Talk by Dr. Raj Pradip Khawale on Efficient Computational Frameworks for Design and Analysis of Next-Generation Adaptable and Meta-structures
Venue:
ME Auditorium
December 13, 2024
Title: Efficient Computational Frameworks for Design and Analysis of Next-Generation Adaptable and Meta-structures
Abstract: Adaptable and meta-structures represent the next generation of designs for industries such as aerospace, biomedical, automotive, architecture, and robotics. Recent research has focused on developing algorithms and frameworks to achieve unconventional characteristics. However, the full exploration of the design space is often constrained by limited cell tiling variations in cellular structures. Additionally, their intricate nature makes analysis computationally inefficient due to reliance on finite element methods. To expand the existing design space and enhance analysis tools, this talk presents innovative design and analysis techniques using tiling operations and the complementary energy principle for filament-based, origami-, and kirigami-inspired structures. The focus of the talk is on three key aspects of meta-structure design: structural representation and generation, structural analysis, and inverse design. A new representation technique is presented, leveraging Einstein (aperiodic-monotile) and periodic tilings. Using operations such as reflection, rotation, glide reflection, and translation, this method generates cellular structures with a wide range of properties—including negative Poisson's ratio and isotropic auxetic structures—using minimal design parameters. To enhance computational efficiency, a force based method is introduced to (semi)analytically derive flexibility and stiffness matrices, bypassing the need for extensive finite element discretization and significantly accelerating property evaluation. For on-demand property generation, inverse design techniques employing deep learning and topology optimization are discussed. The talk concludes with experimental validations on physical prototypes, showcasing unusual behaviors such as negative and zero Poisson's ratios, thereby confirming the effectiveness of these approaches.
Venue: ME Auditorium
Date: Friday, 13th December 2024
Time: 15:00 to 16:00
Speaker Biography: Dr. Khawale is a Postdoctoral Researcher at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. After completing his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from SRM University in 2017, he moved to U.S. to pursue his master's in mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from University at Buffalo, New York. In 2019, he began his Ph.D. at the same institution before transferring to Clemson University, South Carolina, with his advisor, Dr. Rahul Rai. He successfully defended his Ph.D. in September 2024, focusing on lattice-based metamaterials and topology optimization. Since then, he has been working with Dr. Evgueni Filipov as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor, where he is developing computational frameworks for designing and analyzing deployable and reconfigurable structures inspired by origami and kirigami principles. His research interests include metastructure design, numerical simulations, data-driven design and manufacturing, and optimization. He has authored over eight peer-reviewed journal articles and a few conference papers.