South Dakota
Mines is partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineer Research
and Development Center’s Cold Regions Research and
Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) on a new project called “Materials and
Manufacturing for Cold Regions.” The effort includes a five-year, $11.2 million
grant to fund faculty and student research at Mines from multiple engineering and
science disciplines. The team will develop advanced materials and manufacturing
technology in support of the U.S. Army’s global military objectives in cold and
remote regions.
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CRREL solves interdisciplinary and strategically
important challenges for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army,
Department of Defense (DoD) and the nation by advancing and applying science
and engineering to complex environments, materials and processes in all seasons
and climates, with unique core competencies related to the Earth’s cold regions.
“We are delighted to partner with CRREL,” says Dr.
Grant Crawford, professor of materials and metallurgical engineering at South
Dakota Mines. “Through this partnership we will apply materials and
manufacturing research expertise and infrastructure, developed over the past
two decades by numerous Mines faculty, staff and students, to support the
critical needs of our nation’s armed forces. It’s a perfect opportunity for us
and we look forward to the new partnership.” Crawford says.
Mines faculty and students will focus on three main research
areas in support of CRREL.
Advanced Materials: This includes
lightweight composites that offer thermal insulation and low temperature
ballistics capability to support armor for soldiers, equipment, vehicles and
structures. This also includes multifunctional shape memory materials that can
be used for damage tolerant devices and energy harvesting in cold environments.
Advanced Repair and
Manufacturing Technologies: This includes friction stir welding/processing and cold
spray technologies that can be used to repair broken parts and produce
lightweight structures in cold regions.
Advanced Coatings: This includes both
thick and thin film coatings that offer advanced wear and corrosion resistance,
anti-icing capability, and are tailored for use in earths cold regions to
extend the lifetime of equipment, structures and devices.
Mines faculty
and researchers involved in the project include Dr. Grant Crawford, Dr. David
Salem, Dr. Bharat Jasthi, Dr. Nick Bruno, Dr. Forest Thompson, Dr. Satish Bhattiprolu,
Dr. Leila Sorkhi, Joshua Hammell, Todd Curtis, Michael Carter and James Tomich.
Thirteen members of CRREL and the Engineer Research and Development Center
(ERDC) joined Mines researchers for a meeting on the Mines campus in August.
For more on this
issue, please see this
press release from U.S. Senator Mike Rounds office.