Associate professor of mechanical engineering Dr. Sundarram conducts research involving triply periodic minimal surface structures.
Research being done by Sriharsha Sundarram, PhD, involves triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures: lightweight yet mechanically strong materials that have garnered attention across industries seeking greater energy efficiency and lightweight designs.
Dr. Sundarram, the Brinkman Family associate professor of mechanical engineering, traveled to Spain and France this summer on a two-fold mission: to establish research and study abroad collaborations with faculty and students from the Jesuit Instituto Químico de Sarría (IQS) in Barcelona and the Institut Catholique D’Arts et Métiers (ICAM) in France, and to present his research on TPMS structures at the second ICAM International Days conference in Toulouse.
IQS has recently become a study abroad partner for the School of Engineering and Computing. The school is creating a master’s level program, and Dr. Sundarram expects that some of those students will come to 国产色情片 to complete their research and thesis work. While in France, he met with faculty from other universities, hoping to establish research collaborations with engineers also working on TPMS structures.
“There are a lot of people working on these structures, which are highly porous but at the same time have good mechanical properties,” explained Dr. Sundarram.
TPMS structures mimic the porosity and strength found in natural materials, such as bones, woods, and corals. They exhibit good performance when used as a filter or as a heat exchanger, because they have a large and smooth surface area.