Modeling and Simulations of Armor Ceramics: Atomistics to Mesoscale Microstructure

The Army Research Laboratory Research Associateship Program (ARL-RAP) offers interdisciplinary research opportunities in materials modeling at length scales ranging from atomistics to mesoscale microstructures to support discoveries relating ceramic processing-structure-property relationships. These simulations seek to uncover fundamental mechanisms controlling microstructure evolution and mechanical response of armor ceramics to provide insights for future material design and predict performance. Areas of research include thermodynamic modeling of grain boundary complexions, elucidating the role of defects and grain boundary character on grain growth and mechanics, mesoscale modeling of microstructure evolution and mechanics, bridging simulation scales by incorporating microstructure effects into continuum performance models, integrating material simulations with experiments, developing virtual materials characterization techniques, and quantifying variability and uncertainty of models. Research is performed in collaboration with other computational and experimental teams within ARL and academia at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.