Structures and Materials
Advanced Composite Materials and Manufacturing
Collaborative Robotic Automated Fiber-placement Tool (CRAFT)
Structural Analysis
Static, thermo-mechanical, buckling, vibration and pre-stressed vibration responses
Reduced order modeling for efficient structural analysis
Design Optimization
Tow-steered varying fiber path for improved structural responses
Design for fabrication by including manufacturing constraints
Defects Modeling of Manufactured Composites
Wrinkle / blister: a strain based structural deformation analysis
Gap/overlap: a novel image processing approach capable of simultaneously identifying overlaps and gaps, seamlessly integrating these detected defects into structural analysis.
Relevant Publications:
Md Raqibul Hasan Prince and Wei Zhao, “Wrinkle deformation of curved prepreg slit-tapes tow-steered laminates during automated fiber placement,” American Society for Composites 39th Annual Technical Conference, San Diego, CA, Oct. 21-24, 2024
Thapa, Mishal, Wei Zhao, and Sameer B. Mulani. "Stochastic Thermal Buckling Analysis of Variable Angle Tow Composites." In ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, vol. 87745, p. V001T01A002. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024. DOI: 10.1115/SSDM2024-121632
Dutta, Soumik, Mohammed Abir Mahdi, and Wei Zhao. "Reduced Order Modeling and Image Processing Based Structural Analysis of Tow Steered Composite Laminates Considering Gaps/Overlaps." In ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, vol. 87745, p. V001T01A012. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024, DOI: 10.1115/SSDM2024-121250
Dutta, Soumik, and Wei Zhao. "POD and Approximate Reanalysis based ROMs for Tow Steered Laminated Structures Considering Manufacturing Defects." In 2024 Regional Student Conferences, April 5-6, 2024, AIAA 2024-83992, 2024, Stillwater, OK, DOI: 10.2514/6.2024-83992
Wei Zhao and Rakesh K. Kapania, “Prestressed Vibration of Stiffened Variable Angle Tow Laminated Plate,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp.2575–2593, 2019, DOI: 10.2514/1.J057719
Wei Zhao, Karanpreet Singh and Rakesh K. Kapania, "Thermal Buckling Analysis and Optimization of Curvilinearly Stiffened Plates with Variable Angle Tow Laminates," AIAA Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets , 2018, DOI: 10.2514/1.A34378
Wei Zhao and Rakesh K. Kapania, “Prestressed Vibration of Stiffened Variable Angle Tow Laminated Plate,” AIAA Journal, Vol. 57, No. 6, pp.2575–2593, 2019, DOI: 10.2514/1.J057719
Additive Manufactured Structures
Design Optimization, Manufacturing and Experiments
Level-set topology optimization, non-conformal mesh modeling and buckling eigenvalue optimization
Machine learning based design, analysis and optimization
Resin and PLA based 3D printing
Bending/tension/compression tests for numerical model validation and new phenomenon findings
Wide applications of lightweight stiffened structures
Design of thin-walled structures
Manufacturing
Compression test
Compression via end-shortening
We have developed a new and test-validated method for optimizing material distribution to modify the buckling mode shapes to increase the buckling load without weight penalty.
Relevant Publications:
Adam F Leicht, Mohammed Abir Mahdi, Kathleen McNamara, Hadi Noori, Wei Zhao, "Design, Manufacturing, and Experiments of Additive Manufactured Stiffened Thin-walled Plates," AIAA SCITECH 2024 Forum, Orlando FL, January 8-12, 2024, DOI: 10.2514/6.2024-2077 (AIAA Best Paper)
Mohammed Abir Mahdi, Shafi Romeo and Wei Zhao, "Convolutional Neural Network and Homogenization based Hybrid Approach for Lattice Structures " AIAA Regional Conference, Stillwater, OK, April 2024 (Prestigious Zarem Graduate Student Awards)
Mohammed Abir Mahdi, Christopher Crick, and Wei Zhao. "Lattice Structure Design Using Machine Learning and Homogenization Approach." In ASME Aerospace Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference, vol. 87745, p. V001T01A015. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2024, DOI: 10.1115/SSDM2024-121612
Fatemeh Hashemian, Wei Zhao and Yi Wang, "A Reduced Order Model for Static and Buckling Analysis of Thin-Walled Stiffened Plate on a Non-Conformal Mesh ", ASME 2023 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE2023), New Orleans, LA, October 29 — November 2, 2023
Wei Zhao and Mohammed Abir Mahdi, “Buckling Load Maximization of Stiffened Plates using Level Set Topology Optimization and Inverse Isoparametric Mapping Algorithm,” AIAA Aviation 2023 Forum, San Diego, CA & Online, June 12-16, 2023 DOI: 10.2514/6.2023-4380
Inflatable Structures
Studied inflatable wing and aeroelastic responses including static aeroelastic deformations and flutter of inflatable wings
More details can be found in the following papers:
Zhao, W., Miglani, J., Desai, S., Kapania, R. K., Schetz, J. A., Aris, A. and Panwar, S. S., “Structural and Aeroelastic Design, Analysis, and Experiments of Inflatable Airborne Wings,” AIAA SciTech 2021, January, 2021, Virtual Event, AIAA 2021-1817, DOI:10.2514/6.2021-1817
Shardul Panwar, Rikin Gupta, Azwan Aris, Taewoo Nam, Jitish Miglani, Wei Zhao, Rakesh Kapania, "3D-Photogrammetric Modal Testing and Data Analysis of a Cantilevered Inflatable Wing," AIAA SciTech forum 2022, DOI: 10.2514/6.2022-1513
Fabricated wing under static testing
Flutter Test of Tethered Inflated Wing