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Mechanics of Soft Composites:  
The Interplay between Geometrical Structuring and 
Large Deformation to Achieve Novel Behavior

Mary C. Boyce

School of Engineering and Applied Science
Columbia University

Soft composites offer new avenues for the design and fabrication of  materials that exhibit novel properties and functional behavior.  Engineering the interplay between the geometrical structuring of constituent materials and the large deformation behavior of the soft matrix enables structural transformations and tunable properties. Here we explore the mechanics and the design of soft composites through analytical and numerical modeling as well as through experiments on physical prototypes fabricated using multi-material 3D printing.  Examples include: layered structures which exhibit deformation-induced transformation of the layered pattern leading to concomitant changes in other attributes to manipulate wave propagation and phononic band gaps;  materials with alternating soft/stiff layered structures  which provide protective yet flexible armor while also providing a novel material design for soft actuators which transform local compressive loading to large scale rotational motion; and soft matrices augmented by stiff particles which provide deformation-induced morphing surface topologies with engineered surface topologies with the potential to influence a wide range in surface behavior from friction to drag to reflectivity to biofouling and migration.

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