Creation of Architected Materials with Prescribed Fingerprints via Graph Based Machine Learning and Additive Manufacturing

Project Personnel

Xiaoyu Zheng

Principal Investigator

University of California, Los Angeles

Email

Wei Wang

University of California, Los Angeles

Email

Yun Jing

Pennsylvania State University

Email

Mathieu Bauchy

University of California, Los Angeles

Email

Izhou Sun

University of California, Los Angeles

Email

Funding Divisions

Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation (CMMI), Information and Intelligent Systems (IIS)

A material's force-displacement response, modal response, and wave transmission and absorption response to dynamic loadings, all can be construed as its characteristic fingerprints. The behaviors of materials under dynamic loads that are applied within a fraction of a second remain poorly understood due to the complex, nonlinear interplay between material microstructure, geometry, and applied load. The complexity increases manifold for architected materials, in which topological considerations are paramount to achieve specific responses or functions. Consequently, methodical design of architected materials with optimal dynamic fingerprints is a challenge that has not been adequately addressed. By seamlessly integrating advances in graph network theory, machine learning, numerical simulations, and high-speed additive manufacturing approaches, this Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer our Future (DMREF) award will accelerate the understanding, inverse design, and fabrication of architected materials with tailorable dynamic fingerprints. The outcome will be materials with inversely designed three-dimensional micro-architectures fabricated via desktop additive manufacturing with prescribed behaviors, such as impact shielding and wave transmission. Applications include energy and shock absorption, acoustic wave filtering, stretchable electronics, and other multifunctional material systems. The project will also train graduate and undergraduate students in the new paradigm of autonomous inverse design and additive manufacturing based on desired behaviors. Moreover, demonstration modules, design games, and additive printing activities will be used for outreach to K-12 students.