Federal Grants Bring UToledo to Forefront of Space and Defense Materials Research

Federal Grants Bring UToledo to Forefront of Space and Defense Materials Research

When a spacecraft re-enters Earth's atmosphere or a next-generation military vehicle pushes its limits in the field, the materials holding it together face punishing extremes of heat, stress and fatigue.

Researchers at The University of Toledo have secured new funding to help ensure those materials don't fail when it matters most.

Two new competitive federal research grants from the U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) and NASA totaling more than $680,000 will support cutting-edge research in UToledo's Failure, Fracture and Fatigue Laboratory (F3L), where faculty and students will push advanced materials to their breaking points to understand how long they'll last in the real world.

Testing the Limits

Dr. Meysam Haghshenas, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME), received word of both awards within a two-week span.

The Army-funded project targets lightweight metal matrix composites - materials prized in next-generation defense systems for their exceptional strength, relative to their weight.

The ultimate goal of the NASA-funded study is to ensure that novel, high-toughness alloy materials are safe and reliable for spaceflight and high-temperature aerospace environments.

"Together, these projects position The University of Toledo at the forefront of research aimed at predicting and extending the life of advanced materials in mission-critical applications," Haghshenas said. "The work will also provide hands-on research opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students, strengthening workforce development in advanced manufacturing and materials engineering."

Mojtaba Roshan, a mechanical engineering graduate student, said the opportunity to work collaboratively, with novel materials, in a lab equipped with a specialized high-temperature ultrasonic fatigue tester, is preparing him for innovative industry roles.

"I am excited to work with newly developed materials, where each project will bring new challenges and opportunities for discovery," Roshan said.

R1 Research Momentum

These latest grants build momentum and complement a pair of materials engineering research projects funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation in 2025.

Mohammad Bagher Mahtabi, a mechanical engineering graduate student who has worked on one of those studies investigating 3D-printed materials, said he is eager to continue researching how environmental factors influence performance and durability.

"Developing a deep understanding of fatigue mechanisms in these materials will position me to contribute to the design of safer, more reliable components in aerospace, automotive and energy applications," Mahtabi said.

The grant-funded work in the F3L is just one of many contributors to UToledo's growing reputation as a hub for high-impact research, as the only R1 Research University in Northwest Ohio.