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by Dr. John A. Gilbert* Dr. Robert E. Vaughan Mr. Teng Ooi Dr. Houssam Toutanji * CONTACT - telephone: (256) 824-6029; fax: (256) 824-6758; e-mail: jag@eb.uah.edu ABSTRACT
STARS are designed based on the strength, stiffness, and the position of the component materials in the composite section. Their ability to store and release energy depends upon a complex interaction between the shape, modal response, and the forcing function initiated to the structure. Advanced systems will function as smart structures that include sensing elements to monitor structural integrity and control elements to adjust the dynamic response. ADVANTAGES/ POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS
Becoming Involved at a Higher Level: Members of AMCOM, MSFC, and SMDC are intrigued by the STARS concept and Dr. Gilbert is leading the charge to secure the funds needed to support the proposed research. He is working with Dr. Toutanji to prepare extramural proposals that will be submitted to these organizations and a number of other funding agencies. If your organization is interested in learning more and possibly supporting this effort, please contact Dr. Gilbert. Once funding is secured, both Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Toutanji will be looking for undergraduate and graduate research assistants to work with them in this new and exciting area. Between them, our two faculty advisors have supervised theses and dissertations for students housed in six different departments (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Optical Science and Engineering, and Physics). If you're serious about expanding your horizons and want to work with one of the most dedicated and talented faculty anywhere, contact one of them. You're most welcome to join Team UAH too. We would love to have your expertise and support. |
This
paper demonstrates how composite materials, fabricated by placing a low modulus,
lightweight concrete over multiple layers of a relatively stiff reinforcement,
can be used to create Strategically Tuned,
Absolutely Resilient
Structures (STARS).
These remarkable concoctions are designed so that they can be highly stressed
and deformed to store large amounts of elastic strain energy. When the
structural response is modified as the service loads are decreased, the energy
is released in a controlled fashion to do useful work.
Our
preliminary research shows that cementitious STARS
offer
structural engineers more design flexibility than traditional advanced aerospace
composites fabricated from materials such as graphite or Kevlar epoxy. In the
future, we propose to develop this technology by building mechanical energy storage devices that can be
incorporated into advanced propulsion and tactical weapons systems. Since our
materials are inert and less sensitive to corrosion, nuclear bombardment, and
electromagnetic radiation than their traditional counterparts, they should
function better in the hostile environments found in space and on the
battlefield.