Nonlinear Solid Mechanics Research Group
Faculty
- Drs. Darren Mason
- Thomas Pence
- Hungyu Tsai
Description
The nonlinear solid mechanics research group is dedicated to developing new mathematical models for understanding complex solid behaviors that are not explained by contemporary theories and/or computational procedures. An emphasis is placed on the interrelation of the group's research with ongoing experimental work in this department and elsewhere. This allows the formulation of the various theoretical models to make contact with the underlying stability and kinetics of the material microstructure. In order to ensure that the resulting models are accessible to the external scientific community, analytical results are structured so as to facilitate numerical implementation.
Research activities
- Large deformation response of transversely isotropic elastic materials. Sensitivity of the response in basic deformational modes to changes in the elastic energy density. Finite strain behavior relevant to rubber-like materials and bio-tissue. Modeling the orientation of kink bands in fiber reinforced materials.
- Wave propagation through materials undergoing martensitic phase transformation. Dynamical growth of twin boundaries and martensite phase regions. Dissipation and damping as waves reverberate in these materials.
- Development and refinement of mathematical models for shape memory materials. Mechanics of these materials in composite systems. Shape memory activation in fiber and thin film settings.
- Sliding friction between rough surfaces. Micromechanical model of associated contact mechanics. Development of analytical models for wire-cutting processes in elasto-plastic materials.
- Constitutive theory for spatially dependent materials. Modeling phase transitions in materials with nonlocal spatial dependence.
- Multiscale reconstruction methods for interfacial energies in solid materials. Variational modeling of microstructure at material interfaces. Micromechanics of polycrystals.