Dr. Kishore Pochiraju of Stevens Co-Authors Book on Polymeric Matrix Composites

Hoboken, NJ, September 03, 2011 --(PR.com)-- To help engineers design longer-lasting high-performance plastics, Dr. Kishore Pochiraju, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, has co-edited a forthcoming book, Long-Term Durability of Polymeric Matrix Composites. This collaborative work, with co-editors from the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson AFB, presents a holistic guide to environmental degradation, damage evolution, design, and application specific issues of long term structural durability.

Polymeric matrix composites (PMCs) are created by reinforcing a polymer resin with fibrous materials to change the properties of the finished composite. PMCs are widely used due to their light weight, strength, and damage tolerance. Resulting materials are ubiquitous in the market, appearing in products ranging from advanced aerospace products, bullet-proof vests, automobile parts, and sporting goods. This book focuses on durability and life prediction techniques for polymeric composites used in high temperature applications where degradation mechanisms are accelerated.

"This book provides engineers with the knowledge to design a new generation of polymer based composites with improved safety and usability," says Dr. Constantin Chassapis, Department Director of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean of the School of Engineering and Science. "These products are critical for improving our nation's defense capabilities and provide valuable applications in the commercial sector." The book provides a multi-scale treatment of the long-term durability problem that spans resin chemistry, mechanically induced damage, environment-driven damage including moisture and oxidation effects, design techniques, and application-specific best practices.

As Director of the Design and Manufacturing Institute (DMI), Dr. Pochiraju leads research programs that realize cost effective and high performance products and systems by integrating product design, materials processing, and manufacturing expertise with modern software and embedded systems technologies. The Institute's cross-disciplinary research thrusts span knowledge-based design, advanced materials and manufacturing process sciences, and intelligent systems integration technologies for defense and commercial applications. Dr. Pochiraju is also the founder of CADeyes, a startup company that supplies advanced mobile mapping systems for surveying and engineering, based on technology he pioneered at DMI.

Visit the publisher's Web site (http://www.springer.com/chemistry/polymer+science/book/978-1-4419-9307-6) for more information about the book, which is scheduled for publication this Fall. Learn more about Mechanical Engineering research at the department site, or visit undergraduate or graduate admissions to explore educational opportunities at Stevens.

About the Department of Mechanical Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering confidently addresses the challenges facing engineering now and into the future, yet remains true to the vision of the founders of Stevens Institute in 1870 as one of the first engineering schools in the nation. The department mission is to produce graduates with a broad-based foundation in fundamental engineering principles and liberal arts together with the depth of disciplinary knowledge needed to succeed in a career in mechanical engineering or a related field, including a wide variety of advanced technological and management careers. This is accomplished through a broad-based Core Curriculum of applied sciences, engineering sciences, design, management, and the humanities, coupled with a long-standing honor system. Learn more: visit www.stevens.edu/ses/me.

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