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Francisco López JiménezÌý
Assistant Professor, Smead Aerospace
Friday, Sept. 20 | 10:40 a.m. | AERO 111

Abstract: Lightweight materials and structures are essential in the aerospace industry, from enabling the large space structures required to advance science missions to reducing fuel consumption. Their mechanical response is often a result of the interplay between material properties and their geometry across different scales. As an example, we will present our work on high strain composites for deployable structures. First, how thickness controls the mode of failure of composites under bending. Second, how the geometry of composite flexures determines the balance between stiffness when deployed and compliance for better stowage. Finally, how curvature in composite booms can enable the ultra-lightweight booms necessary for the next generation of solar sails. We will also discuss other examples of our work, from ablative composites in hypersonics to animal architecture.

Bio: Francisco López Jiménez is an Assistant Professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Seville, and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering and a Ph.D. in Aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology. Before joining ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder, he held postdoctoral research appointments at the Laboratoire de Mécanique des Solides (École Polytechnique, France) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on the design, fabrication, and analysis of lightweight materials and slender structures, with an emphasis in composite materials and deployable structures.