Blog posts
PhD Scholarship on Robotic Metamaterials in The University of Birmingham
The Mechanics of Robotic Metamaterials Group at the department of Mechanical Engineering in the University of Birmingham, UK, led by Dr. Mingchao Liu, is recruiting one PhD student for the fall of 2024. The group is also open to joint PhD students and visiting scholars. Additionally, they offer support to outstanding postdoctoral candidates in applying for fellowships.
Open Postdoc on computational methods to process experimental data
A Postdoctoral Fellow is sought to fill an immediate opening in the Gross Materials Lab at the University of South Carolina to work on a DARPA funded project. The postdoc will have the opportunity to attend regular meetings with DARPA and other DOD program managers. The research is focused on extracting yield surfaces from data rich full-field experimental information by solving an inverse problem. This research will be primarily computational and will integrate closely with a graduate student conducting experiments.
EML Webinar Young Researchers Forum by Xueju Wang, on 16 January 2024: Morphing Materials and Multifunctional Structures/Electronics for Intelligent Systems
EML Webinar (Young Researchers Forum) on 16 January 2024 will be given by Xueju Wang at University of Connecticut via Zoom meeting
Title: Morphing Materials and Multifunctional Structures/Electronics for Intelligent Systems
Discussion leader: Teng Zhang, Syracuse University
Time: 9:30 am Boston, 2:30 pm London, 3:30 pm Paris, 10:30 pm Beijing on Tuesday, 16 January 2024
A Hidden Convexity of Nonlinear Elasticity
Siddharth Singh Janusz Ginster Amit Acharya
A technique for developing convex dual variational principles for the governing PDE of nonlinear elastostatics and elastodynamics is presented. This allows the definition of notions of a variational dual solution and a dual solution corresponding to the PDEs of nonlinear elasticity, even when the latter arise as formal Euler-Lagrange equations corresponding to non-quasiconvex elastic energy functionals whose energy minimizers do not exist. This is demonstrated rigorously in the case of elastostatics for the Saint-Venant Kirchhoff material (in all dimensions), where the existence of variational dual solutions is also proven. The existence of a variational dual solution for the incompressible neo-Hookean material in 2-d is also shown. Stressed and unstressed elastostatic and elastodynamic solutions in 1 space dimension corresponding to a non-convex, double-well energy are computed using the dual methodology. In particular, we show the stability of a dual elastodynamic equilibrium solution for which there are regions of non-vanishing length with negative elastic stiffness, i.e. non-hyperbolic regions, for which the corresponding, primal problem is ill-posed and demonstrates an explosive ‘Hadamard instability;’ this appears to have implications for the modeling of physically observed softening behavior in macroscopic mechanical response.
RAM3 Workshop in Rome
We are pleased to announce the fourth edition of the RAM3 workshop - Recent Advances in the Mechanics and Mathematics of Materials, which will take place in Rome on the 21st and 22nd of February 2024 at the Faculty of Civil and Industrial Engineering of Sapienza University.
Thermal fluctuations (eventually) unfold nanoscale origami
We investigate the mechanics and stability of a nanoscale origami crease via a combination of equilibrium and nonequilibrium statistical mechanics. We identify an entropic torque on nanoscale origami creases, and find stability properties have a nontrivial dependence on bending stiffness, radii of curvature of its creases, ambient temperature, its thickness, and its interfacial energy.
International Summer School "Mechanics of active soft materials: experiments, theory, numerics, and applications"
Glad to share that the University of Pavia, together with Politecnico di Milano, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology and University of Bologna, organizes the International Summer School “Mechanics of active soft materials: experiments, theory, numerics, and applications” within the Lake Como School of Advanced Studies, from 1st to 5th July 2024 at Villa del Grumello (Como, Italy). https://star.lakecomoschool.org/
Nominations Open for ASME Awards
I would like to bring your attention to four ASME awards and we welcome your nominations. The deadline is fairly soon on February 1!
Society awards given by ASME Materials Division:
Summer research opportunities in machine learning and computational mechanics at AFRL
The DoD HPC Modernization Program has high-performance computing internship opportunities at the Air Force Research Laboratory. These internships give undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to perform scientific, computational research alongside AFRL researchers in support of the US Air Force’s mission.