Materials and Solid Mechanics

Research in this area covers broad topics related to microstructure and properties of metals, polymers, composite materials, nanomaterials, and fuel cells. Both industrially relevant and fundamental aspects of the science and engineering of materials are covered. Materials & Solid Mechanics also incorporates aspects of continuum mechanics, mechanical engineering structures, and material processing.

Materials & Solid Mechanics

The following faculty members are involved in this area:

H. Abdolvand, Ph.D., P.Eng. (Queen's University, Canada), Associate Professor 

Mechanics of materials across length and time scales- both modeling and experimental; fatigue, fracture, and (irradiation) creep; finite element, crystal plasticity, and dislocation dynamics; synchrotron x-ray, neutron, and electron diffraction/tomography.

S. A. Asokanthan, Ph.D. (University of Waterloo, Canada), Professor

Primary research is in the area of inertial systems, sensors and control with emphasis on dynamics, control and damage detection in Flexible Multi-body Systems. In particular, characterization of inertial sensors, dynamic influence of sensors and effective use sensors for damage detection are of interest. Recent projects include dynamics and stability of MEMS-based angular rate sensors (Gyroscopes) and their applications in vehicle dynamics and control; dynamic behavior of RF-MEMS devices; damage detection in large-scale flexible structures; hybrid control of flexible robots.

K. Coley, Ph.D., P. Eng. (Imperial College of Science and Technology, UK), Professor and Dean

High temperature kinetics, process modeling, slags, transport properties, oxygen steelmaking, and ladle metallurgy.

L. Y. Jiang, Ph.D., P.Eng. (University of Alberta, Canada), Professor

Nanocomposites; Nanomechanics; Carbon Nanotubes; Multi-Scale Modelling; Micromechanics; Composites; Functionally Graded Materials; Fracture Mechanics and Failure Analysis of Materials; Smart Structures; MEMS and NEMS; Health Monitoring of Engineering Materials/Structures.

E. Johlin, Ph.D, (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA), Assistant Professor

Research focus on developing new devices, materials, and understanding of optoelectronics, particularly in relation to the creation of clean energy and photovoltaics. He specifically focuses on the use of nanostructures to both improve performance, as well as create new functionality otherwise not possible in nanophotonic devices.

R. J. Klassen, Ph.D., P.Eng. (University of Toronto, Canada), Professor

Relationship between mechanical properties and microstructure of ductile metals and metal matrix composites. Experimental techniques for measuring the stress- and temperature-dependence of plastic strain rates of nano-scale volumes of material. Nanoindentation testing, wear testing, and microstructural characterization using optical- and electron-microscopy. Numerical modeling of plastic deformation processes.

G. D. Langohr, Ph.D., (Western University, Canada), Assistant Professor

Research interests include design and analysis of orthopaedic joint replacement implants, computational and in-vitro tribological assessments of interacting surfaces, and finite element analysis of mechanical and biological structures.

A. Price, Ph.D. (University of Toronto, Canada), Associate Professor

Smart material actuators and sensors; mechatronic systems for industrial automation and biomedical applications; additive manufacturing of advanced materials; conductive electroactive polymers and composites; magnetic and thermal shape memory materials.

X.A. Sun, Ph.D. (University of Manchester, UK), Professor

Nanotechnology and clean energy. Synthesis, characterization and properties of carbon nanotubes, nanowires, nanoparticles, nanocoatings as well as their composites as electrochemical electrodes for fuel cells and batteries.

J. T. Wood, Ph.D., P.Eng. (McMaster University, Canada), Professor

Experimental and numerical investigations of composite systems for energy absorption applications. Mechanical properties of metals: strengthening mechanisms, deformation processing, multi-phase systems. Multidisciplinary modeling of process-structure-property relationships in high-pressure die-casting.