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NSF IUCRC – Center for Hybrid Materials Interfacing | UT-Georgia Tech-Oakland University

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Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI)

A National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC)

University of Tennessee – Georgia Institute of Technology –  – Oakland University

Mission and Vision of the CHMI Center

The National Science Foundation’s Center for Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing (CHMI) brings together academia, industry and government to revolutionize materials joining technologies.

This collaborative initiative unites researchers from the University of Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Oakland University to develop advanced solutions for hybrid material systems. The center focuses on transforming traditional labor-intensive joining methods into automated, reliable processes using cutting-edge digital tools and analytical techniques.

CHMI’s work spans critical sectors including automotive, aerospace, renewable energy and infrastructure. The center aims to reduce production costs and cycle times by 50% within a decade while improving material performance.

Industry partners gain access to pre-competitive research, state-of-the-art facilities and workforce development opportunities through this NSF-funded program.

Economic Relevance and Impact of the CHMI Center and Research

From compact vehicles to massive aircraft and wind turbines, hybrid materials combining metals, polymers and adhesives now dominate advanced manufacturing. These multi-material structures demand innovative joining technologies to ensure performance and durability.

The National Science Foundation’s CHMI Center addresses this critical need by developing next-generation interfacing solutions. Their work enhances transportation safety while strengthening national security through improved military equipment maintenance.

Advanced joining technologies also deliver economic benefits by:

  • Reducing manufacturing costs

  • Cutting energy consumption

  • Enabling material recycling

Applications span automotive, aerospace, renewable energy and defense sectors, driving innovation across industries.

Fit of the Center within the Industry and University Collaborative Scope

Georgia Tech researchers recently completed a comprehensive technology roadmap for composite joining and repair through a NIST AMTech Program-sponsored consortium (CAIIAC). The effort involved more than 45 industry, government and academic organizations.

This builds on IACMI’s existing roadmap, developed with more than 150 participants, which covers composite materials for automotive, wind energy and compressed gas storage applications. Both initiatives identified an urgent need for sustained collaboration to address growing challenges in hybrid material joining across industries.

Key technical focus areas include:

  • Computational materials engineering and design

  • Damage tolerance and bond detection

  • Digital twin technologies

  • Advanced sensing and structural monitoring

  • Robotics and automated processes

  • Artificial intelligence applications

The research emphasizes developing standardized methods for testing, inspection and qualification of hybrid material systems.

Center Uniqueness

The CHMI Center is unique in the following aspects:

  • It will be the first public-private partnership for RD&D with a special focus on Composite and Hybrid Materials Interfacing/Joining;
  • It will develop and deploy digital and computational CHMI techniques to transform the current labor- intensive, experience-based industry practice into the new Digital and Intelligent paradigm;
  • It will build a strong partnership with IACMI, which brings in over 150 industry stakeholders and beneficiaries for the developed technologies. The CHMI Center synergizes with IACMI well, as they are complementary to each other, rather than having an overlapping or competitive existence. Furthermore, CHMI Center addresses R&D challenges of hybrid materials at TRL 2-4 whereas IACMI focuses on technologies for polymer composites in TRL 4-7

Benefits to Industry Members

  • A Tier I membership ($30,000/year) will provide the company/government organization a seat in the Industry Advisory Board (IAB) and a full vote for project selection;
  • Provides a CHMI technology repository and technology investment priority guide via CHMI technology  roadmaps;
  • Offers opportunities to collaborate on developing and gaining access to pre-competitive and cutting- edge technologies via CHMI projects and leverage industry dollars by sponsorship from other industry partners and NSF;
  • Identifies workforce training requirements in the fast-growing field and opportunities to interact with potential employees by working with CHMI sponsored students;
  • Provides cost-effective access to state-of-the-art R&D facilities and testbeds within CHMI; and
  • Offers networking opportunities to interact and collaborate with other leaders in the CHMI

Points of Contact (for IACMI-UT)

  • Uday Vaidya, PI (NSF IUCRC), University of Tennessee site, uvaidya@utk.edu
  • Vanina Ghossein, Program Administrator, University of Tennessee site, CHMI-NSF IUCRC, vghossei@utk.edu

 

 

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