Naji Mashrafi
Graduate Researcher
Computational Materials Science and Engineering
University of Kentucky
Work
Ligament aspect ratio effects on elastic properties of porous network materials
Porous network materials, specifically solid foam-based, are widely used in applications requiring lightweight and energy-dissipating properties. However, these materials present unique challenges due to their inherent structural randomness. To address these complexities, I utilized a high-throughput computational tool designed to model the microstructure using physics-based geometry seed description and compute the properties by solving boundary value problem via FEM. I investigated how specific geometric factors—beyond reduced density—affect the mechanical properties of the metal foam. Specifically, I explored how the aspect ratio of ligaments within node-ligament geometries influences the elastic response of the material. Results suggest that changes in aspect ratio of ligaments do affect the stiffness of the material, but this effect cannot be separated from changes in the reduced density of the porous material. These insights help in determining more accurate safety of factors, leading to optimized designs that maintain structural integrity while reducing material costs—an essential balance in high-performance industries such as aerospace and automotive.
About
I am passionately driven to solve technologically-relevant challenges by addressing fundamental materials design and processing questions using integrated multi-scale computational techniques and materials characterization. Always seeking opportunities to drive innovation and to apply multi-scale materials modeling in mechanical design.
Contact
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