Speaker: Daniel P. Cole, U.S. Army Research Laboratory
Title: Interfacial Mechanical Behavior of Advanced Composites and Structure
Abstract: The Vehicle Technology Directorate at the US Army Research Laboratory is investigating a variety of advanced materials for future Army vehicles, including lightweight and damage tolerant/adaptive composites, additively manufactured structures, and multifunctional structural energy storage materials. An underlying theme with many of these research projects is the critical role of interfaces, which may manifest at the nanometer to millimeter length scale depending on the composite or structure. Currently, a lack of fundamental understanding of how to experimentally characterize and simulate interface behavior limits practical implementation of these promising material systems. This talk will review recent research at the Army Research Laboratory concerning mechanical and electromechanical interface behavior, while discussing applications to a few material systems of interest to the Army, including fiber/matrix interphases, 3-D printed welds, and nanocarbon-based composites. In addition, this talk will cover an overview of the Mechanical Behavior of Materials Program at the US Army Research Office (ARO). This overview will include insights into working with ARO, approaching Program Managers, and various funding mechanisms.