Speaker: Eleanora Tubaldi, AME
Title: Nonlinear Dynamics: a transversal analysis to investigate the world we live in
Abstract:
At a first glance pipes conveying fluid, soft tissue, and buckled steel beams seem to have nothing to share. However, all these systems show interesting behaviors when we approach them from a nonlinear dynamics perspective. These dynamic behaviors are rich and diverse so that they can be harnessed to achieve pioneering designs intended to have impact on different facets of our everyday life. In this regard, the design of the next generation aortic prosthesis might be based on its ability to mimic the nonlinear dynamics of the native aorta conveying pulsatile blood flow. Even pathologies such as aortic dissection and rupture which currently present no biomechanical explanation, could be potentially caused by a nonlinear dynamic and fluid-structure interaction phenomenon. Finally, the nonlinear dynamics of buckled elastic beams can be exploited for engineering nonlinear mechanical metamaterials. By carefully assembling shallow arches in 2D arrangements, we can engineer fully snapping unit cells, which snap between two equally stable energy configurations. These unit cells can tile a 2D space which will have both bistability and snapping-through behavior. This would open new promising paths because controlling waves capability can be exploited in mechanical signal transmissions, mechanical diodes, targeted energy transmission and locally energy storage, switcher designs and logic gates.