TOP STORY

The Lubin award is bestowed on those who have made “remarkable contributions to the materials and processing industry.”  The award is given in honor of George Lubin (1913-1984), a “giant” in the plastics industry who was an acknowledged innovator, educator, inventor, author, international consultant and established lecturer. Only 12 Lubin Awards have been given since the establishment of the award in 1986.

“Jon DeVault’s lifetime achievements in advancing carbon-fiber developments and applications at the technical level, as well as executive level, have made him a most worthy and deserving candidate for this prestigious award,” Clark Johnson of Boeing Satellite Systems and chair of SAMPE’s George Lubin Award Committee said.

DeVault, who received B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics and mathematics from Baylor University, began his career in advanced composites in 1969, when Hercules entered the graphite materials business.  Over the years, he assumed positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his serving as President of the Composite Products Group. 

In conferring the award, SAMPE President Ray Miller, said of DeVault, “No other individual has done as much to advocate the development of carbon-fiber composites as a business and as a strategic competency for the United States.  He provided leadership for industrial achievement of the first production line for continuous carbon tow filament and for unidirectional preimpregnated material.

Click here for a tribute to Jon DeVault from former CCM Director Byron Pipes

“While at Hercules,” Miller continued, “Jon made the commitment that the industry needed a supply of carbon fiber/epoxy materials. He delivered on this commitment and led the expansion of Hercules’ domestic carbon fiber production.  He also led efforts to reduce the cost of carbon fibers from over $400 per pound to less than $20 per pound.” Miller also credited DeVault with a commitment to the notion of “continuous improvement” in materials, which led Hercules to the forefront and raised the ante for the entire industry.  “We would not have the quality products of today without his vision,” Miller said. DeVault joined DARPA in 1992 and made an impact there with his development of the “dual-use” concept—i.e., military and civilian applications of advanced composites.  As a result of this concept, carbon fiber found applications in civil infrastructure and in automotive, marine, and industrial structures.

“This was a critical concept for composites,” says Gillespie.  “With the end of the Cold War, defense needs were changing, so it was very important to broaden the array of potential applications for advanced materials.  Dual use enables leveraging of funds and reduction of risk, thereby benefiting government and industry as well as the public.”

“Jon was one of the early leaders in gaining the acceptance of composite materials and structures and creating a business structure,” says Mike Bowman, currently Chairman and President of the Delaware Technology Park.  Bowman was involved with the DuPont Company in various technical, marketing, and manufacturing roles during the years that DeVault was at Hercules.

“Even though in the early years we competed as DuPont and Hercules,” he continues, “we shared a common vision of the importance of composites to Delaware and the world.  Later, we partnered in building the excitement and adoption of the technology in a broad range of military and commercial applications. Jon was an important factor in growing the prominence of the Center for Composite Materials and the successful launch of Delaware Technology Park. We became great personal friends. We miss him in Delaware.”

For DeVault, the Lubin award is special on a number of levels—“special because it is a very prestigious award that comes from my peers, special because I knew George Lubin and have great respect for his contribution to our industry, and special because it comes from SAMPE,” he says. 

DeVault attended his first SAMPE meeting in the spring of 1969, when Hercules announced a deal to market Courtaulds’ carbon fiber in the United States.  As a member of the Hercules team, he was assigned to “go to the SAMPE meeting in Los Angeles, meet the Courtaulds people, and learn what I could about carbon fiber,” he says.  “I don't think I missed another SAMPE meeting for the next 35 years, and I gave the keynote address in 2005 at the 40th Symposium.”

DeVault and Associates, Inc., which provides management and technical services to the advanced material industry and government agencies, was formed in 1995.

The following year, the Suppliers of Advanced Composite Materials Association (SACMA) awarded DeVault its Materials Leadership Award.  The inscription reads, “For your willingness to stand firm on principle and fly high in the changing political winds of Washington, the advanced composite community is highly appreciative.”

CCM’s leaders are also appreciative of DeVault’s contributions over the years.  “He played a major role in guiding the Center,” Gillespie says, “starting in the late 1970s with the formation of the University-Industry Consortium, then focusing our research on manufacturing science in the 80’s, and finally promoting us as a major player at the national level in the 90’s.  His impact on the Center will be felt forever.”

“I have had good relationships with all of the Directors of CCM beginning with Byron [Pipes],” says DeVault, “and I have a very special relationship with Jack. I have asked him for advice many times over the past 10-plus years, and he has even asked me for help occasionally.  I have also maintained a very close relationship with many graduates of the University.”

“CCM was—and still is—unique,” he continues  “It turned out graduates that had hands-on experience in the design and manufacture of composite structures and also did an excellent job in forming cooperative technology programs with industry. Others have followed this same strategy but Delaware is still the leader.”

OTHER NEWS

Lego League Competitors Visit CCM
By Diane Kukich

On Friday, December 8, 2006, a team of fourth to eighth graders had the chance to learn about nanotechnology through a presentation and lab demonstrations at CCM.  The seven students are members of the Robotics Club at St. John the Beloved School in Milltown, Delaware. Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Erik T. Thostenson hosted the students, whose visit was connected to their participation in the FIRST Lego League competition.  Thostenson is a CCM affiliated faculty member whose research focuses on characterization and processing of carbon nanotube-based materials for multifunctional applications.

Parent leader Becky Recchione explains that the Robotics Club fields several teams each year for the FIRST Lego League program.  Past competitions have focused on space and oceans; the theme for the 2006 challenge is nanotechnology. 

In addition to a robotics competition, the students are required to complete a research project, which involves selecting a current or potential application of nanotechnology, designing a solution or improvement, and sharing the project with others.  The visit to CCM was arranged so that the students could learn about current work being performed here in nanotechnology.  “The focus of my research at CCM is on composite applications of nanotechnology,” Thostenson says.  “But the potential for this technology is almost limitless, ranging from computers and other consumer products to medicine and the environment.  It is a very important topic for young students to begin to understand.  As future scientists and engineers, they will likely encounter nanotechnology in their careers.” With assistance from grad students Justin Clews and Amanda Lim, Thostenson demonstrated nanotechnology at work in the laboratory.  One demo focused on the shear thickening fluid (STF) technology, which enables  a flexible fabric to stiffen upon impact and provide protection against projectiles and other penetrants.  “We’re very pleased to host these students at the Center,” says Director Jack Gillespie.  “Education is an integral part of our mission, and it’s important to begin that process at the elementary- and middle-school levels.  It’s great that our affiliated faculty and grad students are making the effort to reach this population.”

CONSORTIUM

CCM would like to thank Dassault Aviation, Argenteuil, France, for the recent renewal of their membership. We also wish to thank our many other members for their ongoing support, and for continuing to participate in consortium activities. To learn more about our Industry-University Consortium, please visit

http://www.ccm.udel.edu/Consortium/members.html .

PUBLICATIONS

Conference Proceedings

Amouroux, S. C., J. F. Henau, D. Heider and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., “Membrane Based VARTM Processing: Modelling and Characterization,” 38th International SAMPE Technical Conference, Dallas, TX, November 6-9, 2006.

Zhang, Y., D. Heider, P. Schulze, A. Arnaud, S., Dellus, “Autoclave-Based Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding,” 38th International SAMPE Technical Conference, Dallas, TX, November 6-9, 2006.

Journals

Xiao, J. R., B. A. Gama, and J. W. Gillespie, Jr., "Progressive damage and delamination in plain weave S-2 glass/SC-15 composites under quasi-static punch shear loading," Composite Structures, 78(2), pp. 182-196, 2007.

Federici, J. A., D. G. Norton, T. Bruggemann, K. W. Voit, E. D. Wetzel, and D. G. Vlachos, “Catalytic microcombustors with integrated thermoelectric elements for portable power production,” J. Power Sources, 161, pp. 1469-1478, 2006.

Home | News | Current Newsletter | Newsletter Archives l Events Calendar