Faculty Profiles

Professor Lubarda is interested in a number of unique aspects related to solids, including elasticity, plasticity, dislocations, damage mechanics, and fracture mechanics. He applies his extensive knowledge of elastoplasticity theory, the subject of his latest book, to better understand and predict the behavior of materials. A material that is elastic bends under certain loads and then returns to its original shape. An elastoplastic solid will bend and remain in a deformed position. Often times, this characteristic is desirable. In creating automobiles for example, the steel must be shaped and pressed to form certain shapes while at the same time retaining strength and reliability. It is a matter of finding the balance between deformation and strength, and knowing a solid's limits. In other cases, elastoplasticity is undesirable and may compromise the structural integrity of a solid (e.g. buildings and bridges).Lubarda has worked with organizations such as the NSF, the U.S. Army, and ALCOA (Aluminum Company of America) to provide a greater understanding of solid behaviors under various conditions. He studied fundamental aspects of mathematical and physical theories of elastoplasticity with funding from NSF. For the Army he did research in damage and rock mechanics to gauge the effectiveness of underground bunkers in protecting against outside penetration. And for ALCOA he analyzed dislocations and other imperfections in aluminum alloys (such as Al-Cu alloys) to improve the mechanical properties related to their ductility and strength.

Capsule Bio:

Vlado A. Lubarda received his mechanical Dipl.-Ing. degree from the University of Montenegro in 1975, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University in 1977 and 1979. He was an Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Montenegro from 1980-1989, a Fulbright Fellow and a Visiting Associate Professor at Brown University from 1989-1991, and the Arizona State University from 1992-1997. Since 1998 he is an Adjunct Professor of Applied Mechanics in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at UC San Diego, and since 2013 a Distinguished Teaching Professor in its Department of NanoEngineering. He is also a Research Affiliate of CMRR.

Professor Lubarda has done research work in the fields of elasticity, plasticity, viscoelasticity, dislocation theory, damage mechanics, nano and biomechanics. He is the author of numerous journal and conference publications, and four books: Strength of Materials (University of Montenegro Press, 1985), Elastoplasticity Theory (CRC Press, 2002), Mechanics of Solids and Materials (Cambridge University Press, 2006), and Topics in Solid Mechanics: Elasticity, Plasticity, Damage, Nano and Biomechanics (Obod Press, 2013). He serves on the Editorial boards of the journals Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids, and Acta Mechanica. Professor Lubarda is the recipient of the Barbara and Paul Saltman Distinguished Teaching Award, multiple Teacher of the Year Awards in the MAE Department, and three Tau Beta Pi Outstanding Teacher of the Year Awards. He is a Fellow of Revelle College, and a member of the Montenegrin Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Montenegrin Academy of Engineering, and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

Selected Publications:

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