RESEARCH

Create. Understand. Protect.

Our research spans three connected themes: designing architected structures, understanding how materials and structures respond to complex loading, and evaluating protective systems under impact. Across these themes, we use computational and experimental mechanics to understand the physical mechanisms governing material behavior and structural performance.

I. CREATE

Architected Structural Materials

Architected materials derive much of their mechanical behavior from structure rather than composition alone. We investigate how changes in unit-cell architecture alter the available deformation modes and how these local mechanisms develop into a macroscopic response.

Our current work explores pattern-derived lattice systems as controlled families of structural architectures. The focus is on establishing a direct connection between geometric construction and the mechanics that emerge during compression, particularly when the response involves instability or progressive collapse.

Ongoing research. Detailed geometries and design parameters are not posted before publication.

Architected material specimen under compression — Auxetic behavior of a culturally inspired lattice structure.

Compression response of an architected unit cell.

II. UNDERSTAND

Mechanics of Lightweight Structures under Extreme Loading

Lightweight structures, including thin-walled components and woven fabrics, can respond to impact in ways that quasi-static analysis cannot predict. Under extreme loading, stress wave propagation interacts with large deformation and rate-dependent material behavior, making the structural response more difficult to predict. The response becomes sensitive to details that would not matter under slow loading.

We study this class of problems with nonlinear explicit finite element analysis, supported by experimental data where available. Our models range from the yarn scale in woven fabrics to full structural systems.

Woven fabric experimental observations and numerical predictions

Multi-scale modeling of woven fabric-reinforced composite.

III. PROTECT

Protective Structural Systems and Crashworthiness

We apply mechanics to engineering problems in which structural response has a direct consequence for human safety. The scale of these problems ranges from roadside infrastructure designed to manage vehicle impact to lightweight systems intended for personal protection.Our research seeks to understand how protective structures interact with an impact event and how their mechanical response can be shaped to reduce its consequences.

Crash test and finite element simulation comparison

Experimental observation and finite element prediction of helmet penetration under ballistic impact — Response of the Advanced Combat Helmet to rifle bullet impacts.

FEATURED WORK

Topology-Dependent Collapse and Energy Absorption in Culturally Inspired Interlaced-Pentagon Structures

We derived three related architectures from a common interlaced-pentagon geometry through controlled central-member removal. We examined their compression response using FFF-printed PETG specimens and nonlinear finite-element simulations. We then developed a response-informed variant by removing selected peripheral members of the parent architecture. The results showed that global graph descriptors captured changes in connectivity but did not fully explain the observed crushing response.

Palta, E. (2026). Topology-Dependent Collapse and Energy Absorption in Culturally Inspired Interlaced-Pentagon Structures. (under review)

Topology generation and experimental and numerical
compression response of interlaced-pentagon structures

Iso-energetic ballistic response of meso-scale woven fabrics

We examined the ballistic response of meso-scale woven fabrics under impacts with the same kinetic energy but different projectile masses and velocities. The results showed that equal impact energy did not necessarily produce the same ballistic outcome. We identified three response regimes and related projectile arrest to the interaction between projectile momentum and the finite impulse the fabric could sustain during impact.

Palta, E. (2026). Iso-energetic ballistic response of meso-scale woven fabrics. International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, 326, 111910.

Graphical abstract for iso-energetic ballistic response study

Multi-scale modeling of ballistic impact in woven fabrics

We developed a multi-scale finite-element model to examine the ballistic response of multi-ply woven fabrics without representing the entire target at the yarn scale. The model retained a detailed meso-scale representation in the impact region, while the surrounding fabric was represented using a coarser model. The two regions were connected through shared nodes to transfer forces and deformation across the interface. This approach reduced the computational cost while retaining the local representation needed to examine projectile–fabric interaction.

Palta, E., & Fang, H. (2019). On a multi-scale finite element model for evaluating the ballistic performance of multi-ply woven fabrics. Composite Structures, 217, 488–508.

Experimental measurements compared with meso-scale
and multi-scale finite element predictions — Comparison of experimental measurements and predictions from the meso-scale and multi-scale models.