Dayton Engineer

University of Dayton faculty and University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) researchers collaborated on research projects this past summer. Two projects were completed by School of Engineering faculty members and were focused on self-healing polymers and lightweight composite aircraft.

The projects were selected as part of the annual UD/UDRI Summer Research Fellows program. Launched in 2017, the program matches School of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences faculty with UDRI engineers and scientists, with the goal of expanding areas of research that are fundable by external sponsors.

The program enables formal collaboration between UD and UDRI to help build research networks and produce joint grant and contract proposals. Faculty lend their expertise while learning more about UDRI’s research, capabilities and personnel, while UDRI benefits from interactions with UD faculty who have needed expertise to pursue new funded research projects.  

Alex Watson, assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Management, Systems and Technology, and Allyson Cox, additive manufacturing engineer in UDRI’s structural materials division, investigated the potential of laser-activated liquid metal inks on additive manufactured, self-healing polymer substrates. Their goal is to advance the technology to novel applications including smart seals, sensing soft robots, healing fuel bladders and more. 

Abdullah Al Amin, assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and John Rohmer, research engineer in UDRI’s structural materials division, collaborated to improve the usability of topology and fiber alignment optimization tools for the rapid design and manufacture of lightweight composite aircraft. Topology and fiber alignment optimization is a mathematical technique to minimize the amount of material needed while maximizing the performance for engineering applications. 

"The program provides a valuable opportunity to connect researchers from two different divisions,” Al Amin said. “Our research activities generated significant interest, leading to a UDRI researcher joining my group as a Ph.D. student to advance further the science of tailored fiber placement for aerospace industries."