Cellular Solids

Learn how to model the mechanical properties of honeycombs and foams and to apply the models to material selection in engineering design.

start date
May 4, 2022
length
15 weeks
effort
8-12 hours per week
price
$149 (or request financial assistance)

About this course

In this engineering course, we will explore the processing and structure of cellular solids as they are created from polymers, metals, ceramics, glasses and composites.

We will begin the course by deriving models for the mechanical properties of honeycombs and foams, and we will discover how the unique properties of these materials can be exploited in applications such as lightweight structural panels, energy absorption devices, and thermal insulation.

Next, we will explore cellular solids in medicine, including trabecular bone mechanics, the increased risk of bone fracture due to trabecular bone loss in patients with osteoporosis, the development of metal foam coatings for orthopedic implants, applying foam models to tissue engineering scaffolds and the design of a porous scaffold for tissue engineering that mimics the body's own extracellular matrix.

Finally, we will explore sandwich structures and cellular solids that occur in nature, and we will consider examples of engineering design inspired by natural materials.

What you’ll learn

  • How to model the mechanical behavior of honeycombs and foams
  • Application of the models in devices for energy absorption and sandwich panels
  • How cellular solids are made
  • Applications of cellular solids in medicine
  • Examples of engineering design inspired by natural cellular solids

Prerequisites

Mechanics of Materials (3.032x Parts 1, 2, and 3) or similar

Meet your instructors

  • Lorna Gibson

  • Jessica Sandland

Who can take this course?

Because of U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions and other U.S. federal regulations, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and the Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic regions of Ukraine.