News

Thursday September 1, 2022
Time: 3:30 – 4:30pm

This seminar will be held in-person in ASE 1.126

Gabriel Sanoja Lopez, Assistant Professor
Department Research Areas: Advanced Materials, Polymers and Nanotechnology

Molecular Insights into the Mechanical Lifetime of Elastomers

Elastomers are ubiquitous in applications that require large reversible deformations. Although toughness remains an important design consideration to prevent catastrophic failure at high loads, lifetime is often controlled by the progressive growth of an inherent flaw over time. This fracture by mechanical fatigue remains poorly understood due to the inability to visualize and quantify damage by network chain scission and understand fracture mechanisms under a range of loads.

In this seminar, I will discuss how tagging model elastomers with probes that fluoresce upon chain elongation until failure enables mapping and quantification of molecular damage in elastomers. I will consider fracture under two common loads – (i) cyclic loading over numerous cycles of low load (i.e., cyclic fatigue) and (ii) rapid decompression from supersaturated pressures (i.e., cavitation) to outline design rules for fatigue- and cavitation-resistant elastomers based on fracture mechanisms.

For further information, please contact Dr. Stelios Kyriakides at skk@mail.utexas.edu or (512) 471-4167

Listen to a podcast HERE where Professor Liechti is interviewed by Harry Dankowicz, Editor of Applied Mechanics Reviews.

The 2016 Congress of the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) was held in Montreal, Canada on August 21-26. This is a main event in mechanics held every fours years; this year the Congress was attended by approximately 2100 researchers. As is the custom, the presiding Bureau selected 3 young scientists for the Bureau Prize, based on their papers and their presentations at the Congress. To be eligible for the award, a presenter must be no older than 35 years of age at the time of the Congress, and must indicate that he/she wishes to be considered for the award. The recipient in solid mechanics was Dr. Stavros Gaitanaros, Ph.D. Engineering Mechanics, The University of Texas at Austin, 2014, presently assistant professor in civil engineering at Johns Hopkins University. The title of his paper and presentation was: “The effect of Polydispersity on the Crushing of Open-Cell Random Foams,” by Stavros Gaitanaros, Stelios Kyriakides, Andrew M. Kraynik.

Professor Stelios Kyriakides of the Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics at The University of Texas at Austin has been selected by the Cockrell School of Engineering to receive the 2016 Joe J. King Professional Engineering Achievement Award. The award, funded by Cockrell School alumnus Joe J. King, ME 1925, recognizes a faculty member who has made significant contributions in furthering the profession of engineering. Mr. King’s education in engineering, his years of practice as an engineer and the rewards he received in his practice left him with an increasingly deep respect for the profession. This respect, along with his love for his alma mater, led him to establish the award.

Professor Krishnaswamy Ravi-Chandar has been selected to receive the 2015 Daniel C. Drucker Medal, one of the ASME society awards for achievement. Instituted by the Applied Mechanics Division of ASME, the Drucker medal is conferred in recognition of distinguished contributions to the field of applied mechanics and mechanical engineering through research, teaching and service to the community over a substantial period of time. Congratulations!

Professor Kenneth M. Liechti has been selected to receive the 2015 Award for Excellence in the Adhesion Society. The Adhesion Society’s Award for Excellence, sponsored by 3M, is the Society’s premier award for outstanding achievements in scientific research relating to adhesion. Congratulations!

Professor Nanshu Lu, assistant professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics at the Cockrell School of Engineering, received an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) Young Investigator Award for research that could lead to the development of automated, expandable functional systems that can be deployed in space, such as solar panels and antennas. As part of the Air Force Young Investigator Program, the AFOSR awarded approximately $16.6 million in grants to young scientists and engineers from small businesses and research institutions across the nation. Lu is one of 57 to receive an award. Lu will receive a total of $360,000 over the next three years for her proposal titled “Super-Expandable Adaptive Sensor Network Enabled by Piezoelectric Polymer Serpentines.”