Join us this August 3-6 for a special online course offering a systematic introduction to the mechanics of deformable porous media from a variational perspective. Beginning with continuum mechanics fundamentals, participants will learn how variational principles – rooted in calculus of variations and energy methods –provide a unified framework for deriving governing equations in elasticity, plasticity, and fracture. The course progresses from small-strain linear elasticity through dissipative systems and phase-field fracture modeling to finite strain hyperelasticity. The course ends by showing how theory applies to pore-scale modeling, and what challenges and insights arise from probing deformation and failure on pore-scale geometries derived from imaging data.

What you’ll learn:

• How variational and energy methods (e.g., virtual work, dissipation potentials) provide a unified framework for deriving governing equations of solid mechanics.
• Computational approaches to plasticity, fracture, and large deformations, including phase-field modeling of crack propagation.
• How pore-scale modeling on geometries derived from imaging data reveals insights and challenges related to deformation and failure in porous materials.

Instructor:
Yashar Mehmani, Assistant Professor at Pennsylvania State University, specializing focusing on the fundamental physics of fluid flow and solid deformation in porous materials, with emphasis on pore-scale modeling and theory, multiscale methods, and applications to energy and environmental systems.

Schedule:
August 3–6, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (EDT), daily

Course Fee: Thanks to support from an NSF CAREER Grant, this course will be offered free to all participants. Participation is limited to InterPore members.