Natasha Vermaak’s leading work on the cyclic inelastic design of materials and structures in complex multi-axial high temperature environments using her thermostructural rig is featured in a case study recently published by MTS Systems Corporation, a provider of testing and sensing solutions.
Vermaak, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, has developed a test rig with her research group that combines a mechanical axial-torsional testing machine with high temperature induction heating, thermography, and high-temperature strain measurement via extensometry and Digital Image Correlation (DIC).
“Our group's work on the cyclic inelastic behavior of metals in these combined loading environments is promoting new design guidelines to increase component lifetimes and support lightweighting in aerospace applications,” says Vermaak.
The case study is the first in a series called “Leveraging Non-Contacting Strain Measurements Solutions,” produced by MTS in partnership with Trilion Quality Systems, a developer of precision 3D optical measurement and inspection testing devices.
About Natasha Vermaak
Professor Natasha Vermaak earned her doctorate in Materials from the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) with Professor Anthony G. Evans. She served as a postdoctoral scholar at UCSB and at the University of Grenoble, France. Her research interests include multifunctional architectured materials and structures; application of mathematical optimization techniques for the design of material composition, microstructure, and structural topology; modeling for thermostructural and materials degradation and durability; design and optimization of bio-inspired actuators, structures, and surfaces; ultra-light weight aerospace structures; and integrated computational materials engineering.
