TOP STORY

Wagner explains that shear thickening fluids, a mix of polyethylene glycol and nanobits of silica, become rigid upon impact but revert to their initial, liquid state when the energy from the projectile dissipates. The technology has myriad potential applications, including protective vests for police and military use, where the fluid is sandwiched between layers of ballistic fibers. The end product is personal protective gear that is lighter and more flexible than traditional bullet-proof materials such as Kevlar alone, while also conferring greater protection.

The work has been carried out under the ARL Composite Materials Research (CMR) Program. The lead investigator for ARL is Dr. Eric Wetzel, a CCM alum who completed his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at UD and went on to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois.

Since the announcement of the licensing agreement in February, Wagner has experienced some celebrity. The STF technology has been featured on ScienceCentral.com, which is sponsored by ABC, and on Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS), a syndicated science and engineering news service for local television newscasts. A 90-second video on the DBIS web site has been featured on Google's Video Top 100 list; the clip shows Wagner, postdoctoral scientist Dr. Caroline Nam, and students explaining the technology and attempting to penetrate sheets of Kevlar soaked in STF with an ice pick

While Wagner jokes about that accolade—given that most of the other videos in the top 100 are of dubious scientific value—he points out that there is value in the type of publicity his academic work is getting. DBIS is a highly credible information service produced by the American Institute of Physics in partnership with a coalition of scientific and engineering professional societies, and the web content is sponsored by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

“With local TV news being the primary source of information for a majority of the U.S. public, web sites like DBIS are very important in encouraging an interest in science and technology,” Wagner says. “The STF story shows how science can be turned into useful products and devices. Licensing the technology to a high-end company with expertise in body armor systems is the final step in that process.”

But it's certainly not the final step for Wagner. Transitioning the armor applications of the STF technology to industry has freed him and the other members of his research team to pursue new applications. These include smart materials through plastics engineering, a joint effort with Dow, as well as collaborative research with Assistant Prof. Charles Swanek (Health and Exercise Science) targeted at orthotic and sports equipment applications.

Wagner is also initiating a new CMR project with CCM Director Jack Gillespie on the integration of STF into hard armor. The two are collaborating with former CCM postdoc Dr. Pierre-Etienne Bourban, now a research scientist at the EPFL, a research university in Lausanne , Switzerland , and his student, Christian Fisher, who worked in Prof. Wagner's laboratory last year. While ARL, which is partially supporting the work, is primarily interested in defense, the new technology also has potential applications in sporting goods and other consumer products

“From an educational perspective,” says Wagner, “the STF technology is a perfect example of the transformation we're seeing in the chemical engineering discipline. “We started with basic research, then developed a process, and finally transitioned the concept into a useful product by working with industry and the Army Research Lab. It's very rewarding for us to see our work go through all those stages and culminate in something of value to the public.”

OTHER NEWS

The all-day review included 17 presentations organized into sessions on processing, ballistic applications, mechanics, and materials/synthesis. Research projects ran the gamut from computational analysis and experimental methods to manufacturing, testing, and NDE. The event was organized by Ph.D. student Solange Amoroux.

“This is the highlight of our undergraduate program,” says CCM Director Jack Gillespie. “Over the past 30 years, hundreds of bachelor's-level students have been involved in research here in the Composites Manufacturing Science Lab. Not only does the program provide the students with invaluable experience but the students themselves make significant contributions to our research.”

The undergraduate research advisors would agree with that. “This was my best year yet because of my student,” says ARL-Research Engineer Travis Bogetti. “ He challenged me .” Bogetti's advisee, Stephan Mehling, carried out a project on the mechanics of structural armor.

“I personally find undergraduate researchers to be very creative when it comes to designing or improving an experiment,” says Suresh Advani, George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director of CCM.

Advani explains that undergraduate students at CCM work on projects that are carved out from important research issues in which the Center's industrial consortium and government agencies are interested.

“This motivation, coupled with the teamwork that includes graduate students, postdocs, and research associates, helps them to accomplish quite a bit in a very short span,” he says. “After working for 12 weeks in the summer, most of them continue in the fall term and take the work on as a senior research project.”

Dirk Heider, CCM Assistant Director of Technology and Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has nothing but good to say about his experience working with undergrads this summer.

“I have two undergrad students, Matt Kelly and Adam G. Konneker, who have been helping out on our 2Phase project,” he explains.  “As a team, they have been making tremendous progress on developing the reconfigurable tooling approach. They were very excited working with us, as it allowed them to produce real composite components for the Army and our industrial partners.  They're learning our approach of virtual manufacturing to reduce development time and are very active in interacting with other CCM people.”

“I got them involved in other smaller hands-on projects such as using the ME machine shop to develop a new sensor system,” he continues. “They clearly understand the benefit of composites when they compare their remanufactured metal parts with the composite version. They appreciate the exposure they get here by independently interacting with our industrial partner.”

“Using the 2Phase system to make full-size, three-dimensional parts was very exciting,” says Konneker.  “There is a great sense of satisfaction in turning a few layers of fiberglass mat into large, intricate parts.  This internship has allowed me to take part in things I never thought I would have the chance to do, and I am very glad that I got the chance and the experience.”

Brian Bourdon, a senior in mechanical engineering who was advised by Advani and Shridhar Yarlagadda, carried out a project on a novel device to absorb electromagnetic radiation. The original design turned out to have serious manufacturing challenges, so Bourdon was charged with creating a new model.

“We have to maintain a very careful balance in selecting projects for our research interns,” says Research Associate Jeff Lawrence, who worked with Bourdon on the project. “Our objective is to educate students and provide them with unique opportunities to learn. But, at the same time, we have to choose projects that can be ‘up and running' quickly without taxing our resources too heavily. An internship should be meaningful for the student and beneficial to the Center and its sponsors.”

Bourdon certainly feels he benefited from the experience. “I learned a lot from the research that would not have been possible in the classroom, especially in the area of composites manufacturing,” he says. “Research is much more hands-on.”

Lawrence also points out that the students benefit from the entire culture at CCM, where extensive resources are available to all members of the research team. “If a student needs assistance, there is always someone with the needed expertise to step in and help,” he says.

Junior Josh Schein worked with Norm Wagner, Alvin B. and Julia O. Stiles Professor, on a project to develop softer particles for the shear thickening fluid (STF) technology that was recently licensed to Armor Holdings. “We know that particle hardness plays a role in the performance of these materials, but whether it's beneficial or detrimental may depend on the application,” Wagner explains. “Josh did some very nice work involving synthesis and testing of soft-particle shear thickening fluids. Dennis Kalman, the graduate student who supervised him, is now completing the testing so that we can learn more about the effects of particle hardness. This project was a great opportunity for us as well as for the student.”

“Although we don't award degrees in composites,” Gillespie concludes, “our undergraduate students—whether they're in mechanical, chemical, electrical, or civil engineering—gain an excellent background on manufacturing, testing, characterization, and application of these advanced materials. CCM is a significant contributor to the University's educational mission, and we help our students to bridge the gap between the academic and industrial arenas.”

In fostering undergraduate research, CCM is following in the footsteps of the University as a whole. In U.S. News & World Report's 2007 “ America 's Best Colleges” issue, UD drew special notice in a “programs to look for” section on undergraduate research and creative projects. It is one of 35 universities cited for “programs in which students, working independently or in small teams and mentored by a faculty member, do intensive and self-directed research or creative work that results in an original scholarly paper or product that can be formally presented on or off campus.”

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