Rebuilding and Enhancing the Nations Infrastructure: A Role for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures

Abstract

Intelligent material systems and structures are engineered systems having a significant degree of autonomy to enable them to maximize performance, provide adaptive functionality, and minimize life-cycle cost. The rebuilding and enhancement of our Nation's infrastructure can greatly profit from the research, development, and implementation of intelligent material systems. Intelligent material systems can allow us to design buildings, bridges, lifelines, etc. to not only have a greater envelope of utility but also do so while reducing the overall life-cycle cost-it is precisely this objective which defines intelligent systems. Intelligent material systems are not singular materials such as shape memory alloys or piezoelectric materials; rather, they are integrated systems of materials. It is the objective "of developing the lowest life-cycle cost solution" with the creative use of materials and ingenious engineering design which guides the research issues and technologies that should become of high priority for funding. Intelligent structures incorporate innovative material compositions and sophistication in the design and architecture in order to simplify construction, reduce maintenance, and decrease cost of the entire system. The synergy of actuators, sensors, and controls, will not only allow structures of the future to have increased performance and functionality, but will facilitate the solution of many socioeconomic issues concerning the repair, enhancement, and construction of our Nation's infrastructure.