Research
Mechanics of Materials & Structures Group
We model real-world problems that require a precise mathematical description of the mechanical behaviour and processing of materials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers, elastomers, and advanced new materials (functionally graded materials, micro- and nanocomposites and biological materials). This is achieved through analytical and numerical methods, with experimental verification, to generate models whose predictions are tested against the behaviour of real components or structures. The research is carried out in the following areas:
- Impact and Explosion Mechanics (IMPEX): including fundamental understanding of energy absorption and deformation characteristics of materials and sandwich structures with metal foams and truss cores subjected to blast, shock or ballistic loading.
- Structural Integrity: including fatigue, fracture, corrosion and creep; their implications for service life assessment of engineering structures and components; fire and safety engineering; decommissioning of engineering installations.
- Materials Processing: involves a rational approach to constitutive modelling of materials during processing, the relationship between process parameters and service performance and the development of computational methods.
- Bio-materials and Bio-mechanics: modelling of biological materials and systems to enable the development of new man-made materials as replacements and the design of medical devices.
- Advanced Composites: including bonded joints, static and dynamic interface fracture, damage tolerance of composite structures, manufacturing defects, engineering applications of functionally graded and nano-materials.
- Solid Mechanics: 3D multi-scale modelling of heterogeneous solids including stability theory, wave propagation, anisotropic materials, dynamics of moving cracks, effect of pre-stresses, thermo-electro-mechanical coupling in inelastic materials.
Information on the Micro-Mechanics Research Centre can be found here.