CAIMEE hosts review of U.S. Army basic research program focused on high-throughput materials discovery

Apr 11, 2024 | No Comments | By Sarah Preis

Earlier this month, the Center on Artificial Intelligence for Materials in Extreme Environments (CAIMEE) hosted a midpoint review of the High-Throughput Materials Discovery for Extreme Conditions (HTMDEC) program on Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus.

Visitors gathered on April 2 to hear about the progress being made in different areas of HTMDEC, a basic research program sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL). Attendees included researchers from participating universities, scientists from government labs, and representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

The HTMDEC program aims to combine automation and machine learning techniques with manufacturing and characterization to develop novel materials to perform under extreme conditions.

ARL sponsors two research centers as part of the HTMDEC program, one of which is led by CAIMEE. The Center on High-throughput Materials Discovery for Extremes (HT-MAX), is led by Lori Graham-Brady, a professor of civil and systems engineering and associate director of the Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute (HEMI), and Michael Shields, an associate professor of civil and systems engineering.

HT-MAX combines artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic automation technologies to discover novel hard/brittle materials with tailored properties for use in extreme environments. Researchers will develop new materials which will have improved ductility, hardness, and strength when the materials are exposed to elevated strain rates, pressures, temperatures, and heating rates.

Discovering new materials that can withstand extreme conditions is critical for government and private industry entities alike. Hard and brittle materials like ceramics are used in armor, and accelerating the discovery of these materials can give nations an edge in protecting soldiers and vehicles from next-generation weapons and threats.

Additional HEMI fellows contributing to HT-MAX are K.T. Ramesh, the Alonzo G. Decker Jr. Professor of Science and Engineering, and Todd Hufnagel, a professor of materials science and engineering. HT-MAX researchers come from seven universities and collaborate with researchers at ARL. David Elbert, a HEMI research scientist, leads data management efforts for the HTMDEC program.