Daytona Beach Campus - College of Engineering

Research in the College of Engineering

AIRCRAFT MATERIALS AND STRUCTURES



The research focus areas in aircraft materials and structures include materials (cellular cell materials and composite materials), NDT combined with neural networks, fatigue, vibration and FEA modeling.

The following members are conducting research in those areas.

Dr. Eric Hill

The primary research emphasis has been nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring of aerospace systems using acoustic emission (AE) and neural networks. The focus has been on three specific areas: (1) low proof load prediction of ultimate strengths in metal and composite structures, (2) low cycle prediction of fatigue life in metal structures, and (3) the implementation of an in-flight fatigue crack monitoring system for aging aircraft, all from statistical and neural network analyses of AE flaw growth data.

Current Programs:
Project Icarus: Developing an Inexpensive Sounding Rocket for Space Research Payloads
ERAU Provosts Internal Research Grant


Dr. David J. Sypeck

Research with cellular solids (interconnected networks of solid struts or plates that join to form the edges and faces of cells). These types of materials find application as impact energy absorbers, cores of composite structural panels amongst many other applications. With this research, efficient truss-like cellular architectures are identified, fabricated by affordable textile and sheet lamination methods followed by properties validation through experiment.

Current Programs:
ERAU Provosts Internal Research Grant (with Dr. Zhao)


Dr. Yi Zhao

Research in composite materials and their applications using analytical, experimental, and FEA techniques. Focuses include damage tolerance, crash worthiness, joining methods, residual life prediction. Current projects: FEA crash simulation; torque limit of mechanical fastener for composites; residual strength prediction for composites with impact damage.

Current Programs:
Torque Research for Composites, NASA/MSFC
ERAU Provosts Internal Research Grant (with Dr. Sypeck)


Dr. Habib Eslami

Research interests are: Thermal Stresses, Nonlinear Vibrations, Dynamic Analysis of Compressor and Fan blades, Structural Analysis of Composites.

Proposal (pending): Dynamic Analysis and the Test Plan for the Development of an Electron Beam, sent to EB Airfoil, Palm city, Florida.