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Texas A&M University System Bush Combat Development Complex

Bush Combat Development Complex

The Texas A&M University System U.S. Army Futures Command

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You are here: Home / Core Competencies / Materials for Extreme Environments

Materials for Extreme Environments

Two-stage light gas gun

Materials for extreme environments research at the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex aims to address several critical challenges in the manufacturing, design and evaluation of high-performance materials for hypersonic vehicles and structures subjected to severe aero-thermal environments.

The primary objectives of this project are to:

  • Develop and evaluate leading-edge and outer mold line materials to better resist dynamic material degradation processes.
  • Develop advanced manufacturing concepts for carbon-carbon composites to enhance interlaminar properties, improve structural and thermal efficiency and promote robust seams.

Principal Investigators

Thomas Lacy, Jr.

Dr. Thomas E. Lacy Jr.
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
TELacyJr@tamu.edu

Jonathan Felts

Dr. Jonathan Felts
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
jonathan.felts@tamu.edu

Jaime Grunlan

Dr. Jaime Grunlan
Leland T. Jordan ’29 Chair Professor, Mechanical Engineering
jgrunlan@tamu.edu

Waruna Kulatilaka

Dr. Waruna Kulatilaka
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
waruna.kulatilaka@tamu.edu

Mohammad Naraghi

Dr. Mohammad Naraghi
Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
naraghi@tamu.edu

Miladin Radovic

Dr. Miladin Radovic
Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
mradovic@tamu.edu

Patrick Shamberger

Dr. Patrick Shamberger
Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
patrick.shamberger@tamu.edu

Justin Wilkerson

Dr. Justin Wilkerson
Assistant Professor and James J. Cain Faculty Fellow, Mechanical Engineering
wilkerson@tamu.edu

News

Two-stage light gas gun

Accelerating materials for extreme environments research 

Researchers are exploring which materials can best mitigate the damage from hypervelocity blasts. The scorching heat caused by speeds exceeding Mach 5 radically alters how different materials tolerate collision.

Featured Publications

  1.  Li, Y.-C.; Mannen, S.; Morgan, A. B.; Chang, S.; Yang, Y.-H.; Condon, B.; Grunlan, J. C. “Intumescent all-polymer multilayer nanocoating capable of extinguishing flame on fabric,” Advanced Materials 2011, 23, 3926. F-3
  2. Guin, T.; Krecker, M.; Milhorn, A.; Grunlan, J. C. “Maintaining hand and improving fire resistance of cotton fabric through ultrasonication rinsing of multilayer nanocoating,” Cellulose 2014, 21, 3023.
  3. Leistner, M.; Abu-Odeh, A. A.; Rohmer, S. C.; Grunlan, J. C. “Water-based chitosan / melamine polyphosphate multilayer nanocoating that extinguishes fire on polyester-cotton fabric,” Carbohydrate Polymers 2015, 115, 227.
  4. Cain, A. A.; Plummer, M.; Murray, S.; Bolling, L.; Regev, O.; Grunlan, J. C. “Ironcontaining, high aspect ratio clay as nanoarmor that imparts substantial thermal/flame protection to polyurethane with a single electrostatically-deposited bilayer,” Journal of Materials Chemistry A 2014, 2, 17609.
  5. Guin, T.; Krecker, M.; Milhorn, A.; Hagen, D. A.; Grunlan, J. C. “Exceptional flame resistance and gas barrier with thick multilayer nanobrick wall thin films,” Advanced Materials Interfaces 2015, 2, 1500214.
  6. Guo, G.; Park, C. B.; Lee, Y. H.; Kim, Y. S.; Sain, M. “Flame retarding effects of nanoclay on wood-fiber composites,” Polym. Eng. Sci. 2007, 47, 330.
  7. Gilman, J. W.; Harris, R. H.; Shields, J. R.; Kashiwagi, T.; Morgan, A. B. “A study of the flammability reduction mechanism of polystyrene-layered silicate nanocomposite: Layered silicate reinforced carbonaceous char,” Polym. Adv. Technol. 2006, 17, 263.
  8. Zhu, J.; Start, P.; Mauritz, K. A.; Wilkie, C. A. “Thermal stability and flame retardancy of poly(methyl methacrylate)-clay nanocomposites,” Polym. Degrad. Stab. 2002, 77, 253.
  9. Peeterbroeck, S.; Laoutid, F.; Swoboda, B.; Lopez-Cuesta, J. M.; Moreau, N.; Nagy, J. B.; Alexandre, M.; Dubois, P. “How carbon nanotube crushing can improve flame retardant behaviour in polymer nanocomposites,” Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2007, 28, 260.
  10. Schartel, B.; Potschke, P.; Knoll, U.; Abdel-Goad, M. “Fire behaviour of polyamide6/multiwall carbon nanotube nanocomposites,” Eur. Polym. J. 2005, 41, 1061.

Texas A&M University System Bush Combat Development Complex

George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex (BCDC) at the RELLIS Campus

717 RELLIS Parkway
Bryan, TX 77807

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