Mechanics of tensegrity structures and multifunctional lattice materials
The present Symposium is aimed at deepening the fundamental understanding of lattice mechanics, and its application to the design of unconventional materials and structures with properties mainly derived from their geometric design. There is an increasing interest in mechanical metamaterials, and a growing demand for exploring the potential of such systems in real life engineering applications.
The main focus is on designing new tunable lattices, and applying lattice-based metamaterials to the fabrication of novel materials and structures. A modeling research line presents the effects of internal and external prestress on nonlinear lattice mechanics, with the aim of designing arbitrary lattice behaviors. Material-scale applications of multiscale lattices deal with novel multifunctional metamaterials. Structure-scale applications exploit lattices with morphing abilities to design adaptable structures for next generation buildings.
Nano-, micro- and macro-scale lattice materials are studied through a closed-loop approach including the computational design and the additive manufacturing of physical models via innovative, multimaterial deposition techniques. Experimental studies implement and verify the theoretical predictions.