Cellular Solids: Structure, Properties, Applications
Discusses processing and structure of cellular solids as they are created from polymers, metals, ceramics, glasses, and composites; derivation of models for the mechanical properties of honeycombs and foams; and how unique properties of honeycombs and foams are exploited in applications such as lightweight structural panels, energy absorption devices, and thermal insulation. Covers applications of cellular solids in medicine, such as increased fracture risk due to trabecular bone loss in patients with osteoporosis, the development of metal foam coatings for orthopedic implants, and designing porous scaffolds for tissue engineering that mimic the extracellular matrix. Includes modelling of cellular materials applied to natural materials and biomimicking. Offers a combination of online and in-person instruction. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
Spring 2015 · Cellular Solids: Structure, Properties and Applications
Topics
- Introduction and overview
- Processing of cellular solids
- Structure of cellular solids
- Honeycombs: In-plane behaviour
- Honeycombs: Out-of-plane behaviour
- Natural honeycombs: Wood, cork
- Foams: Linear elasticity, strength, densification, fracture
- Foams: Mictrostructural design, lattice materials, property charts
- Foams: Thermal properties
- Trabelcular bone
- Osteoporosis and evolution
- Tissue engineering scaffolds: Processing and properties
- Tissue engineering scaffolds case study: Osteochondral scaffold
- Cell-scaffold interactions: Attachment, morphology, contraction, migration, differentiation
- Applications: Energy absorption in foams
- Applications: Sandwich panels
- Natural sandwich structures + Density gradients
- Biomimicking
- How I became a professor
Readings
Prerequisites & course information
Subject meets with 3.054 Prereq: 3.013 or permission of instructor G (Spring) Not offered regularly; consult department 3-0-9 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2015
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.