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It is nowadays widely acknowledged that optimal structural design should be robust with respect to the uncertainties in loads and material parameters. However, there are several alternatives to consider such uncertainties in structural…
This paper deals with nonlinear mechanics of an elevator brake system subjected to uncertainties. A deterministic model that relates the braking force with uncertain parameters is deduced from mechanical equilibrium conditions. In order to…
The art of making structural, polymeric and metallic glasses is rapidly developing with many applications. A limitation to their use is their mechanical stability: under increasing external strain all amorphous solids respond elastically to…
The ability to design and fabricate materials with tailored mechanical properties, combined with immunity to damage, is a frontier of materials engineering. For example, materials which are characterized by elastic properties that depend on…
Biomimicry has played a pivotal role in robotics. In contrast to rigid robots, bio-inspired robots exhibit an inherent compliance, facilitating versatile movements and operations in constrained spaces. The robot implementation in…
Supernumerary robotic limbs (SLs) have the potential to transform a wide range of human activities, yet their usability remains limited by key technical challenges, particularly in ensuring safety and achieving versatile control. Here, we…
This study addresses the modelling of elastic bodies, particularly when the relaxed configuration is unknown or non-existent. We adopt the theory of initially stressed materials, incorporating the deformation gradient and stress state of…
The set $GU_f$ of possible effective elastic tensors of composites built from two materials with positive definite elasticity tensors $\BC_1$ and $\BC_2=\Gd\BC_0$ comprising the set $U=\{\BC_1,\Gd\BC_0\}$ and mixed in proportions $f$ and…
A large family of deployable filamentary structures can be built by connecting two elastic rods along their length. The resulting structure has interesting shapes that can be stabilized by tuning the material properties of each rod. To…
The dependence of the elastic tensor on the equilibrium stress is investigated theoretically. Using ideas from finite-elasticity, it is first shown that both the equilibrium stress and elastic tensor are given uniquely in terms of the…
Materials designed by nature commonly exhibit functional grading and laminated structures, particularly when intended for enhanced impact protection. Synthetic materials have also found success in exploiting this concept with fully dense…
Understanding the mechanical behaviour of bones up to failure is necesary for diagnosis and prevention of accident and trauma. As far as we know, no authors have yet studied the tensile behaviour of compact bone including failure under…
The theory, the design and the experimental validation of a catastrophe machine based on a flexible element are addressed for the first time. A general theoretical framework is developed by extending that of the classical catastrophe…
Optimised lightweight structures, such as shallow domes and slender towers, are prone to sudden buckling failure because geometric uncertainties/imperfections can lead to a drastic reduction in their buckling loads. We introduce a framework…
In this work, geometry optimization of mechanical truss using computer-aided finite element analysis is presented. The shape of the truss is a dominant factor in determining the capacity of load it can bear. At a given parameter space, our…
Soft materials capable of large inelastic deformation play an essential role in high-performance nacre-inspired architectured materials with a combination of stiffness, strength and toughness. The rigid "building blocks" made from glass or…
Structural hierarchy is found in myriad biological systems and has improved man-made structures ranging from the Eiffel tower to optical cavities. Hierarchical metamaterials utilize structure at multiple size scales to realize new and…
Metastases increase the risk of fracture when affecting the femur. Consequently, clinicians need to know if the patients femur can withstand the stress of daily activities. The current tools used in clinics are not sufficiently precise. A…
The project aims to explore a novel way to design and produce cellular materials with good energy absorption and recoverability properties. Spinodoid structures offer an alternative to engineering structures such as honeycombs and foam with…
A soft solid is said to be initially stressed if it is subjected to a state of internal stress in its unloaded reference configuration. Developing a sound mathematical framework to model initially stressed solids in nonlinear elasticity is…