Programs: Thermostructural Materials
A range of thermostructural materials and systems are being explored for multifunctional purposes. These include : viscoelastically toughened aluminosilicates for refractory ceramics; solar reflectors for cooking, metallic foams, and titanium alloys.
- The materials science behind the design of solar reflectors is being explored. This includes the science behind reflecting surfaces, transmitting surfaces, and insulating materials. Ongoing work includes a combination of the experimental and theoretical research, as well as education /community outreach projects such as this one in rural Kenya, where pre-college students made solar cookers and used them to cook the local ugali staple food.
- The solar cooker shown above was tested at different solar reflector angles in Mpala, Kenya. The studies show that the cooker can boil water in ~15 minutes. Peak temperatures of 300-350°F are also suitable for baking, cooking, drying, roasting ad food preservation.
- Glassy phases have been incorporated into refractory ceramics to promote viscoelastic crack bridging. The viscoelastic bridging has been modeled using fully consistent crack bridging models. The materials phenomena associated with the viscoelastic crack bridging have also been studied for refractory ceramics in which the glass phases were doped to control their viscosity-temperature and strength-temperature characteristics.
- The deformation and fatigue mechanisms have been studied in cellular materials such as metallic foams that have potential applications as ultra-light crash-resistant automotive materials. The work has produced new insights into how struts in such foams contribute to strength and fatigue resistance.
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