Dr. Andreas Schiffer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Khalifa University (KU) in Abu Dhabi, UAE. He obtained his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering from the Graz University of Technology (Austria) in 2009 and his DPhil in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford (UK) in 2013. He also held a post-doctoral position in the Department of Aeronautics at the Imperial College London (UK), prior to joining KU in 2014.
Dr. Schiffer’s research interests cover multiple themes in the broad area of Mechanics of Materials and are currently focused on multifunctional composites and architected materials processed via additive manufacturing. In addition, he has a long-standing interest in studying the response of materials and structures subject to blast, shock and impact loading, and he also conducts research in the area of solitary wave-based non-destructive testing. Dr. Schiffer’s research has led to several publications in prestigious international journals, book chapters and conference proceedings. He has spent several research visits at the Imperial College in London and delivered invited presentations and seminars at highly-ranked universities, including the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Imperial College London and RMIT Melbourne. Dr. Schiffer is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the European Mechanics Society (EUROMECH) and serves on the Editorial Boards of Frontiers in Materials and Frontiers in Aerospace Engineering.
“Multifunctional polymer-derived ceramics and hybrid composites enabled via additive manufacturing: towards self-sensing and microwave absorbing materials for extreme environments” (Sponsor: Khalifa University, Principal/Co-Investigator: Dr. A. Schiffer / Dr. K. Liao, 2023-2025)
Summary: Ceramic materials derived from preceramic polymer precursors, also known as polymer derived ceramics (PDC), are emerging as promising alternatives to conventional powder-based ceramics, which is mainly due to their ability to be shaped by a variety of methods, including additive manufacturing (AM). This project aims to additively manufacture open-cell PDC lattices and integrate them into advanced hybrid composites with tunable mechanical and functional attributes.
“Repair of metallic aircraft engine components via selective laser melting” (Sponsor: Sanad Aerotech & Khalifa University, Principal Investigator: Dr. A. Schiffer, since 2023)
Summary: Aircraft engine components operate in extreme conditions, facing high mechanical and thermal stresses in corrosive, high-temperature environments, making their replacement extremely costly. To address this, Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) companies seek innovative repair solutions that aim to reduce the turnaround time (TAT), enhance reliability, and lower costs, ultimately extending the operational life of these critical components. Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) or Selective Laser Melting (SLM) offers high-precision, customizable repairs with minimal material waste, enabling efficient restoration of multiple components in a single process, thus enhancing efficiency and sustainability.
