MAE Seminar – Mechanics of Failure in Soft Materials and Structures

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MAE Seminar – Mechanics of Failure in Soft Materials and Structures

Dear Undergraduate and Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff,
You are invited! UF Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering’s Seminar Series
This is a perfect opportunity to enjoy some coffee, cookies, and captivating talks! These sessions feature amazing guest speakers, from academic trailblazers and industry movers to our very own faculty candidates showing off their expertise and fresh perspectives.
Come for the treats, stay for the engaging discussions, and connect with fellow MAE enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome!

January 9, 2025, at 12:50pm, Location: MAE-A 303

Chase Hartquist Ph.D. Candidate
Ph.D. Candidate in Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Abstract
Soft networks of interconnected polymer chains permeate throughout nature, biology, and technology due to exceptional mechanical performance. Engineering soft materials to be compatible with biology and technology can offer solutions to longstanding problems in medicine and sustainability. However, mechanical failure remains a key bottleneck in developing this interface. Although understanding the physics of fracture can inform failure prediction, functional characterization, and innovative design of soft materials, connecting bulk failure to molecular-level chain scission remains a quandary. While traditional models predict the intrinsic fracture energy of a polymer network is the energy to rupture a layer of chains, they can underestimate experiments by up to two orders of magnitude. We show that the intrinsic fracture energy of polymer-like networks stems from nonlocal energy dissipation using experiments and simulations of 2D and 3D networks with varying defects, dispersity, topologies, and length scales. Results inform development of highly regular elastomers with low defects and no trapped entanglements, which achieve ultrahigh stretchability and strain-induced crystallization. These elastomers offer promise in addressing challenges in clean energy, thermal management, and biomedicine. Linking nanoscale details with macroscale performance provides a basis for design of soft polymeric, biological, and architected materials across length scales for advanced applications

Biography
Chase Hartquist is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working alongside Professor Xuanhe Zhao. He was awarded four graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation (NSF), MathWorks, the Epp and Ain Sonin Fund, and the Warren M. Rohsenow Fund to support his doctoral studies. He earned his B.S. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis where he conducted research with Professor Guy Genin. He is the recipient of the MIT Mechanical Engineering Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Washington University Impacting Lives Award, and the ASME Applied Mechanics Abstract and Presentation Awards. His research focuses on understanding the mechanical and failure behaviors of soft materials. This work leverages fundamental structure-property relationships across scales to inform design of high-performing soft materials and structures for emerging applications in medical technology and clean energy.

MAE Faculty Host: Malisa Sarntinoranont