Check out our manuscripts on stress-based topology optimization with discrete geometric components and on optimal design of panel reinforcements with ribs made of plates published in Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering and in the Journal of Mechanical Design respectively.

PhD student Shanglong Zhang won first place in the 2017 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research Competition.  Shanglong created a poster and made a presentation on his research on “A geometry projection method for the topology optimization of plate structures.”   The award is granted by the Department’s Graduate Awards Committee, and is judged “based on the research technical content, as judged from both presentation and poster, quality and clarity of the presentation and poster, the student’s ability to answer questions, and supplemental material provided with the application.”

MSc. student Manal Tahann has been awarded a Sikorsky graduate fellowship to support her ongoing research on topology optimization of frame structures.

A 3d-print of the optimal topology of a cantilever beam obtained with computational methods advanced in our group has been buried along other items in the Engineering Time Capsule recently buried in front of the new Engineering and Sciences Building as part of the centennial celebration of UConn’s School of Engineering (For more on this story, see Engineers Bury Time Capsule).

A copy of the 3d-print can be seen below (with supports still on).

Dr. Norato received one of the 2017 Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Awards, given every year to scientists and engineers “who show exceptional promise for doing creative research.” In this research, Dr. Norato and his group will be advancing computational methods to design structures made of composite materials.  More details are provided here.

Manal Tahhan has been awarded a NASA CT Space Consortium Graduate Student Research Grant: http://ctspacegrant.org/3798/fall-2016-student-grant-recipients.  In her project, “Computational Design Method for Skin-Frame Habitats,”, she will be working on a  computational method to design lunar habitats made of bars covered by a skin.  Congratulations Manal!

Our article on “A geometry projection method for the topology optimization of plate structures” has been published on Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization.