The Center of Excellence for Composites and Advanced Materials (CECAM) is a division of the FAA’s Joint Advanced Materials and Structure Center of Excellence, established in 2004 to assist in ensuring the safe and reliable application of composites and advanced materials to commercial aircraft. CECAM is headquartered at Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research.
CECAM Mission:
To provide the nation with a center for the validation and quality assurance of composites
and advanced materials to be applied in the construction of aircraft through:
- research, testing, certification, and technology transfer
- coordination and cooperation with the FAA, aircraft manufacturers, materials suppliers, and airline companies
- education of the aircraft manufacturing and maintenance workforces
Core Members:
- Auburn University
- University of California
- University of Delaware
- Mississippi State University
- Northwestern University
- Purdue University
- Tuskegee University
- Wichita State University
FAA Sponsor: William J. Hughes Technical Center
Director: John Tomblin. Ph.D., National Institute for Aviation Research, Wichita State University
FAA COE CECAM Program Manager: Curtis Davies
Primary CECAM Technical Advisors: Allen Abramowitz, Curtis Davies, Lynn Pham
Current Projects:
- FAA Research Requirement on Lightning Strike of Composite Structure
Alyssa Gonzalez - Polymer-Based Additive Manufacturing Guidance for Aircraft Design and Certification
Rachael Andrulonis - Advanced Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Materials Guidance for Aircraft Design,
Certification Process and Control
Rachael Andrulonis - Ceramic Matrix Composite Materials Guidance for Aircraft Design and Certification
Matt Opliger - Composite Repair Materials Guidance for Aircraft Maintainability and Safety Assurance
Jeff Gilchrist - Guidelines for Formulating and Writing Process Control Documents and Process Specifications
for Advanced Materials
Royal Lovingfoss - Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation - Engine Ingestion & Structural Impact
Gerardo Olivares, Ph.D. /Luis Gomez - Resin Infused Fiber Reinforced Materials Guidelines for Aircraft Design and Certification
- Impact Damage Formation on Composite Aircraft Structures
Hyonny Kim - Impact Damage Tolerance Guidelines for Stiffened Composite Panels
Francesco Lanza di Scalea - Characterization of the Vulnerability of Composite Aircraft
- Thermoplastic Welding Process Qualification Protocols for Aircraft Design and Certification
Brandon Saathoff - Adhesive Qualification Guidance for Aircraft Design and Certification
- Bond Process Qualification Protocols for Aircraft Design and Certification
- Development of Higher-Level Building Block Testing Standards
Vishnu Saseendran