Structural materials are known for their mechanical properties, e.g. elastic modulus, strength, toughness. These parameters are associated to the homogeneity of the material, i.e. intrinsic material properties. However, layered materials like fibre reinforced composite laminates, sandwich materials, reinforced glass, adhesive joints, to name few, are intrinsically (at microscale – e.g. composition of composite laminae) and extrinsically (macroscale – e.g. multilayer structure of solar panel) heterogeneous. To allow transfer of the load between the constituents the quality of the interface between them is crucial. But there is even more options. Understanding details of the load carrying phenomena and subsequent design of interfaces – their physical and geometrical features, can give a chance to tune behaviour of the final, structural scale, material. Thus, interfaces are a way towards assigning new, unexpected, specific, ‘meta’ functionalities to otherwise known materials. This approach appears to be of huge scientific (increasing number of published papers) and industrial (e.g. patterning of surfaces to be joined appearing allowing tuning the mechanical properties and limiting the use of surface pre-treatment) potential.
Architected Materials and Interfaces takes their properties (any properties, from mechanical, through thermal up to optical or acoustic) from the geometrical structure, the unit-cell, present at the lowest, often visible, scale.
Within our activities we are pioneering and developing concepts of confined metamaterials, (like the one depicted on the right), and architected interfaces. Both offering a range of e.g. mechanical properties, like increased stiffness or toughness, damping capabilities etc. while significantly reducing weight penalty. In this field, often in collaboration with some of the top researchers around the world, we contribute with novel design concepts, theoretical models, while incorporating the most recent and suitable numerical tools. Not mentioning that our laboratories are equipped for full scale synthesis and analysis of architected materials and interfaces.
These are truly materials of and for the future.
Composite Materials
Adhesive Bonding
Geometry and fracture of layered materials
