DC Positions

Host institution: TU/e (NL): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Mechanics of Materials Group)

Main supervisor: Ondrej Rokos (TU/e)

Co-supervisors/mentors:Valentina Zega (PoliMi)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: The main objective is to develop modelling techniques for rational design and optimization of new metamaterial microstructural unit cells with switchable effective mechanical properties. The focus will be on relation between static and dynamic properties, such as effective stiffness and anisotropy changes, leading, upon transformation, to switchable directional band gaps or switchable directionality in wave propagation and vibration control.


Expected results: Procedures and tools for computational design and homogenization of switchable metamaterials, including their computer implementation. Optimized unit cell geometries, with corresponding actuation mechanisms, including design principles thereof.


Planned secondments: Academic: NTNU, 3 months, coordination with WP2, DC6; PoliMi, 3 months, MEMS testing systems, coordination with WP3, DC 8. Industrial: 3 months, AddI, manufacturing aspects of the design.


Female researcher contact information: Valentina Zega

Host institution: KU Leuven (BE): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Leuven Mechatronic System Dynamics Group)

Main supervisor: Claus Claeys (KUL)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Varvara Kouznetsova (TU/e)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: Develop guidelines for efficient metamaterial design solutions that allow compact integration on existing, possibly load bearing complex geometry, structures for vibration shielding and mitigation and are robust to manufacturing tolerances and process parameters.

Expected results: Efficient modelling strategies, e.g. mesh morphing, to scan the design space of individual resonant metamaterial unit cells. Efficient modelling strategies for allow efficient optimisation of metamaterial placements on complex geometry host structure, especially in the absence of periodicity. Development of “rule of thumb” design strategies for metamaterial placement, not requiring extensive numerical simulations. Strategies for identification of parameter space for metamaterial design which is robust to manufacturing tolerances and process quality.

Planned secondments: Academic: TU/e, 3 months, coordination with WP3, DC9. Industrial: 3 months, ASML, industrial requirements on vibration insulation patch design; KMWE, 3 months, validation of robust manufacturing approaches.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: KU Leuven (BE): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Leuven Mechatronic System Dynamics Group)


Main supervisor: Elke Deckers (KUL)


Co-supervisors/mentors: Varvara Kouznetsova (TU/e)


Duration: 48 months


Objectives: A numerical investigation and experimental validation of novel non-linear metamaterial concepts to design metamaterials outperforming linear metamaterials of a comparable weight, i.e. non-linear metamaterials with broadband and/or self-adaptable frequency range of vibration reduction.


Expected results: Efficient simulation tools for investigation of non-linear metamaterials. Design(s) of (a) non-linear metamaterial for frequency modulation or broadband vibration reduction. Realization and experimental validation of this design(s) on an academic prototype.


Planned secondments: Academic: TUE, 3 months, computational homogenization for simulation of non-linear metamaterials, with DC9, WP3. Industrial: ASML, 3 months industrial perspective and requirements for advanced broadband, self-adaptable vibration control.


Female researcher contact information: Elke Deckers

Host institution: TU/e (NL): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Mechanics of Materials Group)

Main supervisor: Varvara Kouznetsova (TU/e)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Valentina Zega (PoliMi)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: Investigation of non-linear phenomena exploitable for metamaterial design for 3D meta-MEMS. Analysis of the suitability of the amplitude dependent energy exchange between propagating and evanescent waves for potential design of a sensor or actuator. Development of efficient modelling and analysis techniques for non-linear metamaterials going beyond the direct fully resolved time domain simulations.

Expected results: Identification and analysis of suitable non-linear wave phenomena for potential application in 3D meta-MEMS (with DC10). Non-linear computational homogenization methodology (with DC9) for modelling non-linear metamaterial integrated in a 3D meta-MEMS package. Non-linear reduced order model for non-linear metamaterials (with DC10).

Planned secondments: Academic: GIT, 3 months, identification and analysis of suitable non-linear wave phenomena; PoliMi, 2 months, development of non-linear reduced-order models, with DC10, WP3. Industrial: STM, 2 months, non-linear 3D meta-MEMS design requirements and perspectives.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: KUL (BE): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Additive Manufacturing Group)

Main supervisor: Brecht Van Hooreweder (KUL)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Nima Razavi (NTNU)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: Identification, based on thought understanding, of L-PBF process parameters for the production of high-quality thin walls and struts (with critical dimension ranging from 100μm to 1500μm) for the manufacturing of small resonators and metal lattice structures. Development of a methodology to quickly and accurately predict the melt pool dimensions that will be used to rapidly estimate the parameters input such as laser speed and power, layer thickness, and hatch spacing. Characterization of the quality of the fabricated parts in relation to the process parameters.

Expected results: The relation between the L-PBF processing parameters and the quality of printed metamaterial units with fine features in the order of hundreds of micrometres. A methodology to predict the melt pool dimension for a wide range of processing parameters of small features. Manufacturing of metamaterials for testing and demonstration in the other sub-projects.

Planned secondments: Academic: NTNU, 3 months, small scale mechanical testing of printed samples. Industrial: AddI, 3 months advanced processing control; GoS, 3 months, characterization of printed samples using impulse excitation technique.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: NTNU (NO): Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

Main supervisor: Nima Razavi (NTNU)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Brecht Van Hooreweder (KUL)

Duration: 36 months

Objectives: Multi-scale assessment and understanding of mechanical and fatigue properties of metallic metamaterial structures produced in DC5 project, under uniaxial quasi-static, cyclic and vibrational loading conditions by microstructure sample characterization prior to the testing, in-situ during testing and post-mortem. Establishment of quantitative representation of design-fabrication-fatigue performance link and failure risk assessment procedures for metal 3D printed metamaterials.

Expected results: Understanding of the multi-scale deformation and failure mechanisms in metal 3D printed metamaterials under static, cyclic and vibrational loads. Qualitative and quantitative representation of design-fabrication-fatigue performance link. Fatigue properties in the form of life and strength to be used as input for theoretical failure prediction tools for optimization the metamaterial designs.

Planned secondments: Academic: KUL, 3 months, design and fabrication of samples in lab conditions; Industrial: KMWE, 3 months, design and fabrication of samples in industrial setting.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: KUL (BE): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Additive Manufacturing Group)

Main supervisor: Brecht Van Hooreweder (KUL)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Nima Razavi (NTNU)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: Design and manufacturing of dedicated specimen geometry for multi-axial quasi-static and fatigue testing of metamaterial structures mimicking metamaterial integration. Evaluate the multi-axial fatigue behaviour of metamaterial interior, as well as interfaces by creating graded specimens. Provide necessary corrections to the uniaxial failure assessment procedures developed in DC 6 project.

Expected results: Dedicated graded metamaterial specimen designs that allow the multi-axial testing of metamaterial interior and/or interfaces. Experimental characterization of the metamaterial quasi-static and fatigue behaviour under multi-axial loading using the dedicated graded samples. Analysis of the fatigue behaviour of metamaterial structures under multi-axial loading and establishment of multi-axial fatigue assessment criteria.

Planned secondments: Academic: 2 + 8 months at NTNU, sample design for fatigue testing and fatigue experiments. Industrial: 3 months, GoS, non-destructive characterization of as-manufactured and loaded multi-axial samples.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: PoliMi (IT): Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Main supervisor: Valentina Zega (PoliMi)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Alberto Corigliano (PoliMi), Ondrej Rokos (TU/e), Marc Geers (TU/e), Carlo Valzasina (STM)

Duration: 36 months

Objectives: The objective of this project is design for integration of metamaterials with switchable stiffness in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) testing equipment and MEMS packages for harsh environment, where the cross-coupling between different MEMS or between a MEMS package and external vibrations should be controlled and mitigated to improve the versatility of the equipment and ensure correct operation of MEMS based sensors.

Expected results: Fully resolved and reduced-order multi-physics models for designing (graded) metamaterial assemblies, based on the optimized geometries from DC1 and their integration into the MEMS testing equipment. Manufacturing proof-of-concept prototypes, in collaboration with DC5, and testing under conditions representative for MEMS testing equipment and packaging for harsh environment, including reliability assessment.

Planned secondments: Academic: TUE, 3 months, simulation techniques development and metamaterial optimization; KUL, 2 months, fabrication of the proof-of-concept prototypes. Industrial: STM, 2 months, test of the proposed solution in representative conditions.

Female researcher contact information: Valentina Zega

Host institution: TU/e (NL): Department of Mechanical Engineering (Mechanics of Materials Group)

Main supervisor: Varvara Kouznetsova (TU/e)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Elke Deckers (KUL)

Duration: 48 months

Objectives: Development of efficient computational techniques to enable simulations for metamaterial integration into (existing) components or systems, which imposes constraints on the finite size and shape of metamaterial domain, and requires taking into account the effects of boundaries and interfaces to other system components.

Expected results: Metamaterial computational homogenization methodology with significantly increased computational efficiency (at least factor 100 compared to the current version). Reduced order computational homogenization methodology for linear metamaterials compatible with industrial simulation design practices (in collaboration with ASML). Demonstration of the methodology capabilities on the linear metamaterial, as developed by DC2, and its system integration design.
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Planned secondments: Academic: KUL, 3 months, application of the developed methodology to metamaterial designs developed by DC2. Industrial: ASML, 3 months, integration of methodology in a (demo) design workflow.

Female researcher contact information: Varvara Kouznetsova

Host institution: PoliMi (IT): Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Main supervisor: Valentina Zega (PoliMi)

Co-supervisors/mentors: Alberto Corigliano (PoliMi), Varvara Kouznetsova (TU/e), Micheal Leamy (GIT), Carlo Valzasina (STM)

Duration: 36 months

Objectives: Develop design approach for innovative 3D meta-MEMS sensors/actuators able to combine the tri-dimensionality of additive manufacturing techniques and the advanced control and manipulation of elastic waves by the nonlinear metamaterial. Demonstrate the performance on the proof-of-principle prototype.

Expected results: Design, using numerical simulations and analysis from DC4, a 3D meta-MEMS sensor/actuator based on nonlinear wave interaction phenomena. Fabrication of the proof-of-principle prototype (with DC 5), testing and dynamic performance evaluation of the design in collaboration with STMicroelectronics and fatigue and reliability assessment (with DC7).

Planned secondments: Academic: GIT, 3 months, analysis of suitable non-linear wave phenomena; TUE, 3 months, non-linear reduced-order techniques development with DC4, WP1. Industrial: STM, 2 months, tests of the fabricated proof-of-concept demonstrator.

Female researcher contact information: Valentina Zega