Research in multi-physics numerical simulation and analysis for structures, metamaterials, fluids, heat transfer, acoustics, electro-magnetics, and their interaction. Applications include acoustic radiation and scattering from vibrating submerged elastic structures, acoustic focusing, cavitation, and ultrasonics. Structural acoustics and vibration study how sound and mechanical structures interact; for example, the transmission of acoustic waves within and through wall structures and the radiation of sound waves from vehicle panels. Discretization methodologies, including treatment of exterior domains through hybrid analytical/numerical methods, treatment of structural complexity, unstructured and adaptive finite element technology, iterative methods for large-scale computer simulations on distributed memory parallel processor architectures, and high-performance computing. Nonreflecting boundary conditions, infinite elements, and perfectly matched absorbing layers, which eliminate or minimize the reflection of outgoing waves, are developed for problems in unbounded domains—inverse scattering methods.
Foldable, morphing structures, including origami-inspired structures embracing material and manufacturing constraints. Bio and data-inspired design and computational modeling. Accurate models for enhanced stiffness of structural elements during the folding process.
Other structural applications include acoustics, and crushing of discrete lattice composite structures, accurate homogenized material properties for generalized continuum models for lattice material models including pantographic fiber sheets, engineered meta-materials including optimal synthetic multifunctional materials, design for thermal, structural, and acoustic properties, computational multi-physics models for advanced composites including moisture, adhesive, fiber slippage, etc.
Other applications include enhanced energy harvesting from bi-morph piezoelectric composite structures, multi-physics transducer electro-mechanical models, and elasto-dynamic modeling multi-body simulation (MBS) of wind-turbine planetary gear drivetrains, bearings, and other dynamic systems.