ERMR 2025

Bio: Mehdi Ahmadian is J. Bernard Jones Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he also holds the position of Director of the Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS) and the Railway Technologies Laboratory (RTL). He is the founding director of CVeSS, RTL, Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research (VIPER), and the Advanced Vehicle Dynamics Laboratory (AVDL). Before joining Virginia Tech in 1995, Dr. Ahmadian worked in the transportation industry for eight years. Dr. Ahmadian has authored four book chapters, 163 archival journal papers, 225 refereed conference publications, and 147 unrefereed conference publications. He has made more than 400 technical presentations, including 16 major keynote and plenary lectures and numerous invited presentations. He has co-authored six books on topics related to advanced technologies for ground vehicles. He holds 11 U.S. and international patents. He has served in various editorial leadership capacities for the leading journals in transportation research including serving as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vibration and Control, and Editor of the International Journal of Vehicle System Dynamics. Dr. Ahmadian is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Fellow of the SAE International, Fellow of the International Society for Condition Monitoring (ISCM), Fellow of the International Institute of Acoustics and Vibration (IIAV), and Associate Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). His most recent professional awards include the 2023 Alumni Award for Research Excellence, regarded as the most prestigious Virginia Tech award for significant life-long research contributions. He is also the recipient of the 2019 Magnus Hendrickson Innovation Award, the seminal SAE International award in vehicle dynamics and suspension technologies; the SAE International 2019 Top Contributor Award; the 2015 SAE International Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker Award; the 2014 SAE International L. Ray Buckendale Award with a plenary lecture on "Integrating Electromechanical Systems in Commercial Vehicles for Improved Handling, Stability, and Comfort"; the 2013 COMVEC Best Presentation Award; the 2013 Simulation Multi-Conference Best Paper Award; and the 2008 SAE International Forest R. McFarland Award.

Title of Talk: From Jacob Rabinow to David Carlson and Beyond: A Walk Down the MR Fluid and Devices History Lane

Abstract: This presentation strolls down the magnetorheological (MR) fluids and devices memory lane by exploring their scientific and commercial progress from their discovery by Jacob Rabinow in 1948 to today. It recites some of the earlier MR patents in clutches and brakes to their reincarnation in the early 1990s, led by David Carlson. Dave's somewhat one-man effort to lead the crusade for convincing his employer, Lord Corporation, and the rest of the scientistic community to invest in and explore MR fluids is assessed. His efforts led to the rekindling of interest by the broader intelligent fluids and devices community to study, improve, and invent a new generation of MR fluids during the past two decades, which is also reviewed. Reflecting on some of the recent developments, the presentation provides a glimpse into some of the future discoveries in MR fluids and devices.

Bio: Dr. Xin Zhang is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering at Boston University. Her recent research focuses on metamaterials for photonics, optical technologies, clinical medical imaging, and acoustic silencing and noise reduction. She is a Fellow of ASME, IEEE, AIMBE, APS, Optica, and NAI, and an Associate Fellow of AIAA.

Title of Talk: Enhanced MRI With Magnetic Metamaterials

Abstract: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a vital tool for diagnosing diseases in various organs and tissues, but it is often costly and cumbersome. The quality of MRI images depends largely on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR); a higher SNR results in better images. While increasing the magnetic field strength is the most straightforward way to improve SNR, it also raises complexity, cost, and potential risks to patients. Metamaterials, artificially engineered with novel structures, can precisely manipulate electromagnetic waves, light, sound, and other physical phenomena through their unique shapes, sizes, geometries, orientations, and arrangements. In this talk, I will present recent progress on magnetic metamaterials for MRI, aiming to enhance SNR. This enhancement could significantly improve MRI image quality or accelerate image acquisition.

Bio: Dr. Weihua Li is a Senior Professor and Director of the Institute for Materials and Manufacturing Technology at the University of Wollongong. He completed his PhD at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2001. After two years of postdoctoral training, he joined the University of Wollongong in 2003 as an academic staff member. His research focuses on Dynamics and Vibration Control, Smart Materials and Structures, Microfluidics, and Lab on a Chip. He serves as chief editor or editorial board member for over 10 international journals. Professor Li is a Fellow of Engineers Australia, Fellow of the Institute of Physics (UK), and recipient of the JSPS Invitation Fellowship, Australian Endeavour Fellowship, Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Research Supervision, Vice-Chancellor's Award for Interdisciplinary Research Excellence, and numerous Best Paper Awards. He was appointed to the Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts in 2023.

Title of Talk: Development of Magnetorheological Elastomer Isolators with Metamaterial Structures

Abstract: Semi-active isolators working with laminated magnetorheological elastomer (MRE) structures have found applications in vibration control. This work reports the development of new MRE isolators with metamaterial structures for enhancing vibration suppression capabilities suitable for wide frequency ranges. This novel design takes advantage of tunable vibration bandgaps from novel metamaterial structures. Specifically, metamaterial MRE isolators were designed and prototyped. The mechanism of the formation of vibration bandgaps, for both infinite and finite periodic structures, was theoretically analysed, which details the equivalent negative stiffness of the metamaterial MRE isolator. Experiments were conducted to evaluate bandgaps of the metamaterial MRE isolators and their vibration isolation capacity. Results demonstrate that the new metamaterial MRE isolators are capable of offering enhanced vibration isolation performance with controllable bandgaps.

Bio: Dr. Wereley's current research interests are focused on active and passive vibration and shock mitigation (especially occupant protection systems) using primarily magnetorheological materials, and soft actuators and soft robotic systems. Dr. Wereley has published over 260 journal articles, 20 book chapters, over 275 conference articles, and over 20 patents. Dr. Wereley is the Editor-in-Chief of SAMPE Journal and Editor of the Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures. He also serves as an associate editor of Smart Materials and Structures, MDPI Actuators, MDPI Aerospace, and others. Dr. Wereley is the recipient of the ASME Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Prize (2012) and the SPIE Smart Structures and Materials Lifetime Achievement Award (2013). Dr. Wereley is a Fellow of AIAA, RAeS, VFS, ASME, SPIE, and the Institute of Physics. He is also a Senior Member of IEEE. Dr. Wereley has a B.Eng. (1982) from McGill University and M.S. (1987) and Ph.D. (1990) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Title of Talk: Energy Absorption Strategies for Occupant Protection in Aerospace and Automotive Vehicles

Abstract: The ability to dissipate energy in vehicle systems, especially with the goal of protecting occupants from potentially injurious vibration, repetitive shock, crash and blast loads, is becoming a critical issue as the cumulative impact of these load spectra on chronic health and acute injury are becoming better understood. The objective of this talk is to discuss what properties are optimal for energy absorption (EA) applications such as impact or shock load mitigation. Two primary strategies will be discussed in this talk: passive vs. semi-active energy absorbers. The first focus is the use of crushable materials to absorb energy. Two classes of passive materials will be discussed for EA applications including sintered and composite hollow glass foam materials, as well as elastomeric or plastic cellular materials. The second focus is the use of magnetorheological fluids (MRFs) or magnetorheological elastomers in EA applications. The properties of the MRF can be optimized for a particular application. A number of key nondimensional parameters can be used to gain insight into how to define optimality for various applications including: Bingham number, Hedstrom number, Reynolds number, Mason number, dynamic range. Also, the trade-offs associated in designing an optimal MRF for a particular application are discussed. The advantages of passive versus semi-active EA strategies will be discussed.

Bio: Jean-Sébastien Plante obtained a PhD from MIT in robotics in 2006 and has been a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Université de Sherbrooke since 2007. He is a creative researcher with about 65 scientific journal publications and more than 40 patents. He is the Director of the Studio de Création, a university-wide Fab-lab with over a thousand members. Pr. Plante co-founded the Createk Innovation Lab, a team of 10 professors, a dozen professionals, and over seventy students dedicated to the development of new technologies and their deployment in society. In his career, he developed two disruptive technologies: 1) geared magnetorheological actuators and 2) inside-out ceramic gas turbines. Both have been successfully transferred to Exonetik and Exonetik Turbo, companies co-founded by Pr. Plante now employing a total of 40 researchers where Pr. Plante is the Chief Technology Officer.

Title of Talk: Clutching Magnetorheological Actuators: an Enabling Technology for Haptic-Robots and High-Performance Machines

Abstract: In today's era of artificial intelligence, the progress of human-robot physical interaction is now limited by robotic hardware, notably, actuators. Unlike human muscles, the gearmotors used in most robots on the planet cannot perform strong, powerful tasks as well as gentle, dexterous ones in the same package. This presentation will show how clutching actuators based on magnetorheological (MR) fluid clutches repel conventional gearmotor limitations and open the door to new "haptic-robots" capabilities. Functioning of the MR clutching technology is first explained and current applications to active suspension seats and automotive active suspensions are reviewed. Then, an analytical and experimental performance assessment of today?s prominent robotic actuator technologies, that is, harmonic drives and quasi-direct-drives, is conducted in comparison with the MR clutching technology. Analytical models of five key performance metrics are developed for torque-to-mass, torque-to-inertia, backdriving loads, rendering stiffness, and power consumption. Finally, the design space of the three actuation technologies is drawn and performance potential in robotics is compared. Results show how MR actuators resolve a gearing conflict by decoupling the motor inertia through a fluidic interface, enabling gearing ratios between 50 to 100:1 with minimal output inertia, and thus, best in class accelerations. Results also show that MR actuators resolve a damping conflict by exploiting the serial positioning of the fluidic interface to tailor damping rates on demand, thus enabling rendering stiffnesses from null up to five times stiffer than harmonic drives. These unique dynamic characteristics combined with best-in-class torque densities in the 100 to 200 N.m/kg range, low backdriving torques, and low power consumption open the door to unseen robotic performance such as cobots capable of human-like haptic tasks.

Bio: Xufeng Dong is a professor of School of Materials Science and Engineering, Dalian University of Technology. Prof. Dong received his Ph.D. degree from Harbin Institute of Technology in 2009, and then he worked as a postdoctor at Dalian University of Technology. Prof. Dong has worked as a faculty of School of Materials Science and Engineering at DUT since 2011. He mainly engaged in the preparation, evaluation and application of smart and bio-medical materials. He has presided 8 national research projects, published 150+ peer-reviewed papers, authored 2 books, and authorized 10+ national invention patents. He is also the editor-in-chief of Progress in Chinese Materials Sciences, Section Board Member of Polymers, a guest associate editor of Frontiers in Materials, a member of the Electro/magneto-rheology Committee on Rheology of the Chinese Society of Mechanics (2023), a member of the Sub-Committee on Biomedical Composites of the Chinese Society of Biomaterials, a member of the Instrumentation Functional Materials Branch of the Chinese Society of Instrumentation, and a youth editorial board member of Chinese Chemical Letters, etc.

Title of Talk: High performance magnetorheological fluids based on cross-scale particles

Abstract: The vibration reduction of critical engineering structures is closely linked to their longevity, safety, and reliability. Magnetorheological (MR) fluid based intelligent vibration reduction technology offers significant advantages, including a wide range of applicable frequencies, low energy consumption, and excellent stability. Currently, the critical performance indicators of MR fluids, such as shear yield strength, sedimentation stability, and zero-field viscosity, exhibit mutual constraint effects. Achieving a balance among these key performance indicators and developing MR fluids with exceptional comprehensive performance presents a bottleneck problem that hampers the progress of intelligent vibration reduction technology in structural engineering. This study demonstrates that by incorporating homemade, high-saturation magnetization (208.0 emu·g-1) nanoparticles as a secondary component in cross-scale bidisperse MR fluids, the performance drawbacks experienced by monodisperse micron particles can effectively be mitigated, leading to a more stable equilibrium between performance factors. The main reason is that nanoparticle addition heightens chain structure density under magnetic fields, while reducing overall particle density when no magnetic field is applied. By substituting some micron particles with nanoparticles, the significant increase in zero-field viscosity caused by direct nanoparticle introduction can be circumvented. The optimal proportion of nanoparticles in MR fluids was preliminarily explored, and it was found that the Micro-Nano bidisperse MR fluids exhibit high shear yield strength (58.3 kPa at 436 kA·m-1), excellent sedimentation stability (82.6% at 7 days), suitable zero-field viscosity (1.25 Pa·s at 100 s-1), and ideal reversibility. Most notably, the method used to prepare these MR fluids is simple, bestowing considerable value for engineering applications.

Bio: Stefan Odenbach obtained his PhD from Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich in 1993 with a fluid mechanics problem in ferrofluids. After a postdoc period at BUGH Wuppertal and ILL in Grenoble he joined the Centre of Applied Spacetechnology and Microgravity (ZARM) in Bremen where he established a research group on complex fluids which was mainly working on magnetic fluids. Since 2005 he's professor for Magnetofluiddynamics, Measuring and Automation Technology at TU Dresden. His research is mainly devoted to magnetic hybrid materials from ferrofluids and magnetorheological fluids to magnetic elastomers and gels. A central research interest in these materials is the correlation of microstructural information with field induced changes in the macroscopic properties. He headed two priority programs by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft dealing with magnetic hybrid materials and is author of more than 300 peer-reviewed publications.

Title of Talk: Microstructure as a key to understand the behavior of magnetorheological elastomers

Abstract: X-ray microtomography has been proven to be an excellent tool for analyzing the inner structure of magnetic hybrid materials. Using sophisticated methods of digital processing, it has become possible to track changes in the microstructure over numerous steps of changing external stimuli. By combining microstructural investigations with macroscopic characterization of the materials, one can correlate microstructural changes and macroscopic behavior using single descriptors.

In the talk, the techniques and image processing methods will be discussed, along with the experimental procedures used to correlate microstructural aspects with macroscopic behavior. In an outlook, methods to experimentally evaluate the dynamics of structure formation will be outlined.

Bio: Dr. Ken Loh is the TaylorMade Golf Chancellor's Endowed Professor in the Department of Structural Engineering at UC San Diego and previously served as the Department Vice Chair (2018-2021). He is the Director of the Active, Responsive, Multifunctional, and Ordered-materials Research (ARMOR) Lab and the Jacobs School of Engineering, Center for Extreme Events Research (CEER). He is also an affiliate faculty member of the Materials Science & Engineering Program. Dr. Loh received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Johns Hopkins University in 2004. He completed two M.S. degrees in Structural Engineering (2005) and Materials Science & Engineering (2008), as well as a Ph.D. in Structural Engineering in 2008 at the University of Michigan. He began his academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at UC Davis in January 2009 before joining UC San Diego in January 2016. His research focuses on multifunctional and stimuli-responsive materials, tomographic imaging techniques, wearable sensors, active metamaterials, and soft material actuators to address challenges related to human performance, structural sustainment, and human-structure interactions. Beyond academia, Dr. Loh serves as an Engineering Duty Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve and is a co-founder of JAK Labs, Inc.

Title of Talk: Multifunctional and Metamaterials for Warfighter Protection

Abstract: The safety, resiliency, and survivability of the warfighter, whether in a training or forward deployed environment, are of utmost importance for the military. For instance, musculoskeletal injuries are the leading cause of military disability discharge, which amount to ~1.6 million injuries per year within the U.S. Department of Defense. At sea, sailors and damage control personnel perform duties in hazardous conditions, especially when responding to shipboard emergencies because of smoke, fire, flood, and/or radiation. Similarly, resiliency at sea is further put to test during search and rescue of sailors fallen overboard. The goal of this presentation is to highlight three unique ongoing efforts in multifunctional and metamaterials development in the ARMOR Lab, all aimed at enhancing warfighter performance and protection. First, graphene nanosheet (GNS) piezoresistive sensors were integrated with firefighting equipment, specifically the self-contained breathing apparatus. The GNS sensors were strategically placed to measure the health, activities, and surrounding conditions of shipboard personnel during shipboard damage control operations. Laboratory and shipboard human subject tests were conducted and showed that gait, movement, and respiration rate could be accurately measured. The second example is the design of a wearable, passive, antenna uniform patch that changes shape (and thus its antenna signature) when a sailor falls overboard, so that the identity, location, and condition of the sailor could be quickly determined using remote sensing. Termed Active Skins, these additively manufactured mechanical metamaterials incorporated specific stimuli-responsive materials to detect parameters such as temperature changes and exposure to seawater. The last example showcases an additively manufactured field-responsive mechanical material (FRMM) that exhibits dynamic control and on-the-fly tunability. Specifically, complex structures of polymeric tubes were printed and infilled with magnetorheological fluid suspensions. Modulating applied magnetic fields resulted in rapid, reversible, and sizable changes of the FRMM's effective stiffness, which could be potentially used as a wearable adaptive armor.