Events

Multi-Scale, Multi-Physics Challenges in Designing and Processing Composite Structures
 

The performance of advanced composite structures is increasingly governed by the interplay between design intent and tightly coupled manufacturing physics. As composite systems evolve toward greater architectural complexity and performance tailoring, design decisions are no longer separable from processing history, material state evolution, and structural response. This creates fundamental challenges for design methodologies that must operate under spatially varying, path-dependent, and physics-driven constraints.

This talk examines multi-scale, multi-physics challenges in the design and processing of composite structures, focusing on frameworks that explicitly connect manufacturing physics to downstream structural performance. Through coupled experimental and computational modeling, transient thermal and mechanical phenomena are characterized and linked to mesoscale material variability and structural response. These models elucidate how localized processing conditions propagate across scales, shaping manufacturability limits, defect sensitivity, and performance trade-offs that directly influence viable design spaces.

Building on this foundation, the talk discusses how physics-informed digital process twins can serve as an organizing framework for composite design and manufacturing. By integrating multi-scale modeling, experimentation, and data-driven surrogates, digital process twins enable design exploration and optimization while retaining physical interpretability. This perspective provides a pathway from predictive modeling toward robust decision-making, necessary for future terrestrial, in-orbit, and off-world manufacturing.

Paul Davidson

Paul Davidson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he leads research on the mechanics, design, and processing of advanced composite structures. His work focuses on understanding how multi-scale, multi-physics interactions govern material behavior and structural performance, particularly when design and manufacturing are tightly coupled. Dr. Davidson received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and previously held research positions at the University of Michigan, the University of Washington, and GE Global Research. His research has been supported by federal agencies including the NSF, AFOSR, and AFRL, and has involved close integration of theory, computation, and experiment. He is actively engaged in the broader composites and mechanics communities through professional service and leadership roles, and his work aims to advance foundational understanding while informing future design and manufacturing paradigms across aerospace, civil, and materials engineering applications.