Joint Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research

The Joint Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research (COE) was set up in January 2004. Its primary aim is to help ensure that composites and advanced materials can be used safely and reliably in commercial aircraft. The Center is a collaboration between the Center of Excellence for Composite and Advanced Materials (CECAM) - led by Wichita State University, and the Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials in Transport Aircraft Structures (AMTAS) - led by the University of Washington.

The COE aims to coordinate international research, development, and standardization for structures built from these innovative materials. Its main ambition is to form an effective cost-sharing collaboration between academic institutions, industries, and the government. This partnership will serve as a robust union between the public, private sectors and academic platforms to offer world-class identification and solution to issues related to advanced materials and structures.

Moreover, the Center is primarily focused on researching, engineering, and developing information that ensures the safety and standardization of certification for existing and emerging structural applications of composites and advanced materials. The projects handled by the Center are primarily focused on assessing past applications, conducting applied research, and developing standard engineering practices.

The COE plays a crucial role in technology transfer, training, as well as continuing education for those in the aircraft industry and regulatory bodies.

Their key research areas include, but are not limited to, studying the damage tolerance of advanced composite structures; durability of adhesively bonded joints; metal and non-metal based additive manufacturing technologies, and crashworthiness of composite airframes and seating systems. They also focus on the environmental and aging effects on in-service composite structures, impact of lightning strikes on composite airframes, development of new material systems and innovative production technologies, and maintenance and inspection of composite structures.