Mechanics of Materials

The Mechanics of Materials (MoM) program provides a comprehensive research and educational platform in computational and experimental modeling and design of materials and structures.

Faculty members collaborate with government and industry partners on research of significant interest to professional fields including, aerospace, automotive, defense, manufacturing, materials, biomedical,and electronics that spans multiple scales and includes everything from codes used to design aircraft engines to machine learning.

Emphasis is placed on the understanding and prediction of deformation, fracture and fatigue behavior of material and structural systems.

Topology optimization and material design are also a part of the MoM focus. In addition, faculty and their groups are working on emerging fields like architected materials and DNA nanotechnology.

MoM RESEARCH PROJECTS

● Somnath Ghosh’s research team (CMRL) develops high-performance computational methods and codes for modeling and designing materials and structures in various defense applications, including design of materials for stealth systems and devices. His research is funded by Pratt & Whitney, ARO, ONR, and AFOSR.

● Stavros Gaitanaros’ research focuses on the mechanics of cellular materials under extreme conditions (high temperatures, high-velocity impacts) with the goal of developing lightweight multifunctional materials for space applications. He also uses additive manufacturing and characterization of architected materials to enable the design of novel material systems (metamaterials) with unprecedented mechanical, acoustic and thermal properties.

● James Guest’s research focuses on generating new structural and material concepts that leverage new materials and manufacturing technologies to the fullest – enabling lightweight and multifunctional capabilities not yet realized in modern systems.

● Michael Shields’ research explores the influence of microstructural randomness, imperfections, and uncertainties on the properties of structural materials that enables the design, optimization, and utilization of new materials, such as metallic glasses for advanced applications and under extreme conditions.

● Lori Graham-Brady’s research on the mechanical behavior of materials with random microstructure has been applied to composites, metal alloys, and advanced ceramics that serve as the primary materials in aerospace applications.