Nonlinear Mechanical Simulations in Space Structures Engineering.

Nonlinear Structures in Space and Laboratory Plasmas

Coherent nonlinear structures in the form of vortical motions are frequently observed in laboratory devices and in auroral plasmas. Our objective here is to suggest that any realistic description of plasma vortices must involve three-dimensional nonlinear wave models, which account for the nonlinear coupling between finite amplitude electrostatic and/or electromagnetic disturbances. Specificall...

Passive , Nonlinear , Mechanical Structures for Seismic Attenuation

Gravitational wave detectors aim to detect strain perturbations of space-time on the order of 10−21–10−22 at frequencies between 1 Hz and a few kHz. This space-time strain, integrated over kilometer scale interferometers, will induce movements of suspended mirrors on the order of 10−18–10−19 m. Seismic motion in this frequency band varies between 10−6 m and 10−12 m. Required seismic attenuation...

Nonlinear geometric effects in mechanical bistable morphing structures.

Bistable structures associated with nonlinear deformation behavior, exemplified by the Venus flytrap and slap bracelet, can switch between different functional shapes upon actuation. Despite numerous efforts in modeling such large deformation behavior of shells, the roles of mechanical and nonlinear geometric effects on bistability remain elusive. We demonstrate, through both theoretical analys...

High-Fidelity Space-Time Adaptive Multiphysics Simulations in Nuclear Engineering

Atomimetic Mechanical Structures with Nonlinear Topological Domain Evolution Kinetics.

A mechanical metamaterial, a simple, periodic mechanical structure, is reported, which reproduces the nonlinear dynamic behavior of materials undergoing phase transitions and domain switching at the structural level. Tunable multistability is exploited to produce switching and transition phenomena whose kinetics are governed by the same Allen-Cahn law commonly used to describe material-level, s...