CMMI-EPSRC: Damage Tolerant 3D Micro-Architectured Brittle Materials

近几十年来，寻找能够承受极端使用条件的轻质材料一直是材料发展的主要推动力之一。陶瓷材料通常是这种条件下的首选，因为它们在高温和恶劣环境下的稳定性。然而，与金属材料相比，其固有的脆性和低损伤容限限制了其在结构上的应用。一种被称为微结构材料的新兴材料具有克服这些限制的巨大潜力。因此，这个美英合作项目的首要目标是更深入地了解由纯脆性母材（陶瓷/陶瓷类）制成的各种微结构材料的断裂和损伤容限。这些材料不仅具有潜在的结构应用，而且在能源、生物医学设备和微机械设备等其他当代技术中也受到追捧。该项目将促进损伤容限和结构完整性分析，以便在这些技术中可靠地使用微结构材料。该项目的教育和推广计划也与研究计划紧密结合，共同关注微建筑材料的力学。这包括开发有关该主题的交互式和开放获取的教学材料，为研究生和博士后研究人员提供培训，并通过针对K-12学生的博物馆展览提高对力学和微建筑材料的认识。此外，这个两国合作项目将有助于在实验和计算力学和材料科学领域培养多元化和全球参与的技术劳动力。该项目的具体目标是双重的。首先，确定由线弹性脆性母材构成的大尺度三维周期微结构的裂纹扩展和损伤容限机制。其次，将断裂机制的理解扩展到脆性陶瓷母材构成的随机微结构。该项目将超越对经典断裂力学和相关测试方案的传统理解，全面了解损伤容限，并设计一种新的方法来表征各种纯脆性材料制成的3D微结构材料的断裂响应。此外，通过实现这些目标，该项目旨在测试假设，解决与技术相关的基本问题，并开发结构-属性-性能图，以促进面向目标的设计和最佳微架构的选择。这项研究是由NSF工程局- UKRI工程和物理科学研究委员会领导机构机会（ENG-EPSRC）合作进行的，NSF 20-510。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The search for lightweight materials that can withstand extreme service conditions has been one of the major driving forces in material development in recent decades. Ceramic materials are often the preferred choice for such conditions due to their stability at high temperatures and in harsh environments. However, their inherent brittleness and low damage tolerance compared to metallic materials limit their structural applications. An emerging class of materials known as micro-architectured materials holds great potential for overcoming these limitations. Therefore, the overarching goal of this US-UK collaborative project is to develop a deeper understanding of fracture and damage tolerance in a wide variety of micro-architectured materials made from purely brittle parent materials which are ceramic/ceramic-like. These materials not only have potential structural applications but are also sought after for other contemporary technologies such as energy, biomedical devices, and micromechanical devices. This project will facilitate damage tolerance and structural integrity analysis for the reliable use of micro-architectured materials in these technologies. The project’s education and outreach plans are also closely integrated with the research plan, with a shared focus on the mechanics of micro-architectured materials. This includes developing interactive and open-access instructional materials on the subject, providing training to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, and increasing awareness of mechanics and micro-architectured materials through museum exhibits aimed at K-12 students. Furthermore, this bi-national collaborative project will contribute to the development of a diverse and globally engaged technical workforce in both experimental and computational mechanics and materials science.The specific objectives of this project are twofold. Firstly, to determine the mechanisms of crack growth and damage tolerance in large-scale 3D periodic micro-architectures composed of linear elastic brittle parent materials. Secondly, to extend the understanding of fracture mechanisms to stochastic micro-architectures made of brittle ceramic parent materials. This project will go beyond the traditional understanding of classical fracture mechanics and associated testing protocols by developing a comprehensive understanding of damage tolerance and devising a novel methodology to characterize the fracture response of a wide variety of 3D micro-architectured materials made from purely brittle materials. Furthermore, by achieving these objectives, the project aims to test hypotheses, address fundamental questions with technological relevance, and develop structure-property-performance maps that will facilitate goal-oriented design and selection of optimal micro-architectures.This research is a collaborative effort under the NSF Directorate for Engineering - UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Lead Agency Opportunity (ENG-EPSRC), NSF 20-510.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.