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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NSF Structural Materials and Mechanics (PD 08 1635)

What is the title of this NSF funding opportunity?

The funding opportunity is titled "Structural Materials and Mechanics."

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this program?

The Funding Opportunity Number is PD 08 1635.

What CFDA program does this opportunity fall under?

This opportunity is listed under CFDA 47.041, Engineering Grants.

What is the main purpose of the Structural Materials and Mechanics program?

The program supports fundamental, science-and-technology-oriented research related to civil infrastructure, with a focus on how infrastructure materials behave and how structural components perform within the built environment.

Is the program focused on basic research or near-term product development?

The emphasis is on understanding underlying mechanisms and advancing core knowledge, rather than near-term product development.

What kinds of research topics are emphasized?

The program emphasizes research on structural components made from both natural and synthetic materials, especially research that connects material behavior to structural mechanics and improves predictive understanding of structural performance.

What types of loading or environmental influences are specifically mentioned?

The opportunity highlights interest in how structural components respond under three broad categories: mechanical loads, hydrothermal conditions, and time-dependent loads.

What are examples of mechanical loads mentioned in the description?

Examples include stress, fatigue, fracture, impact, and cyclic loading.

What are examples of hydrothermal conditions mentioned in the description?

Examples include moisture and temperature interactions, freezing and thawing, heat and humidity effects, and coupled heat-and-mass transport.

What are examples of time-dependent loads mentioned in the description?

Examples include creep, shrinkage, relaxation, aging, and long-term degradation.

What does the program mean by connecting materials behavior to structural mechanics?

Projects are expected to link how materials behave to how structural components perform, in ways that improve predictive understanding of performance. This includes how damage initiates, accumulates, and propagates, and how those processes affect structural attributes such as strength, stiffness, ductility, reliability, and serviceability.

What performance or damage concepts does the program highlight?

The description highlights damage initiation, damage accumulation, and damage propagation, along with the resulting changes in strength, stiffness, ductility, reliability, and serviceability.

How does this opportunity relate to life-cycle performance and sustainability?

The program frames its interests in terms of life-cycle performance and sustainable development of civil infrastructure, meaning research that helps quantify and extend service life, reduce life-cycle costs, improve durability and resilience, or improve decision-making about repair, rehabilitation, and replacement.

What kinds of approaches fit the program’s life-cycle focus?

The description indicates that work linking mechanics and materials to life-cycle outcomes fits the intent, such as performance modeling, durability-based design concepts, or reliability-informed approaches.

Does the description list specific materials that must be studied?

No specific material classes are listed in the provided text. However, the description suggests broad relevance across common civil infrastructure materials and composites, including materials exhibiting coupled mechanical-environmental behavior over time.

What is the activity category for this grant program?

The program is listed within the "Science and Technology and other Research and Development" activity category.

Is cost sharing or matching required?

No. The record indicates the program did not require cost sharing or matching.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is listed as unrestricted, meaning it is open to any entity type, subject to any additional eligibility clarifications that may appear in the full program text.

When was this opportunity originally posted?

The record indicates it was originally posted on March 23, 2009.

What were the annual proposal submission windows shown in the listing?

The listing indicates two annual windows for full proposals: September 1 to October 1, and January 15 to February 15.

Is this opportunity still active?

No. The record indicates the opportunity is archived.

When was the opportunity archived?

The archive date shown in the record is August 4, 2010.

Was this opportunity replaced by another NSF listing?

Yes. The record indicates it was replaced by a later listing referenced as 10 1635.

Why does the record show estimated total funding and expected awards as 0?

The record shows estimated total funding and expected awards as 0, which is often a listing artifact or may indicate that awards and budgets were managed through NSF’s broader program funding rather than pre-committed totals in this specific announcement.

Where should applicants look for full requirements and submission guidance?

The listing points to the NSF Program Description 08 1635 as the main reference for complete program requirements and submission guidance.

Who should be contacted for access or technical issues with the electronic announcement?

For access or technical issues with the electronic announcement, the contact provided is NSF Grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov.