Prof. Glaucio H. Paulino and former research group members, Dr. Fernando V. Senhora and Dr. Emily D. Sanders, introduced a new paradigm for optimization-based design of elastostatic cloaks. An elastostatic cloak conceals a defect contained in an infinite elastic medium from the medium’s response to (quasi-) static mechanical stimuli. It should perform under any elastic disturbance to the surrounding medium. In a deviation from the current state-of-the-art, which focus on concealing a defect from one or a few elastic disturbances (i.e., reinforcement), the authors consider a small set of “worst-case” loads that allows them to design elastostatic cloaks that conceal a defect under any elastic disturbance to the surrounding medium. Elastic media composed of spinodal architected materials allow the authors to explore the influence of porosity and anisotropy of the elastic medium, while ensuring manufacturability needed for physical demonstration.

The work was published in PNAS on May 6, 2025.

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