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Interfacial moisture diffusion using cohesive zone elements

Submitted by shirangi on

Hello every body,

As most of you know, fracture mechanics of polymer materials needs a special consideration of the viscoelastic material properties. Especially under thermomechanical loading the role of glass transition temperature T_g is very important. That is why people try to characterize the material with different methods including stress relaxation based on Time-Temperature superposition or DMA test.

Naming the SI Unit for Fracture Toughness (KIC)

Submitted by Ajit R. Jadhav on

To: Engineers, Fracture Analysts, Mechanicians, Physicists...

In science and engineering, we have an excellent tradition: naming a physical unit using the name of a prominent personality from the concerned field. For example, in SI system, we measure force in newton, work in joule, power in watt...

But the unit of fracture toughness, i.e. KIC, is too lengthy to pronounce: (mega) pascal-underoot-meter. Further, it has also been in use for something like half a century by now, perhaps more. So, how do you like the idea of giving a name to this unit?

Essays and books on writing well

Submitted by Zhigang Suo on
  • G. M. Whitesides, Writing a paper. Advanced Materials 15, 1375-1377, 2004.  This three-page essay by a prolific professor at Harvard advocates a process:  start writing a paper at the same time you start a research project.  Every thinking person should read this essay, and give the process a try.

Achenbach Receives National Medal of Science

Submitted by Carl T. Herakovich on

Jan D. Achenbach, Walter P. Murphy Professor and McCormick School Distinguished Professor at Northwestern University was presented a 2005 National Medal of Science by President George W. Bush on July 27. Achenbach, who  is well known in the mechanics community, was honored for his seminal contributions to engineering research and education in the area of wave propagation in solids and for pioneering the field of quantitative non-destructive evaluation. Previously, Achenbach received a 2003 National medal of Technology from President Bush.

Mechanics in the news

Submitted by MichelleLOyen on

Since I am an alum of the University of Minnesota, when I was a PhD student I lived only a few blocks from the site of yesterday's catastrophic bridge collapse in Minneapolis.  The statics analysis of a truss is almost the first thing learned by every undergraduate engineering student, and appears to be relevant here.  It is interesting to see words like "fatigue crack" and "vibrations" in the news .  In light o

House Passes $600 Million Increase in National Science Foundation Budget

Submitted by Managers on

House Passes $600 Million Increase in National Science Foundation Budget July 27, 2007 --The U.S. House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill that would increase funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) by nearly $600 million or 10 percent to $6.5 billion in fiscal year 2008.  The bill would put NSF on track to double its budget in less than 10 years.

Faculty Position in Experimental Mechanics of Materials

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on

ASSOCIATE or ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

EXPERIMENTAL MECHANICS OF MATERIALS



The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wyoming invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position. Applicants are sought at the Associate or Assistant Professor level with expertise in experimental solid mechanics.  Areas include but are not limited to the study of heterogeneous material systems, biomaterials, nanomaterials, thin films, fracture, fatigue and damage.