Benxin Wu
Purdue University, IN·Materials Science
Mixing carbon nanotubes, tiny cylinders of carbon atoms, into a metal produces a composite that is stronger, harder and better at absorbing impact than the metal alone, which is why these materials interest aerospace, automotive, construction, space and sports industries. The catch is that many of the situations they are meant for involve extremely fast loading: a car collision, a sporting impact, or the rapid deformation that happens during manufacturing itself.
- Fields
Materials Science
Engineering
Physics
- Topics
carbon nanotubes
metal matrix composites
high strain rate
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Aug 2027
What they work on
- Synthesize base metal and carbon nanotube-metal matrix composite specimens using laser-based additive manufacturing and characterize their mechanical properties under quasi-static, slow loading as a baseline for comparison.
- Measure stress-strain behavior of the composites at high strain rates with Kolsky bar impact experiments, observe crack formation using in-situ X-ray imaging, and characterize the resulting microstructural changes.
- Determine shock response of the composites through projectile impact experiments measuring the Hugoniot elastic limit, the point where shocked material yields, along with dynamic strengths and impact-induced structural changes.
- Interpret shock responses and energy dissipation mechanisms using hydrodynamic modeling at the macroscopic scale and molecular dynamics simulations that track individual atoms.
More about the research
What actually happens inside these composites when they are deformed that quickly, and how the nanotubes change the outcome, has not been adequately measured or explained.
Why it matters
Carbon nanotube-metal matrix composites are being considered for parts that must survive collisions and other fast impacts, from vehicles to aerospace and space structures. Quantifying how they deform and fail under such loading would let engineers predict when these parts break, improving the quality, reliability and safety of components and widening where the materials can be used with confidence.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Yue Zhou
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach, FL·Engineering
Measure how directed energy deposition settings affect both short-range clustering and overall 3D uniformity of micro-scale ceramic particles in printed metal matrix composites, using controlled experiments and advanced characterization.
Ranajay Ghosh
University of Central Florida, FL·Engineering·Early-career
Test whether concentrated salt solutions give green strength to oxide and nitride ceramic powder beds through ion transport and particle bridging during wetting and drying, using mechanical testing, microscopy and x-ray imaging.
Sougata Roy
Iowa State University, IA·Materials Science·Early-career
Reveal how solidification cracks start and grow in aluminum printed by laser directed energy deposition (L-DED), and how large cracks relate to pores in deposited parts.
The school
Purdue University: 43 labs on PI Pages, $932M a year on research, 833 research doctorates a year.
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