iMechanica

A position exists, for a Research Assistant/Associate Department of Engineering, to work on the Mechanics of Li ion Batteries.

Dear Colleagues,

I am sharing a recent paper titled "Designing Physicochemically‐Ordered Interphases for High‐Performance Composites" published in Advanced Functional Materials. Here is the link to the paper:  https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202502972

We are hosting a symposium on Cold Spray, Thermal Spray, and Aerosol Deposition: Fundamentals and Applications (Topic 03-06) with Dr. Ozan Ç. Özdemir, Dr. Tristan Bacha, and Dr. Abul Fazal Arif for the 2025 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE).

If you work in these areas, please consider submitting a 400-650 word abstract by March 4, 2025. Author notification of abstract acceptance is April 1, 2025.

We have multiple (Direct) PhD positions in the field of micromechanics of metals and alloys. Our research focuses on the finite element modelling and diffraction-based characterization of deformation and fracture of polycrystalline materials. Currently our research themes include:

I am happy to share our recent paper published in Cell Reports Physical Science: Inhomogeneous substrate strain-driven long-range cellular patterning

Amit Acharya        Janusz Ginster

A scheme for generating a family of convex variational principles is developed, the Euler-Lagrange equations of each member of the family formally corresponding to the necessary conditions of optimal control of a given system of ordinary differential equations (ODE) in a well-defined sense. The scheme is applied to the Quadratic-Quadratic Regulator problem for which an explicit form of the functional is derived, and existence of minimizers of the variational principle is rigorously shown. It is shown that the Linear-Quadratic Regulator problem with time-dependent forcing can be solved within the formalism without requiring any nonlinear considerations, in contrast to the use of a Riccati system in the classical methodology.

Our work demonstrates a pathway for solving nonlinear control problems via convex optimization.

Dissipative models for the quasi-static and dynamic response due to slip in an elastic body containing a single slip plane of vanishing thickness are developed. Discrete dislocations with continuously distributed cores can glide on this plane, and the models are developed as special cases of a fully three-dimensional theory of plasticity induced by dislocation motion. The reduced models are compared and contrasted with the augmented Peierls model of dislocation dynamics. A primary distinguishing feature of the reduced models is the a-priori accounting of space-time conservation of Burgers vector during dislocation evolution. A physical shortcoming of the developed models as well as the Peierls model with regard to a dependence on the choice of a distinguished, coherent reference configuration is discussed, and a testable model without such dependence is also proposed.

At least one fully funded Ph.D. position is available in the Dynamic Structures Laboratory at Stony Brook University. The intended starting semester is Fall 2025.

The positions are in the general area of nonlinear mechanics and nonlinear dynamics of shape-morphing metamaterials and structures.

Minimum qualifications: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Civil Engineering, Physics or related field; Solid background in nonlinear mechanics; Experience with finite element modeling.

Smart soft materials have gained increasing attention in recent years because of their adaptive behaviors to external multi-physics stimuli, enabling diverse applications across multiple fields. Here, we show programmable wrinkling morphological patterns on liquid crystal network (LCN) bilayers bonded to compliant substrates under thermal load, by tuning the orientation of directors between LCN bilayers. We propose a solid-shell formulation that merges enhanced and natural assumed strain approaches to investigate the pattern formation and morphological transition of LCN bilayers.

Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs), as a unique class of smart soft materials combining the properties of liquid crystals and hyperelasticity, are capable of rapid, anisotropic, and reversible deformations in response to mechanical, thermal or optical stimuli. Here, we report a hitherto unknown stretching-induced twisting behavior of LCE bilayer strips. Under uniaxial stretching, we reveal that due to the spontaneous mismatch strain arising from interlayer anisotropy, the bilayer strips exhibit notable twisting deformations.

The International Master Program MS2 - Mechanics of Sustainable Materials and Structures, offered through joint training activities at TU Dortmund University (Germany), at the University of Trento (Italy) and at the Ecole Centrale de Nantes (France),
has been awarded an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master funding! 

Monthly Webinar. TTA-Uncertainty Quantification and Probabilistic Modeling.

February 13; 3 pm - 4pm EST

Speaker: Alireza Doostan, University of Colorado, Boulder

Title: Uncertainty Quantification and Generative Modeling Using Multi-fidelity Strategies

The Computational Mechanics and Methods (CM3) Group in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Kentucky is seeking highly self-motivated individuals who have great interest in the broad research areas of computational solid mechanics and methods, beginning Fall 2025. Interested individuals should send a detailed CV and official transcripts to Dr.

Dear iMechanicians,

Let me bring to your attention the IUTAM Symposium on Chemo-Mechanics that we are organising this summer in Oxford. We have an excellent cohort of speakers covering a wide range of chemo-mechanics topics (hydrogen embrittlement, battery degradation, corrosion/oxidation, hydrogels, etc.). In addition to invited talks, there will be opportunities to contribute with posters. You can find all the information here: https://chemomechanics.web.ox.ac.uk/

Call for Abstracts
We invite submissions for Topic 1-1: Mechanical Metamaterials at ASME IMECE 2025, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee.

https://imece.secure-platform.com/a/page/track_list

We currently have one postdoctoral research position available in the Injury Biomechanics Laboratory at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh, PA. This position involves the development of high-fidelity finite element head models and the design of computational studies to advance our understanding of blast-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI).  A Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, biomedical engineering, mechanics, or related field is required.

I am looking for an enthusiastic Student or Postdoc who would like to enhance his/her knowledge in the field of Computational Mechanics. The focus in this three-year research project is about Modular peristaltic surface conveyor with AI based digital twin for polybags and includes the simulation of elastomer membranes by using Isogeometric Analysis and AI generated material models. The deadline for application is the 6th of February. 

PhD and Postdoc positions are immediately available in the School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering (First Class Academic Discipline) at Central South University in Dr. Li's research group. Lists of topics of interest are:

1. Impact Fatigue;

2. Fluid and structure interaction;

We are now accepting applications for the fully-funded PhD position (applicable worldwide) on Computational Methods for Fluid-Structure Interaction problems.

The Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) invites applications for a tenure-track position in a broad scope of the department's research areas at the level of Assistant/Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the outcome of the 2024 competition for the Eshelby Mechanics Award for Young Faculty. This award is given annually to rapidly emerging junior faculty who exemplify the creative use and development of mechanics. The intent of the award is to promote the field of mechanics, especially among young researchers. The selection committee consisted of: K. Ravi-chandar (UT Austin), Huajian Gao (Brown University), G.

Our latest paper, " Exploring the Effects of Temperature, Transverse Pressure, and Strain Rate on Axial Tensile Behavior of Perfect UHMWPE Crystals Using Molecular Dynamics," is accessible freely for 50 days from this link: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1kT-A4rCEkw1es

The key findings can be summarized as follows: