IUCRC Phase I: University of Tennessee: Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

复合材料和混合材料接口中心（CHMI）旨在通过使用先进的分析，计算，实验和数字技术和工具应用可靠的，数据驱动的自动化过程来产生复合材料和混合材料结构的连接，粘合和维护方面的知识和能力。这是奥克兰大学（奥克兰），格鲁吉亚理工学院（GT）和田纳西大学，诺克斯维尔（UTK）之间的合作伙伴关系。轻质复合材料和混合材料在航空航天、汽车、基础设施和生物医学应用中的显著优势，伴随着美国成为全球制造业领导者必须解决的科学、技术和经济挑战。由于制造成本和不一致的性能（特别是在侵蚀性环境中），这些材料系统中的界面被确定为关键屏障。 CHMI的目标是在十年内显著降低成本（≥50%）、周期时间和此类工程操作的变化。 田纳西大学诺克斯维尔分校（UTK）拥有多种专业知识，涵盖先进的复合材料、单尺度到多尺度纤维的高保真表征、回收和纺织级碳纤维、热固性和热塑性聚合物的创新制造以及连接。 与基础设施、汽车和生物医学行业的强大合作伙伴关系得益于田纳西州的生态系统，该生态系统包括纤维和复合材料制造设施、IACMI-复合材料研究所、橡树岭国家实验室的碳纤维技术设施制造示范设施。这三所合作大学在轻质复合材料和混合材料方面拥有完善的互补专业知识。 他们将在四个行业启发的研究重点领域合作：（1）设计，建模和分析，（2）材料和工艺工程，（3）测试和NDE，以及（4）安全数据和数字技术。每所大学都强调不同的行业领域（GT-航空航天，OU-汽车/地面车辆，UTK-基础设施和生物医学），这确保了在美国制造业的广泛范围内纳入大学和行业的观点。CHMI IUCRC将开发一个融合的研究开发环境，该环境将在界面复合材料和混合材料领域识别和进行行业启发的竞争前创新研究。UTK网站将专注于基础设施，汽车和生物医学对复合材料结构精确计算预测方法的需求，通过其对计算和设计，加工/制造，表征和测试，无损评估（NDE）和数据分析的研究。具体而言，研究工作将包括回收复合材料与异种材料的多材料连接，用于连接混合材料的高能引发剂，极端环境中纤维增强混合材料接头的智能加工和传感，异种复合材料-金属连接和包覆成型，高性能多材料软材料的连接，以及其他突破性技术的开发，推动行业降低风险和提高效率。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

The Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) seeks to generate knowledge and capabilities in joining, bonding, and maintenance of composite and hybrid material structures by applying reliable, data-driven, automated processes using advanced analytical, computational, experimental, and digital techniques and tools. It is a partnership between Oakland University (OU), Georgia Institute of Technology (GT) and University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). The significant advantages of lightweight composite and hybrid materials for aerospace, automotive, infrastructure, and biomedical applications come with scientific, technical, and economic challenges that must be addressed for the U.S. to be a global manufacturing leader. The interfaces in these materials systems are identified as a critical barrier due to fabrication costs and inconsistent performance (especially in aggressive environments). The goal of CHMI is to significantly reduce cost (≥50%), cycle time, and variation of such engineering operations in ten years. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) Site has diverse expertise that spans advanced composite materials, high-fidelity characterization of single to multi-scale fibers, recycled and textile grade carbon fiber, innovative manufacturing with thermoset and thermoplastic polymers and joining. The strong partnerships with the infrastructure, automotive and biomedical industries are enabled by the Tennessee ecosystem comprising the Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility, IACMI-The Composites Institute, Carbon Fiber Technology Facility & Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The three partnering universities have well-established, complementary expertise in lightweight composite and hybrid materials. They will work together on four industry-inspired research thrust areas: (1) Design, Modeling and Analysis, (2) Materials and Process Engineering, (3) Testing and NDE, and (4) Secure Data and Digital Technologies. Each university has emphasized different industry sectors (GT-Aerospace, OU-Automotive/Ground Vehicle, UTK-Infrastructure and Biomedical), which ensures the inclusion of university and industry perspectives across a wide range of U.S. manufacturing. The CHMI IUCRC will develop a Convergent Research Development Environment that will identify and conduct industry-inspired pre-competitive, innovative research in the area of interfacing composites and hybrid materials. The UTK Site will focus on the infrastructure, automotive, and biomedical needs for accurate computational prediction methods for the composite structures through its research on computation and design, processing/fabrication, characterization and testing, non-destructive evaluation (NDE), and data analytics. Specifically, research efforts will include multi-material joining of recycled composites to dissimilar materials, energetic initiators for joining hybrid materials, smart processing and sensing of fiber reinforced hybrid materials joints in extreme environments, dissimilar composite-metal joining and overmolding, joining of high performing multi-material soft materials, and the development of other breakthrough technologies that drive industry to mitigate risk and improve efficiency.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.