SES 2019 - Call for abstracts: Symposium on "Non-linear response of highly deformable structures"

Dear friends and colleagues,

We would like to welcome your ideas and invite you to submit an abstract to the symposium on Non-linear response of highly deformable structures (symposium 9.3 under the Track 9: Structural Mechanics, Metamaterials and Manufacturing) at the Society of Engineering Science (SES) that will be held at Washington University in St. Louis October 13-15, 2019.

Since the seminal work of Koiter in 1945, there has been significant attention devoted to the study of structural failures from mechanical buckling. Beyond the usually studied wrinkles and buckles, a number of mechanical instability modes have been discovered, such as creases, period-doubles, ridges, crumples and others. Besides, instead of being viewed as a failure mechanism, mechanical instabilities have been utilized in both natural systems and novel engineering applications as diverse as wearable electronic devices, smart surfaces with controllable adhesion and wetting properties, smart window and antifouling. Combined novel strategies in materials, mechanics, and manufacturing open up new possibilities for bio-integration, with appealing examples ranging from sensors to human-machine-environment interfaces.

The objective of this symposium is to provide a forum for researchers from academia, industry and national labs to present, discuss, and exchange the latest development in theoretical, computational, and experimental studies on mechanical instabilities across a wide range of length-scales. Both fundamental research and practical applications of mechanical instabilities are welcome. Topics invited for this symposium include but are not limited to:

(a) Mechanical instability modes including wrinkles, buckles, and beyond;

(b) Structural design for mechanical instabilities;

(c) Controlled interface and surface properties with mechanical instabilities;

(d) Adhesion, friction, deformation and failure mechanisms;

(e) Mechanical properties and stability of thin films and multilayered structures;

(f) Thin film patterning, in-situ experimental testing, and numerical modeling;

(g) Mechanical instabilities in biological and bio-inspired systems. 

To submit your abstract, please go to https://ses2019.wustl.edu/

The deadline for submission is April 30, 2019. The symposium organizers would greatly appreciate it if you could circulate this information with your students, postdocs, and colleagues. We look forward to seeing you in St. Louis!

Sincerely,

Symposium Organizers:

​Huanyu Cheng, Pennsylvania State University, huanyu.cheng@psu.edu; 
Zi Chen, Dartmouth University, zi.chen@dartmouth.edu; 
Teng Zhang, Syracuse University, tzhang48@syr.edu; 
Wanliang Shan, University of Nevada-Reno, wshan@unr.edu