主持和作为骨干参加国家自然基金和部级项目10余项。相关研究成果已发表于国内外重要学术刊物，其中SCI检索期刊论文70余篇。授权国家发明专利5项。代表性论文如下：
1）Yao XF, Xu W, Xu MQ, Jin GC, Yeh HY. Caustic study on stress singularities in laminated composites under concentrated loads, International Journal of Solid and Structure, 2004, 41(13): 3383-3393
2) Yao XF,Chen JD,Jin GC, Arakawa K;Takahashi K. Caustic analysis of stress singularities in orthotropic composite materials with mode-I crack, Composites Science and Technology, 2004, 64(7-8): 917-924
3）Xu HM, Yao XF, Feng XQ, Yeh HY. Dynamic stress intensity factors of a semi-infinite crack in an orthotropic functionally graded material, Mechanics of Materials, 2008, 40 (1-2): 37-47
4）Xu HM, Yao XF, Feng XQ, Yeh HY. Fundamental solution of a power-law orthotropic and half-space functionally graded material under line loads, Composites Science and Technology, 2008, 68(1): 27-34
5) Yao XF, Yeh HY, Xu W, Fracture investigation at V-notch tip using coherent gradient sensing (CGS), International Journal of Solids and Structures, 2006, 43(5): 1189-1200
6）Yao XF, Xu W, Bai SL, Yeh HY. Caustics analysis of the crack initiation and propagation of graded materials, Composites Science and Technology, 2008, 68(3-4), 953–962
7) Yao XF, Zhou D, Yeh HY. Macro/microscopic fracture characterizations of SiO2/epoxy nanocomposites, Aerospace Science and Technolog, 2008, 12(3): 223–230
8) Yao XF,Yeh HY,Chen XB. Visualization of crack tip behavior in functionally gradient material using Coherent Gradient Sensing (CGS), Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2005,13(5): 621-632
9）Yao XF, Xu W, Yeh HY. Fracture visualization using hybrid optical technique combining coherent gradient sensing (CGS) with caustics. Measurement Science and Technology, 2005,16: 2357-2364
10) Yao XF, Xu W, Arakawa K, Takahashi K, Mada T. Dynamic optical visualization on the interaction between propagating crack and stationary crack,Optics and Lasers in Engineering，2005,43 (2): 195-207
11）Yao XF, Wang P, Dai RC. Experimental study of damage and fracture of cancellous bone using a digital speckle correlation method, Journal of Biomedical Optics, 2008, 13(3): 034026
12）Ma YJ, Yao XF, Liu XY, et al. Inversion and decoupling of thermo-mechanical deformation in anisotropic materials using the virtual fields method. Proceedings of the Royal Society A-Mathematical Physical and Engineering Sciences, 2013, 469(2154): 20130124
13）Ma YJ, Liu XY, Yao XF, et al. Buckle-driven delamination of thermal barrier coatings on the polynomial curved substrate. Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2013, 21(5): 055026
14）Ma YJ, Yao XF, Hao WF, et al. Oxidation mechanism of ZrB2/SiC ceramics based on phase-field model. Composites Science and Technology, 2012, 72(10): 1196-1202
15）Ma YJ, Yao XF, Wang D. Experimental investigation on mechanical properties of CNT film using digital speckle correlation method. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 2012, 50(11): 1575–1581
16）Ma YJ, Yao XF, Zheng QS, et al. Carbon nanotube films change Poisson‘s ratios from negative to positive. Applied Physics Letters, 2010: 97(6): 061909
