Multiscale Measurements Laboratory

 

 The Multiscale Measurements Lab is dedicated to supporting the development advanced materials and structures for the next generation of technologies being developed for Energetic Materials, Armor, Active Structures, Structural Health Management, Biosensors, and MEMS devices. Through the Maryland Industrial Partnership program, companies can have their have technical problems solved by students working in the Multiscale Measurements Lab.

Message from the Director:

The mission of the Multiscale Measurments Laboratory is to both teach and advance the state of the art in developing advanced materials and structures ior the next generation of technologies being developed for a variety of commercial and military applications through a fundamental scientific understanding of mechanics and materials principles. For example,  we have significantly advanced the development of Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) The basic concept behind FGMs is to engineer gradual variations in material unctionality throughout a structure. Recent advancements in materials fabrication processes are now making it possible to develop new technologies using FGM concepts that were previously relegated to the realm of our imagination. The focus of the Multiscale Measurements Lab is to investigate concepts for designing and fabricating materials and material systems that can adapt to our needs, whether it be to improve the way we travel, our personal safety, or the environment that we live in. To this end, the research activities of the Multiscale Measurement Laboratory are closely coupled with programs in a variety of centers at the University of Maryland dedicated to developing new rotorcraft structures, energetic devices, and smart structures. Some of the material systems and structures we focus on include:

  • FGMs
  • Multifunctional Structures
  • Sandwich Structured Composites
  • Nanostructured Thin Films
  • Shape Memory Alloy Composites
  • Polymer Nanocomposites
  • Hierarchically-structured Polymer Composites and Natural Materials
  • Nanocomposite Biosensors

The inspiration for the particular cases studied in the laboratory are rooted directly in and partially funded by industrial concerns. The laboratory serves are as a home for the experimental verification considered vital to any innovative state of the art research.