In Koslowski group we use numerical tools like finite elements and phase field methods to predict the behavior of materials from atoms to structures. We solve multi-physics problems including, mechanical response, thermal transport, phase transformations, fracture, and chemical reactions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECYqyFspKVI

Marisol Koslowski is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. She received her B.S. degree in Physics in 1997 from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and her M.S and Ph. D. degrees in Aeronautics in 1999 and 2003 from the California Institute of Technology. She was a Technical Staff Member in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory before joining Purdue in 2005.

Our group is part of the following centers at Purdue University:

CHIRP: Center for heterogeneous integration research in packaging.

PERC: Purdue Energetics Research Center

Research

Nanocrystalline materials: Grain boundaries and interfaces play a prominent role in the deformation behavior of polycrystals rendering superior mechanical properties, including high strength and hardening. Our dislocation dynamics simulations help to understand these mechanisms to accelerate the development of materials with improved mechanical properties. 

Lei Cao and Marisol Koslowski, Rate limited plastic deformation in nanocrystalline nickel, Journal of Applied Physics117, 244301, 2015.

Lei Cao, Abigail Hunter, Irene Beyerlein and Marisol Koslowski, The role of partial mediated slip during quasistatic deformation of nanocrystalline nickel, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 78 415-426, 2015.

Composite Materials: Carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites are used in airplanes, sailboats, cars, wind turbines, sport equipment, and many other structures where high strength-to-weight ratios are required. Delamination is a predominant failure mechanism these composites.  Applying fracture dynamics in finite elements simulations we help to design composite materials that reduce the formation of extensive delamination zones.

Yuesong Xie and Marisol Koslowski, Numerical simulations of inter-laminar fracture in particle-toughened carbon fiber reinforced composites, 92, 62-69 Composites Part A, 2017.

Yuesong Xie, Oleksandr G Kravchenko; R. Byron Pipes and Marisol Koslowski, Phase field modeling of damage in glassy polymers, Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 93, 182-197, 2016

Alloys and high entropy alloys: Alloys and high entropy alloys exhibit superior functional properties. We develop predictive models of flow, strengthening, ductility, and fatigue, to advance the design of alloys by selecting the composition required to achieve a specific purpose. 

Yifei Zeng, Xiaorong Cai, and Marisol Koslowski, Stacking fault fluctuation effects on the strengthening of high entropy alloys, Acta Materialia, 164 1-11, 2019

Energetic Materials: Detonations in energetic materials can initiate from shock loading through a combination of chemical, thermal, and mechanical processes. The presence of microstructural defects like cracks, voids, grain boundaries, and interfaces are initiation sites for the formation of hot-spots that precede detonation. We incorporate these defects explicitly to predict ignition due to shock compression. The characteristic length of these defects is at submicron or micron scale. While transition to detonation occurs at millimeter scales. To ensure computational efficiency, we develop high-fidelity surrogate models informed from microscale simulations and we use them in detonation simulations.

Camilo A. Duarte, Chunyu Li, Brenden W. Hamilton, A. Strachan, and Marisol Koslowski, Continuum and molecular dynamics simulations of pore collapse in shocked β- tetramethylene tetranitramine single crystals, Journal of Applied Physics, 129 015904, 2021.
Sakano, Michael; Hamed, Ahmed; Kober, Edward; Grilli, Nicolo; Hamilton, Brenden; Islam, Md Mahbubul; Koslowski, Marisol; Strachan, Alejandro, Unsupervised learning-based multiscale model of thermochemistry in RDX, Journal of Physical Chemistry, 124 44 9141-9155, 2020.
Camilo A. Duarte, Ahmed Hamed, Jonathan D. Drake, Christian J. Sorensen, Steven F. Son, Weynong W. Chen, and Marisol Koslowski, Void collapse in shocked beta-HMX single crystals: simulations and experiments, Propellants, Explosives, Pyrotechnics, 45(2) 243-253, 2020.

Periodic excitation of energetic materials: Polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) are composite materials containing energetic particles in a polymeric binder that are designed to react under a controlled stimulus. Accidental ignition followed by initiation may occur when a PBX sample is subjected to mechanical impact or vibration. We use finite element simulations to predict the damaging effect of ultrasonic vibration in PBX microstructures that can affect the ignition threshold of these composite materials.

Camilo Duarte Cordon, Rachel Kohler, and Marisol Koslowski, Dynamic fracture and frictional heating due to periodic excitation in energetic materials, Journal of Applied Physics, 124 165109, 2018.

A. Dandekar and Marisol Koslowski, Effect of particle proximity and surface properties on the response of PBX under vibration, 19 110334, Computational Materials Science, 2021  

Reliability of Microelectronics: Of the many lead-free solders used in the semiconductor industry, Sn-Ag-Cu (SAC) has emerged as one of the most accepted. However, the interfacial reaction of Cu with molten Sn-based solder results in the formation brittle intermetallic compounds (IMC) that accelerate the degradation of these systems. In addition, electromigration is a concern due to the miniaturization of solder joints. We develop models and simulations  to predict the formation and evolution of IMCs, the nucleation of voids and the diffusion of copper due to electromigration.

X. Cai, Andew M. Pham, and Marisol Koslowski, Mechanical failure of Cu-Sn solder joints, Journal of Electronic Materials, 50:6006–6013, 2021.

Dynamic Response of Materials: We use finite elements simulations to study the response of materials under extreme conditions such as high strain rate impact and shock loading. The simulations include anisotropic crystalline plasticity, fracture, friction, and thermal response.

Nicolo Grilli and Marisol Koslowski, The effect of crystal anisotropy and plastic response on the dynamic fracture of energetic materials, Journal of Applied Physics, 126 155101, 2019.

Stress relaxation in thin films: Whiskers sometimes grow from surfaces of thin films reaching lengths of several micrometers and may cause electronic system failures such as short circuits when they bridge closely-spaced circuit elements.  Whiskers and hillocks appear to be responses of thin metal films to residual stresses but a single explanation to the operation of these phenomena has not been established. Finite elements simulations and experiments help to explain these mechanisms where grain orientation and recrystallization play a key role.

Xiaorong Cai, Carol Handwerker, John Blendell, and Marisol Koslowski, Shallow grain formation in Sn thin films, Acta Materiala, 45 1-12, 2020.

Teaching

ME 581 Numerical Methods in Mechanical Engineering

https://nanohub.org/tools/purdueme581

ME 323 Mechanics of Materials https://www.purdue.edu/freeform/me323/

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