Applied and Computational Mechanics Group

Modelling techniques and computational methods for advanced engineering of materials, solids and structures.

The Applied and Computational Mechanics Group carries out internationally recognised research into mechanics of solids, structures and materials which can be applied to address current engineering research challenges.

Our major focus is the investigation of a wide range of composite materials (fibre reinforced, soft electroactive, nano-structured, cementitious) and the development of computational methods for multiscale modelling and optimisation of structures and micro-architectured materials.

We are currently carrying out a variety of research projects in the following areas.

Computational models for advanced smart materials

Modelling of electro and magneto-active materials (actuation and energy harvesting).
Modelling of advanced micro- and nano-structured materials.
Modelling of cellular, porous, fibrous composite materials.
Modelling the mechanical behaviour biological materials.
Investigation of dynamic properties of quasicrystalline and quasiperiodic structures.

Computational models for advanced structures and meta-structures

Advanced finite element methods for nonlinear and multiscale problems in solid and fluid mechanics
Analysis and optimum design software for composite aerospace structures.
Development of robust and reliable meta-modelling approaches for inverse problems and optimisation.
Robust aircraft design optimisation.
Uncertainty quantification and management (UQ&M) in engineering applications.
Smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) for modelling flow of particulate composites.
Meta-structures and cloaking of flexural waves.
Vibration based damage detection in mechanical and aerospace structures.
Fast dynamics computational methods for crash and impact analysis, material fracture and explosion modelling.
Finite-element modelling of high performance fibre reinforced cementitious composites.