Zheng Selected as 2026 NASA Glenn Faculty Fellow
MIE Associate Professor Yi Zheng was selected as a 2026 NASA Glenn Faculty Fellow, a 10-week residential research program, to work on advanced energy and power systems for space applications. For his sixth consecutive time receiving this fellowship, Zheng will be working on the “Fellowship Project 4: Design, Modeling, and Data Analysis of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMC) Joints for Enabling the Utilization of CMC Components in Turbine Engine Applications.”
The activity will directly support the NASA Glenn thrust areas of power and propulsion, materials development, and advanced manufacturing. Ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) are an advanced material in development at NASA Glenn which offer benefits of higher temperature capability, lower cooling requirements, and much lower material density compared to superalloys. These benefits translate into optimal turbine engine operating conditions, higher efficiencies, and lower fuel burn and costs. A crucial element toward CMC component deployment in turbine engine applications is the development of robust joining and integration technologies which are enabling for the buildup of large and complex shaped CMC components and their integration into metallic based systems. Each CMC joining application requires a tailored solution that considers material pairings, part geometry, material properties, operation conditions, and service life requirements. The design of joints and the modeling of thermomechanical properties are crucial for joining technology development. The project will focus on modeling the design of joining test configurations to include single lap offset and tube to plate joining. Thermomechanical analysis of the elevated temperature and stress states will be correlated with tests results for CMC to CMC and to metal joints. The modeling and analysis will focus on the stress states in the sub-elements and at the joining layer to map the stress profile and identify peak stresses. The activity will be a valuable contribution towards raising the technology readiness level of CMC joining and integration technology development.