Tensegrity Systems: Basic Concepts, Mechanical Metamaterials, Biotensegrity
About this ebook
After an introduction to the basic concepts and calculation methods for tensegrity systems and their minimal-mass design, the chapters explore the metamaterial behaviors of tensegrity systems associated with bandgap and solitary wave dynamics; present a mechanical model of flexible tensegrities, illustrating how harnessing the buckling of bars in such systems can result in structures with exceptional energy absorption capabilities, suitable for applications such as planetary landers or lattice metamaterials; and discuss the extreme mechanical behaviors achievable in tensegrity-inspired lattice structures exhibiting both soft and stiff deformation modes. The last chapters address the multifaceted field of biotensegrity, and provide an overview of current rapid prototyping techniques for tensegrity systems, along with a discussion of open questions and research opportunities in the field.
About the author
Fernando Fraternali is Professor of Structural Mechanics in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Salerno, Italy. Most of his research work concerns multiscale modeling and simulation of solids and structures, the nonlinear dynamics of materials and structures, and the design and engineering of sustainable materials at multiple scales. Prof. Fraternali was awarded a Fulbright Research Scholarship for the academic year 2005/06, and has been Visiting Professor at the California Institute of Technology since September 2005, and at the University of California, San Diego. He serves as Associate Editor of “Mechanics Research Communications” and “Frontiers in Materials”.
Julain J. Rimoli earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautics from Caltech in 2005 and 2009, respectively. Following his graduation, Rimoli joined the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics as a postdoctoral associate. In 2011, he went to Georgia Tech, where he was the Pratt & Whitney Professor of Aerospace Engineering until joining the University of California Irvine in 2022. His research involves the computational mechanics of materials and structures, with special interest in problems involving multiple length and time scales, and in the development of theories and computational techniques for seamlessly bridging them. Rimoli is an associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, winner of an NSF CAREER Award and a recipient of the Donald W. Douglas Prize Fellowship and Ernest E. Sechler Memorial Award in Aeronautics.
