Senthil Vel – Arthur O. Willey Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, Room 257
(207) 581-2777
senthil.vel@maine.edu

Senthil S. Vel, Ph.D.

Arthur O. Willey Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Education:

  • Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Virginia Tech, 1998

Publications and Educational Materials:

Profiles:

External Engagements:

  • National Science Foundation Proposal Review Panelist.
  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016.
  • Co-organizer of the 15th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Maine, 2004.

Teaching Areas:

  • MEE 450 Mechanics of Composite Materials
  • MEE 455 Advanced Strength of Materials
  • MEE 456 Introduction to the Finite Element Method
  • MEE 550 Mechanics of Laminated Composite Structures
  • MEE 554 Theory of Elasticity

Teaching Honors and Awards:

  • Dean’s list of outstanding instructors for 1999-2000, College of Engineering, Virginia Tech.
  • 2018 Presidential Outstanding Teaching Award, University of Maine.
  • Faculty Excellence Award, University of Maine Alumni Association, January 2018.
  • Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Sigma Phi Epsilon, 2017.
  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016.
  • Ashley S. Campbell Award, College of Engineering, University of Maine, 2015.
  • Professor of the Year, Sigma Phi Epsilon, University of Maine, 2006.
  • Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Teaching by Young Faculty, College of Engineering, University of Maine, October 2003.

Research Areas: More information

  • Mechanics of Composite Materials
  • Computational Solid Mechanics
  • Micromechanical Modeling of Heterogeneous Materials
  • Multiscale Modeling
  • Thermoelastic properties, seismic anisotropy and creep of rocks, ice and polycrystalline materials

Principal Sponsors

  • NSF, ONR

Select Research / Collaboration Activities

  • Design of functionally graded materials using genetic algorithms, NSF
  • Structural response of hybrid ship connections subjected to fatigue loads, ONR
  • Multiscale analysis of geological structures that influence crustal seismic anisotropy, NSF
  • Integrated analytical-computational analysis of microstructural influences on seismic anisotropy, NSF
  • Origin and vertical extent of damage zones around continental strike-slip faults, NSF

Select Publications / Presentations (*Student)

  • Vel, S.S., Cook*, A.C, Johnson, S.E., Gerbi, C., Computational homogenization and micromechanical analysis of textured polycrystalline materials, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 310:749-779, 2016.
  • Cook*, A.C., Vel, S.S., Gerbi, C., Johnson, S.E., Computational analysis of nonlinear creep of polyphase aggregates: Influence of phase morphology, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 119: 6877–6906, 2014.
  • Vel, S.S., Goupee*, A.J., Multiscale thermoelastic analysis of random heterogeneous materials. Part I: Microstructure characterization and homogenization of material properties, Computational Materials Science, 48: 22-38, 2010.
  • Pelletier*, J.L., Vel, S.S., Multi-objective optimization of fiber reinforced composite laminates for strength, stiffness and minimal mass, Computers & Structures, 84: 2065-2080, 2006.
  • Vel S.S., Batra R.C., Three-dimensional exact solution for the vibration of functionally graded rectangular plates, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 272: 703-730, 2004.

Professional Activities / Memberships

  • ASME Fellow

Research Areas:

The following software tools are currently under development by my research group.

Senthil Vel: Research Activities and Profile Summaries

Dr. Senthil Vel is the Arthur O. Willey Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maine. His research encompasses a broad range of topics in theoretical and computational solid mechanics, including laminated composites, functionally graded materials, multiscale modeling,  computational micromechanics of heterogeneous materials and active structures.

Research Interests:

  • Theoretical and Computational Solid Mechanics – Exact solutions for thick anisotropic plates and shells, application of finite element and meshless methods, multiscale analysis of composite materials, computational micromechanics, mathematical homogenization of polycrystalline aggregates.
  • Composite Materials – Development of three-dimensional elasticity solutions for thick composite structures, vibration and dynamic response of composite structures, analysis of sandwich composite structures, tapered sandwich structures, random heterogeneous materials.
  • Functionally Graded Materials – Analytical and computational techniques for the transient coupled thermoelastic analysis of functionally graded structures, simulation-based design of advanced material systems, application of mathematical optimization techniques for the design of material composition, microstructure and structural topology.
  • Smart Structures – Analysis and applications of a class of smart structures composed of piezoelectric materials integrated with composite structures, piezothermoelastic analysis of smart structures, structural health monitoring, active vibration suppression using piezoelectric actuators.
  • Structural Optimization – Application of genetic algorithms for the optimization of composite structures and functionally graded materials, multi-objective optimization techniques for continuous and discrete design variables.

Research Honors and Awards:

  • Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Sigma Phi Epsilon, 2019.
  • Faculty Excellence Award, University of Maine Alumni Association, 2018.
  • Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2016.
  • Ashley S. Campbell Award, College of Engineering, University of Maine, 2015.
  • American Academy of Mechanics Junior Achievement Award, 2005. The award is given once a year, to one post-graduate researcher, to recognize outstanding research during the first decade of their professional career.

Peer-reviewed Journal Papers

  1. Okaya D., Vel S.S., Song W.-J., Johnson S.E, 2018, Modification of crustal seismic anisotropy by geological structures (“structural geometry anisotropy”), Geosphere, 14: 146-170.
  2. Cook A.C., Vel S.S., Johnson S.E., 2017, Pervasive cracking of heterogeneous brittle materials using a multi-directional smeared crack band model, International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 149: 459-474.
  3. Vel S.S., Cook A.C, Johnson S.E., Gerbi C., 2016, Computational homogenization and micromechanical analysis of textured polycrystalline materials, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 310:749-779.
  4. Warren K.C., Lopez-Anido R.A., Vel S.S., Bayraktar, H.H., 2016, Progressive failure analysis of three-dimensional woven carbon composites in single-bolt, double-shear bearing, Composites Part B: Engineering, 84: 266–276.
  5. Gerbi C., Johnson S.E., Cook A.C., Vel S.S., 2015, Effect of phase morphology on bulk strength for power-law materials, Geophysical Journal International, 200: 374–389.
  6. Cook A.C., Vel S.S., Gerbi C., Johnson S.E., 2014, Computational analysis of nonlinear creep of polyphase aggregates: Influence of phase morphology, Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 119: 6877–6906.
  7. Cook A.C., Vel S.S., 2013, Multiscale thermopiezoelectric analysis of laminated plates with integrated piezoelectric fiber composites, European Journal of Mechanics-A/Solids, 40: 11-33.
  8. Poirier J.D., Vel S.S., Caccese V., 2013, Multi-objective optimization of laser-welded steel sandwich panels for static loads using a genetic algorithm, Engineering Structures, 49: 508–524.
  9. Cook A.C., Vel S.S., 2012, Multiscale analysis of laminated plates with integrated piezoceramic fiber composite actuators, Composite Structures, 94: 322–336.
  10. Naus-Thijssen F.M.J., Goupee A.J., Johnson S.E., Vel S.S., Gerbi C., 2011, The influence of crenulation cleavage development on the bulk elastic and seismic properties of phyllosilicate-rich rocks, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 311 (3-4): 212-224 [Electronic supplement].
  11. Naus-Thijssen F.M.J., Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., Johnson S.E., 2011, The influence of microstructure on seismic wave speed anisotropy in the crust: Computational analysis of quartz muscovite rocks, Geophysical Journal International, 185: 609-621.
  12. Vel S.S., 2011. Exact thermoelastic analysis of functionally graded anisotropic hollow cylinders with arbitrary material gradation, Mechanics of Advanced Materials and Structures, 18: 14-31.
  13. Vel S.S., 2010. Exact elasticity solution for the vibration of functionally graded anisotropic cylindrical shells, Composite Structures, 92: 2712–2727.
  14. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2010. Transient multiscale thermoelastic analysis of functionally graded materials, Composite Structures, 92: 1372–1390.
  15. Vel S.S., Goupee A.J., 2010. Multiscale thermoelastic analysis of random heterogeneous materials. Part I: Microstructure characterization and homogenization of material properties, Computational Materials Science, 48: 22-38.
  16. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2010. Multiscale thermoelastic analysis of random heterogeneous materials. Part II: Direct micromechanical failure analysis and multiscale simulations, Computational Materials Science, 48: 39-53.
  17. Vel S.S., Pelletier J.L., 2007. Multi-objective optimization of functionally graded thick shells for thermal loading, Composite Structures, 81: 386-400.
  18. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2007. Multi-objective optimization of functionally graded materials with temperature-dependent material properties, Materials & Design, 28: 1861-1879.
  19. Pelletier, J.L., Vel, S.S., 2006. Multi-objective optimization of fiber reinforced composite laminates for strength, stiffness and minimal mass, Computers & Structures, 84: 2065-2080.
  20. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2006. Optimization of natural frequencies of bidirectional functionally graded structures, Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization, 32: 473-484.
  21. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2006. Two-dimensional optimization of material composition of functionally graded materials using meshless analyses and a genetic algorithm, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 195: 5926-5948.
  22. Pelletier J.L., Vel S.S., 2006. An exact solution for the steady-state thermoelastic response of functionally graded orthotropic cylindrical shells, International Journal of Solids and Structures,  43: 1131-1158.
  23. Vel, S.S., Caccese V., Zhao, H., 2005. Elastic coupling effects in tapered sandwich panels with laminated anisotropic composite facings, Journal of Composite Materials, 39: 2161-2183.
  24. Baillargeon B.P., Vel S.S., 2005. Active vibration suppression of sandwich beams using piezoelectric shear actuators: Experiments and numerical simulations, Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, 16: 517-530.
  25. Vel S.S., Baillargeon B.P., 2005. Analysis of static deformation, vibration and active damping of cylindrical composite shells with piezoelectric shear actuators, Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, 127: 395-407.
  26. Baillargeon B.P., Vel S.S., 2005. Exact solution for the vibration and active damping of composite plates with piezoelectric shear actuators, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 282: 781-804.
  27. Caccese V., Mewer R.C., Vel S.S., 2004. Detection of bolt load loss in hybrid composite/metal bolted connections, Engineering Structures, 26: 895-906.
  28. Vel S.S., Mewer R.C., Batra R.C., 2004. Analytical solution for the cylindrical bending vibration of piezoelectric composite plates, International Journal of Solids and Structures,  41: 1625-1643.
  29. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2004. Three-dimensional exact solution for the vibration of functionally graded rectangular plates, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 272: 703-730.
  30. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2003. Three-dimensional analysis of transient thermal stresses in functionally graded plates, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 40: 7181–7196.
  31. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2003. Generalized plane strain thermopiezoelectric analysis of multilayered plates, Journal of Thermal Stresses, 26: 353-377.
  32. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2002. Exact solution for thermoelastic deformations of functionally graded thick rectangular plates, AIAA Journal, 40:  1421-1433.
  33. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2001. Exact solution for rectangular sandwich plates with embedded piezoelectric shear actuators, AIAA Journal, 39: 1363-1373.
  34. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2001. Exact solution for cylindrical bending of laminated plates with embedded shear actuators, Smart Materials and Structures, 10: 240-251.
  35. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2001. Analysis of piezoelectric bimorphs and plates with segmented actuators, Thin-walled Structures, 39: 23-44.
  36. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2001. Generalized plane strain thermoelastic deformation of laminated anisotropic thick plates, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 38: 1395-1414.
  37. Vel S.S., Batra R.C.,2000.  Closure to “The generalized plane strain deformations of thick anisotropic composite laminated plates”, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 38: 483-489.
  38. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2000. Three-dimensional analytical solutions for hybrid multilayered piezoelectric plates, Journal of Applied Mechanics, 67: 558-567.
  39. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2000. Cylindrical bending of laminated plates with distributed and segmented piezoelectric actuators/sensors, AIAA Journal, 38: 857-867.
  40. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 2000. The generalized plane strain deformations of thick anisotropic composite laminated plates, International Journal of Solids and Structures, 37: 715-733.
  41. Vel S.S., Batra R.C., 1999. Analytical solutions for rectangular thick laminated plates subjected to arbitrary boundary conditions, AIAA Journal,37: 1464-1473.

CONFERENCE PAPERS

  1. Vel, S.S., Goupee, A.J., 2008. Multiscale design of functionally graded materials, Proceedings of the 2008 NSF CMMI Engineering Research and Innovation Conference, Knoxville, Tennessee, January 2008.
  2. Vel, S.S., Goupee, A.J., 2008. Multi-objective optimization of geometric dimensions and material composition of functionally graded components, Proceedings of the Multiscale and Functionally Graded Materials Conference 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii. Editors G. H. Paulino, M.-J. Pindera, R. H. Dodds, Jr., F. A. Rochinha, E. V. Dave, and L. Chen, American Institute of Physics, 978, pp. 610-615, 2008.
  3. Vel, S.S., Baskiyar, R., 2008. Thermally induced stresses in functionally graded thick tubes, Proceedings of the Multiscale and Functionally Graded Materials Conference 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii. Editors G. H. Paulino, M.-J. Pindera, R. H. Dodds, Jr., F. A. Rochinha, E. V. Dave, and L. Chen, American Institute of Physics, 978, pp. 688-693, 2008.
  4. Vel, S.S., Goupee, A.J., Pelletier, J.L., 2006. Multi-objective Design Optimization of Functionally Graded Materials, Proceedings of the 2006 NSF Design, Service, and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference, St. Louis, Missouri, July 24-27, 2006.
  5. Vel, S.S., Goupee, A.J., 2005. A Methodology for the Optimization of Material Composition of Functionally Graded Materials, Proceedings of the 2005 NSF Design, Service and Manufacturing Grantees and Research Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, Jan 3-6, 2005.
  6. Caccese, V., Mewer, R.C., Vel, S.S., 2004. Detection of Bolt Load Loss using Frequency Domain Techniques, Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Bar Harbor, Maine, October 24-27, 2004.
  7. Vel, S.S., Baillargeon, B.P., 2004. Active Vibration Suppression of Smart Structures using Piezoelectric Shear Actuators, Proceedings of the 15th International Conference on Adaptive Structures and Technologies, Bar Harbor, Maine, October 24-27, 2004.
  8. Goupee A.J., Vel S.S., 2004. Two-dimensional Thermomechanical Analysis and Optimization of Functionally Graded Materials, Advances in Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Eds. A. Tadeu and Satya N. Atluri, pp. 1705-1710, Tech Science Press.
  9. Vel, S.S., Baillargeon B.P., 2004. Active Vibration Suppression of Sandwich Beams using Piezoelectric Shear Actuators, Advances in Computational and Experimental Engineering and Sciences, Eds. A. Tadeu and Satya N. Atluri, Tech Science Press, pp. 2093-2098.
  10. Baillargeon, B.P., Vel, S.S., Koplik, J.S., 2004. Utilizing ABAQUS to analyze the active vibration suppression of structural systems, Proceedings of ABAQUS Users’ Conference, Boston, May 2004.
  11. Vel, S.S., Batra, R.C., 2003. Three-Dimensional Analysis of Transient Thermal Stresses in Functionally Graded Plates, Proc. The 5th Int. Congress on Thermal Stress and Related Topics, June 2003, (L. Librescu and P. Marzocca, Eds.), Paper #MA-2-4.
  12. Vel, S.S., Caccese, V., Zhao, H., 2002. Modeling and Analysis of Tapered Sandwich Beams, Proceedings of the American Society for Composites, Seventeenth Technical Conference, Purdue University, October 21-23, 2002.
  13. Vel, S.S., Batra, R.C., 2002. Exact Solution for the Cylindrical Bending Vibration of Functionally Graded Plates, Proceedings of the American Society for Composites, Seventeenth Technical Conference, Purdue University, October 21-23, 2002.
  14. Vel, S.S., Batra, R.C., 2003. Exact thermoelasticity solution for cylindrical bending deformations of functionally graded plates, Proceedings of IUTAM Symposium on Dynamics of Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, Yonezawa, Japan, May 20-24, 2002, Dynamics of Advanced Materials and Smart Structures, Edited by K. Watanabe and F. Ziegler, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht.
  15. Batra R.C., Vel S.S., 2000. Three-dimensional analysis of thick piezoelectric laminates. Advances in Computational Engineering & Sciences 2000, Volume I, Satya N. Atluri and Frederick W. Brust, editors, pp. 208-213, Tech Science Press.

Software

The following software tools are currently under development by my research group.

The TESA Toolbox is a standalone GUI program for the calculation of bulk thermoelastic and seismic properties of heterogeneous and polycrystalline materials using EBSD data. The toolbox includes a number of different homogenization techniques, including Voigt, Reuss, Hill, geometric mean, self-consistent and Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization (AEH) methods.  The user need only specify the microstructure and material properties of the individual minerals or phases.  The AEH method, which uses a finite element mesh, is more accurate than the other methods since it explicitly accounts for grain-scale elastic interactions. The microscale stresses and strains can be plotted for prescribed macroscale stresess, strains and temperature changes. The seismic wave speeds and anisotropies are calculated from the bulk elastic stiffnesses and average density. A post-processing interface allows the user to visualize seismic results as equal-area projections or contoured spheres. Results can be exported with publication quality in a number of different formats.

The TESA toolbox is the result of a joint effort between the Mechanical Engineering Department (Alden Cook, Senthil Vel) and the School of Earth and Climate Sciences (Scott Johnson, Chris Gerbi and Won Joon Song) at the University of Maine. The coding was done in Matlab by Alden Cook.

Screenshots:

Download standalone executable (Ver 2.2):

TESA Toolbox Ver. 2.2 (964 MB zip file)

Installation: 

Instructions (pdf)

Tutorial: 

Basic Tutorial (pdf)

Acknowledgements: This software was developed with the support of the U.S. National Science Foundation through grants EAR-1015349, EAR-1118786 and EAR-1347087.

Senthil Vel: Power-Law Creep Toolbox

The GUI software is a standalone interface for the analysis of nonlinear creep in polyphase aggregates using Asymptotic Expansion Homogenization (AEH). The AEH method, which uses a finite element mesh, provides accurate results since it explicitly accounts for the morphology and interaction of phases. The user need only provide an image of the sample and the phase power law parameters in axial form. The package contains a Matlab-based graphical user interface (GUI) which has been designed for ease of use and efficiency. Post-analysis options allow the user to plot the bulk flow relations for the aggregate in either linear and log₁₀ space, as well as visualize local fluctuations in fields such as stress, strain rate and viscosity via contour plots. Results can be exported with publication quality by using built-in Matlab functions. A built-in tutorial in included in the GUI software.

The GUI package is the result of a joint effort between the Mechanical Engineering Department (Alden Cook and Senthil Vel) and the School of Earth and Climate Sciences (Chris Gerbi and Scott Johnson) at the University of Maine. The coding was done in Matlab and C by Alden Cook.

Please email questions or comments to alden.cook@maine.edu

Acknowledgements:

This work was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation through grants
EAR-1015349, EAR-1118786, EAR-1150438 and EAR-1347087.

Screenshots:

Download package:

32-bit version for Windows (400 MB zip file)

64-bit version for Windows (431 MB zip file)

Installation: 

Instructions (pdf)

Microstructural Analysis Toolbox for Unidirectional Composites

The Microstructural Analysis Toolbox is a Matlab graphical user interface (GUI) program that allows the user to find the effective engineering properties of hexagonally-packed two-phase unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite materials using the asymptotic expansion homogenization (AEH). The program also has the ability to perform stress analyses on a representative material element (RME) at the microstructural level. The user need only provide the engineering properties for the two individual phases (fiber and matrix), define a desired volume fraction percentage for the fiber, and specify the accuracy of the finite element mesh to be used in the analysis.  If a subsequent microscale stress analysis is desired, the user must provide, in addition to the input stated above, the average macroscopic stresses and temperature change.  The embedded plot enables the user to view images of the RME and mesh before and after performing AEH, as well as filled contour plots of the six microscale stress components subsequent to a stress analysis.

The GUI package was developed by Alden Cook and Senthil Vel in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Maine. The coding was done in Matlab and C by Alden Cook.

Please email questions or comments to senthil.vel@maine.edu.

Screenshot:

The toolbox will run only on MS Windows operating systems. It is not compatible with Mac OS, Linux or OS X.

Download standalone version of toolbox (does not require Matlab):

Standalone version (390 MB zip file)

Installation Instructions (pdf)

User manual: 

Basic Users Manual (pdf)