Computational Mechanics of Materials

The Computational Mechanics of Materials Group focuses primarily on the numeric modelling of materials that are used in civil engineering. This traditionally concerns materials like steel, concrete and soil, but in recent decades these have been joined by polymers, laminates and other composites. The main area of research concerns the correct prediction of the collapse behaviour of materials. One well-known example is the peat dyke at Wilnis in Utrecht which collapsed in 2003. But cracks can also occur in concrete. And composites can undergo delamination, where different layers separate from each other. Alongside mechanical load, factors such as humidity, temperature and chemicals also play a role in collapse behaviour. For instance, the formation of cracks in concrete is accelerated when water enters the crack.

Various physical domains are included in the simulations. This is termed the ‘multi-physics’ approach. All subjects of the group also have a ‘multi-scale’ approach. To properly describe the behaviour of the materials, calculations are made on different scales. Basically the material is simulated as if it were identical in every part. ‘Zooming in on’ a smaller scale only takes place at certain interesting points in order to calculate the problem with much greater precision, after which the outcome is taken back to macro level.

The group also calculates how well materials can withstand explosions. This is important for large civil engineering works such as tunnels, bridges or buildings. It is often found that materials are better able to withstand sudden brief loads than static loads.

Contact:

Website: http://pages.mechanics.citg.tudelft.nl