Path to Improving Data Science for Materials in Extreme Environments

During regular service life, many U.S. military systems are exposed to extreme environments, including high or low temperatures, corrosive environments, radiation, and high strain rates. These environments can affect a material’s composition and microstructure, causing changes in material strength or toughness. For example, long-term operation of turbine blades in a marine environment results in corrosion of the blades, while extreme temperatures generated by atmospheric drag limit a hypersonic system’s performance. Designing, modeling, and managing materials for extreme environments play a direct role in determining lifetime, reliability, maintenance, and performance specifications for Department of Defense (DoD) systems.