Vision

Intelligent materials and structures have the ability to sense, report, and respond to their state.  This ability will lead to a paradigm shift in structural design resulting in more efficient and safer structures and enhance capabilities in the internet of things (IOT). Real-time evaluation of the mechanical state of a structure can be used to modify operational envelopes and plan maintenance, averting catastrophic failures. Maintenance can shift from a scheduled model to a condition based model which will reduce downtime and operational costs. Distributed sensing and actuation will add capabilities to the internet of things, supplying data and adding possible responses. Additionally real-time damage detection and self healing capabilities allow for reduced damage tolerance in design leading to lighter-weight structures and more efficient vehicles.

Advanced Structures Laboratory (ASL):

The ASL seeks to advance the field of intelligent structures by researching critical issues that currently inhibit their use adoption including:

• Sensor design to reduce data and simplify interpretation
• New actuator and sensor technologies
• Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and automated damage detection
• Ultrasonic signal transmission
• Self-healing materials
• Properties of shape memory alloys