Dr. Yunlan Zhang
Assistant Professor
Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
March 03, 2026
Conventional architected cellular materials have fixed configurations and absorb mechanical energy through irreversible plastic deformation, limiting them to single use and making compact stowage challenging. Here, we present architected instability-based metamaterials (AIMs) as a reusable, tunable, and deployable alternative. AIMs consist of numerous unit cells comprising multistable mechanisms that achieve large, reversible deformation while absorbing and dissipating energy. The behavior of AIMs can be tuned through four key design parameters: geometry, topology, material distribution, and hinge configuration. Tailoring unit cell geometry and topology controls energy absorption characteristics and deformation pathways. Strategically assigning multiple materials at different locations enables stimulus-responsive behavior, such as shape recovery triggered by heat. Incorporating kirigami-inspired rigid folding strategies through hinge design enables structures that fold into compact volumes for transportation and expand into functional metamaterials at the destination. Together, these capabilities—reusability, tunability, and deployability— make AIMs well-suited for aerospace applications where weight, volume, and reliability are critical constraints. This seminar presents a design approach integrating analytical and numerical models to achieve tunable multistability and deployability through systematic manipulation of geometric and material features.
Contact: Jin Yang (jin.yang@austin.utexas.edu)