Analytical and Computational Research Tools for Advanced Materials and Structures

About the NASA Postdoctoral Program

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

Description:

The primary focus of this opportunity is to perform analytical and computational research in the Durability, Damage Tolerance, and Reliability Branch (DDTRB) at NASA Langley Research Center toward improving the state-of-the-art of progressive damage analysis methods for advanced aerospace materials. The DDTRB conducts a broad-based research and technology program that quantifies behavior, durability, and damage tolerance of structural materials; develops efficient, physics-based analytical and computational methods; develops new innovative test methods; develops radiation analysis and design tools for assessing the radiation environment; and validates performance of advanced materials and structures for aerospace applications in support of NASA, other government agencies, and the aerospace industry. The Damage Mechanics of Composite Materials group in the DDTRB conducts research focused on advancing understanding of the numerous structural life-limiting damage mechanisms exhibited by these material systems. The mechanisms occur at various length scales and can drive component failure via several types that interact in a potentially complex manner. Deployment of composite materials on aircraft is partly inhibited by an insufficient understanding of damage progression and its effect on component lifetime and reliability. The broad vision of the group’s work is to remedy this issue by creating experimental and computational methods that will yield a reduced cost for certification of composite structures and provide advanced understanding of durability and damage tolerance, the latter helping to ensure safe operation of existing and emerging high performance aircraft structural designs and to enable future long duration space missions.

Analytical efforts in the Damage Mechanics of Composite Materials group are focused on computational fracture mechanics and the development and application of progressive damage analysis methods. Progressive damage analysis methods under development in the group currently focus on the development of numerical tools for simulation of multiple interacting damage processes, such as matrix cracking, delamination, and fiber failure, for a variety of advanced aerospace materials, including fiber-reinforced thermosets, fiber-reinforced thermoplastics, ceramic matrix composites, carbon-carbon composites, silicon carbide (SiC) fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composites, and others. Researchers in the group have experience with close-form fracture mechanics approaches, cohesive zone modeling, discrete damage mechanics, continuum damage mechanics, and other related approaches. Tools for both quasi-static and fatigue loading are of interest. Incorporation of these tools into commercial finite element codes is being sought to enable the creation of analyses that may be used to replace testing practices used currently during the certification process.

Opportunities exist to participate in all aspects of the research, development, and application of analytical and computational modeling efforts within the Damage Mechanics of Composite Materials group. Successful applicants should have a PhD in an appropriate field of study and have programming experience related to finite element analysis user subroutines and related scripting languages.

The primary point of contact for this opportunity is Dr. Frank Leone, whose contact information is included in the list of advisors. Please contact Dr. Leone for details about this opportunity.

Field of Science: 

Advisors:

Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org