Directed Energy Survivability

Overview

The Directed Energy Materials Irradiation Laboratory (DEMI-Lab) investigates the response of structural composite materials to high-power directed energy exposure — relevant to survivability of aerospace and defense platforms.

Research questions

• How do thermoplastic and thermoset composite laminates respond to sustained high-irradiance laser exposure?
• What material and geometric parameters govern ablation threshold and damage progression?
• Can real-time thermal imaging be used to characterize damage in situ?

Shared infrastructure

DEMI-Lab leverages shared assets with the AFP facility — KUKA robot, Laserline 2 kW laser, thermal camera, and laser scanner — eliminating equipment duplication and enabling combined manufacturing-and-survivability experiments on the same coupon.