For more information, contact Cindy Young, (937) 775-3232.
September 30, 1999
WRIGHT STATE AWARDED NSF GRANT FOR
NEW ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
Wright State University is home to new state-of the-art technology for conducting materials engineering research, thanks to a $300,000 National Science Foundation grant.Wright State has acquired an AXIS Ultra, the latest in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) instruments used for examining composite materials.
Wright State joins a select group of universities and research institutions to own the massive, yet highly sensitive, equipment. Though older XPS instruments exist in the Dayton area, none of them operate with the precision of the AXIS Ultra, which has the highest resolution in the world. "This is the Cadillac of XPS instruments," said Sharmila Mitra Mukhopadhyay, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering and the grant's principal investigator. "It gives Wright State an edge."
The AXIS Ultra scrutinizes the extremely thin surface layers of composites and other materials. It blasts a solid with X-rays, while a computer analyzes photoelectrons for changes in the material's chemistry.
"Human history is divided into periods based on our technological development," said Mukhopadhyay. "The Stone Age, Iron Age and Bronze Age are characterized by our use of materials during those times. Today we have the technology to bond together existing materials to create entirely new substances, such as fiberglass. In the new millennium we will use a number of space-age materials – plastics, composites, ceramics, multi-layer materials – in new ways and in new products."
Though used most in the aerospace and automotive industries, composites are becoming more widely used as commercial manufacturers explore their limitless possibilities and applications. Composites are superior in strength, durability, weight and corrosion resistance when compared to more familiar materials like wood and steel.
High-tech materials can also be found in products that we use every day. Golf clubs now have graphite shafts that are more flexible and stronger than their steel predecessors. Automobiles are manufactured with composite bodies that resist corrosion, making them rust-free.
Wright State joins the materials revolution as the AXIS Ultra takes materials engineering research to the next level. Little is known about the interface – the bond – between the various components in a composite, and "there is a real need in the engineering community for this kind of research," said Mukhopadhyay.
The Air Force Research Laboratory recognizes this as a crucial next step in composite technology, and will be collaborating with Mukhopadhyay as she investigates composite materials and related core materials to be used in Air Force aircraft.
Wright State will serve as a research hub for several aerospace and automotive research laboratories that need the AXIS Ultra's capabilities, including Michigan State University and the University of Dayton. Sorg Paper Co. and Superconducting Components will collaborate with Wright State graduate students to analyze an array of advanced materials for their commercial products.
Wright State undergraduate students will also benefit from the high-tech equipment. Students will get exposure to this cutting-edge area of materials engineering in junior-level classes. Seniors may use the resulting research in their senior design projects.
