Mechanics and Physics of Solids (MaPoS) is a Research Group within the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering (MACE).
We are focused on the understanding and modelling the life of engineering materials and structures during their service, which includes deformation, damage and failure, resulting from mechanical, physical, chemical and biological processes.
Our research addresses the ever increasing demand for more economical, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy, transport and living.
Our vision is that all classical mechanical and physical properties at a given length scale are derivable in principle from the topology (order) and the geometry (sizes) of lower length-scales constituents. Realising this vision will allow for simulating materials life as a sequence of topological and geometrical changes accommodating environmental actions. This vision is embedded in a key ongoing theoretical development – Geometric Mechanics of Solids (GEMS) – but propagates to different degrees through all past and ongoing projects of the team.
Our research links directly with several Research Centres within the Dalton Nuclear Institute – Modelling and Simulation Centre in MACE, Research Centre for Radwaste Disposal (RCRD) in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES), and Materials Performance Centre (MPC) in the School of Materials (SoM) – in partnership with Research Teams outside these centres in MACE, SoM, the School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Sciences (CEAS), the School of Chemistry and the School of Mathematics. The theoretical and computational developments in the Group are aligned with the vision of Sir Henry Royce Institute.