Research in Solid Mechanics

Solid Mechanics research is an area of vital importance in many branches of engineering, geophysics, and material science. The subject continues to develop at a rapid rate as new materials and designs are introduced to meet the stringent demands of industry; the latter requirements may include the need for lightness, strength, heat resistance etc. Theoretical study by applied mathematicians is essential to advance the understanding of the fundamental mechanical and dynamical properties of such materials, to provide new mathematical tools and insights into the field, and of course to estimate the potential for fracture or other catastrophic failure in situ . Such theoretical work also offers novel approaches to anticipating the behaviour of ever-more-complex materials being employed by material scientists, especially in the field of nanotechnology.

The two constituent Departments of the new School have a long history of analytical and numerical research into the area of solid mechanics, stretching back to the pioneering work on surface and body waves (relevant to seismology) by Sir Horace Lamb FRS. The Department has activity in a range of sub-areas of solid mechanics. Broadly, research breaks down into the areas of

• Statics - linear and nonlinear deformations.
• Elastodynamics – elastic wave propagation and scattering.
• Composite materials.
• Fracture mechanics.
• Fluid-solid interaction models.
• Granular materials.
• Biomechanics.

The last two topics have application respectively to geophysical and industrial models (such as ice-sheet and lava flows and food processing and manufacture), and biological systems (e.g. arterial and bronchial motions).

The former areas of study usually focus on the small amplitude deformation of elastic bodies, and at Manchester we are concerned primarily with the development of analytical techniques to solve such models. Analytical approaches to the above problems usually offer great insight into the underlying physics and can provide engineers with rapid and inexpensive solutions to their problems.

Members of staff involved