NASA-UVA Light Aerospace Alloy and Structures Technology program (LA2ST)

The objective of the LA2ST Program is to conduct interdisciplinary graduate student research on the performance of next generation, light-weight aerospace alloys, composites, and thermal gradient structures in collaboration with NASA-Langley researchers. The general aim is to produce relevant data and basic understanding of material mechanical response, environment/corrosion behavior, and microstructure; new monolithic and composite alloys; advanced processing methods; new solid and fluid mechanics analyses; measurement and modeling advances; and a pool of educated students for aerospace technologies. Specific technical objectives are presented for each of the following research projects: time-temperature dependent fracture in advanced wrought ingot metallurgy, and spray deposited aluminum alloys; cryogenic temperature effects on the deformation and fracture of Al-Li-Cu-In alloys; effects of aging and temperature on the ductile fracture of AA2095 and AA2195; mechanisms of localized corrosion in alloys 2090 and 2095; hydrogen interactions in aluminum-lithium alloys 2090 and selected model alloys; mechanisms of deformation and fracture in high strength titanium alloys (effects of temperature and hydrogen and effects of temperature and microstructure); evaluations of wide-panel aluminum alloy extrusions; Al-Si-Ge alloy development; effects of texture and precipitates on mechanical property anisotropy of Al-Cu-Mg-X alloys; damage evolution in polymeric composites; and environmental effects in fatigue life prediction - modeling crack propagation in light aerospace alloys.