Wednesday, June 10
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM (lunch at noon)
EQUAD, E225
“From Localization to Catastrophic Collapse: Computational Approaches for Failure in Complex Materials”
Dr. Enrique M. del Castillo
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Princeton University
Abstract:
With climate change and increasing climate volatility, it is imperative to be able to model the transition from localized failure and fracture to the ensuing post-failure behavior of geomaterials or engineering materials to mitigate risks posed by natural hazards on our aging and increasingly overwhelmed infrastructure. At the same time, there is a mounting need to design "safe-to-fail" infrastructure to achieve resiliency goals. However, the standard finite element method commonly used in engineering analysis requires substantial modification to account for the discontinuities inherent to fracture or strain localization and struggles with the large deformation characteristic of the post-failure regime due to mesh distortion. In this talk I demonstrate that smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), a meshfree continuum-based particle method together with diffuse nonlocal continuum representations of fracture, namely damage mechanics and the phase-field method, can help circumvent these limitations. Together they offer a computational toolbox for understanding and modeling failure as a dynamically evolving process, spanning the initiation of localized deformation, the propagation and possible control or delay of discrete fracture, and ultimately catastrophic collapse and large-deformation behavior. The examples considered range from brittle glass-like fracture to highly inelastic deformation in soils. Given the ubiquity of fluid-saturation in geomaterials, in this talk I also present hydromechanical frameworks for coupled solid-fluid deformation for SPH developed in my work and show how through high-resolution numerical simulations they are adept at modeling various geohazards including fault rupture, embankment collapse, and landslides. Some ongoing research and future work will also be presented and discussed.
Bio:
Enrique M. del Castillo is a postdoctoral research associate working with Prof. Liuchi Li in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University. In July, he will be starting as a tenure-track assistant professor at Northeastern University in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. Enrique obtained his MS and PhD in Civil Engineering (Geomechanics) at Stanford University, where he was advised by Prof. Ronaldo Borja and received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, the Stanford Graduate Fellowship, the Siebel Scholarship, and Stanford's EDGE Fellowship. Prior to his time at Stanford, Enrique completed an AB in Geosciences with highest honors at Princeton University where he was the recipient of the Arthur F. Buddington Award in Geosciences and the PRISM Best Senior Thesis Award in Material Science and Engineering. Enrique’s research focuses on computational modeling of faults, fractures, and deformation bands, contributing to improved CO2 sequestration capabilities. His research has also advanced traditional mechanistic modeling by considering the post-failure behavior of geomaterials and earth structures using meshfree methods, enhancing critical infrastructure resilience.
“Sponsorship of this event does not constitute institutional endorsement of external speakers or views presented.”