As the William D. Jordan Professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics, Dr. Samit Roy leads cutting-edge research focused on extending the lifespan of aircraft and spacecraft through self-healing composite materials.
Roy directs two laboratories in the North Engineering Research Center: The Advanced Composite Materials Lab and the Advanced Materials Processing Lab. His team works on developing smart composite structures embedded with sensors capable of detecting and healing damage mid-flight.
When teaching, Roy often begins with the fundamentals.
“A composite is any material composed of more than one constituent,” he said. “The oldest known composite is wood, made of fibers surrounded by a cellulose matrix. Humanity has used composites for centuries — even the Wright brothers used wood and fabric in the first aircraft.”
The work in Roy’s lab builds on that legacy, using advanced materials like carbon fiber-epoxy composites, enhanced with shape memory polymers and thermoplastic powders. These allow cracks to be healed through heat generated by embedded sensors — sensors that also detect damage.
“The idea came to us more than a decade ago while we were focused on improving damage detection in composite materials,” Roy said. “Eventually, we asked, ‘What if we could also heal that damage using the same network of sensors?’”
Initial funding from the U.S. Air Force helped prove the concept at lab scale. Roy’s team has since published several papers and book chapters, and continues to explore ways to scale the technology for full-size airframes.
The innovation integrates artificial intelligence and sensor data to enable what Roy describes as “a digital twin on steroids.” This enhanced digital twin model predicts structural damage and actively participates in healing it.
“Instead of relying solely on scheduled maintenance, we’re shifting toward condition-based maintenance,” Roy said.
The technology holds promise for military and space applications where in-field repairs are impractical. Roy noted the system can detect critical damage in flight, assess its severity using AI, and trigger a healing response in real time.
“This doesn’t eliminate maintenance, but it buys time,” he said. “Especially in remote or hostile environments, such as encountered in space exploration, where extending flight time safely can make a significant difference.”
Roy’s research has already supported multiple doctoral dissertations and has led to numerous publications, conference presentations and a patent.
“Students gain hands-on experience in advanced research and learn how to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world aerospace challenges,” Roy said. “It’s rewarding to see their growth and contributions to this cutting-edge work.”
With continued development and industry adoption, Roy believes the technology could redefine structural integrity standards in aerospace engineering.
“Nature already does this — our bodies detect and heal damage,” he said. “We’re simply applying that concept to engineered systems.”