The areas of engineering sciences research at CHESS are closely aligned with interdisciplinary research around the world.
The broader impacts of engineering studies affect all walks of society. Examples include improving infrastructure and longevity of structural materials for roadways, bridges, and aircraft, learning how to tailor new materials for microelectronics and biomedical applications, and improving fuel efficiency of diesel and gasoline-based vehicles. Partnering fundamental scientific research with engineering research opens new avenues for multidisciplinary research, discovery, and innovation.
The areas of engineering sciences research at CHESS are closely aligned with interdisciplinary research around the world. Engineering research with high-energy x-rays at CHESS covers a wide array of applications: material processing, component deformation and failure, and new energy storage systems, to name a few. Researchers apply techniques such as x-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify crystal structures and monitor deformation at the atomic-level, x-ray fluorescence (XRF) to determine the elemental composition of material, and x-ray computed tomography (CT) to image the morphology of a structure. Mapping microstructures of crystalline specimens, understanding deformation of materials in real-time of structural materials or nonwoven geotextiles, and watching how fuel is injected into an engine are important problems tackled by engineers and staff scientists using the x-ray facilities at CHESS.