Profile

Education

• Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1998
• M.S., University of Michigan, 1995
• B.S., Clarkson University, 1993

Research Areas and Descriptors

• Acoustics and Dynamics and Mechanics of Materials; Computational and nonlinear dynamics of reduced-dimensional structures and materials, multiscale modeling of nanostructured materials, and nonlinear behavior in automotive accessory drives.

Background

Dr. Leamy joined Georgia Tech in 2007 as an Assistant Professor. Prior, he was a Research Scientist in the Emerging Technology Office at the MITRE Corporation, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center, and an Assistant Professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dr. Leamy has also been a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Technion, Israel's Institute of Technology, and a Research Associate at the NASA Langley Research Center.

Research

Dr. Leamy's research interests are in emerging and multidisciplinary areas of engineering science, with an emphasis on simulating nonlinear dynamical behavior present in structures and materials. Topics of particular interest include multiscale computational modeling of nanostructured materials, which promise to be both ultra-strong and multifunctional. Many new materials and/or new applications of old materials are resulting from progress in nanoscience, and many of these materials are truly reduced-dimension in nature. Examples include two-dimensional graphene sheets and their derivative, the carbon nanotube (CNT), and one-dimensional chain-like polymers. These materials experience strong interaction forces at their surfaces which are far-more significant than in bulk-scale fully-dimensional materials. As a result, new multiscale modeling techniques are required to simulate the dynamic behavior of macroscale materials assembled from these new constituent materials. Dr. Leamy has recently developed several multiscale computational models of carbon nanotubes and polymers appropriate for capturing their individual dynamic behavior. The models integrate interatomic potentials commonly found in molecular dynamics simulations with either beam-like or shell-like continuum frameworks. Combined in a finite element framework, the resulting models can efficiently capture material structural response to loading, or can be used to quickly compute structural vibration modes. Research is underway to extend this work in several directions, including to a proposed simulator termed NanoFEA which would allow engineers to design nanostructured materials assembled from the recently developed constituent models. This follow-on work would be particularly attractive to graduate students interested in entering an emerging research area bridging mechanical engineering and materials science, and who are interested in acquiring a strong mathematics and computation background.

Dr. Leamy is also active in applying and extending nonlinear analysis techniques to industry-relevant applications. He has developed very accurate analytical and computational models which couple vehicle Front End Accessory Drive (FEAD) system response to accurate contact mechanics in the belt-pulley interface. A commercial tool used by multiple automotive suppliers and co-developed by Dr. Leamy, termed DIS/Belt, encapsulates these models and gives FEAD design engineers a virtual testbed capability. DIS/Belt can predict system natural frequencies, performance time histories due to general crankshaft input motion, including transient events such as 1-2 shifts and cycling of an air conditioner compressor, and failure modes such as throwing' of a belt or pegging' of a tensioner arm. In addition, Dr. Leamy has developed simulation tools for electrodynamic space tethers and a fully three-dimensional co-rotational finite element simulator, termed CODYNfea, for efficiently modeling deformable bodies undergoing motion with large displacements, large rotations, and small strains.

Work in these research areas would be attractive to graduate students interested in applying and furthering engineering science and who would like to transition their research efforts into innovative design tools to be used by industry sponsors.