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School of Engineering

People Sylvanus N. Wosu

Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Associate Dean for Diversity and Director of PECAP


Phone: 412-624-9842
Fax: 412-624-1108
Office: BENDM 323

Education

PhD, Engineering Physics, University of Oklahoma, 1988

Professional Interest

Sylvanus Wosu joined the department on July 1, 2000, as the engineering assistant dean for diversity and minority engineering programs and associate professor of mechanical engineering. His research focus is in the areas of impact physics and engineering of composite materials, dynamic problems in composites failure, and biomechanics of cerebral oxygen metabolism. Major research accomplishments include the development of a high performance Hopkinson bar fixtures for perforation impact and multi-mode fracture tests, and general characterization of materials failure. His experimental infrastructure and experience include the use of a high-speed imaging system capable of capturing dynamic fracture event at two million frames per second, dynamic failure profiling and fragmentation processes in material failure, and a micro-Raman Spectroscopy system for biomechanics studies. He has worked in other areas of research, including experimental nuclear medical physics, nuclear scattering experiments, electrochemistry of heavy metals, and smart composites.

Selected Publications

S.N. Nwosu and Greg Czarnecki, "A Dynamic Crack Propagation and Perforation of Laminated Composites," Australian Composite Structures Society, ICCM/11 (1997), pp. 1153–1161.

S.N. Nwosu, Piyush K. Dutta, and David Hui, "Characterization of Composite Materials By Vertical Dynamic Hopkinson Bar," Proceedings of the 1994 Engineering Systems Design and Analysis Conference, July 4–7, 1994, in London PD—Vol. 64-2.

S.N. Nwosu, "A Dynamic Crack Propagation by High Speed Imaging," Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Composites Engineering in Hawaii, August 28–31, 1997, pp. 741–742.

S.N. Nwosu, Hui, D., and Czarnecki, G., "Mode II and Mixed Mode I/II Delamination of Graphite/epoxy Composite under Dynamic Loading Conditions," ICCM/12, Paris, France, 1999.

S.N. Nwosu and H.J. Fischbeck, "Assessment of O18 Enriched Water as a Marker of Total Body Water," Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Vol. B40/41 (1989), 833.

S.N. Nwosu, H.J. Fischbeck, and D.E. Menzie, "Measurement of Oil Reservoir Dispersivity by Nuclear Reaction Analysis," Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B40/41 (1989), 857.

faculty

The Department of Mechanical Engineering has 16 full time, 6 adjunct, and 5 emeritus faculty members