research

This work introduces a new microscopically-motivated model for the electromechanical response of elastomers:

http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0022509615303525/1-s2.0-S0022509615303525-main.pdf?_tid=1db1e302-202a-11e6-8a60-00000aacb361&acdnat=1463927774_d9ad1fa74b5b42fafcb28a8b6b2c9b60

The merit of this novel model is demonstrated in the following paper

A research paper published in Vol. 83 of Journal of Applied Mechanics

http://appliedmechanics.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/article.aspx?art…

Abstract

P. I. Galich and S. Rudykh, Manipulating pressure and shear waves in dielectric elastomers via external electric stimuli. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 91, 18 – 25 (2016)

• This work formulates an elasto-viscoplastic model at finite strains.
• A particularly efficient numerical integration algorithm is presented.
• A closed-form analytical expression is derived for the consistent tangent operator.
• The non-linear behaviour of polymers is captured in the numerical examples.
• Quadratic rate of convergence is successfully achieved.

doi:10.1016/j.compstruc.2016.01.002

Matteo Pezzulla, Gabriel P. Smith, Paola Nardinocchi, and Douglas P. Holmes, Soft Matter, 12, 4435-4442, (2016).

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2016.03.030

Abstract

Supervisor: PN Watton, Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield.

Co-supervisors: Prof Ray Ogden, School of Mathematics and Statistics & Dr Huabing Yin, Bioengineering, University of Glasgow

We are seeking applications from motivated mathematics, science or engineering graduates with strong mathematical/computational modelling skills interested in studying for a Ph.D. in an exciting interdisciplinary environment.

Predicting the rate at which dislocations overcome obstacles is key to understanding the microscopic features that govern the plastic flow of modern alloys. In this spirit, the current manuscript examines the rate at which an edge dislocation overcomes an obstacle in aluminum. Predictions were made using different popular variants of Harmonic Transition State Theory (HTST) and compared to those of direct Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The HTST predictions were found to be grossly inaccurate due to the large entropy barrier associated with the dislocation–obstacle interaction.