CISM Course: Advanced and Bio-Inspired Nanomechanics

Hi all,

There will be a 5 day - course on Advanced and Bio-Inspired Nanomechanics at CISM Udine, Italy.

http://www.cism.it/courses/C1107/

http://media.cism.it/courses%2FC1107%2FPugno4___.pdf

- HG

PS. Original flyer on CISM website:

Advanced and Bio-Inspired Nanomechanics

July 18, 2011 — July 22, 2011

Coordinator:

• Nicola Pugno
  (Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy)

This course focuses on the latest, often bio-inspired, scientific advancements in the field of Nanomechanics.
The course begins with the opening lecture of the Nobel Laureate H. W.
Kroto and continues with a series of introductory lessons, given by
well-known scientists, describing the recent discoveries and
applications in basic modeling, simulations and experiments in
nanomechanics.
Prof. Ruoff will discuss experiments in nanomechanics, mainly his
pioneer nanotensile testing apparatus, but also related to energy and
environment, novel carbon materials (graphene, nanotubes, others),
synthesis and properties of nanostructures, fabrication and properties
of nanocomposites and instrument development and technology transition.
Prof. Gao will discuss modelling and simulations in nanomechanics of
engineering and biological systems. Engineering systems include
deformation, diffusion, growth, grain boundaries, stress evolution and
failure in thin films and nanocrystalline materials. For biological
systems, continuum mechanics, statistical mechanics and atomistic
simulations will be applied to study how biological materials such as
bone, gecko and cell achieve their mechanical robustness through
structural hierarchy.
Prof. Buehler will focus on atomistic simulations of deformation and
failure of biological materials and structures. By utilizing a
computational materials science approach, his goal will be to explain
the mechanical properties of biological materials from a fundamental
level. An atomistic multi-scale simulation approach that explicitly
considers the architecture of proteins from the atomistic level up to
the overall structure, supporting the structure-process-property
paradigm of materials science, will thus be presented.
Prof. Gorb. will discuss experimental nanotribology of biological
systems. This basic research includes approaches of several disciplines:
zoology, botany, structural biology, biomechanics, physics, and
materials science. The lectures will be mainly focused on biological
surfaces specialised for enhancement or reduction of frictional or
adhesive forces. Such surfaces are composed of highly-specialised
materials and bear surface structures optimised for a particular
function. In order to show different functional principles, tests on
many different systems to outline general rules of the interrelationship
between structure and function will be discussed.
Prof. Persson will discuss new theories on contact mechanics, adhesion,
especially in biological systems but also in rubber friction and crack
propagation. He will present a new approach to this problem which forms
the basis for his theories of rubber friction and adhesion. The basic
idea behind the contact theory is that it is very important not to a
priori exclude any roughness length scale from the analysis.
Prof. Pugno will present basic theories in nanomechanics, such as (i)
the recently developed quantized fracture mechanics (including
extensions in dynamic and fatigue) and its applications for calculating
the strength of realistic, thus defective, nanostructures, particularly
graphene, carbon nanotubes and related bundles, as well as (ii) new
formulations of structural nanomechanics and its applications, e.g. for
the design of Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (NEMS) or graphene based
nansocroll systems.
The course is mainly addressed to PhD Students, Young and Senior Researchers.

KEYWORDS: Nanomechanics, Nanotribology, Adhesion, Bioinspired materials.