homogenization

The positions: I am looking to support two PhD students to work with me towards a mechanical understanding of morphing structures such as origami tessellations and lattice materials and metamaterials. By "understanding" I mean anything relevant to the theoretical and numerical modeling of these structures, in static and dynamic regimes, within the context of elasticity whether linearized or not as well as the fabrication and testing of toy models necessary to assess that "understanding".

Dear Mechanician,

A novel method for the identification of higher-order continua equivalent to a Cauchy composite has been published, as a result of the collaboration between the following two ERC projects:

http://erc-instabilities.unitn.it

http://musam.imtlucca.it/CA2PVM.html

Full paper:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mechrescom.2017.07.002

Abstract:

A PhD scholarship is available at PIMM laboratory to work on the topology optimization of lattice structures obtained by additive manufacturing.

See the file attached for description.

Applications are sought for one Post-Doctoral Researcher at University of California, San Diego (USA) to join the M2DO research lab. The primary research focus is to develop topology optimization for multiscale and multiphysics problems optimizing materials and structures.

Relevant research background in the following areas are encouraged to apply:

We've recently published an open access journal paper that looks at the mechanics of sutures used to repair severed tendons. A homogenization strategy is used to derive effective elastic properties for tendon fibrils and intracellular matrix. We have found that regions of high stress correlate with the regions of cell death (necrosis) that are sometimes observed in patients.

If this is of interest, please feel free to view the paper here.

This paper presents a homogenization-based constitutive model for the mechanical behavior of particle-reinforced elastomers with random microstructures subjected to finite deformations. The model is based on a recently developed homogenization method (Avazmohammadi and Ponte Castaneda 2013; J. Elasticity 112, 1828–1850) for two-phase, hyperelastic composites, and is able to directly account for the shape, orientation, and concentration of the particles.

Hello,

I read that "In general, even if the materials on the micro-level are isotropic, the effective 

material can show anisotropic behavior. A general anisotropic linear elastic material 

may have twenty one independent material parameters.''

If I understand my results correctly then simple structures like ''ball in the unit cell'' result in orthotropic material.

I am a bit puzzled - what would be the simplest structure that would result in anisotropic material behaviour?