AAE assistant professor Tyler Tallman

AAE assistant professor Tyler Tallman received the 2018 Mechanics and Materials Best Paper Award at the Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems (SMASIS) conference in San Antonio.

The award was presented Sept. 11 by the Adaptive Structures and Materials Systems (ASMS) Branch of the Aerospace Division of ASME.

AAE graduate student Goon mo Koo and Penn State colleagues Dr. Sila Gungor and Prof. Charles Bakis were co-authors on the paper, entitled “On the inverse determination of displacements, strains, and stresses in a carbon nanofiber/polyurethane nanocomposite from conductivity data obtained via electrical impedance tomography.” The paper was published in the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures.

The paper outlines a mathematical framework by which mechanics can be quantitatively inferred from conductivity changes in self-sensing nanocomposites. Self-sensing nanocomposites have received a lot of attention in diverse applications, ranging from the development of artificial skin for next-generation robotics to the development of smart structures capable of feeling when and where they are damaged. To date, however, most work in this area has focused on qualitative detection rather than quantitative characterization. Being able to precisely quantify what has been sensed represents an important advance to the state of the art.

“The ASMS Branch is a very active and prolific group in the area of smart materials and structures," Tallman says. "To have our work recognized by them is an incredible honor.”