Tengyuan Hao - About Me

Educational Background

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, May 2024
- Thesis Title: Anisotropy Effects on Crack Path and Effective Toughness in Heterogeneous Materials (pdf)
- Thesis Advisor: Prof. M. Zubaer Hossain
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, May 2018
- Thesis Title: Effective mechanical properties in carbon nanotube-silica nanocomposite (pdf)
- Thesis Advisor: Prof. M. Zubaer Hossain
Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, University of Delaware, May 2014

Work Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology (Jun 2024 - Present)
- Developing advanced simulation models in Abaqus to analyze the dynamic fracture behavior of polycrystalline SiC, contributing to a deeper understanding of material performance under impact conditions.

- Developed a multiphysics computational framework using COMSOL to analyze the electro-chemo-thermo-mechanical behavior of PTFE/nAl energetic materials under static and dynamic loading, supporting advanced ignition mechanism studies.

Research Assistant at University of Delaware (Sep 2021 - May 2024 · 2 yrs 9 mos)
- Developed and applied advanced simulation tools to design and optimize the effective properties of heterogeneous materials across nano, micro, and macro scales. For more details on my work, please visit my project page.

Project Engineer at Fuyao Glass America (Jun 2018 - Aug 2021 · 3 yrs 3 mos)
- Led a 14-member team as a project supervisor, overseeing mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and technicians to successfully complete major production line installation and upgrading projects at the Moraine plant, ensuring compliance with the latest glass processing standards.

- Managed projects involving an investment exceeding 10 million USD, demonstrating proficiency in budgeting and timeline management by analyzing processing and production requirements.

- Prepared comprehensive project budget and timeline reports to facilitate decision-making processes.

- Created Bills of Materials (BOM) for projects to streamline purchasing orders with buyers, enhancing overall project efficiency.

- Supervised equipment installation and reconstruction teams, ensuring adherence to project timelines and quality standards.

- Conducted training sessions on new equipment for equipment engineers and production associates, fostering a skilled and knowledgeable workforce.

- Organized equipment inspection sessions involving collaboration with engineering, processing, safety, quality, and production departments to facilitate equipment acceptance processes.

Research Assistant at University of Delaware (Jan 2016 - May 2018 · 2 yrs 5 mos)
- Developed a multiscale approach by integrating density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamics (MD), and finite element (FE) simulations to study fracture in Glass-Nanotube nanocomposites.

Engineering Assistant at HengLong USA (Oct 2014 - Jul 2015 · 10 mos)
- Conducted extreme temperature tests (ranging from -40°C to 125°C) on the CIPOS steering torque and angle sensor.

Technical Experience

Implemented Finite Element simulations to investigate the stress profiles within curvilinear carbon fiber-reinforced composites experiencing uniaxial stress deformation. Conducted simulations—on the left video, using HyperWorks with the Radioss solver, and on the right video, using MEF90 phase field formulations.

Developed Python codes facilitating the automatic generation of composite geometries through CUBIT software, offering the flexibility to precisely and efficiently tailor geometry details.

Executed simulations on a high-performance cluster (supercomputers) using a bash script for effective computing.

Executed post-processing in Paraview, skillfully utilizing Python scripts to extract pertinent information for subsequent analysis.

Conducted cutting-edge molecular dynamics simulations to explore the material properties of diverse nanomaterials, including a silica nanocage (left video), a carbon nanotube-reinforced amorphous silica nanocomposite (middle video), and hexagonal boron nitride (right video).

- Employed a hybrid potential approach in modeling a carbon nanotube-reinforced amorphous silica nanocomposite (middle video). The behavior of the amorphous silica matrix was simulated using the Reactive Force Field (ReaxFF) potential, while the behavior of the carbon nanotube (CNT) was modeled with the Adaptive Intermolecular Reactive Empirical Bond Order potential (AIREBO). The interaction between CNT and silica is represented by an empirical potential derived from density functional theory (DFT) and expressed in the Lennard–Jones form.

- Utilized the Stillinger–Weber (SW) potential to model hexagonal boron nitride (right video).

Developed MATLAB scripts to generate diverse atomic and molecular structures, streamlining and enhancing molecular modeling processes.

Executed simulations on a high-performance cluster (supercomputers) using a bash script for effective computing.

Developed Matlab scripts for post-processing simulation data and visualizing results, as demonstrated in the middle video.

Executed calculations employing colinear spin to investigate the spin magnetic moment on 2D materials (demonstrated in the left video).

Developed MATLAB scripts for generating diverse atomic and molecular structures tailored for Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations.

Implemented a Bash script to automatically apply strain to the material domain after each relaxation in uni-axial deformation simulations. The script also enables automatic restarting of simulations in case of unexpected stops.

Performed MATLAB post-processing to extract pertinent information from output files, enabling visualization and facilitating subsequent analysis (demonstrated in the right video).

Leveraged advanced machine learning techniques, notably Transformer, Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), and ConvLSTM2D, to predict fractures in complex material systems (demonstrated in the above video).

Demonstrated proficiency in GPU computing using CUDA for efficient machine learning applications.

Proposed a simple 3D-printed design to achieve stable and defined crack propagation in brittle materials, facilitating the measurement of effective fracture toughness for both printable homogeneous and heterogeneous materials.