Rate My Professor Clemens Dransfeld

Clemens Dransfeld is Full Professor of Aerospace Manufacturing Technologies at Delft University of Technology's Faculty of Aerospace Engineering, a position he assumed on 1 September 2018. He leads the Processing of Advanced Architected Materials (PAAM) Lab within the Department of Aerospace Structures and Materials and is a core team full professor at the Delft TapeLab. Dransfeld earned a Dipl. Ing. in Materials Science from ETH Zurich in 1990 and a Masters in Industrial Design (MDes) from Domus Academy Milano in 1992. His professional journey includes early industrial experience at Dow Chemical, followed by roles in engineering and design emphasizing materials sciences and composites.

Dransfeld's research explores the structure-processing-property relationships of lightweight architected materials, integrating self-assembly, advanced processing, and manufacturing techniques to engineer composites at multiple scales for synergistic performance. His specializations encompass composite materials, carbon fibers, thermoplastics, epoxides, and fiber architectures, with applications in aerospace manufacturing such as thermoplastic fusion bonding, epoxy toughening, thin-ply composites, laser-assisted fiber placement, and recycling of carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. Key publications include 'Thin ply composites: Experimental characterization and modeling of size-effects' (Composites Science and Technology, 2014), 'Toughening of epoxy systems with interpenetrating polymer network (IPN): A review' (Polymers, 2020), 'Towards aerospace grade thin-ply composites: Effect of ply thickness, fibre, matrix and interlayer toughening on strength and damage tolerance' (Composites Science and Technology, 2018), 'Hierarchical toughening of nacre-like composites' (Advanced Functional Materials, 2019), 'Intimate contact development during laser assisted fiber placement: Microstructure and effect of process parameters' (Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing, 2020), and 'Synergistic Toughening of Epoxy through Layered Poly(ether imide) with Dual-Scale Morphologies' (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2023). He received the Perspectief grant for fusion bonding of thermoplastic composites in 2021 and holds editorial board membership in Composites Science and Technology (2022-2026) as well as elected council membership in the European Society of Composite Materials (2022-2026). Dransfeld's contributions advance sustainable, high-performance aerospace structures through innovative multiscale manufacturing.