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Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

Center Overview

The Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) identifies and develops breakthrough technologies, materials, tools, and methods that will revolutionize how composite and hybrid materials are joined and repaired. These lightweight composite and hybrid materials are used in aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and biomedical applications.

CHMI provides member companies with a convergent research development environment that quickly turns basic research into commercial applications. The ultimate goal of CHMI is to significantly reduce — by at least 50% — the cost and cycle time while improving the consistency and performance of materials interfaces. The innovative education programs and industry collaboration at CHMI also expedite the development and adoption of new technologies in CHMI fields.

Universities

Oakland University
Georgia Institute of Technology
University of Tennessee, Knoxville

View Center Website

Center Personnel

Christopher Muhlstein
Center Director
+1 404 385 1235
christopher.muhlstein@mse.gatech.edu

Donggang Yao
Site Director (Georgia Tech)
+1 404 894 9076
yao@gatech.edu

Sayed Nassar
Site Director (Oakland University)
+1 248 370 3781
nassar@oakland.edu

Uday K Vaidya
Site Director (University of Tennessee, Knoxville)
+1 865 974 7620
uvaidya@utk.edu

Research Focus

CHMI is built on interdisciplinary research teams with expertise in material chemistry, processing and synthesis, advanced manufacturing, design and modeling, data analytics, and testing. These teams are supported by extensive facilities for materials characterization, processing and fabrication, nondestructive evaluation methods (NDE), testing, computation and design, and data processing.

CHMI is focused on four industry-inspired research areas:

Design, modeling, and analysis.
Materials and process engineering.
Secure data and digital technologies.
Testing and NDE.

Each CHMI university site emphasizes different industry sectors (Georgia Tech, aerospace; Oakland University, automotive and ground vehicles; and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, infrastructure and biomedical), which helps ensure that research covers the wide range of U.S. manufacturing.

Awards

2052738

IUCRC Phase I: University of Tennessee: Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

The Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) seeks to generate knowledge and capabilities in joining, bonding, and maintenance of composite and hybrid material structures by applying reliable, data-driven, automated processes using advanced analytical, computational, experimental, and digital techniques and tools. It is a partnership between Oakland University (OU), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The significant advantages of lightweight composite and hybrid materials for aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and biomedical applications come with scientific, technical, and economic challenges that must be addressed for the U.S. to be a global manufacturing leader. The interfaces in these materials systems are identified as a critical barrier due to fabrication costs and inconsistent performance (especially in aggressive environments). The goal of CHMI is to significantly reduce cost (≥50%), cycle time, and variation of such engineering operations in ten years. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Site has diverse expertise that spans advanced composite materials, high-fidelity characterization of single to multi-scale fibers, recycled and textile grade carbon fiber, innovative manufacturing with thermoset and thermoplastic polymers and joining. The strong partnerships with the infrastructure, automotive and biomedical industries are enabled by the Tennessee ecosystem comprising the Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility, IACMI-The Composites Institute, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility & Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The three partnering universities have well-established, complementary expertise in lightweight composite and hybrid materials. They will work together on four industry-inspired research thrust areas: (1) Design, Modeling and Analysis, (2) Materials and Process Engineering, (3) Testing and NDE, and (4) Secure Data and Digital Technologies. Each university has emphasized different industry sectors (GT-Aerospace, OU-Automotive/Ground Vehicle, UTK-Infrastructure and Biomedical), which ensures the inclusion of university and industry perspectives across a wide range of U.S. manufacturing. The CHMI IUCRC will develop a Convergent Research Development Environment that will identify and conduct industry-inspired pre-competitive, innovative research in the area of interfacing composites and hybrid materials. The UTK Site will focus on the infrastructure, automotive, and biomedical needs for accurate computational prediction methods for the composite structures through its research on computation and design, processing/fabrication, characterization and testing, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), and data analytics. Specifically, research efforts will include multi-material joining of recycled composites to dissimilar materials, energetic initiators for joining hybrid materials, smart processing and sensing of fiber reinforced hybrid materials joints in extreme environments, dissimilar composite-metal joining and overmolding, joining of high performing multi-material soft materials, and the development of other breakthrough technologies that drive industry to mitigate risk and improve efficiency.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2052658

IUCRC Phase I: Oakland University: Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

The Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) seeks to generate knowledge and capabilities in joining, bonding, and maintenance of composite and hybrid material structures by applying reliable, data-driven, automated processes using advanced analytical, computational, experimental, and digital techniques and tools. It is a partnership between Oakland University (OU), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The significant advantages of lightweight composite and hybrid materials for aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and biomedical applications come with scientific, technical, and economic challenges that must be addressed for the U.S. to be a global manufacturing leader. The interfaces in these materials systems are identified as a critical barrier due to fabrication costs and inconsistent performance (especially in aggressive environments). The goal of CHMI is to significantly reduce cost (≥50%), cycle time, and variation of such engineering operations in ten years. The OU Site is home to state-of-the-art facilities and expert researchers at its Fastening and Joining Research Institute (FAJRI), which includes a wide range of equipment in its composite joining labs, material properties and manufacturing processing lab, and chemistry labs. The OU faculty have diverse expertise that spans material joining, nondestructive testing, material characterization, artificial intelligence, modeling/simulation, data analytics, advance manufacturing, and validation testing.

The three partnering universities have well-established, complementary expertise in lightweight composite and hybrid materials. They will work together on four industry-inspired research thrust areas: (1) Design, Modeling and Analysis, (2) Materials and Process Engineering, (3) Testing and NDE, and (4) Secure Data and Digital Technologies. Each university has emphasized different industry sectors (GT-Aerospace, OU-Automotive/Ground Vehicle, UTK-Infrastructure and Biomedical), which ensures the inclusion of university and industry perspectives across a wide range of U.S. manufacturing. The CHMI IUCRC will develop a Convergent Research Development Environment that will identify and conduct industry-inspired pre-competitive, innovative research in the area of interfacing composites and hybrid materials. The OU Site will focus on computation and design, processing/fabrication, characterization and testing, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), and data analytics. Specifically, research efforts will include: electromagnetic-sensitive additives for reversible adhesion of hybrid material joints, volatile organic compound failure analysis of autoclave-bonded panels, modeling of predictive emission for adhesive hybrid material joints, machine learning and knowledge-based models for threaded composite and hybrid material joint systems, NDE methods using experimental and computational digital shearography for composite and hybrid materials interfaces, and the development of other breakthrough technologies that drive industry to mitigate risk and improve efficiency.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

2052714

IUCRC Phase I Georgia Institute of Technology: Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

The Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) seeks to generate knowledge and capabilities in joining, bonding, and maintenance of composite and hybrid material structures by applying reliable, data-driven, automated processes using advanced analytical, computational, experimental, and digital techniques and tools. It is a partnership between Oakland University (OU), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The significant advantages of lightweight composite and hybrid materials for aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and biomedical applications come with scientific, technical, and economic challenges that must be addressed for the U.S. to be a global manufacturing leader. The interfaces in these materials systems are identified as a critical barrier due to fabrication costs and inconsistent performance (especially in aggressive environments). The goal of CHMI is to significantly reduce cost (≥50%), cycle time, and variation of such engineering operations in ten years. The Georgia Tech (GT) Site has research and educational programs related to composites and advanced materials manufacturing, and industry partnerships with over 50 companies and government organizations related to CHMI. The Site’s CHMI-related research is supported by an interdisciplinary research team with expertise in material chemistry, processing / synthesis, manufacturing, design/modeling, data analytics, and testing that is paired with facilities for materials characterization, processing/fabrication, NDE, testing, computation and design, and data processing.

The three partnering universities have well-established, complementary expertise in lightweight composite and hybrid materials. They will work together on four industry-inspired research thrust areas: (1) Design, Modeling and Analysis, (2) Materials and Process Engineering, (3) Testing and NDE, and (4) Secure Data and Digital Technologies. Each university has emphasized different industry sectors (GT-Aerospace, OU-Automotive/Ground Vehicle, UTK-Infrastructure and Biomedical), which ensures the inclusion of university and industry perspectives across a wide range of U.S. manufacturing. The CHMI IUCRC will develop a Convergent Research Development Environment that will identify and conduct industry-inspired pre-competitive, innovative research in the area of interfacing composites and hybrid materials. The GT Site will focus on the aerospace industry’s needs for accurate computational prediction methods for the composite vehicle structures through its research on computation and design, processing/fabrication, characterization and testing, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), and data analytics. Specifically, research efforts will include computational design methods for joining of structures of composites/hybrid materials, modeling and characterization of interfacial bonding, monitoring crack formation in bonded composites, NDE techniques for CHMI applications, privacy-preserving predictive analytics for structural monitoring and maintenance and the development of other breakthrough technologies that drive industry to mitigate risk and improve efficiency.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. Read More >

Member Organizations

IUCRC affiliated member organizations are displayed as submitted by the Center. Non-federal organizations are not selected, approved, or otherwise endorsed by the U.S. National Science Foundation.

Air Force Research Lab (AFRL)
DB Technologies
Delta Air Lines
Dominion Energy
Endeavor Composites
Hexcel
Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI)
IACMI - The Composites Institute
Lockheed Martin
Mussel Polymers
One Energy
SensorData Technologies
SMACAR Solutions
Syensqo

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the Center author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. National Science Foundation.