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.