LAB LOGA page on LabLog, a review site (not the lab's official page)
Minakuchi Lab
Machine-translated · View original
The lab makes composite materials intelligent to build next-generation aerospace structures.
AboutAbout the lab
Designing and building smart composite materials.
The Minakuchi Lab studies advanced composite materials, represented by carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP).
Building on mechanics of materials and centered on making materials intelligent, the lab aims to develop new material system technologies for creating next-generation aerospace structures.
The lab works on optical fiber sensors embedded in materials, measurement and simulation of deformation during manufacturing, and the design of new fiber architectures that also draw on lessons from living organisms.
Research is carried out in collaboration with research institutions in Japan and abroad.
Key terms
- CFRP
- A composite material made of carbon fibers bound with resin. It is light and strong, and is increasingly used in aerospace structures.
- Optical fiber sensor
- A sensor that uses thin fibers that transmit light to measure strain or changes in the shape of a material. It can be embedded inside the material.
- Self-healing structure
- A structure designed to repair damage by itself and recover its function after being damaged.
NewsLab news
Paper on suppressing residual deformation after manufacturing published in Advanced Composite Materials
Paper on suppressing cracks in adhesive joints published in Advanced Composite Materials
Paper measuring deformation during molding of thermoplastic composites published in Composites Part A
A master's student received the Outstanding Student Presentation Award at the Japan Conference on Composite Materials
Paper on increasing the tensile strength of composite tapered sections published in Composites Part A
ResearchResearch themes
Building on mechanics of materials, the lab's work centers on making materials smart through strain measurement with its own embedded optical fiber sensors. It studies new material system technologies for building next-generation aerospace structures, in collaboration with research institutions in Japan and abroad.
*Illustrative imageMonitoring Materials with Optical Fiber Sensors
Optical fiber sensors that can be embedded inside materials act like a "nervous system," making the internal state of a structure visible from the time it is made until it fails. The research also extends to automatic damage detection and self-healing structures.
*Illustrative imageComposite Manufacturing Science
Deformation that occurs during manufacturing and is not yet understood is captured with the lab's own optical fiber measurement and reproduced in manufacturing simulations. The goal is to establish a manufacturing science that advances composite manufacturing technology.
*Illustrative imageFreeform Fiber Architecture Design
Drawing inspiration from biological materials and structures, the lab devises new fiber architectures, such as crossing and bending fibers, and explores designs that bring out the mechanical properties inherent to composite materials.
MembersFaculty
The Minakuchi Lab consists of faculty members and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorMinakuchi ShuPublications ↗
VoicesStudent voices
Compiled from answers by students who were in the lab. Ratings and reviews reflect individual students' experiences, not the lab's official views.
Students who take part in an interview may receive a thank-you gift worth ¥1,000, regardless of what they say.
On a 4-point scale, ● marks where students' answers fall
Who is this lab for?
What's great about this lab?
What did you learn after joining?
What's the vibe, and what is the professor like?
Where do graduates go?
RelatedLabs similar to Minakuchi Lab
Yokozeki-Higuchi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsStructural mechanics and mechanics of composite materials
Onoda-Minesugi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAerospace vehicle structural engineering
Uenishi LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsFracture dynamics and impact engineering of solid materials …
Nishinari LabFaculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics and AstronauticsNonlinear mechanics, fluid-structure interaction (fluid elas…The information on this page is compiled by the LabLog team from the lab's public information and interviews. For corrections or removal requests, please contact LabLog, not the lab.
Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Carbon fiber material” texdata.com / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Monitoring Materials with Optical Fiber Sensors: “Optical patchcord” Sunmosk / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Composite Manufacturing Science: “Carbon fiber roving” Acheolg / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Freeform Fiber Architecture Design: “Broken carbon fiber bar” Michael Bemmerl / CC BY 3.0 de (cropped)
- Related lab (横関・
樋口研究室): “DH-60 Gipsy Moth Wing Structure” Peripitus / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped) - Related lab (小野田・峯杉研究室): “First NASA ISINGLASS rocket launch” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (上西研究室): “Shattered laminated glass in broken window in railway tram train carriage Close-up Cracks fragments visual effects patterns NORWAY Knust vindu i togvogn med laminert sikkerhetsglass sprekker småbiter lyseffekter DSC03369” Wolfmann / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (西成研究室): “Ameisenstraße” The original uploader was Head at German Wikipedia. / Public domain (cropped)
About LabLog
LabLog is a lab review app for students only. Student members at each university interview students in labs and publish what they say. Student voices can only be read by students who sign up with a university email address. Operated by bestiee Inc.
Learn more about LabLog ↗Search engines and AI may reference the basic lab info and rating summaries on this page and the description of LabLog. Student voices are for student members only. Automated collection by programs (scraping, or input to or training of AI) is prohibited under Article 8 of the Terms of Service. If you need data for research or analysis, please contact us.