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  • AME Seminar

    Wed, Apr 23, 2025 @ 03:30 PM - 04:30 PM

    Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

    Conferences, Lectures, & Seminars


    Speaker: Paolo Celli, Stonybrook

    Talk Title: A quest towards load-bearing shape-morphing structures

    Abstract: Shape-morphing metamaterials, mechanical systems and structures are designed to predictably achieve large shape changes when actuated. These systems are often designed to undergo large deformations when loaded; the issue of turning them into functional, load-bearing structures is seldom considered, even though this is crucial for potential structural applications of such systems. This talk will showcase some of our current activities in this context.
    First, we will present a strategy to turn flat arrangements of structural elements into pop-up domes, investigating their load-bearing capacity and comparing them to existing structures such as gridshells. Then, we will illustrate how to create morphing structures that can retain their shape via localized snap-through buckling and without the need for external anchoring; we will also illustrate how these structures can be inverse-designed to achieve desired shapes and to display mechanical memory.

    Biography: Paolo Celli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Stony Brook University. His research involves experimental and computational aspects of solid and structural mechanics, structural dynamics, and wave mechanics. His current interests are in the areas of i) shape-morphing and deployable structures, ii) dynamic structures with time-varying properties, iii) structures for energy and iv) robotics applications. Prior to joining SBU in January 2020, he was a postdoc at Caltech and obtained his PhD in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota.

    Host: AME Department

    More Info: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/

    Location: James H. Zumberge Hall Of Science (ZHS) - 252

    Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

    Contact: Tessa Yao

    Event Link: https://ame.usc.edu/seminars/


    This event is open to all eligible individuals. USC Viterbi operates all of its activities consistent with the University's Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.


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