image: Rassel Raihan view more
Credit: UT Arlington
Rassel Raihan, a research scientist at the Institute for Predictive Performance Methodologies at the UTA Research Institute, is a recipient of the Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award from the Society of Advancement of Materials and Process Engineering, or SAMPE.
Raihan works with Kenneth Reifsnider, IPPM director and National Academy of Engineering member, in performance prediction of advanced materials and bonded structures to reduce the cost of conception, development and application of engineered materials and structures and the potential risks of using them in society.
"It's an honor to receive the Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award," Raihan said. "SAMPE has encouraged me to do more research in the field of advanced materials and has helped me connect with industry and government leaders who are doing incredible research. Through these connections, I'm better able to see the direction the field is heading. This is leadership at work."
Raihan was recognized in part because he has organized conference sessions, submitted technical papers and coordinated outreach activities for SAMPE's annual conference for the last few years.
His research focuses on non-destructive evaluation of the material state of composites and adhesively bonded structures--essentially two structures glued together. In many applications for these structures, aircraft manufacturing being one, manufacturers use adhesive bonds, then add rivets or bolts to ensure the bond will remain strong. But doing so adds weight, defeating the purpose of using lighter materials.
Traditional ultrasound testing cannot identify a weak spot in the adhesive bond, so Raihan is working to develop methods that can.
In addition, he is attempting to create multifunctional composite materials that can be placed inside composite structures to harvest energy from vibrations and provide information about the internal condition of the structure.
"This is indeed an outstanding award for Dr. Raihan," said Mickey McCabe, executive director of UTARI. "He has been very impressive in our laboratory, accomplishing significant work that is helping us to better understand the behavior of composite materials and structures. This work is important to many companies--including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Airbus and many others--in learning how to accurately predict failure in structures before it occurs."
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The Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering is a global professional society that provides enhanced educational opportunities by delivering information on new and advanced materials and processing technology. The SAMPE North America Young Professionals Emerging Leadership Award recognizes the achievements of select young professionals who have demonstrated excellence in their field within the advanced materials and process engineering community for both technical excellence and outstanding service.