HOW DO OBJECTS CHANGE SHAPE?

Slender structures are ubiquitous. Commonly described by rods, plates, and shells, these thin structures are embodied by carbon nanotubes, air plane wings, blood vessels, spider silk, contact lenses, and human hair. The mechanics of these thin objects are fascinating because geometric nonlinearities will arise even as the material properties remain linear – hair will curl and tangle, skin will wrinkle, nanotubes can bend and buckle, and spider webs will elongate to several times their original length. We are interested in understanding and controlling the mechanics, physics, and geometry of these thin structures, and our lab aims to harness material and structural instability for advanced functionality.

Our research has utilized elastic instabilities to build grasping tools, mechanical computers, and linear actuators using kirigami. We have built load bearing columns, beams, and arches by combining nothing more than rocks and string. We developed a model to explain the mechanism that governs the growth of the optic cup – the structure that holds the eyeball. We have studied how structure pack together – how rods pack within grains, how grains pack on sheets, how bundles of beams bump and bunch together, and how sheets pack within rings. We have studied the sound that a toy popper makes and the shapes of a Slinky. We are currently interested in mechanical computation, textiles, and interactions between structures and grains.

Selected Press

Douglas P. Holmes
Douglas P. Holmes
Curriculum Vitae: CV

Associate Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Boston University
730 Commonwealth Ave., EMA 213
Boston, MA 02215
dpholmes [at] bu [dot] edu

Assoc. Prof.: BU (2019-)
Asst. Prof.: BU (2014-2019)
Asst. Prof.: Virginia Tech (2011-2014)

PD: Princeton University (2009-2011)
Ph.D.: UMass, Amherst (2005-2009)
M.S.: UMass, Amherst (2004-2005)
B.S.: UNH (2000-2004)