BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Uncovering the Controlling Mechanisms of Crack Growth to Improve F ailure Predictions DTSTART:20131205T121500 DTEND:20131205T131500 DTSTAMP:20260924T210154Z UID:1bb27d84eb5934176093f5dd749a94d91ce27a70624111f738ad2671 CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Prof. Derek Warner\nIn the last century\, human understanding progressed to a point where the physical laws at the foundation of many ev eryday experiences became known. In this century we are faced with the cha llenge of utilizing this fundamental knowledge to improve our ability to p redict\, control\, and create from the world around us. In many instances\ , the central challenge involves spanning the vast divide between the macr oscopic scale that we interact with and atomic scale where the fundamental physical laws operate.\nAs our understanding of the connection between th e macroscopic and atomic scales continues to strengthen\, structural engin eering will certainly benefit.  For example\, a key challenge is to predi ct the response of structures that have been subjected to loads and/or env ironments for which experimental data does not exist.  In this scenario\, one must use a mechanical model to interpolate or extrapolate from the ex perimental data that is available. The truer the mechanical model is to th e underlying physics that govern the response\, the greater the chance tha t the model will be able to provide a meaningful prediction extending beyo nd the experimental data.\nIn this spirit\, our group works to better unde rstand the mechanics and mechanisms that govern the crack growth process. This seminar will specifically focus on the ductile crack growth processes in a structural aluminum alloy. In this case\, crack growth is governed b y the nucleation\, growth\, and coalescence of microvoids. Using experimen tal observations\, insights from lower-scale atomistic modeling\, and fini te element simulations\, we model these processes to predict material fail ure without artificial fitting parameters. The predictions are then critic ally examined in light of experimental test results.\nBibliographical Sket ch: Derek Warner is currently a Visiting Professor in the Computational So lid Mechanics Laboratory at EPFL. He is on sabbatical leave from his Assoc iate Professor appointment in the School of Civil and Environmental Engine ering at Cornell University. Prior to this he was a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Division of Engineering at Brown University\, where he wo rked in the Mechanics of Solids Group. He completed his Ph.D. in Mechanica l Engineering at Johns Hopkins University in 2006. Derek’s overall resea rch effort is aimed at understanding the connection between microscopic ph ysical phenomena and the macroscopic deformation and failure of engineerin g materials by coupling cutting-edge computing technologies with state-of- the-art simulation techniques. LOCATION:GC B331 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR