Abstract:

A new design paradigm has emerged for interfaces between materials, where architecture is used to control stress transfer, adhesion, and failure. Such interfaces are often found in natural systems and are increasingly being adopted in engineered systems. Here, I will discuss design strategies within a unified framework of “architected interfaces,” in which different approaches are characterized by their architectural feature size relative to a stress-localization length and their dominant toughening mechanism. Three specific examples to highlight the potential for architected interfaces will then be discussed: (1) Optimization of adherend geometry in shear lap joints, (2) Engineering the process zone and toughness through interface structuring, and (3) Exploiting geometric disorder to toughen interfaces. I will close with comments on opportunities and challenges for architected interfaces in engineered systems.

Biography:

Kevin T. Turner is a Professor and the John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Turner also holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and serves as the research director for the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center for Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture (IoT4Ag). Turner received his BS from the Johns Hopkins University and SM and PhD from MIT. Prior to joining the University of Pennsylvania in 2011, he was on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received numerous awards, including the Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, the ASME Sia Nemat-Nasser Early Career Award, the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award, the Adhesion Society Young Adhesion Scientist Award, and the NSF Career Award. He is a member of ASME and IEEE, and President of the Adhesion Society. Turner’s research is at the nexus of mechanics, manufacturing, and materials. Ongoing research efforts in Turner’s group include developing materials with dynamically tunable adhesion and stiffness, engineering fracture-resistant heterogeneous and architected materials, and designing and manufacturing low-cost printed sensors for IoT applications.