Our research subject is advanced composite materials which are rapidly put into practical use especially for aerospace applications. The main target of the group is to improve properties of the materials and to develop durability and reliability evaluation methods for effective usage of composites. Main themes are:
   Investigating micromechanics of composites based on experiments and analysis, which has been conducted for a long time in our laboratory.
   Development of smart materials/structures inspired by living things, which is a rapidly developing research area. Structural health monitoring (SHM) and life-cycle monitoring including cure process monitoring are particular interests. We are actively collaborating with companies and foreign researches.
   Detailed research themes are as follows.

(1) Micromechanics of failure progress in composites
(1-1) Experimental and numerical study on aligned carbon nanotube sheet/epoxy
        composites
(1-2) Drilling process on CFRP laminates
(1-3) Numerical modeling for characterization of longitudinal and transverse
        compressive strength in composite materials
(2) Smart materials/structures
(2-1) Cure strain in CFRP Lamiantes: Optical-fiber-based distributed measurement
        and numerical simulation
(2-2) Measurement and modeling of direction-dependent cure shrinkage strain
(2-3) Life cycle monitoring of complex shaped CFRP
(2-4) Indentation and monitoring of foam core sandwich structures
(2-5) Self-healing of delamination using sensing-healing hybrid
(2-6) Thermal strain distribution along optical fiber in CFRP fiber-optic-gyroscope under
        thermal vacuum condition
(2-7) Optical-fiber-based quality assuranace for CFRP structures
(2-8) Rapid repair method for CFRP structures monitored by SHM systems
(2-9) Structural integrity diagnosis and evaluation of advanced composite structures
        (ASC-SIDE Project; FY 2003-2012)