Orono, Maine — Habib Dagher, executive director of the Center for Advanced Structures and Composites at the University of Maine, is the first recipient of the American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA) 2021 Academic Pioneer Award. Dagher and the Advanced Structures and Composites Center team personally won the award at the ACMA Member Award Ceremony and Reception held in Dallas on October 18.
The new Academic Pioneer Award in 2021 aims to recognize individuals with original, foresight and innovative ideas in the academic world, which have been scientifically investigated, tested and proven to promote the development of composite materials technology. For more information about ACMA awards, please visit online.
Established in 1979, ACMA is the world's largest composite materials industry trading group, composed of manufacturers, material and equipment suppliers, distributors, academia and end users, and is committed to developing the composite materials market.
"I am honored to be selected by ACMA as the first recipient of the Composites Academic Pioneer Award," Dagel said. "The award belongs to a talented team of faculty and thousands of students who have worked in the Center for Advanced Structures and Composites for the past 25 years. One of our center’s core values is teamwork. None of us is as smart as all of us. This award is for the ASCC team."
The Academic Pioneer Award recognizes Dagher's leadership in advancing next-generation composite materials that are lighter, more durable, and have a smaller carbon footprint. Examples include the award-winning composite arch bridge system called the bridge in the backpack, the commercial composite bridge system called GBeams, the modular ballistic protection system deployed by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Mark V.1 U.S. Navy sealed full composite ship, And the patented VolturnUS floating wind turbine technology that has attracted more than 150 million US dollars in private and public investment.
"Dr. Dagher's internationally recognized, pioneering work and vision in civil and environmental engineering have shaped the future and inspired generations of undergraduate and graduate students," said Joan Ferrini-Mundy, President of the University of Maine. "His inspiring leadership and collaboration with colleagues and partners in Maine and around the world demonstrates the important role of public research universities in innovation and workforce development."
"Under the leadership of Dr. Habib Dagher, the Center for Advanced Structures and Composites at the University of Maine is at the forefront of efforts to use cutting-edge materials and technologies to transform all sectors of our economy, from manufacturing to transportation networks," said the U.S. Senator. Susan Collins. "This award is a well-deserved recognition of Dr. Dagher and his extraordinary team, who have helped improve our infrastructure through innovative, flexible, and cost-effective materials and technologies. The future of the Maine Composites Center is bright, and I am very excited. Proud to continue to support the outstanding work of its faculty, staff and students."
"No one deserves the Academic Pioneer Award from the American Composite Manufacturers Association more than Dr. Habib Dagher," said US Senator Angus King. "The pioneering work of Dr. Dagher and his team at the Center for Advanced Structures and Composites at the University of Maine has made the college a global leader in its field. His work is critical not only to his students and the University of Maine, but to the entire state. Important, it has created an important new market for our forest products industry and placed Maine at the center of promising new technologies. I would like to congratulate Dr. Dagher for receiving this well-deserved award and thank him for his contribution to this important field And Maine’s continued commitment.”
“Over the past 25 years, Habib Dagher has built UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center into a world leader in materials science and engineering. ASCC’s innovative technology has been used by the US military and hundreds of Maine companies to support the entire state And continue to pave the way for the next generation of manufacturing in Maine. We congratulate Habib and the ASCC team for this well-deserved recognition and wish them continued success in their cutting-edge work," Congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Congressman Jared Golden said in a joint statement.
The bridge in the backpack is a lightweight, corrosion-resistant, cost-effective system suitable for short- and medium-distance bridge construction. This technology has been used in 28 bridges in the United States and other regions. The system uses composite arch pipes as reinforcement and formwork for cast-in-situ concrete. The arch is easy to transport, can be deployed quickly, and does not require the heavy equipment or large numbers of personnel required to handle the weight of traditional building materials. They extend the life of the structure to 100 years.
GBeams provides an economical and long-term solution for traditional steel and concrete mid-span bridges. It consists of a lightweight composite pot beam with a prefabricated or cast-in-place concrete deck. Lightweight GB beams are designed for stacking and weigh only one-fourth of steel beams. One flatbed truck can transport enough beams for four 70-foot-long bridges. This kind of light bridge system has a design service life of 100 years and requires almost no maintenance. It is mainly used for highway bridges, pedestrian bridges or building construction.
The Grist Mill Bridge in Hampden, Maine is the first bridge in the United States to use GBeam technology. The design of the girder takes into account the life cycle, which is convenient for the manufacture of girder in different regions; low-carbon transportation to the place where the girder geometry allows nesting and stacking during transportation; on-site low-logistics installation method, only light equipment is required to move the girder to the bridge abutment No need for heavy cranes; and lower operation and maintenance requirements, including a new connector between GB beams and concrete decks, which facilitates the installation of concrete decks, as well as the removal and replacement of concrete decks at the end of their service life, with the beams remaining Place and reuse a new concrete deck.
The modular ballistic protection system uses thermoplastic ballistic panels to turn the tent into a "large walk-in helmet" to protect lives from explosive overpressure and ballistic effects. The solutions adopted by the Ministry of Defense have been used on site and have protected lives.
VolturnUS floating offshore wind power technology has more than 70 patents around the world, and can locally manufacture floating hulls that support wind turbines. It was deployed near the coast of Maine in 2013 and became the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine in the United States. It uses FRP composite material tower, which can reduce the weight of the upper part and the hull, while improving durability and reducing maintenance costs. RWE and Mitsubishi’s Diamond Offshore Wind privately invested US$100 million, and the US Department of Energy invested US$50 million. The team is designing an 11-megawatt floating hull that will be deployed on the coast of Maine in 2024.
About the Center for Advanced Structures and Composites at the University of Maine
The Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) at the University of Maine, a world leader in the research and development of composite materials. It is currently the largest university research center in Maine. It was established in 1996 with funding from the National Science Foundation. It is located in a 100,000 square foot laboratory and the number of employees has increased from 6 to more than 260. The center has sponsored more than 2,600 student interns. ASCC's research has won top domestic and international awards, and has more than 500 customers and partners worldwide. Several private companies were spun off from denter's research. The center designed and deployed the first grid-connected offshore wind turbine using FRP composite towers in the United States in 2013, thus pioneering the development of floating offshore wind turbines. The center houses the Alfond W2 (wind wave) marine engineering laboratory, a unique facility with high-precision wind turbines installed on the multi-directional wave basin, and the offshore wind laboratory, which is the second largest wind blade in the region Test facility. In the United States in 2019, the center commissioned the world's largest polymer 3D printer. It won the Guinness World Record for the world's largest 3D printed ship 3Dirigo, a 25-foot-long, 5,000-pound patrol ship that was printed in 72 hours.
Contact: Megan Collins, mc@maine.edu; 207.852.8414