The Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering is dedicated to supporting both faculty and student research in a number of key areas.
Research activities in the area of autonomous systems are centered on understanding and controlling autonomous systems. The group consists of the Navigation Lab, Wave Lab, the Robotics Lab, the Space Weather Lab, the Advanced Engine Control Lab, and the Control Systems Lab.
Seebany Datta-Barua
Expertise: Space weather, navigation, data assimilation, remote sensing, and atmospheric dynamics
Carrie M. Hall
Expertise: Control of dynamics systems, hydrogen fuel cells, and vehicle powertrain control
Baisravan HomChaudhuri
Expertise: Optimal control, model predictive control, distributed optimization and control, motion planning, connected vehicle, and robotics
Boris S. Pervan
Expertise: Navigation, guidance, and control of dynamic systems
Nelson Rosa
Expertise: Hybrid dynamical systems, embedded/computer systems, algorithmic design, robotics, and legged locomotion
Matthew Spenko
Expertise: Control, dynamics, mechanical design, and robotics
Ankit Srivastava
Expertise: Deep learning and data-driven mechanics, optimization and inverse problems, contact dynamics, wave propagation, and micromechanics and homogenization
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The research activities in the design and manufacturing area include computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, solid freeform fabrication, and multi-sensor coordinate metrology. Research facilities include a state-of-the-art CNC machine, laser scanners, and computer workstations. The design and manufacturing faculty and research team have access to various commercial CAD/CAM/CAE software and the latest laser deposition process.
The research activities in the advanced manufacturing area include additive manufacturing of metallic and composite compounds, post-processing such as surface treatment and hot isostatic pressing, mechanical testing, biocompatibility, and high-temperature oxidation of 3D printed parts. The advanced manufacturing faculty and research team have access to 3D printers such as laser powder bed fusion and binder jet 3D printers.
John C. Cesarone
Expertise: Computer-integrated manufacturing technologies, and simulation and functional modeling techniques
Amir Mostafaei
Expertise: Advanced manufacturing with an emphasis on process-structure-property relationship development in powder bed fusion and binder betting additive manufacturing processes; alloy development with an emphasis on the production of high-quality, cost-effective metal powders; micro-computed tomography and synchrotron dynamic x-ray radiography with an emphasis on defect detection in metal 3D printed parts; data analytics for metal additive manufacturing; electrochemistry and high-temperature oxidation behavior of additively manufactured metals
Sayed M. Saghaian
Expertise: Experimental characterization and behavior of shape memory alloys
Research activities in the area of energy storage and conversion focus on novel material synthesis for energy storage and conversion applications. Nanomaterials with unique microstructures and properties for Li-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries, redox flow batteries, hydrogen storage materials, solid oxide fuel cells, and thermoelectric materials are designed and synthesized through various novel synthesis and processing methods, including integrated mechanical and thermal activation, co-precipitation, sol-gel processing, hydrothermal synthesis, solid state reaction, and sintering.
The novel materials obtained have enabled high specific capacity, fast charging rate, and long cycle life for Li-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries, and redox flow batteries as well as near room-temperature hydrogen release from hydrogen storage materials with high capacity.
Hamid Arastoopour
Expertise: Transport phenomena of multiphase systems and fluidization; energy and sustainability-related research; computational fluid dynamics applications to energy conversion and carbon capture processes; wind energy; production of natural gas from unconventional gas reserves and hydrates; and energy/water/food nexus
Leon L. Shaw
Expertise: Advanced materials synthesis and processing; solid freeform fabrication; hydrogen storage materials; electrochemical capacitors; Li- and Na-ion batteries; redox flow batteries; and solid oxide fuel cells
Heng Wang
Expertise: Thermoelectrics; semiconductor physics; and charge and heat transport
Our fluid dynamics faculty have particular expertise in the areas of flow control, Navier-Stokes simulations, low-dimensional modeling, and aeroacoustics.
Laboratories in the John T. Rettaliata Engineering Center house a variety of high-quality, low-speed, and high-speed wind tunnels, anechoic facilities, jet facilities, and an axial flow compressor research facility. Current research is supported by AFOSR, NSF, Boeing, Honeywell, DARPA, and ONR.
Douglas W. Carter
Expertise: Experimental turbulent flows, particle-turbulence interaction, noise generation of separated flows, particle tracking velocimetry, and high-speed flows.
Kevin W. Cassel
Expertise: Application of analytical and computational methods in the thermo-fluid sciences.
Lou Cattafesta
Expertise: Fluid dynamics, active and passive flow control, aeroacoustics, actuators and sensors, experimental methods, and uncertainty analysis
Scott T. M. Dawson
Expertise: Fluid mechanics, turbulence, aerodynamics, and dynamical systems
Hassan M. Nagib
Expertise: Fluid mechanics and turbulence and flow management and control.
David R. Williams
Expertise: Flow control, flow metering, fluidic oscillators, linear and nonlinear wave interactions in transitioning flows, acoustic measurement techniques.
Research in materials science and engineering is focused on materials processing, mechanical properties, and alloy development. Experimental research studies benefit from well-equipped laboratories with unique capabilities.
Modeling and simulation of materials processing and alloy thermodynamics forms a second thrust of activities. Many of the research programs are sponsored by the Thermal Processing Technology Center, which undertakes research to support the needs of the materials processing and manufacturing industries.
The center performs high quality basic and applied research in thermal processing technology of interest to the primary metals and manufacturing industry. Multi-disciplinary research teams are used to provide innovative, crosscutting technological solutions to industrial materials processing problems.
Amir Mostafaei
Expertise: Advanced manufacturing with an emphasis on process-structure-property relationship development in powder bed fusion and binder betting additive manufacturing processes; alloy development with an emphasis on the production of high-quality, cost-effective metal powders; micro-computed tomography and synchrotron dynamic x-ray radiography with an emphasis on defect detection in metal 3D printed parts; data analytics for metal additive manufacturing; electrochemistry and high-temperature oxidation behavior of additively manufactured metals
Aleksandar Ostrogorsky
Expertise: Heat and mass transfer phenomena occurring in materials processing; directional solidification/single crystal growth focusing on semiconductor alloys; wide band gap materials for gamma ray detectors (semiconductors and scintillators); diffusion; and growth of carbon nanotubes
Leon L. Shaw
Expertise: Advanced materials synthesis and processing; solid freeform fabrication; hydrogen storage materials; electrochemical capacitors; Li- and Na-ion batteries; redox flow batteries; and solid oxide fuel cells
Murat Vural
Expertise: Experimental solid mechanics, dynamic response and constitutive modeling of materials, and mechanics of cellular solids
Heng Wang
Expertise: Thermoelectrics; semiconductor physics; and charge and heat transport
The solids and structures group employs experimental, analytical, and computational techniques to study the behavior of conventional and advanced materials (including biological) at the nano-, micro-, and macro-scales.
Experimental facilities include a new dynamic testing lab equipped with state-of-the-art data acquisition systems. Current research focuses on topology and rate effects in cellular solids, thermomechanical coupling in high-rate deformation processes, micromechanics of composites, modeling of nanoscale composite structures subjected to thermal cycling, and biomechanics.
Ankit Srivastava
Expertise: Wave propagation, micromechanics and homogenization, deep learning and data-driven mechanics, optimization, and inverse problems
Murat Vural
Expertise: Experimental solid mechanics, dynamic response and constitutive modeling of materials, and mechanics of cellular solids
The research facilities of the thermal sciences group comprise the Heat Transfer Research Laboratory, Advanced Engine Control Laboratory, and Laboratory of Semiconductor Compounds and Alloys.
This research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation, NASA, and other organizations such as the Gas Technology Institute. The experimental and theoretical studies include both macro and micro scales.
Sumanta Acharya
Expertise: Computational and experimental heat transfer; fluid dynamics and combustion; gas turbine heat transfer; gas turbine combustion; heat exchangers; fundamentals and applications in heat transfer, including natural and mixed convection and single- and two-phase flows; and heat transfer and reacting flows
Carrie M. Hall
Expertise: Combustion, alternative fuels, hydrogen fuel cells, and internal combustion engines
Aleksandar G. Ostrogorsky
Expertise: Heat and mass transfer phenomena occurring in materials processing; directional solidification/single crystal growth focusing on semiconductor alloys; wide band gap materials for gamma-ray detectors (semiconductors and scintillators); diffusion; and growth of carbon nanotubes
