Self-Adaptive Materials and Structures for Resilient and Healthy Future

Date: January 31, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Adaptability is one of the hallmarks of living systems that provide resilience in a dynamically changing environment. I will present our efforts to study coupled mechanical systems toward mechanically adaptive materials and structures. I will start with the overview of my research, then focus on two recent efforts.

First, I will present self-adaptive materials that can change their mechanical properties depending on loading conditions by the coupling between stress and material synthesis [1]. Nature produces outstanding materials for structural applications, such as bone and wood, that can adapt to their surrounding environment. For instance, bone regulates mineral quantity proportional to the amount of stress. It becomes stronger in locations subjected to higher mechanical loads. This capability leads to the formation of mechanically efficient structures for optimal biomechanical and energy-efficient performance. However, it has been challenging for synthetic materials to change and adapt their structures and properties to address the changing loading condition. To address the challenge, we are inspired by the findings that bones are formed by mineralizing ions from blood onto collagen matrices. I will present a material system that triggers proportional mineral deposition from electrolytes on piezoelectric matrices upon mechanical loadings so that it can self-adapt to mechanical loadings. For example, the mineralization rate could be modulated by controlling the loading condition, and a 30-180% increase in the modulus of the material was observed upon cyclic loadings whose range and rate of the property change could be modulated by varying the loading condition. I will also present our approach for reprogrammable self-configurable structures based on the material by controlling the modulus distribution through the applied loading [2]. Our findings can contribute to new strategies for dynamically changing mechanical environments, with potential applications including healthcare, infrastructure, and vehicle.

Second, I will present adaptive energy-absorbing “materials” with extreme energy dissipation and improving energy absorption with increasing strain rate by the coupling between viscoelastic properties of materials and nonlinear geometrical effects [3]. An architected material (or metamaterial) is a class of materials that provide new properties not observed in natural materials or from a bulk material that its constituent is made of. We utilize energy dissipation mechanisms across different length scales by using architected liquid crystalline elastomers. As a result, our energy-absorbing materials show about an order of magnitude higher energy absorption density at a quasi-static condition compared with the previous studies and even higher energy dissipation at faster strain rates with power-law relation, whose exponent can be tuned by controlling the mesoscale alignment of molecules using a simple strain control-based approach. Thus, the material exhibits up to a 5 MJ/m3 energy absorption density at a strain rate of 600 s-1, which is comparable to the dissipation from irreversible plastic deformation exhibited by denser metals. Our findings have the potential to realize extremely lightweight and high energy-dissipating materials, which will be beneficial for a wide range of applications, including automotive, aerospace, and personal protection.

We envision that our research can contribute to intelligent, resilient and sustainable mechanical systems, with applications including healthcare, infrastructure, and defense [4].

References

[1] S. Orrego, Z. Chen, U. Krekora, D. Hou, S.-Y Jeon, M. Pittman, C. Montoya, Y. Chen, S. H. Kang*, “Bioinspired materials with self-adaptable mechanical properties,” Advanced Materials, 32, 1906970 (2020).

[2] B. Sun, G. Kitchen, D. He, D. K. Malu, J. Ding, Y. Huang, A. Eisape, M. M. Omar, Y. Hu, S. H. Kang*, “A material dynamically enhancing both load-bearing and energy-dissipation capability under cyclic loading,” Science Advances, in press.

[3] S.-Y. Jeon, B. Shen, N. A. Traugutt, Z. Zhu, L. Fang, C. M. Yakacki, T. D. Nguyen, S. H. Kang*, “Synergistic energy absorption mechanisms of a bistable architected liquid crystal elastomers,” Advanced Materials, 2200272 (2022).

[4] G. Kitchen, B. Sun, S. H. Kang, “Bioinspired Nanocomposites with Self-Adaptive Mechanical Properties,” Nano Research, 17, 633 (2024).

Biographical Sketch: Sung Hoon Kang is an Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He earned a Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics at Harvard University and M.S. and B.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering from MIT and Seoul National University, respectively. Before joining KAIST, he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Hopkins Extreme Materials Institute and Institute for NanoBioTechnology at Johns Hopkins University. Sung Hoon has been investigating solutions to address current challenges in engineering materials, structures and devices with applications including resiliency, sensing, energy, and healthcare. In particular, he investigates behaviors of coupled mechanical systems by numerical modeling, nano/micro/macro fabrication, 3D printing, 3D structural/material/mechanical characterizations, and in vitro/in vivo testing. His research has been supported by AFOSR, NSF, NIH, ARO, ONR, State of Maryland, and private foundations. Throughout his career, Sung Hoon has co-authored 70 papers, has given over 230 presentations (including over 160 invited talks), and has eight patents and three pending patents. His honors include 2024 National Research Foundation of Korea Brain Pool Plus Fellowship, 2023 Young Innovator Award by Nano Research, Invitee for First US-Africa Frontiers of Science, Engineering, and Medicine Symposium, 2022 Hanwha Non-Tenured Faculty Award, 2021, 2020 Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship, 2020 Johns Hopkins University Catalyst Award, 2019 Johns Hopkins University School of Engineering Research Lab Excellence Award, Invitee for 2019 China-America Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, FY 2018 Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award, Invitee for 2016 National Academy of Engineering US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, and 2011 Materials Research Society Graduate Students Gold Award. He served as an editorial board member of Scientific Reports and a guest editor of Materials Research Society Bulletin. Currently, he serves as an editorial board member of Journal of Physics: Materials and Sensors, respectively. He has been co-organizing ~35 symposia on bioinspired materials, 3D printing, and mechanical metamaterials at international conferences. He is a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American Physical Society (APS), Materials Research Society (MRS), Electrochemical Society (ECS), and Society of Engineering Science (SES). He served as the Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Editor of ASME Technical Committee on Mechanics of Soft Materials.

Manufacturing for Good – Experiences in Bangladesh

Date: February 14, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: This seminar will describe design and manufacturing activities that are part of USAID’s $27MM, 6.5-year CSISA-MEA (Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia – Mechanization Extension Activity).  The goal of this project is to improve the agricultural mechanization and agricultural-based light engineering companies in Bangladesh, thereby improving the lives of millions of people who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods.  The objectives of the CSISA-MEA project will be presented, its impact on Bangladesh, examples of the various activities, – training, women, machinery design and fabrication, factory design, foundries, materials processing, energy and the environment – and finally a deep dive into rice seedling transplantation and the proposed improved manufacturing processes for a critical spare part for the rice transplanter – its plucking fork.

Biographical Sketch: Prof. Jonathan Colton holds the Eugene C. Gwaltney, Jr. Professorship in Manufacturing and is Professor of Mechanical Engineering, of Industrial Design, and of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.  He received his S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  His research and teaching interests are at the intersections of global/international development and design and manufacturing.  Dr. Colton directs the Georgia Tech -U.S. Department of State Diplomacy Lab.  For over a decade, he served as a member of the World Health Organization’s Immunization Practices Advisory Committee.  He led an international team that designed a Net-Zero Energy Warehouse for Drugs and Vaccines in Tunis for the government of Tunisia that was funded by the Gates Foundation.  In 2013-2024, Prof. Colton served as a U.S. Department of State Jefferson Science Fellow at the USAID Bureau for Food Security where he supported the scaling up of agricultural technologies in the Feed the Future program.  He currently helps to lead the USAID-funded CSISA-MEA (Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia – Mechanization Extension Activity), a $27 million project to increase agricultural mechanization and manufacturing capacities in Bangladesh.  Prof. Colton’s composites research studies the design and fabrication of the next generation of aircraft with emphasis on continuous fiber reinforced materials and the conversion of post-industrial use materials for high performance transportation usage.  A current Department of Energy project seeks to apply machine learning and artificial intelligence to reduce the energy required to cure advanced aerospace thermosetting composite structures, such as airplane wings, airframes and wind mill blades.  His research has been funded by NSF, NIH, US CDC, TRW, United Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, U.S. Navy, Westinghouse, Ford, General Motors, General Electric, Philips Petroleum, NIST, NATO, Schlumberger, Gates Foundation, NASA, and Kodak, among others.

Enabling Intelligent Decision-Making in Manufacturing through Data-driven Methods

Date: February 7, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Future manufacturing envisions cyber manufacturing services that cater to on-demand production of discrete engineered products. These services are expected to be enabled by recent advances in digital manufacturing spanning the factory floor and the supply chain through Industry 4.0+ concepts and technologies. Critical to the realization of this vision are computational tools that enable intelligent and, where possible, automated decision-making. This talk will discuss the role of data-driven and, where possible, physics-driven computational tools in enabling automated decision-making at various stages of the design-to-manufacturing translation of discrete engineered products. Specifically, it will address the use of modern AI/ML and physics-based computational capabilities to automate key manufacturing decision-making including manufacturability assessment, process selection and sequencing, supplier selection, and other aspects of process planning with a focus on material removal and hybrid manufacturing processes.

Biographical Sketch: Shreyes Melkote holds a Morris M. Bryan, Jr. Professorship for Advanced Manufacturing Systems in Mechanical Engineering at Georgia Tech. He also serves as Executive Director of the Novelis Innovation Hub at Georgia Tech and Associate Director of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. His research spans many areas of manufacturing including precision machining, surface modification methods, hybrid manufacturing, industrial robotics, and application of AI/ML to solve complex decision-making problems in manufacturing. His honors include the 2024 ASME Milton C. Shaw Manufacturing Research Medal, the 2023 SME Gold Medal, and the ASME Blackall and Machine Tool Gage Award, among others. He has served as President of NAMRI/SME and as ASME Foundation Swanson Fellow at the Interagency Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office at NIST. He is a Fellow of ASME, SME, and CIRP.

Nature in Motion: The power of bioinspired design in unraveling locomotion across mediums and scales

Date: January 24, 2025; Time: 2:30 PM Location: PWEB 175

Abstract: Organisms have evolved various locomotion (self-propulsion) and shape adaptation (morphing) strategies to survive and thrive in diverse and uncertain environments. Unlike engineered systems, which rely heavily on active control, natural systems often exploit distributed flexibility to simplify global actuation and control requirements. This talk will introduce several examples of bioinspired multifunctional structures, such as feather-inspired flow control devices and fish- and insect-inspired robotic model organisms. These devices and systems offer a pathway toward revolutionizing mechanical systems across scales and in different media. The work presented in this talk also highlights how engineering analysis and experiments can help answer critical questions related to elasticity in biological systems, such as the click beetles’ legless jumping.  These research topics showcase that biology and engineering form an interdisciplinary two-way street. On one side, natural solutions can inform and inspire mechanical systems’ design. This is referred to as bioinspiration or bioinspired design. The other side is referred to as engineering-enabled biology. On this side, controlled engineering experimental, numerical, and analytical tools are used and developed to answer key biological questions that would be difficult or even impossible to answer directly using the natural system.

Biographical Sketch: Prof. Aimy Wissa joined the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at Princeton University as an Assistant Professor in January 2022. She is the director of the Bio-inspired Adaptive Morphology (BAM) Lab. Wissa was a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University, and she earned her doctoral degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland in 2014. Wissa’s work focuses on the modeling and experimental evaluation of dynamic and adaptive bioinspired structures and systems, such as avian-inspired and insect-inspired wings and robotic systems with multiple modes of locomotion. Wissa is a McNair Scholar. She has received numerous awards, including the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator and NSF’s CAREER awards.