Focused on the mechanics and thermodynamics of material response, Negahban and his group work on a broad range of problems in continuum mechanics and thermodynamics, numerical simulation and materials characterization. These include:

 

·         Continuum mechanics and thermodynamics

o   Material symmetry and its evolution in material response models

o   Thermodynamics of solids

·         Constitutive modeling

o   Nonlinear elastic, plastic, and viscoelastic response

o   Internal state variable models

o   Thermodynamics of glassy polymer response

o   Phase transformation in polymers

o   Failure in metals

·         Material characterization

o   Mechanical testing

o   Digital Image Correlation (DIC)

o   Dynamic loading in a Split Hopkinson bar

o   Ultrasonic material characterization

o   Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA)

o   Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy

o   Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC)

·         Computational methods

o   Finite element methods

o   Molecular dynamics and multi-scale models

o   Optimization of material grading

·         Manufacturing and process simulation

o   3D printing of material grading

o   Food processing

o   Optimization in laser peening

 

The group collaborates with colleagues in the Advanced Mechanics and Materials International Laboratory (AMME-International).