PhD candidate Ningxiner Zhao delivered an invited talk at The Ohio State University Center for Automotive Research (CAR) Seminar Series on Tuesday, October 21, 2025. Her presentation, titled “Metal-Carbon Fiber Integration for Structural Vehicle Lightweighting,” focused on the incorporation of carbon fiber into metallic vehicle gliders utilizing ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM).

The CAR Seminar Series is part of Ohio State’s ongoing efforts to foster dialogue between academic research and the automotive industry. Zhao’s participation reflects both her expertise in UAM, advanced materials testing, and mechanics-based modeling, and the relevance of her work to current industry priorities. Ningxiner is a member of the Smart Materials and Structures Lab under the advisement of Prof. Marcelo Dapino in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department. Her work is sponsored by the member organizations of the Smart Vehicle Concepts center (https://svc.osu.edu/).

Vivek Srinivas received the May 2025 Outstanding Student Presentation Award for his presentation on SVC Project #63, “Smart Restraint Systems.” His work was mentored by a collaborative team including Steve Combs of Autoliv, Dr. Ryan Hahnlen, and Rish Mishra of Honda Development and Manufacturing of America. Vivek joined the Smart Vehicle Concepts Center in 2018, completed his PhD in August 2025, and is now employed at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio. The award was announced by Dr. Ryan Hahnlen, Chair of the SVC Industrial Advisory Board.

Well done and best wishes for a bright future!

The Outstanding Student Presentation Award recognizes exceptional student presentations delivered at the Smart Vehicle Concepts (SVC) conference and Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) review meeting. Established in 2015, the award is selected by the IAB to honor up to three outstanding presentations per conference, evaluated in three categories: (1) Project background, objectives, and plan; (2) Quality of analysis and/or experimental results; and (3) Communication and presentation skills. These presentations provide a valuable opportunity for students to showcase their research and strengthen their academic and professional preparation.

Click for PDF of full paper

Abstract: Finite element-based characterization of interface strength in Ultrasonic Additive Manufacturing (UAM) is crucial for accurately simulating failure behavior in UAM components and reducing experimental requirements. This study introduces a testing methodology using specially designed dovetail-shaped UAM samples to characterize UAM interfaces for finite element modeling. These samples enable loading in three distinct configurations, generating varied stress distributions at the weld interface to induce failure. A fracture mechanics approach, utilizing the cohesive zone model (CZM), is applied in finite element method (FEM) simulations to characterize the interface behavior. Tests in the three configurations are simulated in FEM and the CZM parameters are calibrated against the experimental data to accurately characterize the weld interface. These calibrated parameters are suitable for broader failure simulations of UAM structures. Model validation was achieved by accurately predicting experimental fracture behavior for a different loading configuration, with an error of only 10.1%.

M.ALI, L.M. Headings, V. Srinivas, and M.J. Dapino, “Laminated interface characterization and cohesive zone modeling (CZM) of fracture for ultrasonic additive manufacturing (UAM) structures,” Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 154:614-622, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmapro.2025.09.085

Click for PDF of full paper

Abstract: Lightweighting is crucial for enhancing vehicle efficiency and reducing tailpipe emissions. Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) composites for the Body-in-White (BIW) are a major research focus aimed at achieving lightweighting. FRP composite manufacturing processes, such as vacuum infusion or automated fiber placement, cannot meet the automotive industry’s rates, cycle times and large production volumes. From a cost standpoint, as component size and scale of manufacturing increase, material cost becomes the dominant factor in production, inhibiting the use of expensive composite materials. Thus, multi-material structural designs have taken center stage, where lightweight materials and high-rate composite manufacturing processes are strategically used in conjunction with traditional metallic designs. A highly integrated multi-material, FRP-intensive BIW design was developed using unique multi-material metal-fiber transition joints that enable spot welding of composite parts. This allows a multi-material BIW to be manufactured with minimal change to the vehicle manufacturer’s assembly and joining infrastructure., presenting a cost-effective solution to integrate composites. From a sustainability standpoint, the life cycle impact of these multi-material designs and composite manufacturing methodologies must be investigated and compared with contemporary sheet-metal designs. A comprehensive comparative life cycle energy assessment has been performed on the proposed multi-material designs manufactured using fast-cycle composite manufacturing processes. Determining the cumulative energy demand over the entire life cycle of the multi-material BIW provides valuable insights into the material composition of the multi-material BIW. It also helps establish a trade-off between the use of energy-intensive composite materials and the energy savings achieved during the use stage due to lightweighting.

A.M. Deshpande, U. Lad, S.A. Pradeep, N. ZHAO, L.M. Headings, M.J. Dapino, R. Hahnlen, G. Li, M. Carbajales-Dale, K. Simmons, S. Pilla, “Comparative life cycle energy assessment of lightweight multi-material metal-fiber composite hybrid body-in-white designs,” Composites Part B: Engineering, Vol. 308, 113000, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.113000