OAI Employees

Materials

Light-weight, High-performance Polymers and Structures

• Develop molecularly engineered advanced polymeric materials and composites from design to end-use applications—including synthesis, characterization, process optimization, component design and prototyping, and manufacturing optimization
• Research performance – durability evaluation and prediction for various applications; aeronautics, space, marine, auto, medical, durable goods.
• Current activities: High voltage insulations for hybrid electric aircraft, high temperature organics for Stirling convertors, Curved PMCs for automotive, nanocomposites, high temperature polymer aerogels for aerospace applications

Ceramics and Metallics

• Advance materials technology for aerospace as well as other applications
• Integration technologies
• Develop a wide range of approaches to join dissimilar materials for a wide range of thermo-structural conditions
• Shape memory alloys
• Develop stable, high-work-output, shape memory alloys for a range of application temperatures & stress levels for use in adaptive structures and actuators through a fundamental understanding & control of material properties

Research Team Manager: Eugene Shin
EugeneShin@oai.org | 216-433-8155

Structures

• Develop testing methodologies for high temperature structural materials, sub-elements, and components
• Thermal, dynamic, and stress analyses of aerospace structural elements (ex: sandwich structures and protective coatings on metallic alloys and ceramic matrix composites) with finite element methods
• Simulation of lightning strike effects on delamination of CFRP panels with cohesive layers between plies to capture delaminations
• Durability estimation of aerospace components with creep life models, fatigue crack initiation models, and fracture mechanics

Research Team Manager: Sreeramesh Kalluri
SreerameshKalluri@oai.org | 216.433.6727

Computational Modeling

Support technology development for air/space vehicle propulsion systems

• Develop theoretical and computational models for system components
• Advance knowledge and understanding
  • Reduce cost of access to space by improved performance and efficiency
  • Reduce environmental impact (noise and emissions)
  • Investigate new pulse detonation rocket-based combined-cycle (PDRBCC) engine concept
  • Develop models and prediction codes for propulsion system (jet) noise
  • Develop turbulence-chemistry interaction models for reacting multi-phase flow simulations

Basic Research

• Multi-disciplinary physics
• Uncertainty Quantification/Sensitivity Analysis
• High-speed flows

Applications

• CFD support of projects/experiments
• Software/Hardware optimization for high performance computing

Research Team Manager: Stewart Leib
StewartLeib@oai.org | 216.433.8639

Space Science

Knowledge and technology to advance space exploration

• Develop space propulsion, power, and communications technologies
• Examine aspects of space science:  environmental interactions
  • Exploration technology
  • Advanced propulsion – high power Hall effect thrusters
  • Plasma propulsion – advanced concepts such as MPD, plasma wave acceleration
  • NIAC advanced concepts
  • Advanced solar power – advanced cells, support to DARPA FAST array testing
  • Advanced test sets for exploration communications
  • Solar and nuclear electric propulsion systems studies
  • Space sciences
  • Solar cell lifetime and arcing in space
  • Environmental monitoring instrumentation

Research Team Manager: James Gilland
JamesGilland@oai.org | 440.962.3000

Ceramics

• Laminated Object Manufacturing of ceramic matrix composites
• Binder jet printing technologies (with RP+M)
  • Study processing constituents (e.g., SiC powders, infiltrants, fiber reinforcements)
  • Assess microstructure (optical and SEM) and properties (densities and bend tests)
• Develop and characterize feed materials for 3-D printing of silicon carbide (SiC)-based ceramics
• 3-D printing of multi-functional materials

Thermal Management

• Utilize new advanced materials, such as high conductivity porous graphite foams, for solving thermal management challenges (e.g., aerospace, electronics, directed energy weapons, energy production)
  • Low density, large surface area, and engineered, open pore structure
  • High ligament thermal conductivity (>1700 W/m•K) and bulk conductivity (up to 245 W/m•K)
  • Potential for high temperature and chemically aggressive environments
• Use as a heat exchanger and replacement for metallic finned structures
• Employ as conductivity enhancer for phase change materials within thermal energy storage systems
• Ohio Aerospace Institute projects address large scale production, improved foam durability via coatings, joining procedures, and basic design methodologies as well as test techniques for producing thermal, flow, and mechanical characterization data