A plant is a natural hierarchical structure, which exhibits remarkable mechanical properties. The macro (scale) mechanical properties of a plant are the cumulative outcome of the structural properties of its preceding level of structural hierarchy. To develop engineering structures inspired…

Carbon fiber reinforced cyanate ester composites are of interest for space structural applications where not only specific strength and stiffness are required but also dimensional stability and resistance to microcracking. However, because those materials are relatively new, there is a…

This thesis deals with the theoretical study of the linear and nonlinear dynamics of a slender flexible cantilevered cylindrical structure subjected to external axial water and air flows, of interest because of several important practical applications such as nuclear reactor…

The ability to locate the source of a scalar/contaminant emitted in a turbulent flow – using as data the scalar's concentration measured within the resulting scalar plume and (optionally) the relative velocity of the fluid with respect to the searcher…

Ice construction has been used for practical and artistic purposes for thousands of years. In the past few decades, computer numerical control (CNC) ice sculpting has become a well-established industry, with many companies producing ice sculptures for corporate events. This…

Out-of-autoclave (OOA) prepreg processing is a new manufacturing method for high performance composites that seeks to reduce costs and increase production flexibility relative to traditional autoclave processing. OOA prepregs may be vacuum bag-only cured in conventional ovens to produce autoclave-quality…

Efficient and reliable tools are needed to accurately characterize the mechan- ical properties of soft tissue. A knowledge of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio is essential to model mechanical behavior and quantify stresses and strain within soft tissues. The goal…

Efficient and accurate numerical simulation methods for the damage tolerance analysis and fatigue life prediction of fibre reinforced polymers are in high demand in industry. Problems arise in the development of such a simulation method due to the limitations from…