IRES: US-Germany collaboration to advance research and education in materials for extreme environments

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Part 1Ceramics and Ceramic matrix composites have demonstrated promise in the quest for performance under hypersonic conditions related to sub-orbital and reusable space vehicles. This IRES will provide a 10-week summer session every year for 3 years, to enable 4 US students annually, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels, to acquire knowledge in manufacturing, testing and simulation of advanced material systems exhibiting durability in extreme environments. Through the program, students experience large-scale facilities at DLR Aerospace in Cologne, Germany, including materials manufacturing and testing systems to design and develop experimental samples. This experience offers joint participation of US and German researchers in synchrotron studies at the Argonne National Laboratory with mentorship from both German and US-based scientists. Students will gain a rare insight into the full cycle of emerging materials research. Research outcomes have long terms societal benefits in creating a new class of materials for next generation energy, propulsion and transportation needs. The educational broader impact of the international collaborative research is achieved through i) an exchange of knowledge of high resolution techniques in processing, experimentation and simulation ii) opportunities for students at the graduate and undergraduate levels to experience collaborative research in highly advanced facilities focused on each expertise with mentoring from highly trained scientists as well as peer mentoring between graduate and senior undergraduate students, iii) a pre-trip German Engineering Exchange (GEEx) activity with local high school students (taking German language) teaching basic German Language in exchange for engineering activities organized by the participants. Research opportunities in Germany will be shared with the rising freshmen through this activity. Part 2This IRES project facilitates international experiences for students, through collaborative research between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the University of Central Florida (UCF), in support of the search for materials that can sustain extreme physical and mechanical environments applicable to hypersonic and reusable space vehicles. DLR's expertise in advanced processing of high temperature ceramics and ceramic matrix composites will complement UCF's unique capability to capture the mechanics of these complex layered material systems directly, under operational and real environments. The research enables investigation of the strain evolution in these materials over thermal-mechanical or thermal gradient-mechanical cycles, crack propagation under extreme environments and effects of geometry on strain and damage propagation through in-situ synchrotron measurements conducted by the UCF and DLR researchers in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory. The results will enable fundamental knowledge on the mechanical properties and behavior of these materials with outcomes that have the potential to extend operational capacity and durability under high temperature.