Kara Peters
Director of Graduate Programs, Associate Dept. Head
Distinguished Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering

- 919-515-5226
- kjpeters@ncsu.edu
- Engineering Building III (EB3) 3116
Dr. Peters’ long-term goal is to contribute to the advancement of nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring techniques for composite aerospace structures. The advancements tend to increase safety and improve performance of structural systems. She served as the program director for the Mechanics of Materials and Structures program at the National Science Foundation from 2015-2018. She is an Associate Editor of the journal Smart Materials and Structures and the ASME Journal of Nondestructive Evaluation, Diagnostics and Prognostics of Engineering Systems. She is also on the editorial board of the journal Measurement Science and Technology.
Dr. Peters teaches Mechanics of Composite Structures (MAE 537). Her presentation in this course has a fundamental flavor. In this course, Dr. Peters surveys composite structures in the aerospace industry, and gives students an understanding of the current state-of-the-art. Dr. Peters teaches Aerospace Structures I and II (MAE 371 and MAE 472). In these courses, she outlines the current state-of-the-art of aircraft structures and describes some of the advancements being anticipated in the near future.
Dr. Peters works closely with her students to help them develop strong experimental problem-solving skills. Her students bridge the gap between optics and mechanics and work in a hands-on, experimental environment. They fabricate the composite structures themselves, from learning how to embed sensors into composite materials to learning how to make different kinds of optical interfaces.
NSF Sponsored Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Site: Composites for Extreme Environments
Education
Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan
Applied Mathematics
University of Michigan
Aerospace Engineering
University of Michigan
Aerospace Engineering
University of Virginia
Research Description
Dr. Peters is interested in structural health monitoring, optical fiber sensors, and composite materials. Currently, she is designing and integrating optical sensors into composites (woven, laminates, sandwich structures, and joints) and is studying self-healing composite sandwich structures.
Publications
- Demonstration of Coherent Interference between Acoustic Waves Using a Fiber Ring Resonator
- Kim, J. M., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2022), SENSORS. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114163
- Ultrasonic frequency response of fiber Bragg grating under direct and remote adhesive bonding configurations
- Navratil, A., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2022), MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ac2fea
- Acoustic wave coupling between optical fibers of different geometries
- Kim, J. M., Marashi, C., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2021), APPLIED OPTICS. https://doi.org/10.1364/AO.441494
- Announcing the 2020 Measurement Science and Technology outstanding paper awards
- Discetti, S., Peters, K., & Yacoot, A. (2021, November), MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Vol. 11. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/abfc84
- Dynamic back face deformation measurement with a single optical fibre
- Seng, F., Hackney, D., Goode, T., Noevere, A., Hammond, A., Velasco, I., … Schultz, S. (2021), INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMPACT ENGINEERING, 150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijimpeng.2020.103800
- Fiber Bragg grating sensor response to ultrasonic Lamb waves with varying frequency
- Navratil, A., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2021), SENSORS AND SMART STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGIES FOR CIVIL, MECHANICAL, AND AEROSPACE SYSTEMS 2021. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2584277
- Investigation on acoustic wave transfer variation between fibers of different diameters and types using acoustic coupler
- Kim, J. M., Marashi, C., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2021), SENSORS AND SMART STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGIES FOR CIVIL, MECHANICAL, AND AEROSPACE SYSTEMS 2021. https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2584249
- Optical Fiber Sensors for Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring: A Review
- Soman, R., Wee, J., & Peters, K. (2021). [Review of , ]. SENSORS. https://doi.org/10.3390/s21217345
- Self-referencing ultrasound detection of fiber Bragg grating sensor with two adhesive bonds
- Wee, J., Alexander, K., & Peters, K. (2021), MEASUREMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, 10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6501/ac065c
- A structural-based computational model of tendon-bone insertion tissues
- Kuznetsov, S., Pankow, M., Peters, K., & Huang, H.-Y. S. (2020), MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES, 327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbs.2020.108411
Grants
- Dynamic, In-situ Characterization of Failure Modes in Fiber Spinning (NWI Core Project) - Confidential
- NCSU Nonwovens Institute(1/01/22 - 12/31/22)
- High Resolution Scanning Acoustic Microscopy System for High Throughput Characterization of Materials and Nuclear Fuels
- US Dept. of Energy (DOE)(10/01/21 - 9/30/22)
- High Efficiency Generation of Acoustic Modes in Optical Fibers
- US Navy-Office Of Naval Research(7/01/20 - 6/30/23)
- EAGER: Measurements of Bi-Material Interface Behaviors Under Dynamic Loading Conditions
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(8/15/19 - 7/31/22)
- IUCRC Pre-proposal Phase III North Carolina State University: Center for Integration of Composites into Infrastructure (CICI)
- National Science Foundation (NSF)(12/15/19 - 11/30/24)
- Design of Acoustic Couplers for Sensing Applications
- US Navy-Office Of Naval Research(1/14/19 - 4/13/22)
- Investigation of Lamb Wave Interactions with Guided Modes in Optical Fibers
- US Navy-Office Of Naval Research(7/01/18 - 12/30/21)
- 3D Micro Laser Doppler Vibrometer to Characterize Ultrasonic Waves in Naval Structures
- US Navy-Office Of Naval Research(6/15/18 - 6/14/19)
- Optimization of Structural Lamb Wave Coupling to Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors
- US Navy-Office Of Naval Research(8/16/17 - 8/15/21)
- Aerodynamic Forces on Slender Body in Supersonic Cavity
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)(7/09/16 - 9/30/19)