Research in this cluster addresses how the composition, microstructure, and processing history of metals, polymers, and composites govern their mechanical performance — and how that performance can be engineered for demanding structural applications. A central theme is the characterization of deformation and failure mechanisms at the microstructural scale, using advanced electron microscopy, diffraction, and dislocation-mapping techniques to understand how grain boundaries, phase distributions, and crystal orientation control strength, ductility, and fracture. Severe plastic deformation and thermomechanical processing methods are used to refine metal alloy microstructures for superior strength-toughness combinations, particularly in lightweight and biodegradable alloy systems for automotive and biomedical applications. Complementing this experimental work, computational and multiphysics simulations predict how processing conditions translate into internal stress, damage nucleation, and component-scale mechanical behavior. A parallel thread focuses on polymer and composite materials processing — extrusion, molding, and additive manufacturing — to engineer structural composites, fiber-reinforced materials, and lightweight tooling, much of it coordinated through the department's Composite Materials and Structures Center. Materials joining, packaging, and interfacial reliability round out the field, addressing how dissimilar materials are bonded and how those interfaces perform under thermal and mechanical stress in service.
Faculty
Card Section
