Admission Requirements
BSc in Physics or similar
Description
This course introduces and discusses the physical principles of mechanical metamaterials. Research on these metamaterials, whose properties depend on their geometric structure rather than their composition, has exploded in the last decade. Examples of such metamaterials include patterned elastic media and origami (folding) structures, leading to unusual negative response, programmable mechanics and shape morphing materials.
Using recent literature, we discuss these materials, as well as their underlying principles, which include (tensorial) elasticity and elastic instabilities, mechanisms, frustration and combinatorics: cool physics for new and surprising materials.
Each lecture deals with one or more recently studied mechanical metamaterial, and to understand their physics, the course introduces three more general topics:
Introduction to linear elasticity
Buckling and nonlinear instabilities
Maxwell Counting, Floppy Modes and Self Stresses
After each lecture a set of exercises have to be made and one or two papers have to be read.
Each lecture a presentation is given by one of the students on these papers, followed by a general discussion in which active participation is required. The course is ended by a final short presentation on a student design for a metamaterial.
Specific topics that are covered:
Introduction to elasticity, elastic constants, stress and strain, and auxetic metamaterials
Elastic tensor, anisotropic elasticity, extremal and pentamode materials, mechanical cloak.
Maxwell counting, floppy modes, and self stresses. Disordered metamaterials.
Spontaneous symmetry breaking, Bending, buckling, holey sheet metamaterial
Controlled symmetry breaking, nonlinear instabilities and programmable mechanical metamaterials
Characteristic lengthscales
Combinatorial design and metacubes
Origami metamaterials, foldability
Course objectives
Main learning objective of MSc course Mechanical Metamaterials: you are able to critically discuss the role of geometry in determining the effective properties of metamaterials.
Specifically, after this course, you are able to:
Write down the elastic equations for complex and anisotropic materials and geometries.
Perform scaling analysis for elastic constants etc.
Analyze basic elastic instabilities.
Analyze the degrees of freedom of complex hinged structures.
Critically discuss the role of geometry in metamaterials
Moreover, you have acquired an overview of a very recent piece of literature.
Transferable skills
During this course you will be trained how to
critically read research papers
to present and discuss research work
perform calculations on complex elastic structures
Timetable
Physics Schedule
For detailed information go to Timetable in Brightspace
You will find the timetables for all courses and degree programmes of Leiden University in the tool MyTimetable (login). Any teaching activities that you have sucessfully registered for in MyStudyMap will automatically be displayed in MyTimeTable. Any timetables that you add manually, will be saved and automatically displayed the next time you sign in.
MyTimetable allows you to integrate your timetable with your calendar apps such as Outlook, Google Calendar, Apple Calendar and other calendar apps on your smartphone. Any timetable changes will be automatically synced with your calendar. If you wish, you can also receive an email notification of the change. You can turn notifications on in ‘Settings’ (after login).
For more information, watch the video or go the the 'help-page' in MyTimetable. Please note: Joint Degree students Leiden/Delft have to merge their two different timetables into one. This video explains how to do this.
Mode of instruction
See Brightspace
Assessment method
Grading according to a weighted average of exercies and presentations.
Reading list
not applicable
Registration
As a student, you are responsible for registering for each course component. This can be done via Mystudymap. You do this twice a year: once for the courses you want to take in semester 1 and once for the courses you want to take in semester 2.
Registration for courses in the first semester is possible from July onwards; registration for courses in the second semester is possible from December onwards. For more information, see this page
Please note that it is mandatory for all students to register for their exams. This can be done up to and including 10 calendar days prior to the exam or up to five calendar days in case of a retake exam (retake registration opens 30 days before the retake takes place). You cannot participate in the exam or retake without a valid registration in My Studymap.
Contact
Lecturer: Prof.dr. Martin van Hecke