AFOSR

Aerospace, Chemical
and Material Sciences
17 March 2011
Joan Fuller
Interim Director
AFOSR/RSA
Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Distribution A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. 88ABW-2011-0807
 Aerospace, Chemistry and Material Sciences
The Directorate leads discovery and advancement of fundamental
and integrated science that enables future air, space and cyberspace
power.

Fluid Mechanics
Solid Mechanics
Propulsion & Structures

Chemistry
Materials

Transforming the Future of Aerospace Sciences

 RSA Investment Portfolio

Aerospace, Chemical & Material Sciences

(RSA)

Aero-Structure
Complex Materials and Energy, Power, and
Interactions and
Structures Propulsion
Control

• Organic Materials • Molecular Dynamics

• Flow Interactions and Chemistry
Control and Theoretical
• Low Density Materials Chemistry
• Aerothermodynamics
• Mechanics of • Combustion and
and Turbulence
Multifunctional Materials Diagnostics
• High Temperature
• Multi-scale Mechanics • Space Propulsion and
Aerospace Materials Power
and prognosis
• Thermal Sciences

Programs: 11 Program Manager’s Portfolios

Work Unit: >600 Individual Grants,Contracts
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 Aero-Structure Interactions and
Control
• Objective: Characterization, modeling, and exploitation
of interactions between unsteady aerodynamic flow
fields and dynamic air vehicle structures
• Critical Subjects Include:
– Turbulence & transition • Dr. Gregg Abate
– Flow control • Lt Col John Seo
– Unsteady aerodynamics • Dr. Douglas Smith
– Structural dynamics • Dr. Ali Sayir
– Aero elasticity • Dr. John Schmisseur
• 2Lt Kevin Pohl
• Ms. Chakila Tillie
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 Aero-Structure Interactions and
Control
• Scientific Opportunities Include:
– Wide range of fundamental scientific challenges for micro air
vehicles related research
– Hypersonics research extending turbulence and laminar-
turbulent transitions physics to multidisciplinary study of
aerothermal materials environments
– Flow control for vehicle maneuverability and improved efficiency
– Novel in situ diagnostics to capture thermal, chemistry and
mechanical data.
• Interactions with Others:
– AFOSR, NSF, NASA, DOE, National
Hypersonics Foundational Research
Plan: Three NASA/AFOSR Basic
Research Centers (Propulsion, 30 kW Inductively Coupled Plasma
Materials and Structures, Fluid Physics) Facility for High Temperature Material
Testing 5
 Energy, Power, and Propulsion

• Objective: Focus on the production, storage, and

efficient utilization of energy.
• Critical Subjects Include:
– Novel energetic materials • Dr. Michael Berman
– Combustion research • Dr. James Gord
– Thermal science • Dr. Mitat Birkan
– Novel propulsion methods • Dr. Kumar Jata
– Catalysis chemistry • Lt Col Brad
Thompson
– New ways in which energy can be
produced/collected/stored/utilized
• Dr. Rengasamy
(Pon) Ponnappan
• Mr. Stephen Kang 6
 Energy, Power, and Propulsion

• Scientific Opportunities Include:

– Alternate energy sciences for AF needs (synthetic fuels
chemistry to novel energy harvesting and storage materials)
– Turbine combustion research for enhanced energy efficiency
– Space propulsion research including signature characterization
– Low density materials for higher fuel efficiency.
• Interactions with Others:
- Interagency Combustion Working Group
(MACCCR) joint coordination of the National
Basic Research in Combustion (in particular
for Alternate Fuels), OSD Materials Reliance, Blue light (465 nm) is used
Active collaboration with AFOSR, ARO, ONR, to convert CO2 to alcohols
with a substituted pyradine
AFRL, SERDP, DOE, NSF, NIST, NASA, FAA catalyst and a p-GaP
electrode
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 Complex Materials and Structures

• Objective: Hierarchical design and functionality from the

nanoscale through the mesoscale to effect functionality
and/or performance characteristics.
• Critical Subjects Include: • Dr. Byung-Lip (Les) Lee
– Materials with tunable • Dr. David Stargel
properties • Dr. Charles Lee
– Adaptive morphing
• Dr. Joycelyn Harrison
structures
– Active materials with on- • Dr. Kumar Jata
demand shape and phase • Lt Col Randall “Ty”
change Pollak
– Reconfigurable structures
• Ms. Laura Cooney
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 Complex Materials and Structures
• Scientific Opportunities Include:
– Complex materials which exploit the interaction
between environment and materials
– Active and dynamic tunable material properties
for on-demand shape and phase change
– Adaptive, reconfigurable, lightweight, and
precision deployable structures
– Thermally robust materials and new techniques
for characterizing, predicting, and controlling
thermal phenomena
• Interactions with Others:
Joint AFOSR/RX/RH Center of Excellence Snapshot of an epoxy
at Ga Tech on Bio Materials, active System before failure
collaboration with NASA and NSF from coarse-grained
simulation 9
 RSA -- Transforming the Future of
Aerospace Sciences

PROACTIVE in the basic science research community

LEADERS in the DoD scientific community

ADVOCATES for Air Force S&T

MENTORS for future researchers

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