Title: Soft solids tribology: current trends and challenges in modelling and experimentation
Speaker: Dr. Carmine Putignano
Affiliation: Polytechnical University of Bari, Italy
Date: Tuesday April 19th
Time: 15:30
Room: EA 409
Abstract:
In modern tribology research, the mechanics and physics of soft materials have raised an increasingly high interest due to the variety and the number of applications – spanning nano- , micro- and macro- scales –, which require to be optimized in terms of performances and energy efficiency.
Assessing soft matter tribology, however, requires developing complex strongly non-linear models, which have to account, inter alia, for time-dependent viscoelastic effects. Furthermore, the presence of multi-phases interfaces, like in lubricated systems, eventually in presence of porous solids, can makes the study of soft materials even more problematic. In this seminar, we describe some theoretical approaches proposed in the last years to study the dry and lubricated soft contact mechanics. Related experimental technics, ad hoc developed to corroborate the numerical outcomes, are reviewed. Applications in the industrial and biomechanical fields are, finally, presented.
Bio:
Dr. Carmine Putignano has been appointed as Associate Professor in Applied Mechanics at Polytechnic University of Bari (Italy) starting from October 2021. At the same Institution, he obtained a Bachelor Degree and a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering, both obtained summa cum laude respectively in 2007 and in 2009, and a PhD in Mechanical and Biomechanical Design in 2013; furthermore, he served as Assistant Professor form 2015 till 2021. Dr. Putignano has a significant research track in Applied Mechanics and, in particular, in Tribology, with over 50 publications, more than 1400 citations and a h-index of 18 (Google Scholar); He is principal investigator in a number of industrial and research projects, including collaborations with Bosch, Toyota, SKF, AC2T. His approach to research is marked by a strong attitude to international collaboration: Dr. Putignano has been recipient of a Marie Curie Intra European fellowship at Imperial College London (UK) and a Fulbright scholarship at University of Delaware (USA). His expertise is mainly related to the development of numerical methods, adequately validated by experiments, to study soft matter tribology in dry and lubricated conditions (see, e.g., JMPS 61 (8), 1822-1834, 2013 and JMPS 134, 103748, 2020); recently, he has started to direct his research to biomechanical problems, providing the first theoretical explanation to lubrication-induced rehydration in human joints (Acta Biomater., 125, 90-99, 2021).