Micron-scale Crashworthiness (MicronCrash)

Smaller is stronger, but bigger is more dynamic! The strength and hardening of metal components increase with diminishing size, where in contrast the inertia forces under severe dynamic loading conditions decrease at small scales. What are the effects of such a scale dependency on crashworthiness? Can micron-scale strengthening prevent or stabilize buckling and collapse of small-scale structures? Do unseen mechanical phenomena exist in the borderline between the two counteracting effects? The production of micro-components is ever-growing and 3D metal printing in additive manufacturing relies on complex infill structures to support the outer geometry. This research project will provide insight into the mechanics that control the response and integrity of such small-scale structures to allow for improved and innovative product designs – potentially exploiting mechanism shifts that follow with the interaction of length scales.