US-Turkey Cooperative Research: Wave Propagation in Multi-Layered Materials

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

0242772 Hall Description: This award is for support of a joint research project between Dr. Ian Hall, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware and Dr. Mustafa Guden, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey. They plan to study the propagation of elastic, plastic and shock waves through combinations of solids (engineering, structural or geological materials) through a program consisting of modeling and experiments. The goal is to develop computational tools to facilitate the design of material systems in which the passage of waves can be manipulated to achieve a variety of desired effects. The particular application behind this research concerns wave propagation in materials consisting of ceramic tiles attached to thick-section polymer composites, such as may be used in armors. It has been observed that even when subjected to an initially compressive wave, to which its resistance is good, the ceramic soon experiences a tensile reflected wave to which its resistance is very poor and rapid failure occurs. Interposing a third material, with different properties, between the two principal constituents has been shown to affect the behavior beneficially. The systematic study of the extent to which the behavior may potentially be affected by deliberately choosing the materials' relative dimensions, impedances and other properties is a focus of this research activity. Scope: This award is for a US scientist to collaborate with a Turkish scientist in a research project in an important scientific area. The collaboration will take the form of six-month reciprocal visits by the U.S. principal investigator and his Turkish collaborator. The collaboration will include joint advisement of graduate students, and reciprocal visits by U.S. and Turkish graduate students. This project is jointly funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems.