Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT), ETH Zurich’s Post

🎉🎉 𝐖𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 Alexander Jackstadt 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 Lightweight Engineering at FAST, KIT 𝐚𝐧𝐝 IAM-WK: Institute for Applied Materials, KIT 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞! 🎓   Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) are widely used as a lightweight material of choice due to their outstanding weight-specific mechanical properties such as stiffness and strength. The combination with metal sheets, commonly referred to as fiber metal laminates (FMLs), additionally provides a high resistance and tolerance to damage. As with most lightweight materials, these advantages come at a cost. In particular, the high stiffness and low mass density of such materials or material systems make the resulting structures prone to vibrations as conventional lightweight materials usually offer only negligible material damping. The addition of highly compliant layers consisting of viscoelastic elastomer materials within the otherwise stiff laminate can significantly increase the achievable damping, following the principle of constrained-layer damping (CLD). Such a hybridization then allows for highly damped lightweight laminates, which can be tailored to achieve specific damping capabilities. 📘In particular, in his doctoral thesis, Alex considered hybrid fiber metal elastomer laminates (FMELs), consisting of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), aluminum, and different elastomer compounds in various laminates. To better understand their vibrational behavior, even in a damaged state, Alex developed new simulation methods for the analysis of such hybrid laminates in his dissertation: 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝-𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐲𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞   🤝We would like to thank Prof. Kay Weidenmann from the university of Augsburg (Universität Augsburg) who served as an external reviewer for this work along with 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. Luise Kärger from Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT). We would also like to thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - German Research Foundation (project no. 431354059) for funding his research. Additionally, we are grateful for the support from Vector Stiftung. 🔬We are thrilled to have Alex support our team at Lightweight Engineering at FAST, KIT for another few months as a postdoc.   #doctoraldefense #PhD #Composites #Hybrids #Kraibon #science #polymer

Congratulations Hang Shu for successfully defending his doctoral dissertation, "Impulse-Induced Nonlinear Dynamics of Flexible Mechanical Metamaterials," under the advisory of Jordan Raney, Associate Professor in MEAM. Shu’s work explored mechanical metamaterials—artificially designed structures with unique properties determined by their internal structure. By investigating nonlinear dynamics, the research expanded understanding of how these materials can transform engineering design across deployable structures, reconfigurable robots, and advanced mechanical systems. Shu's next chapter will begin at Dow as a Senior Research Specialist in R&D with a focus on mechanical and process science. 🎉 Read more about Shu's work and experience here: https://lnkd.in/eVYCZ7zR

🎓 Today we celebrate the graduation of Rimke Beinema on her thesis project: “Development of a Finite Element Model of the Achilles Tendon: Evaluating Local Displacement Estimation.” 🧠 Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is a common injury, but we still don't fully understand its causes. Research suggests that strain distribution, possibly linked to the twist of subtendons, plays a role in its progression. Rimke's project aimed to shed light on this by creating a computer model of the tendon, inspired by research from colleagues in Australia (Claudio Pizzolato and colleagues). 🔬 As is sometimes the case in the world of research, Rimke encountered the typical challenges of "help, my model doesn't behave the way I expected." Determined, she methodically conducted sensitivity analyses to understand her outcomes. 🔍 Rimke's efforts yielded the insights that additional substructure details are needed for accurately predicting displacement behavior. Negative results are valuable outcomes in their own right, serving as guiding lights for the next steps (and students) in this development. Congratulations, Rimke, wishing you the best in your journey ahead! 🌟 Robert-Jan de Vos, Nazli (Sarkalkan) Tumer TU Delft | Mechanical Engineering Erasmus MC #MSc #graduation #simulation

🎉 Huge congratulations to Monica Orlandi on completing her MSc degree this week! 🥳 Humans have over 600 skeletal muscles that they control during daily movement. These muscles do not have unique tasks, so humans could perform the same tasks using different patterns of muscle recruitment. And to get from point A to B, you could run, walk, skip, or sprint…  But, while humans and animals theoretically have infinite ways to move, in practice, humans move in similar ways. Since Ralston’s 1958 study, it’s been understood that metabolic energy efficiency drives the way we move in gait. But as we age, our movements change—why is that? Is it because we can no longer move the same way, or are other principles, like balance, taking priority? (https://lnkd.in/gMhqwzZe) Monica took on part of this question by replicating and expanding Ralston’s 1958 experiments. She tested seven hypotheses from research spanning over six decades (1958–2023) to understand how our bodies move efficiently as we age. Her work looked at how younger and older adults differ in their movement and energy use, and how things like keeping your head stable or swinging your arms can change the way we walk. She did an excellent job, and she is not stopping here! To ensure robust findings, we will continue data collection for two more weeks, as some of Monica’s insights challenge prior conclusions. We a look forward to the final results! Congratulations again, Monica Orlandi—this is an achievement to be proud of! www.BODIESlab.com TU Delft | Mechanical Engineering NWO (Dutch Research Council) CareTech #biomechanics #simulation #gait #cosmed #optimalcontroltheory #ageing #movement #humanmovement

Meet Jun Wu, associate professor at Delft University of Technology, he was a Marie Curie postdoc fellow at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, DTU - Technical University of Denmark He obtained his PhD in Computer Science in 2015 from Technical University of Munich, Germany, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2012 from Beihang University, China. He received the Young Investigator Award from the international Solid Modeling Association in 2021, and Haftka Young Investigator Award from the International Society for Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization in 2023. He is on the editorial board of Computer-Aided Design and Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. His conference “Space-time topology optimization for smart materials and advanced manufacturing” he will present his group’s recent research. This approach not only considers the spatial dimension of material distribution but also incorporates the temporal dimension, which accounts for the evolution of the material layout during manufacturing or changes in material properties over time. #Topology #optimization #advancedmaterials #structuraloptimization #multidisciplinaryoptimization #science #research #innovation #twilight

Cohort #8: Introducing GLAZE Technologies ready for incubation🌟 We are thrilled to announce that GLAZE Technologies has been accepted to ESA BIC Denmark! GLAZE Technologies has developed the most advanced solution for non-destructive testing with its groundbreaking use of terahertz lightwaves. This technology can penetrate almost any material, revealing critical data about defects, voids, delaminations, electrical conductivity, moisture levels and more. Originally developed at DTU - Technical University of Denmark, this advanced system is especially suited for inspecting lightweight materials crucial to the space industry, such as glass fibre, carbon fibre, and thermoplastics. By identifying structural defects and ensuring the highest quality, GLAZE's solutions are indispensable for manufacturers and end-users in the space industry. The team comprises five physicists and engineers from the DTU - Technical University of Denmark. GLAZE Technologies embodies a blend of expertise in optics, electronics, mechanics, software, and algorithm development. They have been working together for six years, pushing the boundaries of their terahertz technology to create a versatile tool applicable in various industrial contexts. Join us in welcoming GLAZE Technologies to ESA BIC Denmark! Learn more about GLAZE Technologies here: https://www.glazetech.dk/ #esabicdk #businessincubation #startups DTU - Technical University of Denmark, Aalborg Universitet, Aarhus Universitet, Industriens Fond, ESA Commercialisation Gateway, Brug rummet, Otto Mønsteds Fond, CenSec - Center for Defence, Space & Security Mads Ehrhorn Bjørn Mølvig

Workshop Announcement! Engineer-ize your Science Labs will be held Wednesday, November 20, 2024 at 7:30pm EST. This workshop will be taught by Emily Berman and Shannon Morey. Let your existing science labs take center stage in engineering design challenges! Together we will unpack the engineering design process and map science practices and common classroom activities onto that process, and we’ll identify multiple points where your well-tested science labs can facilitate student-centered engineering design. You’ll leave with student-facing tools and a fuller sense of how to integrate engineering into your science classes. Learn more: https://ow.ly/sqx550TSB8g #teacherdevelopment #teacherresources

Course 'Micromechanics of composites, new smart composites and sustainable technologies': From April to July, I taught a course ”Micromechanics of composites” for master students at the Technische Universität Darmstadt, Department of Lightweight Engineering and Structural Mechanics (LSM). Here are the slides of the last, overview lecture, summarizing the ideas and concepts, which were studied at this course. The full course will be repeated next year, and is available for students/guest students of the TUDa. If you are interested in some specific topics, just drop me a line and I will send you the slides for this specific lecture. #composites #course #computational_mechanics #sustainability #wind_turbines

As from April 2024, 4TU.SAI - EngD programs Stan Ackermans Institute, the 4TU School for Technological Design, will be expanded to include the Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programs of the University of Groningen (UG). The University of Groningen will start two Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programs 'Autonomous Systems' and 'Sustainable Process Design' with effect from 1 September 2024. This will soon bring the total number of EngD programs and tracks within 4TU.SAI to 20. These two-year, full-time, post-Master's programs will result in technological designers, obtaining the academic degree EngD. The four members of 4TU.SAI, Delft University of Technology, Eindhoven University of Technology, University of Twente and Wageningen University & Research, are pleased with this collaboration as, besides the programs being extended in terms of content, it will also result in better use of each other's expertise and network. More information: https://lnkd.in/eGGWP4yG #collaboration #expertise #network #universitiesoftechnology #stanackermansinstitute #technologicaldesignerprograms #postmastereducation #engineeringdoctorate #expansion #autonomoussystems #sustainableprocessdesign

In a new study published in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,” a team of researchers led by Polymer Science and Engineering UMass Amherst describes how they have drawn inspiration from a wide variety of natural geometric motifs—think 12-sided dice or even potato chips—to extend a set of well-known design principles to an entirely new class of spongy materials that can self-assemble into precisely controllable structures. Their theory and computational model allow for maximum design economy, or the largest possible structure using the fewest number of programmable, self-assembling pieces. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ejxfvqWk National Academy of Sciences #CNS #UMassPSE #Geometry #SelfAssembly #DesignEconomy