Blog posts

Dear colleagues,

We invite you to see the preprint of our new paper "Nonlinear statistical mechanics drives intrinsic electrostriction and volumetric torque in polymer networks" that will appear in Physical Review E. Here we use a nonlinear statistical mechanics approach to the electroelasticity of dielectric polymer chains and obtain a two-way coupling between chain deformation and dielectric response. This two-way coupling leads to electrically induced stresses and volumetric torques within an elastomer network which can be leveraged to develop higher efficiency soft actuators, electroactive materials, and novel electromechanical mechanisms. (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.103.042504).

The Engineering Mechanics Institute of ASCE, is pleased to announce the winners of several 2021 prestigious mechanics awards.  

See details here.

 The presentation of the award will take place during the Award Ceremony of the EMI PMC 2021 Conference to be held as a virtual event on May 25-28.  

EMI

It gives me great pleasure to announce the outcome of the 2020 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.

A postdoctoral associate position is available at University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) with Prof. Wei Gao, starting 9/1/2021. The candidate is expected to have a strong background in materials modeling, with at least one of the following skills: density functional theory, molecular dynamics, phase field method and machine learning. The research project will focus broadly on studying the phase transformation and related mechanical behavior in structural and functional materials.

Two PhD positions are available in the Computational Cardiovascular Bioengineering Lab (C2BL) at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M University for Spring 2022 entry. The positions will focus on cardiac imaging, inverse modeling, and machine learning.

On April 27th we will present a webinar hosted by our partner @Altair where we will share efficient high-fidelity design and optimization of composite blades using VABS. Register now at https://bit.ly/3gnQJAN

Electron beam melting (EBM) is a metal powder bed fusion additive manufacturing (AM) technology that is widely used for making three-dimensional (3D) objects by adding materials layer by layer. EBM is a very complex thermal process which involves several physical phenomena such as moving heat source, material state change, and material deposition. Conventionally, these phenomena are implemented using in-house codes or embedding some user subroutines in commonly used commercial software packages, like Abaqus, which generally requires considerable expertise.

Ph.D. positions (Graduate Research Assistantship)  are available in the field of: (1) 3D printed composite materials for durable infrastructure and (2) advanced multifunctional durable concrete and cementitious materials.  The research work will have both computational and experimental components. Individuals interested in 3D printed polymer composites, multifunctional concretes, multiscale/multiphysics material modeling, and experimental mechanics are encouraged to apply. The positions start Fall 2021 (August 2021).

Our latest article on the ballistic performance of polymer/metal nanostructures is freely available for 50 days from today: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1cy9c3In-urcWx

Applied Mechanics Reviews (AMR), a flagship journal of the ASME, is dedicated to diversity, equity, and inclusion and recognizes these values as pillars of a rich and vibrant scientific community. To pledge its commitment, AMR is proud to announce the appointment of two Diversity Advocates on its editorial board. For a full statement from the AMR Editorial Board, please see the editorial at the link below:

https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4050784