Presenter: Alena Mcvicker – Physics
Faculty Mentor(s): Jayson Paulose, Saul Sun
Session: (In-Person) Poster Presentation
The mechanics of thin elastic shells underpins the structural behavior of ping pong balls, bacterial cell walls, and the outer protein capsules of viruses. Thin shell mechanics is determined by two separate areas of math and physics: the geometry of two-dimensional surfaces and the elasticity of continuum materials. One way to probe these effects experimentally is using indentation: poking a shell with a known force and measuring the displacement. Using geometry and elasticity, we can predict the responses of different shells based on many factors. Indentation studies give us a better understanding of their mechanics and the ability to build off the knowledge to develop tools for diagnostics. With this broad understanding of the project, my contribution is based on the fabrication of thin shells with specific geometries and then the measurement of the indentation of these shells. The goal is to show whether experimental measurements will reproduce theoretical results from the Paulose group. This research is comprised of two integral parts. First, we will fabricate shells with defined ellipsoidal geometries (shaped like M&Ms or footballs). To do so I will design molds in the desired shapes and get them 3d-printed at the UO Technical Science Administration. We then use a steel plate and base to hold down the shell which allows us to pressurize the shells. Through these methods we can see that thin shells have counterintuitive reactions to pressurization seen in their geometry.