Related papers: Optimisation of fractal spaceframes under gentle c…
A solid slender beam of length $L$, made from a material of Young's modulus $Y$ and subject to a gentle compressive force $F$, requires a volume of material proportional to $L^{3}f^{1/2}$ [where $f\equiv F/(YL^{2})\ll 1$] in order to be…
Structural hierarchy, in which materials possess distinct features on multiple length scales, is ubiquitous in nature; diverse biological materials, such as bone, cellulose, and muscle, have as many as ten hierarchical levels. Structural…
We propose a new conceptual approach to reach unattained dissipative properties based on the friction of slender concentric sliding columns. We begin by searching for the optimal topology in the simplest telescopic system of two concentric…
We consider a plate made from an isotropic but brittle elastic material, which is used to span a rigid aperture, across which a small pressure difference is applied. The problem we address is to find the structure which uses the least…
Throughout biology, hierarchy is a recurrent theme in the geometry of structures where strength is achieved with minimal use of material. Acting over vast timescales, evolution has brought about beautiful solutions to problems of…
Topology optimization is an important basis for the design of components. Here, the optimal structure is found within a design space subject to boundary conditions. Thereby, the specific material law has a strong impact on the final design.…
We propose a new algorithm for the design of topologically optimized lightweight structures, under a minimum compliance requirement. The new process enhances a standard level set formulation in terms of computational efficiency, thanks to…
A fractal is in essence a hierarchy with cascade structure, which can be described with a set of exponential functions. From these exponential functions, a set of power laws indicative of scaling can be derived. Hierarchy structure and…
Nature has engineered complex designs to achieve advanced properties and functionalities through evolution, over millions of years. Many organisms have adapted to their living environment producing extremely efficient materials and…
The metallurgy and materials communities have long known and exploited fundamental links between chemical and structural ordering in metallic solids and their mechanical properties. The highest reported strength achievable through the…
This paper presents a hierarchical, performance-based framework for the design optimization of multi-fingered soft grippers. To address the need for systematically defined performance indices, the framework structures the optimization…
Hierarchically designed mechanical metamaterials involve nested levels of structural organization, mimicking natural structures (such as bones, wood, and bird feathers) to create advanced functional materials. Compositional hierarchy, a…
Hierarchical networks actually have many applications in the real world. Firstly, we propose a new class of hierarchical networks with scale-free and fractal structure, which are the networks with triangles compared to traditional…
Anticipating the low energy arrangements of atoms in space is an indispensable scientific task. Modern stochastic approaches to searching for these configurations depend on the optimisation of structures to nearby local minima in the energy…
Soft robotics has emerged as the standard solution for grasping deformable objects, and has proven invaluable for mobile robotic exploration in extreme environments. However, despite this growth, there are no widely adopted computational…
The functional features of spatial networks depend upon a non-trivial relationship between the topological and physical structure. Here, we explore that relationship for spatial networks with radial symmetry and disordered fractal…
Hierarchical structures are very common in Nature, but only recently have they been systematically studied in materials physics, in order to understand the specific effects they can have on the mechanical properties of various systems.…
The paper addresses design/building frameworks for some kinds of tree-like and hierarchical structures of systems. The following approaches are examined: (1) expert-based procedures, (2) hierarchical clustering; (3) spanning problems (e.g.,…
In this paper, we study the response of 2D framed structures made of rectangular cells, to the sudden removal of columns. We employ a simulation algorithm based on the Discrete Element Method, where the structural elements are represented…
Hierarchical (first-order) structured deformations are studied from the variational point of view. The main contributions of the present research are the first steps, at the theoretical level, to establish a variational framework to…