlagadda, N. B. Shevchenko, D. Heider, J. J. Tierney, and J.W. Gillespie, Jr. of CCM. A lab-scale induction laminator based on this patent was developed and constructed at CCM, going from concept to production laminator in 18 months. The production version has been in use at ATK since 2001 in a production line that is the largest user of thermoplastic/carbon-fiber prepreg in the world.

Patents

Gerhard, J. K., E. J. Lynam, M. R. Shaffer, S. Yarlagadda, N. B. Shevchenko, B. K. Fink, D. Heider, J. J. Tierney, J.W. Gillespie Jr., “Apparatus for Induction Lamination of Electrically Conductive Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic,” U. S. Patent Nu mber 6,881,374 , i ssued April 19, 2005.

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