Degree(s):

• Ph.D., Aerospace Engineering, Texas A&M University, 1988
• M.S., Aeronautics, California Institute of Technology, 1983
• B.S., Aerospace Engineering, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1981

Lab/Center Affiliation(s):

• Syracuse University Composite Materials Laboratory (SU-CML), Director

Research Interests:

• Delamination growth in laminated composite materials and structures
• Durability and damage tolerance of composite structures

Current Research:

Professor Davidson’s primary area of research focuses on delamination growth in advanced polymeric composites, and includes the development of test methodologies to measure delamination resistance, experimental studies to examine the dependence of toughness on the loading and environmental conditions, and theoretical work to develop analytical and computational approaches to predict delamination growth in practical structural geometries. His delamination growth prediction methodologies have been adopted by Boeing in the design of the new 787 “Dreamliner” passenger jet and in a variety of rotorcraft and automotive applications. Professor Davidson’s research work has been supported by NASA, the FAA, the Empire State Development Corporation, the AT&T Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, the National Institutes of Health, United Technologies Corporation and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Courses Taught:

• ECS 221 Statics
• AEE 471 Design and Analysis of Aerospace Structures
• MAE 536 Composite Materials
• MAE 621 Failure Analysis of Composite Materials
• MAE 625 Fracture Mechanics
• MAE 635 Advanced Mechanics of Materials
• MAE 721 Analysis of Plates and Shells

Honors:

Most recently, Professor Davidson was presented ASTM International’s Wayne Stinchcomb Award for exceptional contributions to the field of composite materials.

Selected Publications:

Davidson, B.D., Ratcliffe, J.G. and Czabaj, M.W., Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Thirty-First Technical Conference, September 19-21, 2016, Williamsburg, VA, DEStech Publications, Inc.

Davidson, B.D., “Standardization of the End-Notched Flexure Test for Mode II Delamination Toughness Determination of Unidirectional Laminated Composites,” Journal of Testing and Evaluation, Vol. 43, No. 6, 2015, pp. 1540-1553.

Horner, A.L., Czabaj, M.W., Davidson, B.D. and Ratcliffe, J.G., “Three-Dimensional Crack Surface Evolution in Mode III Delamination Toughness Tests,” Engineering Fracture Mechanics, Vol. 149, No. 11, 2015, pp. 313 – 325.

Singh, A.K. and Davidson, B.D., “An Analytical Model for the Response of Carbon/Epoxy-Aluminum Honeycomb Core Sandwich Structures Under Quasi-Static Indentation Loading,” Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials, To Appear