CCEE Structures & Mechanics (SEM) Seminar

Virtual Seminar Link: https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/98200034791?pwd=OTJYQmk1anhTdGRPWHV3eWpjRDJEUT09 
Passcode: 11235 

Abstract: Topology optimization (TopOpt) is a leading design procedure for obtaining optimal material
layouts. Since TopOpt is a mathematically driven approach, the entire design procedure is automated with
minimal or no human intervention. An attractive feature of TopOpt is its ability to introduce new
boundaries (holes) into the design space; thus, TopOpt can produce final material layouts that differ
entirely from initial guesses. This presentation details a design framework to obtain optimal material
designs for various engineering applications. The talk will highlight my group’s efforts to fill in several
aspects of the knowledge gap: (i) analytical solutions for canonical problems that give a more profound
understanding of optimal designs. (ii) A viable approach for incorporating manufacturing constraints into
the design space, thereby improving the synergy between design and fabrication. (iii) A framework for
multi-criteria optimization to handle a class of multi-physics design problems. First, I will present a two-scale
topology optimization framework—design variables at the microscale and desired goal at structure
(macro) scale—for nonlinear elasticity; this framework is suitable for applications such as armor design
and metamaterials. Second, by utilizing the dissipation rate, I will outline a robust design framework for
flow through porous media applications; for these problems, the usual objective functions such as
compliance and minimum power principle are not applicable. Third, I will illustrate optimal material
designs for heat management in structural systems—a multi-criteria optimization problem. The talk will
conclude with an outline of an ongoing effort of designing periodic wave barriers and foundations using
TopOpt for mitigating damage to infrastructure due to earthquakes.

Bio: Professor Kalyana Nakshatrala is an associate professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering with a courtesy appointment in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Houston (UH). In 2019, he
was a faculty associate at the California Institute of Technology. Before becoming a faculty member, he was a
postdoctoral research associate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(UIUC) in collaboration with Los Alamos and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories.
Nakshatrala received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a certificate in Computational
Science and Engineering along with two M.S. degrees, one in structural engineering
and the other in applied mathematics, from UIUC. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in
Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras. Professor
Nakshatrala is devoted to student mentorship and recently had a PhD advisee win first
prize at the 2018 Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference and another doctoral
student win the 2016 Robert J. Melosh Medal, an international award given to the best
student paper in Computational Mechanics. He has also been recognized for his
dedication to teaching, including the 2019 Kittinger Teaching Excellence Award—the
highest teaching honor conferred by the Cullen College of Engineering at UH. He remains active in the academic
community as an associate editor for the ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics and serves on the early career
research board for IOPScience’s Multifunctional Materials.

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