Abstract:
In traditional engineering design, deformation is typically viewed as a sign of weakness or a precursor to failure. In recent years, however, a paradigm shift has occurred: controlled deformation is now being embraced as a powerful and enabling design feature. This new philosophy, termed “deform-philia”, underpins the development of many smart materials and structures that harness large, often reversible, deformations to achieve novel functionalities.
In this talk, I will present recent examples of deform-philic structures and materials from my research, including:
• a recoverable, energy-dissipative metamaterial based on negative-stiffness unit cells;
• a crawling robot that utilises mode jumping between post-buckling states in a lattice structure;
• a latticed auxetic sheet that harnesses tensile buckling for programmable shape morphing; and
• 4D printing of thermoplastics enabled by the controlled development of layer-wise shrinkage.
Although large deformations unlock remarkable new capabilities, they also introduce substantial challenges in modelling, analysis, and experimental characterisation. I will discuss how our group addresses these issues through the development of advanced bifurcation-tracking techniques within commercial finite-element platforms, as well as custom-designed experimental rigs capable of capturing complex post-buckling behaviours.
Collectively, these efforts seek to establish a unified framework for understanding, designing, and exploiting large deformation — transforming what was once considered mechanical failure into a rich source of innovation.
Bio:
Dr Jiajia Shen is a Lecturer in Nonlinear Mechanics of Structures and Materials in the Department of Engineering at the University of Exeter. His research focuses on nonlinear structural mechanics and their innovative applications. He obtained his PhD in Nonlinear Structural Mechanics from Imperial College London in 2018 under the supervision of Prof Ahmer Wadee and Dr Adam Jan Sadowski, following an MEng in Structural Engineering and a BSc in Civil Engineering from Zhejiang University in China. He serves on the Editorial Board of Thin-Walled Structures and is a member of the EPSRC Peer Review College. He has also acted as a reviewer and assessor for major UK funding schemes, including the Royal Academy of Engineering Green Future Fellowships and the Royce Industrial Collaboration Programme. He has secured more than £460k in research funding as PI or Co-I (net contribution).
Open to all. Attendees external to Imperial need to register by email.
Time: 12:00