Robert J. Asaro

Professor, Structural Engineering

Composite design and manufacturing technologies for large scale structures and marine applications as well as the deformation, fracture and fatigue of high temperature intermetallics.

Professor Asaro designs and manufactures large-scale composite structures. He is particularly interested in the use is these structures for marine applications such as new pilings to make piers stronger and safer. His pilings are made from molded hollow tubes of advanced composite materials including glass fiber and vinyl ester resin. Recycled plastic sheaths the tubes and provides an abrasion resistant outer surface. The structural composite materials are strong, lightweight, and immune from seaworm attack. They are also highly corrosion resistant.. Asaro's research interests also include the bulk processing of high Tc-BSCCo superconductors.

Capsule Bio:
Robert Aaro received his Ph.D. in Materials Science from Stanford University in 1972. Prior to joining UCSD in 1989, he was an associate professor at Brown University. Asaro also worked as a research scientist at Ford Motor Company and the U.S. Naval Radiological Laboratory. Asaro is a member of the American Society of Metals, the Physics and Chemistry of Solids Committee, and the Materials Research Society. He is a two-time recipient of the NSF Creativity Award (1983, 1989). In 1991, Asaro was awarded the Minerals, Metals & Materials Society/Materials Information Society C.H. Matthewson Gold Medal.

Institute Affiliation:
Charles Lee Powell Structural Research Laboratories »