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International Collaborations:  A Key to Knowledge-Based Partnerships

By Diane Kukich

Topics covered at the recent UD conference on knowledge-based partnerships ranged from medicine and ecology to corporate governance and advanced materials, but two themes surfaced repeatedly throughout the talks and panel discussions:  first, the economy of the future will be science and technology based, and, second, it will be global. 

CCM is ideally positioned to participate in science- and technology-based international partnerships, as the Center has had a strong international presence since its establishment more than three decades ago.

Tsu-Wei Chou, Pierre S. DuPont Chair of Engineering and one of the first faculty members to work in composites at UD, recalls that his first book, which was co-authored with Jack Vinson, was published by London-based Elsevier Applied Science in 1974. Two years later, Chou was a senior visiting research fellow at the British Science Research Council.  That same year, he initiated interactions with Prof. Anthony Kelly at the University of Surrey.

Chou’s international experiences, while among the most extensive at CCM, are not an isolated phenomenon. “Our science-based modeling and simulation approach, coupled with our interdisciplinary research environment, has led to dozens of collaborations worldwide,” says Suresh Advani, George W. Laird Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Director of CCM.

According to Advani, a common path for the development of relationships with foreign companies begins with students.  “We have many students who come here from other countries for graduate school and internship experience,” he explains. “They find working in an interdisciplinary environment with faculty and staff very rewarding, and they become familiar with our science-based modeling and simulation tools.  The students continue to use these tools when they take jobs with companies in their home countries. Others in these companies then see the utility of the tools and seek out collaborations with CCM.”

Advani notes that the current worldwide emphasis on green technologies may provide a further impetus for collaboration between CCM and overseas industries. “Most of the emphasis in the advanced composites field in the U.S. has been on thermosetting materials, which are comparatively easy to manufacture but are not recyclable,” he says. “In contrast, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand are more vested in thermoplastic materials, which present processing challenges but are recyclable.”

“This could form a fertile ground for international collaborations,” he continues, “where we could expand the use of our science-based tools to address thermoplastic materials and processing issues from a more rigorous perspective.  These collaborations should also prove fruitful in the innovation of new materials, processes, and applications.”

In addition to international students studying at CCM and companies joining the Center’s consortium, CCM’s influence worldwide is further extended through conferences, journal editorships, and faculty-authored textbooks.

In 2004, UD hosted the Seventh International Conference on Flow Processes in Composite Materials (FPCM-7); in 2008, the University will hold the Ninth International Conference on Textile Composites (TEXCOMP-9).  “UD’s conference and hotel facilities enable us to host international events like this, adding significantly to Delaware’s visibility in the composites field,” Advani says.

Four CCM-affiliated faculty members are currently editors of international journals:  Advani, Composites: Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing; Chou, Composites Science and Technology; Vinson, International Journal of sandwich Structures; and Jack Gillespie, Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials.
 “Through these journals, our faculty have a strong connection to what is going on in these fields throughout the world,” says Advani, “and, again, CCM’s visibility worldwide is increased through these activities.  Many of our faculty have also written textbooks on various composites-related topics that are used in the United States as well as abroad.”

“We already have the framework for collaborations that span the globe,” Advani says. “New knowledge-based partnerships will provide the springboard to extend these relationships to additional partners in an expanding array of technical areas.”

A visiting committee that reviewed some of our major programs was impressed by the number of international visitors who had referred to CCM as ‘America’s Composites Center,’” he continues.  “That's a true testament to our global visibility and reputation.”
“As the world has opened up,” Chou says, “international collaboration has become a necessity rather than a luxury. We have no choice but to interact. If we want to be competitive, we cannot close our doors.”

Chou may see international collaboration as a competitive necessity, but it’s one that he believes brings great rewards. Asked at a recent conference in Seoul, Korea, to thank the host on behalf of the attendees, Chou quoted an old Chinese saying that translates as “Having friends from a distant land is a great joy.”
Editor’s Note:  See related story on Chou’s most recent collaboration with Korea (above).

“We have 46 people right now, and we need more,” Lamontia says.  “We’re always looking for talented people to work for us, and the tour was a way to give UD faculty, staff, and students some idea of what we do here. Our work covers the entire range of performance criteria, including mechanical performance, stress-strain, vibration, combustion, thermal, fluid, heat transfer, and so on, and we really wanted to show the students that DuPont does a lot of the things that they hope to do someday.”

For the CCM contingent, the tour was part of an effort to stimulate increased involvement in SAMPE and take advantage of local materials-related resources. Lim was very encouraged by the turnout for the tour. “It was wonderful to have such a large number of people participate,” she says, “including not only grad students but also undergrads as well as faculty and research staff. Prof. Gillespie has made a strong commitment to these kinds of activities, and he joined us on the tour.”

Tour demonstrations covered a broad range of technologies from polymer bonding and joining, environmental durability, and acoustic quieting, to combustion, tire durability, and material testing. But by far, the most popular demonstration—among not only the students but also the faculty—was the Highly Instrumented Impact Testing (HIIT) Lab, where tornado-resistant structures are tested.

“The tour was a great opportunity to see firsthand Du Pont’s cutting-edge engineering,” said Prof. Tom Buchanan, Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “The friendly climate and exciting work made this a wonderful event. After all, what engineer wouldn’t want to see a 15-foot-long two-by-four fly through a lab at 100 miles per hour to simulate tornado conditions?”

Other areas of interest were the Innovation Laboratory, where patent ideas are manufactured and tested, and a session focusing on careers, co-ops, and internships in Engineering Mechanics. “We’re very interested in working with UD undergrads through co-ops and internships,” Lamontia says. “We’ve actually had a couple of undergrads working in the Innovation Lab, which was a great help to us and provided them with valuable experience.”

Lamontia points out a more subtle educational aspect of the tour.  “Going back to the 1980s in our work with CCM on the Advanced Submarine Technology Program, we began to use the building block approach pioneered by Jack Gillespie at CCM,” he says. “This approach is based on developing models, verifying them with measurements, getting the models and the measurements to match, and then making good decisions based on the results.”

“We’re still doing that here,” he continues, “and I think it’s a great lesson for the students to see that the rigor their professors are asking them to apply to their thesis and dissertation research is no different from what industry is doing.”

Lamontia also values the hands-on experience that students get at the University of Delaware, and he lauds the faculty for their interest in industry’s perspective. “Tom Buchanan came here with lots of questions for us about what courses are important to us and what we’re looking for in the students we hire. He was obviously very interested in preparing his students for careers in engineering.”

“The tour was fantastic, and I really appreciate the efforts of all the participants,” said Gillespie. “On a personal note, it was great to see so many of my DuPont colleagues on the tour.  The level of enthusiasm for engineering new multi-layer products was quite apparent, and I’m sure it was inspiring for all of the students who attended.”

CCM is pleased to announce the 9th International Conference on Textile Composites (TEXCOMP9), to be held at the University of Delaware John M. Clayton Hall from October 13 through 15, 2008. The goal of TEXCOMP is to promote knowledge in the field of textile composites By bringing together scientists and engineers active in a variety of disciplines, the conference provides a dedicated forum for discussions and reports on recent advances in textiles and their composites. Please visit the TEXCOMP9 Website for more information.

CONSORTIUM

CCM would like to thank Revenge Advanced Composites, Palm City, FL, becoming the newest member of our University-Industry Consortium. We also wish to thank our many other members for continuing to participate in consortium activities.

www.ccm.udel.edu/Consortium/benefits.html

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