Director   Sanford S. Sternstein
CCMS Home Page
http://www.eng.rpi.edu/WWW/Research/res_centers/ccms.html

The Center for Composite Materials and Structures (CCMS) has been established to coordinate and promote composites-related activities in four academic areas—civil, materials, and mechanical engineering and chemistry. Composites research activities at Rensselaer cover many facets of the subject and include mechanics-related topics such as the micromechanical modeling of elastic, thermal, fatigue, and failure phenomena; residual stress analysis and process modeling; constitutive equations for polymeric composites and viscoelastic characterization; design methodologies and numerical implementation for ceramic matrix composites; and materials-related topics such as interfacial adhesion and models of fiber-matrix stress transfer; nanoscale fillers and fibers for reinforcement; mechanisms of damping in filled elastomers; fiber and matrix characterization; environmental interactions; high temperature creep; long-term properties prediction, matrix and organic precursor synthesis; and civil-aeronautical topics such as the use of composites for infrastructure construction and joint analysis. Materials of interest include all polymer, ceramic, and metal matrix composite systems.

For the past 20 years, Rensselaer has been a leader in the training of undergraduates with an exposure to composites. Undergraduates have designed, fabricated, and tested to specifications several all-composite gliders. As many as 70 juniors and seniors participate in the program in any given year. The third-generation glider, the RP-3, was successfully flight-tested recently.

Courses covering all areas of composites from materials and processing to properties, micromechanics, and design are offered yearly. Joint activities with SCOREC (Scientific Computation Research Center) include the numerical implementation of advanced computational schemes for the modeling of fabrication processes, mechanical properties evaluation, and structural design and analysis. Interdisciplinary students are strongly encouraged at Rensselaer and are essential for studies in the composites field.

Affiliated Faculty

Civil Engineering: J. Fish, M.S. Shephard
Materials Engineering: P. Ajayan, R.H. Doremus, D.J. Duquette, W.B. Hillig, L. Schadler, R.Siegel, S.S. Sternstein
Mechanical Engineering: G. Dvorak, P. Hajela, H.J. Hagerup, E. Krempl
Chemistry: J.V. Crivello, L.V. Interrante, J.A. Moore