Modeling and Computational Methodologies for the Simulation of the Response of Multifunctional Programmable Materials

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Recently, there has been an explosion of research on exciting new fashionable (so-called "smart") materials that can react to stimuli such as temperature, chemical composition, light, and magnetic field by deforming and changing their shape. They have the potential to completely revolutionize the design of a wide variety of devices ranging from human adaptive exoskeletons/prosthetics, to morphable wings of aircrafts and energy harvesting applications. The global market for such "smart" material devices is growing at a rate of approximately 10% and is one of the areas where a significant competitive advantage of the US can be maintained. However, designers of "smart" components have been stymied by the lack of well-developed simulation tools to evaluate their designs and to control the devices during use. The proposed research addresses this need by establishing a rational scientific basis for the analysis of "smart" structural components based on a novel thermodynamical framework that combines aspects of Lagrangian mechanics together with newly developed simulation techniques (which are called discrete variational integrators). The proposed research has the potential to transform the "smart" systems design landscape by bringing scientific predictive capabilities into the hands of designers of "smart" devices, allowing them to conceive and develop innovative structures and devices for a variety of applications. The research will also revamp selected structural mechanics courses in mechanical engineering to include a rational approach to designing with these materials. The research will motivate both graduate and undergraduate students to create innovative solutions to societal challenges with these materials.