Lieutenant Colonel Michael Knauf
Applied Mechanics Laboratory Director
Bio
Lieutenant Colonel Michael Knauf is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineer at the United States Air Force Academy, directing and instructing multiple advanced engineering courses. He is also the Applied Mechanics Laboratory Director, overseeing the operations of the $37M lab and associated staff.
Lt Col Knauf was commissioned in 2005 as a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He performed launch integration for GPS satellites during his first assignment at Cape Canaveral AFS, FL. Following graduation from the Air Force Institute of Technology with an MS in Aeronautical Engineering, Lt Col Knauf taught mechanical engineering at USAFA. He then received his Doctorate in Aeronautical Engineering from Purdue University and spent the following four years as the Aeropropulsion Operations Officer at Arnold AFB, TN prior to returning to USAFA to teach Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering.
Education
Ph.D., Aeronautical Engineering, Purdue University, 2017
M.S., Aeronautical Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, 2010
B.S., Engineering Mechanics, U.S Air Force Academy, 2005
Research and Scholarly Interests
Composite manufacturing, Aeroacoustics and Thrust from 3D printed complex nozzles
Publications
Knauf M, Przybyla C, Shade P, Park J, Ritchey A, Trice R, Pipes RB. In situ characterization of residual stress evolution during heat treatment of SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites using high‐energy X‐ray diffraction. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2021;104(3):1424-35.
Knauf M, Przybyla C, Ritchey A, Trice R, Pipes RB. Measuring the effects of heat treatment on SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites using Raman spectroscopy. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2020;103(2):1293-1303.
Knauf M, Przybyla C, Ritchey A, Trice R, Pipes RB. Residual stress determination of silicon containing boron dopants in CMCs. J. Am. Ceram. Soc. 2019;102(5):2820-2829.