Professor George Melhem is currently undertaking active research with the latest and up to date laboratory resources at the University of New South Wales in the selection of rivets for use in supersonic aircraft. Materials for instance, that were used in the Concorde, and the rationale behind the structural design for the engine, aircraft skin and the rivets are the intent for this research. This research has been published in a book with Taylor & Francis - CRC Press (New York) - publication date 1st Nov 2024, and the research was primarily based upon the requirement of the aircraft to travel at a speed of Mach 2.0, with consideration for the varying aerodynamic factors affecting the engine, skin temperature, speculation of the rivet temperature and possible structural effects due to heating and prolonged flight times. The subject of the book involves investigating the effects of aerodynamic heating on aerospace components including rivets, taking into consideration the material properties and manufacturing techniques to withstand supersonic speeds.

Prior research on aerospace materials for QANTAS aerospace components for landing gear, wings, and tooling for engine, small composite sections for wing, design-construct-certify aircraft nose cowl equipment as replacement for Boeing design and construct.

Research on aerospace materials used on high-rise building rooftops and façades such as Westfields 27 storey building, and drawing comparisons between equivalent materials used in the aerospace industry including aluminium alloys 6061, 6060, 7075, 5056 etc.

Areas of research on Westfield 27 storey rooftop structure and facade louvres include: 
a)    Investigation and analysis of corrosion problems in situ on building rooftops and façades on a myriad of materials, including design, and implementation of long-term remedial solutions,
b)    Analysis of the risks to the public, design professionals, construction personnel, project management and building owners,
c)    Research and development and an assessment of a factorial matrix as a tool to aid designers in designing and selecting materials to minimise corrosion and ensure long-term structural integrity.

The solutions that were used in the field investigation were based on metallurgical and structural strength evaluations: 
a)    Comparison of certain aircraft materials and their design lives when used as building materials and their design life expectancy,
b)    Effects of corrosion in terms of materials geometry and location,
c)    General properties of aluminium alloys and their heat treatment,
d)    Steel coatings, such as hot dip galvanising and its effects on corrosion, service life of the steel, effects of steel design on galvanising, and the effects of welding on galvanising.
e) Design and fabrication of brackets in aluminium alloys, steel and other materials to help make the louvre system more rigid, 
f) Analysis of the project using an existing factorial approach and compares the results with further assessments in the field,  
g) Design factorial method providing reasons and recommendations to ensure inclusion of variables not traditionally taken into account by many engineers and designers generally,
h) Proposed and design a practical design tool, which is a matrix that may be developed further to help designers predict the probability of achieving a required design life given a combination of materials and environment,
i) Present variables and factors that may be applied and how the results could progress to elicit additional factors that may be unforeseen on site,  
j) Assessment of variables that are beneficial in FEA modelling using inputs in the form of materials issues, such as welding of aluminium, the strength of the aluminium in terms of the heat affected zone (HAZ), and the limitations, advantages, and disadvantages of welding aluminium for structural building applications.

Current analysis of specialized aerospace rivets and publications on: 

• Analysis of specialized aluminium alloy rivets,
• Analysis of specialized titanium rivets, 
• Aerospace fasteners and their applications in the construction industry.

Future and ongoing intended research on aerospace materials and publications on:  

• 1.    Procurement of a titanium-based alloy similar to the one used in the Concorde, and subject it to testing in a wind tunnel,
• 2.    Examination of the microstructure of the rivet using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) before and after wind tunnel testing, 
• 3.    Examination of the microstructure of the rivet during the various stages of the wind tunnel testing for both the heating and cooling cycles using a Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy (CSLM),
• 4.    Examine further microstructural properties of rivets simulated on ANSYS FLUENT 19.1 or SolidWorks Flow Visualisation, and determine validity of surface temperatures reached. Test by supersonic wind tunnel testing in order to achieve the microstructural changes of the rivet due to aerodynamic heating.