ISE Welcomes Azadeh Sheidaei on Oct. 28th, 2016

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Multiscale Modeling and Characterization of Polymer Nanoreinforced Composites

Seminar by Azadeh Sheidaei, Assistant Professor

Mechanical Engineering, Kettering University

asheidaei@kettering.edu; (517) 898-5191

Friday, October 28th, 2016; 3:15-4:15 pm

210E Baker Systems; 1971 Neil Avenue

In recent years, polymer nano-composites (PNCs) have increasingly gained more attention due to their improved mechanical, barrier, thermal, optical, electrical and biodegradable properties in comparison with the conventional micro-composites or pristine polymers. With a modest addition of nanoparticles (usually less than 5wt. %), PNCs offer a wide range of improvements in moduli, strength, heat resistance, biodegradability, as well as decrease in gas permeability and flammability. Although PNCs offer enormous opportunities to design novel material systems, development of an effective numerical modeling approach to predict their properties based on their complex multi-phase and multiscale structure is still at an early stage. In this talk, I will present my research on Multiscale Modeling and Characterization of Polymer Nanoreinforced Composites. I have developed a microstructure inspired material model based on a statistical technique. I have utilized this method to reconstruct the microstructure of Halloysite nanotube (HNT) polypropylene composite, exfoliated Graphene nanoplatelet (xGnP) polymer composite, Fuel cell and Rock. This model was able to successfully predict the mechanical properties of nanocomposites, petrophysical properties such as porosity, permeability, electrical conductivity and mechanical of Rock and thermal and mechanical properties of Fuel cells. This 3D microstructure model was later incorporated in a damage modeling problem in nanocomposite where damage initiation and damage progression have been modeled using cohesive-zone and modified Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman (GTN) material models. There is a significant difference between the properties of inclusion and the host polymer in polymer nanocomposite, which leads to the damage evolution during deformation due to a huge stress concentration between nanofiller and polymer. The finite element model of progressive debonding in nano-reinforced composite has been proposed based on the cohesive-zone model of the interface. In order to model cohesive-zone, a cohesive zone traction displacement relation is needed. This curve may be obtained either through a fiber pullout experiment or by simulating the test using molecular dynamics. In the case of nano-fillers, conducting fiber pullout test is very difficult and result is often not reproducible. Using our newly developed framework based on molecular dynamics simulation, fiber-matrix pullout test has been conducted in order to obtain traction-displacement curve for cohesive zone model. This damage model was implemented in our 3D model to predict the material response more accurately.

Azadeh Sheidaei received her BSc in Aerospace Engineering from Sharif University of Technology and MSc and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University in Michigan. Sheidaei’s main research area is “multiscale characterization and computational modeling of advanced material systems such as polymer reinforced composites”. During her graduate study at MSU (2009-2015), she worked at Composite Vehicle Research Center (CVRC) where she worked on numerous research and industrial projects. Those span over the areas of structural integrity of composites, development of constitutive models and computational tools to predict the mechanical behavior of novel materials such as nanocomposites, computational modeling of soft tissue and power sources such as lithium-ion battery and fuel cells. She has published 11 ISI journal articles and 12 technical conference paper which have been cited over 185 times. Sheidaei is a member of the American Society of Composite (ASC), Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Sheidaei has received several research and educational grants from NSF, CAAT (Center for Advanced Automotive Technology) and KEEN (The Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) within the last year. Sheidaei is a recipient of the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship, which is presented to women pursuing a doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record in the field of aerospace-related sciences and engineering. She has also received dissertation competition award while being selected as the outstanding graduate student by the ME Department at Michigan State University.