Profile

Education

• Ph.D., Engineering Mechanics, Virginia Tech, 2009
• M.S.M.E., METU, Ankara, Turkey, 2006
• B.S.M.E., METU, Ankara, Turkey, 2004

Research Areas and Descriptors

• Acoustics and Dynamics and Mechanics of Materials: Structural dynamics; mechanical vibrations; dynamical systems with smart materials; energy harvesting; sensing and actuation; bio-inspired structures, theoretical and experimental modal analysis; structural coupling and modification techniques.

Background

Dr. Erturk began at Georgia Tech in May 2011 as an Assistant Professor. Prior, he worked as a Research Scientist in the Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures at Virginia Tech. His postdoctoral research interests included modeling and experiments of linear and nonlinear piezoelastic structures for applications ranging from energy harvesting to bio-inspired thrust generation. He had several interdisciplinary collaborations on topics spanning from aeroelastic energy harvesting to nonlinear vibrations of electroelastic systems.

His Ph.D. dissertation was focused on electromechanical modeling of piezoelectric energy harvesters using analytical and approximate analytical techniques. Prior to his Ph.D. studies in Engineering Mechanics at Virginia Tech, Dr. Erturk received his M.S. degree from the Middle East Technical University (Ankara, Turkey) and his M.S. thesis was related to analytical and semi-analytical modeling of spindle – tool holder – tool dynamics in machining centers for predicting chatter stability and identifying interface dynamics between the assembly components.

Research

Energy harvesting is one of Dr. Erturk’s primary research topics. The goal in this research field is to enable self-powered electronic components by harvesting ambient energy. Dr. Erturk’s research in this field ranges from electromechanical modeling for design and optimization of vibration-based energy harvesters to performance enhancement by exploiting nonlinear dynamic phenomena, such as chaos and limit-cycle oscillations (figure a). One of his research collaborations (intersecting with the discipline of Aerospace Engineering) combines the domains of piezoelectricity and aeroelasticity to establish unconventional and scalable ways of wind energy harvesting through piezoaeroelasticity (figure b). Enabling multifunctional, hybrid, self-charging composite structures that can sustain dynamic loads, generate electricity from piezoelectric transduction and solar radiation, and store the energy in its thin-film battery layers (figure c) is another topic in this field and it involves collaborations with colleagues from the discipline of Electrical Engineering. His theoretical research related to optimizing the active material for piezoelectric power generation intersects with the discipline of Materials Science. Electrohydroelasticity of bio-inspired underwater thrust and power generation using fiber-based piezoelectric composites (figure d) is also investigated for potential ecological and naval applications.

The near future directions of Dr. Erturk’s research include low-power sustainability in civil infrastructure systems, energy-efficient morphing and biomimetic flapping of aircraft structures, morphing using multi-stable composites, energy-efficient thrust generation in hydroelastic structures, underwater energy harvesting, acoustic energy harvesting, exploiting nonlinear dynamics to enable broadband MEMS designs and nonlinear vibration absorbers, stochastic dynamics of electroelastic structures, investigation of other transduction methods and non-piezoelectric materials for vibration-based energy harvesting. One of Dr. Erturk’s present research topics is focused on the gradient effects in centrosymmetric dielectrics for potential applications to energy harvesting, sensing, and actuation at very small scales.

Dr. Erturk’s research topics involve active collaborations with colleagues from the disciplines of Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Materials Science. He has worked on projects funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The research topics mentioned here utilize both theoretical and experimental techniques. Therefore the students involved will be able to develop modeling skills along with an appreciation of the experimental aspects of the research problem. Conducting research on these topics will provide the students with a bridge between the concepts of structural dynamics and smart materials as well as theoretical and experimental modal analysis. The students will have the opportunities to interact and collaborate with other research groups, develop strong technical communication and presentation skills.