About the Dean

Anthony J. Vizzini, PhD, PE
Professor and Dean
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Western Michigan University
1903 W. Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49008
Tel: (269) 276-3253 | Fax: (269) 276-3257
Email: tony.vizzini@wmich.edu

Education

Ph.D., Aeronautics/Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1986
S.M., Aeronautics/Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983
S.B., Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1982
S.B., Aeronautics/Astronautics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1981

Experience Record

2009-Present Professor and Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
2003-2009 Professor and Head, Department of Aerospace Engineering, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
1992-2003 Associate Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
1987-2003 Founding Director, Composites Research Laboratory, University of Maryland, College Park, MD
1986-1992 Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Specialty Areas

Response and failure of composite structures, in particular, energy absorption and crashworthiness, tailoring techniques to improve structural integrity, and damage tolerance of sandwich structures. Manufacturing methods for polymer based structural components including affordable manufacturing and manufacturing for automotive and space applications. Development of unmanned aerial systems and satellite engineering.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Anthony J. Vizzini received his Ph.D. in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1986 from M.I.T. and joined the faculty at the University of Maryland. In January of 1987 he was appointed as the founding director of the Composites Research Laboratory and was responsible for the composites program within the A. James Clark School of Engineering. He has led sponsored research projects such as delamination prevention through structural tailoring techniques; short duration, high temperature effects of composites; crushing mechanisms of composites; and damage tolerance of composite sandwich panels. In August 2003, he became Professor and Department Head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at Mississippi State University and in 2005 became the inaugural holder of the Bill and Carolyn Cobb Chair within the Bagley College of Engineering. He assumed his current position as the Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Western Michigan University in 2009. He is the author of over 100 articles and has been involved in the design and manufacture of composite structures for space applications and uninhabited air vehicles. He is a registered engineer in the states of Mississippi and Michigan. He is a member of the Executive Cabinet of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Processing Engineering (SAMPE), is the President of the American Society for Composites, serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Advanced Materials, is an ABET program evaluator, is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA, and is a Fellow of the American Society for Composites.

Recent Publications

1.) A. J. Vizzini, "Design, Tooling, and Manufacturing Interaction," ASM Handbook, Volume 21: Composites, ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2001, pp. 373-383 (Invited).

2.) Z. H. Xie, A. J. Vizzini, and T. Qingru, "On Residual Compressive Strength Prediction of Composite Sandwich Panels after Low-Velocity Impact Damage," Acta Mechnica Solida Sinica, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2006.

3.) Z. H. Xie and A. J. Vizzini, "Damage Propagation in a Sandwich Panel Subjected to Increasing Uniaxial Compression after a Low-Velocity Impact," Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials, Vol. 7, No. 4, July 2005, pp.269-288.

4.) F. Laurin and A. J. Vizzini, "Energy Absorption of Sandwich Panels with Composite Reinforced Foam Core," Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials, Vol. 7, No. 2, March 2005, pp. 113-132.

5.) K. M. Turner and A. J. Vizzini, "Response of Impacted Sandwich Panels with Integral Stiffeners," Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials, Vol. 6, No. 4, July 2004, pp. 313-326.

6.) Z. H. Xie and A. J. Vizzini, "A Feasible Methodology for Engineering Applications in Damage Tolerance of Composite Sandwich Structures," Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 38, No. 11, 2004, pp. 891-914.

7.) A. J. Vizzini, "Design and Manufacture of Composite Prototypes," International Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 19, No. 6, 2003, pp. 902-909.

8.) K. R. Uleck and A. J. Vizzini, "Fatigue Testing of Gr/Ep at Extreme Temperatures," Journal of Composites Technology & Research, Vol. 25, No. 3, July 2003, pp. 179-184.

9.) S. J. Ng, R. Boswell, S. J. Claus, F. Arnold, and A. Vizzini, "Degree of Cure, Heat of Reaction, and Viscosity of 8552 and 977-3 HM Epoxy Resins," Journal of Advanced Materials, Vol. 34, No. 2, April 2002, pp. 33-37.

10.) R. C. Moody, J. S. Harris, and A. J. Vizzini, "Scaling and Curvature Effects on the Damage Tolerance of Impacted Composite Sandwich Panels," Journal of Sandwich Structures and Materials, Vol. 4, No. 1, January 2002, pp. 71-82.

11.) C. D. MacDonald and A. J. Vizzini, "Response of Indented Sandwich Panels," Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials, Vol. 15, No. 1, January 2002, pp. 33-42.

12.) J. L. Knack and A. J. Vizzini, "Energy Absorption of Truncated Kevlar Epoxy Cones Under Off-Axis Loads," Journal of Composites Technology and Research, Vol. 23, No. 4, October 2001, pp. 247-253.

13.) M. T. Fenske and A. J. Vizzini, "The Inclusion of In-Plane Stresses in Delamination Criteria," Journal of Composite Materials, Vol. 35, No. 15, 2001, pp. 1325-1342.

14.) J. P. Hansen and A. J. Vizzini, "Fatigue Response of a Host Structure with Interlaced Embedded Devices," Journal of Intelligent Materials, Systems, and Structures, Vol. 11, No. 11, 2001, pp. 902-909.

15.) P. Cinnella, D. Bridges, and A. J. Vizzini, "Designing a Self-Assessment Process for ABET Accreditation," Proceedings of the 45th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting and Exhibit, Reno, NV, January 2007.

16.) Z. H. Xie, A. J. Vizzini, and M. Yang, "On Residual Compressive Strength Prediction of Composite Sandwich Panels after Low-velocity Impact Damage," Sandwich Structures 7: Advancing with Sandwich Structures and Materials, Aalborg, Denmark, August 2005, pp. 363-372.

17.) A. M. Myer and A. J. Vizzini, "The Effect of Strain Rate on Interlaminar Shear Properties," Proceedings of the AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC 45th Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Palm Springs, CA, April 2004.

18.) S. W. Kwon, S. W. Lee, and A. J. Vizzini, "Modeling of Fire-Exposed Composites," Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Eighteenth Technical Conference on Composite Materials, Gainesville, FL, October 2003.

19.) C. S. Baldwin and A. J. Vizzini, "Acoustic Emission Crack Detection with FBG," SPIE Conference, 2003.

20.) S. Ng and A. J. Vizzini, "Mechanism of Marcel Formation in Thick Tapered Composites," Proceedings of the 34th International SAMPE Technical Conference," Baltimore, MD, November 2002, pp. 1168-1179.

21.) Z.-H. Xie and A. J. Vizzini, "A Modified Analytical Model for Damage Propagation of a Low-velocity Impacted Sandwich Panel," Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Seventeenth Technical Conference on Composite Materials, West Lafayette, IN, October 2002.

22.) P. Valsgaard, A. J. Vizzini, and O. T. Thomsen, "Failure of Tapered Composite Beams Loaded in Torsion: Experimental Results," Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Seventeenth Technical Conference on Composite Materials, West Lafayette, IN, October 2002.

23.) K. R. Uleck and A. J. Vizzini, "Low-Cost UAV Airframe Manufacturing," Proceedings of AUVSI's 29th Annual Symposium & Exhibition, July 2002.

24.) K. R. Uleck and A. J. Vizzini, "A Low-Cost UAV System Using Commercial Technology," Proceedings of AUVSI's 29th Annual Symposium & Exhibition, July 2002.

25.) A. J. Vizzini, "Design and Manufacture of Composite Prototypes," Proceedings of the AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC 43rd Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Denver, CO, April 2002.

26.) F. Laurin and A. J. Vizzini, "Energy Absorption of Sandwich Panels with Composite Reinforced Foam Core," Proceedings of the AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC 43rd Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Denver, CO, April 2002.

27.) Z.-H. Xie and A. J. Vizzini, "The Presence of a Delamination in Damage Growth of an Impacted Sandwich Panel," Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Sixteenth Technical Conference on Composite Materials, Blacksburg, VA, September 2001.

28.) R. C. Moody and A. J. Vizzini, "Incorporation of a Compliance Change Due to Impact in the Prediction of Damage Growth in Sandwich Panels," Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Composite Materials, Beijing, China, June 2001.

29.) K. M. Turner and A. J. Vizzini, "Response of Impacted Sandwich Panels with Integral Stiffeners," Proceedings of the AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC 42nd Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Seattle, WA, April 2001, CD-ROM.

30.) C. D. MacDonald and A. J. Vizzini, "Response of Indented Sandwich Panels," Proceedings of the American Society for Composites Fifteenth Technical Conference on Composite Materials, College Station, TX, September 2000, pp. 275-281.

31.) S. J. Ng, R. Boswell, S. J. Claus, F. Arnold, and A. Vizzini, "Degree of Cure, Heat of Reaction and Viscosity of HEXCEL 8552, 977-3 and E773 Resin," Proceedings of the 45th SAMPE Symposium, Long Beach, CA, May 2000, pp. 1019-1028.

32.) K. R. Uleck and A. J. Vizzini, "Incorporation of Temperature in Fatigue Models of PMC Laminates," Proceedings of the AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC 41st Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference, Atlanta, GA, April 2000, CD-ROM, Paper #AIAA-2000-1369.

33.) K. R. Uleck, M. J. Fox, A. J. Vizzini, E. J Friebele, H. J. Patrick, B. M. Wright, A. S. Greenblatt, and E. A. Bolden, "Reliability of Ultrahigh Sensitivity Optical Fiber Sensors Embedded in Graphite Composites," Proceedings of SPIE, March 2000.