On November 19, Dr. Kedar Kirane presented “Predicting Dynamic Fracture of Fiber Composites to Enable Protection of Army Personnel and Infrastructure” at the University Libraries.
Dr. Kirane described 7 mechanical properties of fiber composites that make them useful and viable in modern applications. One of the properties is energy dissipation, which involves the process of energy absorption and breaking of the impacted materials to release fracture energy.
It is important to understand how to predict dynamic fracture of fibre composites. Actual testing is very costly and may not be possible at times, so modeling, even though it has its own challenges, is often used to help predict and design successful structures in applications. Dr. Kirane and his team have recently developed a computational multiscale model to observe branching of cracks under dynamic loads in composites. His ongoing research includes studying ballistic impacts and conducting crack branching analyses.
Dr. Kirane answered interesting questions during and after the lecture. The lecture was well-attended by students, faculty, and staff.
Clara Tran
Email: clara.tran@stonybrook.edu
