The overarching emphasis of the activity in mechanical and aerospace engineering is on materials in thermostructural systems. Application areas include aerospace, power generation, propulsion, automotive, robotics, and power electronics. The materials comprise of ceramics, metals, intermetallics, polymers and their composites, which are important because of their light weight, ability to withstand high temperature, heat-dissipation qualities, and tribology. They include performance-enhancing films, multilayers, and coatings of materials such as diamond, oxides, nitrides, carbides, and so on. They embrace ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials that facilitate the design and implementation of smart systems.
Studies of the mechanical, thermal, and acoustic behavior of these materials represent a major educational and research emphasis and include deformation, fracture, fatigue, thermal conduction, adhesion, actuation, and sound absorption. Fabrication and processing, especially their intelligent control through modeling, simulation, and sensor integration, are of comparable interest.
System requirements dictated by affordability considerations provide the motivation for the program. These systems include ultralight structures made from cellular metals; thermal protection concepts for high-temperature components and systems; heat dissipation by means of micro heatpipes, jets, and phase change materials; integrated micromaterial structures such as electronic circuits and microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS).
Please visit Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering for further information on graduate study and admission.