Related papers: Bioinspired rational design of multi-material 3D p…
This paper presents a synthesis approach in a density-based topology optimization setting to design large deformation compliant mechanisms for inducing desired strains in biological tissues. The modelling is based on geometrical…
The results obtained from molecular dynamics simulations of the friction at an interface between polymer melts and weakly attractive crystalline surfaces are reported. We consider a coarse-grained bead-spring model of linear chains with…
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…
Shape memory structures are playing an important role in many cutting-edge intelligent fields. However, the existing technologies can only realize 4D printing of a single polymer or metal, which limits practical applications. Here, we…
Co-designing a robot's morphology and control can ensure synergistic interactions between them, prevalent in biological organisms. However, co-design is a high-dimensional search problem. To make this search tractable, we need a systematic…
Inverse design of high-resolution and fine-detailed 3D lightweight mechanical structures is notoriously expensive due to the need for vast computational resources and the use of very fine-scaled complex meshes. Furthermore, in designing for…
This paper introduces for the first time the concepts of non-coherent interfaces and microstructure-driven interface forces in the framework of micromorphic elasticity. It is shown that such concepts are of paramount importance when…
Through the utilization of smart materials and well-designed structures, functional surfaces have been developed to enable small-scale liquid/solid manipulation tasks, thereby facilitating crucial applications in the fields of…
Materials that are lightweight yet exhibit superior mechanical properties are of compelling importance for several technological applications that range from aircrafts to household appliances. Lightweight materials allow energy saving and…
The internal structure of the Fin-Ray fingers plays a significant role in their adaptability and grasping performance. However, modeling the grasp force and deformation behavior for design purposes is challenging. When the Fin-Ray finger…
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…
Strong adhesives rely on reduced stress concentrations, often obtained via specific geometry or composition of materials. In many examples in nature and engineering prototypes, the adhesive performance relies on structural rigidity being…
Understanding multibody interactions between colloidal particles out of equilibrium has a profound impact on dynamical processes such as colloidal self assembly. However, traditional colloidal interactions are effectively quasi-static on…
The evolution of interfaces is intrinsic to many physical processes ranging from cavitation in fluids to recrystallization in solids. Computational modeling of interface motion entails a number of challenges, many of which are related to…
This work outlines a diffuse interface method for the study of fracture and fragmentation in ductile metals at high strain-rates in Eulerian finite volume simulations. The work is based on an existing diffuse interface method capable of…
The development of bio-inspired interfacial materials with enhanced drop mobility that mimic the innate functionalities of nature will have significant impact on the energy, environment and global healthcare. In spite of extensive progress,…
Spider webs are incredible biological structures, comprising thin but strong silk filament and arranged into complex hierarchical architectures with striking mechanical properties (e.g., lightweight but high strength, achieving diverse…
Many devices, including touchscreens and robotic hands, involve frictional contacts. Optimizing these devices requires fine control of the interface's friction law. We lack systematic methods to create dry contact interfaces whose…
We investigate the role of architected thin films in the interfacial failure properties of bi-layer composites. Our results show that, while graded structures can be used to prescribe failure at the interface, they do not offer significant…
In 3D printing, stiff fibers (e.g., carbon fiber) can reinforce thermoplastic polymers with limited stiffness. However, existing commercial digital manufacturing software only provides a few simple fiber layout algorithms, which solely use…