Friday, October 16 • 2:30 PM
https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/onstage/g.php?MTID=eb4cdd204b8bc69fdc3753bdab1774042
Bone-inspired design: the role of computation and manufacturing
Flavia Libonati
University of Genoa, Italy
Abstract: The high demand for engineering lightweight materials with an optimal strength-toughness
balance is driving the research towards the design of innovative materials with great performance. Composites
generally represent the best option for structural applications, offering a good stiffness-strength balance,
combined with a low weight. However, the reduced toughness of composite materials often represents a
limitation for their structural applications. Many researchers tried to overcome this limitation by
implementing nature-inspired features into the composite design, leading to a new class of composites with
improved toughness: the biomimetic composites. Natural hierarchical materials, indeed, represent a good
source of inspiration for new material design. In particular, bone is a promising candidate, showing a great
combination of stiffness and strength, a remarkable toughness, and a lightweight structure that provides
support to a wide class of animal bodies. The mysterious reason behind seem to lie in hierarchy. This talk will
show different case studies of biomimetic composites, inspired by different hierarchical levels of bone tissue
and realized by different manufacturing techniques (e.g. 3D-printing additive, lamination). Each case study
investigates the effect of a hierarchical sub-structure on the tissue-level properties and behavior, through a
combined numerical-experimental approach, highlighting the role of the characteristic structural features on
activating specific mechanisms. This research embraces the fundamental understanding of biological
structural materials and the effective transferable technologies for the bio-inspired design and fabrication of
novel material systems.
Biographical Sketch: Flavia Libonati received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic
University of Milan in 2013, followed by a postdoctoral associate position in the same university. In 2014, she
became Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Polytechnic University of Milan and then in 2019
she was appointed as Associate Professor at the University of Genoa. Since 2014 she is also Research Affiliate
at MIT, where she has been Visiting Research Scholar in 2016-2017, and recently appointed Research Affiliate
at the Italian Institute of Technology. Her primary research interests are in the field of biological composites
and biomimetic materials, with a special focus on the design and manufacturing of bio-inspired multiscale
3D-composite and smart materials for future engineering applications, through a multiscale numerical and
experimental approach. She is the recipient of several awards and fellowships and is a member of renowned
scientific society.
For additional information, please contact Prof. Anna Tarakanova at (860) 486-5463, anna.tarakanova@uconn.edu
or
Tina Barry at (860) 486-2178, tina.barry@.uconn.edu
For more information, contact: Prof. Anna Tarakanova at anna.tarakanova@uconn.edu