Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering - Polymers and Composites

Polymer and Composite research is an important focus for MME. The Composites Science and Engineering Center (CSEC) on the WSU campus provides ample equipment and space for teams to conduct polymer and composite research, including research on biopolymers, nanocomposites, fiber composites and processing, multiscale modeling, property characterizations, failure mechanisms, and application issues. Other research areas include additive manufacturing/printing processing and extrusion, compression molding, foaming, and solution-based methods. Researchers are also studying the modeling of thermos-mechanical constitutive models, applications to morph micro air vehicle flapping wings, and surface-reshaping robots that use shape-memory polymers. These researchers are experts in multi-scale modeling for deformation and failure mechanisms in polymer composites, and, for example, they study how multi-axial, time-dependent characterizations on composites and adhesives describe material damage and failure processes. Other research includes the effects of environmental exposure on the mechanical response of composites and adhesives and experimental characterization of the dynamic response of polymer composites and structures. An important invention researchers have recently discovered is how to effectively recycle fiber composites. Specific research applications include multifunctional nanocomposites (e.g., CNT, Graphene, nanofibers, etc.), as well as bio-based materials (e.g., protein, lignin, nanocrystalline cellulose, etc.) for use in energy conversion, storage, saving, sensing, actuation, and in environmental and aero-structures.

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