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William J. Craft Professor |
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Analytical Solid Mechanics
DR. CRAFT’S general area of research over the last decade has been the analysis and design of composite structural materials including: Braided and woven (textile) composites, minimum weight structures for specialized missions, the determination of residual strength and properties after impact, and specialized structural and modeling problems involving new technologies. Another area of interest has been the development of optical and electrical strain and displacement sensors. In addition, Dr. Craft has been active in curricula development and on committees relating to professional engineering, educational, and related topics.
The following research is currently being carried out:
- The development of stiffness and thermal expansion modeling concepts for various types of composites. A structural model was recently proposed for 4-step (track and column) textile braids which incorporates the off-axis orientations. The model was developed after a review of the braid patterns and an isoparametric solid element was used to predict the stiffness of a number of braided solids. Agreement has been very close to the limited experimental data on braids.
- Efficient structural systems are needed for planetary exploration missions. Recently a space frame system was developed to simulate an aerobrake for a Mars Mission. A minimum weight structure was developed for both composite and aluminum truss members. This research is being extended to cover the case of a shell geometry where resizing is again undertaken to produce a minimum weight shell for the equivalent size aerobrake.
- There is a general need to develop efficient minimum weight structures for commercial aviation systems, particularly supersonic transport concepts. These structural concepts include sandwich shell composites materials where new face and core materials have potential advantages of extending the environmental range and of reducing weight. There are many potential contributions of this research including: new materials systems, new manufacturing and joining concepts, new test methods and the analysis of complex shapes and geometrics. Fatigue, compression strength, thermally induced stresses, damage tolerance, and optimal dimensions shapes are all important topics.
Links
Link to ASME Here