Topic: “Disaster Mitigation Based on Smart Structures/Materials”
Speaker: Hiroshi Asanuma, Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chiba University
Date: Friday, July 15, 2016
Time: 10:30am
Location: NIA, Room 101
Host: Ji Su, Advanced Materials and Processing Branch, NASA/LaRC
Abstract: The concept “Disaster Mitigation and Sustainable Engineering” is introduced comprehensively and several examples are shown in this paper. It is emphasized that it can be effectively realized in the field “smart materials and structural systems.” As serious disasters may not occur for a long period of time, and the structures for disaster mitigation suffer from vast amount of maintenance cost etc., they are better to be used daily. Their compactness and deploying function are also very useful. In order to demonstrate the concept, two examples having been experimentally tried are introduced, that is, artificial forests and deployable structure based on honeycomb to be used against flooding. Other examples and products in the world are also introduced and future directions are discussed.
Bio: Professor Hiroshi Asanuma received his BS in 1979, MS in 1981 and Doctor of Engineering in 1984 from The University of Tokyo. After being a Research Associate at Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, an Associate Professor at Chiba University, Visiting Professor at University of Wollongong and Sapienza University of Rome, he became a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Chiba University. He has served as the former Chair of JSME M&P Division and is currently the Chair of Active Material Systems-TS, JSME M&P Division. He also has been serving as SPIE Conference Chair and Co-Chair, and an organizer of many other symposiums and workshops on Smart Materials and Structures. He has published over 70 journal papers, 90 conference papers, several books and patents, and has been in collaboration/cooperation with over 30 universities/institutes/companies around the world. He has delivered keynote/invited presentations about 50 times. He is a JSME Fellow and an IOP Fellow.