Self-regulating smart structures
The support structures of living organisms (e.g. human bones, plant stems) respond to imposed loads and deformations. The adaptation is driven by the gradual incorporation of material into the structure at locations with high stress and the degradation of material in the absence of stress. Similar mechanisms are rarely present in engineering structures (e.g. self-healing concrete). The aim of the research is to investigate the response of self-regulating structures to loads: we seek to understand how the behaviour of the structure, its shape and load-bearing capacity, depend on the exact rule of material addition and removal (e.g. stress dependence, degree of prestressing of the incorporated material). Besides the types of behaviour observed in nature, what other beneficial structural behaviours can be achieved in this way? This topic is recommended for students who have already passed Strength of materials 1 course.