MMAE Seminar - Interdisciplinary Engineering Research Using Efficient Uncertainty-Based Prediction Models
Armour College of Engineering's Mechanical, Materials & Aerospace Engineering Department will welcome Dr. Arif Malik, Assistant Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Saint Louis University, to campus on Tuesday, April 14th, to present his lecture, Interdisciplinary Engineering Research Using Efficient Uncertainty-Based Prediction Models.
Abstract
This presentation overviews interdisciplinary research involving uncertainty-based prediction and computational mechanics. The research focuses on efficiently predicting and understanding the effects of uncertain parameters on desired performance outcomes. It is widely acknowledged that traditional factor-of-safety approaches to address uncertainty suffer serious shortcomings in designing highly competitive products and processes. Therefore, applying uncertainty analysis, probabilistic prediction, and reliability-based optimization is increasingly important to interdisciplinary research, design & innovation, and engineering education. Uncertainties manifest themselves in many ways, such as random variations in physical properties, uncertainty in model predictions, and variability in human decisions. The research projects discussed in this talk represent examples of recent work by masters and doctoral students at Saint Louis University. The topics span wide-ranging fields that cover advanced manufacturing, materials processing, aeroelasticity, transportation, and aviation science. All of the work presented involves uncertainty treatment, and includes the forming of flat metals, laser peening to improve fatigue life in metals, optimum wing flexibility for fixed-wing micro air vehicles, and human acceptance of fully autonomous passenger airliners. The current capabilities and major challenges are discussed in rigorously addressing the effects of parameter uncertainties while maintaining computational efficiency and accuracy in model predictions.
Biography
Dr. Arif Malik has been an Assistant Aerospace & Mechanical Engineering Professor at Saint Louis University since 2009. His work involves uncertainty-based computational mechanics to address research in manufacturing and interdisciplinary fields. At SLU, Malik has obtained $1M in research funding and recently received an NSF CAREER Award. He has advised MS and PhD students who have published in leading journals, including ASME and AIAA. Arif Malik received his PhD from Wright State in 2007, after several positions in industry, including with a technology start-up. He created unique community outreach activities in St. Louis, including the Aviation, Space, and Engineering summer camps and the Teen Connection to Social Skills workshops.