TOP STORY

CCM and ACR:  A Productive Partnership

By Diane Kukich

CCM Assistant Directors Steve Andersen and Shridhar Yarlagadda both enjoy collaborating with small companies in their work.  “They have a lot of interesting ideas,” Yarlagadda says.  

Advanced Ceramics Research (ACR), a small company located in Tucson, Arizona, is exactly the type of partner Andersen and Yarlagadda are talking about. 

Founded in 1989 to develop state-of-the-art high-temperature, high-strength ceramic materials and processes, ACR has grown to some 90 employees over the past two decades.  And according to Ranji Vaidyanathan, Director for Composite Materials at ACR, a lot of that growth has been made possible by ACR’s relationship with CCM.

“CCM has been extremely generous to us with their help on a number of key projects,” says Vaidyanathan.  “They provide strong endorsement and lend instant credibility to our joint proposals.” 

Vaidyanathan estimates that since 1999, when the two organizations first began to collaborate, they have garnered some $4–5 million in research support.  Three major joint efforts have been rapid prototyping of CMCs for NASA, composite tooling for the Navy, and parts for the Marine Corp’s Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV).

“As a small company,” Vaidyanathan says, “we have to be able to ‘turn on a dime.’  That can be difficult to do in a partnership with an academic institution, but with the University of Delaware, it’s not a problem.  The group at CCM knows how to get a project done and get it done on time.  It’s a wonderful partnership.”

The relationship works just as well for CCM.  “Working with ACR, and Ranji in particular, has always been fun and productive,” says Andersen.  “As a company, they support and value a science-based approach to problem solving.  They are also constantly seeking to broaden their capabilities in composite materials development, processing, and production.  That combination results in a collaborative relationship that has led to a number of very successful projects and a long-term relationship that is highly valued by CCM.”

Yarlagadda agrees.  “I have been working with Ranji and ACR for more than five years and have developed a very productive relationship with ACR,” he says. “They are always interested in trying out new ideas and understanding the science behind it, which fits well with our research philosophy. Time has strengthened our relationship to the point where we see them as our preferred partners in areas of mutual interest.”

Vaidyanathan also values the accessibility of his partners at CCM.  “Over the years, I have always been able to talk to them whenever I needed help,” he says.  “Even on weekends, they never said ‘no.’”

In addition, he credits the partnership with the commercial success of some of ACR’s products.  A technical talk given by Yarlagadda at SAMPE Europe a couple of years ago opened up technical and business contacts that resulted in the successful integration of an ACR part into the Joint Strike Fighter.

“It would not be a stretch for me to say that I wouldn’t be where I am today, and our company wouldn’t be where it is today, if it weren’t for CCM,” Vaidyanathan concludes.  “Thinking and dreaming of ideas is different from actually doing them.  I had ideas, and Steve, Shridhar, and Jack [Gillespie] made them happen.”

OTHER NEWS

Dr. A. M. Rajendran

ARO Scientist Discusses Research Opportunities By Diane Kukich CCM has a long history of research support from the Army, beginning with its designation as an ARO-URI Center of Excellence in 1985.   So it wasn’t surprising that the audience almost filled the Center’s presentation room on April 20th, when Dr. A. M. Rajendran, Chief Scientist for Engineering Sciences at ARO, delivered an overview of the agency’s current research interests.  The lecture was co-sponsored by CCM and the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

ARO funding opportunities range from support of basic research through programs addressing “transformational technologies” to SBIR and STTR efforts with small companies.  Overall, ARO spends in excess of $500 million a year supporting university research.  The key to attracting funding, according to Rajendran, is demonstrating Army relevance.

At any given time, ARO funds between 45 and 50 MURI (Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative) programs, with a number of the current MURIs focusing on nano- and biotechnology and electronic devices.  “The Army is pushing hard on ‘nano’ and ‘bio,’” Rajendran said.  Nanostructured materials that mimic biology are a source of inspiration for technology, with desirable features and functions including the capabilities for self-assembly and self-correction.

One of the primary themes running through all of the agency’s currently funded programs is the development of new systems for soldier protection.  Such systems need to be ultra-lightweight and flexible, and new approaches are incorporating smart features including the use of nano- and bio-sensors. 

“Multifunctional properties are exploited through embedded sensors to create mechanically active materials to protect the soldier,” Rajendran said.  “For example, dynamic stiffness can be exploited to minimize blast effects, protecting soldiers from blunt trauma injuries and death.”

The agency also supports work in several applied mechanics areas, including fluid dynamics, structures and dynamics, propulsion and energetics, and solid mechanics.   A primary application for the mechanics work is rotorblade technology.

“We’re also interested in active protection for vehicles through interface tailoring for energy absorption and dispersion,” he said.  “Polymer composites are excellent for these functions, but research is needed because modeling, design, analysis, and manufacturing are all extremely complex for heterogeneous materials.”

Rajendran touted advances in computational modeling as the key to developments in design, manufacturing, and failure analysis.  “what used to take two weeks can now be done in five minutes due to major improvements in computing capability.”

“Our goal is to reduce the number of experiments we have to carry out through modeling,” he said.  “A single experiment can cost in excess of $10,000. I would like to see us be able to design composites before we go to manufacture so that we can minimize the design-manufacture-test-break cycle.”

Rajendran said that he was impressed with the work going on at CCM and optimistic about the future of composites in Army applications.  “Some of the things we couldn’t do yesterday we will be able to do tomorrow because we’re meeting the challenge,” he concluded.

Rajendran obtained his Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington in 1981.  He serves on several high-level DoD/DOE/NASA evaluation panels, and he is also an Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.  Rajendran has won several research awards, and he is a Fellow of the Army Research Laboratory, a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Associate Editor of the Journal of Computer Modeling and Simulation in Engineering, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Plasticity.

UDaily Story
UD Engineering Graduate Students Recognized
9:33 a.m., May 2, 2007--Two University of Delaware graduate students were honored during the American Chemical Society's 233rd national meeting and exposition held March 25-29 in Chicago.
Full Story in UDaily

Upcoming CCM Seminar
Dr.-Ing. Ralf Schledjewski
Institut fuer Verbundwerkstoffe GmbH
Verarbeitungstechnik
Seminar Title: Thermoplastic Tape Placement Process: Challenges on the way to a fully automated lay-up of complex shaped parts and effects ot tape quality on resulting part properties.
June 2, 2007; CCM Rm. 106
Click for details

U.S. Army’s first all-composite, armor-ready truck cab (from www.gizmag.com)
May 8, 2007 TPI Composites (TPI) has unveiled its new light-weight, all-composite truck cab. The cab was designed for the U.S. Army’s tactical wheeled vehicle fleet and addresses serious vehicle issues by being lighter in weight, highly durable, and strong enough to carry the heaviest of armor and mine blast protection.
Full Story in www.gizmag.com

CONSORTIUM

CCM would like to thank Nurad Technologies, Baltimore, MD, and Milliken and Company, Spartanburg, SC, for joining our consortium. We also wish to thank AGY Huntington, Huntington, PA, Cytec Engineering Materials, Anaheim, CA, Diab, DeSoto, TX, and Kubota Research Assiciates, Hockessin, DE, for the recent renewal of their memberships. Please click here to learn more about the benefits of becoming a member: http://www.ccm.udel.edu/Consortium/benefits.html .

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